37.7 Miles, Sunday Morning

The Bikes

Another ride today, 37.7 miles in total around parts of Kent but this ride was a little different – I had company.

I friend joined me for this ride.  We’ve been talking about setting up semi-regular rides and this was our first one.  I normally ride alone but today was fun.  He is fitter than me so he was powering up the hills and leaving me struggling behind in first gear!  To add insult to injury, he was even cycling back down the hills to see where I was! 

We left just before 9am and headed up the Medway valley through Wouldham, Burham, Eccles and Aylesford before crossing the M20 motorway travelling through some of the back roads of Maidstone.  Just before Bearsted we turned North and again crossed the motorway heading towards Detling.

Passing through Detling, we cycled on single lane country roads towards Thurnham and we were overtaken by some road cyclists, groups of four or more, who appeared to be part of a cycling club.  They shot by with their more suitable gearing and slick tyres and a cheery shout of “Morning!”.

The Black Horse Inn

We stopped for a snack in Thurnham, near the Black Horse Inn and Thurnham Keep – good food at the Black Horse, spent many a long evening in there eating good food and drinking great wine.  The odometer read 13.3 miles at this point, 1h23m and an average speed of 10mph.

From that point, we cycled down into Hollingbourne before we hit the biggest hill of the day.  In 0.79 miles we climbed 332.5 ft – it was a nasty hill, I almost gave up but I put my head down and pushed through the pain barrier.

The next place we stopped was a small village called Bredgar where we grabbed a Mars Bar and a Coke from the local Farm Shop (CTC cyclists welcome!) before sitting down by the duck pond.  Nice village with some nice houses – worth a look if you’re passing.

A House In Bredgar

Next stop was at Borden for a few photos of the church  before head down again and cycling back towards the Medway Towns.  Hempstead was our entry point where my friend broke off as we passed his house – he’d already cycled to my house in the morning so we ended up doing the same distance.  Then it was cycling alone back to my house.

A good ride.  It wasn’t sunny, but it was relatively warm.  No rain, which was great as earlier in the week they had forecast heavy rain.

More photos from the ride over on Flickr (click here).

The Route - 37.7 Miles, shown in yellow

The Ride's Profile

Trek+Hyde Park = 77miles+Sore Bum

0700 And Ready To Go

Monday, 0700hrs,  and the Trek was out and ready for its longest journey to date.  It was a Bank Holiday yesterday so I took the opportunity to tackle one of my cycling challenges, to ride into London and back.

I set Hyde Park as my destination and stocked up with a couple of sandwiches and some water then hit the road.

I had my route planned in my head and on my GPS which was mounted to my handlebars.  The route would take me from Rochester, up through Strood to Gravesend, then through Dartford, following the River Thames past Woolwich.  I’d cross the River Thames over Tower Bridge and then continue to follow the river west before heading North to Trafalgar Square.  Then a short dash down The Mall and I’d be more or less at my destination.

Route Shown In Yellow

Being a Bank Holiday the roads were fairly quiet so I was looking forward to a relatively easy ride into ‘the big smoke’.  This was to be my first time cycling in London – I’ve driven there and walked its streets many times but this would be a first.  But before the city streets I had to cycle the minor roads from Rochester.  The route I had planned may not have been the most direct but it kept me off the busiest roads whilst taking me to places I have not previously visited.  From door to Park the route was 36 miles, and with some random cycling en route, the total journey was going to easily break my previous record (~59 miles).

Dartford Tolls

The route took me over the M25 at the Dartford Crossing and it was quite interesting to watch the traffic from the bridge near the toll booths.  I’ve been in those queues many times!  [Distance: 14.7 miles; Time: 1h33m]

Cycling hard, from there onwards towards London, the scenery was nothing to ‘write home’ about, quite bland and in places industrial.  However, before long I was entering the outskirts of London and stopped briefly at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich for a few photos.  [Distance: 28.9 miles; Time 2h43m]

About 30 minutes later, dodging the increasing levels of traffic, I arrived at Tower Bridge – one of London’s most famous landmarks.  I hadn’t been there for quite a while.  These days, my trips to London are usually night-based and involve a lot of beer and the only sight-seeing I normally do there is of the female variety!  So, it was good to be doing the tourist thing and seeing what the visitors see.  [Distance: 32.8 miles; Time: 3h11m]

Once over Tower Bridge (now dodging tourists as well as cars), I turned left at the Tower of London and headed along the river.  Choking as I cycled through the Blackfriars  Underpass (fumes) and back into the sunlight as I proceeded along the Embankment.  Just after Hungerford Bridge I took a right up Northumberland Avenue and on to Trafalgar Square.  A few photos of Nelson later and I turned and headed down (or up?) The Mall towards Buckingham Palace.

Admiralty Arch

The Mall itself was closed to vehicles due to some Horse Guard movements and there were police and tourists everywhere.  I pushed on through, took a few photos, and headed to my destination, along Constitution Hill.  Stopping briefly to buy a few cans of Coke and a Red Bull, I then stepped into Hyde Park.

I sat down and enjoyed the cool can of Coke in the Park.  37.3 miles, 4h10m (including stopping/photography time) – according to the GPS data.

After having my lunch I moved on towards The Serpentine, the lake in the Park, and relaxed under a tree with a coffee from ‘The Boat House’.  It had turned out to be a great summer day, the sun was out and it was very warm.  All the ‘Beautiful People’ were out either jogging or roller-blading alongside the lake.  Families played in the sun.  Birds flocked around children with bread.  My legs ached!

I spent about an hour in Hyde Park and then jumped back on the Trek and headed home.  The return journey was the same as the morning’s ride but I did take a short detour at the end of The Mall to have a quick look around Horse Guards (where they carry out the Trooping the Colour).

The ride home was hard, really hard.  It was hot, the sun was blazing down on me and I was tired.  My aching legs felt as though they’d give up at any moment.  I had to take frequent stops to rehydrate and relieve the pressure on my aching ‘bits’.

The Thames Barrier

I had a break at the Thames Barrier and drunk my last can of Coke on the grass overlooking the river.  Again, somewhere I haven’t been to for years – it’s now looking more grubby and ‘used’ since I saw it soon after it was built.

It was a struggle but I eventually got home at 1730, with my knees aching and having lost 6lbs in weight(!).  It had been a long day and the return had been pretty gruelling but I had completed my challenge and that really felt great.  The Trek performed well, although I do wish the saddle was bigger, far more padded and chilled!

I have not been out on the bike today! 

Photos from my journey to London and back can be found on Flickr (click here).

The Trip Details At The End Of The Day

6.7 On The Trek

Well, I managed to get out on the Trek this afternoon.  Had an enjoyable and relaxing 6.7 mile ride around the town and the river.  Didn’t push it and didn’t go crazy on the speed or mileage, but it was nice to get out.

Both bikes got an airing this weekend and I’ve managed to clear a number of things off my ‘to-do’ list too.  A good weekend.

Hmm, now another weekend of work lies ahead.  

Trek – 16 Miles, Sunny Sunday

Another sunny Sunday here so I took the Trek for a 16 mile ride with a friend.  It was a leisurely ride with fair number of stops whilst we chatted and caught up with all the news.

Took the Trek off-road for the first time and it performed well.  The front shock fork soaked up a lot of the bumps, rocks and tree roots along the paths we cycled.  I’m still pleased with my choice of MTB, no complaints from me.

Three Eurostar trains shot past us during one of the stops – the ground shakes as it passes at speeds well in excess of 100mph (top speed is 186mph, apparently).

A great ride but now I’m sunburnt again.  Need to wear a hat.

Still haven’t managed to try the NiteRider light out.  Hopefully during the week.  At the moment, though, it’s still too light at 10pm!

29 Miles Around Maidstone

Another great day here in North Kent, the sun is shining, there’s a gentle breeze and it’s hot.  Having ticked quite a few things off my ‘to-do’ list on Friday and Saturday, I forced myself out of bed early this morning and took the Trek out for a spin.

I had a route in my head as to where I wanted to go but like all my rides, I like to see where the road, the scenery and my mood take me.  So today these ‘variables’ took me across the Medway and through Strood towards Cuxton and a destination of the river side in Maidstone.  I rested on the banks of the river in Maidstone, with a couple of swans, for about 10 minutes before beginning the return journey.

The return took my partially up Bluebell Hill then down into Aylesford and Eccles and then back into Rochester along Pilgrims’ Way, an “ancient trackway that runs across southern England from Winchester in the west to Canterbury“.

The Trek performed well again, but I really am beginning to see the benefit of road bikes!  Cyclists on ‘true’ road bikes easily powered past me as I struggled along with my big, fat off-road tyres.  Damn their slick wheels and brightly coloured lycra! 

No photos today as I didn’t take the camera – I was travelling light (i.e. I forgot it!).

44 Miles, Sun, Some Rain

Went out on the Trek today as it was a Bank Holiday Monday and therefore no work.  Went with a friend from work – his wife was away for the day so he was looking to get out for some fresh air.  We did consider heading in to London and spending the day drinking beer in Covent Garden but decided to hit the roads on the bikes instead.

Although he hadn’t been on a ’serious’ ride for over ten years, we ended up cycling a long way – a round trip of 44 miles to the Isle of Sheppey.  We took it relatively slowly but we were both very saddle sore and tired by the time we reached home.

The weather wasn’t look too great when we headed off at around 10am and the rain started to fall.  But the skies soon cleared and it ended up being a very warm and sunny day.

We crossed the river Medway to Sheppey on the Kingsferry Bridge (photo by Photo Paul, via Flickr), the old bridge to the island; the new bridge (photo by Jack Picknell, via Flickr) prohibits cycles.  On the return journey we were delayed here for five minutes as the bridge was up to allow the passing of some sailing boats.

Minster Abbey - Click to enlarge

Once on the Isle, we cycled to Minster and after a stop at the local shop for some snacks, we had a brief visit to Minster Abbey.  That was the point at which we decided to head home, taking the coastal road around Sheppey, through Sheerness and back to the Kingsferry Bridge.

We couldn’t resist stopping at The Tree Tuns pub in Lower Halstow for a well earned meal.  The food was great as we sat out in the beer garden in the afternoon sun and rested our aching legs.

I had a great day out today, a good ride and some good conversation with an old friend.  Oh, and I can’t forget the fantastic sausage, egg, chips and beans!

Outward Journey

Return Journey

Sweeps Festival and Gridlock

Cycled into town yesterday afternoon on the Trek to get some fresh air and was confronted with a packed town and gridlock!

It was the start of the annual three day ‘Sweeps Festival’:

Medway’s Sweeps Festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps at their traditional holiday. The event was a chance to forget about the soot. Locally, the occasion was marked by a procession through the streets of Rochester.

The streets were full of locals and tourists who had descended on the area for a mixture of stalls, events, music and ‘fun’.

Rochester’s High Street is normally closed to traffic on Saturdays but I couldn’t even ride the bike along it yesterday due to the volume of people milling around and enjoying the sun.  I had to get out of there and quickly headed off to find a quieter place to relax.

Ended up back on the Churchfields bank overlooking the river (2008 photo here) where I sat and people watched for an hour or so.

Check Mickolas’ Flickr pages for more images like the one below.

Photo by Mickolas

Link: Sweeps Festival 2009 Programme (PDF)
Link: Mickolas’ Flickr pages

Whitstable – A Long Ride

With a week off work my plan has been to catch up on all the things I should have been doing over the past five months but also to get out on the bikes and get some exercise and fresh air.

The holiday didn’t start well with a cold kicking in on my first day off and a mysterious sprained ankle (?!) on day two – I woke up and could walk!  That lasted a day or two before it strangely fixed itself during another night of sleep.

Easter Monday’s ride was pretty good and got me into the swing of things.  It was the longest ride I’d been on in many years and being able to switch off from the hassles and stresses of everyday life was very nice.

Wednesday was forecast to be a nice day so I got up and prepared the Trek.  Sandwiches, bottle of squash, cash, sunglasses.  My Topeak Aero Wedge DX was fitted under the saddle with a spare inner tube, Topeak Mini 9 multi tool and other bits and pieces.

Today was going to be a BIG ride.  My destination was Herne Bay, which was a round trip of over 60 miles.

When I set off, it was foggy and damp but with a forecast for sun and a great day ahead  I set of in good spirits.  There were to be some big hills on the way and the first one was only a couple of miles away in Chatham so it wasn’t going to be an easy start.

The ride went well and although the roads were pretty busy the majority of drivers were respectful of my space and gave me a lot of room whilst overtaking.  Even when I slowed them right down on the steep climbs they were patient and ensured that they passed safely.  Only one driver, on the return journey, passed far too close and just missed my handle bars – dangerous and idiotic.  However, that was one in many.  So top marks for the drivers of the area.

I’d estimated around three hours to complete the journey and decided to stop on the hour to stretch my legs and have a quick drink for a couple of minutes.  Just under an hour got me to the A249 and I stopped on the bridge over the busy dual carriageway.

My next stop was at a Little Chef road-side restaurant on the A299.  This was a very busy dual carriageway with cars travelling at 70+ mph so it wasn’t fun!  At this time I was very hungry so I thought I’d stop at the Little Chef for one of their Olympic Breakfasts.  The restaurant was quiet and they had no objection to me wheeling the bike inside and propping it up next to my table.  The first thing the waiter said to me as I entered was “You look knackered!” – after a 26 mile ride, I was!

Heading away from the Little Chef, now refuelled, I passed a sign saying Whitstable 7 miles, Herne Bay 11 miles.  Hmm, I thought, Whitstable it is then!

Change of plan took me to Whitstable rather than Herne Bay so I’d have a little more time to relax at the destination prior to heading home.  I was aware of the time and was keen to get home before sunset so Whitstable seemed the wiser choice.

Having grown up on the coast of Pembrokeshire, Whitstable, and the Kent coastline in general, is too bland and flat for my tastes.  There was nothing photograph-worthy in my mind on the seafront.

The town centre itself was extremely busy and I was glad that I could nip through the traffic on my bike whereas the cars sat in near gridlock.  I found a small park with a refreshment hut and sat down to enjoy a well deserved Coke and choc ice.

Then I was off.  Back onto the bike and heading North to Rochester.  This time I was keen to avoid that busy dual carriageway so I followed the coast along the back roads to Faversham.  The sun had by now burnt away the fog and was working on my exposed skin.  I could feel myself dehydrating and all I could think about was cold drink.

It was a great ride.  It wasn’t leisurely, I pushed myself for the majority of the journey and at the end of the return leg I was very tired and began to slow down.  Reaching Rainham I was seriously running low of energy and I slowed considerably but I was still pretty positive and was still enjoying it.  The sense of achievement was great as I headed into my local area and finally reached home.

With the Cateye computer reading 58.88 miles, I dismounted at my house and I was home!  The computer only records actual cycle time and it read 5 hours 46 minutes – no wonder I was a little saddle sore!

The Trek had performed well – as had my now aching legs.

(Flickr holds larger photos from the day)

GPS Track

Easter Monday Ride (30.5miles)

With no work today (Bank Holiday) I  left the house at 0730 for a long ride on the Trek.  I packed my GPS receiver, a map and a drink and cycled towards the Castle.

Prior to leaving I’d fitted a Trek bottle cage and my Crankbrothers Power Pump Alloy to the bike and checked the tyre pressures (pumping them up with the Topeak JoeBlow).  I was looking forward to this ride and with no time limit I intended to just cycle and explore.

I headed past the Castle and across the River Medway into Strood and then onward to the Isle of Grain/Hoo Peninsula.  I just took any road that caught my eye and on a number of occasions I had to turn back due to dead ends.  I had a rough idea as to where I wanted to go but no set route.

It wasn’t too cold but the sky was very cloudy and foggy in places.  Only towards the end of the ride did the sun begin to break through.  With these conditions, the camera didn’t come out at all; it was packed but it was so gloomy that it wasn’t worth snapping anything.

It was a great ride and it was fantastic to get out and away from the traffic.  Only birdsong broke the silence for the majority of the ride.

Today’s discovery was *another* castle which I’d never seen before: Cooling Castle, which is apparently owned by the musician Jools Holland.

My geek-side was interested to see that upon arriving home the Cateye computer and GPS both gave very similar distance readings – it’s nice to confirm the accuracy of the cycle computer.  The difference was around 0.2 of a mile.  The journey, as captured by the GPS receiver, is shown below.

The Trek performed well on the ride with no chain/gear noise to interrupt the silence.  However, I did have a chain incident at around the 27th mile.  Changing down to the smallest cog on the front set, the chain slipped off.  Normally, turning back downhill and changing gear whilst pedalling would drag the chain back onto the gears but for some reason the chain had become caught between the gears and the frame and just wouldn’t budge.  I had to stop, up-end the bike and with some grunting and pulling free the chain.  This took about five minutes and left me pretty oily.  Oh well, never mind… 

The route was a little over 30.5 miles in total.

Edit – 15th April ‘09 @ 0927: Profile of the route added in response to Robin’s comment (data from GPS track log).

The Ride, The Challenge And… Failure

The Trek was the chosen bike today.  I was out for a ride which ended up being around 14 miles to see some friends.

On the way, on the A2 heading east, I pulled up at the lights just as they turned red.  As I coasted to a stop, I twisted my feet out of the pedals before gently pulling up at  the line.  The guy to my right slowly eased to the line and we looked at each other.  There was a slight acknowledgement before we both checked the lights again – still red.

We waited.

I raised the left-hand pedal into position.  I checked my gears.  I checked the road behind.  I checked… my challenger.

The Trek 4300 felt good.  It was a warm and sunny day.  This bike could handle this.

Red.  Still red.  I looked to my right, he was there, he was watching.  We were both ready.

I changed my mind.  Right-hand pedal up this time.  Quickly.

Red and Amber lights.  Here goes.  The challenge begins.

GREEN!

I push down hard and accelerate away from the line.  My feet lock swiftly into the pedals and I’m away.

But it’s already over.  I have lost.  My challenger has beaten me and I have failed.

The Trek 4300 was no match for the bright red Ferrari 430.