Steve’s Cycle Shorts 7 – Tour of Flanders

Well, it’s been a while  since we went Bimblin’ Round Belgium in our campervan, and after writing the last post about our visit to the national cycling museum in Roeselare, Alannah has had trouble pinning me down to make my contribution towards another post.  Such is the Cycling Widow’s lot in the height of the cycling season!

In any case, this will be a long-awaited blog for many, and this time we’re checking out the Tour of Flanders cycle race, known in Dutch as the Ronde van Vlaanderen and in French as the Tour de Flandres.  (We hope it’ll be worth the wait, as there’s a little treat for readers a bit further on…)

SPEEDY SPORT SPOTTING

The Tour begins in Bruges and ends in Oudenaarde.  We heard that one of the Flemish ‘hobbies’ is to see how many times you can see the Tour riders along the route…  Hence, many pick a spot from which to watch the race, then once they’ve seen the riders go by, they speed off in their cars to another spot and do it all over again.

Whilst this might be fun for ‘youngsters’, the older folk amongst us might consider this a bit hazardous.  So it’s possible that this has influenced the new & controversial decision to change the course this year.  Now Tour riders  do the same loop three times at the end of the race, which means spectators are more likely to stay in the same spot.  These loops also include some of the most gruelling, steep & bumpy cobbled streets (called pavés).

IN THE WRONG LANE

Thinking Oudenaarde would be the best and most exciting spot to view the Sunday race, we headed there on the Friday.   After all, if we got there a few days early, surely we could recce the course before things got too busy and find a decent spot to camp out, right?  How wrong could we be!?

Turning up on the outskirts of Oudenaarde, we were amazed to see how many cyclists were already out on their bikes, eagerly pedalling along the route that would soon be covered by their cycling heroes.  Motorhomes had already begun to take up spots on the side of the fast-moving main road…  And as we turned into a side street, hoping to make our way to the Kwaremont – one of the famous pavés – our plans were scuppered as cyclists gradually swamped our campervan, and cars began coming along the narrow lane in the opposite direction.

TWILIGHT ZONE PARKING

Eventually we managed to reverse through the mire of cyclists and followed a sign for parking down another side street.  Now, most municipal parking signs point to car parks that are only a stone’s throw away.  Not here!  We ended up driving for a good few miles down what turned into a bumpy dirt track.  Had we entered the Twilight Zone of Belgium???

An hour or so later, our suspension was thankfully still intact, but we’d had enough and decided the ‘vibe’ at Oudenaarde was a bit too frenetic anyway.  We stayed overnight in an ‘aire’ (municipal parking place with facilities) in Harelbeke hoping to get some rest, and only managed to do so once our ‘noisy neighbours’ had quietened down.  Unfortunately, the aire was situated right next to the local football ground and they had a night-time game scheduled, with loud music & floodlights to boot.

WHEEL HEROES

The next day, we drove to Roeselare.  This is not only the home of the Wielermuseum (the topic of the last Steve’s Cycle Shorts) but one of the towns through which the Tour passes.  From our visit to the museum, it was clear just how important cycling has been to the Belgian culture.  The first Tour was held in 1913, and in the last ten years, 7 in 10 winners have been Belgian.

One of the staff members at the museum told us about the old French term Flandrien, used to describe riders (Flemish or not!) who are able to put up with all manner of hardship on the bike.  So, are you a Flandrien?

After checking out the museum, we recced the town with a view to finding a decent vantage point from which to watch the race the following day, plus parking place close by.

Now, for the rest of the story, we’ve got a little treat for you… a Tour of Flanders video which we’ve put on YouTube – with words, pictures & music.  So click on the link and enjoy!

PHOTO FINISH

As the barriers were being cleared away after the race, a photographer from the local newspaper, Het Nieuwsblad, came round taking photos of the spectators…  These are viewable online on their website, so if you like, click to view ours.

In conclusion, I thought the whole event was well organised & efficiently run.  At the end of the Tour, we understand there are beer-fuelled celebrations in the enormous marquees we saw in Oudenaarde, but somehow, we didn’t feel like we’d missed out on anything by watching the race in the lovely little town of Roeselare.

We hope you enjoyed the above video presentation, and there are a couple of other Campervan Capers videos on Alannah’s new Foley’s Forum Videos YouTube channel for you to check out if you haven’t already seen them.

COMING SOON…

At some point when Alannah can pin me down again, we’ll be putting together another  Steve’s Cycle Shorts story based in Cirencester, where I recently did a 100-mile time trial.  So stay tuned or subscribe to the blog if you don’t want to miss my two-wheeled escapades.

Campervan Capers 2 is also in the process of being formatted ready for publication and will be available shortly as a handy, free eBook in various formats – for eReaders or to print.

As always, all info about Alannah’s writing & photography is on the Foley’s Forum website, where there’s plenty of stuff that’s free to view.

And if you’d like us to keep you posted about more news & offers, or to hear when new blogs come out, feel free to sign up to the blog (in the panel on the right).

Steve’s Cycle Shorts 6 – A Day at the Museum

Back in March, you’ll remember that we went Bimblin’ Round Belgium in our campervan for a few weeks.  After visiting the French-speaking south of the country, we ventured on up to the Flemish-speaking north to check out the Tour of Flanders – and, of course, a trip to the national cycling museum in Roeselare was a must.

THE CYCLE OF TIME

The Wielermuseum‘s displays opened with the evolution of the bike, so we started off feeling as though we were walking through time, seeing the amazing changes in cycle innovations which have come & gone – and all within the short space of only about a century.  Most of the information was displayed in English as well as French & Flemish (in essence, Dutch) and everything was set out in a professional yet delightfully-simple way.

The first bicycle, the Loopfiets (aka ‘hobby horse’ or ‘running machine’) had rock solid wheels, as did all the earlier bikes.  These might not have been quite as hard as the kind you’d find on The Flintstones, but I’m sure riders must have breathed a sigh of relief when the rubber and pneumatic tyres finally came in.

DESIGN FEET

The Macmillan had a treadle-type setup to power you along.  Whilst it looked good, the design wasn’t the best, since your pedalling feet were likely to get caught in the front wheel when it was turned.  To me, the highlights were the four-seater ‘tandem’, the bike with a shaft-drive, and a two-seater contraption where riders sat side by side.  Try keeping your balance on that!

The Macmillan – Nice design but you could easily ‘put your foot in it’!

PHOTO FINISH

Still, you can’t beat actually experiencing what it must have been like riding one of these old bikes, so hopping onto the museum’s fixed Penny Farthing (no safety harness provided!) was a treat.  Press a button and your photo is taken as you pedal, then it’s posted online for you to view later (click here to see mine if you want a laugh).

At the back of the building was an impressive bicycle workshop, the contents of which were donated to the museum by the Hallaert family, famous for Belgian frame- and saddle-building.

CYCLING DOWN MEMORY LANE

Moving along, there were many inspiring exhibits of past Belgian cycling champions – including, of course, Eddy Merckx.  There was old footage of famous rides, cycling magazines, trophies; and many champions had also donated their winners’ jerseys and old bikes (probably would’ve ended up in landfill otherwise anyway).

Jean-Pierre Monséré (affectionately nicknamed Jempi), the famous Belgian rider who died in a head-on collision with a car, had a whole section dedicated to his life, and bits of his shattered bike were even on display.

BIKE TUNING

The finale of the tour was a jukebox with music linked to cycling (eg Tour de France by Kraftwerk).  We discovered that several of the past Belgian cyclists have clubbed together to release their own brand of cycling songs.  And as we went to have lunch back at the camper, parked only a stone’s throw from the museum, we were regaled with more Flemish cycling tunes booming from a speaker at the museum.  They reminded us a bit of bloky British football songs.  I’m sure they were meant to be inspiring, but if you ask me, I reckon the guys would be better off sticking to their cycling – ‘cos they sure ain’t gonna win any medals at singing!

WHEELY GOOD VALUE

My trusty Cycling Widow, Alannah, accompanied me around the exhibits and was surprised that the three hours we spent there had gone so quickly.  She hadn’t got bored once (at least that’s what she told me) – so it just goes to prove you don’t have to be a complete cycling nut to appreciate what’s on offer.  The staff at the Wielermuseum were most helpful (and spoke better English than we did Dutch) and, at a mere five euros, we thought the entrance fee was excellent value.

The following day was the Tour of Flanders race, and you can look forward to my next blog where I tell you all about our escapades there…  So tune in next time, or sign up to the blog to receive it automatically via email.

And there’s more…

If you’ve been following Steve’s Cycle Shorts for a while, you’ll probably already know that Alannah has written a book called Cycling Widows, but did you know she’s now released her Campervan Capers book?  It’s a light-hearted yet practical travel tale about our first year in the campervan.

Why not check it out and sample 20% of the book for free on Smashwords?  Or you can download The Welsh Leek Conspiracy, a short travel tale adapted from the book, also for free.

All downloads are in a wide range of formats – for eReaders, screen reading or home printing.

COMING SOON…

Campervan Capers 2 will shortly be on its way to the publication mill, too.  This will be an adaptation of the Campervan Capers blog entries in 2011 and will be available as a handy, free eBook, also in various formats.  So whether you have an eReader or prefer to print stuff off to read, there’ll be a format for you!

As always, all info about Alannah’s writing & photography are on the Foley’s Forum website, where there’s plenty of stuff that’s free to view.

And if you’d like us to keep you posted about more news & offers, or to hear when new blogs come out, feel free to sign up to the blog (in the panel on the right).

Steve’s Cycle Shorts 5 – Bikin’ In Belgium

BIKIN’ IN BELGIUM – March/April 2012

When Alannah & I first decided to go to Belgium, it was originally to explore some of the caves which are abundant in the Ardennes area of the country.  I realised, of course, that in a cycling-crazy culture, this was a perfect opportunity to notch up a few hours on the bike…

GETTING INTO GEAR

On the journey down to Wallonia, the French-speaking south of Belgium, we stopped to take in the sights at the riverside town of Dinant.  Early on a Sunday morning, it was amazing (and heartening) to see so many folk out and about: some walking, others cycling in groups or solo.

We parked up next to a chap struggling with his racing bike, his young son patiently waiting beside him with his own racer.  They were both adorned in swish-looking cycling kit.  Getting out of the camper, it was obvious the guy was having trouble with his gears, so I dusted off my schoolboy French and offered my assistance.

For ten minutes, we worked together to get his gears into some sort of satisfactory shape, during which time he told us (speaking a mixture of French and English) that he was training for a triathlon & had already lost a lot of weight – although he admitted losing a few more kilos wouldn’t go amiss in enhancing his performance!

TIME TO REFUEL!

Evidently chuffed with my intervention, he offered up some energy drinks & gels he’d got from his sponsor – which was great, as I hadn’t bothered to bring any specific nutritional products along with me.

We thanked him, heading off to find a pâtisserie with tasty morsels with which to refuel my energies after the gear-mending session.

CYCLING HQ

Moving further south, we eventually found a picturesque campsite we decided to call ‘home’ for a few days.  Situated between the towns of Remouchamps & Aywaille (south of Liège), it was a perfect area for cycling in general, so we purchased a cycling route map which highlighted the VTT (Vélo Tout Terrain) trails as well as the roads. And with my trusty ATB (that’s ‘All Terrain Bike‘ to the unitiated), I had the choice of switching between road and off-road and could go out for a few jaunts with Alannah (on her old MTB) as well.

FLEMISH, NOT PHLEGMISH!

At the start of our holiday, Alannah spotted a Flemish chap (called Gaston) cycling back to the campsite.  Thinking of me, she asked if he’d like some company on his rides, so we teamed up for a few afternoon jaunts.  Now, Gaston was 70 years young and able to cover 70 or 80kms with relative ease.  But he also delighted in telling me of his cycling colleague back home in Antwerp who, at 82 years of age, was faster than him.  So much for the idea that you have to become a wheezing old codger when you get older!

Gaston knew the area well and we had a good few rides together in perfect weather.  The cycle trails were suitable for any bike and the roads had lanes marked out for cyclists.  Pedestrians & motorists alike seemed to accept our presence, with the latter giving cyclists a respectfully-wide berth – in contrast with many of my experiences in England.  Along the trails everyone greets each other with a ring of their bell or a simple “Bonjour”.

THE LAST LEG…?

One day, returning from some sightseeing in the ‘van, we spotted a cyclist waving at the top of a hill.  Was he beckoning the two other cyclists further down?  We weren’t sure, so we pulled over just in case.  The chap asked where we were going and if he could possibly have a lift.  He was obviously a serious cyclist: his cranks were fitted with an SRM power meter.  Wondering why he needed a lift, I enquired what the problem was with his legs, light-heartedly prodding his quad with my finger.  I immediately regretted doing so, as he explained (in excellent English) that he’d crashed some time before & was struggling to turn his legs over.

With groin strain and a scuffed arm, this guy was going nowhere for the moment, so we strapped his bike onto the back of the camper and set off.  As I drove, curiosity got the better of me & I had to know his average power output for the ride.  He had covered 80km at an average of 245 watts.  Impressive!  It turned out that the cyclist had driven down from the Flemish-speaking north of Belgium specifically to ride this heavily-wooded area.  By the time we dropped him off at his car in Aywaille, he said he’d be fine – in fact, he was more concerned about the grazes on his bike than the ones on his arm (no surprise to all you Cycling Widows out there!).

WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE

On another day, Alannah and I thought we’d check out the local area using our newly-acquired cycle route map, and we ended up knitting together bits from several different routes.  This would give us a shorter, closer-to-home route that would be suitable for Alannah’s abilities.  Or that was the plan, anyway.   I’d noticed beforehand that part of the route was in fact used for the 1998 VTT European Championship Course, and might have neglected to mention this to my other half!

Not long into the ride, we entered the woods and the terrain soon became rather steep.  I was impressed with how well Alannah was managing to get her heavy old bike up the slope – although she did complain that she’d hoped to actually ride her bike that day, not push it!  Finally, though, at the top of the hill, the terrain levelled out, giving expansive views for miles around.  Then we wound our way down the sheer valley, soon to return to Campervan HQ for a hot cuppa.

I could have stayed in Remouchamps for much longer but after a week we had to move on, as we’d planned to go north to check out the Tour of Flanders…

SO, STAY TUNED…

…because another post is coming shortly on Steve’s Cycle Shorts, our Campervan Capers sub-blog…  Not only will you get the low-down on the Tour of Flanders, but we’ll also be exploring the Wieler Museum in Roeselare!

If you’d like to automatically receive the blog in your inbox, just enter your email address in the ‘subscribe’ box in the panel to the right of the blog.

HAPPY CYCLING (and campervanning), FOLKS!

CAMPERVAN CAPERS BOOK UPDATE

If you’ve been waiting to hear about the forthcoming release of the Campervan Capers book, you’ll be pleased to know that the end is now in sight!

Alannah has been busy getting the book finalised for release within the next few weeks…  In the meantime, why not whet your appetite by reading THE WELSH LEEK CONSPIRACY, a free download adapted from the book, or by checking out some of the PHOTOS ON FLICKR taken during our trips?  Click on the links if any of these take your fancy.

The book will be released in a variety of digital formats – for eReaders as well as for home printing…  So keep your eyes peeled for news of the book’s release on the Campervan Capers blog, on Facebook, or on the Foley’s Forum website.  Feel free to subscribe to either blog to hear more, or ‘like’ us on Facebook to receive news in your feed.

Steve’s Cycle Shorts 4 – Going Potty!

 

GOING POTTY!

How Plant Pots Can Improve Your PB

Anyone who has read my previous Cycle Shorts posts will know that I went through a phase where I was obsessing about floaters: those calm conditions perfect for improving one’s PB in a race.  However, since the weather in England rarely plays ball, I’ve had to look for other ways of improving my times – one of those being what’s called a ‘roll-down’ test.

PRAYING FOR SPEED

Having read a few articles on bike aerodynamics, I felt compelled to do my own roll-down experiment which basically mimics a wind tunnel test.  The idea is to freewheel down a hill in your aero position without pedalling, in order to see how far you roll.  Obviously, the farther you roll, the more streamlined the position.  Many anecdotes report better aerodynamics in the Praying Mantis position, so I was keen to find out if that was true for me.

Loading the bike onto the back of the camper, I thrust a bag of different-coloured plant pots onto Alannah’s lap.  I told her I’d explain later and we headed off, parking just off the old A30 near St Columb Major.  I’d already picked my hill and was fortunate to have the ideal, calm conditions for such a test.  I cycled off up the hill, leaving Alannah at the bottom with the bag of plastic plant pots and a handful of instructions.  No doubt she was thinking the same as me: how wonderful it was to be out in the fresh air as well as spending time with each other.

GOING DOWNHILL

For starters, I did 5 roll-downs in my conventional cycling position, and at the end of each, Alannah would place a black plant pot on the grass verge to mark my finishing point.  God knows what the passing drivers must have thought!  After doing the roll-downs, I was surprised to see that the plant pot markers were quite spaced out, and not closely clustered together, as I’d expected.

Somewhat perturbed by such an anomaly, I angled my bars up 45 degrees into the famed Praying Mantis position and did another 5 roll-downs to compare.  This time, my finishing point was marked by brown plant pots, and again, they were widely spaced instead of close together.

Having a pot colour for each position, I could see the results of each test at a glance and we discussed the results over a hot cuppa in the campervan.  Why was there such a wide variation in results?  After all, all the pots – whether black or brown – were spread over a distance of 20-25 metres or so.

WHAT A DRAG!

At one point, I had noticed a certain amount of buffeting from the traffic going past me (in both directions) so it’s quite possible that this could have changed the wind resistance.  Additionally, Alannah noticed that my path down the hill hadn’t been entirely consistent: at times, I’d cycled nearer to the curb, at others, I’d moved to the centre of the road once I hit the bend at the bottom of the hill.

Completing 10 roll-downs in all, it seemed that it is possible my original position may be slightly more aero, although looking at the plant pot results, this seems minimal.  Later, I consulted my Garmin and checked my average speed during the roll-downs.  This averaged at around 16.8mph for all 10 roll-downs, which isn’t really fast enough for such a test.

A HILL FOR THE BILL

After chatting to my cycling club mates, it seemed clear to me that I would need to find a hill a lot steeper & longer to increase my average speed and to create more drag to get a better result.  I have one in mind that fits the bill: it’s straight (to avoid having to brake due to accumulated speed on bends – & thus having to void the roll-down); it has a rise up the other side (to avoid rolling for miles & miles); and has less traffic (to avoid drag & buffeting).  I’ll let you know the results when the new test is done.

Advice to Cycling Widows: To avoid disappointment, never ask your fanatical cycling spouse if he loves you more than his bike! You may not like the answer you get.

TESTING TIME

Doing a roll-down test is a great way to combine some time out on the bike with quality time spent with your beloved – at least, that’s what I think. 

However, if you should ever do a roll-down test using plant pots, I’d like to pass on one important tip which might help to ensure harmony within your relationship…

If the pots have been sitting in the garden for months on end, make sure you clean them off before handing them over to your spouse for putting out as markers.  Cycling Widows have to put up with enough as it is.  A bag of wet muddy pots is just taking the Mickey!

COMING SOON…

As we’ve mentioned, we’ll be using the campervan to do local daytrips from time to time, and our next mini adventure is Wheal Martyn in St Austell.  So stay tuned to find out more…

  

QUICK PLUG…

If you haven’t heard about Alannah’s Cycling Widows book yet, then why not download a free sample from the Smashwords website?  It’s in digital format – for downloading to eReaders or for home printing – and is currently selling for a low US$2.99 (approx. £1.85).

Alternatively, why not look out for freebies or discounted offers on her Foley’s Forum Blog?

If you belong to an organisation and would like to raffle off a copy of the book, please get in touch with Alannah by email via the Contact/Links page of her website.  Similarly, if you have a blog about cycling and would like to post a review or do an author interview, she looks forward to hearing from you.

Anyway, here’s the book blurb in case you’re interested:

CYCLING WIDOWS

Lifting the Veil
on Living with an Obsessive Cyclist

Are you a cyclist in denial of your addiction to the sport?

Or the long-suffering spouse of an obsessive bike-freak?

Either way, you need to read this!

In the cycling world, the term ‘Cycling Widow’ has long been used to describe the spouse of someone with OCD (Obsessive Cycling Disorder). All across the globe, these women live a lonely life in the shadow of this affliction.

Until now, the world of the Cycling Widow has remained shrouded in secrecy. But, here, the author lifts the veil to candidly reveal the trials, tribulations, highs and lows of living with a cyclomaniac.

Written by a long-suffering Cycling Widow, this satirical look at cycling might just save a few marriages – as well as many a bike from being fed into the garden mulcher.

Includes a handy test to find out – for once & for all – whether it really is a case of ‘hobby or obsession’!

A ‘must read’ for fanatical cyclists & Cycling Widows alike.

Chapter titles include: Twiddling my Widowy Thumbs; Life in the Spin Cycle Lane; The Ultimate Aphrodisiac; Going for a Fitter Model; An Insatiable Appetite; and Lying in a Ditch.

To sample or purchase the book, click & visit the
Smashwords website.

To find out about other work by Alannah, visit the
Foley’s Forum website.

Steve’s Cycle Shorts 3 – Pedalling Backwards…?

Pedalling Backwards…?

A Look Back at the 2011 Cycling Season

In my last blog, you’ll remember that I went through a phase where I was obsessing about floaters.  Unfortunately, the perfect weather conditions never arrived for me to improve on my PB – or, at least, not on the days when I was racing!

Since then, I’ve eased off my floater obsession and moved back to a more general obsession about cycling – the normal state of affairs for most of us fanatical cyclists.

PEDALLING BACKWARDS?

Some of you will know that, over the past months, I’ve had a lot of problems with my throat and ended up seeing a throat specialist who told me I had nodules and swollen vocal chords.  My situation wasn’t helped by an infection which made me ill for a few weeks back in July, bringing my fitness back to square one.  This also spelt the end of my racing season – although I hadn’t planned on doing much more after that anyway.

As far as gadding about in the campervan is concerned, we haven’t gone as far afield this year and we haven’t used the van so extensively for cycling events.  Generally, we’ve cut back on our more lengthy journeys due to the rising petrol prices (and the fact that our van is a bit of a fuel-guzzler!).

RACKS, RAIN & RUST

Recently, I had my bike serviced.  This revealed that stowing my bike on the back of the campervan hadn’t done it much good…  Torrential rain whilst we’d been away one time had meant that water had got into the bottom bracket and headset and rusted it out.  Having now replaced those components, I would certainly make sure we put a cover over the bikes if we took them away with us again.

However, a cover does mean restricted visibility out the back window, which is an unfortunate trade-off.  In any case, we’ve usually ended up doing more walking than cycling on our trips away, so we might not bother taking the bikes with us so much in future.

NO BASKETCASE

Next year, I aim to do some sportives as well as time-trialling and not put all my eggs in one basket (as I did this year), so the campervan may end up being gainfully employed during sportive season as a mobile B&B again after all.

Of course, driving to an event the night before means I can wake up fresh for a race.  It also means that my long-suffering Cycling Widow (Alannah) has the added bonus of being able to have a bit of a ‘holiday’ whenever I go to a sportive.  At least, that’s what I think.  Not sure whether she sees it the same way, though…

In any case, you can find out more about what Alannah thinks about my cycling lark (and the cycling world in general) in her now-released Cycling Widows book – published with Smashwords.  (Click on the link to find out more.)

COMING SOON…

Our next few campervan adventures (no cycling involved, I’m afraid!) will focus more on local day trips, so stay tuned for our next stop-off in the Land of Arthurian Legend…

Steve’s Cycle Shorts 2 – Not Floating My Bike

Buckfastleigh – Evening Race

14^th May 2011

When keen cyclists like myself look out the window and see it’s a floater, they can’t help sighing, “If only I were racing tonight, I’d have a good chance of improving my Personal Best.”  And, as there have been a few floaters lately, I’ve been rather obsessing over them…

Now, just in case there are any alarmed non-cyclists reading this, I’d better explain that ‘floaters’ aren’t as bad as they sound.  They are, in fact, those calm conditions in which you’re most likely to increase your PB because there’s no wind to hinder you as you hurtle along at a pace that would make your granny giddy.

Having heard me moan on about missing out on all the floaters lately, my poor Cycling Widow of a partner looked up the forecast on the internet to see what the conditions would be for my time trial on Saturday evening.

“Look,” said Alannah, “Do you really want me to tell you what it says?”  Her rationale was that, if I knew it was going to be windy, I’d worry my cycling socks off all week about the possibility of doing a bad time… and if the forecast predicted a floater, and it ended up being windy, I’d be disappointed.  “You’re right, don’t tell me anything,” I conceded.

“SLOW”…? Forget that, sunshine! It’s full speed ahead tonight!

So it was that we headed off to Buckfastleigh for the race.  It was lovely and sunny when we parked up and all seemed pretty calm.  But out on the A38, it was a different story, with the wind against me on the return leg.

For any cyclists who don’t know the course and are thinking of trying it, the Cycling Time Trials Council call it S4/10 and it’s a fast out-and-back course, unless you get held up at the turn coming back.

All in all, my body felt stronger than normal and seemed to make up for the wind’s countering effects; and my time wasn’t bad at 24:30.

Although I’m not normally forecast-obsessed, I can’t help thinking about it when it comes to cycling.  But, as my wise soigneur (who’s typing this!) reminded me, the conditions aren’t everything.  In any case, you can’t change the weather, so it’s important to work on the things you can change instead.

When I reflect on my performances, I often come back to one main question: “Am I enjoying myself?”  In all our competing and striving to do better (than ourselves if no‑one else), it’s always important to enjoy the journey and to remember that there’s more to life than floaters.

Coming soon…

Follow our campervan to the next destination in the forthcoming blog, enigmatically entitled Underground, Overground.

If you’re already a subscriber to the blog, many thanks for your support and hope you’re continuing to enjoy reading our mini adventures.  The following bit is for non-subscribers…

If you fancy reading our travel tales on a regular basis but can’t be bothered to type in the web address every time, then why not make life that bit easier on yourself and become a subscriber.  All you need to do is pop your email address in the box on the right of the blog screen and click on the ‘I’m keen!  Sign me up!’ box.  How simple is that!?  And you can even unsubscribe at any time should you fall out of love with the blog…  However, we hope you’ll enjoy reading it and won’t have to resort to such drastic measures!

Steve’s Cycle Shorts 1 – Isle of Wight

MISSION POSSIBLE

Before leaving home, I had been given a mission by my cycling club chairman: to recce the Island and note its suitability as a possible club destination.

Renowned for its network of cycle trails, I was keen to get out on the bike and put them to the test.  But, having taken my road bike with a particular training schedule in mind, my first journey of the holiday was out on the great open road.

 HOLEY ROADS, BATMAN!

The first thing that was apparent was the poor state of the roads; and I was more occupied with dodging the potholes than taking in the beautiful scenery.  As I cycled along, various parts of the bike (and probably me) were creaking, and I wondered what damage I might be doing, not only to my trusty two-wheeled steed, but to my backside.

It wasn’t long before I bumped into a fellow cyclist.  He’d moved to the IOW six months ago and yet he still didn’t know his way round all the trails and roads – which is surprising, given that the Island is so small.  But it does mean you’d never get bored there.

ON THE TRIATHLON PATH

We did a few miles together before going our separate ways, then another chap shot past on his bike and I ‘put my feet down’ and caught him up.  He was training for the IOW triathlon; and it turned out that we were actually on the triathlon course.  He was timing himself over the course and I wondered whether I was putting him off, cycling alongside him chatting with no effort while he looked like he was struggling quite a bit.  (We cyclists have to massage our egos any way we can!)  After a few more miles, he thought he might have taken the wrong route (or perhaps he needed an excuse to get rid of me by this time), and we parted company.

SOME SERIOUS CYCLING

On my way back, I saw some serious-looking cyclists coming the other way.  And, being a congenial chap, I waved – only to be completely ignored by all of them.  There are just some cyclists who are so serious that they don’t have time for such trivial matters as greeting fellow pedallers.  Although, give them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps they were visually impaired.

By the time I got back to Cycling HQ (the campervan), I’d done a nice 25‑mile-or-so circuit of the S.W. corner of theIsland, all the while bathed in glorious sunshine.

A SLIPPERY END

Near catastrophe struck in the afternoon when we went for a drive to Freshwater Bay on the south coast.  We’d just visited some caves and I wound my way back along the rocks to the beach.  As I took a step off the very last rock, I slipped, crashed to the ground and bruised my thigh.

Thankfully, my ‘soigneur’ was around to give me the appropriate sympathy, but it was enough to lay me off the bike (and, thus, my training schedule) for a few days, and I only got back on the bike again on our last day to do a gentle, 13‑mile ride.

NOT DEFLATED!

At first glance, we’d had a few setbacks to our plans.  When we arrived, Alannah’s bike tyre was flat with what looked like a valve problem.  Then came the leg-bruising.  But, the upshot of it all was the fact that I could take a break from my ‘relentless’ training schedule and we could both go out for a few easy walks together instead.  And, as a Cycling Widow, Alannah often misses out on such simple times spent together (you can guess who wrote that bit, can’t you?)

 

CYCLING RECOMMENDATIONS

TRAILING BEHIND

Our campsite reception furnished us with a list of cycle trails, which we’ve kept to pass on to my club.  However, if the trails I went along (fromYarmouth on the S.W. coast, making my way to Tennyson Down) are anything to go by, my feeling is that these are much more suited to the ‘average’ holiday cyclist.

For the training cyclist who wants to get some consistent miles in, the trails seemed unsuitable, given that pedestrians, horses, and other leisure cyclists use them.  Respecting other trail users means that it wouldn’t really be appropriate to go bombing past – yet going with the flow of ‘traffic’ would make it much too stop-start a journey.

PATCHY VIEWS

As I’ve mentioned, many of the main roads are riddled with potholes and patches, as well as undetectable dips which can take you somewhat by surprise.  Although there are some spectacular views around (most notably from Military Road, which stretches along the south coast), as far as recommendations go for my club, I’ve come across some better-maintained roads in Dorset, which aren’t too busy and provide the cyclist with some lovely scenery.