Since spending the most money I've ever spent on an item of clothing on my Rapha merino under-layer, I was determined to care for it as well as possible. Firstly of course, being a science-minded kind of bloke, I had to test the ability of merino to resist odour. To this end I decided to wear it until it started to smell. Several rides later, this proved to be about a dozen rides which I was quite impressed by. I knew the garment was hand-wash only so next time I was in Asda I looked for a hand washing liquid and picked up a bottle of Woolite. I washed the under-layer in warm water and half a cap of Woolite in my bathroom sink by hand and the rinsed it thorough in clean water a couple of times and then squeezed out a lot of the water and left in hanging from a line indoors until it was fully dry. There wasn't a hint of pong from the armpit areas and the garment looked like new so I was very impressed.
That wasn't the end of the story however. Last weekend I needed to change the oil and filter on my car but it was cold and raining so I decided to wear the Rapha under a thick sweater thinking that it should be safe enough. However... As I was lying under the car removing the old oil filter, about a table spoon of used diesel engine oil ran down my wrist and I ended up with a circle of oil about an inch and quarter in diameter on the cuff of my Rapha, gutted! After I cleaned up, I poured some neat Woolite on the oil stain , rubbed it in and rinsed it in the sink. To my extreme surprise, I could actually see the oil wash off with the Woolite under a stream of warm water. I then gave the whole thing a wash and let it dry and I was extremely pleased to see the stain now all but invisible - brilliant!
3rd February: Extreme weather cycling! The BBC weather website was predicting a lot of wind tonight, it had the number 40 in a black square which is normally a good sign to stay off the bike and do something else instead. Anyhow... it didn't feel windy in my back yard so I took Awesom-O out for an adventure. As always with the wind, it was a case of positives and negatives. Going up the bypass was amazing, flying along effortlessly at 25mph but going along the farm track was interesting. The wind was coming off the fields was unimpeded, I was cycling along leaning over about 10 degrees and whenever the was a lull in the wind I nearly shot off the path in the opposite direction.
That, and the way the wind was howling through the telephone lines like a horror film set at the north pole, made for an interesting ride. Coming back in along the bypass however was hard work; I was often in my lowest gear and only managing 8-10mph so getting home felt like it took ages. As a slight aside, I've decided to use the very handy 'GET RIDE MAP' feature in RIDE WITH GPS to show routes from now on because it saves a lot of cutting and pasting of screen grabs. Anyhow, an extremely windy 18.1 miles.
4th February: It was gorgeous sunny say today without much wind so I headed out on Awesom-O to do the local 27. I clearly wasn't the only one who appreciated the weather as I saw a lot of other road cyclists and kids on mountain bikes which was cool. One rather odd thing was that I could hear shooting from virtually every wood I cycled past. I don't think the first Saturday in February is significant in any way; maybe the guys shooting were just out like the cyclists were, enjoying the first sunny day of the year? Anyhow, it was 27.5 more miles.
6th February: It was fairly overcast today but not too windy so I decided to risk taking Awesom-O out for a spin. It was drizzling slightly as I set off to do the farm path and back but soon turned into a light but steady rain. Despite this, it wasn't particularly cold or windy so it was still a fairly enjoyable ride. One thing that puzzled me slightly was the sound of something on the bike moving around whenever I went over a bump, starting around half way around. I had a good look around the bike when I got in and found that the rear mudguard bracket that is held on by the rear brake caliper had fractured right through (something a spot of Googling when I got back in suggests is reasonably common)! Anyhow, I've ordered a set of Bluemels which I'll fit when they arrive and it was a wet 19.0 miles.
11th February: The weather was fairly grim today, cold and windy and constantly threatening to drizzle. I dragged myself out of the house and did to the end of the farm track and back and then cycled along the back of the village to have a look at my old school to add an extra mile or two. Not a particularly fun ride but another 22.1 miles for February.
14th February: I took Awesom-O out tonight to do to the end of the farm track and back and, for one of two possible reasons, my legs felt absolutely amazing. I've lost my Aeropress so I made a coffee using my Moka pot (which I suspect extracts ALL the caffeine from the grinds) before I left and called in to see my parents on the way past where I had a few slices of my mum's amazing fruitcake. I forgot to start the Garmin but I think my average was over 16 mph which is good for a winter ride.
I had another peculiar animal encounter on the ride which is always amusing. As I was cycling along a part of the farm track that runs past a pair of semi-detached houses, I saw a large pet rabbit sitting in the road ahead of me so I rested the bike against the gatepost and knocked on the door. A guy who looked a bit like a slimmer Wayne Rooney answered and essentially thanked me for enquiring and explained it was one of two that belonged to the other house and that it was always escaping. At this point the rabbit shot across the guy's drive and disappeared through a hedge so I said goodbye and carried on for a total of 18.5 miles.
18th February: I was having the cambelt and waterpump replaced on my car today at a garage in Holmes Chapel (the brother in law of a mate at work) so I had a good four hours to kill. The weather was looking nice so with this in mind, I drew a 51 mile route and headed down. The weather was nice although a bit windy so it was quite an enjoyable ride although I was getting a bit fed up of close passes at some points but the nature of the roads, fast single carriageways, doesn't help.
I got quite a cool pic of the radio telescope at Jodrell Bank which is impressively huge! At around the 25 mile mark I was starting to tire a bit (Cheshire is supposed to be flat but it definitely isn't!) so I stopped and bought some chunky cherry muffins from a very picturesque Post Office, scoffed one, and carried on. A few miles later I came across the second landmark I was looking forward to seeing, the famous Anderton boat lift near the village of Anderton which lifts and lowers narrow boats the 50 feet between the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal. For some reason I thought the ride would pass the lift at the bottom but, as you can see, I was at the top end. Anyhow, it was quite impressive!
Over the last ten miles or so I was really hoping the ride would end soon, the hill had really taken their toll n my legs! Anyhow, I got there in the end in 3 hours and 10 minutes for a total of 50.7 miles.
Well, it was just as well I got the big ride in in Cheshire as the weather through the rest of February has been rather dire. We've had cold, wind and rain in various combinations along with storm Doris so I've not had much incentive to leave the house. Anyway, staying positive, I managed a much better January and February than I have over the last couple of years and spring has to start eventually, surely? 155.9 miles.
January 7th: It was a fairly foggy, drizzly day today and I still don't fully trust Awesom-O's rear tyre so I decided to go exploring again instead of doing one of my usual rides. Like the last time it was foggy, it was strangely enjoyable ride; it sort of feels like you're cycling around in your own mobile reality bubble. I did make one rather school-boyish error on the ride though. I'd just finished climbing the hill up to the Red Cat pub when I wondered where the road carried on to if you carried on through Crank.
As it turned out, it goes down the other side of Crank and you end up back on the road I'd come in on 10 minutes earlier so I ended up climbing the hill to the Red Cat twice - DOH! It ended up drizzling through most of the ride and my clothes were fairly wet but, once again, the Aldi cycling top with my Rapha merino underlayer meant I never felt less than warm and comfortable on the ride. I don't know how it works buy merino never seems to get wet, it seems to evaporate moisture so you only ever have nice warm steam next to your skin. A dreich but strangely enjoyable start to the year and 18.6 miles on the clock.
January 10th: I really couldn't be bothered going anywhere this evening but I really needed to get some miles in. With this in mind, I dragged Awesom-O out and decided to just plug up and down the bypass a few times and clock up a few miles. The weather was pleasant enough, breezy and not too cold, and I was soon bombing along happily enough on the cycle path.
As it turned out, I had the coolest wild life encounter of my cycling career so far! As I was cycling towards the end of the bypass, something made me look to my left and as I did, and hovering maybe 9 feet in front of me between two scrubby trees was a barn owl looking down at the ground, presumably for a mouse or vole to pounce on. A very cool experience on an otherwise uneventful ride and 14.7 more miles.
January 14th: It was a cold, breezy day today and I was determined to get a few miles in. Once again, I couldn't be arsed going anywhere so I just did three up and downs of the bypass. With the breeze it was definitely fast one way and hard work the other but I averaged 16.4 mph which isn't bad for a winter ride. 20.1 more miles.
January 16th: January is turning out to have rather an ornithological bent so far. I set out in the drizzle this afternoon to get a few miles in and headed out along the farm track. There is a part of the track where it turns a sharp right and there's a house on the corner who have just put posts around their perimeter as part of planting a new beech hedge.
I started cycling past the new hedge and looked to my left and not five feet in front of me was a huge buzzard perching on one of the fence posts. Amazingly, it didn't fly off but just watched me warily as I cycled past. A cool encounter and another 22.1 miles.
Jan 19th: Determined to get some miles in after work today, but unable to wait for the traffic to die down, I took Awesom-O out to do a bit of bypass bashing. It was pretty mild without much wind so whilst not being a particularly interesting ride, it wasn't too much of a chore and my legs felt good once they'd kicked in. Another 16.9 miles.
Jan 21st: It was cold today but the wind was pretty light for a change so I headed out to grab a few miles on Awesom-O. I ended up just doing the farm track and back taking in the full length of the bypass. One odd thing I encountered was four or five groups of about a dozen kids aged ten to twelvish each accompanied by a couple of adults, some of whom looked to be carrying maps. I'm not sure which organisation or school they were from buy when I thanked one group of them for letting me pass, I was thanked in turn by a very polite, well spoken young lad! Anyhow, 20.2 more miles.
Jan 24th: I took Awesom-O out tonight and ended up having the best ride for ages. I go to my parents after work on Tuesdays because my niece (and her best mate Erin) and nephew spend the evening there before being picked up by my brother or his wife. Anyhow, I usually mop up any spare food when the girls have had their tea because it saves me cooking when I get in. The haul this time was two yorkshire puddings and 5 M&S mini profiteroles and, I have to say, it worked; I genuinely can't remember a ride where my legs felt so good for so long! Anyhow, I did the farm track and then plugged up and down the bypass a couple of times and ended up coming back through the village where I stopped at the chippy for four mini spring rolls. Exactly 24.0 miles.
Jan 28th: It was cold and windy today but I was determined to get a few miles in. I couldn't be bothered going anywhere so I did a bit more bypass bashing. It starting raining more or less as I set out so I knew it wasn't going to be a long ride. I like cycling in the rain when it's warm but when it's cold and windy I'm not so keen. The rain dropped off and some blue sky appeared halfway through the ride but I was wet so I headed home for a not so awesome 14.8 miles.
Jan 29th: The weather was lot more clement today, warmer and very little wind, so I took Awesom-O out for a pootle. I did the farm track and back and then did a few lengths of the bypass, including a bit of exploring. My legs felt pretty good and it was a quite a pleasant ride overall and another 18.5 miles for January.
Jan 31st: It was fairly rainy and drizzly after work tonight but it wasn't particularly cold or windy so I took Awesom-O out to get a few miles in. With all lights fully charged I decided to do the farm track and then head back in through the village and grab some tea from the chippy on my way past. It turned out to be a very enjoyable ride and my legs felt great all the way around, possibly due to the stove-top coffee I had to wake myself before I set off. I blotted my copy book slightly by stopping for a donner kebab on the way back instead of something healthier but it was a very enjoyable 16.5 miles to finish January off and a 'not too bad for January' total of 185.5 miles.
When I was ordering the 105 upgrade parts for Awesom-O, I saw this lube at the bottom of the screen in the 'You might also like...' section so, on a whim, I ordered a bottle. If you've read my blog before, you'll know I am a complete tart for a new chain lube and this one is looking like it might be a perfect bad weather lube. When I installed the new 11 speed chain on Awesom-O (an FSA team issue that I must have ordered in a sale sometime in the past) I noticed it wasn't covered in that horrid Cosmoline-like stuff chains normally are so I was able to apply one drip per links without having to clean the chain first.
The first thing that struck me was how thick the stuff is, it took a couple of minutes for each drip to sink into the link which was a new one on me! I've been out on the newly lubed, upgraded Awesom-O and I have to say, it's the quietest, smoothest chain lube I've ever used. I suspect it will attract a lot of road grime so keeping the outside of the chain wiped clean will be critical but it's looking like a very good winter lube so far. The bonus with it being so thick is that it's ideal for jobs where an oil is traditionally too thin and grease won't penetrate enough such as the springs in SPD pedals.
3rd december: I took Awesom-O out this afternoon to do the local 27. It was a pleasant enough day, chilly and breezy but nothing too arduous. It was an uneventful ride but one thing really struck me, the roads were absolutely filthy! I suspect it was mainly from tractors but there was a section behind Kirkby where an HGV had misjudged a corner and it's trailer tyres has crunched the edge of the high grass verge down onto the road. There was one positive road-related thing I noticed however, I don't know why but they are retarmacing more and more sections of the road in Knowsley Industrial Park. They've always been pretty on the ball in terms of repairing potholes and damage around drain covers etc so this is further icing on the cake. Anyhow, a pleasant enough ride to kick December off and 27.1 miles on the spreadsheet.
4th December: I got out and did the OCR this evening as another pre-work week brain awakener. The weather was fairly average, cool and not too windy. It was a fun ride, my legs felt pretty good and the leaves are starting to clear so I managed to spot and avoid the big cracks in the tarmac unlike the last couple of times. I definitely came up with a 'note to self' for the last hundred yards or so - 'Slow down!' - there are a few sections of greasy mud and it's a miracle I haven't fallen off yet... Anyhow, another 15.6 miles.
7th December: In a rather round about way, I managed to get an afternoon ride in today. As it's Christmas, and to try a quench my thirst for another n+1, I've decided to get Awesom-O a custom paint job. After an afternoon of Googling and checking out various forums and blog posts, I read of a place in Liverpool called C & G Finishes. They've been around since the 60's and I believe they used to do a lot of the painting for the many local frame builders back when most bikes were still made in the UK. They don't have a website but I emailed them via Yell and got an email from a guy called Gerry who said to visit the shop if I wanted to see what colours they offered. So, I booked half a days flexi and headed into Liverpool. Gerry seemed like a nice bloke when I mentioned that they were quite hard to find and that I'd only seen them mentioned on a couple of forums, he gave me a wry smile and said the order book was always full and they didn't need to advertise, always a good sign!
We chatted for a bit and when I asked whether they used glass beads or sand for the paint removal he explained that they use steel shot blasting to get the old paint off as it leaves a better key on the steel for the paint to stick to which was interesting. They did have some colour sample swatches on bits of hardboard but he said they could do any colour really, within reason, but I've decided to go for plain cream. When I asked how much it would be to do the forks as well he said that because they were doing the frame anyway, it wouldn't cost any more to do the forks so they're going to be plain black. Anyhow, that's a job for spring lined up as Awesom-O's a winter bike so I told Gerry I'd see him sometime in the new year and headed home and did the OCR plus the farm track for another 21.2 more miles.
10th December: Awesom-O's shifting has never been great and the cassette was looking a bit worn so I started today by replacing the cassette and the rear gear inner to try and improve the shifting a bit. I then headed out to do the OCR and had what was, for me, a first. I was about 50 yards past two blokes with a large gangsta-type dog when I heard loud, angry barking and this huge dog is running along side me barking it's head off trying to decide whether to attack me or not! Weirdly, I wasn't that worried and my adrenaline didn't kick in but I was quite relieved when, after about 30 yards of chasing me, it decided to obey it's yelling owner and go back to them. I carried on and realised it may be time to call quits on the OCR for the the winter because it's just getting muddier and muddier and I had to give Awsom-O a proper wash when I got home. Anyhow, my legs felt good, Awesom-O is shifting very well and it was a fun ride and exactly 22.0 more miles for December.
14th December: I managed to get out tonight and do a route I've not done before which combined bits of various other of my routes. One quite cool thing was that as I slowed down for a corner on Outlet Lane I looked down and there was a tiny mouse crossing the path in front of me. It looked a bit startled but carried on once I'd stopped and got to the other side of the path.
This was followed shortly by a rather cretinous incident which annoyed me somewhat. I was cycling down Intake Lane when a driver coming towards me around a bend refused to dim his full beams. At least he knows the internationally accepted gesture for wanker now, anyway. Anyhow, an enjoyable enough ride overall and another 18.7 miles.
17th December: Well, it was an awesome ride today for two reasons. Firstly, I decided to spend my Christmas money from my parents on Awesom-O! I bought 105 5800 shifters, both mech's (I thought the rear one would be usable buy I'd forgotten it's a 10 speed), a Ritchey handlebar and an 11 speed cassette from Wiggle and I had a spare FSA chain in my spares box so on Saturday morning I had a large coffee and got started. It was nerve wracking but by taking it easy, downloading Shimano's workshop guides and watching a few Youtube videos, I got him done!
Secondly, it was fairly foggy but patchy when I set out on the ride (I did the same one I did on the 14th but added Siding's Lane) but by the time I was coming back down the by-pass, it was an absolute pea souper! There was a ned on a mountain bike and a jogger coming towards me and I didn't see them until I was about 15 yards away but luckily they'd seen my front light. I had to stop in Sidings lane to rotate the bars up a bit to get the shifters in a comfortable position and the left shifter still needs to come up a bit but I was extremely pleased with the new 11-speed Awesom-O, his shifting is really flawless now! A fun ride and another 19.4 miles for December.
19th December: I'd booked today off because it felt wrong doing a full week right before Christmas so I managed to take Awesom-O out this afternoon. I did what was basically the local 27 but instead of doing the bit through the industrial park, I took Perimeter Road which is basically a road that allows HGVs to go around it rather than having to go through it. The weather was ok, not too cold and not too windy so it was a pleasant enough ride and 25.6 more miles.
21st December: I was determined to get out for a ride tonight because getting a few miles in was very important and the weather is going to be seriously grim for the next few days. I needed just 9.9 miles to hit the yearly target so I headed out to another hybrid of my various local rides.
I did the farm track and back where I saw the hare again, he leapt out of the field, ran across the path in front of me and ran down into the opposite field which was very cool and then headed back in via Coach Road, Ben Lane and Intake lane and then through the village stopping at the chippy to buy a few mini spring rolls on the way. Anyhow, I did it and there are still a few days to go so let's see what happens... 15.6 miles with a total of 2405.7 so far.
24th December: I took Awesom-O out today because we're currently experiencing storm Barbara and I wanted to say I had cycled through it. It was pretty windy so I ended up cycling up and down the by-pass a couple of times and then came all the way back down and home via the industrial estate and the shared use path. A very windy ride and 16.4 more miles.
25th December: Well, today was another first in my cycling career. I was just going to do the OCR because it was still extremely windy but as I got half way down, I could see a gang of kids on scramblers coming towards me. Oh well I thought I'll head back to the bypass and go exploring instead. I wasn't that lucky however because as I was heading up the bypass, the bikers came past me and headed up the bypass, half of them on the cycle path and the other half wheelying up the road. To be fair, they were reasonably well behaved, I stuck to the left of the path and they rode past me quite safely and one of the pillion passengers made me chuckle, he was clutching a green plastic 5L petrol can - refuelling on the go! Anyhow, an extremely windy ride, especially around Crawford and King's Moss where it's very exposed and quite elevated, and another 17.1 miles.
26th December: I fancied trying a new route today so I drew one that entailed heading down the East Lancs and then heading cross country to Billinge from behind. It turned out to be quite a hard ride. I know Billinge is quite elevated and my village is only a few metres above sea level so I knew there may be a bit of climbing involved. What I didn't realise is the climb started at the East Lancs and didn't relent until I was actually in Billinge!
One slight downer was a visit from the puncture fairy. I'd decided to stop at the Co-op on the way home to grab some groceries and felt my rear tyre going down very slowly over the last mile or so. It's only a 700 yard walk to my house from the Co-op but I couldn't be bothered pushing the bike so I wasted a CO2 capsule inflating the tyre again and rode it home. The climbing, and the fact that it still very, very windy made it a hard ride but quite satisfying once I got back in and another 13.3 miles.
27th December: I started off today fixing Awesom-O's back tyre which by now was completely flat. I took it off and found 3 or 4 seperate bits of glass well embedded in the tread, all of which appeared to have penetrated right down to the puncture protection layer. Anyhow, I winkled them all out and replaced the tube and headed out to do the farm track and back. It was a fairly uneventful ride apart from cycling past four neds on mountain bikes on the way back down the farm track, I heard a fair amount of effing and jeffing as I went past but I had startled them by shooting past them unannounced. Anyhow, 15.8 more miles.
31st December: I was hoping to get out and do 30+ miles today because my mate Joe challenged me to hit 2,500 miles for the year. I headed out on Awesom-O to do the local 27 with Billinge tacked on but the bloody puncture fairy visited again just as I was heading down the farm track. I was so cheesed off I called my dad for a lift. As it turned out, there was no reception so I had to bite the bullet and change the tube AGAIN. Anyhow, not trusting the tyre by this point I headed home via the most direct route possible for a miserly 12.4 miles but a pretty respectable 2,480.7 for the year which after the disappointing result last year was very pleasing!
A few months ago, I had Awesom-O's crankset off to clean them and I noticed a small black washer on the floor near the bike. I though to myself "Hmmm, he doesn't need a spacer on that side because there isn't one on the other side" so I didn't put it back on. A while after this episode, I had a good Google and found a Shimano instructional PDF that showed the washer should be there! Puzzled, I took Awesom-O's crankset off again and had a good look at the chainring side. I noticed that there was a fine rubber seal built into back of the crank to prevent
any moisture getting between the crank and the bottom bracket bearing and thus into the bottom bracket shell. Well, a flash of inspiration told me the mysterious washer was the equivalent of the rubber seal on the chainring side! It took a lot of Googling to find the part number but I eventually did and ordered one which I fitted back on Awesom-O (metal showing side to the crank, all rubber side to the bottom bracket) and I've since ordered a couple as spares. The Shimano part number is 20018939 and I found them on sale here.
2nd November: The first cold night ride of the year... I was determined to get the first cold ride of the year under my belt so given that we're finally experiencing some properly cold weather I decided to head out after work this evening. The BBC website said 5c so I decided to dress warm. I had my Nike top over a t-shirt finished off with my new Aldi cycling top. I also had on my new Planet X long bibs, my fleece gloves, my fleece beanie and my new overshoes. I was taking no chances. Somewhat nervously, I got Awesom-O out and headed off to do the local 21. The first couple of miles felt very cold on my face but I soon warmed up and started enjoying the ride.Overall I felt pretty warm even though it was around 2-3c and was quite sweaty when I got in after a fast, pretty enjoyable ride. My torso was quite warm when I got in but I had occasionally noticed the wind blowing through my arms so I treated myself when I got in and ordered a Rapha long sleeved winter base layer. It wasn't cheap but I've heard that they're awesome quality and that, with just a jacket over it, it keeps you warm right down to freezing temperatures so I can't wait for it to arrive! Anyhow, a successful start to November and 21.3 miles.
5th November: I took Awesom-O out this afternoon to do the local 27. It was pretty cold but I was plenty warm enough with a t-shirt under my new Aldi Pro cycling jacket. As I got onto the bypass I was cheesed off to find it was pretty windy and, equally annoying, for some reason my legs took ages to kick in. I was about eight or nine miles out before my legs woke up properly. Anyhow, it stayed dry and it was an enjoyable enough ride for winter with a not so cool average of 15.9 miles. 27.4 more winter miles.
8th November: Well tonights ride was an interesting one! It had rained all day and was still chucking it down when I headed out after work to do the local 21 knowing it was going to be a very Rule #9 ride. I was wearing my Aldi cycling top over my new Rapha base layer with my Planet X long bibs and the new overshoes in the hope of staying warm and dry. It was pretty successful, too, My clothes were absolutely soaked when I got in but the Rapha was still pretty dry (apart from the pits - sorry!) and my legs were warm so I guess they make a pretty successful ensemble (although I've got my eye on a Parentini Mossa 2 for Christmas).
I had a close shave coming back down the Lancs though, I was cruising along at about 16 mph just thinking how poor the visibility on the path was because of the glare from oncoming traffic when I looked up and two neds on mountain bikes with no lights whatsoever shot past me on my left at a combined approach speed of a good 30 mph. Luckily we didn't crash but I can do without meeting dickheads like that on my rides. Despite my legs feeling awesome, my average speed proved to be the same as on my previous ride so it proves, one again, that cyling can be a strange sport sometimes. Anyhow, it was 21.2 more miles.
12th November: I took Aweson-O out this afternoon to do the local 27. The weather was ok, overcast and maybe around 10c so I wore my new Aldi cycling jacket over a t-shirt and ended up unzipping the jacket because I was melting. It was breezy rather than windy so it was quite an enjoyable ride overall and my average was 16.3 mph which was better than the last couple of rides. There was tons of standing water everywhere because of all the rain we've had recently but my overshoes kept my feet dry blasting through the puddles which was very cool. 27.2 more miles.
13th November: More fucktardary on the roads... I wanted to get out on Awesom-O tonight to clear my head a bit before the start of another week down't pit so I chucked on the Rapha and the Aldi and headed out. It was extremely mild, maybe 12c and not windy so it was ideal weather for a night pootle. I decided to risk the mud and fallen leaves and give the Old Coach Road (the OCR from now on) a go and it was all going normally until I turned left off the roundabout and headed up Ormskirk road. There in front of me pedalling along the main road were two lads on mountain bikes in dark clothes and no lights! Darwin would be tutting in his grave. Anyhow, I carried on and survived the Old Coach Road although I did have a dicey moment near the end when I hit a narrow muddy section at about 16 mph and the front and rear wheels started sliding around independently of each other. Anyhow, I escaped unscathed and it was another 15.5 miles for November.
15th November: I managed to get out after work this evening so I took Awesom-O out to do the OCR again. I necked a mug of Whittard's Bourbon Espresso made in my Aeropress before I set out and I don't know if this was why but my legs have never felt so good!
From the second I left the house my legs felt awesome. Ironically I forgot to press start on the Garmin so I didn't actually record the ride but I suspect it was a great time. The weather was dry and pretty mild so an extremely enjoyable ride and another 15.6 miles.
17th November: I officially hate the puncture fairy! I decided to push my luck tonight and do the OCR ride again as I wanted to test my new Exposure support cell with my Diablo front light. It's a supplementary battery pack that connects to the light via the charging port and effectively doubles the run time. Because I need the light on full blast for 20 minutes it takes to do the road, I find myself switching between high, low and pulsing a lot on the ride to ensure it gets me home. The added runtime means I can stop worrying about the light getting me home and enjoy the ride more. Anyhow, the puncture fairy... I got a few hundred yards down the road when I felt my front rim bouncing on the ground with each pedal stroke. It was dark and very blowy but I managed to find a splinter of glass in the tyre, remove it, and fit a new tube and inflate it with a CO2 cartridge and be on my way. I was cycling along the Lancs, almost at Windle Island, when I felt my rear rim bounding along the ground! Not to worry I thought, I have another tube and CO2 cartridge so, all thoughts of an early night rapidly fading, I replaced the tube. I couldn't feel anything stuck in the tyre so I inflated it and headed across Windle Island to the bypass. By this point however the tyre was as flat as a pancake again so I ended up with a 40 minute walk back to my house. An eventful ride and 14.7 miles.
19th November: Awesom-O's in bits at he moment as I get his tyres sorted out so I took the Giant out to do the local 21 this afternoon. It wasn't too cold and the wind was pretty light so it was quite a fun ride, my legs ached a bit though but I guess that's because my legs are getting accustomed to Awesom-O's geometry. I got close passed on the East Lancs by a minicab driver in a Mondeo estate which was pretty annoying but I've often thought people only become minicab drivers because they're too stupid to be criminals. Anyhow, the Giant wasn't too mucky when I got in but I gave him a good wash anyway and it was another 21.5 miles for November.
20th November: I took Awesom-O out this evening for another pre-working week head clearer. It was a fun ride, not too cold and not much wind and I still haven't come off on the wet leaves which is always good. After the double puncture the other day I've ordered new tyres for Awesom-O so this might have been my last ride on the Conti 4 Seasons, they've done roughly 2,200 miles which isn't a lot but I don't trust them any more and they weren't amazingly puncture resistant in the first place. Another 15.7 miles for November.
24th November: Awesom-O has new shoes! I've officially retired the 4 Seasons partly because they were getting a bit long in the tooth and partly because I just fancied a change! Michelin have just brought out a new range of tyres, the 'Power' series. There's a light weight racing tyre, an endurance model and a tough winter model. I chose the middle one called 'Endurance'. Michelin have spent two years developing the tyres using some of their technology from road and motorbike tyres and they claim lower rolling resistance, better puncture protection and more grip.
The Endurance is billed as an all-rounder with extra puncture protection and lower rolling resistance which is why I chose them for Awesom-O. I only did the local 21 miler tonight but I'm very impressed, they're definitely a lot faster rolling than the 4 Seasons. I felt they felt slightly harsh but I may have over inflated them a bit so I'll report back. I did have an amusing encounter coming back down the Lancs though. I could see a young couple about forty yards ahead jogging together. As the bloke spotted me, he moved to one side so I could pass and the girl suddenly grabbed him shrieking "F*cking hell, I nearly sh*t myself then. I thought he was a car and was going to get me!". The Exposure Diablo strikes again! It was a cold but calm night and another 21.9 miles. This was quite a significant ride because the overdraft is gone, I'm at 2,202 miles for 2016 and I've got another few days to build up a surplus!
27th November: I escaped this afternoon and ended up doing a bit of a hybrid route. It was a lot warmer than it has been recently with a fair amount of blue sky so quite a nice ride overall. I ran the new tyres at 75 and 80 psi and they still felt quite solid which I guess is because there's plenty of rubber in them, they are an endurance tyre after all, but they are noticeably faster rolling than the old Conti's. I did a lap around the fishing pond at Sidings Lane and then what would have been the local 27 but, instead of heading up Sineacre Lane after the farm path towards Kirkby, I carried on down and did the OCR. As I came out of the farm path and carried on down the main road I was reminded that one of the many downsides of winter is getting gritted by passing gritting lorries (I got gritted on Thursday as well going down the Lancs). I don't what's in grit these days but I didn't hear any salt pinging off Awesom-O but the wagon did leave a very strong smell of fertiliser in the road after it has passed which was odd. Anyhow, an enjoyable ride and another 22.4 miles.
30th November: Well, the final ride of November was fun and uneventful. I took Awesom-O out after work to do the OCR again. It wasn't too cold or windy but it was quite misty and damp so felt colder than it probably was. Anyhow, I soon warmed up and enjoyed the ride, my legs felt good as well which is always nice and Awesom-O was nice and muddy when we got back which is par for the course for this time of year. I will clean him but it can wait until the weekend this time, it's too cold! The final total for November was 241.2 which is pretty good around 160 miles to do in December...
