Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Muppets Threads! (And Anything Else) => Topic started by: jags on December 30, 2012, 03:17:35 pm
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Not long back from a very wet miserable windy spin, one of those spins that you feel like picking up the bike and fireing it as far as you can over the nearest ditch >:(
the day started off well enough windy but nothing i havent faced before, ah i'll keep going i thinks to meself . 6 miles later things started to change suddenly the sky darkened the wind picked up to late i'm committed now must keep going ;)
ok it's 2 mile later i'm freezing cold wet through yeah yeah i know i should wore my rain jacket, so i stopped under a tree to put the jacket when a guy i thought i knew flew by me heading in the same direction (HOME) by the time i got the jacket on he gained about a minute no problem i figured i'll catch him on the slippery decent , nope he was gone never to be seen again and by this time i'm not alone been wet miserable cold i'm also knackered why did i go out today was i crazy ::) then i realized i was neary home and thought ,
hey that was a good auld spin i'm still here and maybe tomorrow will be just as bad if not worse.
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Just what I needed, a little motivation to get out for a ride today! 24F out with a 10 mph wind, gusts to 35 mph forecasted, snow and ice on the roads... perfect!
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We only had some heavy showers today a nice change from the lately persistant rain. Pauline and me did two shortish rides avoiding the Worcestershire floods, coming home in between to have some lunch. So only 42 miles done today.
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Ah you just got to do it jim the trick is pick a route so as your never more than 10 miles from home i have loads of these routes still good cycling . ;)
bikepacker thats great miles this time of year but then again you have your brain fine tuned to get on the bike every day i on the other hand DON@T. ::)
you know i don't think i'll ever make a cycle tourist i was thinking today while i was stiff with the cold trying to don the rain jacket , imaging Anto if you have to ride another 20 miles to a campsite and sleep under canves in this cold miserable weather when i could be tucked up nicely at home watching tv :'(
sad i know but fact.
so when you hardened cycle tourist are planning your next tour do you allow for days like these.i know i certainly dont i dream of sun sun and more sun well why not it's a holiday after all .
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You mean you wouldn't like to wake up to this view?
(http://www.bikepacker.co.uk/pictures/dunston04.jpg)
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I read this fun book recently, Younger Next Year - no great revelations really but a good kick in the pants. The number one message: exercise an hour a day, every day. The basic analogy is that during the last third of one's life there is a steady relentless tide dragging one down which is not really a catastrophe as long as one swims against it just as steadily and relentlessly.
My little ride today was just 10 miles but it was quite pleasant. Just 270 feet of climbing - enough to keep it interesting! My general average speed is just 10 mph. Maybe I should wear a heart monitor to make sure my ride is actual exercise but whenever I have done that I am always way above any sensible target zone. I got sweaty enough so I figure that works as an indicator.
I have all sorts of fantasy tours lined up = my latest dream is to ride down to New Orleans to visit my nephew. Got to check out his band:
http://babesuniverse.net/ (http://babesuniverse.net/)
1700 miles - maybe 35 days? Yeah, just go bowling or something when the weather gets ridiculous along the way!
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You mean you wouldn't like to wake up to this view?
(http://www.bikepacker.co.uk/pictures/dunston04.jpg)
hah very good ;D
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Maybe i'll try that in the new year Jim makes sense right enough.
tried to hear your sons music but it says the brouser i have wont allow it ,what ever that means. ???
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so when you hardened cycle tourist are planning your next tour do you allow for days like these.
Yep; part and parcel, jags. I know I'll be breaking through snow in the Cascades on my way to the desert, and I certainly will atop Steens Mountain -- assuming it is not too deep (as in meter-deep) to get up there. Same with Diamond Peak's Emigrant Pass. Laying out my gear, it seems ridiculous to pack my winter down bag for spring/early summer in the desert...until I remember I'll be spending time at altitude to get there, and can expect some snow and hailstorms while touring. Weather is variable!
For me, this is all part of the Adventure. I know I'll be encountering Weather, so I plan for that in what I take, and change gear accordingly while riding. I'm not a lay-around in the tent sort, so if it is a new day, I'm riding and use the tent just for sleeping (which is why my bivy-tent or 1-man tent seems roomy; I'm not in except to sleep). Cooking is outdoors, too; the rain fills the pots nicely and that is what rain gear is for. When I'm riding and it pounds down too hard to see, I get off the bike, squat down at the side of the road with head bent and arms around knees, and wait a bit for it to ease, then back on the bike I go.
One of my most precious memories is riding home from a tour through Oregon's Coast Range with Jack (Dad) in the midst of a heavy ice and snow storm. We awakened with the tents covered like Alan's photo, then found ourselves going through roadblocks where the rangers, state highway patrol and transport department had closed the roads ahead of us. Yes, it was cold and wet and a slog, but oh! the memories! The world was silent and white, and we saw deer and bunnies, and the evergreens shedding the packed-up snow from their branches with a "thump" when it hit the ground. If I close my eyes, I can almost smell the snow again -- that clean white smell as much taste as odor.
Nothing bad lasts forever, and one sees things during those times they'd never see otherwise. And, it's all in *how* you see it. When I was touring Europe, my tour partner became terribly discouraged and made grimly glum by the constant heavy rains we experienced. "I just want to go to a spa, soak in a hot tub, get a massage, and *be* after a full, hot meal". Me? "It's *Belgian* rain, and I'm lucky to be here to enjoy it. Nothing like Oregon rain!" I thought he'd swing for me. :-\
The finest tool in my kit is a Good Attitude, looking for the best and considering it a privilege to be out in Whatever. When in the midst of such things, I have only to think of my peers and neighbors, huddled around the Tube and living life vicariously. Meanwhile, I'm out *in* it, living it firsthand. Same applies at home when riding or during my daily 5-mile walks, when rain doesn't stop me. I've not melted yet, and shoes and socks can be changed and jackets dried.
So, good on ya, jags! You and that other cyclist were out in the stuff and got to see and feel things your neighbors can't imagine. The hiss of the tires, the sting of the drops on your face, the mist and the clouds and the rest of it, with memories to keep and play back while sitting around the fire After.hey that was a good auld spin i'm still here and maybe tomorrow will be just as bad if not worse.
Exactly! Just the way to see it. I'd ride with you anytime!
All the best,
Dan. (...who thinks it is a beautiful day, whatever the weather)
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Really don't know how you do it Dan thats the truth.
i suppose over here your not far away from help or shelter unlike you guy's and the uk is very much like ireland terraine wise ;)
i remember when i done the camino i could not get it into my little head how long the roads were as far as the eye could see and the same both side of the road NOTHING ;D ;D you dont get that here.
ah i'm to old to change now i'm a fair weather cyclists thats for sure you wont catch anto hunking down by the side of the road waiting for the storm to pass not on your life. ::) ;)
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Nice thread. I posted this on a different forum earlier today.
Tough ride around the Campsies. Set off at 8AM in the dark and just plodded out into the headwind, although it was at least dry. On the return the rain started very heavily which turned to snow coming back over the Crow. Was totally soaked and the everything felt frozen and leaden. Settled into a slow grovel up the the Crow and watched the snow build up on my gloves and handlebars. I ride this road a lot, and usually think nothing of it, but today I felt like I'd achieved something coming over there.
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yeah who said cycling was easy. ;)
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Nice thread. I posted this on a different forum earlier today.
Tough ride around the Campsies. Set off at 8AM in the dark and just plodded out into the headwind, although it was at least dry. On the return the rain started very heavily which turned to snow coming back over the Crow. Was totally soaked and the everything felt frozen and leaden. Settled into a slow grovel up the the Crow and watched the snow build up on my gloves and handlebars. I ride this road a lot, and usually think nothing of it, but today I felt like I'd achieved something coming over there.
Is that the Campsies north of Glasgow Scotland? If so, that's my old stomping ground.
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With visiting commitments I only did 19 miles today but they were enjoyable even though a little damp before lunch. This has given me a total for the year of: 10,558 miles
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9 miles today, but 1120 feet of climbing, so that got my heart rate up!
3173 miles for the year.
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Is that the Campsies north of Glasgow Scotland? If so, that's my old stomping ground.
Yep, thats them alright. I live in Milton of campsie, so those are very much my stomping / grovelling ground. Where is your new stomping ground matt ?
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my worst year ever on a bike.best forgotten me thinks. :'(
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hey jags - you got out - celebrate the little things, that's what I think. I never live up to my hopes or expectations. I like to aim high but try not to get discouraged by my shortfalls. Hey, not only do you get out, but you inspired me too!
Happy New Year!
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Agreed, Jim! No bad days on a bike; if you get out at all, it's a victory!
Good on ya for giving it a go, jags; all the best your way!
Dan. (...who enjoys the Tour de Neighborhood as much as a long, long loaded expedition)
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your right lads every day you get out of the bed is a good day,
yeah i've had my share of bad days but i suppose the good days make up for all that.
2013 is a new start maybe i'll do more overnighters instead of dreaming about this wonderful tour thats never going to happen ::).
jim its hard to believe a guy like me could ever inspire a well read guy like you but if i gave you a laugh along the way then te jobs a good one.
happy new year lads i'm off to make meself a nice cup of coffee.
chees
jags.
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Overnighters are not overrated, jags!
If you put together a little SOL kit like mine, then you can do "casual overnighters" or Sub240s (Sub-24hour Overnighters) without much planning. Just keep several meals' worth of food and some stove fuel in your stores, and if you get "out there" too far from home to manage a return or just want to explore, simply set up camp and pretend a tour broke out. :D
I plan to start doing more of that this Spring. Instead of a 400K that is out-and-back, I will now have the option of 200-300K out and then explore a bit or take my time coming back the next morning instead of riding on through the night. So often I've gotten a good 200km or so from home and wished I could explore that area a bit more. Now...I can!
At 6-8lbs/2.7-3.6kg all-up for bivy-tent, pad, down bag good to freezing, my little pocket kitchen with .75oz/21g meths stove, some dried soups and energy bars and my sack of rain gear, I'm all set for a fine overnighter where I'll go to bed and depart warm, dry, and well-fed on hot food. If I leave the bulk of the gear packed in my rack pack, then all I have to do is velcro it on, toss a wind jacket and longsleeve jersey and tights in the HB bag, and I'm off for three seasons of the year here in the Valley and lower mountain elevations.
Even going out of an afternoon and enjoying Camp Life in the evening, listening to the mosquito hawks and night sounds before retiring to the little tent is a treat, then up early and back by 9AM is awfully hard to beat. "Best show (not on) television" is my motto.
All the best,
Dan. (...who encourages others to grab Life as they can; it goes past too quickly as it is!)
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Hi Jags,
I've picked up this thread a little late, and have just seen your comment re the Camino.
I'm impressed! (I bet we ALL are)
Did you walk or cycle?
Please feel free to share some of the detail with us.
All the best for 2013
pj
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hi peter yeah the camino was my first time out of ireland hey let me out every now and again. ;D
the lads i used to cycle with invited me they do these kinda trips every year there blog eh i'll post it shortly.
well peter i was like a child in a sweet shop we started in a wee town not far from bilbao lovely spot to be honest the first thing that struck me was how smooth the roads were and the weather man oh man what fantastic weather,and to cap it all i was flying that year loads of miles in me little legs and 2 stone 12.7kl lighter .
we did that trip on road bikes i was on my now sold look kx light flying machine i hit over 60mph on one of the big mountain passes down the other side obviously ;D ;D
the lad that was doing the route had done the same trip with his son the year before so he knew exactly where we were going ,best cycling ever in my life enjoyed every pedal stroke .
if you have never been to spain (i'm sure you have) it's a beautiful country lovely people especally in the sticks ;D we stayed in 3 and 4 star hotels along the way done 100 miles every day i got the bonk on the last stage but still finished a full hour ahead of the lads ah it was super love to do it on the sherpa but it would be a tough gig thats for sure.
i'll try and find the blog and post it up yours truly is standing beside st james on top of one of the tough climbs. ;)
http://travellingwheelburys.blogspot.ie/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=2
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camino is 2006 appian way italy i was on that tour as well disaster to many wrong turns which meant a awful lot of cycling on motorways how we didn't end up in jail i dont know ::)
thats me in blue top.
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i was flying
Yeah, that's it, inspiring, absolutely!
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Not inviting you to West Cork, Anto. 640km is what I do in 6 months, not days.
Andre Jute
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Ah i was in great shape then Andre guess i was all excited at riding my bike in sunshine ;D
living in west cork theres no need to travel anywhere stunning part of the country. ;)
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Wow!! and thanks so much Anto.
I would absolutely love to do the Camino. I hadn't really known much about until Anne and I walked the Coast to Coast route in 2009. (St. Bees Head to Robin Hood Bay) We met a couple of people at different stages who had walked the Camino and it's been at the back of my mind ever since.
I only recently found out that it's suitable for cycling... Australia is just too far from these great places!! I think that's why my daughter lives in the UK ;)
All of you guys look fairly fit. I reckon you would have had a ball!
Cheers,
pj
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peter it was a fantastic trip ,we met a few lads on fully loaded touring bikes actually got talking to one of them on a big climb i told him to put his panniers in our van and we will take them to the top of the climb but he insisted it was he pennants :o we met the same guy in santiago he just rode into the square with a smile as big as a plate having finished his tour lovely guy.
we went in the off season so hotels were cheap 35 euro average a night shareing 4 star hotels ;)
yeah a great trip hasn't been better as yet. but yeah it would cost you a small fortune to get to it i reckon maybe you should plan a tour taking in the tour de france and on to the camino could be done but a lot of climbing but what a tour fantastic, mind you july it would be hot. ;D
cheers
jags.
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Yep, thats them alright. I live in Milton of campsie, so those are very much my stomping / grovelling ground. Where is your new stomping ground matt ?
I lived in Bearsden 17 years ago. Now in Dumfries & Galloway. Nice area but no hills like the Campsies.
What do you ride? I have a Dawes Sardar at the moment but will sortly take delivery of a Raven.
matt
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Forgive me asking perhaps an obvious question but is this the spot we record our days ride?
Also, is it in order to start a page where we can log our previous year totals?
If so, I will let someone else kick it off in case I set it up incorrectly.
I rode 2646 miles in 2012
Matt on a Sardar but shortly a Raven
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Those are two good ideas, Matt.
I'm just sitting here letting my lunch settle while I contemplate riding for the first time in three weeks despite the sharpish wind.
So yes, record your day's ride here. Or you can start a thread for yourself, as for instance Jim has, with his Catskills Nomad thread. I rather like the idea of the less heroic riders than Jim clubbing together in this thread.
I'll start a thread on the annual mileage for everyone.
Andre Jute
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Those are two good ideas, Matt.
I'm just sitting here letting my lunch settle while I contemplate riding for the first time in three weeks despite the sharpish wind.
So yes, record your day's ride here. Or you can start a thread for yourself, as for instance Jim has, with his Catskills Nomad thread. I rather like the idea of the less heroic riders than Jim clubbing together in this thread.
I'll start a thread on the annual mileage for everyone.
Andre Jute
Thanx Andre. I think I will wait until I take delivery of my Raven before starting a thread on my own daily rides and experiences.
Matt
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...will sortly take delivery of a Raven.
Wonderful news! I knew you were considering several models, and it sounds like the new Thorn Raven won out -- Yay! New-bike excitement is in the air!
When is it scheduled to arrive, Matt?
Best,
Dan. (...who can just feel the electricity in that one, casually-dropped statement)
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Hang on there Dan. I have sourced a nearly new Raven Tour presently surrounded by snow in Bulgaria.
As soon as my good friend Andy can dig himself out, locate a courier, accept my payment and send it off, I will be a proper member of the Thorn Club.
And yes, I am as excited as a kitten with two tails.
Matt
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Still great news matt ,best of luck with the new baby. if it has rohloff it will take some getting used to i would imagine.
i remember when i first got the sherpa first spin was like riding a tank, :o i was kinda thinking i made a big mistake buying this bike. took me yonks to get used to it as i was coming from riding lightweight bikes all my life. but these days i love great bike to ride all day comfort and looks great as well which is very important ;)
anyway matt enjoy it when you do finally get it.
jags.
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Thanks Jags.
Driving a tank? That may help me with a name for the new bike.
Sherman
Tiger
Panther
Churchill
Abrams
Guess it should be British since I am this side of the pond.
Covanenter
Valentine
Mathilda
Humm. Not many roll off the tongue.
But then of course I will be on a Rohloff
:D :D :D
Sorry ::)
Someone once said they would ride their bike for a while and then a name would become apparent
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Matt,
You do realize, of course...the cost of public ownership is some photos in the gallery!
Looking forward to seeing your new prize, and following its development in your ownership.
All the best,
Dan.
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Wasn’t it a fabulous January day today? :)
Did some climbing practice over the Malvern Hills, including Evendine Lane, one of my favourites. I took a flask of tea with me and sat up by the Gullet car park and had lunch in bright sunshine looking over the Severn Valley.
Only did 41 miles but very enjoyable. :)
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to cold for me to do big miles just managed 20, there was a freezing fog all day here in drogheda not much better for tomorrow ::) but if it's anyway good i'll try for another 20 ;)
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Fantastic, Alan (I could just "see" your lunchtime stop), and good for you, Anto. It is hard when the weather is not cooperating. I got out in the rain early this morning for a quick (and I do mean quick; I was flying at an average of 17mph/27kph in hilly terrain) 35mi/56km on the Nomad, and plan to get in a similar distance this afternoon if I can manage it between work.
It just feels good to get outside and on the bike!
All the best,
Dan.
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13mph average ::) for me.
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Not bad at all, jags, not at all! I've seen the hills you're riding. You did well to manage that; I probably could not.
All the best,
Dan.
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just looked outside Dan it's like soup out there and boy is it cold the wee car if frozen.
i have plenty of 10 mile routes i can do 10 out 10 back and loads of hills if i want to go there,
only problem i have with hilly routes when theres frost about it's dodgy a fella could come down real quick :o.
but it still nice to get out when the air is cold and crisp just hope the fog lifts.
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Can't tell you an average for me, it is one measurement that is of no interest to me.