A few weeks ago, Phil at TheTribe mentioned a website to me that I think you should all register on.
30 Days Of Biking
You’ve go to love the strapline these guys use: “We Ride Our Bikes, Every. Friggin’, Day“.
The idea is that you ride your bike every day in April. Then you tell the guys about it. Register here. I’m not going to be riding every day, but I’m certainly going to keep looking at the website and I’m going to be inspired by other people’s stories. It seems to sit ideally alongside our 100 mile month challenges and I’ll be emailing everyone on the Mar100 sheet about it.
The last time I had a brew there, the chap was telling me about having to take a case to a planning tribunal, since somebody had complained about his portakabin not being in keeping with the local architectural specifications required for planning approval in that part of Littleborough.
Well, Guess What? The Moaning Buggers Won Again!
What is it with these Daily Mail reading, interfering idiots? I’m all in favour of pretty towns and villages, but can someone explain how the first picture below is an improvement on the second?
Closed. Meeting Point Rest Area.
Open. Meeting Point Rest Area.
Note how the sign says “Yard To Let“. So… thanks to the complaints of one or more people who would like to maintain the architectural splendour of Littleborough, an amenity for walkers, cyclists, kayakers and passers by has been shut down. It will, at some point, be replaced by a yard. Until then, it stands as a piece of wasteland protected by fences and containing a few piles of rocks, discarded pallets and (for now) a fork lift truck.
That’s progress, that is. Sheesh. Idiots. I hope they’re proud of what they’ve done.
Now I don’t have an incentive to get my 9 year-old stepdaughter on her bike, because the pull from this “Yard” up to Hollingworth Lake is hard work for her. A milkshake and a cookie from The Meeting Point was fantastic for her to recharge her batteries and break up the ride. Now she’s not interested.
I know that me with my 3 kids and other half are just one family. But we’re one family who have been negatively affected by these interfering, unhelpful people. What have they gained? I wouldn’t be so angry if there had been an improvement.
What Should Have Happened?
If the Meeting Point Rest Area was too ugly (which I dispute but I’ll let that go), then the owner should have been given a timescale to install a more permanent, more attractive Rest Area on the site. The “sledgehammer to crack a nut” approach that’s been used has created an ugly residue where once there was a potentially thriving little enterprise…
… and some happy canal users.
I hope these people regret what they’ve done. If you’re one of them, why not explain how you’ve benefited the local area? Please?
I didn’t go for a ride today. Again. This a Bad Thing (capital B, capital T). Instead, I thought I’d tell you about the parallel test I’ve been running on three Windows Mobile Cycling trackers.
The Windows Mobile Phone
I use an HTC HD2. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love it when it’s working fine. I does loads of stuff. It’s even quite useful for speaking to people with, sometimes. I know, that’s unusual for a smartphone. I hate it when I have to rebuild it from scratch, which occurs once every 8 or 9 months. I’ve even written a little “rebuild the phone” note on my hard drive so I don’t forget what I need to restore. Still, that’s Windows for you…
SatSports, Endomondo and RunSat
SatSports was featured on Dragon’s Den a while ago, which led me to check the app out. It’s got a lot going for it. It does rely on you running an app on your PC to get the most from it, which enables you to compare your rides in quite a detailed way. Calories, routes, times, detailed tracking of time & pace – it’s an excellent app if you want to see all your rides in one pace, nicely tabulated. I also like the way it publishes to Google Earth from the app directly, showing your fastest, highest and lowest points alongside your start and finish times. Nice for the bloggers to screencap!
Socal networking links aren’t really supported from the app though, which is quite limiting for those of us who like to show off a bit.
I’d recommend this if you’re training and you’d like to see your progression because it’s a brilliant way to see similar rides sorted most recent first, showing how you’re progressing. The SatSports app is available for Windows Mobile and Android and costs about 6 Euros as I publish. Worth a punt.
Endomondo is becoming more and more popular. Several readers of this blog already use it. Its biggest advantages are the social networking links. Endomondo is capable of telling all your Facebook and Twitter friends when you’re going out and when you come back, telling them how far you went and how fast, as well as what you were doing (running, cycling etc). Links are published so your friends can visit the main Endomondo site, view your route and stats, then leave comments if they wish.
Unfortunately, the Windows Mobile Endomondo version isn’t nearly as good as the one they have for iPhone. It doesn’t take account, for example, of resting time. Now I don’t know about you, but I like to stop for a brew and a danish when I’m out for a ride. With Endomondo for Windows Mobile, my brew time is included in my ride time and therefore my average speed. This makes me look like a right old slowcoach! My average speeds are poor enough without adding brew and pee stops!
For this reason, I can’t recommend Endomondo for Windows Mobile. Not until that major oversight is fixed up, anyway 🙁
RunSat, Navmi, RunningFree Online
Call it what you will. This tracker has gone through a few iterations and I think it’s been bought by one or two different parties in its lifetime. Maybe that’s because it’s actually very good.
The app itself is downloadable as RunSat from Navmi.com. It’s a comprehensive app, giving a number of different views whilst you’re actually out. I use it on my handlebars (if you’ve seen my bar arrangement you’ll kow it’s quite crowded), where it shows me all sorts of route and riding information. By toggling the view you can see as much or as little as you want to. You can also turn the info off and the app will record your ride without distracting you.
You can also upload routes to your phone to show on the maps within the app, which download via GPRS as you ride (or whatever live internet connection you’ve got going on your phone). I’ve used this feature to upload a route which veered onto a bridleway in Royton which I wasn’t sure about – it worked perfectly.
Like Endomondo, RunSat automatically posts your ride to the internet when you finish. Your ride is posted to your (free) account on RunningFreeOnline, which is a great way to keep all your routes handy, whether running, walking or cycling. From within this site, you can set auto-posting to Facebook and/or Twitter. The posts can be edited too, so you can add hashtags for example. I have it post my rides with the #Feb100 and #20111k hashtags, which is nice.
Which Windows Mobile Cycle GPS Tacker Shall I Use?
Which Cycling Tracker Should I Use?
Well, I’ve used all three. Each has advantages and disadvantages. SatSports is great for serial training. Endomondo is simple to use and has a great membership website.
But for me, the Runsat app is superior. It tells me all I need to know whilst I’m actually riding, then it records comprehensive information on the RunningFreeOnline website when I get home. It posts to my favourite social media channels too. And the website can take information from a massive variety of other devices too.
So, my recommendation for Windows Mobile GPS Cycling Tracker goes to RunSat and RunningFreeOnline. Tell ’em Phill sent you!
For my first post of the year I thought I’d follow an old routine and put 2010 to bed before waking up 2011 with a bucket of cold water and a strong slap around the chops.
2010
So, how did I do? Well, I registered one substantive Fail: the Great Manchester Run, which I didn’t do. Running and me have decided that we don’t really get on, so we’ve parted company. So I won’t be joining the triathletes among you. Maybe I’ll do a duathlon one day if the swimming isn’t too bad (and if I get another bike).
On the plus side, there was much Win. I completed the Manchester to Blackpool ride and was very happy with my (very mediocre) time. This helped me to hit the 100 miles in that month’s challenge, which spurred me on to other months too. Many of you joined me trying to amass 100 miles each month until the end of the year. With your help (and I can’t say how much you helped me, you really did) I rode 628 miles last year. My furthest ever, mostly to Littleborough and Hebden Bridge.
Raising £500 through the year for Springhill Hospice was fantastic. To those of you who helped, I’m more grateful than you will ever know. My Mum will be smiling on us from whichever afterlife you prefer to imagine – or if you don’t believe, then those who are spending time in that wonderful hospice will be grateful for the dignity and care that you’ve helped to support.
I’ve also made my life linger and happier with the fitness you’ve motivated me to maintain. For this I am thankful, too.
2011
Once again, I’m keeping my goals SMART* this year. I’m focusing on a small number of them, as I have difficulty concentrating on more than one thing at a time. I am a man and I make no excuses.
This year I shall try to:
Cycle 1,000 miles
Raise another £500.00 for Springhill Hospice
If you can help me achieve either of these, then I love you. But not in that way.
You can definitely help by joining our January 100 Mile Challenge and simply getting on your bike. I will keep the link always on the right of this blog, in the little brown box.
* SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed.
So What?
I realise that this post is mostly in the first person. That’s because it’s about me. But I hope you can identify with what’s happening, especially at this time of year. Please join me on the challenges. Please divert what money you can into a worthy charity for the sake of others.
Please have a fantastic year and lots of cheesy grins like this when you get home:
Chilly and Cheerful, 2011 The Year Of The Grin
I know: scary, but I’m having a great time. Will you this year?
… just the wrong clothes. So said Billy Connolly, and so said Clive Chapman too. They were right.
I was determined to get my Tuesday night ride in this week. Hitting the 100 miles is going to be very difficult this month so I needed to get started. The Big Man Upstairs decided to set me a challenge by providing lots of water from the skies. I made the mistake of showing my indecision earlier in the evening and suffered a barrage of motivational abuse via Facebook. Thanks, friends, you made me go out.
After a quick tea, I layered up and unlocked the shed. The beanie that was free with this month’s MBUK was a bonus. Lights on and head down, off I went.
The autopilot loop through Milnrow and twice around Hollingworth Lake was the chosen route tonight. The rain prevented me dreaming up anything new. I came back home on the main roads, as the canal towpath seemed like a very unwise idea, with the slippery cobbles and wet leaves under the bridges.
Just over an hour after setting off, I was dripping quietly onto the floor of my shed with a big smile on my face. Now I’m showered and warm, whilst my clothes steam gently on the radiators.
The phone GPS tracked less than half a mile of the ride. Maybe the plastic butty bag I put it in touched the screen in the wrong place, I don’t know. Anyway, I mapped the ride manually so you can see it here.
Mud = Good. Saturday’s Coating Of Goodness. Tonight, It Was Too Dark For Photos.
Just remember: it’s only water, and you only get wet once.
