Just for the sake of it

I use my bike a lot for commuting but, as the days are so short at the moment and weekends busy, don't manage to get out recreationally as often as I'd like to.

I have a load of time off work this Christmas and, although I have tried to be disciplined, inevitably the festive season comes with overindulgence of one sort or another.  And so for a couple of days post-Christmas, I have been promising myself a spin out on my bike.  Unfortunately the weather in the UK is pretty foul at the moment with high winds and continual rain pretty much every day.

Yesterday however, necessity got the better of my laziness/weakness and so I put on my cycling gear and went out for a ride.

Yes, it was wet.

Yes, it was windy.

Yes, I had a brilliant time!

I rode with pretty much no plan and certainly without timing myself, just a nice relaxed ride out to de-stress and burn off a few calories.  I found that although the weather was rough, it wasn't that bad and at least half of the time, the high winds were behind me pushing me a long.  Even when riding into a headwind, I dropped down a gear and pedaled in relaxed acceptance that nothing I was able to do would alter the weather.  This philosophical approach worked wonders and, once again, shows how much of a mental game it is we play.

It's not about the speed, the distance or the timer at all.  It's just about being out there, enjoying ourselves on whatever kind of bike we chose to ride.  Taking time to enjoy our surroundings and, as the poet said "to stand and stare".  I even saw quite a few other cyclists riding a variety of machinery.  Sure, I got a couple of "What do you hope to achieve riding that thing?" looks from the more "roadie" cyclists but in general I think there was just a mutual admiration for being out on our bikes in such inclement weather.

By coincidence I saw via Kent Peterson and Davey Oil on Twitter this link to Davey's own blog.  It pretty much sums up how we should think about cycling during the times when it all seems stacked against us.

To crown it all, when I got back my youngest demanded a few laps of the block together as well. Now that she can ride by herself, it's lovely to be able to just pedal alongside, even for the shortest of rides. And that pink Raleigh single-speed is an awesome little fixed-gear just waiting to happen!

The weather does not look set to improve here and with a dead car, I have no choice but to use my bike for shopping trips and other errands.  I'm not in the least bit bothered though, in fact I'm looking forward to the next excuse to get out and pedal.

And if an excuse doesn't present itself, I'll make one up and go out again just for the sake of it.

Life is good even if the weather isn't.

Winter working rides

In the days when I used to run a lot (before persistent injury put an end to it) I always used to struggle with the first bit of the run. Basically, the bit that involves getting out of the front door and taking the first few steps.

It's sometimes the same with cycling, although once I have the first few pedal strokes, behind me everything clicks into place and cycling feels great once again.

It's been damn cold over here in the UK recently. OK not Northern USA or Canada cold, but cold enough all the same! Cold enough, for instance, that my rear brake cable has frozen solid a couple of times. I must have got some water in there somehow, but however it happened, when you try to brake at a junction only to find your lever frozen solid, it's a buttock-clenching moment. I freed it up with some hot water applied to the outside of the cable and then a liberal dose of WD40, but it's a new malfunction on me, that's for sure!

I digress.

I had a client meeting across town today so rather than borrowing a company car (the choice of the masses), I took my bike. I did get a few funny looks (and more than one sarcastic comment) but again, once the first few pedal strokes were out of the way I knew it was the right decision.

One big plus in the cold is that you can really press on without working up too much of a sweat. Before long I was whizzing along sucking in great lungfuls of cold air and blasting the pedals round. The miles just disappeared beneath my wheels.

In high spirits, I took a minor detour to see what the city's largest park looked like and I wasn't at all disappointed. Have a look at the pictures below and you'll see what I mean. When your working day includes time out on a bike in bright sunshine and in a place as lovely as that, life is pretty good really.

And when you reach your journey's end with a tingling face, warming your hands around a mug of tea, there is no doubt at all that cycling is the right choice and the world seems a damn fine place all round.

Well worth those first few pedal strokes, I'd say.

Mileage, winter and plans for the future

Last week was a big week for me, mileage-wise.Train cancellations meant that I elected to cycle the whole route home twice, resulting in a total for the week of 132 miles.This is not huge by some standards – it is only a small part of a single randonneuring event – but compared to where I was at this point last year (barely riding a bike ever) I feel a real sense of achievement.  The long and short of it is that I have now topped 2,500 miles on my Dahon and over 3,000 miles for the year!  I've also managed to insert a text box on the right hand tool-bar so "Mileage to Date" can sit at the top of the blog! 

It is testament to the effect of regular, short to medium mileage rides that I felt absolutely fine at the end of the week too.Todd Fahrner of Clever Cycles in the US also observed as much in this article.He tackled a 700 mile ride down the US West coast on a Brompton with only commuting mileage as “training”.It’s a very inspiring and well-written piece which is worth a read. It is also fine testament to the capability of my Dahon Vitesse D3HG that these high mileages were as easy on a folding bike as on my 21-speed hybrid.Yes, on those small wheels and yes, with only three gears!*

On longer rides, my thoughts often turn to future cycling plans and high on that list is to do some longer distance things on my Dahon.To that end, I have been looking at some cyclo-sportive events in the spring with distances of 40, 60 and 100+ miles.I love the thought of rocking up on my “shopping bike” and going the distance with the lycra-clad, middle aged, Bradley Wiggins wannabes.Maybe not quite as quickly, but equally as far.But then again, you never know.One of my favourite inspirational articles is this one by Kent Peterson who rode the 1999 Paris-Brest-Paris (in all of its 1200km glory) on a Bike Friday folding bike!And in a damn good time too – an awesome achievement!**Thusly inspired, there is a small part of me that is starting to believe that Lands End to John O’Groats on the Dahon is a practical possibility…

The mornings round here are bitterly cold (by British standards at least) at the moment.So cold in fact that my back brake froze up this morning!I tried to pull the brakes at a junction and found the rear lever to be solid – totally immovable!I had stripped, cleaned and lubricated the calipers on the weekend so I knew that they were mechanically fine.A quick exploratory wiggle showed that the capiers were indeed mving as they should, just not the lever.Once I reached the train station I was able to free it all up - there must have been some moisture in the cable which had then frozen.I will dose it liberally with WD40 this evening – that stuff sorts any sticky mechanism out.

I also went shopping on the weekend and bought a nice hi-viz cycling jacket and winter gloves (both bargains from Decathlon) Even so, with the temperatures as low as they were this morning, it takes a little while to warm up and some bits never quite do!However, I know that when I get round to riding longer events, these hard winter miles will pay back dividends in terms of physical and mental development.

As the saying goes, “The soft iron thinks itself harshly treated in the heat of the forge.The tempered steel blade looks back and knows differently.”


*To answer the two most commonly asked questions from non-folding bike riders!

** Incidentally, Kent’s write up of his 2005 Tour Divide race (on a single-speed, rigid MTB!) is also an excellent and inspiring read.

War on Britain's Roads

Like a lot of cyclists last night I watched "War on Britain's Roads" on the BBC.  Having read some of the grumbling complaints prior to it airing, I wasn't going to bother but then figured I'd rather be part of the informed debate than stick my head in the sand.

For those that didn't have the pleasure, it was supposed to be an hour-long documentary showing the relationship between cyclists and other road users in UK cities (mainly London).  I say supposed to be because it was actually like an hour long cycling version of "Police, Camera, Action" for bicycles.

Bluntly, I thought it was overly sensationalist and concentrated mainly on footage of incidents and accidents.  Car drivers ranting at cyclists, cyclists ranting at car drivers and a ridiculous "Alley Cat" race through the Capital. 

It did not (as far as I could see):

• Explain why more people are using their bikes to commute
• Explain why it is a really good idea for people to get out of cars and onto a bike
• Suggest what could be done to improve the situation (in particular the patchy cycling infrastructure in the UK)
• Highlight very much considerate use of the road by cyclists or motorists

There was one person on their whose story could really have been used to made a difference.  The lady who lost her 26 year old daughter to a collision between her bike and a cement mixer.  I genuinely felt for her but any learning points the documentary made from the tragedy were thin. 

A lot of the footage was dedicated to "exciting" confrontations between cyclists and other road users.  It was hard to say whose side the documentary was on as both were made to seem as bad as one another at times.  Sure we've all shouted in alarm when someone's pulled out on us but to follow it up to the degree that one particular cyclist did is asking for trouble.  If he hasn't had his head kicked in by now it is a minor miracle.  Motorists who drive like idiots are idiots. Cyclists that ride like idiots are idiots and give us all a bad name.

I was actually left feeling genuinely dismayed for the state of cycling in our cities.  I am blessed that my commute is not usually so busy, although it has its own unique issues.  It would be easy (on either side of the discussion) to have watched "War on Britain's Roads" and feel considerably more animosity towards the other party than you might have beforehand.  When they had the opportunity to make a situation better, I feel the documentary makers passed it by.  It was tabloid-esque voyeurism from start to finish.

And as for those of us getting angrier on the roads? 

Fighting fire with fire just makes a bigger fire.  How many times do we need to be taught that consideration for our fellow man and peaceful means better resolve conflicts.  Jesus said it, St Paul said it, Gandhi said it, Martin Luther King said it... the list goes on.  One day we'll actually listen, wise up and change our behaviour.  One day.

I can't help feel that there is something deeper going on here.  The "Me first!" and "Now, now, now!" pressures of modern life mean that many of us are carrying around a lot of pent up stress and anger.  Inevitably it is finding an outlet where it is felt worst - on the roads.  I'm sure that even if we all cycled, there would be instances of "cycle-rage" but as cardio exercise is proven to reduce stress, I doubt that it would be as bad.

To attempt, in my own limited way, to address the issue, I made a conscious effort to be observant and considerate in my cycling this morning.  A smile and a thumb up was given to anyone who let me pull out or even just didn't pull out on me at an island.  I even refitted my bell, the better to alert pedestrians on the shared pavement sections.       

A better infrastructure isn't going to happen overnight so we need to keep campaigning.  Car drivers aren't going to change over night so we still need to keep our eyes peeled and ride carefully. 

And above all, we all need to chill-out, get along and share the road considerately.

Peace and love.



On another note, this video has nothing whatsoever to do with the article, it was just the song I had on the mental iPod on the way to work this morning.  I like Billy Bragg and dislike tabloids.  Two birds with one stone - enjoy:

By the light of the silvery moon

Last night, like almost all nights recently, my commute home was in the dark.

Irritatingly, I had spent the day with my bike folded under my desk watching a perfectly good clear, sunny day come and go outside the office window. To have the two-wheeled antidote to my paperwork-induced boredom so close was a temptation almost too much to resist.

So it was with the disappointment of a sunny day missed that eventually I cycled off in the dark towards the station and home. Despite the traffic, once pedalling, my glum mood brightened pretty quickly.  It's always good to be out on a bike, whatever the weather or time of day.

However for the last few miles, once clear of the town and traffic, the ride became simply magical.  Just me under a clear sky, the moon and all of the stars.  Moonlight so bright that it cast shadows and that amazing silvery light which lets you see for hundreds of yards.  Had I not needed my headlamp to be seen by oncoming cars, it wouldn't have been necessary at all.  The light of the moon was more than enough.

Maybe on nights like this I'll have to switch back to the unlit lanes that I use in the Summer months.  Mile after mile of unlit lane, with very little traffic would be just awesome under a bright moon.

Happy days (and nights!)

Forgot my lock today...

So the Dahon is tucked up in the warm under my desk. There are some things you can only do with a folding bike.

In the moment

A beautiful clear, crisp and very cold morning. A full moon so bright that lights were not necessary (for vision at least) on the lane. Wheels crunching through the thin layer of ice on puddles, ears burning from the cold. I knew I should have worn my skull cap. Sitting on the train now, breathing settled, feeling the glow, thawing fingers with a cup of tea. It's good to commute by bike. It's good to be alive.

Some general randomness

I had a lovely ride into work this morning. One of those rides where everything seems easy, one's mood is positive and the miles fly by. It was in high spirits that I sat at my desk this morning with my usual banana and mug of tea. Even the prospect of an exceptionally dull day at work was not enough to break the spell!

When I used to run a lot, folk talked about the "runners' high" - the rush of feel-good, pain-killing endorphins that comes after exercise. No one really mentions a "cyclists' high" but there is a definite feeling of all being rosy and right with the world after even a short ride.

People pay good money to bad people or need a prescription to feel this good. When all you have to do is get out on your bike and get pedalling, it seems almost too good to be true.

Having used my large-wheeled, multi speed hybrid for a few weeks, I mused as I pedalled this morning some of the main differences between it and my Dahon.

Gear inch calculations show that, on paper, there shouldn't be much difference in speed between the two bikes. In truth, the hybrid is a bit faster and I think this is for a couple of reasons:

Narrower gaps between the gear ratios mean that one can maintain a particular cadence under most conditions by going up or down the gears. That is, after all, why they were invented!

Greater inertia from the larger wheels means that when coasting (or at a more micro level, between power strokes on the pedals) the bike carries itself forward better i.e. it slows less. This seems particularly so when grinding uphill or pushing into the wind.

However, though it may be a bit faster, it's not by a large margin. The minutes saved on my reasonably modest commute don't add up to much and anyway, who's racing? Besides, the lower weight of the Dahon make it much nippier and, well, just more fun to ride!

I have waxed lyrical about gearing a few times before and had planned to mess about with the Dahon's gears some more. However, I recently came across Justin Simoni's website (http://gdmbr.justinsimoni.com). He seems like a pretty serious cyclist having ridden the Tour Divide a couple of times (a 2,750 mile monster, unsupported mountain bike race) among other achievements. From his blog, most of his general riding (if you can call a 200 mile, mountainous, ultralight bike-packing trip "general") is done on a sort of single speed bike. Using a flip-flop hub and clever "dingle cog" arrangement he actually has (albeit with some mechanical messing about required) the choice of fixed and free in a few different ratios. What really interested me though, was that Justin's highest gear is set at about 60 gear inches. That's pretty low by geared bike standards and so it must be possible to spin along quite nicely at high speed in a low gear. Justin also wins races on this bike after all.

So it made me rethink. If such things are possible with relatively low gearing, I'm not going to mess with my Dahon's gearing for a while and just spin the pedals faster instead! It is after all supposed to be easier on the knees too.

I think when I'm managing 180 rpm with ease in top gear on the flat, I may have to rethink. But I doubt those days are just around the corner.

Happy spinning everyone!

Follow me

Incidentally, I have a Twitter feed on which I post updates to the blog and other stuff.  If you're of a mind to, you can follow it here.

Thanks! :-)

This thing is gaining momentum!

Wow, there have been some huge spikes in daily readership recently.  

I suspect that this is in no small part to a link that was posted on bikeforums.net here.   I don’t use that forum or know anyone on it to thank them but a big “Cheers!” to whoever it was.  I started this blog as a means to amuse myself and close friends but if it’s reaching out and spreading the cycling word more widely then I’m a happy man indeed!

There’s a great comment on one of the bikeforums replies about the fact that I still, occasionally feel the pull of the car.  I have to confess that it is sometimes true and I’m glad that the option is no longer there.  It is now definitely more down to my inherent laziness than it is any inexperience now in cycle commuting though.  

The weather has taken a noticeable turn for the Autumnal now and my morning commute is often cold, dark and windy.  When I crank my eyelids open in the dark at silly-o’clock and hear the rain beating down or the wind howling, I do run a few “what options do I have than cycling” scenarios through my head.  However, I agree with what the poster on bikeforums says, in that once I’m out in it, whatever the weather, you wouldn’t get me back in a tin box for any money. 

Even if I had the money for a car of my own now, I’d spend it on another bike!

All in the mind

The mornings are getting noticeably colder now although the damp Autumn air is also wonderfully fresh. There is a golden quality to Autumn sunlight that you just don't get at other times of year. Nevertheless I've not been feeing too well this week and it's been a bit of a mental battle to get on my bike in the morning. I have managed it though and the fresh air has been sorting out my rough chest quite nicely.

With cycling, as with many sports and activities, an awful lot depends on the mind. There is the obvious battle with oneself to get out and ride in the first place but recently I have been experiencing another.

I find that, geared as it is, my Dahon is good for an average speed of 12-13 mph. However, "pub wisdom" from fellow, generally lycra-clad, cyclists has it that 15 mph is the benchmark of acceptable average speed. This sums up the obsession with speed that many of us have with cycling. Any cyclist in front of us is a target to be overtaken, whereas when we are overtaken it's time to bring out the excuse book!

I myself find the latter situation the one to battle with. If a much faster cyclist on a racing bike passes me, my first instinct is to think about what I need to do to get that fast. Maybe a faster bike or a lighter load? Maybe my Dahon needs re-gearing? Maybe I should be using my hybrid (obviously with slimmer, faster tyres) etc, etc, etc...

Then mercifully, common sense kicks in and I realise that:

1. My bike has other, big advantages that a racing bike does not, especially for its primary purpose of commuting
2. "Pub wisdom" could just be a crock of bull
3. The other rider could well just be much fresher, faster and fitter than me and...
3. I don't really care that much that I've been overtaken!

It just goes to show though that mind games are an easy trap to fall into! Just ride the bike you have in the way you want to as often as you can and simply enjoy it. Life's too short for anything else!

My Dahon, chilling while waiting for the train. 
Those bar-ends are an absolute God-send!

A massive milestone (just not for me)

Last weekend, my youngest child learned to ride without the help of stabilisers (training wheels in the US)!  I am so pleased as it is a really important milestone in my view marking the start of a lifetime of cycling, one way or another.

Now, current wisdom dictates that kids learn to ride much faster if they can ride a balance bike first (a bicycle without pedals that you sit on and push along with your feet) rather than learning to pedal and then having the grief of balancing (or not) when the stabilisers are removed!  We bought a balance bike from friends a couple of years back but could never get the youngest to ride it.  She'd tootled around on her bike for several months with stabilisers attached and resited all attempts to ride with them removed.

The other week, a friend's child came to play who had only ever riden a balance bike.  Both my wife and I watched amazed as he picked up a "proper" bike and pedaled away with no problems and very little wobbling!  He literally had it down on his first go! 

Quick as a wink, I removed the crank from my daughter's bike and told her that if she wanted to ride it, it was as a balance bike or nothing.  Tough love!  Within a couple of days she was scooting along on it, clearly able to balance in motion with her feet off the floor.  We took the plucge and refitted the crank.

Once again, I was stunned.  With a minimal effort, she got on the bike, set it rolling and then pedaled away!  As easy as that and she hasn't looked back since.

So my message to you is, if you have a youngster learning to ride a bike, don't go anywhere near a set of stabilisers!  Get a balance bike (or take the crank out of a regular one) and leave them to it.

This week I shall mostly be a proud Dad! :-)

Woohoo!

Just a small but self indulgent post to celebrate the fact that I got more than 100 hits in one day for the first time ever!  140 in fact which is ace, so thanks to all and keep on coming back!

In celebration, we had a small firework display here at Folding Bike Towers.  Here is a snapshot of some of the smaller ones:

Cheers all :-)

A random musing

I’ve written before about the need to plan ahead a bit when cycle commuting, especially if (like me) each commute could be to one of a few different locations. 

Now that I have taken the plunge and sold my car though, the need for planning is even more important.  With one car for the family, which is needed most days by my wife for running the kids around, the option to just jump in the car has disappeared.*  Car driving friends are full of such cautionary, critical advice as “Oh, it must be really difficult having just one car”.  Well no it isn’t, not at all - it is a wonderful and liberating experience!  You just have to be smart about it.

A simple week is, well, simple really.  If I am in the same office for five days running (which happens but not too often), all of the heavy kit (lapdog etc.) can be left there and I cycle pretty light.  Once things get more complex than that, I have to think around the issues a bit.  What I’ve found though is that I’m becoming less afraid to ask people for help.  I have a number of workmates who live nearer to the office than me and cycling to their house for a lift in makes a heavy day (or one that starts at a train-unfriendly time) much easier.  I don’t need to do it that often, but it’s nice to have the option there if required.

I think that as a race, we humans have become more and more insular, suspicious of others and self-absorbed.  Hardly anyone asks for help these days (maybe it’s seen as a weakness?) but I find to do so genuinely humbling.  All the more so when you then find out how generous and happy-to-help people really are.  For centuries, monks and nuns of every denomination have known that to live for a spell in poverty, dependant on the goodwill of others is rich development for the spirit.  I’m not planning to go that far, but the principles work on a small scale too.

I knew that cycling to work would benefit my health and cost less.  I never expected it to be so good for my soul. J

And in response to the comment about a lack of pictures, here's a gratuitous
"waiting at the train station" picture of my beloved Dahon.  How's that for client-focused? :-)

*As a side note, my wife has mentioned that she’d also like to cycle now and again when taking the kids to school.  We live a little bit out of it in a village and school is a good four miles each way.  However, my older two kids ride competently and my wife would pull our youngest along on the trail-gator.  Excellent stuff!  I doubt we could ever go totally car-free – I wouldn’t want to as they are very useful for certain things but cutting back bit by bit can only be a good thing.  In even the smallest way, being personally fitter and less dependent on the volatility of oil prices and fuel taxation has to be an all-round win!

Performance enhancement

Since starting to cycle more regularly, I have become more aware of the factors that influence my ability to cycle quickly (or not as the case may be…).  Nowadays, I generally make sure that I’m eating enough of the right things and not too many of the wrong things, drinking plenty (of water) and more recently trying to get enough rest and sleep. 

However, on my cycle all the way home the other Friday, I knew I needed a bit of a pick-up for the extra effort.  I don’t usually cycle with headphones in, but on a whim I decided to and was amazed at the effect that the right tunes had.  I now have a playlist on my iPhone entitled “Power and Motivation!” which is compiled from the hardest rocking and motivational songs from my collection. 

I tried it out the other night.  Fuelled by a medley of Sabbath, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Green Day, Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, Skunk Anansie and Iron Maiden, I blasted home in what seemed like record time!  I love rock music and find that hard-rocking, riff-based metal is just the job for pushing me on to greater efforts. 

I even found the breath from somewhere to “sing” along and must apologise to the residents of one village who were subjected to my rendition of “Children of the Damned” at full volume!  Fortunately, one village further on, I held my tongue during the chorus of “Killing in the Name of..”  It’s a sleepy little place and I don’t think that they’d have got over it!

So keep your nandralone, EPO and other performance-enhancing drugs.  All of our nation’s sportsmen and women should be boosting their results using the pure, unbridled power of metal!

Let’s rock!!!

Fatigued!

An early meeting this morning, at a time that didn’t quite work with the train timetable, meant that I took a slightly different route into work.  I set off early and cycled 11 miles down to a friend’s house halfway to the office, and then got a lift the rest of the way.

To be honest, I was looking forward to the change of scenery and a slightly longer morning ride.  However, I was shocked to find that I had absolutely no power in my legs at all – all of the way there!

At first I thought that I just needed my legs to warm up a bit and then perhaps that I needed my breakfast to digest somewhat.  However, several miles into the ride I was still struggling up the hills and even along some flat sections (with a slight headwind).  I crawled along in second gear or struggled to heave against third – truly soul-destroying!  The route was slightly hillier than usual but that would not normally cause a problem.  I have ridden the same road in reverse when cycling the whole way home from work a couple of times and it has not presented significant problems.

My diet at the moment is pretty good so I don’t believe it was a stored energy issue.  The distance should not have been a problem either as I have ridden significantly further and faster.  My CV fitness is pretty good as I am rarely worse than slightly out of breath on any ride (unless I go for a mad sprint for some reason).  I wasn’t struggling for air this morning at all and my general health is fine.

I have however been going to bed far too late recently and getting up early.  Even on the weekend it is routinely beyond midnight before I turn in for the night and sometimes an hour or so after that.  I wish I could report that it was as a result of a hedonistic party lifestyle, but alas it is not.  It is a simple function of trying to enjoy a couple of hours of peace before bed but after the children have retired for the night.  Their summer-holiday induced later bedtimes have had a pro-rata impact on mine.

The upshot is though that my muscles don’t seem to be recovering as they should.  I feel tired.  Really tired and in need of a couple of good nights’ sleep.  I still have a few miles to go today though and short of resorting to sugar and caffeine overdose (the crash from which is truly awful) I’ll have to grit my teeth and then try for an early night.

Fingers crossed...

Feeling hot, hot hot!

There's no doubt about it we've had a pretty wet early summer in the UK.  For several weeks, I got wet pretty much every day on the bike and while it's not really so bad, it did get a little wearing. 

However, things have really changed for the better!  Since last weekend we've had some absolutely scorching temperatures, sunny days and clear blue skies.  It has been a blissful week to be commuting by bike.

The slight downside is that it's only Wednesday and I feel pretty knackered!  I've been eating plenty, taking water with me and a week's rest from the bike last week gave my legs some nice recovery time.  However, the heat is really taking it out of me.  The journey into work is not too bad as even though it's been bright, the morning temperatures are nice and cool.  A shower and change at work followed by a mug of tea and a banana see me set up for the day and ready to go.

Coming home is something else though.  I have been arriving home a hot, sweaty mess fit for little but collapsing on the sofa with a cold drink before mustering up the energy to eat something!  I'm really not complaining as when it's dark and miserable in the winter, I'll be praying for a day like today. 

I cling to the hope that working out in this heat will shift even more spare tyre from my waist and give me a lovely T-shirt tan for the summer!

I also have another good cycling related book on the go.  It is "The Man Who Cycled the Americas" by Mark Beamont and documents the author's cycle journey from the top of Alaska to to Southern tip of South America.  As is that weren't enough of a challenge, Mr. Beamont also threw climbing the highest peaks in North and South America (Denali and Aconcagua respectively) as well!  It's an engaging easy read and like all good cycling books makes me want to fetch out the Dahon and go for a ride.

By far and away the best way to travel!

A quick update

I've been working away this week and studying for a qualification (hence minimal time to update the blog). However, I did bring my bike and have adventures a-plenty to type up once I have the time...

However, I've also been reading rather a fine book too. It is called "One Man and His Bike" by Mike Carter in which Mr Carter tells the story of having cycling around the entire coast of Britain. As the blurb says, he got bored of the regular cycle-commute and just kept going. Inspiring indeed and definitely worth a read.

A brief update

I'm away on a course with work at the moment. Stuck on my own in a hotel for the week with no car. So to make sure I have something to do, I've brought my Dahon and looked up all of the national cycle routes in the area. There's much fun to be had and more to follow...



Here's the Dahon, curled up like a loyal hound, in the corner of my hotel room



I got hi-tech

I am currently glued to my new iPhone which, being way better than my old BB, means I can now blog on the go. Well maybe not actually from in the saddle but from the train at least.

Need one of those funky Bio-Logic phone mount/charger things now...hmmmm...