Cycling and more: hot

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Saturday, 28 July 2018

More great weather.

parched field while cycling

I can't remember when we last had a summer like this. The weather report is saying we are due some rain. I know the garden needs it and the water companies are running ads on the radio asking people to conserve water. But no hosepipe ban yet, I don't think it's far off though.

The rain arrived yesterday, and it was torrential. Fortunately it only happened when I was travelling on public transport. As I neared my bus stop the rain abated long enough for me to get home dry.

It rained during the night and until ten minutes before I was due to cycle to meet Matt.

parched grass and a wet bench while cycling, little evidence of the rain.

The ride was great, fresher than recent days, with little evidence of the heavy downpour. Which made for a pleasant seventeen miles.

We only went to the bus stop, a lack of time and the certainty of a dry seat made it a good choice. Normal chat was about this and that. Old Top Gear was a topic; and how it went downhill during the last couple of series before the Clarkson debacle. I like Matt LeBlanc in the new setup, but he is leaving so that might be it for me watching it. Matt isn't so keen on Matt.

We discussed the merits of pitching a series hosted by us about our cycling. I'm not sure it would be commissioned. The outline would be us two cycling to a destination, drinking tea and eating biscuits. Talking about not much, and laughing at stuff I doubt anyone else would find funny.

The meeting with the TV exec could go like this.

Where would you cycle too? A few places within twenty miles of our homes.

Interesting places? Two bus stops, a churchyard, Westerham or Godstone Green and a lake near a pub.

Would you talk about cycling news? Sporting events, new tech and cycling celebrities etc. Nope, don't really follow or know much about that.

How about nutrition, sports drinks and gels etc? Nope we just drink the tea we brought with us and eat cereal bars. Occasionally we'll go to a cafe and eat cake and sausages sandwiches. If on a longer ride it's hot we'll stop to buy an ice cream.

So what do you do? Not much now we come to think about it. But it keeps us happy.

Back to our normal concerns then.

The weather is predicted to be wetter tomorrow, hopefully it wont interrupt our cycling.

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Sunday, 8 July 2018

Caterham to Canterbury year two

at the start

Doesn't time fly? It can't be a year since I last did this ride.

The day started hotter than it did last year. The forecast was for a very hot day. Maybe Adam at Larner Cycles must have ticked the wrong box when he booked the weather. Instead of warm, he ticked incredibly hot.

I arrived early but there was already a number of people chatting and preparing.

Making Adam jog.

I again hoped to team up with someone who cycled at the same pace as me, it's a long ride on your own. And I did; Jo who I had meet at an off road cycle event before Christmas.

Her target was an average of 16mph, this is faster than my average on a long ride. But I wanted a challenge.

It was going okay until a very steep section on to the Limpsfield Road just passed Wallingham. I was slower and took longer to turn right at the junction. Jo had opened a big gap and no matter how hard I tried I could only reduce it very slowly. Then just at the right time a pair of cyclist came past me. I got into their slipstream and very quickly caught Jo up. I was amazed at how much of a difference it made.

Slipstreaming.

From then on Jo and I swapped the lead and we kept a high average speed. So much so that we reached the lunch stop faster than I expected. Over thirty miles in a little more than two hours.

The food stops on last years event were brilliant, and this year the standard was just as high. The lunch stop especially had sandwiches, cake everything I needed. We stayed a while but when we got outside the heat had increased and this, I think, caused me to really start to suffer. It's true the pace was higher than I was use to. But cycling in now 33 degrees C was proving very difficult. Jo said it was okay if I didn't spend so long leading, drafting her helped me maintain a reasonable pace. But there was little respite from the sun. A surprising consequence of the heat was when we stopped at a junction. It was like opening an oven door. I was warm as I cycled along, but pausing for any reason. The heat just hit me. The shaded sections were a relief, but they were too few.

Shaded section.

At the third and last stop I just sat on the grass, I didn't know how was I going to complete the last sixteen miles.

I had some food and drink but still wasn't ready to go on. I got chatting to the other riders and one of them, Pat from the Oxted CC, handed me two energy gels. He said they should help me get to the end. They did.

This is another great aspect to the ride. The support, encouragement and camaraderie from everyone involved makes a real difference.

Jo looking unfazed

Me, looking very fazed

As I sat waiting for my bike to be loaded onto the transport I noticed in addition to the dirt and grime I was covered in a large number of dead flies. I didn't realise I was going so fast the insects didn't bounce off. The lift back to Caterham is always a relief and is another reason I have sighed up for next year.

A big thank you to everyone involved in running the event. It's a big job very well delivered.