Progress so far...

June 30th 2009 - 22 stone 4Ibs. Current weight - 17 stone 1Ib. Weight loss - 5 stone 3Ibs. Commuting miles - 3389.
Non commuting miles - 359. Mileage this week - 101 miles. Total mileage - 3748 miles.


Saturday 5 June 2010

Technical dramas...

I was up early doors to crack on with Phill's challenge of 100 off road miles in June. And I mean early doors! According to my Cyclemeter App I started riding at 0422hrs. I was well chuffed with the early start it meant I could get some serious miles in and get myself on the scoreboard.

I started off on my usual way over the Waseley's then headed off towards Clent via some bridalways around Belbroughton and get as far as Hagley/Blakedown and bridalway my way back via Stourbridge. Well, that was my plan.

My first puncture happened just over the Waseley's, then rather than bore you all with it I had a total of 7 punctures along the route. Nope, you did read that right, 7 punctures, 2 of which happened front and back together on the bridalway down by Bradford House! Add on to that the bite valve on my Camelbak constantly leaking so I had to ride with it permanently in my mouth and the battery being flat on my digi camera and I had the feeling that this ride was damned from the start. So I decided to cut my losses and get home a bit early. We are off out over the Cotswolds later with the kids to visit Broadway Tower anyway.

Photos of ride below.


Sunrise over the Waseley's from a Belbroughton bridalway.






My double puncture at Bradford House.





Interesting bit of industrial heritage on the village green at Belbroughton. Look at the year on the plaque, I'm surprised it was sourced from the States then as Birmingham was the workshop of the world at the time.



The climb up to Walton Hill Clent with Worcestershire spread out below.




Trig point at the top of Walton Hill.

So, that was my first effort to get a 100 in for June, a bit disappointing to be honest, I did enjoy it though and the puncture thing is just part of MTBing, but the flat camera battery was bad admin on my part and I'll have to get a new bite valve for the Camelbak.

It was in its own way as disappointing as my weigh in yesterday, I put a pound on! How the flipping heck that happened I do not know, 116 commuting miles and I was good with my food too. In the words of the great Brummie songstress Toyah Wilcox, it's a mystery.

Stats here, just look at the average speed FFS!

Started: 5 Jun 2010 04:22:46
Ride Time: 2:40:12
Stopped Time: 29:58
Distance: 14.77 miles
Average: 5.53 miles/hr
Fastest Speed: 32.07 miles/hr
Climb: 1657 feet
Calories: 1056

And track here for audit purposes:

http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/d1c4/1bb6/4b96/d37e/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20100605-0422.kml


Yesterday's pedal home was a very enjoyable Canal, NCR5 Lickey Loop, the nice weather had everyone out and I was constantly dodging pedestrians along the way, mostly who were wearing Ipods and seemed blissfully unaware of stuff happening around them. It does annoy me.

Stats here:

Started: 4 Jun 2010 11:46:02
Ride Time: 1:11:45
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 15.86 miles
Average: 13.01 miles/hr
Fastest Speed: 20.43 miles/hr
Climb: 837 feet
Calories: 843



14 comments:

  1. Cracking work on the riding!
    And I've said it before, and I'll say it again - TUBELESS!!

    Don't get too caught up on just the weight issue. If your goal is to get more trim, then think about getting a body-fat analyser. And don't forget to measure your waist/etc.

    One question though - 0422?!?! Does such a time exist?
    This is because muscle weighs more than fat (by volume). So, it could be that you lost 1lb's of fat and gained 2lb of muscle!

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  2. That's wierd. My comment didn't look like that when I typed it. The 'one question though' was at the end. Wierd.

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  3. Cheers Bazza, I am enjoying the pedalling, but the primary goal is weight loss.

    I'll have a nose at tubeless tyres too.

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  4. 7 punctures?? I dont think I even carry that many patches, plus the punctures you had during the week makes me think you have a bike built by the antichrist.

    Do you have that plastic stuff around the inside of the tyre? The stuff thats supposed to help against punctures.

    That pic of your bike upside down almost looks like the Olympic logo lol. Maybe its time to go back to the old solid rubber wheels like we used to have on our trikes as kids :)

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  5. 4:22am beats me, I thought I was doing well starting off at 8am from the Studland car Park (30 minute drive from home)

    In regards to your weight, have you been drinking extra fluids due to the heat?? That will add to your weight.

    I know the Broadway Tower, just round the corner from my works HQ, take your bike, you can try riding up Fish Hill :o

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  6. 7 punctures, unreal. Enjoy Broadway tower, the view from there / fish hill is one of my favorite views in the UK, love seeing Evesham vale with the Malverns away in the distance and the mass of Bredon hill smack in the middle, ahhh brilliant :)

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  7. 7!!
    I would have been in a real mess. I normally only carry one spare tube.

    Went through a stage of getting loads om cyclepaths too. Stupid glass an thorns.

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  8. I'm going for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres on the cross bike...unless I am actually going to do cross then it can have knobblies back on it...

    I tried slime tubes....didnt get on with them....on the road bikes I settled on Michelin Krylion Carbon's - Good resistant band.

    I think you showed excellent stamina continuing after the third puncture.....I would have given up and gone home!

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  9. That is seriously bad luck mate!

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  10. They do say 7 is a lucky number, and after that bike ride, things can only get better!

    Yeah, very weird how that piece of machinery came from the US. I wonder if was unusual in some way, and fulfilled a specific need for a certain workshop. Or maybe one of the owners had an American connection ...

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  11. YIKES, that is a lot of flats. Flats are so frustrating, I am using a 'slime' tube in the rear, so far so good, no flats.
    Happy rides.
    Dave

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  12. Thanks for the comments folks. I think punctures are an occupational hazard especially at the moment with the farmers cutting hedgerows back thus producing a shed load of thorns!

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  13. 7 punctures in one ride is easily explained.

    Getting up and out at Stupid O'Clock just means you get amongst the Puncture Faeries before everyone else. No one else has been by so you get all their early attention.

    How to solve that problem?

    Stay in bed longer!

    Luv 'n Stuff
    Fuzzy

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  14. It's a balancing act mate, if I stay in bed and try to get out later then I won't be able to as the "she who must be obeyed fairy" will be able aim all of her attention at me and stop me getting out...

    (only joking love...)

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