Well you, son of T de F Rider...

April was an improvement on earlier months this year.  Got out half a dozen times and a staggering distance of about 360kms. Even managed two visits to the world famous Eureka Cafe.  The cake there always ensures I don't lose too many calories on these rides. Did my longest ride for quite a while, in fact my longest recorded on Strava, 116kms.  Went over the "Shelf" a famous climb out of Rhuthin in North Wales.  Wasn't too bad either.  Last time I went over there was 25 years and 10kgs ago.  I did notice the difference!  But it reminded me of what I had been missing.  Despite my lack of ability, I do still like the hills of North Wales.  This area of the UK is really fantastic for pedalling around. The new kit arrived (see last post) and was fitted.  Managed to get it all working, so I'm very pleased with the upgrades so far.  Even managed to recoup some of the cost with a bit of spit and polish on the old kit and flogged on eBa...

So after an okish (for once) January, Feb was not great.  Three (3) rides. Just three.  Just over 200kms.  Pretty rubbish, but I put it down to the crap weather and my penchant for not wanting to get wet or go out when its dark and cold.  Well, I wasn't going to ride in the Eddie Soens Memorial race in early March so I think I can get away with it. Then March arrived.  Another ski trip followed by a bout of man flu wiped out nearly the whole month.  I suppose the skiing itself was good training, but that was soon undone by a further 20 day lay off.  But now we have got to Easter and I have had two rides in three day.  Only short 30 kms at a time, but softly, softly catchy monkey (as they say). Two bits of exciting and motivating news to help me going forwards though... 1) A major order made from Wiggle!! (Other online cycle component retailers are available).  I decided to go "all in" and purchase a new groupset and pedals.  Not a ...

Ok, so the cycling isn't going as great as I'd hoped.  But I can blame the weather and holidays for that so I don't feel too guilty about it.  Yet. I actually skied further than I rode my bike in January.  Not sure that is something to be proud of or not.  I suppose it is if you are cyclist trying to be a skier.  Perhaps not the other way round.  But neither scenario really applies to me.  I skied 289km and only rode 204km in January. Could be the making of a new winter duathlon type event... Skicling...? I do love skiing though.  I had a fantastic week in Les Arcs, weather and snow were amazing. In fact it was too warm.  Only got to wear my Darth Vader ski mask a couple of times as it was just not needed (except at the very top as shown above). I just hope the weather picks up here now as I want to get out on my bike again.  Large quantities of food and red wine offset any calories spend on the piste (with quite a bit to spare...

Of course I am starting a blog on Jan 1st.  Like all good resolutions it's a new year and a new beginning. One resolution I want to make and stick to is to ride my bike regularly for the entire year.  I haven't done that since 1992.  I picked my bike up again last July and have ridden at least once every week (except for holidays) since then.  I'm not much fitter than from when I started somehow, or at least that's how it feels when I am out with the club (especially in the hills).  I have more hope that I will manage riding more because I bought a winter bike and joined a club, two big steps in the right direction. So, what I want to do this year is: Ride more miles Lose more weight Simple...

Insanity... for the insane (part one) This is the tale of how a slightly overweight, middle aged coach potato (but former elite athlete (sort of)) took on the Insanity Challenge. For those of you who don't know, Insanity, is a work out program owned by a company called Beachbody based in the US.  The program was put together by a guy called Shaun T (apparently that's his last name, but I cannot deny or confirm that he is Mr T's son). The name "Insanity" I think comes from the fact that the routine is a series of physical exercises done at an absolutely mental pace. The program guarantees significant results in terms of body shaping and weight loss in 60 days and I can immediately see why. You dedicate 45 mins per day to the workouts. It's a series of high intensity exercises going at full tilt with very short rest periods. Day one - Fitness test The fitness test consists of 8 separate exercises that you do for a minute each.  The idea is that you c...

You would probably guess that most people would say that they don't think about where they sit on a bus. But a recent study using 4 years worth of data* suggests otherwise.  This applies mainly to the frequent bus user in particular as they use previous experiences of bus rides to influence their decision. Infrequent bus passengers are initially distracted by the novelty factor to make any sort of calculated choice. This research is based on frequent  commuter passengers typically spending over 20 minutes on each journey. First of all, the bus type plays a big part in seating tactics. For example the back seats on a single decker bus are viewed very differently to the back downstairs seats on a double decker or indeed the upstairs back seats. Here's a break down of the areas and my advice on where to sit to achieve the ultimate goal for a sole traveller... A double seat to yourself... Lets face it.  First aim is to sit by yourself.  Secondary to that...

I do love riding my riding my bike.* *Now I need to put a slight caveat in here, as those close to me will say I'm not doing it very much for someone who loves it. I think this comes from being obsessed with bikes my entire childhood. Then by my senior years reality of how much training is required bites. I always loved the racing, I would've raced 5 times a week if I could (and often did) but the training was too much of a chore. That said, I should really say I love riding my bike, when I'm in the mood for it. And last night was a prime example of that. The sun was out, there was no wind and it was a pleasant temperature. I cruised round for an hour and loved it. Even managed a few PBs (yeah thanks for that obsession Strava). One thing I enjoy about riding my bike is the way you can let your mind wander. I don't need to think of anything whilst on my bike (maybe just the pain in my legs on every climb).  That leads me on to why I wanted to write down my wacky t...