Boy did I get caught the other day. I set off for the Eureka Cafe on the Iceni winter bike and about 1/2 a mile in it starts to rain. Not a problem out comes the over jacket. I stay behind a tractor for a couple of hundred yards and then turn off towards Brimstage.
The rain is fairly heavy but worse was to come. 150 yards on I pick up a puncture in the front tyre. As I set about changing the tube the heavens open, real monsoon stuff. There is no way out of this one as the nearest shelter is 1/2 a mile away. It was that bad I had to empty the rain water out of the tyre before putting the tube in.
Cars were crawling past as presumably they couldnt see where they were going.
I’ve had better days and the tempation was to turn around and head home but I decide to carry on with the original plan. An hour later the sun was out.
Month: August 2006
Comments about my Breakfast
Well it had to happen, I’m down at the Eureka Cafe having Frank,s Breakfast because this is part of my diet/lifestyle.
I have this breakfast EVERY time I walk through the door and have written a previous post about it.
Next thing someone who should know better is tut tutting me for eating it and then asks what I am having for pudding.
Whether this was in jest or not it has touch a raw nerve here. I’m not altering the plan to fall in line with the CTC Cycling Diet Police. I’ve said before that I was consious of the fact that I was the only one eating a breakfast and it looks as if the thought was well founded.
It should be an interesting ride Sunday, I’d rather miss the ride than the breakfast.
Point of Interest Cotebrook
The Alvanley Arms was a lunch stop on a recent CTC Sunday run. A nice place with the Shire Horse Centre adjacent to it. It started to rain when we were leaving so no photo with this post but the link is as it says on the tin.
Weekending 03 Sep 06
Monday: Restday, Bankholiday,went to Mathew Street Festival.
Tuesday: Oval closed, got a fair bit done today including some 10 speed chain links for the bike. Chap at Quinns said there was over 11,000 ft of climbing in the Wild Wales ride on Sunday. Here’s me getting a flap on about going over Moel Famau to Ruthin with the CTC.
Wednesday: Rode out to the Eureka, picked up a puncture in a downpour. Breakfast as usual. Rode home through Puddington Ness Neston and Gayton (22 Miles).
Saw finish of the Tour of Britain in Liverpool . Roger Hammond won the stage.
Spinning class saw me burning 650 calories as it was still counting them about 5 minutes after the end of the class. I did put a lot of effort into this one as Sunday promises to be my toughest ride yet. 1 set of weights, 2 stints on the crosstrainer burnt another 500 cals off.
Thurday: Another spinning class, this one saw me burning about 690 calories. the resistance was about as high as I could hack it. It took a good 5 minutes for the heart rate to come down to a level where the Heart Rate Monitor stopped counting it.
Jumps on the cross trainer next, only problem is after 5 minutes it decides it’s had enough and wants to shake itself to pieces. So then it was across to the one without the ski poles for 200 calories. 2 sets on the weights.
Friday: Rode down to Eureka for breakfast , saw Pinarello Kevin and spoke to another new face for me, Mike. Back home through Thornton Hough where I picked up another puncture, just as well I had bought an new tube about 20 minutes before. 18 miles. Session in the Oval after setting up the Direct Debit for the Invigorate pass. Crosstrainer 1/2 hr 400 cals. Rowing machine 125 cals.
Saturday: Restday
Sunday: Went down the Eureka for an Early breakfast and the CTC ride to Ruthin.
Disaster struck 100 metres from the top of the pass at Moel Famau. A problem with the chain has broken the rear deraileur and bent the dropout. It looks terminal.
Sent for International Rescue when I could get a phone signal. Not the best of days.
Test survey
[survey_fly]
Weekending 27 Aug 06
Monday: Upper body routine with an extra 5kg on a machine or two to see how I am doing. 20 mins on the cycle cross country prog (280 cals) Rowing machine 5 mins (60 cals) Crosstrainer 15 mins (180 cals) plus the odd machine after I came off the crosstrainer. 1 hour in all.
Tuesday: 30 mins on the cross trainer (400 cals)15 or 20 mins exercise cycle fitness test (100 cals, I wont be doing this one again!) 6 mins on the rowing machine (75 cals) 2 one minute intervals in that time at which it said I was burning 1100+ cals/hr. one set on the upper body weights.
Wednesday: 30 mins on the cross trainer (400 cals) 100 cals on the exercise cycle calorie programme 6 mins on the rowing machine (80 cals) and a set on the upper body weights. 1 hour in all.Booked a spinning class for thursday.
Thursday: Spinning class (560 cals) got asked how many cals it was this week, I shouldn’t have said the highest was 600 cals as it looks like we are going to get a right thrashing next week. A fair bit of banter in the class this week, some can feel like they could be held in a library. 20 mins rowing as the crosstrainers were occupied. 20 odd mins on the crosstrainer (1100 cals for the session) 1 set of upper body weight machines.
Friday: Rode to the Eureka for breakfast, rode home with old Terry. Didn’t feel like having a big ride after the previous night. (22 miles) Chain was playing up on the ride back.
Saturday: Restday. Had a look at the chain and found that the Shimano rivet had come apart and the chain was about to snap. Pressed the thing back together but have a nagging doubt as to its strength. Don’t have a splitlink for a 10 speed chain and Shimano don’t do one either. Grrrrr.
Sunday: Rode down to the Eureka to test the chain out and have breakfast, just managed to finish before the CTC ride set off. It’s like the magical mystery tour doing one of these Sunday rides, all I knew was that we were going to a pub to meet up with a group that were having a camping cycling holiday. First stop was the Ice Cream Farm for tea and a scone (still warm from the oven). Then it was through the lanes around Beeston Castle taking in some of Cheshire,s finest scenery to the Alvanly Arms and Shire Horse centre for lunch and to meet up with the campers.
Great pub but a little pricey if your on a budget.
As we left the heavens opened so it was on with the jacket which proved to be short lived as we stopped to remove them around Kelsall but it meant to photo,s.
It was a picturesqe ride down to the three bridges where new member Chris picked up a puncture but it gave me the opportunity to take a few shots so here they are.
These 3 bridges are from roman times I’ve been told and cycling or foot is the only way across. Definately a Point of Interest. A pleasant ride through Cristleton and the cycle routes through Chester and back to the Eureka. 75 miles 54 of them on the CTC run.
Weekending 20 Aug 06
Monday: One hour in the gym, crosstrainer 30 mins hillclimb (400 cals). Exercise bike 20 mins crosscountry prog (280 cals).This was trying to maintain 90 rpm most of the time, it would drop to 80rpm on the highest resistances. One set of weights doing my upper body.
Tuesday:One hour in the gym, crosstrainer 30 mins crosscountry (380 cals). Exercise bike 20 mins crosscountry prog (275 cals).Much the same as Monday.
Wednesday: Depends on Currys delivering the THIRD cooker in the morning. Well the third one arrived damaged so it was off to Bromborough to sort it out, meant I missed the ride from the Eureka cafe. Breakfast at the Eureka Cafe about 1pm and then a ride home through the missing link. 20 miles but my heart wasn’t in it today.
45 mins in the gym of which 30mins was on the crosstrainer fat burning prog (300 cals)
Spinning class, havent done many on a wednesday (600 cals)
Thursday: Another session on the crosstrainer before the spinning class 15mins(150 cals) Spinning class 540 cals which is 40 more than the same class last week.
A round of the the machines followed the class, I’m looking into whether to do anaerobic exercise after the aerobic exercise as it felt easier after the class and I put a lot into the classes. I’m open to comments on this one.
Friday: Bad start, puncture on the No2 bike, the toy get another airing but it looks like rain. Met old Terry training for the “shoe” on the way to the Eureka!! Anyway it started to pour down once I got there and I didnt want to head back in a downpour. 20 miles 10 of them grim wet ones.
Saturday: Restday.
Sunday: Restday (An hour or two was spent cleaning the bikes and seeing if the carbon fibre bicyvle pump was up to much. It isn’t, but it does look the part when matched up with the carbon fibre bottle cage.)
Weekending 13 Aug 06
Monday: Really a story about a week messed up by Currys. A round of the exercise machine followed by a spinning class.
Tuesday:Spinning class with HRM on 625 calories burnt. Half hour on the machines prior to the class.
Wednesday:Missed out on a CTC ride from the Eureka, 45 mile Wirral Circular Route instead.
Thursday:Another session at the Oval pre and post Spinning class 1050 calories burnt.
Friday: Late breakfast at the Eureka followed by a short ride home 25 miles.
Saturday: Work, restday.
Sunday: Work, restday.
Todays spinning session down the Oval.
I went down the Oval for a session in the gym followed by a spinning class. This was with the cheap and cheerful heart rate monitor on.
I did a round on the weight machines 5 mins on the rowing machine and 15 mins on the cross trainer, result was about 200 calories burnt.
Spinning class resulted in another 525 calories burnt and a bucket of sweat lost again.
Then it got interesting, I got quizzed on the way out by the girl on the desk “How was the class“. “Good, 500 calories burnt”. ” How do you know“. “Heart rate monitor” I say showing her my wrist. “Should you be doing this on a Lifestyle pass“. “I’ve been doing it for 2 months” “Do they know about it ?”. “Yes” Conversation ends sort of.
Upon which I did another 20 mins on the cross-trainer and did a bit more arm work.
Result 1050 calories burnt.
I’m sure they think I shouldn’t be in there or not paying for the class but the fact is I’m paying £4 a session as they are not covered by the card. At the rate I’m doing them it is cheaper to join the gym and forget about the lifestyle pass which runs out at the end of the month.
The displays on the machines latch onto the chestbelt so you dont have to look at your wrist and give similar results for the calories burnt.
Denhall Lane
To help me manage the routes which are quite long these days I’ve decided to start listing interesting points as a seperate list. This is because I can only have one Lat/Lon reference per post at the moment.
Anyway old Terry showed me this point and its worth doing when your up to it.(Terry is 77 by the way)
If your heading out of Burton take the fork to the left before the climb to Ness Gardens.
It emerges at the buss turn around next to Ness Gardens. Good toilet stop 100 yards from the gate (hot water from the taps)
The picture quality is poor as it was taken on a mobile phone (1.3mp) Pinarello Terry does this climb 3 times.
Frank Kinlan's Blog 