bikes and things

I’ve been talking about wanting to do this since 2008 on and off and it always made my list of things to do. But somehow I never either felt confident enough to do it or it clashed with Birthdays or some other excuse was found. This year I’ve increased my cycling considerably, mainly as a result of getting a Garmin and using Strava. More on that another time, but essentially I’ve been tracking all my riding and upping the distance at every opportunity.

So I tried to get a bunch of people together and see if they’d be up for it. Graham, James and Paul and Magnus all agreed. Some of whom had done it before but James and Paul hadn’t. I also mentioned it to Andy who surprisingly to me hadn’t done it before either.

I’d spent a while thinking about the whole event and planning it in my mind. I was really keen to not ride with a rucksack at all and see if I could keep everything I needed in my jersey pockets. It’s so much nicer riding a road bike without a bag and I’ve even started trying to get to work some days without one. The only concession I did make was a little saddle bag, which although ugly, did a great job of keeping tubes and tools out of my jersey. My layering consisted of a jersey, arm warmers, gilet and then soft shell. I carried the gilet and soft shell in a little Rapha feed bag knowing that I’d put them on soon enough and fold the bag up in my jacket pocket.

The day before I dropped my van off with supplies in at the car park at Dunwich before cycling the 50k to Ipswich on the Brompton. I left a cool box with bacon, eggs, sausages coffee and beer in so that we could cook when we got there rather than queuing for the cafe. This proved to be well worth the effort in the end. On the actual day of the ride I had hoped to get a nap in the afternoon, in anticipation of the sleepless night ahead. Unfortunately I was too excited to sleep although closed my eyes for a bit. Emma cooked me a big bowl of wholemeal pasta before I left and I ended up getting ready a bit early before proceeding to pace around the flat a bit with all those nerves and excitement running through me.

We met James, Magnus and his friend, who was on a Brompton, at Camberwell before heading up to London Fields where a substantial crowd had already formed. We stood by the pub for a bit to watch the spectacle of it all and had a chat with a few random people as well as admiring the bikes. Everyone arrived and we headed off about 8.30. There was all sorts in terms of bikes and riders. Your usual roadie variety, the old bearded tourer, tandems with couples on, Boris bikes, plenty of Bromptons, trikes, recumbent trikes, recumbents as well as a tall bike and lots of other weird and wonderful things including one guy riding a BMX and another riding one of those cross trainer type contraptions you sometimes see round Hyde Park.

Magnus got a route card just in case and at the bottom of the page was this fantastic quote.

In England they ask: “Is it for charity?”
In France, Spain, Italy or Flanders they murmur: “What beautiful madness.”

Madness indeed!

Trying to get out of London with the thousands of people on bikes wasn’t all that easy due to the sheer number of people on the roads and we lost Magnus and his mate on the way. These roads clearly were not normally design for or used to seeing these numbers as well as Sat traffic. A few young lads stopped outside a shop to high five everyone going past which was great. You could see there was the chance of some conflict with frustrated drivers though so we took a left through the side streets thanks to Andy and a bit of local knowledge. When we rejoined the ride we were on the stretch up to Epping Forest which has a gentle incline. Nothing too much but a reminder that it wasn’t going to be flat all the way. A neat group of us was formed although I found it all too tempting to ramp up the pace and chase others down. I had to remind myself that I was the only one with the map in the Garmin and that I should really be riding with and looking out for James and Paul who I had coerced into doing it. I also had to think of the many kilometres ahead!

As the night drew in the line of red lights formed this amazing long line of light stretching into the distance. A few people stopped to watch as we all came past and a group of three young girls told us they “… Loved us all!” which was nice. We settled into a reasonable rhythm but ultimately the pace was a little quick to keep everyone together. It felt great to be moving at such a good pace and felt like I was being dragged along by the whole event. A gentle south westerly wind also seemed to push us further along.

After a while we got separated from Andy and his other buddies. It’s not that easy keeping a group of around 8-9 people together mixed in with thousands of other riders. James, Paul, Graham and myself settled in to our own little group and caught up with the main group at the first pub stop. Whilst I didn’t dare touch the booze a few others had a pint. Having not ridden that kind of distance before I was really keen to make sure nothing jeopardised it at all. Orange juice and lemonade was fine for me.

We joined the group again and headed back out. By this point we were well outside London, past the M25 and into the rolling countryside. At points the blinking red lights stretched out for seemingly miles on end as the landscaped allowed. It was such an unusual and strangely moving sight to see. All these people moving as one through the night to their destination of the sea in such a peaceful way. There seemed to be very little noise that I was aware of, just the hum of the tyres in the road and the occasional change of gear.

The air was hot and humid when we started and I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to need my jacket. Shortly after this the heavens opened and we were subjected to what felt like 30mins of torrential rain. I put my jacket on and within five minutes it had wetted through. Shortly after it started collecting water on the inside around the cuffs. It felt nice at first to be a bit cooler but then it was just grim. Thoughts of cycling the whole thing like this just couldn’t be entertained as it was too depressing. It felt like one of those silly Rapha videos where they’re suffering on the Isle of Sky in the pouring rain. But it’s all good because it’s all about the suffering right?

Anyway it stopped after a while and our minds stopped freaking out so much. We stopped at another pub to dry out a bit and have some bars before pushing on. We didn’t really ever stop for very long at each place as I didn’t want us to get cold or too settled in. I was also quite keen to get to the beach before it got too mobbed as well as see sunrise on the coast.

Throughout the ride you never really felt alone at any point. There was always someone around either riding or fixing a puncture or just stopped for a breather. There were also pretty good signals from a lot of the riders pointing out pot holes or man hole covers which made it even more pleasurable. One person hadn’t been so lucky and had taken a bad hit on their wheel. Fortunately their friends stayed there with a light to warn others of the danger. The road was generally smooth and it really did feel like you were gliding along. I tried really hard to keep a high cadence and not grind away at the gears. This seemed to do the trick and also eased the pain in my right calf which had appeared when we started – probably from the 50k Brompton trip the day before. My right knee had also started to flare up a little but by spinning out it soon subsided.

As the Garmin showed 100k down I felt like we had passed a milestone. It felt like it was simply a matter of ticking down in 5k increments to get there. It all felt quite achievable although I did feel like you had to turn something off in your head to get to this place and keep going.

I had the occasional chat with the odd stranger whilst sharing a similar pace. The one I enjoyed the most was talking to a couple on a tandem who were steaming along at a fair old pace. I also had a quick chat with a woman on a fixed who “…thought it seemed like a good idea earlier“. I passed her a bit later and tried to reassure her that it was only another 20k to go.

At one point we got to the bottom of a large hill and I stopped to re-group. A female police officer on the other side of the road wound down her window to tell me there was a cafe just round the corner that was open and drive up there to show me. It was very kind of her and we stopped there for a bacon roll (only £1.70) and coffee. I had a second with an egg as the first one was so delicious. It was so so good to eat some proper food and not energy gels or bars and it went down a treat.

Back on the road the water from the downpour had started to evaporate and we had this lovely cycle through winding country lanes in the mist again with the lights trailing off into the distance. Visibility was pretty poor but it further added to the atmosphere of it all. We got the occasional glimpse of the moon but it was cloudy for most of the night. I can imagine it would have been so different with the bright moon shining down lighting the way, maybe next year.

We stopped again later in a little village where we caught up with Andy and Big John having another pint. This was about 2am and a few of the locals were propped at the bar a little worse for wear. One of them took a shine to my hat asking if he could have it whilst I asked the barmaid for some water. Having paid good money for it I declined but passed him over to Andy who had the same one on. I left him to it and when he left the pub was minus a hat having sold it for £5 to a very drunk man who claimed it was his birthday.

Onwards again and by the time we got to about 140k we were treated to a lightning show on the horizon. Then the sun started to appear – well the light lifted as it was still cloudy and dawn appeared over the horizon. James had a bit of a mechanical, just a stiff link, which we attended to and then pushed on for the beach.

The route I had downloaded to the Garmin was completely incorrect by around 120k. So we gave up and just followed people which worked fine for the most part. Obviously this further reinforces the idea that you shouldn’t trust everything you get off the internet!

The last leg of the ride I got a bit carried away with the pace and left the group. I waited for them every now and then to regroup but then as we all seemed to know what we were doing I kept on. I got onto a bit of a power burn in my enthusiasm to get there although some Dulwich Paragon riders seemed to object to that. They kept passing me then trying to force me over as the other riders tried to sit behind the leader. A lack of hand signals from them further compounded my frustration. They were the only rude riders I met throughout the whole thing. I eased off the gas and just let them do their thing as tiredness and a dangerous group ride didn’t seem like an ideal combination. They had also led me off the actual route which was a bit annoying. Fortunately two others came past who seemed to have made the same mistake but knew how to get back. I had a really nice chat with them and it transpired that they had managed to avoid the rain through a carefully timed food stop. I couldn’t quite believe it as I still hadn’t finished drying out from our soaking 60k in! Back on the route I headed straight for the beach. On the corner where you turn in the the long road down I met another bunch and gave my remaining water to a women who had run out. We all discussed how utterly exhausted we were and then rode on. As I’d driven down this road on Friday I had a rough idea of what was left and decided to really give it some just to shake out every last bit of energy from my legs. I even ended up with 4th place on the Strava segment as a result!

It was such an incredible feeling getting to the beach. It wasn’t too busy yet but I got down there and shortly after James and Paul joined us. Graham had stopped for a coffee and arrived a little later. We had a few pictures and I bumped into Bakes from Chocolate Foot (an old mtb forum) who I hadn’t seen in a long time. Having done the pictures thing and trying to send a text to Emma to tell her I was still alive, I found Andy and his mates and got the beer open. It was delicious! I’ve never tasted anything so good. It started to rain again so we sheltered in the van for a bit before getting the stove out to make a stove top full of coffee.

I did Andy’s group first as they were due to ride to Ipswich to get the train. Then after we had coffee I went for a swim. Whilst a little cold, but not as bad as I had expected, it was great to have some cool water on my legs and stretch out. Also it was great to clean of all that sweat and road muck.

It felt like such an incredible achievement. I was particularly pleased that James made it and at a decent pace at that. This is after he emailed me earlier in the week saying he’d struggled to cycle to work one day! It’s hard to describe how it feels to have done that overnight and such a long distance – it’s the longest ride I’ve ever done. It is also meant I cycled 380k last week which is by far the biggest week I’ve ever had on a bike. There was a real sense of euphoria at the end as well as relief. We were also lucky to not have any punctures or mechanicals along our way.

After cooking our breakfast an enormous queue had formed at the cafe which I was so glad we didn’t need to use. We loaded the van and headed back via Ipswich to drop Paul off. I then stopped a bit after to have a nap before driving the rest of the way back.

I got in and proceeded to tell Emma all about it still bursting with excitement and also strangely emotional about the whole thing. It’s like someone had let you in to a secret club of sorts – those who have done the Dynamo are clearly different from this who haven’t. I then eat loads, slept for three hours, ate a bit more then slept for a little longer before getting up to eat even more and watch the football. I then slept like a baby overnight and unfortunately had to go to work the next day. I couldn’t face cycling so got the bus which I can’t remember the last time I did that. I spent all Monday thinking about our mad little adventure. I tried explaining it to some people but no one really understood. That’s fine though but it stands as the best bike riding experience I’ve ever had and so pleased I did it and with such an amazing bunch of people!

And the vital stats? 7 hours 10 mins actual pedalling time, 1330m of ascent and 193.8km covered. Amazing what you can do really.

You always think your ride was epic and a real achievement but then there’s always someone who’s done something far more impressive. In this instance it’s Jeff Branham who entered, and won, the Tour Divide race from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico which is 2700 miles away. The race is entirely un-supported and riders take all their kit with them which is tough enough as it is but this is all off road. The interview with him is brilliant if a little nutty.

Oh, my demon was not enough sleep. I went out hard in the beginning, too hard and didn’t sleep much at all in the first three days, none the first night, 1.5 hours the second night, 3 hours the third, also did around 600 miles. I cooked myself right off the bat and was tired for the rest of the race. I would say I slept 3-5 hours a night most of the time. I tried to push it again at the end and sleep less, but ended up taking cat naps to keep my eyes open…

Well worth reading the interview to realise just how far we can push our bodies and minds if we really want to.

Via Andy Waterman

What’s not to like about this. Amazing countryside, bikes and a Collie that is having the time of his life.

I’m nervous to even post this as it’s been on my list of things to do since 2008 but it looks like I’m finally going to get round to doing the Dunwich Dynamo or Dun Run.

Every year, on the Saturday closest to a full moon in July, thousands of cyclists meet in London and ride 120 miles through the night to the Suffolk coast. There’s no organisation, support crew or logical reason to do it. Introducing Dunwich Dynamo is easy as it’s just a beautiful thing.

I’m fit enough and have done plenty of cycling recently and really do want to do this now. There’s simply no excuses not to. I’m going to go up on Friday and leave the van there with a cool box with bacon, eggs, milk etc and use the stove to cook a decent breakfast before having a swim and a nap and getting back to London. Blankets and a down jacket are also going to be waiting for me as well as fresh towels.

I’ve also spent quite a bit of time thinking about kit and what best to wear to get through the night. From speaking to others it seems like 3/4 length bibs area good idea, to keep the knees warm, and then a jersey with arm warmers and also a soft shell in a musette for when the temperature drops. I really want to avoid riding with a bag on so have bought a saddle bag, which although ugly, will do a decent job of packing inner tubes etc which frees up my jersey / jacket pockets for gels and bars. Two water bottles should be ok and fill up where possible on the way.

The total route from home to Dunwich is 185k which although I’ve never done I’m reasonably confident about. I’ve done 130k on rough ground on the Brompton so proper roads with big wheels should be fine.

In terms of prep I’m going to an Italian restaurant with Emma on Friday night to carb load and then have a relaxed day and maybe a nap on Sat. I’m really hoping for good weather but think I really need to do it regardless. All I have to do is make sure I don’t lose the van key on the way!

This little video showing the 2013 Dynamo is great. It shows all sorts of people doing it on various types of bikes and the sheer number of people looks to make for a great atmosphere.

After my brief but exciting trip to racing in the Smithfield Nocturne recently (which I want to write about soon) I do really feel the urge to have a go at a proper road race. I’ve read about the racing at Crystal Palace in Matt Seaton’s book “The escape artist” and I felt my heart rate rising just reading about it. It sounds brutal in the extreme. I also fancy trying out Hog Hill which Magnus recently had a go at. This also means a 100k round trip to get there, race and then get back, further compounding the pain.

Digging through my Instapaper feed earlier I also found another description of racing at Crystal Palace by Andy Waterman which did the Twitter rounds a while back. I felt a similar kind of increased heart rate to Seaton’s piece and slight sense of unease at the pace and pain involved in it. But in the midst of all of that this paragraph in particular made me smile.

Week-in, week-out, the circuit makes fools of visiting elite riders who turn up boasting triple digit VO2maxes, free bikes and a sense of entitlement, only to be put in their place by the local hero, invariably a middle-aged man in mountain bike shoes who knows Palace, and the way the races there unfold.

I love the sound of this! I’m going to go and watch the next one with a view to getting my race license and having a go. It’ll be fun getting dropped out the back I’m sure but everyone has to start somewhere.

Customer service doesn’t have to be hard but it’s amazing how many brands completely fuck it up. But rather than moan about the bad lets praise the good.

My rear triangle came loose on my new Brompton recently when riding up the Grand Union and back. I’d done it up and then done it up again a few weeks later. It’s not a simple operation but I had assumed that it was in need of some thread lock.

Yesterday I was up at silly o’clock to get to the office and then get a train to Oxford to 9am. On the ride in I could feel it coming loose again. In my boredom on the train I tweeted at Brompton asking if I was doing something wrong. Within an hour I had a reply from their Twitter person who directed me to their technical email. Within 30 mins I had a reply with an informed response and a plan of action to sort it out. No asking for proof of ownership or pushing it back to a dealer etc.

Hi Andy,

Unfortunately once a bolt comes loose it can continue to do so frequently (as you have discovered), to resolve this we will need to replace the hinge spindle too. This is a fairly unusual occurrence and we expect the bolts to stay tight for the lifetime of the hinge bushes at the very least which is usually a minimum of 2 – 3 years.

If you could let me know when it would be convenient for you to take the bike to our Brompton Junction store I will call them and let them know to expect you and have the spindle replaced. If you need to leave the bike with them I will arrange for you to have a courtesy bike until yours is ready, however it may well be possible for them to do it while you wait.

Then followed a few more emails updating me on when they could do it in the store. I popped down and was offered a free coffee whilst they swapped the necessary parts out, which only took 20 mins. No hassle, no suggestion I’d done something wrong, just simply dealing with the issue and sorting it out in a quick and efficient manner. The offer of a loan bike was also a particularly nice touch. Thanks Nev and Marlon! Other brands take note.

I still can’t forgive them for spelling espresso with an x though.

Road riding is the beautiful elegant sport you see on TV when the tour is on Channel 4 and some of the best shots seem to generally be shot from the helicopter. That beautiful bit where the pack splits around a traffic island then regroups is so beautiful, and one of my favourites, the other being the way it lengthens out round a tight bend. It’s like a murmuration of sorts. But this video adds a completely different perspective from within that pack. It’s completely insane and there’s some incredible bike work within the back. The handling is superb§ and as for the speed… mouth wide open.

Via Kottke.

Sunday has now become my regular riding day and I’ve been trying to get out and mix up the riding a bit. Instead of jumping in the van to the Surrey Hills I’ve been doing road riding, exploring different parts of the river and various other rides to have a little more variety. Seeing other people post their rides to Strava has also encouraged me to consider different routes or places to ride without having to drive.

One of the people I follow, Thomas Corrie, recently did a really nice route from Paddington Basin in London heading west up the Grand Union Canal and then got the train back with his Brompton. As usual he took some great pictures on Instagram which further inspired me to go and have a go at it.

Also on Strava is a monthly challenge with aims to get you to go and have a “130k cycling adventure“. I’ve joined it a few times but not got close to doing that sort of distance, the most being about 85k round Kent with Magnus. So rather than go and do a longer road ride, which I knew I could probably do, I thought I’d try and do my first one on the Brompton, to kind of have fun with Strava rather than just doing the obvious. Fucking with it a bit if you will.

The aim was to get up at 7am to get a good start to get back at a reasonable time. I got out at 8.30 which wasn’t too bad. I made my way put to Kings Cross via coffee in Covent Garden. It was a lovely day already and I could feel the sun baking down on me. Sun cream liberally applied I joined the canal by the Central Saint Martins building where people had already assembled to get good sun bathing spots on the terraced area adjacent to the canal.

At first the going was good, nice concrete and slabs with a few gates to avoid. Then along past Camden Market and past that to Little Venice. The usual Camden characters were out drinking and a few sleeping next to the Canal from last nights excess. The trail opened up a bit more once I got past Paddington and was fairly easy going. There were plenty of people up drinking from cans and smoking dope, none of whom seemed to really register my presence. After the posh and well do do areas around Hyde Park and Paddington the surroundings quickly changed to a more rugged industrial landscape. There were plenty of derelict buildings, scrap yards and just open land of no real value it seemed. It felt like a strange hinterland. I kept on and heard the faint sound of a sound system ahead. Soon enough I was cycling past a rave going on in the field to the left of me. A number of casualties were strewn over the sides of the towpath with that familiar smell of dope in the air again.

I passed many dog walkers as I kept on. I’d already got bored of dinging my bell and saying thank you all the time – saying thank you was important though so stuck with it. Each bump also dinged the bell more which drove me mad. I spent ages holding on to it to stop that constant ding ding. At this point I also realised that I hadn’t actually planned any of this. All I was doing was just following the canal and seeing where it which felt amazing. No maps, no GPS, no turn by turn, no following someone else who knew the route – just pedal. Every now and then I did check my phone to see where the hell I was but it didn’t really matter. And most of the place names didn’t mean much to me anyway. I also kept checking the Garmin to see how I was getting on distance wise. Was 130k even achievable? It was at this point the smoother nature of the towpath finished and was abruptly replaced with a deep muddy section which meant using more mountain biking type skills rather than road riding. At this point I did wonder that if it was all going to be like this then I probably wouldn’t be covering much ground and it simply wouldn’t happen. This part of the canal felt particularly isolated and unloved. Soon enough it cleared up and a firmer gravel path appeared and I was on to the main section if the Grand Union. I had been riding on the Paddington Branch according to the sign and went right onto the main stretch north.

The industrial scenery continued with the occasional bridge flying over. I stopped at a few to grab some pictures as the light cascading through the joints was too good to miss. I spent a few moments just admiring the cloudy murky green water and the layering of the light through it.

Further up the path I found myself wandering how long my water supply would hold out for and decided to nip off the trail and find food and water. I fortunately found a supermarket but realised I hadn’t brought the key for my d-lock. Pretty annoying having carried it in my bag all the way but never mind. Bike folded and added into the shopping trolley I got my supplies. Two bottles of water, two Lucozade, one Fanta and a few bits of cake to supplement the gels I had brought. I started back on the trail but noticed some play in the pedals. After checking the cranks/ bottom bracket and the pedals for play I found the rear end of the Brompton had worked loose. The only way of doing it up was to have the chainring off. Fortunately I had a second hex key with me. I guess I would have had to borrow one from a passer by otherwise but I got it sorted and headed off, loaded up with supplies.

There wasn’t anything two eventful after this apart from more people smoking dope, reading books and doing up their canal boats. There were lots of sleepy dogs and a few cats on the boats all just relaxing. It seemed like a lovely lifestyle and made up of all kinds of people from students, hippies, seemingly young professionals to the retired folks enjoying their days. A few made me smile, the guy skinning up whilst Dire Straits blared out from inside at the start of a long guitar solo. Another guy in just his shorts and a hat came past with Pink Floyd on who seemed to be having a great time.

I kept on going and checked the Garmin for how long I’d done. Getting past 50k seemed virtually impossible for a while. But then I hit 65, stopped did a few more just to be sure and then turned around and headed back. On the way there I’d been slightly anxious about not really knowing where I was going and if I would make it back. I also had this fear of falling, or being pushed, in the canal. I think I was more worried about my phone and Garmin than drowning but still it was something I was wary of. I was worried about losing concentration and just tumbling in off a rut or something. Maybe that’s part of riding on your own, a slight unease or anxiety. On the way back this passed and I had a feeling I could actually do this. The kilometres seemed to fly by as it was all familiar territory and I knew what was coming as well as feeling like I had the energy to do it.

In both directions there was so much in the way of nature to enjoy. Lots of swans, ducks, moorhens and their young floating about. The moorhens were by far my favourite. Plenty of blue tits in the hedgerows too and I also had the pleasure of seeing a Heron on the other side of the bank.

I passed the rave again on the way back. Fewer people were raving but more casualties at the side of the canal and a few completely asleep in the foetal position clutching their phones. By the time I’d crossed over the north circular I was starting to feel it a little. I’d just passed the 100k mark and was mentally trying to work out if I would need to do a lap of the park on the way home. There’s sometimes a difference between what the Garmin says and actually what the route is on the map and I added a few more km to make sure. My biggest fear at this point was uploading it to Strava and it coming up and 129.8km missing my target by 200m. It would still have been a big ride but I wouldn’t have got that virtual round of applause I wanted on Strava. Emma likes to ask me “how many stupid little cups” I got today.

By this point my feet had blisters from my shoes rubbing and my hands were really sore. The Brooks leather grips look amazing and are great for short journeys round town but just don’t have any support for longer rides.

I headed in towards Camden and came off the canal by little Venice and did a tiny bit around Regents Park to get to Parkway where I grabbed another espresso to get me home. I then gently found my way back south to Camberwell via a slightly longer route. All I could think of was a pint of cold beer by now and cycled straight to the pub in Camberwell with the Garmin reading 130.2k when I got there. That pint of Brooklyn was like heaven. I added a few more km cycling up the hill home and fortunately it clocked in at exactly the same on Strava winning me my stupid little cup! A shower and more water was needed before returning to the pub with Emma. My eyelids felt like they were forcing themselves closed most of the evening and I slept so well that night!

For once it felt like the Sunday ride was a real achievement rather than just getting out of the house for a few hours. I had totalled six and a half hours of saddle time, not including breaks. Now, next Sunday…

So it looks like my entry got accepted to this. The event consists of racing around Smithfield market on a folding bike dressed in ‘business atire’. The start is a 20m dash to your folded bike which you then have to assemble and race two laps. There’s a series of heats and then a final of five laps.

Whilst deliberate barging, tripping (biting, gouging, etc) is not permitted Nocturne Series encourages ‘commuter conduct’ such as jostling, obstruction, distraction tactics etc.

It looks like great fun and I’m already a little nervous about it. I really need to practice my un-fold technique and see how well I can run in my cycling shoes. If I can make it through the first heat I will be very pleased indeed. I’ve started taking the long way home and sprinting a few sections to try and prepare.

Hopefully my choice of 3 speed will stand me in good stead. Fingers crossed. It’s on Sunday 7th June from 4pm. This little video sends my heart rate through the roof watching it. Would love to get to the final.. lets see. I’m sure there’s pretty stiff competition.

I’m catching up on a few posts I’ve had in mind recently one of which is Leo’s birthday bash at the new BMX track in Burgess Park. I have tried a bit of BMX but not for years now. The last time I had a go was on the old track at Bird in Bush Rd in 2007 and that was an open day where we all took our mountainbikes. I have owned a 20″ BMX at various times but never got into the racing side of it. I did have the option of bringing my own mountainbike but decided that you should really ride a BMX for this kind of thing. Also the full suspension probably wouldn’t have been great for it.

My first thoughts on getting there were to be entirely intimidated by the sheer size of it. It’s big, really big! There’s a couple of lines for the pros that are even bigger. Did I mention it’s big? Standing at the top was nerve wracking, even though I’m pretty confident on rocky trails this seemed like it would hurt more if you came off.

I’d managed to find my full face helmet and set of DX flat shoes for the event. Both were covered in dust from the days where I owned a big 8″ travel DH bike. This was a wise choice as the helmets that were hired all stank and could hear collective coughs and splutters as each person put their lid on and smelt the stench within.

We all got given a bike from the store and a brief instruction on how to ride. Outside pedal down, elbows out and soaking up the bumps. I was hoping for one of the 24″ cruisers but they’d all been handed out by the time I was in line. I had a neat little Haro 20″ which was still good fun. Memories of how steep the head angle and how twitchy the steering is came flooding back.

We were supervised on the first lap as we edged our way around. After the first few without anyone crashing we were left to it and even given controls to the gate which was amazing. The last time I rode I completely mucked up my starts but this time I managed to track stand against the gate and push some proper force out when it dropped. A lot more cycling experience since the last go seems to have helped.

One of the nicest things about the track was the way that the straight sections were all dirt but the corners were all tarmac which reduced the feeling of washing out and I guess also means it holds up far better to abuse. The corners typically get rutted and skidded up.

Dropping in to the second corner was incredible fun with a small lip so you could push into it then scoot round the tarmac setting yourself up for the next straight. After a while we all got the hang of it and groups of similar abilities seemed to form with little races going on.

It was a hot day and having to wear long sleeves was a real pain. I only had an old hoodie so was overheating each time I went round. The course was far more tiring that you might imagine at first but I wanted to keep going and going and going. There were plenty of breaks to have a chat with people but usually not for long as there was always someone else standing at the gate looking for another rider.

After a few normal races we started mixing it up with no pedalling laps which is very hard to do. It’s a great way to improve your technique as one bad move, missed pump or grab on the brakes ruins your chances of finishing. The other one which I preferred was only pedalling on the tarmac, this also had the nice benefit of letting you concentrate over the straights and not thinking about pedalling.

I had a go on the 24″ cruisers and found them far nicer to ride as they felt like they rolled far better and were far less twitchy. At £300 for one it’s tempting to get one and pop down after work occasionally. It’s probably not a sensible idea though. The chances for smashing myself up look to be considerably greater with a little bike.

By the end of the session I was completely exhausted. I think we had around three hours there. The next morning I was so sore. My stomach, shoulders, lower back, glutes and upper arms were all sore from using different muscle groups to my usual cycling types of road and mountainbike. All that pumping and standing up on a smaller bike really took its toll. Still it was a great day out and great to do something different to the usual Surrey Hills ride or road ride round Kent.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Leo!