Frank Kinlan's Blog

Monday: Nearly December already. Spinning class at Europa pools. Logged it on the Forerunner 50 and had the data uploaded to Garmin Connect and the Training Centre as soon as I walked in the room. All clever stuff.
Did some weights before the class and a couple after before I hit the shower.
Sprint at the end was 7 minutes.
Glad to have done it, missing my class wasn’t an option.
Tuesday:Work but booked in for Louises early class as I was fifth reserve on the second class and West Kirby wouldn’t put me on the waiting list!!
Now I didn’t intend to do the two classes but Louise egged me on to do the two and as there were 6 spare bikes I did.

 Averages were higher on the first class but the second class had my maximum for the evening as I decided to push myself on one of the hillclimbs. The huge trough after it meant I was wacked and needed a break.
After the second class I couln’t get into the shower as my swipe wasn’t working. Also bumped into a Lifestyle and Weight Management Course member. I’d spoken at one of Ron,s followup classes and he had remembered me from it, I’m sure we will bump into each other again. The important thing is to stick with it, there is no going back for me life is so much better now it is hard for me to explain how much better things are.
Wednesday:Work, went to Halfords on the way home for some bits and bobs to get the Colnago Carbitubo moving. Gear cables some cable ends and a side light for the car. I’ll be watching what pump I fill up at a Shell filling station in future. 111.9p a litre for some V power diesel. I used to purposely avoid Shell stations for over 20 years so I must be getting soft in my old age. When I say avoid I mean I would rather run out than buy Shell, geen Shell as the Dutch say. Gave two of the cards away at work that give the not so computer literate the link to the site.
Both were going to get passed onto someone that could do with a bit of encouragement to make that change.
I still have people not recognising me or too polite to ask, it’s never a problem because I’m the one who has experienced the benefits of the lifestyle change.
No spinning, no gym must be a rest day.
Thursday:Work
Friday:Work. An interesting day at work, saw the robots in action for the first time. Also my last day for 28 days whohooooooo.
Spinning class at WestKirby, no gym as it has been closed for a refurb. Spoke to a recent spinner before the start of the class, this was her  third class. Funnily enough the Mars Bar exercise scale came up in the conversation. 284 calories in a Mars Bar so a good class burns off 2 Mars bars. For me to burn off 600 calories requires a lot of effort. Trust me these classes are not easy, if your not doing them to your max and your not wearing a  HRM I would say your doing about 500 calories a session. Still better than not doing one. Two new young girls got a clap at the end as first timers always do.

Saturday: Possible ride didn’t happen. Shopping at Chester saw me with a new outfit from Marks and Spencer. It is a totally different experience buying clothes to look good in rather than buying them because they are the only ones on the rack that will fit you.
Sunday: Ride day.  As things stand I am off for most of December including Christmas. Could be an interesting month.
The weather was foul with rain and high winds forecast and as I was running late I ended up getting a lift to the Eureka. To cap it all the Garmin Edge battery was low so it ended up getting another charge from the battery pack. It wouldn’t last the day and ended up switching off around Kinnerton.
Numbers were low in the Eureka and there were only three of us on the ride. Once we got to Sealand we were in sunshine and that was how it was for the rest of the ride
The early start meant we were back in the Eureka for just after midday. Tempo took us up bits of Wales that I hadn’t ridden before. Heading up the steps to Llandegla we turned off before the top and headed back towards Mold and Mynned Isa.
37 mph down Ewloe Hill. Part of the ride was along Offas Dyke with a fair bit of climbing in it with me dropping off the back as I was turning a low gear into the wind.

Monday: Work, no exercise of note. Looking at what is coming up this is going to be a difficult two weeks for me with work commitments geting in the way of things.
Tuesday: Work and on call. Did some pressups before I went to bed but it wasn’t enough and just confirmed the fact that I need to get some exercise in at some stage.
Wednesday: Work. Folowed by a Lifestyle and Weight management followup class. Not a bad turnout seeing England were on the box. A few turning up after a break of a few months. The main theme tonight is exercise with a focus on the weights and why we all should be doing more of them. I probably don’t do enough and it’s an area that I will need to sort out.
When I was logging the weights I could see the improvement, now I know I’ve probably stuck at something that doesn’t tax me enough.

Went to Europa Pools straight from the class where it was rowing, running 1 mile, weights, crosstrainer, more rowing. Logged on the Forerunner 50 the treadmill was interesting as I upped the pace for the last half km. The pace for the first km was 12 km/hr with it being upped to 13.4 anf then up to 14.3 for the final 0.2 km.

Rowing was first then the treadmill, the final two speed changes are clearly visible, as anyone can see the second rowing session was at a slower pace. What didn\’t get logged was the gross trainer which was 15 mins @ 138 BPM. This was an absolute pain, the machine registered my acheiving the desired point to early so not enough resistance was dialed in to make me work hard enough.

So I was going like a banshee to get the heartrate up but the damage was done, it had settled on a low resistance setting and if I slowed the pace it just made things worse. This was compounded by the fact that one one side of me I had a guy who was maxing out on a similar resistance setting. On the other side was a girl on a random program that was nothing but monster hills and reverse steps who spent a lot of the time texting. Target heartrate was 138 BPM for 15 minutes which is not a lot these days. Rowing for another Km, shower, home.
Thursday: In early for  a company announcement that redundancies are around the corner. Not as bad as it seems at first glance as out of change comes opportunity.
I\’d booked in to Louises spinning class at Europa Pools but was fifth on the waiting list.
Now it is just as well I checked the availability as I thought the class started at 7.15. Got the shock off my life when I was told it started at 6.30.  Made it to Europa Pools in good time but had to wait for Val to drop of my kit. I wouldn’t have made it home and back to Europa in time. Thanks Val.
Back to the class, Louise has changed a few of the tracks which means a slight change of routine. I’m having a decent go tonight, if I’m going to spend nearly an hour travelling for a class I’m not going to give it a good go.
Logged it on the Forerunner 50 and here are the results.

Clicking on the thumbnail will enlarge it.
Now the final two peaks are a sprint to Darude. On the final peak (sprint) I crank in a bit more resistance. It is also followed by some seated chest presses which is the slow climb to the max of the session.
This is the first time I’ve been able to show how intense some of these classes are.
Sweat pours out of me above 150 bpm no matter what I am doing. The majority of the class is above this level.
Most of the women/girls in these classes are looking just for toning and cardio. I’m only up against myself these days. If someone wants to take it easy that’s OK with me just don’t take the piss. I’m only trying to emulate what I feel on a bike, a decent hill on a bike is going to soon see most of us at a maximum. Pity I can’t  give you a calorie count  ( or a famous Mars Bar count). Just to put it into  perspective, don’t eat the mars bar after the class and you’ll be ok.
Friday: Work but managed to get on the reserve list for WestKirby. Still feeling the effects of Wednesdays weights. Got to the class early and didn’t have a bike until Margaret turned up in place of Barbara. Spoke to one of women class members out side and ended up giving her one of the cards with a link to the site. I’ve had a few odd looks when I give the card to women. Lifestyle and Weight Management in the the opening line sends all sorts of the wrong signals unless explained.
There a some shenanigans over the fans before the start of the class nobody “Needs” a fan on them. I sweat buckets once over 150 BPM on the heartrate monitor but I’m the only one going for a shower after the class. The Nike kit goes into the bag wet as if I’d showered wearing it. Men sweat and women perspire come to mind but I have this nagging doubt that its a lack of restistance.

Anyway enough griping from me, I’ve posted the comparison between Margarets and Louise,s class above. Margarets class has interval training built into it which is great for the likes of me. Good stretching routine at the end of the class. Shower, home.
Saturday: Rest day  and had a new bottom bracket fitted to the Colnago by Colin at Wheelbase. Your going to be seeing a lot of this bike I think, it’s going to get built up when I’m off for December.
Sunday: Ride day even if it’s throwing it down. May even be a Northender at last.
Nearly missed the ride as I was still finishing my breakfast. The ride was a 58 mile loop to the Ice Cream farm and back. It went along the towpath to Waverton then a loop near Farndon and some lanes that I haven’t ridden yet. There were sprints for signs every couple of miles. Chicago Dave and I had a go for one of them but got pipped by Lance who seemed to be taking them all. Horses seem to get spooked by Northend colours as another horse rider has trouble with the horse when we appeared. Two punctures on the ride  and met up with Ray at the Ice Cream Farm to get an update on the Audaxes for the rest of this year and next. Looks like it is going to be another good year, this year has been something else.
London Edinburgh London in 2009 sounds like a challenge ,1400 kms there and back.

Monday: Started the week by doing some crunches. Not thought about tonight yet if it’s not a class it will be the treadmill and the gym.
I’ve been pondering over the DaveLloyd mini challenge route and whether it is doable as a ride from the Eureka. The Mega challenge route definitely needs training for.

Went to Europa Pools for a spinning class but before that I had a session in the gym. 1Km of rowing in 4 minutes, 1 mile of running @ 9.4, 10.4 and 12 km/hr. All logged on the Forerunner 50. Auto uploaded to Garmin Connect when I got home.
Downstairs for Louise,s spinning class once we had put the bikes out.
As I hadn’t done a class at West Kirby Louise promised me a hard class and so it was.
About 7 bikes were free and I had the last place in the class so a few hadn’t turned up.

Class finished with a sprint to Darude with two sets of 8 x 8 out of the saddle.  Basically a set is 1 minute and 4 seconds of sprinting out the saddle, then a rest then do it again. Hanni led the count. The second set is usually 32 seconds but it was the full hit tonight.
I’ll try and post the plot of the Forerunner 50, running gets the heartrate up to a max fastest. It is just a question of pace.
Shower, home.

Tuesday: Work, on call. Nothing planned, yet. Called out, got back in the early hours

Wednesday: Work but managed to get the day off due to the callout and Lieu time
Rode out to the Eureka for breakfast and picked up a ride with Jack from the Northend.Ride was to Delamere forest visitor centre.

Ride out to Delamere was a bit chilly and it never really warmed up for the whole day. The pictures were taken when the sun came out. No link yet but rode home via the missing link and booked a spinning class.

Link to Map of Jacks Ride

Turned up at West Kirby in god time and just turned the legs over for 15 minutes and then Miles turns up. Miles is dripping in sweat even before we start the class.
logged the class on the Forerunner 50 and uploaded it to the Training Centre and the Garmin connect site. This is still a truncated post. More details when I can.
Thursday: Work. After a cockup by DHL the new toy has arrived and Val phones me with the good news. spinning class at West Kirby after work much the same as last nights class but now I have the Forerunner 50 I can overlay the data. What was remarkable was comparing the two classes, I was on my own tonight but last night I was up against Miles. The graph says I took it easy at the start lastnight but finished harder. Average pulse was higher for this class as was the max.
The Flying Scotsman was out on loan at Blockbusters so came home empty handed.

The new “Retro Toy” arrived at long last after a DHL cockup and it is a joy to behold. A Colnago Carbitubo circa 1991. Colnago,s first forray into carbonfibre with the help of Ferrari. I have one that I broke twice but this one is in a different league it deserves to be kitted out in vintage Campagnolo Record of the period. I’ve got enough redundant kit to get it on the road but it cry,s out for top of the range kit of the time.

So Sora it is untill I can get all the right stuff. I’m going to enjoy all the comments as I know there are going to be some.

Friday: Off but have a lot to do, booked in to Europa Pools for the last of the weeks spinning class.  Need to do some weights too.

Sheila,s spinning class at Europa Pools there was a waiting list of 7 but there were still bikes free as lots are booking and not turning up. Logged it on the Forerunner 50 and went to the gym after the class. Weights and then ran a mile on the treadmill at 12 km/hr. Average heartrate was 158 bpm with a max of 172 bpm.
Saturday: Ride day, another day out with the NorthEnd expecting a battering  as this is the day I try to join them.

Link to Map of Ride

Not a hilly as last weeks ride with a faster pace once the group doing a longer loop split at Waverton. Around Tattenhall we encounter what looks to be the Cheshire Hunt out foxhunting. Foxes aren’t in any danger from this lot as it apears more recreational than an illegal sport.
Five rode on to The Plough for a liquid lunch. Chicago Dave telling of his encounter with some of Nestons under age drinkers.  58.7 Miles.
Sunday: Might get to ride out to the Eureka for breakfast but it is not a ride day. Got to be back for about 10.30.
Rode out along the Chester High Road into a bitter headwind. The pace was about half what it normally is. Only two other riders at the Eureka when I got there and it was still fairly empty at half nine when it is usually packed. Rode back via the Missing link, The Aldi winter gloves were starting to feel cold in the fingers but it was a bitter day. I didn’t relish going out in such conditions. 16.5 miles.
Another good week mind you I don’t know when I last had a bad week. You get out of life what you put into it.

Monday: Work. Left at five for Barbara,s 6 o’clock spinning class and ended up being late for it as Runcorn bridge had traffic queueing. Ended up 10 minutes late so only burnt 470 calories with a max of 173 bpm so I did put something into it. The woman next to me was giving 110% as she had to have a break on some parts and yes she was putting the effort in. As I still had a bit left in me it was up to the gym for a set of weights.
This wasn’t enough and I didn’t feel like doing two sets so I waited for a treadmill to become available and then ran the proverbial mile (1.6Km) initially at 9.2 km/hr but I felt I was getting no where so upped it to 10.2 km/hr and took just over 10 minutes for it.
I’ve bought a new toy off Ebay, a classic. A Colnago Carbitubo to replace the broken one that I haven’t got around to sorting. I’m going to upset a whole new bunch of people by putting Shimano on it. It’s going to be a sunny day or event bike. 
Flame away when I kit it out in Sora. 
It’ll get a post of it’s own once it arrives. Google Analytics shows me people search for the bike and end up here.
Tuesday: Work. No classes tonight  but the mile I ran did wake me up to the fact that it’s the quickest way to do cardio workouts, that or go out with the Northend.
City Select (upgrade) arrived, pity it requires a full version to upgrade. No exercise.
Wednesday: Ride day. Could be another trip out with the Northend.
Rode out to the Eureka for Frank,s breakfast and went out with the NorthEnd to Cefn-Y-Bedd. We ended up at the Cabin Cafe and I struggle to get something  to eat at this place. I ended up having beans on toast. It’s the sort of place the overweight go knowing they can get what put them there in the first place. Full English breakfasts  and the like abound. The trip out was along the Dee with the wind behind us, an easy 20 mph on a smooth cyclepath. I’ll post a link to a Google Earth map of the ride. Trip was 58.5 miles for me. A couple of pictures around Kinnerton. Not a bad day. Rode back via Denhall Lane and Parkgate and it was still light.

Got back just in time before the rain came. Booked a spinning class at West Kirby.
The squash court was locked  so I chated to two of the women waiting for one it was her second class and she had lost her voice too. Next minute Margaret turns up to take the class. Now most of the class are in shock as they are not expecting Margaret to turn up.
I, along with a few others had the pleasure of Margarets class the other week. It is totally different and I told the girl next to me about it. She can give me a run for my money on Barbara,s classes. I mentioned that Margaret does a really good stretching routine. It is twice as long as any other and about five times longer than Barbara,s. There is a stretch she taught us on the first class that most won’t see the difference in, but it these small things that when you are shown the proper way really can make a difference even when you do them in another class.
The rest of the class is in shock for most of it, totally silent when asked what they wanted to do. The thing is they don’t know what is coming next and it can be a bit concerting.

Margarets class does a session of intervals that is not in many of the other classes and they ramp up. If you haven’t done then in a class before it can totally throw you.
This is a good thing for the likes of me and for the rest of the class as you have to pay attention.

Now to the data, it may sound like an easy class but it wasn’t. I did 600 calories in this class which is comparable to taking it easy on Barbara,s class. In this class I was conscious of being at a high sustained level but not being at a balls out level. Once I know the routine there are times that I can get ahead of it. That’s why classes like these are so refreshing. Good stretching routine after the class, shower, home.

Thursday: Work, rostered day, I’d rather be out on my bike in the high wind and rain than do this. Only light at the end of the tunnel is the possibility of a class after it.

Booked in at West Kirby as Europa Pools classes were full. Barbara had moved house hence Margaret taking Wednesdays class. Turned out to be a good class, Barbara was on the bike and I ended up burning 630 calories but did spend 15 minutes warming up. 630 calories was exactly what was in the Tesco,s Finest pizza that I had for dinner. Pity they put the price back up to £2.99 I quite liked them at two for £5, every penny helps as they say.
Friday: Nothing planned spinning class and the gym are the best bet. Hopefully the new bike will turn up. A mans got to have a dream.
Dream got a bit tarnished by DHL who didn’t deliver and returned it back to the seller.

Spinning class at Europa Pools. Logged on the Garmin Forerunner 50 once I got the right strap paired with it. New music for tonights class and there is no second guessing Sheila. First off everyones position on the bike was checked so you don’t end up riding in the wrong position. Structure was a bit different and there was a fair bit of sprinting out of the saddle. At the end there was five minutes on the mat doing  abbs. Like I have said previously once you have been shown how to do them once they are very effective. This is the first time for the guy opposite who is a fairly regular spinner and he feels it just like I did the first time. Shower, home.
Saturday: Ride day. Rode out to the Eureka for their Saturday ride. Turned out to be a good day. The rain held off and I was blown down the Chester High Road for my breakfast. It starts filling up with Northenders and come ride time I opt to go with Tempo,s group to what turned out to be the Plogh Inn at Waverton.
The motoring public doesn’t have a very good opinion of the NorthEnd riding in pairs as throughout the ride we get horns sounded at us.
The first one was a couple of hundred yards from the Eureka another on the A5117 and yet another going towards Backford. That’s the problem with riding on A roads you attract all the wrong sort of attention. I know why it’s done, 20mph in formation gets you further than 15 mph without.

Once past Hoole we are off the main roads and back on the lanes. What looked to be a trip to the Ice Cream Farm wasn’t as we sailed past the end of the lane. The ride skirted Tattenhall and then headed towards Burwardsley which I haven’t been through before.  Here I take a turn on the front with Tempo and this lasts until it gets hilly. A left turn is called out and the chap on the Pinarello says it isn’t for him and we had lost two more on the climb.

We head down this lane that then becomes a track but the best part is to come. There is a descent down a bumpy sandstone trail that reminds me that I need to change the brake pads on the rear of the Iceni. It’s also covered with fallen leaves.
We end up with two fallers on this stretch and I end up scooting down with one foot.
At the bottom we had hoped to meet the other two riders as we were under the impression they were ahead of us.
Next up was a call in at the Ice Cream Farm to see if they were there but no such luck. It was only then I found out the destination was The Plough at Waverton.
Another 2 riders thought it wasn’t for them.

The Plough is in Christmas Dinner mode and there are no bar meals. Mind you the last piece of cake I had here cost me £4.50 it was a work of art but still a piece of cake.
A couple of pints later we emerge we me aquiring the nickname of BlackAdder. Probably because I’ve been in Aldi Winter Cycling kit or 2007 Discovery Channel kit.
This is even before I’ve joined the club.

Dave and Peter turn up to a round of applause for the final round. The return to the Eureka is a round of sprints for roadsigns for the points jersey contenders followed by a water bottle fight that nearly caused a crash for those in the bunch. Back at the Eureka it appears to be breakfasts all round for the Northend.

Then Anne tells us of what sentence Mel Vasey,s killer got. Lost his license for 6 months, a retest and a £400 fine.  This is on the day that speeders are going to get a 6 month ban for two speeding offences. Cyclists lives are equal to 2 speeding offences. There is much discussion at the Eureka when we hear how lenient the sentence is.

Ride home via Puddington, Denhall Lane and Parkgate. 60 miles

Link to Map of Ride

Sunday: Work, no rides today. It’s been a good week.  4558 miles or so according to the TrainingCentre, 189,847 ft of climbing the figures are mind blowing. this is a guy that didn’t do hills of anysort if he could help it.

Monday: Spinning class at Europa pools when I can get through. Then home to try and configure the new broadband connection. Just squeezed into the class at West Kirby and logged it on the Forerunner 50. From the look of things I’m running at about 75 to 80% as I’ve picked up a cold. Once I’ve got enough data I’ll start overlaying data from various classes. Barbara,s classes should be easy as the music tracks are the same week in week out.
Then it was off to Europa Pools for the class I had originally booked. There were only 6 of us in this class but I was first reserve as it was down as full.  Sheila,s classes are the total opposite of Barbara,s  she is out to lookout  for her girls. Donny Osmond got a mention as she had been to see him. Just as well Donny doesn’t do anything to spin to.
As it was it was a relaxed class, I mentioned to everybody that  I had just done West Kirby and the reply  was that it couldn’t have been much good as I was fit enough to do another. The data I have says you take it easy in the second class, stands to reason you can’t do two of them at the same intensity.
Shower, home, and the new broadband connection to sort out. Oh and write it up while trying to watch Diehard 4. An interesting day.
Tuesday: Work. Maybe a class after work have to see how it goes.
Managed to get a class at West Kirby, someone must have upset Barbara as the class was changed and you wouldn’t get saddlesores in this class as we were never in it.
To confound it all I couldn’t get the Forerunner 50 to pair with the Garmin cheststrap I took as I now have two. I timed the class but had no data which was a shame as it would have been good to compare the classes especially with what happened later.
I’ve only had the new broadband connection a day and decided I needed to see what the Garmin Connect account was about. After messing around with the login password I managed to get the page up. There is already some data in it and looking at it, it was tonights class. This I initially found strange as I’m not wearing the watch, it’s still in the gym bag in the hall. The bluetooth USB stick had detected its presence and uploaded the data to the site, brilliant stuff. With the 705 due out soon it’s going to mean an automatic upload of data as soon as you walk in the room.
Just seen the Dave Llyod  mega challenge on July 2008. This sounds like an event I want to do on mt own at one stage. Never mind the official event it’s just a challlenging route to do maybe once in a lifetime.
Wednesday: Ride day. Maybe a trip out with the NorthEnd. The last two weeks have been a tad slow and I need to get back into it. I’m starting to think about next year now as this year is going to take some beating. L’Etape du Tour sounds like some thing worth a giving go. I’ve had a good time doing the Audaxes and they cost peanuts compared to the sportif events.
Rode out to the Eureka via the cash machine at Gayton roundabout and ended going to Utkinton Garden Centre. I’ve promised to post a link to the ride route and I’m in the process of doing it. 69 miles for me and a pleasant day out.

Link to Map of ride. opens in a new window.

Only took one photo one the ride and that was the North End fixing a puncure at the Cafe.

The ride out was fine with Jack leading the ride. The only thing of note was my new backlight bouncing down the road. I managed to loose the clip in the process. The new Cateye EL530 fitted to the Toys Aero bar so the front was taken care of it turned dark.

Back to the Eureka as we were mustering outside for the ride there is a familiar Garmin bleep. I look around at mine as it should have been switched off and it was. The bleeps are coming from a chap in CSC gear with a 205 on the stem. Turns out he knows me from visiting the site. He then strikes up a conversation with “young” Sandra who is well chuffed with the compliment.

Fast forward back to the ride, before we got to the Cafe there was a section of road that had all the hedges cut, badly. The road was a mess, the NorthEnd opted to walk, I rode on picking the best line sure that 100 psi would see me through. Well I got to the next junction and waited and I did think about turning back but the Cafe was just up the road so I rode on knowing that first at the counter meant I was going to get fed first too.

Jacket potato with tuna mayo for me and it turns out Sandra has ordered the same. A bit later as we had finished the Chester Road Club with Ray turned up. Ray got ne started on the routplanning on Marrengo and although our paths have diversified we still meet up for the Audaxes.

More a bit later  I’m off to the spinning class.

Spining class tonight  was at West Kirby and I had a session in the gym before the class. Miles turned up for the class and then there were two of us that sweat buckets in these classes. He set a PB of 700 kcal in this class  according to his Polar Sx 725 HRM. I wouldn’t doubt it,

Thursday: Tried to get a new bracket for the Cateye rear light without much luck. Not riding today but will do a spinning class to get the recomended  half an hour in a day. 
Barbara,s spinning class at West Kirby. This is the fifth class this week. Water bottle got topped up before the class along with a few weights. Logged the class on the Forerunner 50 which had an average heartrate of 142 BPM. with 169 as a max.
I’ve done enough classes to know what is good for me. I don’t do seated climbs full stop in a spinning class. Barbara is calling out all these climbs in the seat and from what I can gather the rest of the class is dialing it in.
This is not what I want so I don’t do it. I’m not looking to bulk up and I would think  99% of the women aren’t either. Most of it is a question of tension. Why struggle to turn an impossible gear when if you were on a bike you would select a lower gear  full stop.

I spin up hills these days and apart from going out with the likes of the NorthEnd  where the pure climbers drop you it works pretty well.

Friday: Ride day.Decided to do a circular Wirral ride as the sun was out and I wanted to be back early. As it turned out I should have had a go at the Steve Cummings training ride again but it was a good day all the same.

The forecast was good and it wasn’t a day for the Aldi Winter gear but there was enough wind to make me put on the Discovery Channel Windshell. Stopped at New Brighton to take pictures of the swans on the boating lake and again at the cycle path leading to Moreton. It was really quiet out, even the front at Seacombe was deserted. I’d booked a spinning class at Europa pools on the way out as this looked like it was going to be an easy day.
First stop was Morrisons in West Kirby for the Afternoon Tea for £1.99. Pot of tea, 1/2 an egg sandwich and a scone. This was 21 miles in and it was 11 o’clock. Most of the others seemed to be having full english breakfasts brought out. The car park chaos takes some beating and it was a good job I wasn’t in a rush to get out as the exit out of the shop is half blocked by a poppy stall and a firework stall. No messing around taking the flat route out of West Kirby these days it’s straight up the hill.
The benefit is going down the other side. Thurstaton cutting is the next climb and once past the Cottage Loaf I took the cycle path. Where it finishes by Mere Lane another rider in Discovery Channel kit passes me but he is on the other side of the road.
Next stop for a Gel and a bit of water is Parkgate. then it is up the road to Neston where I catch site of a rider in front. He gets passed before the Wheatsheaf and I push on a bit knowing he is having a good go. Our paths diverge at Denhall lane where I go down it for the first time.
There is a Bentley on the back of a lorry blocking the road at the bottom but I squeeze  by, once along the front it is the modest climb back up to Burton then along to Puddington. Next stop is the Eureka.
I end up spending 2 hours here talking to people I’ve bumped in to, American Dave is there telling us about his session on the track at the velodrome. The Sunlight all came down in their cars for some reason as November days don’t get much better than this. We talked about Dave Llyods ride in the summer, this looks to be the toughest thing in the UK 140 miles up the steepest climbs in North Wales. You could do a couple of these and say youve had a good ride but this has about 12 of them in.
It could become a classic.

On the way home I decide to give the missing Link another chance and it proves to be OK. Further on by Thorton Hough I come up upon Charlie and see him take avoiding action from a horse that takes fright and sidesteps across the road into his path. We ride together until our paths diverge  past Thornton Manor. The ride was 46 miles at my own pace, the headwind was a drag but I was just looking to have a good time on my own.
A bit less mileage than I had planned but I shouldn’t have spent so much time yapping but at least I had the spinning class to fall back on. I didn’t set any records in Sheila,s class, average heartrate was 130 bpm but the class wasn’t structured to break any records. The new Forerunner 50 doesn’t count calories like the Aldi HRM but it does log the whole class. I’ve moved on a bit from the calorie counting, now it’s about logging the spinning sessions. It would be wrong to compare instructors classes as they so different you may burn more calories in one than another but does it really matter at the end of the day? Another good day, I can’t ask for more than that.

Saturday: Work.
Sunday: Work.Not planning to do much. Maybe half an hour on the bike to try the lights out again. It’s just a question of the running time now I know what the LED colours mean. Two days riding for the week wasn’t too bad and I did get 6 spinning classes in as well as a set of weights.

Monday: spinning class at West Kirby. Gym before hand.  Ordered the new Forerunner 50 for the spinning classes to log the whole class. Tried to lift my bodyweight on the lateral pulldown machine and failed. 50 kg (the weight I’ve lost is no problem) Filled the bottle and did Barbara,s spinning class. 775 calories and the heartrate went up to 170 odd.
Tuesday: Ride day, don’t know where yet but I will be out.  Weighed in at 81.5 kg this morning but the fat and muscle reading are  not right. Found the toy had a puncture from last weeks ride. Fitted a Hutchinson Discovery Channel tyre as the Bontager Race X lite was worn out. That tyre has seen me through some great rides but at least the tyres front and back match.
Delayed by the tyre change it was a Wirral coastal ride. First cafe stop was at Morrisons at West Kirby where there is a good selection of cyclists favourites, cakes. One eccles cake and a pot of tea later and I am on my way. Bought a puncture outfit from the cycle shop in Moreton and picked up the new chainring from Colin at Wheelbase. Called in at Europa pools to get a place on one of the spinning classes. 4 th reserve is the best I could do. One of these days I’m going to be unlucky and not get a bike. The Garmin Forerunner 50 was waiting for me when I got in, Yeehaaaaa.
I’ve installed the new version of the TrainingCenter that now recognises the Forerunner when you come near it. 30 mile ride by the way.

Did two spinning classes at Europa pools logged on the watch and am in the process of seeing where the data is as the watch says no history for some reason!!!!.
More when I get it sorted. As the Edge 705 is going to be using the same technology it’s going to make it a powerful piece of kit.
Wednesday: Ride day, another outing for the toy if the weather holds up.
Went out with Merseyside CTC to Delamere. Stopped for lunch at the fruit farm at the bottom of the Yeld. This was followed by a trip through Delamere forest with a stop at the black lake for Allan to takes some ride pictures and videos.

The trip down under the railbridge was steeper than it looks. No problem if you’ve a mountain bike but if your on the bling carbon fibre toy you have to question going down a section like this. As it was it was another of Allans devious forays into the unknown. Allan,s routes are always interesting and always seem to have a hill in them that might have you reaching for the granny ring whatever your age.

The trip through Delamere Forest was interesting as the forest was packed with visitors. There was a school trip on the hire bikes and the visitor car park was full. It gets a bit daft around the black lake with Allan regailing us with tales of the lady in the lake and excalibur.
I’m worried about someone walking off with 2K of Trek as we prat around the notice board looking at dragonfly species. Allan was doing his video,s that he publishes on the Merseyside CTC site. They are good and prove that life doesn’t end when you retire.

I’m a bit off retirement yet but with the four on four off shift patern that I work I have been asked if I am. Semi retired if you like but I make sure I’m getting at least one quality ride a week in. The future looks bright even if I start to loose strength through age. These guys don’t use age as an excuse these are out the doing it every Wednesday and Sunday respect is due.

No punctures this week and we even got back before the Eureka closed.

Link to Google Map of ride 
LifeStyle and Weight management followup class. Same time same place.
About eight turned up for the followup class with another class starting the rest of the year long course.
Thursday: Rode up to Tesco,s for a copy of Cycling weekly and had a cup of tea and a muffin in the cafe. Short ride around Heswall before the battery went flat on the Edge.
Booked in for an early spinning class at Europa pools.
Managed to arrive late for the class so I had a bit of ground to make up. Logged the class on the new Garmin Forerunner 50 HRM. The watch itself doesn’t count calories  but does log my heartrate over the 45 minute classes. When I finally find the formula that links calories burnt and heartrate I’ll be able to and it to the Training Centre log. The problem with Forerunner 50 is that on a spinning bike you are stationary and it uses speed and distance to compute the calorie figure. The Aldi HRM is not being finished up yet by the looks of it. If I was out on the Toy it would get its speed and distance data from the GSC 10 cadence sensor but as there is no wheels on a spinning bike thats not going to work. The only other option is to wear a footpod and take up running.
The bluetooth data upload works fine once you have saved the workout as history on the Forerunner. At the moment I haven’t programmed in any zones or done any intervals on the HRM, I’m just using it to log the classes.

Doing two classes back to back gives me heartrate data to overlay and as the classes are pretty much the same you can see where I’ve eased off after a hillclimb or kept the pace up for a sprint. All I know at the moment is I can’t put as much into the second class as I do in the first.
Friday:  Work. May give the lights another try out seeing as the clocks are going back on Sunday. I’ve been going out in the Aldi Winter cycle clothing the last two weeks as the weather has turned too cold for shorts. The jacket is proving to be very good as its windproof and water resistant on the front and breathable on the back. I’m wearing a Discovery longsleeve winter jersey under it and at the moment it doesnt need an extra base layer. Last years Maddison waterproof winter cloves are taking care of my hands at the moment.
As it turned out I managed to get a class at West Kirby and thought I would log it on the Forerunner 50. that was the plan the out come was a bit different. The class went as they normally do and everything was OK untill the cool down. The Forerunner had stopped timing the training session due to the stop/start button getting knocked on the chest presses. Worse was to come, on trying to upload the data the alternative time zone had kicked in with all the button pressing. I’m looking at the watch and it saying 5 am on the 4 July  which sounds like the default date when first switched on. Holding the lap/reset button just asks to clear the data not save the history. Now I’d loggerd my resting pulse at 50 bpm during the day  and tool it up to 170 during the spinning class. All that data was lost which was a shame but I’ve managed without it all this time. The upload reloaded the previous history into the training center. That was the only thing that went right on the day.  No gym, must do a workout on Saturday.
Saturday: Work. Didn’t do the workout I’d promised to do.
Sunday: Work and on call. Would have been a nice day for a ride too. Can’t see me going out on the Iceni either.