Still not there. What are they waiting for? Maybe something to delay? This week school starts again after the summer break. Ideal.
Sunday, 2 September 2007
Back to reality
After the heady days of sunny cycling in August, this week saw the return of dark dank mornings heavy with drizzle. A foretaste of things to come as autumn draws near. Thoughts necessarily turn to high-viz jackets for the dark mornings, warmer gear to keep out the cold and charging and testing the lights ready for remounting on the bike. The temperature was hovering around 10C and the sun was unable to break through the blanket of cloud. Getting muscles warm takes a bit longer and I find for a short commute, I'll wear more than I usually would for a longer ride.
It also felt strange to get back on the road bike after using the mountain bike for three weeks. It wasn't just the contrast between the skinny tyres on the road bike and the fat ones on the mountain bike. No, even though all the bits are adjusted for correct height and everything, the difference in geometry and riding position also make a big difference. I thought I'd feel fitter on the road bike but it just didn't seem as good. It'll soon wear off.
Hopefully this is not the end of good weather just yet as I want to leave the winter cycling jacket tucked away for as long as possible. There's always talk of an Indian summer and with luck, September will provide some nice days to get some rides in.
It also felt strange to get back on the road bike after using the mountain bike for three weeks. It wasn't just the contrast between the skinny tyres on the road bike and the fat ones on the mountain bike. No, even though all the bits are adjusted for correct height and everything, the difference in geometry and riding position also make a big difference. I thought I'd feel fitter on the road bike but it just didn't seem as good. It'll soon wear off.
Hopefully this is not the end of good weather just yet as I want to leave the winter cycling jacket tucked away for as long as possible. There's always talk of an Indian summer and with luck, September will provide some nice days to get some rides in.
Saturday, 1 September 2007
End of August already
August was a good month, personally. It was a good month for others as well. Jill in Juneau bagged her 1000 miles in a month. Another commuter, Jeff, made his goal of cycling to work for a month. Well done Jeff and long may it continue. Jeff's commute is 8 miles each way, but what makes it impressive is that he lives in Phoenix, Arizona and the theme that comes over from his blog is his battle with the extreme heat and the ways to combat it. Back in the UK, Gus from Cardiff, continues his weight loss programme having lost more than a stone after six weeks.
Over in France, the Velib cycle scheme in Paris has also been deemed a success. A friend visited recently and found it worked really well.
I fulfilled the objective of cycling regularly to work plus getting in plenty of cycling on holiday.
In France we explored sentiers, chemins and Velo Tout Terrain tracks. I even got lost in a forest once, rescued only by the GPS showing me where on the hillside I was heading. There's plenty of great cycling in France. One of the more memorable days was sitting eating Neuchatel cheese in a baguette by a lock on the Canal du Nivernais in the Morvan region. That day we travelled 44 miles and saw lots of cycle tourists - a popular holiday in France. That's one for next year.
In the English lake district we had some excellent mountain bike rides. One day we took the bikes on the ferry across Windermere and did 15 miles off road around Wray and Claife Heights. Another day, we did a mixed route taking in a Scottish beer festival at the Watermill at Ings where Atlas Lattitude, a draught pilsner, was a favourite. We also enjoyed a day's outing on bridleways around the Winster valley. Most of the rides concluded with a refreshing drink in glorious sunshine. Definitely one of life's pleasures. As well as fine Scottish ales we had the excellent Hawkshead Bitter at the brewery in Staveley, the Claife Crier and Sun Inn at Crook. A sad note to end the month was that the renowned writer on beer and whisky, Michael Jackson, died on Thursday. He travelled the world writing and speaking about real beer. His advocacy helped bring greater awareness of small breweries and the variety of wonderful beers on offer across the globe. This post is dedicated to him.
Over in France, the Velib cycle scheme in Paris has also been deemed a success. A friend visited recently and found it worked really well.
I fulfilled the objective of cycling regularly to work plus getting in plenty of cycling on holiday.
In France we explored sentiers, chemins and Velo Tout Terrain tracks. I even got lost in a forest once, rescued only by the GPS showing me where on the hillside I was heading. There's plenty of great cycling in France. One of the more memorable days was sitting eating Neuchatel cheese in a baguette by a lock on the Canal du Nivernais in the Morvan region. That day we travelled 44 miles and saw lots of cycle tourists - a popular holiday in France. That's one for next year.
In the English lake district we had some excellent mountain bike rides. One day we took the bikes on the ferry across Windermere and did 15 miles off road around Wray and Claife Heights. Another day, we did a mixed route taking in a Scottish beer festival at the Watermill at Ings where Atlas Lattitude, a draught pilsner, was a favourite. We also enjoyed a day's outing on bridleways around the Winster valley. Most of the rides concluded with a refreshing drink in glorious sunshine. Definitely one of life's pleasures. As well as fine Scottish ales we had the excellent Hawkshead Bitter at the brewery in Staveley, the Claife Crier and Sun Inn at Crook. A sad note to end the month was that the renowned writer on beer and whisky, Michael Jackson, died on Thursday. He travelled the world writing and speaking about real beer. His advocacy helped bring greater awareness of small breweries and the variety of wonderful beers on offer across the globe. This post is dedicated to him.
Thursday, 30 August 2007
It's all relative
I started reading 'Up in Alaska' a while ago because it was a cycling related blog. What caught my eye was the weather in the photographs. Here, I thought, is someone who cycles whatever the weather, but the weather looks worse than here in north west England where the high levels of rainfall and low hours of sunshine are renowned. Since then I've followed the exploits of Jill, the author, through her prose and now, her story, as well as the images, keep me reading.
She's not what you'd call a regular commuter though. She's a journalist in Juneau, Alaska and works late in the day, leaving the early hours to grind out some miles both road and mountain. She trains for competive events and records her distance on the blog. I haven't tended to keep a tally of the miles I've travelled since I'm only a recreational and commuting cyclist, but recently I've been doing more riding and so I've kept a total. This month has been good because the bikes came with us on holiday and we did plenty of extra rides. I was hoping to top out about 300 miles for the month (quite exceptional for me). As it is, it will be nearer 270. Jill in Juneau, on the other hand, is hoping to clock 1000 miles. I hope she does it.
She's not what you'd call a regular commuter though. She's a journalist in Juneau, Alaska and works late in the day, leaving the early hours to grind out some miles both road and mountain. She trains for competive events and records her distance on the blog. I haven't tended to keep a tally of the miles I've travelled since I'm only a recreational and commuting cyclist, but recently I've been doing more riding and so I've kept a total. This month has been good because the bikes came with us on holiday and we did plenty of extra rides. I was hoping to top out about 300 miles for the month (quite exceptional for me). As it is, it will be nearer 270. Jill in Juneau, on the other hand, is hoping to clock 1000 miles. I hope she does it.
Monday, 6 August 2007
Down in the Valley
The weather was lovely yesterday. Bright sunshine and temperature around 22C. Mrs. Psychalist and I took advantage and enjoyed a 25 mile tour of the Ribble Valley. There were loads of people out. At one point it seemed there were more cyclists than cars. They were all going in different directions, all shapes and sizes, some on tandems, road bikes, mountain bikes, the lot. Whilst stopped in the sun having some lunch we even saw a couple, possibly Canadian, touring with a trailer. Nearly everyone giving a knowing nod or a smile, each thinking how lucky we are. Purfect.
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