So thats 5 months into the year - so whats been happening on the cycling front ?
Well I have passed the 1,000 mile mark so am on track to reach to 2,036 mile average target set for 2015.
January started with 11 rides (just the first one of the month (2nd January) on the road - the rest were all on the Turbo. January miles 205 miles.
February - 3 road rides in 12 and 221.48 miles.
March and the open road was getting drier and warmer with 5 rides from 11 - total 219.06 miles. March also saw the first ride to Wirksworth and back down the A6. This includes the climb up through Wirksworth and then the steep decent down past Black Rocks into Cromford - that is one frightening descent with quarry lorries for company I can tell you - oh to be pro and have the joy of closed roads for company. Having said that there is no such thing as traffic free roads even for the pro's - ask Johnny Hoogerland if you want proof of that fact.
April and another 199 mile month (199.28 - how do I keep doing it ???). The month started with a chest infection for the first two rides. It was also the first ride up Hillcliffe Lane (or The Full Cross 'O th' Hands Climb as it is known on Strava. 7:34 against my PB of 6:53 wash' too bad for a first attempt although I have at least 10 faster times between these two recordings.
The next ride was a repeat ride with a time of 7:52 up Hillcliffe. Down Burley Lane I clocked 43 mph for my fastest time on a bike since I returned to the saddle - it wouldn't last long as a record.
And so into May 2015. 11 rides - 220.97 miles. First ride of the month was another assault on Hillcliffe - 7:29 - better but nothing to crow about. May 23rd another ride up Hillcliffe but with Chris Thomas so a real slow one this time 8:22. The riding month ended on Saturday with a solo ride repeating what I did with Chris last Saturday. Last week was a 2:05:35 ride time (with about four stops for the boy to get his breath back). This time I got back in one ride in 1:50:25 and Hillcliffe climbed in 7:30. The main problem with Hillcliffe is that it not only comes after climbing Bridge Foot and then passed the Hanging Gate at Shottle but also only about 7 miles into a 30 mile ride. Therefore too much effort at that early stage on the ride leaves you in the red for the next 20+ miles to come Including the climb through Quarndon and Street Lane.
So there you have it - up to date I have cycled 1,065.82 miles leaving me just under 1,000 to go and still 7 months to do it.
Next I need to update on cameras and football
THE CYCLING PHOTOGRAPHER - but generally not at the same time
Sunday 31 May 2015
Monday 25 May 2015
2014 Review
2014 started off with an aim of trying to reach 2,500 miles of cycling (an average of around 50 per week). That seemed a reasonable goal but did mean that I would have to be ono the ball for 52 weeks. As it turned out the annual mileage passed the 3,000 mile mark but not without considerable effort and fall outs about the amount of time spent cycling.
January saw 14 rides but only two saw rubber on tarmac. The difference was that I had purchased an Elite Turbo Trainer which wirelessly linked to the laptop. This allows riding of routes with automatic resistance to the back wheel as the gradient goes up. A much more realistic experience than the previous Tacx Turbo with a 1 - 10 residence setting. The Elite came with a DVD ride from Bardolino to Verona - 26 miles up and down hill. Coincidentally we would subsequently make a trip to Verona on a Treyn holiday and sit outside the Amphitheatre that marks the end of the ride on the DVD drinking coffee. Monthly total 255.64
February came and went but again the amount of fresh air experienced was limited - this time just one 18.07 mile ride on the Cannondale on February 7th. Monthly total 184.16
March saw little improvement in relation to actually getting out as only 3 rides were not undertone in the garage. The total for the month was however a good 345.58
April saw a reverse with only 3 turbo rides and 9 outdoor trips. Monthly total 204.99
May and a few wet days saw 4 turbo sessions and 233.71 miles
June added another 238.08 miles - halfway through the year and a total of 1,462.18 miles so far. With an aim of 2,500 miles I was well on target at this stage.
July, 16 rides, and another 300+ total (317.46). Jay started going out with me on a few occasions - well he managed 3 rides in July but it wouldn't be his last, although he only added two more before his enthusiasm wained.
August - 15 Rides, 285.66 miles
September - 15 rides 259.27 miles. Jay came and did one ride on 15th September. The ride on 10th (usual evening ride including Allestree) saw an average of 18.7 mph for the 13 miles. On 17th the evening ride without Allestree averaged 18.6. Since this time I don't seem to have come close to any of these averages on the road despite feeling fitter and stronger, odd that.
October 14 rides 299.36 miles. Nine turbo sessions suggests that the weather in October was not great.
(if only I had realised that the ride on 31st October (32.20 miles) - that I just needed another .64 miles to reach 300 for the month I'm sure I could have squeezed that extra out !!).
November 10 rides 208.41 miles. Just one road ride this month, strangely as the last one of the month (28th 22.63 miles on the Cannondale).
December ended the year with 11 rides (all Turbo) and 237.88 miles. The annual total for 2014 was 3,070.19 miles. An average of 59.04 miles per week. I swore at that time that I wouldn't do that mileage again - certainly not before retirement. Next years target will be back in the 2,000's.
In the 3.5 years since returning to the bike I have cycling 8,145.45 miles, which if we count the first 6 months as a year ( yes I know it's only half a year bit bear with) then the average per year is 2,036.36. So by the end of 2015 I should have passed the 10,000 mile mark if I keep up that average. SO that forms the target for the current year.
January saw 14 rides but only two saw rubber on tarmac. The difference was that I had purchased an Elite Turbo Trainer which wirelessly linked to the laptop. This allows riding of routes with automatic resistance to the back wheel as the gradient goes up. A much more realistic experience than the previous Tacx Turbo with a 1 - 10 residence setting. The Elite came with a DVD ride from Bardolino to Verona - 26 miles up and down hill. Coincidentally we would subsequently make a trip to Verona on a Treyn holiday and sit outside the Amphitheatre that marks the end of the ride on the DVD drinking coffee. Monthly total 255.64
February came and went but again the amount of fresh air experienced was limited - this time just one 18.07 mile ride on the Cannondale on February 7th. Monthly total 184.16
March saw little improvement in relation to actually getting out as only 3 rides were not undertone in the garage. The total for the month was however a good 345.58
April saw a reverse with only 3 turbo rides and 9 outdoor trips. Monthly total 204.99
May and a few wet days saw 4 turbo sessions and 233.71 miles
June added another 238.08 miles - halfway through the year and a total of 1,462.18 miles so far. With an aim of 2,500 miles I was well on target at this stage.
July, 16 rides, and another 300+ total (317.46). Jay started going out with me on a few occasions - well he managed 3 rides in July but it wouldn't be his last, although he only added two more before his enthusiasm wained.
August - 15 Rides, 285.66 miles
September - 15 rides 259.27 miles. Jay came and did one ride on 15th September. The ride on 10th (usual evening ride including Allestree) saw an average of 18.7 mph for the 13 miles. On 17th the evening ride without Allestree averaged 18.6. Since this time I don't seem to have come close to any of these averages on the road despite feeling fitter and stronger, odd that.
October 14 rides 299.36 miles. Nine turbo sessions suggests that the weather in October was not great.
(if only I had realised that the ride on 31st October (32.20 miles) - that I just needed another .64 miles to reach 300 for the month I'm sure I could have squeezed that extra out !!).
November 10 rides 208.41 miles. Just one road ride this month, strangely as the last one of the month (28th 22.63 miles on the Cannondale).
December ended the year with 11 rides (all Turbo) and 237.88 miles. The annual total for 2014 was 3,070.19 miles. An average of 59.04 miles per week. I swore at that time that I wouldn't do that mileage again - certainly not before retirement. Next years target will be back in the 2,000's.
In the 3.5 years since returning to the bike I have cycling 8,145.45 miles, which if we count the first 6 months as a year ( yes I know it's only half a year bit bear with) then the average per year is 2,036.36. So by the end of 2015 I should have passed the 10,000 mile mark if I keep up that average. SO that forms the target for the current year.
Sunday 24 May 2015
2015 Update
Ok so once again we have some catching up to do - about 2.5 years to be precise !
I last wrote something in December 2012 - as the year closed I was saying that I had reached my target of 2,012 miles (it being 2,012 and it seemed like a reasonable target to set).
I was also saying that I had moved to Road Pedals from the Mountain Bike type I had been using previously. I had also started riding the Quattro (first ride was recorded as 23rd October 2013 - a 23 mile ride which took 1:24:00. Interestingly the average was 3.39 minutes per mile, compared with a 25 mile ride last week at 3:42 minutes per mile - although I have no comparison for the elevation it does appear that things haven't changed a lot over the past year and a half).
Looking back at 2013:
January started off with just 128.39 miles. Interestingly the first miles of the year were a 21.21 mile ride on the Quattro on January 4th - which suggests that the weather wasn't too awful at the beginning of 2013. A week later there was another 20.01 mile road ride but the rest of the month was all on the turbo.
February saw just 1 road ride - 18.04 miles and a total of even less (120.92). March only saw 3 road rides but a much improved monthly total of 306.30 (which included TWO 50 mile turbo sessions). April resulted in a very small total - 113.10 but all on the road as the turbo gathered dust in the garage.
May was an odd looking month (looking back in my log book) as there are a few rides that have sparse information. On closer examination it seems that the reason behind this was the purchase of a Cannondale Cyclocross Bike as the Quattro was not suitable for riding on paths and trails. At the time I can only assume that I didn't have a sensor to use the Garmin. The monthly total was 160.27 miles.
June 203.21
July 222.70
August 234.26
September saw us on a Cruise so the initial miles were racked up in the Gym on the exercise bike. 100.60 miles were recorded over 8 rides (mostly looking at the sea through the front window of the ship). Four more rides on return took the total to 175.03
October saw the Turbo back in action and a monthly total of 250.78
November was the largest total for the year - 317 with a mixture of Turbo and Road riding.
The year ended with just one ride in December and a total of 215.09
The total mileage was 2,447.05 miles
I last wrote something in December 2012 - as the year closed I was saying that I had reached my target of 2,012 miles (it being 2,012 and it seemed like a reasonable target to set).
I was also saying that I had moved to Road Pedals from the Mountain Bike type I had been using previously. I had also started riding the Quattro (first ride was recorded as 23rd October 2013 - a 23 mile ride which took 1:24:00. Interestingly the average was 3.39 minutes per mile, compared with a 25 mile ride last week at 3:42 minutes per mile - although I have no comparison for the elevation it does appear that things haven't changed a lot over the past year and a half).
Looking back at 2013:
January started off with just 128.39 miles. Interestingly the first miles of the year were a 21.21 mile ride on the Quattro on January 4th - which suggests that the weather wasn't too awful at the beginning of 2013. A week later there was another 20.01 mile road ride but the rest of the month was all on the turbo.
February saw just 1 road ride - 18.04 miles and a total of even less (120.92). March only saw 3 road rides but a much improved monthly total of 306.30 (which included TWO 50 mile turbo sessions). April resulted in a very small total - 113.10 but all on the road as the turbo gathered dust in the garage.
May was an odd looking month (looking back in my log book) as there are a few rides that have sparse information. On closer examination it seems that the reason behind this was the purchase of a Cannondale Cyclocross Bike as the Quattro was not suitable for riding on paths and trails. At the time I can only assume that I didn't have a sensor to use the Garmin. The monthly total was 160.27 miles.
June 203.21
July 222.70
August 234.26
September saw us on a Cruise so the initial miles were racked up in the Gym on the exercise bike. 100.60 miles were recorded over 8 rides (mostly looking at the sea through the front window of the ship). Four more rides on return took the total to 175.03
October saw the Turbo back in action and a monthly total of 250.78
November was the largest total for the year - 317 with a mixture of Turbo and Road riding.
The year ended with just one ride in December and a total of 215.09
The total mileage was 2,447.05 miles
Saturday 23 May 2015
Can We Start Again ?
What happened to 2013 ?
Well it came and went, along with 2014 and almost half of 2015 by the time I have got round to sorting out a password and the incentive to write some more on the blog.
Watch out for an update on what happened last year and so far this...
Well it came and went, along with 2014 and almost half of 2015 by the time I have got round to sorting out a password and the incentive to write some more on the blog.
Watch out for an update on what happened last year and so far this...
Friday 28 December 2012
End of a cycling year
Having previously clocked up the target of 2012 miles I felt it was important to add the extra miles to my Garmin 105 GPS watch, so that the target shows up on the PC when you look at it - a tad unnecessary I know but thats the way I am.
What it means in real terms is that the final year total is 2032 miles - which includes the extra miles completed using the cycle computer rather than the Garmin.
When I log on to the software and click on the tab foe 2012 this is what I see:
This shows 2,016 miles, 133h 49m 28s of riding time at an average of 15.1 mph. A maximum speed of 37.6 mph (60.5 kph - the sort of speed that the professional peleton races at for long periods on the flat - I was going down a steep hill for a matter of seconds !).
Targets for next year ? I'm not setting any - I have decided that I am going to cycle for the enjoyment of doing it next year rather than trying to reach a target - riding with my head down all the time, watching the clock rather than enjoying the fact that I'm out in the open air surrounded (mostly) by the Derbyshire countryside.
Apart from the cycling year coming to an end - the Christmas period is also coming to an end - just New Year to get past and we're officially into 2013.
Had a good Christmas - added a nice iPad 2 to my collection, a cracking piece of kit which will get lots of use I'm sure.
Friday 7 December 2012
Thats That Then
December 7th 2012 - the day I reached my target. A 23 mile ride today took me past the 2,012 miles I set as my aim for this year. The screenshot of the spreadsheet below shows the breakdown of how I achieved it
As you can see the first two months of the year saw me clock up just over 100 miles - March was a good month thanks to a spell of good weather when I was out cycling on consecutive Thursdays in 20+ degrees. April saw me back down to just over 100 miles, then May through September averaged over 200 (although March remained the highest total mileage at 222.88 - and also the longest single ride at 40 miles).
With three weeks left and a total standing at 2013.02 it remains to be seen what the final number will be although a forecast of snow for next week may mean that not too many more miles will be added in the next three weeks.
In the meantime I have a very dirty bike that needs a clean - looks like a job for tomorrow morning before the match against Brigg in the afternoon (weather permitting).
Monday 3 December 2012
Four weeks today
Thats right four weeks today will be the 31st December 2012. That means there are just 28 days to reach the cycling target of 2012 miles.
We have been off work of the past week - but it's back to the grind tomorrow :-(
As we didn't have anything planned due to the floods all over the country (we did think about going to York for the day until we saw the main streets under 3-4 feet of water earlier int he week). we had lots of time to drink coffee, do some Christmas shopping and get in a few miles on the bike.
Last week I did a couple of 21 mile rides and today I added another 16 to the total. As things stand I have a total of 1,989.71 - ok so do the maths and you get 22.3 remaining miles. I can knock that off in one ride of about 90 minutes although the cold temperatures of late mean it'll probably be completed over a couple of easy hour rides.
As I arrived back from todays ride (partly wet and mostly windy) I saw a Rainbow across the fields towards Crich.
I took a snap with the camera phone - not a great quality photo but I'm sure you get the idea.
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