Two Battles Permanent (August 2012)

This week saw me conquer the 2 Battles Permanent, a 200k audax event. I had entered this battle before as a solo rider (July 2011) and successfully fought till the end. This time around I recruited a few additional 'mouseketeers', namely Aid, Chris Hodge and Ron. Aid and Chris were easy recruits and this was both their second 200k event. Aid had completed the Banbury Cross 200 with me last week and Chris and I fought in the Willy Warmer 200 audax last year (Jan 2011). Ron was initially reluctant, despite completing many 200k events. Ron soon came around when I called him a 'fair weather cyclist'. Ha! Was a good move getting Ron on board - he had satellite navigation (a new Garmin 800). Despite the fact that my own navigational skills had improved, the group had a lack of faith concerning my route finding. The map below was taken from Ron's Garmin after completion of ride.

This audax had a funny start, in that the start wasn't the start. We parked in the Pretty Pigs car park and then had to cycle just under a K to the start control (Tesco's in Tamworth). Then we re-traced our path and cycled straight past the car park again and headed on our way. Quite a bizarre start to an audax event. Pleasant lanes were cycled during this early stage which were quite undulating in manner. The weather was mostly fine, certainly warm. Just before we reached the Bosworth battlefield site it started to rain and we layered up.

Before too long we stopped and removed layers because the rain had held off and it was still very warm. Half way through the first stage another battle could have been fought - the route led through a deep ford. We all decided to play 'chicken' and took the bridge across. About a further 20k took us to the first control in Wistow and on our arrival some bright shiny happy flowers popped up as if to say 'hello'.

We all tucked into a Wistow big breakfast at this first control. The food was nice, but it wasn't really 'big'. Aid and I had a 'big' breakfast during our Banbury Cross audax last week. Chris was convinced that an old man on a neighbouring table was drunk. This old man told us that we were going to cycle the highest hills in the Midlands.

Stage 2 took us from Wistow to Upper Stow. It was during this stage that we passed the 2nd battle site, namely 'Naseby'. And it sure was a battle getting to Naseby! From the start we had been facing a head wind and by now the rain was beating down hard.

So hard was the rain that it hurt as it beat against our lips. Thunder and lightning were round about too. Further battles had to be fought. Some cows were blocking our route. Ron punctured. A steam roller could have flattened us ...

Despite the torrential rain, wet feet, aches and the like, we cycled on in good spirits. All these battles had an impact on us and at the 100k mark we were behind our anticipated time. One more battle, a fight with a water elemental, was fought before we reached control.

The control was a local village stores in Guilsborough. I stocked up on water supplies here and munched on a bar of chocolate too. Was only another 20k until we reached Upper Stow.

The control in Upper Stow was the Barn Cafe at The Old Dairy Farm. This control was awesome. Not only did they provide wonderful food (double chocolate cheesecake and ice cream for me), they provided good service too. A heater was bought out so we could warm up and dry clothes. One of the staff took the picture below too.

Stage 3 took us from Upper Stow to Wellsbourne. The route continued with it's undulating fashion and the rain continued to hammer down with brief periods of respite. Lots of country lanes were followed which was nice. At one point I had a further battle with a puncture. The offending thorn was found and removed. Within minutes a new tube was fitted and we sped along nicely to a Shell Service Station, our next control.

Have used the Shell Service Station a number of times on different audax routes now. Despite essentially just being a 'gas station', it provided a place to rest, get fed and toilet. Bargain! More food was guzzled down here (sausage roll and pork pie for me) and then we continued on the final leg.

The final leg was roughly 62k from Wellsbourne back to the start in Amington. By now the rain had passed and the sun was brightening things up. No need for waterproof layers now. The roads were a little less undulating and I felt as though we were travelling along at a faster pace. The sun set during this stage which was a little shock to us all. We had expected to finish before it got dark - silly us! No worries, we had taken precautions. Each of us had a rear light! Sadly, we didn't all finish with rear lights! Chris's light bounced off his saddle bag and was no more. Most of us had front lights - Aid was the chap without. We took turns cycling in front and behind Aid to provide a suitable light source for him. If I remember correctly, Chris's front light failed before the finish too. We had successfully navigated through and past Beausale, Honiley, Balsall Common, Berkswell and Maxstoke before the next battle. The next battle was between Ron and his bike - the bike won and Ron fell off! Luckily Ron wasn't hurt at all, and I'm still no sure what really happened (probably cleat stuck). The final push took us back to the start, which wasn't really the start - the Pretty Pigs car park. Aid and Ron packed here, so never really completed event (ha!). Chris and I cycled along for about 1 further k to the ATM machine at the official start point (Tesco's) to get our final proof of passage. I stopped at the pub next door too to purchase a bag of nuts for us all and provide a receipt for Ron's proof of passage. Chris and I then cycled back to Aid and Ron. Woo hoo, we had all completed the 2 Battles Permanent!

During this event we cycled 212k (132 miles) in just under 13 hours.

A Rough Diamond (300k audax)

Saturday saw me complete another 300k audax. This audax was named 'A Rough Diamond' and was a Black Sheep Event. This was the fourth running of this event (but the first time I had participated) and as the name suggests, the route was roughly diamond shaped. The route is presented below.

The event did not score any AAA (or 'hilly') points but contained a few lumps none-the-less. A chart demonstrating the 'lumps' is presented below.

The event started in Tewkesbury. About 40 cyclists met at the start point and the event organiser 'Mark Rigby', was to complete this audax too. We set off, after eating some banana's, at 6 a.m. I had already eaten some Weetabix and felt suitably fuelled up. It was warm at this silly hour but the sun was struggling to shine bright as there was a thick haze all around. Up until the first information control, we cycled as a large peleton. I knew a number of faces from previous audax adventures, though there was a number of new faces here too. Bikey Mikey (a well known audax figure) was cycling this event, I had seen him just 2 weeks back on the '3Coasts 600'. Amongst the new faces was this chap from Canada. Mr Canada was quite alarmed to see a rabbit run across the road, and then commented in Canada that they have to look out for moose, elk and bears! Lovely country lanes were followed to information control and continued through Pershore, Wadborough and continued to Worcester.

Worcester proved interesting, I didn't expect the route to pass through here. Better yet, the route went over the 'space bridge' that SJ and I (sometimes Cody too) used to run for SJ's marathon training. My thoughts were with SJ the whole time I was in Worcester. SJ used to live in Worcester and we had so many great dates here and, I digress ... Bikey Mikey became peleton leader in Worcester and took us through lots of cycle only places that I'm sure were not on our route sheet instructions. After passing through a number of alleys and the like we were back on the road and headed towards Martley. From Martley followed a long section that led to Tenbury Wells. This long section was quite hilly - not a major steep hill but a long up-hill stretch all the same. Followed by some super swift descents! Before too long I had reached the first 'proper' control - Burford Garden Centre.

I wanted my staple audax diet at this control - beans on toast, but there wasn't any! I settled for scrambled eggs on toast (and I ate some fruit loaf earlier when we were stopped at a railway crossing). This was washed down with a cup of tea. Mark Rigby (aka Mr BlackSheep) came in after me and looked a bit worse for wear. This was to be Mark's 10th SR series and am pleased to inform he has become an Ultra SR!

Left Burford control with a chap called Paul. Paul was a great guy and I cycled with him for remainder of event. Paul had cycled this route before as a solo effort, raising money for a child with cancer. Monies raised by Paul were put to good effect and the child had the treatments necessary. The weather was hotting up during this stage and the route was very pretty. Fantastic scenery, was good to marvel at God's creation. We passed through Shobdon, Lyonshall and Eardisley and then I recognised where we were - on route to Hay. Another chap 'Eddie', a young medic had joined us on this section and said he was going to cycle to Cardiff immediately after event. Once in Hay we passed over a toll bridge (having to pay 10p), Eddie paying my fare.

Very pretty bridge crossed over a beautiful river and we continued on our way to Llanigon, Talgarth and eventually Talybont-on-Usk. The control we stopped at was the White Hart pub. I had stopped here on a previous audax and remember trying to dry gloves and socks on the open fire as the heavens had opened big time. The weather now was superb, a truly awesome summer day. Camel burgers were on the menu but opted for a chili con carne dish with rice and poppadom instead. Spicy but tasty and washed down with a coke. After fuelling up, Paul, Eddie and I were off.

Eddie had stopped almost straight away and said he was going to fix a puncture. He admitted he was struggling earlier (gone out too fast) and this didn't surprise me as he was carrying a type of ruck sack. Eddie didn't want us to stop, so on we went. We never saw Eddie again - I wonder if he packed and went to Cardiff from here rather than finishing event? This stage was 100k long and was initially quite difficult. We cycled to Abergavenny and being in Wales, hills were expected. We had a long slow climb up to this lines of trees in the distance. We passed through this tree line, the trees provided a nice cool shadow from the sun and then whoosh - we were going down-hill! A super descent that just licked the miles away. After licking away 40 or so K, we decided to stop (100k without a break in hot weather was just too much). We stopped at a local Spa store where I purchased 2 bottles of Drench and much chocolate. I took this opportunity to apply more sun-block too, which SJ had gotten me.

Then we were off once more and headed to Chepstow then passed over one of my favourite bridges - the Severn Bridge (or Old Severn Bridge). Have cycled over this bridge many times during LEJOG and audax events. Paul informed that this bridge doesn't actually pass over the Severn and said it passed over the River Wye.

Once over the bridge we followed lovely lanes that passed through Littleton and Kington and led to a place called Hill. I was expecting a hill in Hill, but there was no real ascent. Neither did we find any ham in Ham. Spotted a few berks in Berkely however! Reached the control, a cafe, and it was closed. No bother, we went to the pub opposite. I forget the name of the pub, but they served me a lovely bowl of soup within no time. Delicious!

Two other cyclists joined us for the final leg - Nigel and some other guy whose name I never got. This section involved a bit of cross country as we had to navigate a stretch of towpath up until Splatt Bridge (what an awesome name). Back on the road and we were down to three, 'other guy' was missing. We followed yet more lovely roads that passed through Frampton-on-Severn and then we had to navigate more towpath again. These towpaths made for a rough ride but were safely navigated up until the towpath closure. This closure was unexpected and now we had to rely on Paul's local knowledge. As if by magic, Mr Other Guy popped up (he had taken diversions to avoid towpath). Mr Other Guy provided the lead we needed to get back on track and we followed him until we saw signs for Tewkesbury. Once on the A38, Nigel appeared to kick into action and sped along at quite a pace. I was grateful for this long, speedy pull. After a while, I took to the front and with renewed motivation myself sped along at quite a pace, pulling Nigel and Paul. Am not sure what happened to Mr Other guy. We reached the arrivee in good time (less than 15 hours) and it was still light! What a fantastic ride and a great day out. The arrivee was Mark Rigby's abode and his wife, Mrs BlackSheep provided us with tea, toast and beans. Perfect ending to a great day!

Cycled a total of 202.02 k (187 miles), at an average speed of 24.2 kph (15 mph) and a maximum speed of 64.2 kph (39.9 mph).

Weekly totals: Cycled 313 miles.

Banbury Cross 200 (Cheltenham)

'Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,

To see a fine lady upon a white horse;

Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,

And she shall have music wherever she goes.'

Started this week with an epic adventure with Aid, my cousin. We completed the Cheltenham Banbury Cross 200 audax. As the name suggests, this was a 200k cycling event (perm audax) that passed through Cheltenham and headed to Banbury Cross.

Aid and I started our adventure on a side street in Broadway – this saved us £6 on parking fees. As I readied my bike, I was in for a little bother. The headset was loose and my front wheel appeared to have a slight buckle. The loose headset was annoying (despite being easily fixed) – it was brand new and had just been fitted by Speeds Cycles in Bromsgrove. The wheel only had a slight buckle but the rim would keep catching against the brake block as the wheel spun. Oh well, on with the adventure. We headed to the High Street so I could purchase some banana’s and get a start control proof. And then we were off! It was a lovely morning and passage through Winchcombe was very pleasant. The official (or suggested) start was the next control. However, starting in Broadway was good on 2 counts. Firstly, Broadway was nearer to my home and secondly, we got 1 of the hills out of the way early on. This first hill was Cleeve Hill which I have cycled many times now. This was a first for Aid. Despite not being a major hill, it is still enough to make one feel ‘out of puff’ by the time they reach the summit. Reach the summit we did and then we were blessed with a super-fast descent down into Cheltenham.

Stopped to buy 2 Fudge bars in Cheltenham because Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge and this was a suitable control proof. Luckily we only skirted through Cheltenham and quickly we were heading out of it. Headed out but we were heading up. The second big ascent was during this stage and took us up Lilleybrook Hill. Again not a big, big hill, but enough to get the heart and lactic acid going. Nice long stretches of country road were cycled here and took us through Cirencester and up to Latton. The instructions (destructions?) went a bit wonky here and we just couldn’t find the tarmac bridleway to Cricklade. No bother, a real short stretch of carriage way was negotiated and took us swiftly to the control.

Cricklade was a lovely control. We stopped and topped up with water from Tesco for control proof purposes. A quick bite (fruit loaf) and we were off again, knowing that the next stop would be our lunch stop. The weather was still lovely at this point and as we made our way, we passed the airfield at Fairford. Am sure it was here that a plane disaster took place a few years back. More lovely country lanes were cycled and took us nicely into Witney, our food control. This was a good stop. Aid had beaten his previous furthest cycle trip by 1k – he had now cycled 101k! We celebrated by having a mega all-day breakfast in a local café.

This breakfast was huge and mine consisted of 2 tomato’s, egg, black pudding, 2 bacon, 3 sausage, toast and a big cake. Washed this down with a pot of tea and felt my weight had doubled. A look at my watch and found time was slipping by – then I realised why…. We ‘clocked’ the Witney time thief!

With heavy bellies we left Witney and headed to the next control. This was really turning out to be a lovely ride on good roads. After passing through Bladon one particular road passed over a river, canal and rail line which was interesting. Reached Bicester and purchased Lucozade to wash down the meal from the previous control!

Not long after leaving the Bicester control it started to rain. It wasn’t heavy, but wet none the less. We stopped to layer up and continued our journey passing through Aynho and Adderbury. Before too long, we could see Banbury Cross in the distance. Banbury Cross was very pretty and wasn’t really a cross (though a tiny cross was on top), it was more like a tall pillar. We spotted the fair lady but she wasn’t on a white horse – she was on a grey one?! More interestingly, there was a wee frog under the horse’s front hoof. We faffed around here for a short while – I had lost my glasses (again) but found them before leaving. Aid purchased some Neurofen here (I took the receipt) and we both popped a couple before we set sail on the final leg.

For the most part of the route it had been relatively flat (mostly descending) and fast roads (with the exception of the 2 hills at the first 2 stages). Things were a little different during this stage – it was way more ‘lumpy’ or undulating if you prefer. The roads really were roller-coaster like. Short climbs followed by ring-twitching descents. One particular roller-coaster type road stretched for over 20k and was awesome to cycle. Aid’s bike suffered with a bit of speed wobble during the descents. As I was cycling said road I suddenly heard Adrian scream ‘wa-hoo’ (and witnessed passer-by’s look of shock) – Aid had reached another target and had now cycled a 100 miles! As we continued our way we passed through Chipping Camden before reaching signs for Broadway, our finish point. Reached a junction and Broadway was signposted as 5 miles away to the left but the route sheet stated to continue straight over. Left looked hilly, so we went straight over. Good choice! – we were awarded with another amazing descent, a 1:8 descent! Once at the bottom of this hill, we really felt like we were in Cotswold country, what with all the sand-stone buildings and all. The final stretch took us past a shop called H J Taylor’s which always reminds me of my nan (she wasn’t a Taylor, but she was a H J and had a daughter, my mom, who is a Taylor). A last push and we reached the High Street in Broadway. We stopped at a local pub for purposes of celebration and control proof. Aid had cycled 202k (125 miles) for the first time ever and successfully completed his first audax. This was a first for me too – the first time I had completed the Cheltenham Banbury Cross 200 audax! What an awesome ride, probably won’t be the last!

A bun in the oven!

After last weeks disappointment and rotten reports, I have some very good news to report. SJ had a scan on Tuesday and it revealed that we have a lively, growing bun in her oven! We are, God willing, going to become parents. The scan revealed that SJ was 12 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I hope to blog more good news on 8 February 2013 ;).

Training this week kicked off with a lap around my TTT 20 route. I guess my legs were still recovering from last weeks audax - I had a relatively slow time. Weather was ok but some of the roads had been re-surfaced with that nasty loose gravel stuff.


I cycled the TTT 20 route again on Friday. This time I was used a different bike - 'Cayo' my road bike, recently repaired. Cayo had gotten pretty mashed up last week, following a DNF'd audax. The bike shop fitted her with new brakes (front and rear), head set, front mech, chain, rear tube, large chain ring, cable and cassette and straightened rims which were seriously dented. This cost about £300 and was serviced at Speed's Cycles in Bromsgrove. In addition to that, I fitted a new front tyre. Cayo's tyres keep changing colour - I guess she's chameleon like. Anyways, had hoped to reach a new personal best on this cycle but this wasn't to be. I was cycling at a very fast pace for about 15 miles and then, darn, the rear tyre had gone flat. Grr. I inflated tube with gas and sped off again hoping to get back before tyre was completely flat again. I got home pretty speedy and at completion of cycle was just 1 minute off my personal best. Why I have suffered  with so many flats remains a mystery to me.

Didn't cycle anymore in the week. Looked at my rear tyre and believe I found the offending 'thing' that caused puncture. The tyre looked pretty mashed up where this offending thing was too. Have now replaced the tube and tyre. The damaged tyre was a Michelin Pro Race 3 which I used to rate but am now having less faith in. These Pro Race 3's saw me complete the PBP and have lasted just one season but have punctured many times. The new tyre I have used was taken from Florence's (original) front wheel - it is a Continental Race tyre. This tyre has a wire bead so isn't a favourite tyre of mine, but as long as it stays inflated I'll be happy enough. I previously dissed Continental Ultra Gator Skin tyres but might give said tyre a second chance (and possibly carry a foldable version with me).


Weekly totals: Cycled 40 miles. (Have cycled 2,269 miles this year to date).

The 3 coasts 600 (or the 1 coast 370)

Am sure the pic above requires no explanation! Bradley Wiggins sure has done well. My story doesn't quite compare.


Started this weeks training in familiar style and cycled a lap of my TTT 20 route. Had left this blog entry quite late and couldn't remember much about the ride. Recorded the time taken though, which wasn't brilliant - 7 minutes slower than my personal best.


The weekend saw my first DNF (did not finish) on an audax event. This event was the 3 coasts 600. As the name suggests, this was a 600k event that visited 3 coasts. My story is presented below.


Drove to Mytholmroyd community centre Friday night. This was the start of the audax. A few others had drove down this evening too. It was nice to meet the organiser and chat with a few other cyclists (such as Graeme, Peter and Bikey Mikey) before the event kicked off on the Saturday. After sharing stories and the like, I went to bed (around 10 p.m) and tried my best to sleep. Was constantly waking and falling back asleep until around 5 a.m, the time we all got woken up.


Once up, I ate some breakfast (coco pops and some toast) and readied my bike. About 40 of us had gathered together now ready for this adventure. At 6 a.m we were off!


The start was a trifle menace as lots of bug's were flying around looking for potential victims. (It was only once I was home that I noticed that bugs had eaten my right leg alive - at time of writing was very swollen and itchy). The sky looked as though it was going to be a bright day. However, within just a few k's the heavens opened big time. All 40 of us were soaked through to the skin. Because of the rain, our peleton of 40 became heavily split up. I stopped under a bridge and decided to layer up with my water-proof jacket. Am pleased I did this as the rain stuck around for a while and was quite heavy.  Just before the first checkpoint (at about 23k, in Mirfield) the rain stopped. An event marshal signed our brevet cards at this point. I removed my waterproof layer, ate an apple and headed off again.


This next section was pleasant enough. No real menace encountered. Within no time reached the first food stop - the Castleford Bus Station Cafe. Some folk decided to bounce this control. I stopped for a cup of tea. It was still very early in the morning and I wasn't feeling so hungry. I ate a banana from my saddle bag and sought to chase some folk who had bounced this control.


Perhaps the most pleasant cycling took place during this section. The weather was great and the roads were in good condition. Better yet, a tail wind was pushing me forward. I took advantage of these factors and sped along at quite a pace. I could see one cyclist ahead in the distance and he became my target to catch. Within minutes I caught him. I forget his name (sorry) but remember he was wearing an audax UK jersey and what looked like track-suit bottoms. This guy was interesting enough, we chatted about bike related stuff for a while (and he had completed the PBP 6 times to date!). After a while I took his wheel and recovered a little before returning the favour. When I turned my head around, I realised I had dropped him. Ahead I could see another cyclist and decided to chase him. Caught this cyclist too and again was nice to chat some while cycling along. This chap was called Graeme and I had cycled with him earlier for a short stretch. Graeme provided useful information before this event on his blog site and the YACF forum. We (plus a few random others who had caught and joined) chatted pretty much all the way to the next control - a service station in or near Pocklington. I ate chocolate here and purchased some lucozade. I was a little leisurely leaving this control and left on my lonesome.


From the service station I passed through Bridlington and Fridaythorpe. A chap called Joe was just ahead of me and I attempted to catch him. As hills were encountered, the distance between me and Joe just grew bigger - I wasn't going to catch him. A relatively chubby guy with pink handlebars ('Mr Pink handlebar guy') flew past me and I saw him catch Joe. Must have been the EPO (ha!). A nice descent took me to the information control in Langtoft. Graeme had taken a wrong turn earlier and to my surprise turned up at this control just after me.


Graeme and I cycled together all the way to the next control. Was great having someone to chat with during this section - took my mind of aches and pains and was interesting to listen to another's stories. The control was right by the sea and was named the Boathouse Cafe. I ate pie, gravy and peas here (had chips too but didn't fancy them). Those that know me well will know that I have a history of losing glasses. I lost a pair of glasses at this control too. I didn't leave them behind - when I went for a wizz, I bent forward (was wearing bib shorts you see) and my glasses fell from my jersey into the pan! I wasn't going to retrieve them! Left cafe and remembered I had forgot (?!) my gloves. Returned to cafe and retrieved my gloves (which were now tucked into another cyclists helmet). Left control with Graeme and Joe (who now wanted to cycle with company as his last section was a 'boring' solo affair).

Before following our instructions again, we diverted just a short distance to view the sea front. Woo hoo, we had reached the first coast - the East Coast! An obligatory photo was considered a must.

So, the 3 of us (Joe, Graeme and myself as pictured above) left the sea front and headed for Malton. Joe and Graeme kept quite a pace. It was good to cycle with this pair as they pushed quite hard and were fun guys. I found their pace a little fast for me but was happy to cycle with them both. For the most part I chose to follow but at times offered a pull. Am sure Mr Pink handlebar guy kept ahead of us throughout this section too. I was feeling real 'Hank Marvin' by the time we reached the Yorkshire Tea Rooms control. At this control I ate scrambled egg on toast and washed this down with a pepsi and a mug of tea.


Left control as a group of 3 again. Similar pattern to before - Joe and Graeme pulling for the most part and myself benefiting from a tow. With gritted teeth I pulled for short sections. Before we reached control we passed Mr Pink handlebar guy and stopped off at Tesco's for food supplies. I had a lovely ploughman's sarnie here and purchased malt loaf and chocolate for later. We passed through 2 information controls before reaching the next 'proper' control. Somewhere during these controls things had started to go wrong. First off, my rear light came on and wouldn't stop flashing. Flashing mode was a real annoyance for those following behind and it became annoying for me to tell everyone it was flashing because it was faulty. The rain proved menace too, it wasn't too bad but when it fell, it fell real hard! Passing through Sowerby was lovely, a number of scarecrows in various guises were occupying folks front lawns. (Am sure I passed through Sowerby during LEJOG 2009 and was informed about Sowerby's scarecrow festival). Interestingly enough, we cycled past Toad Hall too! Aldwark Bridge proved an interesting crossing - all the boards were loose and looked like piano keys were being tapped as we cycled over. By the time we reached the control at Shell Riverside Service Station it was dark (and we had stopped at a pub earlier because Graeme had a taste for alcohol). So hungry at this control that I ate 2 snickers bars and downed some chocolate milk. My bum was real sore too, so took opportunity to lube up (but think I left bum creme behind).


The next section was my last section. Sadly things went very wrong. At one point my wheel became locked - the chain had gotten caught in the front mech. Graeme stopped to help me out and we were able to free the wheel. Sadly the front mech was damaged and now I was limited to just my lower gears (I completed the Bryan Chapman 600k audax without a large chain ring, and this reminded me of that incident). Off we set and then pssst, my rear tyre had punctured. Graeme left me here as he was looking forward to sleep and I hoped I'd be just minutes after him at control after I fixed puncture. This wasn't to be. I fixed puncture (replaced tube) but within a few more K, I had punctured again. Puncture fixed and then I punctured again. Grr. This was not fun at all and my time was elapsing quicker than I hoped. I punctured six times in all (both front and rear tyres). At the fourth puncture the voices in my head whispered 'game over' - I had used all my spare inner tubes. I started to push my bike along, tired, angry and not thinking straight. It was about 30k back to Mytholmroyd, the next control, which was both a food and sleep control. I had a spare tube at control too. A passing pair of cyclists stopped and donated me an inner tube which was greatly appreciated. I pumped up tyre but the valve came off in my pump and horrors, I was back to square one. Pushed bike along once more and after an age another cyclist stopped and gave me a tube. With brief hope I inflated tyre and set sail again. With less than 10k  cycled, pssst, the rear tyre punctured once more. I was so tired now, fed up and felt like crying. I just pushed my bike along and wasn't sure if I was on route anymore. Another cyclist stopped and asked if I wanted a tube. This was a nice offer but I just couldn't be bothered to remove a tyre and fit again after doing so, so many times. I declined but just asked to borrow his pump (a great big pump) to just inflate tyre and hope it got me back to control. It didn't! I should have took the tube. With flat tyre I just pushed along. Drunk kids were ahead on the street, so I by-passed and by chance found a taxi station. A taxi took me back to control. I had given up. Packed. This was to be my first DNF'd audax. :(


I rocked up at the M'royd control at 3.42 a.m, about 4 hours later than I had anticipated. A number of cyclists were still behind me (with working machines I bet...). I informed the marshals I was packing and supportive and understanding they were. I made my bed and fell asleep.


When I awoke, I saw Bikey Mikey pottering about and Mr Pink Handlebar guy was asleep to the left of me. I think I saw Joe too but am not overly sure. With a strange feeling of disappointment I sneaked off and headed home. I had cycled 370k and visited just one coast!


The damage: Well for an event scoring 6 AUK points, I scored zero. I was 6 months into my AAArty award (and was hoping this event would score 1.75AAA points for July) but now those plans are shot too (no days left this month to ride an AAA event). Was hoping to complete an SR series too - no chance of finding a calendar 600k event for remainder of year). Damage to the bike was equally nasty. After a visit to bike shop today, I require new brake blocks (front and rear), a headset, chain, cassette, large chain ring, front mech and a new rear wheel. I won't be getting a new wheel but the wheel will require truing again as the rims have some nasty dents in them. Cost to fix bike is just under £300. :(


Too grr to blog much more....


Weekly totals: Cycled 250 miles.

Batman's day out

This week's blog is kinda funny because it really began at the end of the previous week. The story is picked up after my adventures with Aid in and around the forest of Dean. What I didn't inform in the last blog was the fact that my rear brake had failed. I didn't let this mis-hap prevent me from having a great day but it sure is a pain all the same. Scotty is equipped with Avid Elixir R disc brakes and I guess they need a service - dread to think how much this may cost! It was only since my brake failed that I realised I am able to adjust reach of the levers. Think they call this 'the good with the bad' phenomena.

Following Scotty's day out, SJ and I went away for the weekend. We went to Burnham-on-Sea. No cycling was planned, however, cycling activities were performed (hence this blog entry). I pinched my mothers bike on the Friday and cycled from the caravan site to the beach front. I wouldn't take my own bike(s) on the beach, but enjoyed cycling my ma's up and down the sea front. On return to campsite I cycled to nearby shop and purchased some bread. A short but sweet 4 miles on a bike I wouldn't be seen on in my home village. On Saturday I cycled the same route again, only this time SJ was with me. SJ was cycling my pa's bike, which was way too small for me. We had fun. Maybe we should invest in a tandem?!

On Tuesday, Ron and I hooked up and went for our usual weekly spin. We cycled a different route tonight, making it up as we went along. We cycled some distance along previous routes and around Arrow Vale lake too. Nice pleasant ride on a nice pleasant evening.


Thursday saw me complete my first ever DIY permanent audax. I created a 150k route that started and finished in Studley. The route was named 'Batman's day out' as the mapped route forms the shape of a bat. Below is a summary of Batman's day out.

In the guise of Batman, I left the bat cave (in Studley) on my bat cycle at 8.22 a.m. A local ATM provided the first control proof. The bat cycle's navigational system had gone wonky and Google maps were consulted to follow required destinations. Google map directions proved difficult to follow and soon we were off track after just a few K's. A busier than planned road, more chaotic that Gotham City, was followed which led to the first control in Wythall.


Left Wythall and within minutes was lost again. A quick GPS check on the bat phone (battery low) put me back on course. Navigated relatively safely all the way to next control stop. By-passed Kenilworth Castle, the abode of the evil Joker to reach Kenilworth itself.


Didn't take long for the Joker to rear his ugly head. After safely passing much motorised machinery I followed quieter tracks. At just 70K, pssst, the Joker appeared and burst my rear tyre of the bat cycle. Tyre soon fixed and headed out once more. After about 10 K the Joker re-appeared and 2 more battles were fought - resulting in a further 2 flats for the bat cycle. Grr. 3 tubes and 3 CO2 canisters later and the bat cycle was ready to go again. Felt quite nervous at this point, was 20k off route and had no spare tubes or gas. Just before reaching control in Rugby, I ate a home made sarnie to help lift my spirits.


Reached Rugby and gave the bat cycle a check over. The rear tyre was damaged. Michelin pro race 3's were fitted but the casing on the rear tyre has split and will need replacing. Headed towards and reached Southam with no major incident, save going off course a further 10k.


Did not have a gay time in Gaydon. The evil Penguin had changed road signs which caused me to cycle out of Southam in one direction and re-enter it in another. Google maps didn't help much either. I passed a sign showing an older version bat cycle and figured I must be back on track. Took out my camera to take a picture of this sign, but the battery was flat. However, the bat phone had just enough juice to take a photo of same. Finally reached Gaydon, now about 40k off target.

No real menace reaching Leamington. The Penguin scattered some acid rain but this was no hardship for my bat cape to deal with. A buss conducter provided me with further instructions to reach next control and save me from having to rely on Google map directions.


Next control was Stratford. Left Leamingon and hit Warwick within minutes. Passed Warwick Castle and marvelled at it's wonder. Maybe we should move the bat cave to Warwick Castle?! Cycled along much of Route 41 which was nice and kept me away from motorised machinery. Nice to reach control and be in familiar surroundings.


The Penguin scattered more acid rain as I made my way to next control. The rain did little to dampen my spirits or prevent progress. Felt more 'Hank Marvin' than Batman when I reached Bidford. For this reason I stopped and purchased a sausage from the chip shop (using receipt as proof of control).


Defeated all my necessary adversaries to reach next control in Alcester. Was feeling a little achey and sore it parts but knew it was only a few further K to reach the bat cave and mission would be over. Downed a few energy sweets and headed for home.


Last few K back to the Bat cave were no real bother. Safely reached home with a smile on my face. Batman won the day! The original mission brief stated I would cycle 150k - a total of 199k were ridden! Just 1 further K and this would have been considered a long distance affair. Oh well, maybe another mission looms...


Maybe I really should invest in a tandem?!

Weekly totals: Cycled 156 miles.

The Forest

"Rhymes happen when cycling all day

Road poems, hmmm, what can I say?

No rhyme dictionary 

Has words fictionary

And the pages might just blow away."

Started the week with a cycle in the pouring rain. Strangely enough, I really enjoyed this because it allowed me to test my new mud-guards. Last week I fitted Florence with a pair of SKS race blades and they look great and work just fine. The rain wasn't so bad to be honest, it was stop-start style throughout. Despite the rain it was a warm evening. Ron and I cycled an oval shaped route starting and finishing in Studley. We cycled via Oldhill, Bidford and Knighton on some lovely country lanes offering splendid views. Towards the end we still had power in our legs so we raced up Node Hill and St Judes Avenue. Awesome.


Raced around the TTT 20 route on Tuesday. I was hoping to beat my fastest time and really pushed myself. Despite all my efforts, I finished with an average time - about 5 minutes slower than my personal best.

Took Scotty to the Forest of Dean on Thursday and met up with Aid and Scarlet - his new mountain bike. Scarlet was a nice bit of kit - a Scott Scale 29er. This 29er was much like my bike, only it had bigger wheels, much bigger wheels. The 2 Scott bikes looked good together and really are awesome steeds.

Aid and I cycled both the blue and red routes around the forest. Nice cycling in lovely sunshine. Some parts of the trail were closed for whatever reasons. We also rode the training area in the forest. Before leaving the Forest we tried beans, egg and toast from the cafe - delicious! Aid also got himself some funky new cycling shoes (was I supposed to mention this?!)

After our nosh up we headed to Symonds Yat for more cycling action. The weather had turned sour and we took on some rather hard core routes. This was great fun and included a bit of everything (single track, fire roads, hills, rocks, roots, etc). We managed to navigate to the river and crossed over the groovy swing bridge. Cycled back to the car park climbing a nice 1:5 hill in the process and rewarded ourselves with tea and cake. Still feeling fresh, we headed out in the rain once more and did much of the same. We took a short cut to the river, down a steep rocky wet descent which was flooded in parts and passed through a fast flowing stream towards the end. Finished the day looking like drowned rats. Awesome!


Weekly totals: Cycled 75 miles.

Mud-guards

Tuesday was the first day I ventured out this week. It was a wet miserable day. However, is rare that 'weather stops play' with Ron and I. With that mantra in mind we set out. We cycled to Bidford via Alcester in a loose figure of eight style. Over 25 miles were cycled and 2 big hills were encountered. The first hill was just past Haselor and proved no real menace. The second hill was too tough for Florence - but will be beaten on a brighter day! Watch this space.


Cycled again on Wednesday. This day turned out to be very wet and miserable too. Completed the TTT 20 route without any major issues other than the weather.

On the 2 occasions detailed above, I managed to stay dry throughout. I was wearing my lovely Rohan cycling jacket and had equipped Florence with a rear mud-guard taken off my mountain bike. My mountain bike mudguard was a Raleigh rear fender - super light, cheap (about £12) and has an adjustable strap (to fit to fat seat tubes like mine). This summer has been pants on the weather front!

Didn't cycle any further during the week. However, I have now equipped Florence with some mud-guards of her very own! These mudguards are SKS race blades - just need another wet day to test them out! Have also received 3 brevet cards for my planned DIY perms. A DIY perm is exactly as the name suggests - a do-it-yourself audax. I haven't actually 'planned' any routes yet, but my mission is to create and ride a 50, 100 and 150k DIY perm, just for something to do. As stated before, I'm a psycholist!


Weekly totals: Cycled 48 miles.

Cotswold Corker (June 2012)

Went out with Ron on Tuesday for my first cycle this week. We started to Cycle the TTT 20 route but took a detour by-passing Great Alne, headed towards Bealey before taking first right, then re-joining the route in Alcester. A beautiful night for cycling and we even saw some deer. Once home though and the major menace of hay fever kicked in!


This weeks mid-week menace was hay fever! Cycled the same route as yesterday (only without going to Ron's address and without Ron). I think I prefer my original TTT 20 route, as this variation misses out 'John's Hill' (can't remember why it's called that right know, but I know it has reference to John V). This route is a nice alternative though and follows the Bearley road and goes past the 'impassable ford'. This ford has a sign next to it stating 'impassable at all times - this is not true however. Last year, both Ron and I successfully passed this ford on our mountain bikes, others weren't as fortunate. Anyways, completed this particular route on a fine hot night. Returned home and the hay fever kicked in. Grr!


Friday saw me complete another Cotswold Corker audax! This is a 100k, hilly audax scoring 1.75 AAA points around the Cotswolds (as the name suggests). I have completed this event many times now, but this time was perhaps the most special.


Started the Corker in Winchcombe (as opposed to the suggested start in Bishops Cleeve). It had been raining before I reached the start but the sun came out for me. By starting in Winchcombe, Cleeve Hill is the first hill to be conquered. This hill is only slight menace really and is easy to conquer (have climbed this hill successfully on my single speed) and makes a good climb for warm up purposes. After this climb a lovely descent (Gambles Lane 25%) took me to Bishops Cleeve.

Left Bishops Cleeve and headed for the infamous Bushcombe Lane. This hill is the Cotswold Corker! Indeed, the book 'Another 100 greatest cycling climbs' awards this hill 10/10! The website climbbybike.com stated 'Several steep, narrow lanes ascend Cleeve Hill ... these are some of the steepest in the Cotswolds. Bushcombe is the steepest... [The] lanes are signposted as 25% - Bushcombe is probably closer to 30% in places ... ascent is 1.95 km long. Over this distance, you climb 157 height meters'. How awesome! More awesome still, is the fact that I conquered this hill without stopping, without walking and without out putting a foot down on the ground. Woo hoo, I conquered this hill for the first time proper! Following this great climb, I was awarded with a super fast descent back into Winchcombe.

From Winchcombe another tough hill was climbed before reaching an info control in Guiting Power. Perhaps the most scenic part of the audax passed from Guiting to the Northleach control. Stopped in Northleach just briefly to purchase water and award myself with a Wispa Gold (using receipt as proof of passage).


Pretty passage took me from Nothleach to the information control in Daglingworth. Prior to reaching the control was nice to see a whole bunch of free range pigs on a farm. After the control was nice to see  a fox just casually strolling across the fields. Perhaps it was Fantastic Mr Fox himself?! These creatures sure beat the road killed deer and badgers I kept whizzing past. Just before I reached the control in Bisley, I thought 'my wife was right'. SJ told me to take my awesome orange rain jacket, I didn't - I took my naff fluorescent one. And it rained, and I got wet. My wife was right!  Dried off in the pub and feasted on a big fat rump steak!


From Bisley more hills took me to Andoversford. Again my wife was right. She predicted there would be floods in places and this section proved her words to be true.


The final section was great. A fast run took me back to the start in Winchcombe generally down hill for the most part. I completed this audax in good time and beat Bushcombe Lane! Oh, the joys of cycling!


Cycled a distance of 100.88k (63 miles) during this Cotswold Corker audax, at an average speed of 11 mph and a maximum speed of 39 mph! Total time spent on the saddle was 5 hours and 34 mins. 


Weekly totals: Cycled a distance of 108 miles.

Ride your bike

Started the week with a sneaky lap of the TTT 20 route. Say 'sneaky' because this was un-planned, just happened to finish work a little early and took advantage. Great day for cycling with warm sun shine. On the down side, came home and sneezed lots - major hay fever menace!


Cycled the TTT 20 route again on Wednesday. Such a beautiful day and just happened to be the Summer Solstice - the longest day. Not only that, it was also my dear wife's birthday. Happy Birthday SJ!


Planned to cycle the TTT 20 route again on Thursday, but bad weather put pay to that. As stated before, Florence is a fair weather bike (or at least she will be until I can afford to buy some mud-guards for her). Thursday turned out to be the longest day - the Summer Solstice, not yesterday! An error in my Micky Mouse diary - but being Micky Mouse, what do you expect? Anyways, I still cycled. I took Scotty out instead. After donning myself in rain gear and equipping Scotty with slicks, I set about completing the Deer route. It had been a while since I last rode this route and despite the rain it was a good lap. I rode the version where I cycled past the Mother Huff Cap and then headed directly for Coughton Ford.

Squeezed in another sneaky ride on Friday. This was a well timed ride too - had been raining heavy all day, but for the short time I was out the rain held off. Should have taken Florence out! I didn't though - I took out Scotty for a lap of the Reed route, i.e. yesterdays route in reverse.


Weekly totals: Cycled 72 miles.

Back in the UK

Found it quite hard to push myself and start exercising again after my honeymoon in China. Bad weather, poor motivation, jet lag and paralysis of will were amongst my chief excuses. However, Tuesday saw me complete a lap of the TTT 20 route on Florence, my single speed bike. This is by far my most cycled route now and even though I've completed it many times, it can still hurt. My lungs felt the pain most this time, followed by my stomach muscles which usually don't experience anything too heavy. On the good side, the bad weather held off, I completed the route and have now cycled 300 miles on Florence! (My wife says a mile per £ spent on buying her, she actually cost me £350).


Midweek turned out to be a hot sunny day, despite weather men informing otherwise. I think the sun had help lift my mood and spirits and I though I would resume running after such a long pause. I took Cody, my rather reluctant running buddy dog, out with me on this occasion. We ran the Handlebar route. Both of us were quite whacked after this short run, but I certainly felt better for completing it. Later that day, I hooked up with Ron and we went out for a swift cycle. We cycled my TTT 20 route - Ron used his Specialized Roubaix and I used Florence my single speed. This was the first time I have ridden Florence in the company of another. It was a nice evening and was good to pedal with Ron as he had a good pace. We completed the route 1 minute slower than yesterday, but we added an additional mile as we started and finished at Ron's address as opposed to mine!


Thursday was another 'duathlon day'. I started the day with a jog around the Handlebar route with Cody. Cody was a bit menace today and showed more interest in other dogs than running the route. After lunch, I completed another lap of the TTT 20 route. This time I took out Scotty, my mountain bike. I rode the route the reverse way around and added a good 13 minutes onto yesterdays time. Scotty is a Scale 20 model (2010) and I mention this because my cousin (Adrian) has just gotten himself a Scott Scale 29er Expert!


Did no further exercise for remainder of week. Felt good that I had started exercising again though, and pleased that I had both ran and cycled. Also, I received my Bear Bones shirt in the post which helped increase the excitement about my planned Bear Bones 200 adventure in October.

Weekly totals: Cycled 62 miles; Ran 6.2 miles.