Misty morning on the Chesterfield Canal

Misty morning on the Chesterfield Canal
Originally uploaded by rob.appleyard

Taken very early on Saturday morning on my way to Sheffield. Between Worksop and Shireoaks.

Creative hedging

Seen recently on a ride out east. Can't recall where exactly but I think it was somewhere near East Markham. There were a number of others too, including a rabbit and an owl.

Windy Winnats

Cycling up Winnats Pass is hard at the best of times but going up recently in to the teeth of a stupidly strong headwind made me question my sanity. It probably would have been almost as quick to get off and walk but Look pedals and cleats meant that wasn't really an option. Grinding, gurning and gritting of teeth were all required.

Muchos credit to my mate Pete who made it up (without stopping) with his arse on this:


And whilst I was 'honking' on the pedals, he was 'honking' on this :-)

C-C-C-C-C-Cold

Well below freezing on the commute in this morning. The combination of clear blue sky and fields covered in white made for a beautiful ride but by golly it was cold. Fingers and toes numb for a while afterwards, and as for the skin on my cheeks ... The cold does encourage you to ride faster though.

Forecast is for it to be about -3 on my way back to Worksop later this evening and about -8 tonight. Nice.

Bl**dy farmers

I knew I shouldn't have replied to Ian's email about his spate of punctures! I'm actually no believer in fate but its usually better to keep your counsel when talking about stuff like that. The sunny weather in the early part of this week didn't just bring out more cyclists. It also brought out the local farmers with their flail hedge cutters. Now if anyone else decides to chuck vegetation all over the road then I'm pretty sure that, at best, you'd be yelled at and, at worst, be fined (heavily) for littering. So WHY do farmers think it is perfectly OK to leave decimated hawthorn hedge in their wake and not clear it up. It was so bad near Kiveton that it was impossible to pick a way through it all. The only small silver lining was that by leaving all the thorns in the tyres I could get back and fix the punctures at home. GITS.

2008 cycling goals

OK, I'm going to commit this to virtual paper. This year I plan to:

• Ride an average of 600 miles per month
• Ride at least four 200k audaxes (plus whatever BP's I can fit in)
• Go touring for a week somewhere in the UK (camping and on the cheap)
• Do the Esteli ride in July
• Do the Phil and Friends ride in August
• Join a club, do a 10 mile TT and then do another one trying to beat my time
• Do a night ride

First ride of 2008

Back at work tomorrow and the nasty cold I've suffered with for a week had just about gone so off we jolly well go. Decided on a circular route of sleepy Nottinghamshire villages and lanes that would keep me occupied for about 4 hours or so. Route here if you are interested. 56 miles in total.

It felt really cold and the wind on some of the more exposed sections was fairly stiff. My midriff was bright red when I got back despite wearing a fleece and my 'boil in the bag' cycling jacket. The watery sun did put in an appearance of sorts in the latter part of the ride though. Keeping moving was the key. No cafe/pub stops today although I did sit in a bus shelter in Bothamsall to eat some sandwiches. Blimey I felt cold and stiff when I decided to get going again.

Most of the route was lovely; largely quiet, narrow lanes lined with hedges and woodland to keep the worst of the wind away. Only the busy drag between Retford and Worksop on the last leg sapped at my high spirits.

An enjoyable ride but it felt tougher than it should have done and my knees were a bit stiff and sore afterwards. Suppose I could blame the nasty cold I've just got rid of but in reality I'm just unfit having been off the bike since a week before Xmas. I aim to put that right though.

Damn wind

Nothing like as bad as yesterday but still very blustery this morning and I was pretty knackered after a 20 mile commute into the teeth of it. Came down Gleadless Road this morning and it was actually quite tricky staying upright and in a straight line going down the steep 1 in 6 bit. Scary. Also realised that my front brake blocks had somehow loosened a bit and had turned through about 30 degrees. Basically braking against the tyre sidewall!!! Lucky it didn't cause a blow out. All sorted now and looking forward to being blown home this evening.

Pannier racks with disc brakes

I've been under the misapprehension that fitting a rear rack to a bike with disc brakes is virtually impossible. I came across this adaptation on a bike locked up outside my work. Looks quite ingenious although I'd worry about it being a bit unstable with 2 well loaded panniers.

Seen near Waitrose

I recently saw this lad grinding along on his bike; grinding being the operative word here as it was making a horrible noise as he struggled along. He stopped and chained it up near Waitrose supermarket and walked off. Me being me, my curiosity got the better of me and so I wandered over to have a looksie.

Oh dear! Maybe I should have left a note.

Becoming a 'happier' cyclist.

Sometimes its easy to forget about enjoying cycling for cycling's sake. I do that too often so have come up with a (far from exhaustive) list of tips/stuff to do that might lead to happier cycling. I think we should all try to do at least some of these once in a while.

1. Don't attach a cycle computer to your bike.


2. Just pootle. What's wrong with doing a 15 mile ride that takes 3 hours because you've stopped at a cafe and a pub? Nothing.


3. Say 'hello' to people as you pass them/they pass you.


4. Ignore the temptation to chase down the cyclist 200 yards in front of you. Just chill.


5. Similarly, if you notice someone behind you who is trying to catch you, don't try and speed up.


6. Fit some cheap platform pedals to your bike and go for a ride in an ordinary pair of shoes.


7. Go for a ride on a good bike in 'non-cycling' gear.


8. Don't think that spending £200 on a particular component will make you go significantly faster (or even faster at all).


9. Stop and take photos regularly.


10. Go for a ride in a the pouring rain.


11. Own a bike that you don't mind riding in a downpour.


12. Learn how to build a wheel (it really isn't difficult).


13. Always take a pump, spare inner tube and repair kit on a ride.


14. Feel comfortable about mixing and matching stuff on your bike(s).


15. Always stop and ask if another cyclist is OK if they are stopped at the side of the road.


16. Do a time-trial on a touring bike with panniers attached :-) At least you'll beat your time next time out.


17. Vary your commuting route often.


18. Just GO for a ride one morning and don't come back til dusk. No planning. No maps. No GPS. Just follow your nose.


19. Go for a night ride.


20. Go cycle camping for a night.


21. Make sure you spend (much) more time riding your bike than cleaning/fettling it.


22. Never sneer at another person's bike.


23. Ride down a big hill with your feet off the pedals, shouting 'wheeeeeeee'.


24. Buy stuff in your local bike shop(s) rather than from t'interweb.


25. Resist the temptation to become obsessive and a 'cycle-bore'.

Love your backside

What makes a cycling tour comfortable?
Originally uploaded by rob.appleyard

Saddles are definitely personal but for me the Brooks B17 is the only thing I'm happy sticking my arse on. I can cope with other saddles up to about 50-60 miles but I can ride on one of these all day with NO problems whatsoever.

I'm lucky in that I find them comfortable straight away - even before they have moulded themselves properly to my backside. OK, they aren't light, they need a modicum of TLC and I HATE it when I get them wet but look after them and they last years. Why sit on anything else?

Photos from my tour

Can be found here.

Rob's Tour de North part 7

Spent the next day fishing and drinking. When I say fishing I actually mean sat relaxing at the edge of a lake with a few beers and sharing a bottle of brandy. In nearly 12 hours we caught nowt but put that down to the fact that the lake was still swollen after the recent heavy rain. Didn't mind one jot. Just happy to relax for a day and enjoy the wildlife.

The following day was back to Sheffield. Dad kindly gave me a lift back to near Dunham Bridge and I cycled back home from there on a lovely afternoon. Another 39.6 miles to finish off my trip.

392 miles this week and all but a few of them extremely enjoyable. Can't wait for my next tour.

Rob's Tour de North part 6 (27/07/07)

What a day! Longest day in the saddle. Furthest I've ever ridden in a day. First ever century ride. I was chuffed and knackered in equal measure at the end of it. Nearly 126 miles and that into a strong head/cross wind on a loaded touring bike.

The original plan was to stop in Hornsea/Withernsea area or Hull (if my old friend Martin was around for beer). He wasn't and I felt strong so I decided to keep going to my Dad's house in Horncastle, Lincolnshire.

A marvellous breakfast at the Youth Hostel prepared me for the long day and I was soon climbing up on to the edges of the North York Moors. Lots of ups and downs for the 1st 15 miles with some steep bits chucked in to keep you on your toes (or out of your saddle would be more apt). More of an issue was the traffic on the A171. Busy and not very nice. Lovely to see the heather in bloom though. Dropped into Scarborough (my fave seaside resort) for my 1st cuppa and a cake and then climbed out and stuck to the main road to Bridlington. Another stop for a drink and then onwards to Hornsea at which point I'd made my mind up to press on down into Lincolnshire. Stopped at Hornsea Mere (like going back in time) for lunch and topped up my water bottles.

Looking down towards Scarborough

North beach at Scarborough

Hornsea Mere cafe

Then on towards Hull into the teeth of the wind with no shelter. I was pleasantly surprised by the centre of Hull. Very nice indeed. It was the 'Wilberforce weekend' and lots going on but I wasn't stopping. On towards the Humber Bridge along the Hessle Road. The bridge is free for bikes of course and I took the west path so it didn't feel like I was going to be blown into the water below. And then it started to rain.

Followed NCN route 1 on quiet roads towards Caistor. Stopped for a pee at about 90 miles and it hurt like hell!! A shortish 10% climb approaching Caistor and then the computer ticks over to 100.00. Yeah. Feels good. But still another 25 miles to go and I'v e run out of water. Oh well. There'll be a garage on the way though. Or a pub. Or a late shop. Was there bollocks! Climbed up on to the Wolds and then its rural roads and nothing til Horncastle. Bloody puncture near the Belmont transmitter mast with only 10 miles to go. A thorn! Actually, my arms were aching more than my legs or arse and so it took a bit of effort to get sufficient pressure in the tyre before I could set off again. Very thirsty by now but not long to go.




A long day

Rolled into Dads at about 8.20pm and very ready for a drink, a shower and something to eat. Feel quite knackered. Dad had cooked a wonderful roast beef dinner and plied me with bottles of real ale so I was a happy bunny. Good on him.

Todays stats:

Mileage: 125.6 miles
Max speed: 43.9mph
Av speed: 13.1 mph
Soakings: 1
Mechanicals: 1 puncture