Posh Proves Perfect.

Thursday 28th Jan 2016. An Afternoon Training Ride.

I was busy during the morning attending a seminar in Fareham, so was unable to join the Groupetta ride to link up with the HCMF group at the Bear & Ragged Staff. I believe that Simon and Andrew went and rode about 42 miles. 

I got back home just after one o'clock and decided to get out on my bike as soon as possible as it was such a lovely day after the recent wet ones. I popped a pizza in the oven to cook while I changed and got Posh out of his hibernation. He was eager to get going to show me that anything Milo could do he could do better. He did not disappoint. The two bikes are very similar in many ways but I haven't  got the riding position on Milo quite right yet . 

I like the saddle and handlebars on Posh better than Milo's and the Zertz inserts in the forks and rear stays of Posh definitely make the ride a little smoother. The gears are a bit higher on Milo so for fast rides without too many hills he is probably a little faster. 

I decided to try to keep away from mud and grit as much as possible so took the road over Armsworth Hill to Wield rather than the one through Bighton to Medstead. So far so good, but between Wield and Bentworth the road was very muddy and slippery, where tractors were working in and out of fields bringing the mud with them. 

I was tempted to stop for tea at the Avenue G.C. but decided one of their Belgian Buns would be too much of a good thing.

I decided to pay a visit to Alton dropping down that steep hill into the town. It drops about 300 feet in a mile. At the bottom the college and schools were just turning out so there were kids and buses everywhere. I stopped for the "lollipop lady" and she thanked me very nicely. Next I passed two buses that were trundling along the high street at a very slow speed and headed out of town via the underpass to Chawton. Here I paused to look in one of the gardens and to admire the crocuses. I only had my phone to take a picture so I am a little disappointed by the resulting pictures which do not show the crocus very well. 

I hightailed it along the A32 into the setting sun with a bit of a headwind, so I was pleased when I turned off towards Ropley. Then I crossed the Petersfield Road into Monkwood and took the lane to West Tisted. A very large puddle here about 75 yards long completely across the road tested the efficiency of Posh's new crud catcher. I only got a couple of splashes on my back, so top marks for that. Not far to go now, mainly downhill, so I made good time home arriving about 16.20, well before sunset at 16.48.

A very satisfactory training session in preparation for my Audax on Sunday. Here as usual are my map and details.

GRIDIRONMAN.

Milo brings home the bacon!

Thursday 21st Jan. 2015. HCMF meet at The Bishop's Mitre, Chilbolton.

The roads were free of ice and not too wet so I chose to take Milo out for another ride. The HCMF were meeting in Chilbolton so I thought that would be a suitable distance to have a decent test ride.

However the most direct route would get me there too early so I chose to loop around through Longparish.

On the way to Kingsworthy I passed Martyn and another rider heading for Alresford. Then on the climb from The King Charles towards Stoke Charity I exchanged greetings with Debs's horse riding friend.

I made exceptional time to Stoke Charity just over 44.5 minutes. Still not good enough to rival my other Groupetta pals.

In Bullington I encountered a tractor hedge trimming, covering the road with debris. Closer inspection revealed that it was a mixture of hazel, hawthorn and blackthorn. Not wanting another puncture, I stopped before the debris field and carried Milo for the next couple of hundred yards. Fortunately it was not longer.

I arrived at the pub to find that despite my detour I was still quite early and only Roger was present, enjoying the log fire. One advantage of being early was I was the first one to get served with lunch. This also gave me the opportunity to circulate amongst the other riders for a chat.

It was still only a little after one when I left the others so decided to loop again, this time to Stockbridge and Kings Somborne. As you can see from my splits I could not keep up that early pace, but I did manage an overall average moving speed of 12 mph.

On my way home I stopped for short break by Crawley Pond which still had a lot of ice on it.

Instead of going to Three Maids Hill for a change I went through Littleton and down Wellhouse Lane to Kingsworthy.

I was home about 3.20 p.m. in dire need of a cup of tea. Having had a good day out on Milo. (NO PUNCTURES)

I intend to ride Posh at the earliest opportunity to compare his performance with  that of Milo before choosing which one to ride on an Audax on Jan 31st.

GRIDIRONMAN

 

Milo gets new tyres.

Tuesday 19th January 2016. 

Busy in the morning but wanting to test Milo after his recent adjustments  I decided, at noon, that it was too nice a day to stay indoors despite the low temperatures and I set off for a test run. I was thinking perhaps of lunch at the Avenue G.C. After a good climb up to Medstead as I entered Bentworth I spotted these fun sculptures.

Sadly shortly afterwards as I passed the Star I felt the back tyre was going soft. Oh! No! I thought, we've not cured the problem. I was undecided as to what to do. It seemed to me there were three options.

1. Check the tyre for foreign bodies and change the tube.
2. Ring for another rescue.
3. Walk to Owens Cycles to get Owen's help in solving the problem, as it seemed there might still be a basic fault.

I decided on the third, as although it was a bit chilly, it was a lovely sunny day and it was only a few miles to the shop. This turned out to be a good choice. As before Owen was very sorry that I had had another problem and immediately set to work to find out what was the cause. In the end it transpired that the cause was a tiny flint which had penetrated the tyre. When I said I was unhappy about the number of flats I had had, he said after all it was only a puncture and they happen. However when I said I was not very happy with Milo, Owen immediately offered to replace both tyres and tubes with better ones. I accepted his offer and he upgraded the tyres to Derano Plus Etape. I was not only pleased by his response but was also encouraged by his kind words to persevere with Milo. 

I also was given some valuable tips on how to change a tyre efficiently. 

The ride home was uneventful, but I did manage a decent average speed of nearly 14 mph for that segment and an overall moving speed (Not counting the walking) of 12.4 mph.

I was home about 3.30 and by 4.30 I was sitting down to a lunch of sausages with onions, baked spud, baked beans and sugarsnap peas. To round off the meal I had banoffee cheesecake with ice cream. Well I was quite peckish by then!

Gridironman.

A Turbulent Week.

It has been a very interesting week for me. On Tuesday I bought a new (to me) bike and joined the Winchester CTC for a short ride. On Wednesday I took out the new bike for another ride which ended in ignominy, having to be recovered by my daughter in her car. Then on Saturday I led the Winchester CTC Intermediate Ride in somewhat icy conditions. 

Tuesday 12th Jan 2015. New bike & a gentle ride.

After a visit to the doctors I drove to Four Marks to conclude a deal I had negotiated with Owen for a very tidy second hand Merida Road Lite 903 with modifications to improve the specification. Owen had prepared the bike with suitable pedals and a new casette with lower gears. I took it for a ride around Four Marks, covering about three miles, including some uphills and fast downhills. I just loved it. In essence it is very similar to my Posh. I wonder if it is too much like it. My plan is to ride both and see how they compare.

We concluded the deal and I drove home with my new acquisition on the roof. Just in time to spot John Spiers on his bike turning into the Swan car park. I told him I intended to join him and the Winchester CTC after their coffee break. This I did and I had a good test of the bike's capabilities by climbing Mollie's Dismount and battling into the very strong wind along the road from Micheldever to Stoke Charity and Kingsworthy, surprisingly setting a new PB for the segment from Micheldever to Kingsworthy. En route I chatted to Julie about bike names and decided to name my new bike Milo.

We had lunch at the King Charles.  It was a very enjoyable social ride & good craic. I rode home alone afterwards setting a new PB for the segment from the M3 to Itchen Abbass.

Wednesday 13th Jan 2015. Milo & I have problems.

Andrew invited me to join him for a ride to West Meon for C&C so I decided as it was fine and dry to give Milo another turn. All went well at first, climbed to the Milbury's making good use of the lower gears before enjoying the great views from the ridge. We descended into Droxford finding our path blocked by a closed road. As I climbed the short diversion I realized I had a flat tyre. With Andrew's help I managed to find out how my new pump worked and after a bit of a struggle I managed to change the tube. We were unable to trace any source of the problem. We climbed Watton Lane onto the ridge where I realised my tyre was flat again. We repaired the tube. Andrew noticed that the rim tape had moved to one side and curled over exposing the spoke holes. He tried to adjust it but after we had re-inflated the tyre it went flat again immediately. I concluded it was time for help so phoned my daughter Sarah to ask if she could recover me. I told Andrew to push on and enjoy the rest of his somewhat curtailed ride. Rather than hang around in the cold wind I walked back down the hill to Droxford and along the A32 to Corhampton where I waited in the bus shelter out of the wind. Sarah eventually arrived having had some problems with finding me, thanks to mobile phones we managed to connect. I should have been more specific about where I would meet her. What a star she is! Thanks!

Of course when we got back to Alresford we had a cuppa and a good natter. After she left I went with the wheel to Owens Cycles. Owen was very apologetic and promptly replaced the rim tape and tube. He also gave me another tube and told me to bring back the other wheel so he could replace the tape on that one too. He has since done that. Very good and quick service.

Saturday 16th Jan. 2015 I led the Winchester CTC Ride.

I was very worried by the forecast on Friday night as it seemed likely we would have rain followed by a frost. When I woke on Saturday morning I found there had been no rain but there had been a sharp frost.  I walked into town to get a paper and to check out the road and path surfaces. I found them to be largely OK. However knowing some of the lanes were likely to be still wet with recent heavy rains I had it in mind to change my planned route if necessary. The sun was shining brightly and I was pleased to find that seven others had braved the cold to join me. There were : - Julie & Paul, John S., Ken E., Steve C., Joanne, Simon (the late).

Our ride went according to plan at first and we reached the Alma in Lower Upham within 55 mins. I decided to continue along Alma Lane hoping that it would be ice free. There were a couple of icy patches but nothing serious and we soon crossed Snakemoor Lane and continued down Stapleford Lane. As I turned the corner into Chancellors Lane I realised that the lane was completely covered in ice with water running over it making it extremely slippery as cars had been tracking water onto the drier areas creating fresh ice. I was able to stop before I had got onto the ice and shouted a warning to the others. We walked very carefully for about 100 yards before getting onto a dry surface. We turned South again and almost immediately encountered another very icy slope. Two of the group actually managed to ride most of it without any serious mishap but most of us walked again. The rest of the way to our coffee stop was fine and there we found two more members waiting for us. (Paul & Margaret). We were a few minutes behind my schedule because of the essential walking spells. After C&C Simon left us to find his own way home while I modified my original route plan to cut out several smaller lanes and stick to the larger roads. This plan worked well and we arrived at The Hampshire Bowman spot on the schedule at 1 o'clock. We had rather a long wait for our food but it was excellent when it came.  

Afterwards three riders who lived to the south of Winchester also left the group leaving 6 to climb to the top of Beacon Hill and descend to Alresford via Kilmeston, Cheriton and Tichborne. 

By the ford I abandoned the other 5 to find their own way back to Winchester. Well they are all familiar with the B3047.

I called at Simon T's to deliver a book before trundling home for a hot bath and a cup of tea.

Here is the record of my ride.

Thanks to my companions for joining me on an adventurous day out which I enjoyed a lot more than I'd expected on Friday night.

My total miles for the week a reasonable 81 miles. At least I believe that it's more than any of the other Groupetta riders, so I retain the medals.

Best wishes to all, 

Gridironman.

First Ride of 2016 - Checking the course for the Ear;y Spring 50 and a Ride to Jolly Olly's.

Tuesday 5th January 2016. Checking the Early Season 50 Course.

Good ride yesterday. 53 miles checking the route for Winchester CTC Early Season 50. Only a few spots of rain, but the roads were dreadful in places. In Ellisfield the road was completely covered to the depth of several inches with mud and large flints. Fortunately only for about 50 yards. I did manage to ride over it.

Two days later, most of the debris still there.

Did not do the course within the time allowed because I stopped for fish & chips with peas and a cuppa at the Avenue Garden Centre.

When I got home I set about amending the Instructions and the GPX file to send to Sue, so she has the latest information to send out nearer the date. (February 21st.) Here is my Map for the day including 3 extra miles getting to and from Itchen Stoke where I joined and left the route.

It was a most satisfying ride. Will I do it again on Feb21st? Who knows? At least my riding time was within the limits.

Thursday 7th Jan. 2016. A circuit to Jolly Olly's and Owens Cycles.

Despite the forecast of early rain I decided to join a few of my cycling pals for a ride. As I started from home, so did the rain. I popped into a bus shelter only 250 yards from home and waited for 5 minutes. The rain soon eased and I set off once more along the B3047 to Kingsworthy. As I rode Lovedon Lane I was passed by two other riders in their car, also on route for Stoke Charity. Two other pals were waiting there and after a brief discussion we headed towards Oakley with another heavy shower trying, unsuccessfully to dampen our spirits. Once past Micheldever Station we enjoyed better conditions. Though the roads were deep in water in many places and we were more in danger of getting wet from below than above.

After the obligatory C&C I rode back to North Waltham with the others before we parted company. Just after leaving Dummer I ploughed through the deepest & biggest puddle of the day. I had to keep pedalling to get through it and got my feet soaked.

The weather was improving now with the sun coming out and I decided to take a further loop before going home. I first checked on the debris field in Ellisfield and took some photos of it. It was not quite as bad as it had been on Tuesday, but still a significant hazard.

Next I turned towards Burkham where the sun was brightening up the countryside beautifully. I paused to say hello to some curious horses. See how sunny it was by then.

Horses near Burkham.

I needed some new brake blocks, the continuous wet weather has made a superb grinding paste to wear away both blocks and rims, so thought I'd get some replacements from Owens Cycles. 

Bought some other items too before heading for home and a late lunch at 4 p.m

Had just done enough miles to be a contender for the TUK medal. Total so far for the week 101 Miles.

Sunday 10th January.

Winchester CTC - The Watership Down Audax

I decided that I was not going to ride this event in 2016 but would go and help at the finish. I'm told they need my washing up expertise. 

I have however entered for another Audax on January 31st starting in Ashton Keynes near to where my brother Robin lives. I couldn't persuade him to enter too, but maybe he will ride part of the way with me.

Gridironman.