Evans, Cycle Surgery etc are good for one thing. Choosing what you want. At the end of the test ride you say "its expensive so I want to think about it" you then go home and order what you want for £300 - £500 less!
Exactly what I did with my current Cannondale Evo Supersix. Tested it twice at Evans and then got it £500 cheaper from Tredz.
Haha - this was shared on my clubs' Facebook page earlier. Nah, it's not us - that article is pathetic even for the Daily Fail! Seems to be extrapolated from a single complaint an 83 year old woman made in a local rag, with a bunch of quotes grabbed by a reporter asking locals some leading questions. Not suite sure how that can be taken as 'banning cyclists' (or how, indeed, that would even be possible, legal or enforceable)
I have never seen a cyclist pissing in a village or on a local monument.
I have cycled through there though - it's on the way to Jodrell Bank, quite a popular ride destination. The people of Cheshire are - vast generalisation alert - the biggest nobheads imaginable - the most up-themselves people you could ever wish to meet. That entire area (Knutsford, Holmes Chapel, Altrincham, Alderley Edge etc) is like what would happen if Jeremy Clarkson bred with Katie Hopkins 500 years ago and they were left to populate a county.
I have cycled through there though - it's on the way to Jodrell Bank, quite a popular ride destination. The people of Cheshire are - vast generalisation alert - the biggest nobheads imaginable - the most up-themselves people you could ever wish to meet. That entire area (Knutsford, Holmes Chapel, Altrincham, Alderley Edge etc) is like what would happen if Jeremy Clarkson bred with Katie Hopkins 500 years ago and they were left to populate a county.
Ha. Great generalisation. Thats about spot on for the people I met there a few years back!
Did the Ring of Kerry last weekend - 180k of hilly loveliness. At the end my shoulders, arms and hands were really knackered. What exercises are right for cycle specific strength/endurance training for the upper body?
for an upper body workout try resistance bands (tkmaxx £6.99)
Lancashire hills make Surrey and Kent hills looks like bumps. Did Beacon Fell today and it was worse than Toys. Not even the most brutal way up it either - and only just makes the top ten toughest climbs in Lancs. Certainly moves to the right part of the country for climbing...
Lancashire hills make Surrey and Kent hills looks like bumps. Did Beacon Fell today and it was worse than Toys. Not even the most brutal way up it either - and only just makes the top ten toughest climbs in Lancs. Certainly moves to the right part of the country for climbing...
cyclinguphill.com
will interest you. Have a day out in Cumbria and go over the Hardnott pass.
Lancashire hills make Surrey and Kent hills looks like bumps. Did Beacon Fell today and it was worse than Toys. Not even the most brutal way up it either - and only just makes the top ten toughest climbs in Lancs. Certainly moves to the right part of the country for climbing...
cyclinguphill.com
will interest you. Have a day out in Cumbria and go over the Hardnott pass.
Yeah. Doing the Fred Whitton next year. Hardknott and Wrynose are both on that. Not looking forward to it - probably even less to the descents
I know Tejvan Pettinger's site - hills aren't my thing, but if I'm going to do an iconic one I always read his site review of it. Then laugh at his times
Forget how quick you are Leroy! I've got a 6.49 time and anything between 5-6 would be ideal for me! never done it before, but very much looking forward to it. Anything I should know beforehand?
I am familiar with the route though, and have ridden most of the roads dozens of times.
It's almost pan flat apart from three lumps (Newlands, Leith and Box). None of them will hold any surprises for me - but if you haven't ridden them before, expect: A - Newlands to be sharper than you think, but over pretty quick, B - Leith to be a bastard, and go on longer than you think, and C - Box Hill to be much less of a challenge than it's built up to be.
Get with a decent group on the road and work with them - do your turns on the front and take full advantage of the shelter a big group offers you.
If you're in with the masses, pay particular attention on the way up Leith because people will be weaving all over the road, and will stop dead in front of you. This is of special importance in the wet, because you won't have the traction necessary to get out of the saddle and sprint past slower riders when the gradient gets spiteful
On the descents, be very careful. Because it's closed roads, you'll be able to take a much better line than you usually would, but this can encourage over-confidence. The only descent you can really cane it on is Newlands - it's long, wide and has a great surface, with only one real bend on it. Don't hammer it on Leith or Box - the road surfaces are grim and if it's rained the night before, will be gritty and full of gravel. If it's raining on the day, knock off completely on the descents and watch any white lines/drain covers
Keep alert if you're with a group of riders who don't usually ride in a bunch and can't follow/provide a wheel properly. Best tactic to use here is to find a club who are doing the ride and ride with them - they'll (probably!) all be pretty familiar with each other and disciplined enough to stay together properly - and will have a road captain who will rotate people on/off the front when needed.
Do your turns! Nothing will piss people in a bunch off more than someone they don't know jumping on their train and hiding for 95 miles without putting a shift in. If you do that, expect to get shelled out the back, grumbled at or even accidentally grollied on
Save a bit for the run into London after Box. There's one tiny bump in Wimbledon to contend with, but the rest is flat as a pancake, and with a decent bunch and a likely tailwind, you'll hit 45km/h for large stretches of it - if you aren't familiar with maintaining that speed, it's better to have left something in your legs than bonk 10 miles from the finish and noddy it over the line
Enjoy it. You'll not be able to ride on those roads that quickly again, so really give it some beans.
My year off, but my advice is that the first 41 miles is pretty flat, you can ride it at any speed you feel comfy at, the roads are really wide apart from a bit around Chiswick which saw someone last year faceplant a traffic light.
The hills are OK, if you miss the big groups you'll be fine, the descent off Leith is a shit though, its probably the bit of the ride where you're on edge the most, loads won't be able to hold their lines, or handle the bike going down hill, so watch it there and be vocal.
Oh and watch it into Dorking, the high street narrows, and people bomb into the town on a wideish road, then it nips narrow suddenly.
Otherwise once you clear Box, which is just a boring long drag, its a clear run to Wimbledon, horrible little bump and then fast and flat to the Mall.
Loads of places to get drinks/food, and you'll have loads of mechanical support as well.
Comments
Exactly what I did with my current Cannondale Evo Supersix. Tested it twice at Evans and then got it £500 cheaper from Tredz.
I have never seen a cyclist pissing in a village or on a local monument.
I have cycled through there though - it's on the way to Jodrell Bank, quite a popular ride destination. The people of Cheshire are - vast generalisation alert - the biggest nobheads imaginable - the most up-themselves people you could ever wish to meet. That entire area (Knutsford, Holmes Chapel, Altrincham, Alderley Edge etc) is like what would happen if Jeremy Clarkson bred with Katie Hopkins 500 years ago and they were left to populate a county.
I'll keep looking at the picture.
will interest you. Have a day out in Cumbria and go over the Hardnott pass.
I know Tejvan Pettinger's site - hills aren't my thing, but if I'm going to do an iconic one I always read his site review of it. Then laugh at his times
https://www.relive.cc/view/652486315
Screw that!
I am familiar with the route though, and have ridden most of the roads dozens of times.
It's almost pan flat apart from three lumps (Newlands, Leith and Box). None of them will hold any surprises for me - but if you haven't ridden them before, expect: A - Newlands to be sharper than you think, but over pretty quick, B - Leith to be a bastard, and go on longer than you think, and C - Box Hill to be much less of a challenge than it's built up to be.
Get with a decent group on the road and work with them - do your turns on the front and take full advantage of the shelter a big group offers you.
If you're in with the masses, pay particular attention on the way up Leith because people will be weaving all over the road, and will stop dead in front of you. This is of special importance in the wet, because you won't have the traction necessary to get out of the saddle and sprint past slower riders when the gradient gets spiteful
On the descents, be very careful. Because it's closed roads, you'll be able to take a much better line than you usually would, but this can encourage over-confidence. The only descent you can really cane it on is Newlands - it's long, wide and has a great surface, with only one real bend on it. Don't hammer it on Leith or Box - the road surfaces are grim and if it's rained the night before, will be gritty and full of gravel. If it's raining on the day, knock off completely on the descents and watch any white lines/drain covers
Keep alert if you're with a group of riders who don't usually ride in a bunch and can't follow/provide a wheel properly. Best tactic to use here is to find a club who are doing the ride and ride with them - they'll (probably!) all be pretty familiar with each other and disciplined enough to stay together properly - and will have a road captain who will rotate people on/off the front when needed.
Do your turns! Nothing will piss people in a bunch off more than someone they don't know jumping on their train and hiding for 95 miles without putting a shift in. If you do that, expect to get shelled out the back, grumbled at or even accidentally grollied on
Save a bit for the run into London after Box. There's one tiny bump in Wimbledon to contend with, but the rest is flat as a pancake, and with a decent bunch and a likely tailwind, you'll hit 45km/h for large stretches of it - if you aren't familiar with maintaining that speed, it's better to have left something in your legs than bonk 10 miles from the finish and noddy it over the line
Enjoy it. You'll not be able to ride on those roads that quickly again, so really give it some beans.
The hills are OK, if you miss the big groups you'll be fine, the descent off Leith is a shit though, its probably the bit of the ride where you're on edge the most, loads won't be able to hold their lines, or handle the bike going down hill, so watch it there and be vocal.
Oh and watch it into Dorking, the high street narrows, and people bomb into the town on a wideish road, then it nips narrow suddenly.
Otherwise once you clear Box, which is just a boring long drag, its a clear run to Wimbledon, horrible little bump and then fast and flat to the Mall.
Loads of places to get drinks/food, and you'll have loads of mechanical support as well.
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/racing/olympics/bradley-wiggins-co-break-team-pursuit-world-record-training-run-267258?
Desperate to buy a new bike but there's so much choice out there it's impossible to choose one.
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Venge-Expert-2016-Road-Bike_72460.htm