Bike: Condor
Distance: 62.96 miles [62.40]
Time: 4 hours 5 minutes 15 seconds [3 h 22 m 06 s]
Average speed: 15.4 [18.5]
Maximum speed: 30.5 [33]
Odometer (at end): 3243.5 [1913]
Weather: changeable, mainly sunny, a bit blowy (most of the rain fell during my tea stop)
Figures in square brackets are from the last time I did this ride (according to this blog, it was back in September 2008 though I may have ridden it in early 2009 and not recorded it).
I was slooooow today, but almost intentionally so. I just wanted to see how it felt to ride a decent distance. The answer: fun, but painful (not least because of the need to re-break the saddle). Owing to the familiar route, it almost seemed as if I hadn't been away - almost. The fact I was struggling badly with hills/headwinds/high gears reminded me that it's been a little while...
...on the other hand, 60 miles is no mean feat, and I'm definitely re-addicted to this cycling lark, not least because my general mood has improved massively in the past couple of days (with corresponding reduction in stress levels). I had a really good day out today. I like the cafe at Snape (even if it gets chaotically busy) and had a pot of tea there, ate an excellent chocolate brownie, and met an equally excellent and friendly chocolate labrador. Moreover,on the way out, I stopped at the local bike shop (which had serviced the Condor during the week) and put a deposit down on the bargain Cervelo P2 frame that I'd been tempted with yesterday. I'm going to have to put in some serious miles over the winter though if I'm going to be able to do justice to a built-up Cervelo time trial bike though...
NB: it feels weird cycling without coffee.
NB 2: driving standards haven't improved much since I was last out on the roads on my bike. This evening, the usual young men in hatchbacks were using central Ipswich as a race track. Worryingly, many of them would've probably been kids when I began cycling 'properly' in 2003. Although the old lady who turned into my lane from a junction, oblivious to my presence, proved that poor driving is not the preserve of youth...
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Thursday, 26 August 2010
shame
I've had nearly two years of looking at my bike gathering dust in the corner while I struggled to finish the PhD and then struggled to find my feet in the world of work. Now I'm starting a lecturing position next week: it will involve a 20 mile round commute every day, and I figure this is the best way to ease myself back into cycling.
So this morning, in pouring rain, I cycled into Ipswich to get my bike fixed up ready for the winter. Even though I got soaked, it was a really nice ride - I feared I'd get out of breath, my legs would hurt and I'd be demoralised, but I easily managed to sustain an even 16-17mph average pace, with just a few twinges. The plan is to take it easy speed-wise until I've built up a good distance base, and begin working on increasing the pace once my general fitness is back.
I guess my refusal to get on the bike again was mainly psychological: the longer I was off the bike, the more I thought "well, I'm not going to be as quick as I was" and the more I worried about getting back into racing etc. etc.
Now I intend to concentrate on one step at a time: cycling to work and back, doing the occasional ride around Suffolk, and maybe thinking about racing next year.
The most important thing this morning, even though conditions were grim and the road was slick (which kept my speed down), was that I really enjoyed the 10 mile ride, and am looking forward to collecting the bike and cycling back again tomorrow.
Oh, and the shame came from the fact that - for the first time since 2003 - I felt really uncomfortable wearing lycra in public!
So this morning, in pouring rain, I cycled into Ipswich to get my bike fixed up ready for the winter. Even though I got soaked, it was a really nice ride - I feared I'd get out of breath, my legs would hurt and I'd be demoralised, but I easily managed to sustain an even 16-17mph average pace, with just a few twinges. The plan is to take it easy speed-wise until I've built up a good distance base, and begin working on increasing the pace once my general fitness is back.
I guess my refusal to get on the bike again was mainly psychological: the longer I was off the bike, the more I thought "well, I'm not going to be as quick as I was" and the more I worried about getting back into racing etc. etc.
Now I intend to concentrate on one step at a time: cycling to work and back, doing the occasional ride around Suffolk, and maybe thinking about racing next year.
The most important thing this morning, even though conditions were grim and the road was slick (which kept my speed down), was that I really enjoyed the 10 mile ride, and am looking forward to collecting the bike and cycling back again tomorrow.
Oh, and the shame came from the fact that - for the first time since 2003 - I felt really uncomfortable wearing lycra in public!
planet, waves
I recently attended a reunion of sixth form colleagues who I'd travelled with to Ecuador in 1999: this reminded me that I'd once harboured ambitions of travelling the globe in adventurous ways. Yet, since Ecuador, I haven't left Europe once (although, admittedly, I've had lots of adventures in Europe).
On the other hand, I haven't really stopped working since finishing my PhD last summer and (given I've maintained 'PhD hours') I haven't really been getting out much. So I've been stockpiling a bit of money - which means that I can actually put plans to travel further afield into practice. I have cleared five weeks from my schedule next summer and have decided to finally make the long-delayed big trip to America.
On the other hand, I haven't really stopped working since finishing my PhD last summer and (given I've maintained 'PhD hours') I haven't really been getting out much. So I've been stockpiling a bit of money - which means that I can actually put plans to travel further afield into practice. I have cleared five weeks from my schedule next summer and have decided to finally make the long-delayed big trip to America.
The only problem is I have become increasingly paranoid and scared of flying (I have flown several times, but not for years), which makes travelling outside of the continent somewhat difficult. I guess you really don't realise how dominant air travel is until you try to organise a long-haul trip using a different mode of transport.
The solution? Next summer I'm going to be clambering up a rickety gangplank in Liverpool and embarking on a transatlantic crossing aboard a relatively small container ship. I get a cabin to myself, three meals a day, and surely a great deal of nausea as the boat rolls about on the Atlantic waves.
If I do not succumb to the 'perils of the sea', I should land in Chester, PA some 10 days later. According to a previous traveller, this is a town that taxis do not feel safe in. Having grown up around Ipswich, I'm sure I'll be fine, but I won't be hanging around.
The second part of the trip will involve travelling around a bit of America by road and rail. The current plan is to meet Maureen in Philadelphia, see some of the city, head to Chicago (where she lives), spend some time in Illinois, and then travel back east to Boston and New York.
Finally, I will return to Blighty in some style aboard the QM2 (which means I'll have to pack formal evening wear, a monocle and suchlike). I'm really looking forward to all three parts of the voyage, and having the experience of travelling to the States and back without flying.
The trip is unsurprisingly proving to be both expensive and a bit of a logistical challenge with loads of paperwork (i.e. there is no visa waiver if you arrive in the states via cargo ship, so I need to pay a visit to the US Embassy). It is not simple or cheap, but so far it's been a lot more fun than just clicking 'buy ticket' on an airline website, and - as somebody who has always believed in the idea that the way you travel is just as important as where you travel too - it is going to be a proper adventure.
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