Don't look out the window, and don't look up

If you can wake up on a Sunday morning, eat your breakfast, get your kit on, fill your bottles and throw a leg over your bike without peering through the curtains or looking up at the skies. Then you are a rider who loves his work. You are a Sunday morning 'Flahute'
Winter and the God awful weather it brings is special to me.A grin develops when I hit the road and the spray and chill cuts though my clothing. It reminds me of how much I love to ride. This is as good as high summer, just different that's all. Everything I do in this weather will pay dividends. From controlling your bike on the ice, to battering your way through the hardest of headwinds. Even being weighed down with layers of clothing and pockets full of spare tubes, pump, levers and tools to put right the damage you WILL sustain will go on to help you later in the year.
Good job to!
Since the snow earlier this month things haven't got much better, but that hasn't stopped me getting out. And last week marked the first week of speed specific training that should deliver me ready to race in March.
Saturday before last I had a troubled 72 mile ride that started in heavy snow. The snow and cold were not an issue, good winter kit was keeping me ;thermal'. The trouble came as I went over the Crong. As I tried to shift down nothing happened, and there was no way I was attempting road side repairs in the heavy snow. So I committed myself to completing the ride with just two gears; 39/23 and 53/23, it wasn't fun and I was passed twice.
The next day the heavy snow was surpassed by heavy rainfall. Outside the clubhouse at 8.30 only Tim from G1/Team Solgar rolled in to keep up appearances. Though G2/G3 put up a good show, all beaming faces and colorful rain jackets. Today was never going to be a long one, in this forty was enough. We had a steady roll out to Flitwick with the intention of having a coffee, but we were soaked though by the time we arrived at the turnaround point, and the thought of freezing our nuts off in some café no longer appealed, so we headed back in quick time.
Midweek was a mixture of Carmicheals  'Time Crunched Cyclist' on the turbos and the hardest of the hard mountain bike night ride.
Roll on to Saturday just gone and it was all change. A small group rolled in for a 9am start. For a change it wasn't snowing, it wasn't raining and it wasn't windy. Winter gloves gone, no overshoes and a short sleeve jersey under the jacket. Fraser lead us out on an up and over ride. The day was one to enjoy after all the harsh winter weather, and the brief forty miles were done in a flash.
So to Sunday and the proposed 67 miler. There was  a good turn out, probably due to the sun, but it was still freezing and the winter kit was back on. At 8.35 we left the club hose and set off for the Beacon. It soon became evident that ice might be a problem, the puddles were still frozen and my rear wheel tried to overtake the front soon into the ride. Going up the Beacon was fine, going down the other side was a bit different with patches of snow and slush. Once through it became drier and we settled into a relaxed pace. Which was fine until we hit Studham; quite literally hit Studham. The whole road was sheet ice and four riders went down with the other four sliding out of control but upright to a stop. The road was impassable even on foot. So we turned around and headed for the safety of the busier roads? and villages. That took us out through Woburn safari park and back into Leighton. Even though the mojo had gone, a few were hurt and Jacks bike was a bit broken, but we managed to salvage a short but good ride out of it,. Nicely topped off by Wayne acting as engine for the last few miles.
Heaven knows what to expect this weekend?.

Hemel Reliability Trial - Le Coq Up.

Quite simple really, on paper just ride the 100kms to get you out and back again.
Stuart was going to collect me at 7.45 for the drive over, so I set the alarm for 6.00am, unfortunately I didn't set it for Sunday. So waking at 7.36am I had less than ten minutes to get ready. I had to forgo any food or drink and the essential pre ride poo. 100kms on empty never killed anyone.
We arrived at Nash Mills with time to spare, readied the bikes and went to sign on. This is when the second problem of the day popped up. The route wasn't waymarked, instead we were given route maps in true reliability trial style. Thing is I need reading glasses so the piece of paper was just pointless added weight. I had a token go at trying to work it out, until it was politely pointed out to me that I had the map upside down!
However we were in the fast group, so if we got lost we'd get swept up by a slower group, that was the cunning plan we had hatched.
We set off in the first wave of fifteen riders. Then with less than a mile done we had problem number three. An impatient motorist wouldn't give an inch on the narrow lane sending the riders off piste. Stuart took the brunt of it all and ended up with a broken rear mech and bent hanger; game over.
We removed the chain and rolled back passing the jeering riders coming the other way.
At the HQ Stuart packed up and I rode off for home.
My mental sat nav worked out a route of about fifty miles. Initially  it was good going, but it wasn't long before the wind got up and was hitting me from all directions. Still the wind is your friend, it makes you strong as Arnie would say.
The wind was ferocious in places and I vowed never ever to by any wheels ever again that had aero spokes, I was bricking it in places. This is working class riding, something that saves a pro three seconds on Ventoux is pointless over here mid winter.
The rest of the ride went well, but the full bottle on my frame was an indicator of how bloody windy it was; hands on the bars boys.
Just before I got home I was faced with a road closed sign, which as any cyclist knows, never applies to them so ahead I went. Then I came across the reason, a flood, Craig popped into my head just then, but like him I pressed on. The wind was so strong there were fecking white horses on it, but ha ha ha it was under my bottom bracket, that is until I got to the middle when it suddenly went right up to my ankles.
My feet were soaked and freezing, I told myself to man up, what if it snows during your first race next month you big wuss, deal with it.
I  pressed on hoping to find the G1, 2 or 3 riders at the club house, aware that as chairman there are members I've not yet met, but it was empty so I shot off home.
I'm now warm and dry and wearing trackies and hoody and I don't intend to move a muscle.

His Royal Sven'ness

Rainbow jersey please

Snow Pt2; Mleh!

Definitely a week of two half's. The superb wintery riding conditions we had at the beginning of the week had gone leaving behind slush, ice, mud and broken roads.
I left off Wednesday night, topping off a great snowy ride with a crash on the icy tarmac. So Thursday was a case of two hours on the turbos trying to iron out the lumps and bruises. That session turned out to be a good one, and I got carried away tapping out a tempo to Jools Hollands friends album. Feeling suitably un lumpy and soreness free? I decided to set the alarm for a Friday morning road ride.
I did the usual 'no looking out of the window' routine, scoffed my porridge and jumped onto my prepared the night before bike. The weather was looking friendly and the roads seemed okay, but as soon as I hit the lanes it became very obvious that they weren't okay. The usual side roads were glazed and treacherous. I carried on for a bit, but soon got fed up trying to work out a route that would be safe, so I turned for home and called it a day.
Saturday did look better so I set off to meet the guys for Saturday morning team training. Only four of the sixteen man team showed up. So Ian. Stuart K, Andy and myself  set off at tempo for a 45/50 mile loop. Sadly Saturdays conditions were proving to be no better than the day before. Turning  off the main B roads just after Swanbourne it became apparent that the ice was still prevalent when your back wheel started to slide round and stare at you in the face! We gingerly turned about and set off for the café using the busier roads and took advantage of the better conditions to get a chaingang going. The café was full of a few local racers enjoying the last months of steady time.
Coffee done we set off for home, well myself and Andy did. Ian and Stu followed us back but then took off for an extra hours riding.
Sunday was an epic fail, after waking up on the alarm I felt full of cold. So rather than risk weeks of missed riding from aggravating a simple cold I bailed out and went back to bed. That turned out to be a wise move as I was back training and feeling fine by Wednesday.
All in all a fairly good week, if a bit short on actual riding.

Snow Pt1; Blood Sweat & Gears

I'm off this week, having to use up holiday. The idea was to get some good base miles in, but snow has put paid to that. Still as they say 'there's no wrong weather, just the wrong bike' so the mountain bike was pressed into service and a call put out on Facebook. Before I knew it we had a group meeting at Rushmere Park that Saturday at 9am. I left the house early trussed up in layers of kit and took the off road route to the meet point. Passing through Southcott Stud and Blue Bell Woods took longer than expected, but I just managed to meet the group on time, and not a bad turn out either; Keith, Tom, Ian, Stuart T, Stuart K, Miles and myself. I was self appointed ride lead and set us off on a classic XC route.
First it's a climb, that'll get the lungs working in this cold, then we can settle into some beautiful snow covered  singletrack, the snow proves to be ideal for riding in....it isn't always.
Our second climb is longer, climbing in the snow is proving to be a good workout and I don't feel so bad about not being on the road. The climb leads us to the tight man made singletrack in Oak Wood, as it's man made, and made for fun whoops are had all round. The scenery is stunning, riding thick virgin snow on the hills among the Pine trees puts me in mind of the trails in British Columbia.
Next we have an 'old skool' xc ride over to Woburn woods, we take the old closed A5 for safety, then dart off road past Woburn golf club. The riding here is flatter, but more technical. We ride a few bits that have riders dabbing for fear of falling down the steep banks, then onto flowing trails before hitting another man made trail. You're safe on this trail, but it tests your skills to the max, Ian and myself clear it, but I can tell from the shouts behind that the others aren't flowing as well!

They were Triffids I tell ya

From here it's just great straightforward riding, but in just stunning conditions. We cross the Woburn Road and do a final loop before turning about and heading home.
Now why is when I warn other people about hazards it's me that always comes a cropper? 'Watch your heads' wallop. The injury is minor, but I have blood pouring off my head down my jacket and over my bike.
The return leg is always more flowing, so I know the guys are going to love it even more.
A great days riding is finished off with a stint along the canal to get us back into Leighton where we wave Stuart off who has another hours riding to do before he can put his feet up.

Sunday. More of the same has been arranged, but this time we're doing the Ashridge area, and we are to meet Stuart and matt at the start of the Beacon climb. We leave Leighton with forty minutes to reach Stuart and Matt, but the off road going in deep snow prove very very hard going. And is further compounded when I get a puncture. We stop under a canal bridge and promptly get it sorted. We are only a little further on when I crash walloping the trees and thankfully not falling into the water, Stuart K crashes on the exact same spot, but suffers a snapped shifter so has to return home rather than face the hills with no gears.
We get onto the road at Great gap, pass the local cycling club in Pitstone and finally meet Stuart and Matt an hour later.

At the start of the Beacon

We don't hang about and head up the Beacon. At the T junction we go ahead! off road onto a stiff climb. The snow deepens as we ascend, by the top it's near ten inches. Sadly the terrain dictates that we descend only to go all the way up again. Descending in the deep powder snow means hanging on tight, and well praying basically. The off road climb of the Beacon is massive and proves too much and we all have to walk. The snow is so deep the bikes stand up on their own in it.
Once at the summit we head into the woods for easy snowy trails. Unlike yesterday when the only riders we saw were those from twenty3c and Team MK, today has brought out loads, though mainly out for coffee, cake and jelly based energy foods. We pass the café for a fast flat loop thinking we'll have a stop before we head off home. We down the coffee and avoid the tempting cream burgers, and re trace our route.
At the summit of the Beacon we make a decision to descend by road, rather than face the inevitable face plants if we were to descend in the deep white stuff.
We complete what has to be the slowest ever descent of Ivinghoe Beacon in the history of cycling! and say goodbye to Stuart at the bottom as he takes the off road route home. We have decided to get home by road. The roads are soaked with melting snow and it's not long before any insulation we had in our kit is rendered useless by the wet, my hand are now hurting. The human sat navs in our brains are working overtime to get us back the quickest way, though I'm cheered up a bit as we pass cars unable to get up the hills we take with ease.
Once home I start to feel queezy as the blood rushes to my hands, but it doesn't last long and I'm planning the next ride.
Tuesday. I've arranged to go out that night so I spend the morning sprucing up the bikes, they're suffering with the snow and salt.
I have two hours on the turbos at steady endurance pace listening to all my Amy Winehouse stuff. I don't want to go mad incase the conditions are bad tonight.
I meet Stuart at Stockgrove park for a two hour night ride. Thankfully the snow is still soft and rideable and looks great through two thousand lumens of LED bike lighting.
As usual the ride starts with a climb, It's feeling a bit hard and I tell Stuart that I'm going to put smaller rings on, then at the top I realize I've had it in the big ring....I never use the big ring?
We zig zag through Stockgrove before doing the main climb out and into the Brickhills.
Snow is now falling quite hard, and although that makes it hard to see, you can still see enough to take in the beauty of riding here at night in the snow. We do a nice XC loop and take in some semi technical stuff before turning for home.
The roads back are shall we say fun? snow, slush and solid ice. I'm taking a line in the slush on the road downhill to the finish when I decide the other side looks better. Schoolboy error, never ever cross solid ice on tarmac going downhill. And onto the deck, thankfully the stuff that put me on the deck stops me from hurting myself as I slide down the road. Though all the snow compacted in my helmet as I've plowed along tells me it could have been worse.......always wear a lid kids.
We, well I, hobble over the hill and back to the car. Another cracking ride, but I'm looking forward to some dry tarmac.

Culham Park cyclo cross 2012

Looking more impressive than I was!

Round 10, the final counting round. The race was to be held in Aylesbury, and hosted at RAF Halton, but things didn't go to plan for the organisers. So in stepped a gaggle of clubs and supporters to make sure the show went ahead. The planned venue was lost, so it was back to Culham park, the scene of carnage and mud plugging and much falling off (not by me though) earlier in the season.
To be honest I was really looking forward to this, the venue is a classic and I was looking forward to a good old ding dong with my season long friend and foe Keith Perry. Sadly though Keith was ill and not racing, and the formidable Pete Smith was there so it was a done deal in the over 50s.
They lined up on the start, I say they because I was in the bog and had to sprint like crazy afterwards to even start the race!
The four of us from LBRCC all got a good start. Stuart T, Stuart K, myself and Jools in that order. We hung on and we were all close. Then I hit a problem that went on to cost me each lap. The first climb was a wet grassy slope and I couldn't manage it, the 36x25 didn't give me enough traction and it called for a leg sapping  time wasting dismount and run each lap. Later on the first lap I was hit by an idiot trying to pass on the only section of the course where overtaking was impossible, and I was floored left floundering still clipped in. It was gutting because I could climb and pass others on the gravel climbs.
On the second lap I was passed by Jools as he twiddled up the grassy slope for a second time, leaving me stood looking at my feet.
I was now having a shit time. I'd forgotten my watch so I didn't know where I was in the race. I'd left my preferred race thermals at home as well and my back was killing me. For the first time all season I wanted to step off the bike. But it's a poor reflection on yourself if you can't suffer the hurt for a mere hour.

In the MX moguls

I decided to sit up, not cruise, but go steady. To some extent it helped and I passed a few riders in the technicals and on the gravel climb. But still the bloody grassy slope was doing for me, I'd get on someones wheel and they'd slap it into 28 and slip away.
I'd not seen the others, except a brief glance of lime green mid way. So when the bell came it was a relief, and it spurred me on to do a good final lap
Pedal-brake-dismount-run-pedal etc etc and minutes later I was going under the chequered flag.
Honours on the day went to Jools, Stuart K, Stuart T and myself all finishing within three minutes. That was a proper tough race and a fitting end to the official season.
Got to give a big shout to the clubs that stepped in to give us all a race, and to Keith for lying about how well I was doing from the side lines
Oh and bigger gears for next year.

Chairman's choice January 2013

For January it has to be the Harp Hilly 100 reliability trial
This is the big one in the 'Chilterns Classics' calender. Riding this is taking part in local cycling history, everyone know's the 'Hilly'. For any clubman new or seasoned completing it will give you the sense that there's nothing you can't ride.
The original HHH started in the mid 50's and the distance was then 100 miles, so chapeau to the old fellas that did it on heavy steel clubman's bikes. Nowadays we just ask you to cover a manageable 100 kilometres.
The ride, although the work of the harp Road Club, starts from Hemel Hempstead CC's club rooms in Nash Mills. The route? all you need to know is that it's hilly. Think of a hill.....yep you're going up that. They're all included, Bison, Ivinghoe, Aston.
I should say, I won't be riding it this year as it clashes with my final cross race of the season. Though I have ridden this since the mid seventies, when it rode out from Amersham, starting under the railway viaduct.
As a final incentive Harp Road Club present a shield to the club with the most finishers covering the full 100km. There's no reason that one day we can't hold that prize.
On a further note I have been in touch with the Harp  to see if details of the original 100 mile route are still known. I have received a reply and hopefully will get the details in time for us to retrace it's original path this year.