Archive for category Biking

Different Day, Same Stuff

Sep 8

Posted by jobysp in Biking | 8 Comments

Morning Commute:
Its difficult. I’m not slow on the roads. I can keep up with moving traffic most of the time, and most of the time its at, or just over the speed limit. The issue is, the traffic in school times is bad. This means that the driving standards drop too.

Total Distance: 9.27 miles
Total Time: 32m 02s
Max Speed: 33mph
Avg Speed: 17.4mph
Max H/Rate: 187bpm
Avg H/Rate: 170bpm
Cadence: 86rpm

I was sat in traffic right in the middle of the road and a twat in an Audi (sorry Lez) tried to push into the inside of me, and just missed hitting my left leg.

I kept my calm and just commented that I hoped he was joking and then sat there slowly moving, only to watch a cyclist – who couldn’t be arsed waiting in the traffic, just hop up onto the pavement and shoot off into the distance.

Still – I managed to make it into work again at a reasonable pace, even though my heart rate hit a big high.

Am not picking Lily up tonight so will stay off road for as much as I can tonight, which means heading down Wilmslow Road again – probably the worst cycle lane in Manchester.

Happy times!!

Evening Commute:
Total Distance: 10.17 miles
Total Time: 40m 05s
Max Speed: 33.5 mph
Avg Speed: 15.2mph
Max H/Rate: 182 bpm
Avg H/Rate: 164bpm
Cadence: 83rpm

Am more than happy with the time taken to get home, and more than happy with my average speed. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera on tonight as I have a new helmet (and shoes, bib shorts, cap and top) but more on that tomorrow.

There wasn’t many issues on the road, although it still baffles me why people are adamant they must overtake you and pull in quickly to get to the lights before you, little realising that you can just saunter around them to the unblocked (ha ha – what a joke) ASL in front.

Another Commute

Sep 7

Posted by jobysp in Biking | 4 Comments

Morning Commute:
Another commute. This time wet and windy. This time not as packed with people out to kill me – but still a few appeared.

Total Distance: 9.52 miles
Total Time: 33m 08s
Max Speed: 33.7mph
Avg Speed: 17.2mph
Max H/Rate: 189bpm
Avg H/Rate: 171bpm
Cadence: 85rpm

Not at all happy with my heart rate, but will have become a little unfit due to lack of bike exercise / man flu. Am sure that it will come down in the next week or so – that or I need to see a doctor.

Evening Commute:
Interesting. Really thought it was going to be a bad commute – but it wasn’t. Rather pleasant, but still quite a few oddballs on the road. Had a chat with a lovely cyclist in Denton.

Total Distance: 8.85 miles
Total Time: 36m 59s
Max Speed: 31.0mph
Avg Speed: 14.4mph
Cadence: 83rpm

On a side note there are no heart rate states because I misplaced my heart rate monitor. I instantly blamed the twat who challenged me to ride up Old Road in Llandudno as he is a prankster. Unfortunately, it wasn’t him and I’d put it in my bag like a good boy.

D’oh!

First Commute In Ages

Sep 6

Posted by jobysp in Biking | 7 Comments

I’ve put on a modicum of weight recently due to lack of motivation for exercise. I decided this morning that I was going to get off my arse and cycle to work. I mean, I’m paying money every month for a bike that was sat in the kitchen gathering dust.

Total Distance: 9.51 miles
Total Time: 31m 07s
Max Speed: 38mph
Avg Speed: 18.3mph
Max H/Rate: 185bpm
Avg H/Rate: 169bpm
Avg Cadence: 86rpm

Needless to say, I now remember why I couldn’t be arsed cycling into work. People cutting me up. Douches trying to run me off my bike whilst they are sat in “fortress white van” and cock hole cyclists breezing through red light after red light because no-one is around to give them any shit.

Happy with the times. Happy with the speed. Thats it.

Evening Trip:
Fucking joke. Twats on the road. Twat bus driver. Twat in a van. Twat in a Land Rover.

Quite a few nice people out on the road too though.

Total Distance: 11.07 miles
Total Time: 47m 42s
Max Speed: 25.6mph
Avg Speed: 13.9mph
Max H/Rate: 185bpm
Avg H/Rate: 167bpm
Cadence: 82rpm

Video’s will follow.

Cycling In Llandudno (again)

Aug 30

Posted by jobysp in Biking, Non Commute | 10 Comments

Our trip to Llandudno approached and as usual I packed the bike ready for a long ride to wherever. Unfortunately this time, in the run up to the weekend, I was suffering (and still am to some degree) with a chest infection. Why unfortunate? Because of this:

The first bit – the flat bit  -was the run up to Old Road in Llandudno – a challenge set by a friend at work… Basically, Kings Road is the road that the tram runs up to the top of the Orme. I nearly cried when my Garmin stated 34% gradient at one stage. I also had to walk twice as it was just too steep. I’ve tried the Mow Cop, and it was a twat… This is much fucking harder. Much much harder.

This was the first part of the hill – at the bottom is no entry to vehicles, but as it was 6am in the morning, I didn’t think much of it as I pressed up. You can see the beach in the background – which is where I made my way from not 10 minutes previous (the flat bit of the elevation).

This is what was facing me the other way. Doesn’t look much on the photographs, but it was a pain in the arse.

This was the view down from the next part of my journey up the hill.

Half way up – with the half way tram station in the background.

More views down…

And the final look back down towards the beach before you are greeted with the following:

As a side note, just to the left of my bike you can see Sychnant Pass in the distance – it is not advisable to ride this hill pass at 6am in the morning over winter when its pitch black, as there are no street lights and its bendy and steep. I am speaking from experience, and there’s a post on here somewhere with pictures of what you see as you hit the bottom of the climb.

I also forgot to add that the climb up Kings Road happens in less than 1/2 a mile so, with a chest infection, you can imagine its rather a killer.

Just to show you that I aint being a wuss – can you spot Kings Road in this picture?

And for those blind people:

Anyway – by the time I had got to the top, I was crying in pain with my chest, so had to cut the ride short. I didn’t fancy riding down Kings Road as its STEEP AS FUCK, so went round the top and ended up having to go round the Orme to get home.

Total Distance: 10.11 miles
Total Time: 52m 12s
Max Speed: 34.1mph
Avg Speed: 11.6mph
Elevation: 990ft

On my way back home I noticed the swimming baths was open, so I asked what time they opened for a general swim. I was pleased to hear that they opened at 7am, and off I trundled with a master plan.

Y’see. I’m not very good at swimming. I totally lack confidence in swimming, and just generally don’t like being in the water. My plan was to swim as far as I could… I managed a whole mile – 64 laps and was pleased as punch with myself as that was the furthest I had ever swam by some 44 laps :)

To top off my swimming capabilities, the day after I went for a swim again and managed another 64 laps! 2 miles in 2 days – something I would have never been able to do 12 months ago!

Am a bit gutted about the cycling, but am going to have to give it a miss for another week. Thankfully with my daughter starting big school on Thursday, I would only have been cycling in twice this week – but my body needs a bloody good rest and my chest needs to recover ASAP.

Still, I climbed that fucker in the pictures above :)

Oh, and I forgot… Today we walked up the Orme and came across this sign:

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When I Cross The Road…

Aug 3

Posted by jobysp in Biking, Commute | 18 Comments

When I cross the road, I make double sure that:

a) its not on a blind corner
b) I’m not in anyones way
c) there are no vehicles, electric, petrol or pedal
d) I don’t dawdle and make my way from a to b quickly

Of course – I am sensible. I also ride my bike sensibly (most of the time) yet seem to be one that gets into more scrapes.

For those that I haven’t sent the video too of me hitting a pedestrian, feel free to contact me. I’ve made it a private video, as its not fair on the chap.

What I can say, is that I did try to go around him, but he froze like a rabbit as I crashed into him. I can’t really blame the chap either, despite my comment further down (how on earth can I see into the future?) – until he froze. :lol:

My bike was hurt in the crash. My leg bled for ages. I have a grazed elbow and a sore cheek. Don’t know what injuries he will be suffering, but hope he’s ok  – despite me shouting that I wish his leg was broke after he exclaimed “you could have cycled round me”.

I mean… He wasn’t in the wrong place – crossing a road whilst lights where on green. He wasn’t dawdling. He wasn’t crossing at a stupid angle. Hell, he even looked as he crossed the road… NOT!

My bike has now been sorted by Evans as the gear changer thingymibobs on the top of my bike had caved in 45 degrees. I also bought some new bar tape to replace the bloodied and scuffed tape that I have on now.

Morning Commute:
Total Distance: 11.86 miles
Total Time: 44m 32s
Max Speed: 35.9mph
Avg Speed: 16mph
Max H/Rate: 176bpm
Avg H/Rate: 146bpm
Cadence: 81rpm

I also had an incident on Mount Road in Gorton, with a chap in a car who, despite me being in the middle of the lane approaching a red set of lights – tried to drive into the side of me to make his presence known.

Of course, he had reason to do what he was doing because I was a cyclist and he was a car driver, and as you all know, I’m a pavement riding, lycra clad, non road tax paying twat.

What he doesn’t realise is that I drove my daughter to nursery in ‘my car’ this morning that has ‘road tax’ on it, with my bicycle on the roof. I choose my mode of transport to suit the traffic around me. Its quicker to get to work by bike that it is by train and car.

Unfortunately for him. 100ft up the road he got stuck behind a queue of about 30 cars whilst I just ambled past to the front of the queue… You gotta love the bike :)

Evening Commute:
Total Distance: 9.53 miles
Total Time: 39m 02s
Max Speed: 31.8mph
Avg Speed: 14.6mph
Max H/Rate: 179bpm
Avg H/Rate: 149bpm
Cadence: 76rpm

Commute home was nice and pleasant.

I encountered a taxi driver on Plymouth Grove who had completely blocked the cycle lane.

In a non nasty way, I pulled up to the right of him in the 15ft ft of space that he had left in his lane and politely asked why he felt the need to block the cycle lane. I promise you I wasn’t nasty in the slightest – it was a genuine way of opening dialogue about why he felt the need to use the cycle lane when there was 15ft of road to use.

Here is the video in its glory. Please excuse the crappy accent.

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