Tag Archives: Focus

Inspired by Hoogerland and Greipel…

By 2 commentsCycling Challenges, Rides, , , , ,

… I’m going to ride a pushbike 60 miles to Blackpool on Sunday.

 

Stick with me on this one.

At this time of year, I watch the Tour de France like a lot of you. Usually just the highlights because I have a job to do, but in our house we never miss a day’s viewing. What inspires me more than anything else is how hard these men are. No, Finabarr Saunders, I don’t mean like that: I mean that these guys are the fittest, most resilient, most inspiring athletes on the planet. In my opinion.

Except the drug-takers. They’re idiots. But let’s forget them for a moment.

Last year I watched this happen to Johnny Hoogerland:

Then only yesterday, I watched Tyler Farrar fall of his bike at speed when the guy he was leaning on moved. Andre Greipel, battering along like the bull of a man that he is, seemed to bunny-hop Farrar’s head to avoid him, then also managed to miraculously avoid Peter Sagan who was fired across his path by the snowballing crash.  Greipel had both feet out of the pedals as he swerved through the growing carnage. Impressive, no?

No.  What was most impressive was that Andre Greipel then clipped back into his bike, caught up his team-mates, accelerated  to about 40mph up a hill and won that day’s stage.  This is after riding around 130 miles.

Greipel is just one of 200 riders who plan to ride those 130 miles every day for 20 days, racing their hearts out with only 2 days off for a rest.

It’s easy for us to think about our favourtie riders but I thought I’d mention a couple who, for the UK fans at least, aren’t so much in the spotlight of adoration. Every one of those 200 guys is amazing (except the cheats).

What Does This Mean To Me?

I’ve booked to ride 60 miles from Manchester to Blackpool on Sunday, to raise much-needed funds for Springhill Hospice, where my Mum spent her last few days just before Christmas in 2009.

Around 3 weeks ago, I sprained my ankle playing football on a Wednesday evening after work.  I wasn’t best pleased.  Then this Wednesday, playing football again, I over-stretched my hip and pulled it somewhat.  Walking down stairs is a fair bit hurty right now.

But on Sunday I’m riding to Blackpool anyway.  I’m no athlete: I’ll take a couple of Ibuprofen and join a leisurely mass cycle with thousands of other people, into the forecast headwind and rain.

I’ll do it because a number of friends and colleagues, plus some wonderful strangers, have given money to the Hospice where my Mum ended her days and where countless others before and after her have been – and will be – given the dignity and care they deserve during a most important time.

I’ll just MTFU and get on with, because it’s the right thing to do.  I’m not Johnny Hoogerland, I’m not Andre Greipel, I’m just a slightly paunchy little man riding a pushbike to Blackpool and helping a Hospice to do fantastic things.

Can You Help?

There’s a little blue widget up on the right of this blog which links to my JustGiving page.  If you want to, you can offer a little support.  I’ve already pushed the limit upwards twice, which has been fantastic.

If you can’t, that’s absolutely fine.  Just get out on your bike, ignore the little hassles and the weather if you can, and enjoy it – then do something nice for someone else too.  Then you will have made the world a better place.

Thanks.

Merida One Twenty 800 D Carbon 2011 – My First Review

By 1 commentReviews, Rides, , , , , , , , ,

My Marvellous Merida

After (almost) two years happily thrashing my hardtail Fat Boy around the trails of Rochdale, Littleborough and further afield, I gradually came to the decision that I wanted a bit more bike.  Since I decided to buy the Fat Boy, my mileage has increased and with it, the amount of time I spend thinking about bikes in general.

I toyed with the idea of going roadie at one point.  A neighbour offered me a good bike at an excellent price but after much soul-searching I decided that mountain biking was my true love.  I’m lucky enough to live in the foothills of the Pennines, not very far from where Singletrack Magazine is based, so their features and photos never fail to inspire me to get out into the hills where I live.

So, I started to look around and to think about buying options.  My research was in-depth and extensive.  But I’m not writing about the purchasing process here: I’ll do that in another post.  This one’s all about the bike.

With much advice, much checking, much thought and much procrastination, I decided that I definitely needed a 120mm full-suspension steed.  Any more would be too big a step and the bike would be bigger than both my talents and my usual trails.

Merida One Twenty 800 D Carbon 2011

Merida are arguably the biggest bike company in the world.  They hold a 48% stake in Specialized (apparently) and their Taiwanese operation turns out huge numbers of bikes of all shapes & sizes.  Their MTB design team is German-led and the mountain bikes seem ideally designed for European conditions.

The One Twenty range is designed to merge go-faster XC with go-more MTB riding.  The geometry is reasonably steep by modern standards, but noticeably slacker than my speed-intended Focus.  As such, the bike feels like a fantastic plaything beneath my feet and hands.

So, How Is It?

I’ve only covered around 8 miles so far, on a beautiful winter’s day.  There was plenty of snow, a little ice and some trepidation about staying upright!  The bike feels incredibly stable and is a simple pleasure to propel along.  The Carbon frame and lightweight wheelset accelerate amazingly and the Shimano gears click into place instantly.

The forks and shock are a total revelation.  I have no frame of reference, since this is my first full-bouncer, but the comfort and grip offered as I pootled along in the snow were excellent.  I deliberately avoided locking either the front or back, so I could get a feel for how active the suspension was at each end.  There seemed to be no stiction when I hit any bumps, but I certainly didn’t feel to be bouncing as I pedalled along my path, even when I climbed out of the saddle.

I can’t wait to get out into my local hills when the weather’s a bit better and I have more time.  The new bike’s been a total revelation so far, even with the tiny little ride I’ve managed so far.

Bring it on. 🙂

Glentress Day Out – A #Nov100 Treat

By Cycling Challenges, Photography, Rides, , , , , , , , , , ,

Taking Advantage

I was in Scotland on business last week, spending a couple of days up at HQ with my team.  I’m normally back in Lancashire by midweek when I’ve been up to the bonny land, but last week I wasn’t due to head back down south until Saturday.  So, I had an idea…

Glentress

The 7Stanes trails at Glentress are a fairly short diversion from my usual drive back from near Edinburgh to the top of the M6 before heading home.  Last Saturday I had the Fat Boy in the back of the car and took that diversion.  What a great idea that was!

Before you even get onto the trails at Glentress, it’s obvious that you’ve arrived somewhere special.  The facilities are exceptional, with a large bike shop, great cafe, great car park (only £3 all day) and informative signage all visible before you even get out of your car.  Hungover from a previous evening spent in the finer establishments of Edinburgh, I headed for the cafe first.  With change from a £fiver for beans on toast and a pot of tea, I was delighted.  When the enormous portion of “beans on” arrived, I was chuffed to biuts: this was proper man-sized mountain biking fuel!

The Trails

If you read any of the MTB press, you’ll know that a lot of investment has gone into the 7Stanes networks, and into Glentress in particular.  Getting out onto the trails at Glentress, you can tell.  I picked the Blue Route, as this was my first visit and I was feeling somewhat delicate.  Hearing of over 2,000 feet of climbing, I was not looking forward to the upward slog.   Having ridden at Gisburn Forest in the past, I was expecting a vomit-inducing fire road drag up to the top.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  At Glentress, you take in the fantastic views and the scent of fresh pine as you climb along red paths between the tress, dodging left and right through many, many switchbacks on your way up.  There are a few short fire road bursts, sure, but it’s almost a pleasure putting the hill beneath you.

About two-thirds of the way up, there’s a car park (for cheats) next to a skills area and freeride zone which looked like loads of fun, but which was too much for my limited bike and more limited talents.  So, I pushed on upwards to the top of the Blue Route before the long journey back down to earth.

And what a journey.

Glentress In 20 Words Or Less

Swoopy.  Jumpy.  Fast.  Dark.  Trees.  Red.  Rocky.  Loamy.  Grass.  Ferns.  Exciting.  Plush.   High.  Manageable.  Fantastic.  Friendly.  Organised.  Clean.  Fun.

That’s 19.  Can you add one? 😉

 

Night Riding: I Chased A Cat And I Liked It.

By 8 commentsCycling Challenges, Rides, , , , , , ,

Night Riding Is Cool

I have a routine of riding my bike every Tuesday after work, in a bid to keep myself going and to add some miles to the #Nov100 sheet.  If you look at my Daily Mile profile you’ll notice this.  Therefore it’s unavoidable that I have to ride in the dark.  Now, as I see it there are two options for riding at night:

1. Road
Vision is better on the roads, that’s for sure.  Surfaces are better, too.  You can cover a decent distance over a decent time.  There are only two disadvantages to road riding at night, one being that you might get wiped off the face of the Earth by a dim motorist and the other being that it’s boring. 😉

2. OffRoad
No motorists, no HGVs, no visual distractions. Just you and the quiet around you.  A big light, the sound of your own breathing, the sight of the moisture being expelled by your own lungs in the torch-beam when you slow down, the sounds of wildlife and distant urban noise reaching your ears unspoiled by daytime white noise…  Riding offroad at night is just better. Because it is. Fact.

Clarity, Cats and Cackling

This Tuesday, a strengthening headwind on my outward leg cheered me up, mainly because I knew it would be a nice tailwind on the way home.  Happily, the Great British weather did not let me down and I was pushed for my last 3 miles by a lovely breeze.  As the Rochdale Canal rushed past to my left and the distant street lights of Halifax Road twinkled to my right, my eBay special 900-lumen light illuminated the towpath ahead of me.

Suddenly, there was a surprised scurrying noise and two yellow orbs flicked round to look directly at me: I’d shocked a cat out on his night prowls.  One moment he was ambling along, checking the canal banks for unsuspecting rodents and moths; the next there was a portly, middle-aged diabetic man on a bike bearing down on him.

Run, Cat! Run!
The cat  sped off, tail aloft and fur on end, along the towpath.  Following the only straight line escape route open to him, he was in my sights.  I was losing him. For a few seconds.

I smiled to myself and turned the pedals a little bit harder.  The fear-stricken feline was being reeled back towards me.  Sensing me closing on him, the yellow eyes glanced back at me, reflecting my torch back and revealing the terror in the cat’s eyes.  His little legs didn’t skip a beat, he was running at a good pace now but I was gaining slowly.

My smile turned into a laugh now, and I surprised myself a little as the laugh escaped my throat into the night air.  Anyone seeing me would have certainly thought I’d gone a bit mental.  I was having fun!  It was like I was a child again, mindlessly  chasing the cat without a single consideration of what I’d do if I caught it.  There’s a certain primal glee in knowing that you’re catching something at pace. Anything.

The cat made one more flick of his head to look back at me and confirm that the noise of my tyres was indeed accompanied by my maniacal, laughing, advancing face, framed by a mountain bike helmet and carried by a steed of aluminium and rubber.  Then he had a moment of clarity, made a swift turn ninety degrees to the right and scaled a four-foot wall like a scalded, well, cat.

I laughed all the way home.  I wish I’d video’d it: cats are more popular than naked ladies on the internet these days.

Night riding’s cool.

 

National Cycle Network NCN Route 66 Improvements, Rochdale Canal

By Cycling Challenges, Rides, , , , , , , , , ,

Getting Our Kicks On Route 66

On Sunday, the kids and I set out on a sunset ride up to my favourite place in the whole world.  Our outward journey was the usual Rochdale Canal towpath trawl out to wards The Waterside Restaurant, then up Lake Road to Hollingworth Lake.  Halfway around the lake we stopped to watch a beautiful sunset as a group of dinghies finished their afternoon’s races.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, we supped our hot drinks (chocolate for Em, cappuccino for Ben and tea for me) and pulled up our buffs as the temperature dropped.  Steeled against the cold, we set off home.

New Towpath Access = New Choices

For quite some time (around 200 years I think), it’s been possible to get onto the Rochdale Canal towpath at Clegg Hall by using a flight of steps or a steep, rutted short path.  In their wisdom, British Waterways and the National Cycle Network guys at Sustrans have replaced the terrible path with a properly-laid, gravel covered slip road which connects the bridge over the canal from Clegg Hall with the towpath.  It’s absolutely ideal for cyclists.

Having spotted the new slip road on recent rides, we travelled back from the lake via Wildhouse Lane (using the traffic-free cycle lane alongside the main road) then turned right down Branch Road and rode past Clegg Hall before joining the towpath for the last mile home.

We were glad of the new shortcut, as the temperature plummeted under beautiful clear skies once it got dark!  I think it’s full-fingered gloves time from now on!

Incidentally, if you like the look of Clegg Hall, it’s yours for a chunk over half a million.  Take a look.

Tell ’em Phill sent you! 🙂

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