Woosh Sirocco Electric Bike

My wife Nicky bought this bike last week and we put it to the test at the weekend. It's basically a heavy mountain/commuter bike (24kg) with a hub motor and battery that is supposed to last 35-40 miles per charge, depending on how much you pedal. We did a 25 mile round trip over Ashridge, up Tom's Hill near Aldbury and it coped well. I also did a shorter ride on my own. You can either use the throttle or 'pedal assist' on one of 3 different settings: low, medium or high. We opted for pedal assist high - which means you pedal along at around 15 mph and are helped up hills. I struggled to keep up on my hybrid, especially up hills - next time I'll use my road bike and let Nicky carry all the luggage!
For £585, complete with lights, mudguards and luggage rack it's pretty good value. It should be just the job for Nicky to commute to work when the weather improves.

Weekly Rides

I've just been doing a weekly ride at weekends usually on a Saturday for an hour or two lately, plus 2 or 3 commutes to work. Along with weekly swim and a gym session, plus a long Sunday walk and gardening on our allotment it keeps me pretty fit. I did a ride the other day which looked a bit like a fish!

 



I've been recording my activities on Strava - so have neglected this blog a bit. I still keep toying with the idea of a round Europe unsupported ride.

Ride to Birmingham

I set off today at 06:20 to cycle to Birmingham, where my wife is visiting our niece. It was nice and cool at the start, but soon warmed up. Had a coffee at Winslow service station, travelled on through Buckingham and Stowe. There were loads of classic sports cars on their way to Silverstone.

I stopped for a sandwich and cold drink then carried on to Warwick, where I had a quick look at the castle and some old bits.

I stopped for another coffee by Hatton Locks - all 21 of them! 

The road was signpost to Solihull where I went, only to realise that it was a bit far east. After a bit of wiggling I made it about 3pm. 97 miles. Route here https://www.strava.com/activities/171116092

Strava

I've started using Strava on my iPhone, partly so I can track a friend who's cycling to Devon and back. I've used it a couple of times so far on rides to work, once with my phone attached to my handlebars. It seems quite a fun app, and gives some interesting stats. I might see whether using my road bike for commuting is faster - although I prefer using my hybrid in busy traffic and on bumpy roads. My user details are http://www.strava.com/athletes/5479170

Norfolk

Nicky and I have been staying in Catfield, Norfolk and did a 30 mile bike ride yesterday by the coast and around Hinkling Broad in the sunshine, and wind.

Stewkley

I've just had a pleasant 24 mile round trip on my road bike in unseasonable summery weather. I did a couple of commutes to work last week on my hybrid. I haven't done that much exercise lately, as I managed to strain a knee training for a half-marathon and have had a cold or flu. But I'm better now and have transferred my running place to my son. Next weekend we're off to Norfolk with bikes, so it's bound to rain!

Spring rides

I haven't been doing any particularly long rides lately, just commuting to work once or twice a week and the odd weekend ride. Last weekend I did a 15 mile ride up over Ashridge and saw some bluebells poking through. Then on Sunday Nicky and I did a slightly longer ride to Stewkley and back via the Red Lion pub at Marsworth (25 miles).

I've also started doing some training for the Ashridge Half Marathon on 22nd June. My longest run since school is 10km about 5 years ago, so it will be quite a challenge. I'm just looking to finish though by a mixture of jogging and walking!

Skiing the Col du Tourmalet

I spent half term skiing with my wife and our 2 sons in the Pyrenees and had good weather and snow. The area included a famous pass used in the Tour de France, although the pass is only snow free in the summer.

I was pretty stiff at the start of this last week and had a work conference away, but I did a 22 mile ride this afternoon in springlike conditions.

Lunch at Winslow

The weather was sunny and quite mild, so Nicky and I cycled to Winslow for a light lunch in a cafe. 35 mile round trip.

Afternoon Ride

I've just done a 25 mile ride on my hybrid this afternoon over Ashridge to Eddlesborough then across to Mentmore via the great train robbers bridge and back through Wingrave. I didn't fancy a full days ride like last Saturday which seemed to take a day or two to recover from. Anyway it was wet this morning and I had my Tesco shop to do as usual. The hybrid made a pleasant change on the bum, and was only slightly slower, with an average of 12.2 mph. Mind you the comparison is difficult as today was shorter - but hillier