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 

Ride in the Sun

The weather was clear and sunny today, if a little cold, so I set off at 8:30 for a decent ride. Stopped for a coffee at Winslow then across Aylesbury vale and uphill to Brill. Then went on to Long Crendon for a cafe lunch. Back via Thame and Longwick, where I bought a tea from the garage and drank it sitting on sacks of coal. I was feeling pretty weary by the end of the ride, at 2:30. 61 miles total, average speed 12.6 mph.

Xmas Rides

I managed to fit in 3 rides over the holiday period on my road bike, in between the showers, including a 23 mile ride on Boxing Day in the mist - with the sun breaking through.

I was given an iPhone 5 case for my bike by one of my sons, but haven't tried it out yet. We also got a cycling book called 'Escape Routes' with short round trips in England. I plan on doing a fair bit of cycling this year to keep fit, however the only long trip we have planned is a tour of East Anglia in May with Nicky my wife. We'll carry our own luggage and stay in pubs and B&Bs.
My wife, eldest son and I all made resolutions to loose some weight this year, and apart from a low fat, high fibre diet, I'll be continuing my regular jogging, gym and swimming sessions. I did a 7 km run on Monday on often muddy footpaths. I'm 12 stone now, and hope to get down to 11 stone by Easter.

Cycling Safety

Whilst the recent deaths of cyclists in London are undoubtedly the fault of dangerous drivers and bad junctions, I think there's quite a bit cyclists can do to improve their safety. I always wear a helmet and high-vis or bright clothing and have lights on or flashing in dim light or at night. I'm not sure you could enforce helmets etc legally, but wouldn't object for main roads at least. I also tend to hog the centre of a lane at junctions, and am wary of undertaking on the inside of traffic or cycling between queuing traffic. I'm not sure if cyclists undertaking is legal, although it is for cars in traffic where there are 2 or more lanes. I quite often use the middle of the road in traffic on the A41 into Aylesbury in the mornings, provided there is plenty space. I also generally avoid bike lanes that force cyclists to cross busy roads at separate crossings, although like the idea of totally segregated bike lanes with preferential traffic lights.

Hopefully they'll get the London problems sorted - I wouldn't fancy cycling there.

Ashridge

The weather's been sunny today, so we had a walk in the morning, then I did a 15 mile circuit up Ashridge. I could have stopped to photograph the nice autumn colours and sika deer, but the place was crowded with cars and walkers. I'm now using my winter boots and warmer tops, but haven't needed winter tights yet.

Nicky and I have decided to do a tour of Suffolk and Norfolk next May, starting and ending at Southwold, where one of Nicky's cousins lives. This year's hills in Devon and Cornwall have made her hanker after something flatter.

Pub Ride

I did a 15 mile round trip with our eldest son this afternoon via Wingrave and Mentmore (my usual route) then stopped for a pint at Long Marston. An enjoyable trip. His new gears worked fine. This pic is from the web, it wasn't quite as sunny as this.

Ricci Repair

Our eldest son managed to break his Campag derailliers a while back - well the spring had gone anyway and it didn't keep the chain tensioned. Rather than trying to get replacement Campag gears I bought a Shimano Tourney one for £15 and fitted it myself. It seems to work a treat - although spoils the look a bit of the vintage steel Ricci bike. But as we only paid £20 for the bike he didn't want to spend much money on it.

I was hoping we'd do a ride last weekend, but he was busy, so I did a 15 mile road bike run on my own. I'd also cycled to work 2 or 3 times last week.

Brill Ride

Having spent the last 2 weeks on holiday in Italy (walking on the Amalfi coast the first week), I decided yesterday to wiz off on my own for a decent bike ride. I did a longer version of my Aylesbury circumnavigation, taking in Winslow, Brill and Thame. A round trip of 60 miles, back in time for lunch and the afternoon gardening. Stopped off at Brill windmill

I also used my rack bag so I could carry a flask of coffee, and have space for my extra jersey when the weather warmed up.

Back at work today - it was quite nice to have a day at a desk!

Short Road Trip and Wallingford

The weather was quite pleasant this weekend (mid 20s), so I ventured out on my road bike for my usual 15 mile ride via Wingrave and Mentmore yesterday afternoon. Today started off cool then got hotter and sunnier. We spent the day at Wallingford walking the Thames Path, swimming in the open air pool and river, picnicking and sunbathing.

Too Hot for Much Cycling

With temps up to 28-32C in the day lately we haven't done any weekend rides this month, and have opted for shady walks instead.

I have though been commuting regularly - every day this week. The mornings are very pleasant with temps around 20C, however at 5.30pm it's been really hot and humid, which has made the climb up the hill near Aston Clinton quite tough.
Nicky has been planning next summer's bike ride from Dieppe to the Auverne following the trail of her Dad's teenage hike in 1938. The plan is to get a train to Newhaven then the ferry to Dieppe, cycle for about 7 days covering around 50 miles a day with luggage, then rent a gite with pool and a hire car and do a bit of walking, returning by train. I was wondering about cycling in walking shoes rather than SPD ones, however having tried it this week I'm missing the SPDs going up hills and at junctions when positioning pedals. So I'll probably just buy a pair of trainers when I get there.
I've booked my road bike in for its first service soon, and will no doubt have a few day trips when our eldest son is back from Vietnam at the end of the month.
Has anyone found a decent alternative to Google Reader? I used to read blogs I'm following on my iPhone and Windows laptop - but now it's gone it's not easy to keep track of new posts.

Bledlow Ridge

Nicky and I did a 35 mile ride today in warm sunny weather, the first ride we've done together since our Lands End ride. We headed over to Wendover, then near Chequers and over some hilly bits of the Chilterns to Bledlow Ridge. After a picnic in a meadow and a spot of sunbathing we returned via Weston Turville

Late news: We achieved our £1000 fundraising target today.