I rode the Junior Tour of Lancs around there about 10/11 years ago I can't remember exactly where it went but I do remember it being a very tough race, half the field didn't finish...Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Fowler
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I rode the Junior Tour of Lancs around there about 10/11 years ago I can't remember exactly where it went but I do remember it being a very tough race, half the field didn't finish...Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Fowler
Young Dave, first did that as a 13 year old. Our regular 'day out' back then (1964) was out of Lancaster to Quernmore, Jubilee Tower ( about 900' above sea level ), Lower Lee,Trough of Bowland ( 1000' ASL ), Dunsop Bridge, Newton-in-Bowland, Slaidburn, Cross-o-Greet (1400' ASL), Lowgill, Wray, Caton, Lancaster. And we weren't on poncey carbon fibre bikes. Raleigh 'Dreadnought' policemen's bikes. Mind you, going N to S through the Trough is the easy way. Climbing Boundary Hill from S is a toughie. In the 1974 Milk Race, I saw members of the Swiss national amateur team dismount and push their bikes up Boundary Hill. I think that they were expecting a nicely graded Alpine style zig-zag climb. They must have been well over-geared - probably 52/42 x 13 - 25Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Fowler
Well, bit of a minor epic this morning as I was "working" from home, the sun was out, the hills looked appealing, but blimey it was ffffff cold! Full winter garb and off to the top of the Bwlch and back for 45 miles and a bit, 16.5 ave which was pretty good considering I had to get off and walk round one of the hairpins on the descent down to Treorchy as the ice covered half the road:eek::eek: Most of the rest of the descent was in the sun so no probs there apart from the cold, frozed fingers didn't come back to life until Ponty, 15 miles down the road!
Took some piccies from the top, too late to do them now, I'll post them tomoz if I have time. Oh yes, still working in imperial, everyone make sure Breezy doesn't get his hands on this thread as well as the whole of UK fellrunning:eek::wink:
Toff, please please please please please be careful with the ice.... please! x :)
Ok, nagging mode off ;)
Sounds like a good ride! But wasn'y it windy? We have a gale blowing here on the Eastern borders :-O
I went and rode on Maindy track with the Ajax last night, it was well cold, full winter garb! Thankfully I have a brilliant winter jacket and my new thick neoprene overshoes are ok, but my feet were still iceclumps after 1.5 hours of steady riding... Double gloves did the trick on my hands though :)
hello bike-ettes!
after acquiring a sore knee doing the phil ligget challenge - i had some time off the bike - then even more time off everything getting married and going on honeymoon!
24/10 saw me reintroducing myself with a 34 mile ride (3000 odd feet) round the peak with the new husband and a friend. This was a very harrowing experience, and involved a feeling like death experience on the climb out of grindleford.
Also knee was a bit twingy after 20ish miles. So was kicking myself for not building up a bit more gradually.
Anyway - after a week back on the commute to shef station (only 25 miles per week) i checked out the potential winter commute to chesterfield (assessing route for road lighting etc).
so then following week threw in one ride to chesterfield, and on the weekend ventured out with norton wheelers (eek!)
after falling in with this bad company i accidentally put a short stem on my husband's cross bike with the half baked idea of trying a cyclocross race this weekend.
arg arg - how will i not die in some horrible way, i have not even practised leaping on and off in a graceful bound; and i manage to land on my head just riding along the pavment let alone off road. i have some major confidence issues - i used to do quite a bit of mountain biking at uni (more than 10 years ago!) - but i never went off road after i smashed my collar bone and shoulder blade in - double arg arg.
Just enjoy Ratfink.... most courses don't have too many mounts/dismounts and aren't at all technical... chances are it'll be a mud slog so speeds will be low.. where are you racing?
thanks nikalas - i have picked the least technical course i could find locally - which is at graves tennis club in shef (as oppose to the one in a few weeks time in graves park - which looks like tree root death) - hope i can make it to this as it looks like a good intro.
Ohhh, join the club Ratfink! I am going to try a cyclocross race this Sunday! I am grossly unfit after having been off the bike for something like 6 weeks with a fractured ulna and general misereableness... Good luck and let us know how you get on, we can compare notes!
I have never done any other off road riding other than Three Peaks, which is somewhat different!
Well done rat fink. Just enjoy it. Glad your back on the bike.
Well Its howling a gale down here so no ride for me. Did 2 hrs 15 mins on the rollers in the big ring at a rapid pace. I've never sweat so much in my life. It's a year or so since I did 2 hrs on the rollers of death.
Couldn't have done it without absolute eighties on the I phone.:thumbup:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanneke
Hann I'm sure you will look back in the new year and this will just be a 6 week break. Come back steady and just keep pedaling. You will soon be up there again
Thanks Daz... I may just ride my new rollers in stead!
Finally unpacked them and put them together Tuesday night... and tried them but... on the old bike with REALLY soft tyres, so comedy moment as I got onto the bike on the rollers and rode steright off them into the sitting room... I had the thing set up in the kitchen so that I could hol onto the worksurface...
I tehn pumped up the tyres (pump was in the car so cba initially to get dressed and get it) and tried again... My coach type person was on MSN and wanted me to turn on the webcam lol, just as well I didn't because I had to hop off the things sideways and ride into the sitting room again in order to not crash!
Not sure what happened, but when I tried a few weeks ago at a friends, I was riding them unaided within minutes!!!
Got to try again....
daz - 2 hours on rollers sounds so hard!!
hann - good luck! (your underlying base will be pretty sound after the consistency of training you had int he run up to your injury - doesn't make it not hard work getting back in to it though)
i am also worried about riding in a group/ melee - think i'll just hang out at the back and get lapped :)
I was thinking about hanging out at the back, which must be safer :) getting lapped, for sure :)
Quickest way to get the balance is to ask someone round to lightly assist by holding the handlebars. The problem with leaning on a worktop or doorframe is it puts you in an off balance position to start with.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanneke
I realised that :) That is why I went off the side! :)
First time I went on, at my friends, that is exactly what happened... He held onto the handlebars, then when I was going fine he let go but just stood behind me to grab me if and when needed, and it wasn't needed...
Will have another go and will just have to start pedalling and let go of the worksurface right away I think...
Quote:
Originally Posted by nikalas
Cross is ace, with a not dissimilar vibe you get at a short fell race (he says as a vet of one 3P and one NW League the other week!). There's a good spread of abilities too, so you're racing in your own enclave of similar folk. Finding myself multi-sport loyalty challenged now. Keen to do more cx but lots of clashes with cross-country season. Which is also ace.
am going out for my first bike ride 'in anger' ever tomorrow morning - three circuits of Richmond Park with a good mate who's been into his road cycling for ages
bit worried he's going to leave me standing ...
Richmond Park circuits.... that brings back memories. Which way are you planning on going? I always preferred clockwise.Quote:
Originally Posted by ZootHornRollo
Ah, I actually prefer anti-clockwise... :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by nikalas
Velodrome for me later... I probably will feel wobbly again as it is hard work... Can't seem to get back into things at the moment, but will drag myself out there :)
ah now that I don't know, I shall let you know after the event ...Quote:
Originally Posted by nikalas
how far is it actually?
Hanneke, try positioning the rollers in an internal doorway, such that you can stick out your elbows against the door frame:thumbup: As your confidence grows, you just relax your elbows inwards and down; BUT be ready to swing them out again!Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanneke
Zoot, one lap of RP is about 7 miles...
I don't have a doorframe to do that in Donkey, I live in a converted chapel and it is all open plan!
Quote:
Originally Posted by wheezing donkey
Just position your rollers near the wall. You will crack it after a couple of rides.
I have mine next to my big tool box in the shed. Just put my bid on on that and crack on. Always have the I pod on.
If your falling off hann your probably being a bit fierce with the bars. Don't grip to hard and no sudden movement.
It's possible to ride no hands when you really master it. I quite often rest my elbows on the bars and pedal that way.
It is just literally like riding a bike when you have mastered it.
Not falling off Daz and not holding the bars, so can't be fierce with the bars :) Just that when your tyres are flat, there is so much resistance, the rollers don't roll and you ride streight off LOL
I had undressed for bed, then decided to put the rollers together, then found that the only bike I could use was the old bike with virtually flat tyres and the pump was in the car, being, well, undressed, I CBA to get dressed to get the pump out as it was cold, wet and windy out... So tried regardless! That is why coach type person wanted me to turn the webcam on LOL
your open plan house sounds nice!went to the park this aft practising riding at small stream, jumping off to step over the stream and getting back on - all at very low speed so far!
That is the way us girlies do it Ratfink :)
A youth coach told me a funny one the other day... when he teaches the kids cornering, around cones, the girls start slowly and go around and think ok, I can do that a little faster... increasing the speed everytime, until they can't go faster without crashing.
An average boy approaches it quite differently: he goes into it at warp speed and crashes... slows down a little, crashes, until he has reached a speed where he can safely corner without crashing :)
thanks hanneke - i know what you mean!
I am f***ed :(
My knee locked up yesterday on the track and riding fixed high up on the banking with lost of other riders meant I could not get off... and had to keep turning the knee round... Very painful... Consulted a handily present sports therapist who was also riding that session and he thought it was cartilege debris in the jjoint going in the worng place... so I got back on for the next exercise and halfway in it locked up again. That was that for me then... iced it last night and ibuprofen so it is feeling a little less tender today but think it is patella femoral syndrome or maltracking patella or, well, oractically, the patella is worn and gone a bit ragged and isn't moving exactly as it should, causing trouble :(
Rest, ice, ibuprofen, stretching and backwards running if that doens't sort it, it may need to be tidied up inside :( Think my cycliong days are over now as well as my running days damn damn damn!!!
oh no! hope its just inflammation rather than too much damage. xx
Hann tough call. If you have swelling it's probablyna meniscus tear. I've seen that a few times and normally there's swelling
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanneke
Your no f.,......d
loved it, loved itQuote:
Originally Posted by Hanneke
I was considerably slower than my mate, but that was to be expected
can get a bit congested round RP though on a saturday a.m. - can see I'd love it even more somewhere quieter ...
thinking about going back for more now, but certain muscles I don't normally use are a bit stiff, like those ones down the side of the thighs ...
Vastus lateralis... and also your IT bands, stretch 'em!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZootHornRollo
ta, will doQuote:
Originally Posted by Hanneke
well I just went out again - in pretty horrible weather
3 x 23 min laps - which I bet is very slow but still, it's a start
spent yesterday prepping bike and leaping on and off, woke up this morning feeling like death, and threw up my porridge - inaugral cross race postponed :-(
Awww, Ratfink, hope you feel better soon! I just came on to check out how it went...
Good work Zoot... it takes me about 20/21 minutes to go round when on a training ride, think my one lap PB is just under 18 minutes?
Knee feeling a bit better today after two days of rest, stretching and icing... fingers crossed!
thanks hann! sounds hopeful for your knee - i'm going to see if i can make myrtle park next wk end.
first target now is to break 60 mins for three laps - possibly by new year? or is that asking a lot?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanneke
I'm going to do short 'speed sessions' on the exercise bike in the gym to try and get faster .. am I better off going for a high resistance programme, where you're pushing; or low resistance where you're spinning? I feel like it's my leg muscles that are stopping me going faster rather than CV fitness, although the two things are not so easy to separate I suppose ...
good luck with the recovery!
Have to mention a birthday today. Bernard hinault. One of the greatest road men ever.
Apart from eddy I don't think anyone bossed the peloton like he did. Robert millar once said , 95 per cent of the riders are beaten before we even start the race such was the power that the badger had. If anyone tried to take that power away he just use to start hammering on the front for a few miles and they always cracked.
What a rider