Potential Tandem Stoker number 2 arrives

Yes she is here.
Evie Ann Miles born 14.02 pm 22 March Aberdeen Maternity Hospital. A real cutey with tiny aero efficient ears. Just have to wait 3 years to get her on a bike like her big sister.
Mother and baby are doing well. Thanks Leona for carrying such a sweet baby. You did all the hard work.

Data time again

Time has passed since my last post but my eager readers want more so here is some very dry data.
In my last post I noted that I was targetting 1300 miles without a break, well I did it. I managed to amass 1480 miles before I took a day off the bike. 43 days with a bum on a saddle averaging 33.x miles a day. Ah that is not much I hear you scorn. Trust me by the 43rd day my legs were sore, my chest was tired and my ass was like an anvil. I actually only broke the sequence because I acquired a chest infection, darned immune system all that cold weather riding took its toll.
So 14 days off the bike, well 8 days off and the rest just pootling around in a very relaxed manner. But I am back, fit and riding with a goal. With Andrew my training partner we have been getting out to Aboyne and back, 62 miles, at a healthy average speed of 16.2 miles per hour into some vicious headwinds.
Just tonight we managed a midweek dash of 22 miles at 17.2 mph average, that brought a sweat on :).
It will soon be time to stretch the mileage, we need to aim for a 100 mile reliability ride in April which will be fun.But my main goal so to achieve repeatable 300 miles per week in April. Can I manage 1200 miles in April, don't bet against it.
I think I will take Saturdays off and recover just as a test, there must be some other stuff to do that doesn't work up so much heat and hunger.

1000 miles in 28 days

Ok, so I promised an update on the journey to a 1000 miles. The dull data is 1017 miles in 28 days, 24 January 2007 to 20 February inclusive. Averaging 36.3 miles per day. Peak 7 day mileage was 303 miles. Typically the time on the bike would be 2 1/2 hours a day, split between zipping along on the road bike and hauling a child in a trailer to and from school and creche. But there were 4 and 5 hour rides at the weekends, thanks Andrew :)

If the wind blows trees from the ground you cycle, if it rains you cycle, if it snows you cycle, no matter what happens you cycle. No rest days have been taken, well that is not strictly true there were days where less hills were ridden and no trailer was towed so in the spirit of this I did take some rest but I sat on the bike while I did it.

Without the need to tow the child trailer my legs tell me that it would have been possible to ride 50 rolling miles per day for the same 28 day period, with the odd tough climb thrown in. But the real killer is the lack of rest days.
So for the 24 hour time trial preparation I will need to remember to take time off the bike to let the body recover. This may sound odd after only riding 36 miles a day but the impact of the child trailer dragging in to the wind for 10 of those miles 5 days a week cannot be underestimated. It is serious effort. Hey if towing children to school in trailers was easy, everyone in Aberdeen would do it.

Next update will be on the target of 1300 miles without a rest day. I can just imagine the thoughts going through your remote heads but this is my mental preparation for the 24 hour race, I already feel resilient and I know I can improve.

You can tell winter is here when...

.. the front wheel slides to the side when you turn or brake.
Hmm methinks there must be a solution to the problem of sliding wheels and unstable baby trailers on ice.

There is, 700c Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106 35mm. What I hear you say, well look above, see the carbide studs in the body of the tire.
Wow they work well. They grip the slippery stuff like a Gekko to a wall.
Downside, they are so noisy, like a herd of mice in hobnails and the drag on tarmac is unreal but it is getting me fit:)

A'lanes bike

Lorraine, my sister-in-law who you have seen here previously, or A'layne as Tabitha calls her; has become a closet roadie.
Transitioning from the hybrid she has moved onto a neat Edinburgh Cycles Continental Race WSD.
Rack packed with all manner of goodies, including a very out of date Strawberry cake bar type thing in the back. I you see her riding by feel free to honk.

24 Hour time trial bike

Here it is.
It rides like a dream.
Comfortable and very very fast.
Stock wheels swapped out for Mavic Aksium with Continental Attack/Force 700x22/700x23 tires.
Profile Design IronMan Aero Bars.
Oh and what is it.. a full carbon fibre composite framed Giant SCR Composite 3, Cycling magazine Long Distance Bike of the Year 2006.
Why do I need it?, to ride the Mersey 24 Hour Time Trial. Get on the bike on Saturday 21 July get off 24 hours later on Sunday 22 July. No drafting, no chatting, just pedalling for as far as I can go. How far do I want to go? 384 miles would be nice 400 would be better, but more importantly I want to stay the course and contribute to the team total.
11 riders to date have signed up from Deeside Thistle and that will be some presence on the course.
So the base miles from October, November, December 2006 will come in very handy when I start to up the stakes over the coming months.
Can I achieve 1000 miles in February.. still on the cards. But March will need to be 300 miles per week, April 350 miles per week. And May will need to include some back-to-back 150 mile rides. Keep this blog bookmarked if you want to read the weekly mileage and progress reports.

just data

Some mileage data for those that are interested

October 2006
31 days to ride, 29 ridden.
Mileage 900
average 31.03 miles per day.
Trek 2300 Racing bike, reasonable weather, if a little windy.

November 2006
30 days to ride, 29 ridden.
Mileage 708
average 24.4 miles per day.
Super Galaxy Touring bike, windy and chilly.

December 2006
31 days to ride, 30 ridden.
Mileage 874
average 29.1 miles per day.
Super Galaxy Touring bike, windy and very chilly.

January 2007
31 days to ride, 23 ridden (influenza in mid-Jan).
Mileage 646
average 28.06 miles per day.
Mix between Super Galaxy and Trek 2300, windy and uber chilly.

February 2007
28 days to ride, to date(13 feb) 13 ridden.
Mileage to date, 485
average 37.3 miles per day
Mix between Trek 2300 and Giant SCR C3, wind, snow, rain, ice, very sub-zero.

GLOOMY

No pictures for October or November. Up here in Aberdeen the adjective "grey" adequately describes the scene.
Over the past month the temperature has begun to drop.
The past evening my on board cycle thermometer reported 0 degrees C, which is chilly :)
With the wind added in the total chill factor was -11 degrees C on the skin.. ouch.
And it will only get worse.
Bu t we keep the mileage up to 35 miles per day... dont want to get podgy over christmas and undo all the marvelous summer work :)

Yum Yum, Mr Moon Birthday Cake.
Trifle topped with diamond jellies, coconut Ice, Fairy cakes, Orange cake, scones, al made from scratch by Daddy and Auntie Lorraine.

Even at the height of summer if it is your third birthday, a fleecy pink dressing gown can raise a pretty smile.

Wow, July and August have been very busy months.
Lots of cycling, 3rd birthday for our daughter, Highland Games in Aboyne, camping in Braemar.
Genuinely kaa--pooped.
So plenty of updates to write and pictures to post but a new time for Tabitha will start on the 28th when she starts nursery at the Gaelic Language School.

A complete June.

June is complete. Rode the bike on 30 days. Covered 795.5 miles.
As of the 4th July inclusive, 28 days covered 830 miles.

A lonesome ride

With the family away in St Andrews, the trip to Aboyne was a quiet affair. Only me, the bike and a 50lb trailer. The damn flag... just adds drag. Next time I 'll leave the Italian shoes out of the bag.

A short family outing.. minus children

After much yomping, honking, bonking and related exercise we decided upon a quiet restful ride to Ballater.

The key question "What is Leona thinking"?.

1) hmm Jewellery Shop

2) hmm I am hungry

3) uhh when do we go home?

Answers on a postcard

Grampian DA at the peak of the Cairn O'Mount

and the Cairn

Ahh.. the view from the Clatterin' Brig Restaurent of the Clatterin' Brig while the rain is a clatterin'.

What a decision.

15 miles to Pain or 3 miles to cakes and pies.

Created a new personal high. 752 miles on the bike in 28 days. I have three days left to make the 30 days of June an 800 mile month. I am happy now that my wrist is recovered after 3 months off following the "car" incident.

Some stats:

1) 1.7 million pedal revs in 316 hours
2) 194,000 Calories burnt.
3) Equivalent to 57 lbs of bodyweight.
4) Actually lost 30 lbs of bodyweight
5) Still calculating how many Danish pastries make a pound of bodyweight.
6) average RPM 96.

Cairn O'Mount

Another weekend past, brrr you can almost feel winter coming. Friday was an easy but very wet ride out from Aberdeen to Aboyne.
Saturday, a mixed activity day. Auntie Lorraine is bowling for the ladies, Leona and Tabitha are planning on doing nothing much. Daddy will be cycling over the Cairn O'Mount.
9am Saturday, still in bed and no wafting scent of bacon. I get up to investigate the lack of breakfast. Simple,, there is no bacon and worse there is no bread. So back to bed.
40 winks later I rise. Lycraed and caffeinated I set off with waves and ta ta's behind me.
Drizzly rain has forced the waterproofs out of the pack, so spinning and sweating I reached Strachan to find blazing sunshine. I peeled and searched out a watering hole.. none found but I did locate a General Store. Two pies purchased, 1 eaten 1 packed. A glug of juice moistens the palate before the ride out to the Cairn.
Please be mindful, I had never been over the Cairn O'Mount not even in a car, I had heard many rumours aboutthe Cairn. " it is very steep" " I couldnt get the car up the bottom section" "be careful on the Devils Elbow". So I was somewhat anxious as to what I would find.
A serious climb. Starts with a 1 in 10 just past the Feugh. A lumpy 2 miles follow. A sharp 1/2 mile climb, another lumpy 2 miles. Wow a very sharp descent, down a right hand bend at 1 in 10.
Another 1 in 10 climb out of Glen Dye, then one more sharp descent before the climb proper.
2.5 miles, average a strong 1 in 10. climbing to 1400ft or thereabouts. The descent on the southside is shorter and steeper 14%, 16% and steeper stretches.

The Clatterin' Brig cafe was a welcome sight. Bacon, cakes and tea. Then wait. The Grampian DA were out on a run through Inverbervie and returning via the Cairn. The rain was 20 minutes past, the road drying. Then on the bridge a bunch of Yellow Jackets. I joined them for the return climb up the Cairn. Now my choice of gearing was seeming odd. All the others were riding in the inner ring of the triple. Yours truely was on 53/42 with an 11/21 block. Early doors the hill was tough on 49/21. Rpm down to 50's. As the climb rose the gearing was tortuous, causing 1 stop but no walking. Eventually to the top, amazingly not last or close to last. Definately need to choose 50/39 with 12 27 next time.
A short pause for sweeties at the top, then descent and lumpiness back to the Penny Farthing for more hot drinks and the usual debates over speed and calories.
For me, job well done. over the Cairn in both directions in one day.

Another Wednesday, another Grampian DA pub run. This week Aberdeen to the Northern Lights at Hatton of Fintray. This week was extra special as one of our members celebrated a birthday. I won't name the individuals around the table as I don't want their work colleagues to know they consume alcohol while wearing skin tight Lycra. I was planning to change the names to protect the innocent but there isn't an innocent one among them ;)

Happy Birthday Wilf..