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| 9th December 2001
Start at Epsom_Downs but a different route than
normal taking in Reigate Hill and the North Downs way. Heard that Keith
has finally spent some money on his bike.
Bloody hell, it’s cold today. I really must look into buying some leggings with fleece inside. They would be much more welcome than my paper thin De Marchi’s.
Met
a couple of guys at Reigate Hill café who were obviously feeling the same way
as one described his ‘knob being like granny’s light switch’.
2
and a half hours cycling and about 15 miles covered.
David being
given a wide berth (with his arse, he needs it) Felt
a strange bobbing at the rear of the bike today. By the end of the ride it felt
like I was riding on one of those clown bikes at the circus, you know, the ones
that have the oval wheels. The rear tyre also has a slow puncture.
Pretty
pissed off. After 3 years riding without a puncture I suddenly have two in two
consecutive outings and have lost both of my Continental Supalight inner tubes.
This
also gives me another dilemma, with Christmas looming and the wife spending money
like its going out of fashion how am I going to get this fixed?
We
started talking about our next weekend away today. This is a repeat of our 2 day special that we undertook in September.
Paul fancies doing the North Downs Way (100 odd
miles) but a rough calculation meant that at the rate we cycle it would take us
5 days! Perhaps we can scale it down a bit or cycle faster. David says there are
some good routes in Wiltshire that he could look up and pull together. We shall
wait and see. It is all just talk at the moment.
22nd
December 2001 Belmont Downs Richard,
Paul, Keith and
David Back
to the bad old days - I haven’t got my back wheel sorted yet so I’m using my rigid
Apollo. God, I feel so unsafe. I’m really
high in the saddle and feel every little rut in the ground. My forearms and wrists
are sore after half an hours riding. It’s
very cold and I have a pair of tracksuit bottoms on. Not cycling specific but
they keep the wind off.
Keith has finally had his bike fixed. New bottom bracket, chainset, one crank (!), chain and cassette. Unfortunately, the bike shop has forgotten to put the washer back on his rear wheel that he had previously bodged in place to stop the axle slipping (there’s no grip left on the frame). Consequently, the rear wheel keeps sliding out of true. After a series of stops, Keith effects another bodge and we are off again.
A
nice little workout but my lack of control became apparent as we are coming down
Track_40. Because the bar is so narrow (unlike
the Spesh), I have my hands on the bar ends to kid myself that I am in control.
I fly into a corner forgetting that I can’t operate the brakes from the bar ends.
I go straight on and my bike hits a tree full on. Luckily I go past the tree and
end up on my back at the side of the trail. I give Keith
a shock as he flies around the corner and sees an orange thing in the middle of
the trail (my bike). He swerves off the trail and ends up hands first into a thorny
tree.
The
bike is okay after straightening the handlebars but when we reach he end of the
trail we decide that’s it for the day. Roll on Christmas and some spare cash so’s
I can get my wheel fixed!
24th
December Just
got my bikes out the garage to take a picture for the website and discovered I
have another puncture on the Apollo.
Shit, the third one in a row. I must have caused a slow puncture as I hit the
tree. Oh well, at least it got me home.
Paul trying
to straighten the rear mech hanger with 2 rocks – It would have been quicker to
try lighting a fire. 25th
December What’s
the best thing about Christmas? Is it giving to your fellow man? No, it’s getting
new kit for your bike of course. I have been bought a pair of sealskinz and a
headband / ear-warmer thing plus a new bottle of muc-off (well, a cheaper Raleigh
version cunningly called ‘Muckoff’. I have also got two mountain bike vids. I
shall enjoy watching these on those quiet winter evenings around the video machine.
Louise has also got me 12 months subscription to MBR – excellent!
26th
December No
cycling but I saw Clive for Christmas celebrations. I mentioned the wheel and
he said it’s probably a split tyre rather than a bent wheel.
28th
December I
cannibalise the Apollo and use the rear
tyre and inner tube for the Spesh. Excellent—it’s worked. No need for a new wheel.
I’m back on the road again (or off the road).
The Enduro converted to singlespeed to get
me home 30th
December A good turnout. All got our new Xmas gear on. Paul has spd pedals and spd boots. David has a new Panaracer tyre on the front, leggings and sealskinz.
The
highlight of the ride was Jo skidding on ice as we cross a road, landing heavily.
I hit a small twig (I saw it) as I just set off up a slope and screw the r.derailleur
hanger and probably the XT derailleur as well. Shit. I
have to adapt the chain to a single speed fixed wheel and limp back to the car
park whilst the others continue. Wonder how much this is going to cost me?
David
e-mailed me the next day to say that after I turned back, Paul
had gone the wrong way at a x-roads and got lost and Keith
had a puncture so they only managed about half an hours extra riding. Not one
of our better days. |
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