This was the last ride I did before I decided to make my comeback! It was only about 6 weeks before and the reason I didnt ride in between was because I was away alot on holiday and with work. Hopefully thats not a sign of how things are going to progress in future, otherwise the Ventoux could be hard. The great thing about this ride is going across the barrage. It was high tide and the barrage road feels extremely continental, you can imagine the Tour de France going across it in a massive echelon with people hanging on for grim death - like the Passage du Gois where Jonathan Vaughters crashed in 1999, or the causeway to Le Mont St Michel in Normandy when Olaf Ludwig (I think, could have been Johan Museeuw) won in about 1990/91. The view to the city is great. The only problem was having ridden up into Penarth and then back down to the Barrage, one of the bridges was just being raised to let a boat out. I went to have a look only for another one to start going up. I was trapped in the middle of the barrage for about 15mins waiting for the road to be lowered.
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Thursday, 7 August 2008
Clothing
Jersey
The choice: trade team style or classic cycling style like Coppi. Which one? At the moment Im swaying to the retro team kit of La Vie Claire. After all, it was alright for Hinault and Lemond wasnt it?
The choice: trade team style or classic cycling style like Coppi. Which one? At the moment Im swaying to the retro team kit of La Vie Claire. After all, it was alright for Hinault and Lemond wasnt it?
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Monday, 4 August 2008
Rides in Devon
My First 100 miler
I did this ride in trainers in the summer of 1990. I probably had my Z kit on with PDM track mitts. First of all I rode down to a friends in Chawleigh with some other friends. After some food they headed back, but I headed to Exmoor via Tiverton. I had some Kendal mint cake with me, but that was about it, and that ran out around Exford. I remember managing to reset the bike computer on one of the descents by getting into one of those aero tucks you see the pros doing coming off the Tourmalet or wherever. When I got near Lynton Cross I had completely blown, so I had a lie down in the hedge. A car came past, jammed on its brakes and reversed - the driver asking me if I was OK. I said I was fine, but really should have asked for some food. I managed to get to Knowle and went in the garage to feast on crisps, coke and chocolate - even though I only lived about 2 miles away.
Lynton Cross
This used to be a great little ride, short enough to fit in after the Tour finished on Channel 4 at 7pm but with an alpinesque climb to make the ride worth it. You can do it either way, but I preferred going up to Lynton Cross via Muddiford as its a nicer climb. I used to try and do it under the hour, but traffic lights in Barnstaple often put paid to that.
Ifracombe
This is a variation on the Lynton Cross ride but involves going down into Ilfracombe. I didnt do it that often because the road down into Ilfracombe isnt that nice, but the climb out - 'two pots - is a classic. The descent down Cemetery Hill into Georgeham is pretty tricky, and the little climb out of Croyde around to Saunton always reminds me of the Poggio in Milan-San Remo, even though its only about half a mile.
Exmoor
I did this ride with Kevin Hunt when we were both in the Barnstaple Imperial Wheelers. It must have been around the summer of 1994/5. The climb up to Bratton Fleming is hard. I used it for interval training for a while to do short hard rides in my lunch time whilst working in Tarka Trail Cycle Hire - it must have worked because I did some good times afterwards. This ride was great, right across the spine of Exmoor and into Minehead then Porlock. We werent stupid enough to ride up Porlock hill so went up the toll road instead which is great, just like an alpine climb with hairpins, the lot. Then a mental descent into Lynmouth and back up past Watersmeet. A pretty good day.
I did this ride in trainers in the summer of 1990. I probably had my Z kit on with PDM track mitts. First of all I rode down to a friends in Chawleigh with some other friends. After some food they headed back, but I headed to Exmoor via Tiverton. I had some Kendal mint cake with me, but that was about it, and that ran out around Exford. I remember managing to reset the bike computer on one of the descents by getting into one of those aero tucks you see the pros doing coming off the Tourmalet or wherever. When I got near Lynton Cross I had completely blown, so I had a lie down in the hedge. A car came past, jammed on its brakes and reversed - the driver asking me if I was OK. I said I was fine, but really should have asked for some food. I managed to get to Knowle and went in the garage to feast on crisps, coke and chocolate - even though I only lived about 2 miles away.
Lynton Cross
This used to be a great little ride, short enough to fit in after the Tour finished on Channel 4 at 7pm but with an alpinesque climb to make the ride worth it. You can do it either way, but I preferred going up to Lynton Cross via Muddiford as its a nicer climb. I used to try and do it under the hour, but traffic lights in Barnstaple often put paid to that.
Ifracombe
This is a variation on the Lynton Cross ride but involves going down into Ilfracombe. I didnt do it that often because the road down into Ilfracombe isnt that nice, but the climb out - 'two pots - is a classic. The descent down Cemetery Hill into Georgeham is pretty tricky, and the little climb out of Croyde around to Saunton always reminds me of the Poggio in Milan-San Remo, even though its only about half a mile.
Exmoor
I did this ride with Kevin Hunt when we were both in the Barnstaple Imperial Wheelers. It must have been around the summer of 1994/5. The climb up to Bratton Fleming is hard. I used it for interval training for a while to do short hard rides in my lunch time whilst working in Tarka Trail Cycle Hire - it must have worked because I did some good times afterwards. This ride was great, right across the spine of Exmoor and into Minehead then Porlock. We werent stupid enough to ride up Porlock hill so went up the toll road instead which is great, just like an alpine climb with hairpins, the lot. Then a mental descent into Lynmouth and back up past Watersmeet. A pretty good day.
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