Taming of the Spe-shrew-lised!

Hello blog lovers.

Only a short blog today, just to update about the bi-atch.  Last week I had a word with the nice young man at the bike shop where I bought my bike, and he suggested I bring my bike in so he can see me on it.

Well today was that day, as the shop is open later on Thursday so after work, a bit of rest up it was on to the shop.  The chap was there, and was quick to see me on my bike.  My bike was 'plumbed' into the turbo trainer, (a great gizmo actually, might have to ask Santa for one) as he watched as I peddled along I felt very conscious! .  The first thing he said, was that my saddle could be raised a tad! I thought maybe I had done that bit right at least, and then the stem was changed to a shorter one. 

I also told him about my brakes, and the fact that I do have a bit of trouble pulling them on!  He had a go on them and agreed with me that they were a bit hard to pull on.  It turned out that my brake cable had become rotten inside, a white powdery stuff was on them. So the cable was quickly changed and the brakes did feel a lot easier to pull on.  I am just hoping that I haven't done any permanent damage to my mitts and that every that my LBS (that's Local Bike Shop, by the way) young man has done will sort out all the issues I have with my hands.

Small changes, nothing to drastic so lets just see how it goes now.  "Ride it about a bit" said the nice young man.  So that is what I am going to do.  But today, we just went to treat ourselves to a shared kilo of mussels and frites.

So, lets hope that this is going to solve the issues of the pins and needles hands, and numbness!  (by the way, did you see what I did the the sub title there?)

My bike, before the slight changes, and new pedals

 

Who Goes Out In This Heat!?

Hello blog lovers.

Why do I do it? Why don't I just sit in doors, with the fan on eating ice cream an drinking beer!? Why?  I tell you why, cos I love exercise! Even going up Cudham North lane in the furnace type temperatures.  I need to get back my cycling legs, and I need to work on getting my Specialized bike set up properly for me.  Well, that particular thing is going to happen on Thursday, I had a word with the shop that I bought the bike from and they are going to 'look at me on the bike'  Put me on the turbo trainer and see what can be done! But in the mean time, my cycle legs need work on.

So today, as it I just so hot, we are going on a shorter ride, but one with a bit of hard work thrown in.  Cudham North Lane!  I can't remember the last time I got up this hill, or even thought about getting up this hill.  Normally we just fly past it heading for Halstead. But today, the most very hottest evening so far, I think, we decided to tackle it! 

But I also decided that on this particular evening I will stop for a pint as well! After all, I am cycling in a furnace!  I took my white Giant today, as I wanted to save my hands getting too numb and pins and needles.  But I think the damage has been done, as even on my giant today I felt some pins and needles in my hands!  The sooner I get my bikes sorted the better, I'm thinking!

The hill was soon there. No stopping for a rest, just straight up it.  There was mention of the pub on this road, the Blacksmiths Arms, but unfortunately that was all it was!!  Our route was going to go straight up to Grays Road, then down the hill through Biggin Hill and on for a stop at Keston, the Greyhound. But then he said something about going through to Knockholt, back down to the A21 and then going on to Orpington to attempt my nemesis, Knoll Rise! But I talked him out of that.  I like to have a route in my mind, and I am prepared for it, but chucking in last minute changes, while cycling up Cudham North Lane, well....that had no chance of even get thought about!

I did stop at the pub though, but not for a pint, just to take a drink from my bottle of orange squash that I bought along!  My mouth was just so dry!  It was a very warm evening.  In fact it was so warm, that the ice cubes had long since melted, and my squash was already warming up! But at least that was the only stop I took until we got to the Shampan. 

On the way to the Shampan the Old Boy asked me if I fancied a pint at the Queens Head, in Downe, instead of at Keston. Well, by this time, I was just about over the ordeal of Cudham, so I said "Yes, ok, so how do we get there?"  After I had said yes, I started to remember the 'how' and started to think that maybe it wasn't such a good idea.  Anyway, we got to the top, by the curry house, and there sat on the road side were a few cyclists.  We were going to take the road that went passed the restaurant instead of the one that goes to Biggin Hill.  We said good evening to these cyclists, well, cyclists are very nice people, and we started riding along the road.

There were a good few other cyclists heading towards the group of cyclist, I can only guess they were going to meeting their buddies by the Shampan.  Each one that we passed said good evening!  I told you they are a great bunch!  It was all down hill from there, but I knew there was a very cheeky hill coming up, the one that takes us to Jail Lane.  It's quite a steep hill but it doesn't go on for very long.  I kept in my mind the end of it, the  top of the hill, Jail Lane.  I stayed focused and the concentrated on getting to the top!  I did it, without getting off and walking!

There was another cyclist coming our way, but I just didn't have the breath to say hi to him!  Downe village was just at the end of this road!  We stopped off for a pint,  I went in to buy it and I came out to see another chap chatting to the Old Boy about his bike!  You wait till my pink bike gets sorted out, see everyone coo over her!!!

Anyway, geeky stats from the Old Boys Garmin.  I have decided that I am not going to take my Garmin anyone, because I keep forgetting to switch it on and off again.!

Out On The Special One!

Hello blog lovers.

A lovely day deserves a lovely evening ride.  It was only going to be around 20 miles today, and also we are going to be doing our old route of Halstead then Biggin Hill.  Well, I just had to get out on my Specialised, she has been sat the for ages now, quietly waiting for the time when I take her out.  This evening was that time.

I have been so excited about getting my bike, and then when I bought it, I had all the training for the marathon to do, so she got neglected a bit. But then when I eventually went for a couple of long rides all sorts of problems arose.  I am not sure what the problem is, and I am getting very anxious about it. 

I had some slight problem with my hand before I went on my last FNRttC, and I have come to realise that it was probably made worse.  The whole pins and needles things in the hand, and then on that particular ride, I had the total failure of my left hand to work the gears!  It just didn't have the strength there.

After todays little ride I find my hands again pins and needles.  I have changed the stem turned the other way, the handle bars bought up, the handle bars bought down. Not only that, but pulling on the brakes to stop at traffic lights, it seemed, took all my strength to do, something I really need to be as easy as making a fist!

Anyway, it was a good ride, I even had myself a race on! After being over taken by all the Lycra clad guys, shooshing pass me in what seemed a very leisurely fashion, as we were going up the hill towards Cudham south Lane, I saw a cyclist, not wearing Lycra, just in shorts and a polo shirt. but he was cycling well. I thought I would beat him to the top. But do you think I could.  I think he heard me as I changed gear and he pushed a little harder.

He beat me to the top! I was hoping he was going to turn right, and that would be the end of the race. But he turned left and then right! The exact way we were going!  I still have a race on. I tried and tried to catch him, I tired a little on the hills, but gained on him with downhill sections.  It was like this nearly all the way.

I pushed a little harder, and I really started to gain on him, I was just about half a bike away, and then I slowed down. I wasn't going to overtake him, I just wanted to catch up to him.  I knew for sure that I wouldn't be able to keep up in front of him, and there is nothing worse than being overtaken by the person you flew past!

But just as I was thinking "That's it, I done it, the Old Boy started pushing me up behind him. We were pretty close to him, so I couldn't actually say "I wasn't going to over take him" But that's exactly what I did, helped by the Old Boy of course.   

It did feel good, but I knew that any moment now he will fly past me, there is one last hill to get up, and I know I will be slow to climb that, my 'race' seemed quite fast on the up hill section, in spite of him being 73 (he wasn't, he was just joking when I went past him )  and fly pass me he did.  I thanked him for our race, I think he enjoyed it too.

So although I really enjoyed being out riding on my new bike, I think she still is punishing me! So any cyclists out there who have heard of this problem before or anyone suffered the same and has over come the problem, would just love to hear from you.

Anyway geeky stats this evening from the Old Boys Garmin, I forgot to start my as usual! But the Old Boy was behind for most of the way, with just a little blast up to the Shampan to beat the guy I was 'racing'.

Hot Hot Hot!

Hello blog lovers.

What a splendid day it was yesterday. Hot, hot, hot day. I do believe the summer is sticking around for a few days now.  Now me and the Old boy was supposed to have got up early to go for a bike ride, but sleep kept hold of us for a bit longer than we wanted.  Needless to say, we didn't get out in the morning, and then by the afternoon the sun was beating down and having us held prisoner in our home. 

We eventually got out in the late afternoon.  We decided to do just a little route, a very pleasurable, slow paced, enjoying the evening air type ride.  We went to Shoreham and then Farningham and eventually ending up at Chislehurst.  It was an uneventful ride today, and was just out enjoying the evening.  Now this is what cycling is all about.  Just out there doing it, stopping when you want, and pushing hard when you needed. And there were times I had to push hard! Those pesky hills still haven't be flattened out, despite me and everyone else riding up and down them all the time!

I went on my white giant , I am still having issues with my hands, and yesterday even my other hand was playing up, but I think that could have been when I fell of my bike on Thursday, in Hayes Common! (oh didn't I tell you about that!)

Well, Thursday I did some marshaling for the first Business 5k race in Normans Park, and I took my bike, because then I could ride to The George afterwards to meet the Old Boy for a swift one before going home for dinner.  But when I got there, the OB told me to go see who was sitting at the bar, and it happened to be an old pal of his and mine, who we have not seen for quite a while, so you can imagine what happened. Anyway on the way home, to stay safe we went across the common, with all those tire ruts and stuff....and plop! I  was off in the long grass, but it was a soft landing. But I think maybe I landed a bit heavily on my right hand, and so had a bit of pain there.

Anyway, back to Saturdays bike ride.  We took forever to do the short 20 + miles but it was a pleasant way to spend a very hot evening.!

Here is my geeky stats, you can see the start time, and the finish time! See what I mean about a pleasureable plod along!

What An Evening!

Hello blog lovers.

Today I am writing up about my exercise that I did yesterday, and tomorrow I shall be writing up todays exercise!

So to begin. It was a very pleasant evening yesterday and me and the Old Boy decided to ride out, through Shoreham, through Eynsford and a stop of at Farningham Village.  Our distance has increased before we stop for a beverage now!  I decided to use my gorgeous pink bike.  I need to get used to riding it again, and I love the cleats, and of course I can wear my shoes.

I felt comfortable all the way through to Halstead, there was no stopping there for a breather, or anything it was going to be non stop all the way to our first destination, but as I was climbing up the hill by the pig farm my hands started to become weak again.  I had pins and needles in them and I was hoping nothing like my last Friday Night ride was going to happen.  But it did!

My hands became weaker, and what you don't need when you are at the top of a hill, looking down the other side, is to worry whether you will be able to keep your brakes on with weak hands!   I just can't understand what the problem is.  I feel relaxed in my self, there is a bend in my elbows, ok, so no all of the time, and I do change position of my hands as well.  Maybe I don't change position enough.

It's all very worrying, and I am wondering, if buying my bike because it was pink and matched my cycling shoes, probably wasn't the best moves.  All though I did try the bike around the block a few times before I actually signed on the dotted line!   Maybe this old girls is only suited to the 'Sit up and Beg' style bikes, the flat bars.  Maybe I should have left the 'big girls bikes' to the more experienced cyclists.  I shall have to go and read up about this.

This is where we stopped.

A very welcomed pint here!

All though she is a very pretty bike, she can be a bi-atch!

Here she is, looking lovely against the flowers

Isn't she pretty!

I Have Missed You!

Hello blog lovers.

Well today being as it is a completely gorgeous summers evening, me and the Old Boy felt like a lazy little peddle about, just local, and enjoy sitting in the garden of a couple of establishments.  My Giant is still at my sisters house, so there is only one thing for it, I am going to have to forgo the healing process on my hands and take the bull by the horns or the Spesh by the handlebars, and go out on her!

It felt good to be back on my lovely black an pink bike, (my visions of the all gold bike I saw on Sunday, slowing going!) and of course getting my cycling shoes on again, the ones with the cleats!  I hope I don't forget that I have them on!  It has been a while now! But I am sure getting back into to those will be just like 'riding a bike'!

We really only just went up to Bromley, popped into the Red Lion at Bromley North, and then we headed towards Hayes, The George, for one last before going home for dinner.  On the way to The George saw Eve just pulling up out side Bromley South Station, in readiness for the Wednesday Weekly Wander.  It would have been perfect to join them today, if we didn't have other commitments later this evening! Oh well, next time! 

Just in case you have forgotten what my bike looks like, (and the fact that I just totally love my bike) this is it.

Without her new pedals of course.

London to Brighton 2013

Hello blog lovers.

It's fathers day, it's Sunday and it has been forecasted for rain! So what do we do? We ride to Brighton of course!

I know, it's crazy! Even the Old Boy said "Who gets up and does things like this on a Sunday?" Well, 25,000 registered cyclists do, plus all the marshalls, police and volunteers, not to mention all the spectators on route!

We were going to be taking it easy today, by getting the train to Herne Hill and then riding to Clapham from there.  We arrived at the station and carried our bikes down the steps.  After a few minutes another cyclists joined us, it was David "Marmite" Allison from Pettswood Runners.  He was all togged up in is Marmite jersey.  He was sensible, he had already parked his car at the seaside!  We were going to get back by trains while our bikes went home with Nagging Sister, and everyone else in the van, driven by my nieces dad, Roger, what a generous guy he is!

Our ride was just going to be a totally pleasurable ride, as there as so many cyclists the thought of a PB for this ride is just not possible, unless we had left at 6:00 a.m. from Clapham, and that was never going to happen!  Me, the Old Boy and Marmite all arrived at Clapham by about 8:00 ish. "Well, see you at the other end then" said Marmite, "ok cool" I expected him to be well on his way home by the time we even get half way!  We were to meet Nagging Sister and her crew at Clapham, but they had left about 20 minutes before we got there! They didn't have to rely on public transport!

We went through the 8:00 clock start, which was still just waiting to go, and then we were off! I wish I could say we sped through town like we were riding the 'Tour of Britain' but it was more like an army of ants traipsing through treacle!  "Don't worry, it will spread out a bit when we get out of London" said the Old Boy.  Now I know I am not one for speed, and I have been know to complain on one or two occasions about the fact I can't keep up, but even I found this pace, coma inducing drudgery!

I will just have to set my mind on 'Fannys Farm Shop',  that is our goal, our first stop and where we will be meeting N.S. and her man Dan.  Fanny welcomes in 25,000 cyclist and probably loads more spectators, volunteers etc. all in need of a cuppa and bacon or sausage roll, cakes bananas and what ever else is there.  In fact I heard one cyclist asking Fanny herself for one of her tea mugs to buy!  How she was going to carry it I don't know!  We arrived there, and I called N.S.  she had just left!  She must have been going through the exit as we were coming through the entrance!  They Old boy came back with the food, and then I went up to get some tea.  "It's really brilliant Fanny accommodating all these people" I said to the lady serving tea, in mugs, not plastic cups! I may add  "All the profits go to charity too" said the lady!  How cool is that!

After our refreshment stop we started off towards the next official stop to meet up with N.S.  Well, I say we started off! We got out onto the road and then was held up, one of the first accidents that was ahead of us today.  I hope who ever it was wasn't too badly injured. We eventually started riding again, very slowly. We passed by where the accident had happened, thankfully there was nothing to see!  But then just a little further along we came to another full stop!  Just a gridlock of bikes and cyclists, as far as I could see! I took some pictures of another hill, further along in the ride, (as I didn't remember to take some pictures coming out of Fannys Farm).  These pictures  were after Turners hill, but each hill that we were on looked like this!

Grid Locked

All the way up

So now you can maybe get an idea of the scale of the BHF Bike ride.  It took for ever to move just a few feet.  I called N.S. and she said that she had taken an age to get through, there was traffic lights at the bottom of the road!  "I shall meet you at the next official stop after the Pig in the Parlour, we want to get some miles in" she said to me, sounding like a cyclists now! "The Dog and Duck then" said the Old Boy.  So that would be, hopefully, where we will see them.  We also saw Marmite as well! Out of all these thousands of cyclists, and we saw him,  we had somehow managed to overtake him but he managed to get in front of us again.

Lets just skip a few miles, but with one mention of the 'Dog and Duck' which is where we did eventually manage to meet up with N.S. and Dan.  On the way to here this fantastic bike passed me by, you couldn't help but notice it, it was all gold! My favourite kind of bling, (apart from diamonds)!  And there it was parked outside the 'Dog and Duck' of course I had to get a picture of it!  So blingy, so cool! *Sigh* Well, we didn't stop here for a drink or eats, this was only to meet up with N.S. and Dan, so we started on our way again.

Bling!!!!

Then it was Turners Hill.  A hill that I have ridden up in the past, but not today.  It's a great place, a great party atmosphere. And I just love getting to here, but again we didn't stop, only to regroup, and catch our breath from riding (walking) up the hill.  As we were waiting in the crowd to cross over the road I took a picture of these guys!  They just looked totally brill!  One of them even had some rock tunes playing on the back of his bike!  Also the Old Boy had said he had seen Marmite go through as well! How he managed to get behind us again I don't know!

Rock 'n' Roll!

Any way, to skip a few miles, of me and N.S. just chatting away, the two guys were now in front of us, no worries about us being alone, (or more than likely so that they can go a tad faster!) our next stopping place is going to be the bottom of Bitchling Deacon, oh dear, I have said it again, of course I mean Ditchling Beacon.  This is the very last hill before we get to Brighton, this is where we stop for our first pint of lager!  We stopped here last year and really enjoyed it.  It helps lubricate your legs to get up the Beacon. 

There was a couple on a tandem, they had gone the whole hog and did the whole fancy dress thing, here, this is them.  I thought it was rather good!  We enjoyed a few drinks and sweeties here, lounging outside in the beautiful warm sunshine!  I think this is where I managed to get a bit of colour to my legs,  its a pity about the whole silly 'shorts and socks' style tan that I have now! 

Lets be 'avin' you.

Oh and one more thing about this particular pub, it's the loos.  They have class partitioning and glass doors, ok you can't actually see anyone, only just the shadows....that is until you do this.

Scary!

And this is Dan enjoying his fruit cocktail.

Dan

And so now to the Beacon, the Old Boy had every intention of riding up here.  By now I was really exhausted, I had already had walked up some of the hills today, one reason being was because of the sheer number of cyclists, it was safer to walk! and two I just didn't have the legs today. But when we got there it was even more jam packed than all the other hills! It was positively ridiculous! You could hear the calls "Walkers on the left" but there really wasn't any room to even lift your hand to wipe your nose!  There were some people who were really trying to ride up the hill, but that looked more dangerous than ever!  They really were wobbling about as we slowly all walked up the hill. I think the Old Boy did manage to find a 'bit of road' where he could get back into the peddles.

Me, Nagging Sister and Dan decided that to pass the time we would play a game.  The game was to name a film or t.v. programme starting with the letter 'A' and then going all the way through to 'Z'  I believe we all managed to find at least one film or programme for each letter.  We also encouraged all that was in ear shot to join in!  It was a tough long sweaty walk up the hill.

Eventually after it seemed forever getting up to the top we had time to look out over the Downs.  A fantastic view from up there.  It also gave me and N.S. time to use the pit stop.  Several pints of lager at the bottom of the hill will do that to you.  We came back only to find the boys had 'moved'. How did they move with our bikes.  We walked up further than we thought they should have been, and then walked back to where we thought we had left them.  We couldn't see them anywhere!  We had to call our support crew to call Dan to tell us where there were!

What me and bimbo N.S. had done was actually gone to the loo through one entrance and then came out the other entrance!  Which we didn't realise!  They boys hadn't actually moved at all! Unless they really were playing mind games with us!

Here is a few shots at the top of the Beacon.

Brighton Football club

Dawn Dan and alan....ooops

Dawn Dan and Alan

And me, just to show to show you that I did actually get there

And it was beautiful. The sun was still shining and I was loving it.  Knowing we only had a few miles to go as well picked up my spirit as well.  I was singing all the way down,  Which by the way, for the last part of the hill was done at a snails pace!  And it seemed that way all the way into Brighton after that, occasionally managing to get a bit of speed on.  But me and the Old Boy crossed over the finishing line, hand in hand! 

Tired, rained on, sunned on, and looking for something to eat!  We met up with the support crew, my nieces with their dad Roger, and had another pint with them.  We gave them our bikes to take home while me and the Old Boy went off in search of food.  We ended up at Fat Leo's, normally a very good meal in there, but today, not so good.  Maybe the chef was a bit tired as well!

Geeky stats, and my Garmin stopped before we even got on to Maderia Drive! But at least it still says we got to Brighton.