30 in 30 , day 31

damn this thing, I knew this would happen

short way to work, long way home, 1 hour 30 on the road bike in the evening sunshine, it rocked a phat one !

talking of fat, I am now officially the fatest I have ever been, 17 stone 6lbs according to the scales last night, I'm not surprised really, over a year of eating and drinking has taken its toll

time for a change methinks

30 in 30, day 30

it is done, this thing of ours, I've enjoyed it and actually found it easier than I expected from a physical point of view, the logistics were difficult, often meaning getting up very early, I can well understand how life could get in the way, and in my case a death almost stalled me :-/

Todays final ride in the sun was a pleasure, 1 hour 45 on the road bike, that stupid persistent insistant wind was still around, turning into my face regardless of which direction I was heading but still it was a pleasure.

I must be fitter now, I weigh pretty much the same, the beer belly has at least stopped growing if not shrunk, I feel stronger, I can push harder on the hills so its all good

One thing that this has exposed is all my old nagging injuries, my weak right ankle has given way occasionally, my left achilles tendon aches most days, my neck is sore, my right wrist aches, on the plus side my knees and hips are fine, no aching back (which is always a sign of getting fitter) my addiction to alcohol continues (although next week I'm on call so a week of tea and coffee beckons)



now then, who's up for 2 hours a day ?

:-)

business as normal tomorrow, road bike the long way to work, and now the nights are lighter the long way home, 30 in 30 has just been the start....

congrats to everyone who finished, commiseration's to those who didnt

30 in 30 , day 29

road ride on a mountainbike

1 hour forty minutes

legs fine, mentally ok, 1 day to go.....

last day looks to be the worst yet weather wise, I guess it'll be another road ride, only this time it'll be on a road bike

30 in 30, day 28

got up late again despite last nights promises !

anyway, out at 7 and decided to embrace the mud (even took the crud guards off) and get down and dirty, the trails were even wetter than last night and after 3 minutes I was completly covered and wet through, nice enjoyable ride, the power of positivity rules

anyway, 1 hour and 5 later and I'm in work, got the bike jetted down, the muddy clothes in the wash, now showered, shaved and all coffeed up :-)

only downside is that I've just eaten a breakfast bar that tasted a bit funny, turns out to be two years out of date !!, we'll see how that goes later :-/

30 in 30 , day 27

up too late again (0645) to get an hour in before work so it was an evening ride today, despite the fact the sun was shining there was no passion, no juice, no zip to this ride at all, just getting the hour done and home

I need a change of scenery, I need woodsy singletrack, I need to head over to Delamere on Saturday

1 hour and five, done

feeling tired, legs heavy, mentally soft

tomorrow I,m up t 6 and out to work the long way, time to toughen the fuck up, anyone fancy making some stem stickers ?

30 in 30, day 26

Late up again this morning, and it was wet and windy..

tonight decided to go home along the canal, not a good idea, the towpath is horrible, wet, muddy, porridge, however despite the fact that my back barke imploded it was done, and hour and 5 minutes, another day done

curry and beer beckons tonight :-)

30 in 30 , day 25

Woke up too late to get an hour in this morning so just headed straight to work...

Then this evening set off just as the snow and sleet started again, this is getting pretty old right now !

however I stuck it out and did the obligatory hour and ten thereby keeping the flame alive, sad to see a comrade fall over the weekend, just a few of us left now, I can well understand how the motivation evaporates as I had my crisis early on..

its a challenge and thats for sure

30 in 30, day 24

day 24

1 hour down the river was an absolute chore, very very tired legs from yesterday, only highlight was whilst taking a bath and noticing my cyclists tan lines around my ankles has come back !

Back to reality tomorrow, early morning ride to work in a predicted minus 5 snow storm ;-0

30 in 30, day 23

day 23

road ride on mountainbike, 29x2.25 tyres into a persistant headwind made for a very tough 2 hours, on more than one occasion I had to remind myself to toughen the fuck up, finished the ride completely shelled out :-(

sorry Simon, I know this is late but there's no way I'll be riding around Rivington Pike tomorrow

30 in 30, day 21 and day 22

Good Friday was a good friday, stayed in bed until 12 listening to the radio (still awake at 6 as per) then out for a spin in the wind, the trails were amazingly dry considering the storm that had raged through the night, off down the river and along, wind assisted.

Got to Northenden and decided to head off into the city centre, BUT I hadnt factored in the bank holiday, it wasnt so much that the roads were busy, just full of idiots (as per) so soon enough switched back to dirt and struggled into the wind and home, 1 hour 45 minutes :-)

oh and by the way, I took the time to examine the hanging bridge yesterday, there's at least a dozen rope remains under there, maybe its a hot spot amongst the hanging fraternity ??

Today is looking good also, despite works best efforts to draw me in I'm soon off again for an afternoon of river run dodging the dogs and runners...

more later

Similar again, 2 whole hours this time, wind, rain, sun, snow, hail all at the same time, trails pretty dry, lots of runners and dog walkers around

Long tailed tit flock

1 Gooseander

lots of Canadian Geeses

lots of magpies

tomorrow promises more of the same

8 days to go then rest :-)

30 in 30, day 19 and 20

March 19th, up at 5, down the river to the spot, felt a bit creepy but hey ho, strangely enough they'd left about 3 feet of the rope up ?, legs heavy, just turning circles really

1 hour 10

March 20th, an hour and 10 after work tonight, legs heavy, heart heavy, no real passion for this tonight, just going through the motions really, went past the spot again, the remains of the rope had gone, was expecting to see some notes/flowers etc but nothing, the only thing of note was some graffiti (not new) that said "Gillian Clarke shits in a colostomy bag " which made me laugh for some strange reason :-/


Perfectly rational now, looking forward to the Easter break :-)

30 in 30, day 18

things just got bad :-(

up and out at 630, along the river to the bridge and there's some poor soul hanging off the structure....

police arive just as I do, nothing I can do

caught sight of the bike that he'd ridden to the bridge, that resonated with me

ride off into the woods, vomit twice, ride to work, slowly

not a good start to the day, feel pretty shite right now

only slight positive is that the ride was an hour and 15

bit of a reality check there :-/

30 in 30 , day 17

Tired stiff legs today after yesterdays climb meant the short way to work this morning, over the day legs got better so the long way home beckoned, an hour and ten means that day 17 is completed.

This 30 in 30 thing appears to be working but one thing concerns me, my rides have all been short, nowt more than 2 hours for the last two weeks. Easter weekend is coming and I should be able to get out for two full days and I fancy another loop of Penmachno so I can see out to the Snowdonian range and then another day in the peaks.

Its probably over 2 years since I last rode there, in fact come to think about it, it was with Dan for a route guide for Singletrack magazine, that was a fun two days, first day was wet and windy, second day sunny and warm, typical British weather, it will probably be the same this weekend :-)

30 in 30, day 16

Late night, not too hung over, rain, sleet and snow all at the same time.

Andy on a bike !

Almost 2 hours including a 40 minute grind into the wind up a beetch of a hill, had to peddle down the other side to get back to Andy's house

Legs fine, mentally okay, things going well, over half way now and feeling the benefit.

Warton Crag on the way back home

2 Peregrine

1 Little owl

1 Chuff !

30 in 30, day 15

2 hours urban, 1 hour to the Shak to pick up some essentials, Cliff Bars, chain lube etc

legs heavy, breathing hard riding isnt much fun today

but I am getting stronger

tomorrows ride with Andy and Gabrielle promises to be fun if the rain holds off

30 in 30, day 14

0600 out, back 0715, suns just come out, rains gone away

legs heavy but working, head not quite in the game

usual birds out

looking forward to the weekend now :-/

30 in 30, day 13, a day of decisions !

Yesterday left me drained, completely shelled out, and by this morning I felt worse, I just hadnt recovered

So, alarm goes off at 0545 and I dither, and dither and contemplate cheating, think about giving up, think about anything other than riding a bike....

Eventually get up at 630 and out, legs heavy, breathing hard with the slightest incline and then turn into the wind, nothing like yesterday but just draggy and insistant, this is not fun

I'm facing a 12/14 hour day today and it would have been so easy to quit, but then when I think about it I can quit drinking for a month, surely I can do something everyday for a month ? especially something that I consider defines who I am and what I do ?

Pull into work at 0750, it is done

Yes I can do it I know after this mornings mental tussle that 30 in 30 will now be done :-)

Must drink more water and less coffee though :-0

2 Herons

5 tuftied ducks

dozens of Magpies

30 in 30, day 12

couldnt sleep, a few work things on my mind so up at 530 and out at quarter to...

into the most brutal wind and rain ever !, for the first 15 mins it was on my back, then I turned and stopped, 1 hour and 20 minutes later and I'm at work, normally an hour and ten at a leisurely pace, 1 hour 35 today and properly tired out, wringing wet with rain and sweat, legs still tingling with the effort

tonights night road ride is off if this weather persists, far too dangerous on the roads with dopey car drivers

1 Cormorant

lots of Canadian Gooses honking in the trees

lots of other birds singing very loud, they were probably scared

lost count of the number of downed trees

lost count of the number of household bins strewn around the streets

lost count of the number of times almost blown off the bike


oh, and have found the weak link with 29er wheels, they dont half get caught by the wind when you least expect them to !

30 in 30, day 11

dentists at 9 this morning meant a lie in till 8, then off down the river, in the sun !!, still windy and trails very wet and muddy, 1 hour 40 minutes and done, lots of fun, great to feel the sun on my face, legs felt strong today, might be starting to get somewhere, lakes at the weekend, then on to see Andy and T and hopefully get his sorry arse out on a bike for an hour or so :-)

2 Cormorants

Lots of Canadian gooses

short way home tonight if the predicted storms come in

update, the storm came and I got blown all the way home ;-) and had the exquisite pleasure of riding on the outside of 3 miles of standing traffic, it would appear that some weather has completely fooked up the traffic system around greater manchester

tomorrow's plan is to do an early morning river run assuming the storm has blown itself out and then do a night road ride, just read Jo's article in Cycling plus about the Rapha night ride and its inspired me and coincidently I ordered some stuff from Rapha today, a pair of riding knicks, a long sleeve jersey and renewed my sub to Rouleur

must put some air in Jakes tyres

Riding bikes is really rather good fun

30 in 30, day 10

well, that was fun, 45 minutes grovelling into a howling wind, mud and water grinding through the bike, hailstones hurting my face, and seat post slipping down, bah !

and then I turned around, wooo hoooo, that was fast, faster than I could spin my stupid single gear, faster than the mud being kicked off my tyres

early morning rides rock

1 hour 15 minutes

2 Herons

2 Gosseanders

1 Kingfisher

lots of Mallards and Teal

need to sort out my drivetrain today, and also take a look at the rear hub, the Woodman (Brant designed) single speed hub that has been on duty for about 7 years now is finally making some deathnell type noises :-(

Update tonight, poured some oil into the hub and hey presto its fine again !, however the rain and wind came even harder and I couldnt summon up the courage to ride home the long way, went the shortest way possible and still got absolutely soaked wet through Bah !!

30 in 30, day 8 and 9

Saturday, 1 hour 20, down the river, legs fine, mental okay, arse fine..., saw a pair of Gosseanders and 3 Kingfishers, enjoyed the spinning when the wind was with me !

Sunday, 1 hour 40 minutes, decided to ride into the city centre and explore, couldnt be arsed getting wet and muddy so just stayed on tarmac, 34x16 on the Aizan was hard work into the wind, but it was fun riding the city streets, seeing the debris from last night spill out with their heads in their hands was funny, one guy could hardly walk !, amazing amount of vomit on the streets also !!

Legs are now used to this every day thing, tomorrow I'll step it up to at least 2 hours per day

Tomorrow is promising to be a day of weather, high winds and lots of rain predicted...

Rah !!

30 in 30, day 7

another early morning, set off in rain, finished in sunshine, legs fine, arse still sore, mentally fine, am enjoying this now and glad that I set off at an easy pace, next week might up it to 2 hours per day :-)

Weekend looming now, plan is for another early one tomorrow, probably on the road, maybe a couple of hours, get back around 930 and still have the rest of the day for photography (will probably take Jack to Martin Mere)

Sunday's plan is to head over to the valley and ride with Matt and Tanya, hopefully Dave and Sharon, maybe even get Chips out...

You coming over Barnes ??

30 in 30, day 6

Early morning hour and ten, legs heavy, sit bones sore, still smiling though..

that slight head wind made the 34x16 gear on the Aizan seem very hard today, still my work is done for today, need to plan the weekend now :-)

30 in 30, day 5

Set off at 0645 this morning, lovely sunrise, puncture stop caused the sky to explode with hail and ice, mentally fine, legs heavy, left hand frozen solid, all good, 1 hour and 10 minutes

bring it on.....

:-)

30 in 30, day 4

well, this mornings ride didnt happen, icy roads put paid to that, just the short way along the road into work, being extra careful :-/

I have bad memories of a near death experience some years ago....

and to be honest my legs were sore from last nights cold ride.

As the day went on with clear blue skies I wasnt too concerned (for once the weather report was right), it stayed good for the rest of the day

So, onto tonight and a lovely evening, an hours road ride around the Cheshire lanes meant my work for the day was done and I'm still on target, just spinning an easy gear along watching the sun set was very pleasant :-)

Tomorrow morning looks to be cold and icy, so I have recovered the Aizan from the cellar and put the Jake away for now, an hour along the river should be available and am also hoping for a few hours in the evening, this bike riding lark is good clean fun :-))

30 in 30 , day 3

so, I'm sat here looking out of my office window and its sleeting and snowing, I rode to work today but its only 20 minutes, I have to go back the long way and do an hour, will I do it ?, cant even reward myself with beer or wine tonight !

watch this space....

So, the sleet got worse just as I set off but some positive mental outlook thoughts a la Bruce Lee got me through, 1 hour ten minutes on the Jake, bloody fast with 100psi in them there tyres, absolutely soaked to the skin, and proper chaffage around the inner thigh :-0

but it was done, and just for completion, 1 beer and curry as a reward, and a good sign that my legs feel fine

:-)

Tomorrows plan is to get up early and get the hour over and done with, and then I can enjoy the ride home, early days I'll give you, but I have a good feeling about this, no foreign travel planned for March so fingers crossed :-)

30 in 30 day 2

2 and a half hours road ride, in the sun but incredible wind, with two mates who are preparing for a "sportive" that will include amongst others the Galibier and Alp d Huez !!

Road riding with little traffic around is good

30 in 30, day 1, here we go...

2 and a half hours around ByC, legs okay as long as I rode at my own pace, pushing uphill soon burned them out, lots of fun and smiles for Jonny Cakes birthday ride