Music to my Ears

Before February had turned into March and the snow had disappeared from the Wold tops I managed to break through 1000 miles for the year.

By the same time last year I had only done 368 miles, so I am well ahead of schedule for my goal of breaking 6,000 for the year.

In fact 7,000 may come into my sights very soon or even 8,000 (Steady Philip).

Although most of the cycling has been on my own I am always accompanied by my I Pod Shuffle.

Which is almost as helpfull as having Lance Armstrong riding beside me...although he may tell me off.

I know that the use of headphones raises emotions in a similar way to the 'helmet' debate, but I do believe that you can use them responsibly. I certainly try too.

If I am in a rural area I have both plugs in with the sound turned way up

In the commuter urban traffic I have no music at all.

The rest of the time I cycle with one plug in only or with both having music turned down.

I really do notice the difference in my riding styles with and without music.

With the right sort of music I am able to sustain a high tempo with perfect rhythm and little concentration.

To attain the same level without music requires much more concentration and my cadence is too variable, being affected by the wind or gradient.

My 'Shuffle' is clipped onto the shoulder strap of my 'bibs' so its covered from the elements.

Being less than 2 inches long and the same weight as £1 coin it is far removed from the original portable Music device - The Sony Walkman.

I owned several over the years and would wear them for running. If you got any faster than a mild trot you ran the risk of disengagement and the humiliation of having your priced asset broken and scattered all over your adjacent highway.

With long distance runs I would often come home with a sore hip from constant banging

If neither of the above affected you you always ran the risk of having to perform some improvised skipping as the Head phones tried to match make with your ankles.

My musical taste is wide ranging and for a long ride I have a complete assortment of Tunes from Wagner to Taylor Swift.

When I'm training though it has to be something with a fast tempo beat.

Having been brought up in the Disco age, i missed out on the Dance Rage and always believed that 'E' was actually a useful letter to have whilst playing scrabble.

Although I'm not about to strut my stuff on the dance floor I have certainly adopted some Dance tunes to keep my legs spinning.

Here are a few that are on my current play list.

Tiesto - 'Hes a Pirate'

Happy Mondays - 'Hallelujah'

Black eyed Peas - 'Ive got a feeling', 'The Time (Dirty Bit)', 'Imma Be'

Fat Boy Slim - 'Acid 2000'

New Order - 'Blue Monday'

Supermode - 'Tell me why'

David Pearce - 'Sandstorm'

Nelly Furtado - 'Promiscuous' (Axwell reMix)

Eric Prydz - 'Pjanno'

Last year when I was doing the Natchez Trace I would often hit the front at speed.My fellow Mules would just shake their heads and mutter 'Those Dammed Black eyed Peas!!!!'

Please let me know if you have any tunes to share.

The weekend weather looks promising so my Camera battery is on charge and I'm ready to do some dancing on my pedals.

Cyclist falls from the skies

At the start of the week I was very alarmed to hear about thousands of birds falling out of the sky in Arkansas and other similar events happening all around the world.

My blog site also took a dip as the word 'birds' surged to the most searched item in search engines.

Religious bloggers soon loaded their own sites with Bible verse, Hosea 4:1-3: "The land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away."

My main anxiety was not from being hit on the head by a 'Pythonesque' blackbird, but from the omens that such an event may portend.

It even made me look at my Christmas presents in a completely new light.

I got a T shirt that depicted a man falling from his cycle

I also got a funky new cycle helmet .....Were these signs too?

In a state of near paranoia I visited York just after Christmas I noticed a bike that appeared to have been thrown in the river.

The culprit probably was unaware that the river Ouse was frozen and the cycle lay bruised and broken suspended on the surface, there for all to see and to haunt him.

Was this a sign for me too ? Did it for tell an impending cycling disaster?

I certainly was not going to take any chances !!!!!

On New Years Day I cycled ......... very tentatively

On the 2nd day of the month....... just tentatively

On the 3rd day my caution was fading

My the end of the week I scoffed with cynicism of 'The signs' that I had previously encountered and cycled with gay abandon.

My exuberance masked my senses and I failed to register the odd slipping sensation coming from the chain.

Today I set off as usual at 6am in darkness with an icy road -3 degrees c.

After about 5 miles and whilst travelling about 20 mph the three images ambushed me.

My chain snagged in the derailleur, which sheered off and tangled within my back wheel.

I had two options:-

Crash right and be hit by a car

Crash left and cross my fingers

I opted for the second one and was dispatched from my bike just like in the picture.

At that point my helmet came into play as my main impact was on my head an shoulders.

Then thirdly as i looked around I saw my bike suspended on a film of hard frost.

Spooky !!!!!!!

Anyway I had to take a day off work and take bike to bike hospital.

New rear wheel and new rear derailleur system which hurt me far more than my head.

So the moral of the story is if blackbirds fall in Arkansas make sure your helmet is on tight

Always use a rubber - ride a bike

Riding in the Dark

The bright sun was extinguished, and the stars
Did wander darkling in the eternal space,
Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth
Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air;
Morn came and went—and came, and brought no day,
And men forgot their passions in the dread
Of this their desolation; and all hearts
Were chilled into a selfish prayer for light.

Lord Byron

For weeks now I have been getting up in the dark, cycling to work in the dark only to return in the dark. When I started this winter comuting, it all seemed a bit of a novelty but as the days have got shorter its becoming a real test.

To make matters worse the black cloak that comes with the setting sun has definitely got darker.

I am fine with the dark....honest but am not too keen on the four miles stretch along an isolated country lane.

Its amazing how your imagination plays games with you.

Although I am certain that the rustle I heard in the undergrowth is only a rabbit, once my imagination has processed it I am off...........

Pedaling as fast as my legs will pump into the darkness in certain belief that there is some cycle chomping goblin chasing me.

The other thing that gets me is when a cars headlights suddenly illuminate the road in front of me.

I either count the seconds until I believe he will undoubtedly hit me from behind or look into the illuminated area ahead for mad axe man that has just escaped from the sanatorium.

Both scenarios show a spike of my heart rate on my 'post cycle' Garmin reading.

To try and combat my nocturnal fears I have bought some more lights.

I now have several.

Helmet - front and rear lights

Coat - front and rear lights

Handlebars -Light shining straight ahead and light shining onto kerb ahead of me.

Two rear lights and LED lights strapped on my ankles.

I guess If I do get knocked over the driver will say 'He was blinded by the lights'

As I write about darkness I am reminded about a different darkness that often fills peoples lives.

The darkness associated with bereavement, separation, illness and poverty.

One of our Mules Taylor Bartholemew has had such a darkness which hangs like a shadow over her

At the age of 3 1/2 she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). ALL is the most common type of leukemia in children under the age of 15, and progresses rapidly, affecting immature white blood cells (lymphocytes).

When she was sick, her doctor performed immediate injections into her spinal column, which were coupled with blood transfusions from her mother as the donor to replace the damaged blood. She spent weeks in isolation in hospital and then several months in isolation at home as her immune system had been destroyed.
After two years of oral and intravenous medications, and weekly blood tests, she had completed her treatment.
By the age of 5, she beat ALL (just in time to start kindergarten BALD!!)

She is now in her TWENTY SECOND year of remission!!! and is as fit as a butchers dog.
She is a regular rider of the Travels with my Mule Team but also rides for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training (TNT) Charity.

She is an inspiration to many myself included and it makes getting up in the dark all the more easier.

Next year she plans to complete a 100 miles sportive around Lake Tahoe to raise money for TNT.
We (Mule Team) all think she is an absolute star.

If you want to support her for this event follow this link = Taylor

The Answer my friend is blowing in the Wind

The last few weeks have seen little activity in the rotation of my bicycle wheels however there has been some movement in my waistline which is starting to develop its own circular shape.
If I dont apply the brakes soon i will have my own unique tubular shape.
The lack of cycling has had nothing to do with dedication but more to do with climate.

Each day I watch the weather forecast and despair.

Nature seems to be in some sort of competition with itself to blow all of the leaves off the trees in record time.

I don't mind cycling in the Rain and there has been plenty of that. Nor do I mind cycling in the wind within reason.

1-20 mph not a second thought

20-25 mph without rain I'm still on board

but 30 mph + in the dark is no fun, and fool hardy.

This past week we have had 30-60 mph winds all week with heavy rain.

If that is not bad enough, amongst the precipitation there is an assortment of deciduous offerings.

Do you know a wind blown Horse chestnut leaf can cover your whole face and resemble the texture of a flying bat.

Having said all that I have not been a total wimp.

Last week I actually did 130 miles.

On one of the mornings I set off to work in the dark accompanied by a work colleague Anne.

She managed to get a puncture about a mile from work.

Coyly she looked at me proclaiming that she did not know how to rectify the problem.

Her excuse being that she never cycles alone and would rely on her cycle partner husband to 'sort it out' .

Although she had a spare inner tube, she had no tools.

I arrogantly proclaimed that I my pit stop procedure was akin to that of the Formula 1 Red Bull team and that we would be cycling again in the same time that it might take to apply some lipstick.

My ego was soon as deflated as the tyre, when I realised that my own tools were on my road bike. This particular bike being cosily resting at home.

It was then that natures rejects came to my aid.

Looking for divine inspiration I spied a couple of well shaped twigs which along with a ten pence piece was able to be used to strip the offending tyre from its wheel.

For my gallant efforts I was later presented with a fine bottle of 'Chateaux neuf de pape' from Anne.

It came as no surprise that on subsequent journeys I endeavoured to lead Anne over the toughest terrain praying for further punctures.

Although the weekdays weather has been poor the weekend has been great and I have managed to get out and record the rusty scenery.

Fair-weather cyclist

In February I started commuting to work for the very first time.
With the weather being generally dreadful my appearances on the early morning roads were tempered to perhaps two or three days a week.
My excuses however were not of frostbitten toes, or having to put on wet clothing, clearly the truth would have presented me as an impostor in the world of ‘cycle commuting’.
Instead, my excuses revolved around logistics.
The requirement to have smart and pressed clothes ready for work each day, the retention of that highly important ‘corporate image’.
Other cyclists and colleagues at work offered advice and help in how to overcome these barriers.
They volunteered to take my clothes in for me or suggested that I collect during working hours (Whilst driving close to my house).
Eventually my excuses wore out and rather than admit to being a ‘Lilly livered wimp’, I now commute 5 days a week whatever the weather.
I don’t particularly like getting up at 5am every morning and find it strange going to bed before the illumination of my residential street, but these are now constants that I have now adapted to. They are part of my daily routine.
There are also other constants:
At 5:46 I meet Joanne at the Long lane junction
At 5:51 I see the chestnut mare in the adjoining pasture
At 6:01 I wave to a spotty youth on a mountain bike going the opposite direction
At 6:06 I overtake 3 Eastern European ‘Greenhouse’ workers who are also riding to work, there are no buses available at this hour. They don’t get to choose.
At 6:13 I wave to a road racer on his morning training ride
At 6:17 I see three more cyclists travelling towards and past me, on their way to Swift Caravan Manufacturers. Two are older on old bikes, they wear fluorescent jackets, the other much younger is on a red road bike, he wears black and smiles.
At 6:19 A low loader passes too close to me carrying two Swift Caravans – I shake my head and show the finger
At 6:20 I part company with Joanne as we peel off towards our differing destinations.
At 6:22 I see a deer drinking from a pond.
At 6:27 I see a woman on a motor/scooter travelling towards and past me. She never wears a helmet and seems happy about it.
At 6:33 I arrive at work.
I don’t have to look at my watch to know when I reach my respective way points, I just know.

Last week the weather was glorious light winds, clear skies and temperatures in the mid 70s.
Cycling was a pure joy, but with the sunshine came a plague of cyclists ‘The Fair-weather Commuter’ They flooded my roads with overly exuberant smiles and destabilizing waves, knocking out my metronomic inner timepiece and diluting my landmarks in a sea of Lycra.

Commuting by Bike - The Cycle Gladiator

Usually my lack of blog writing has reflected my general lethargy, where there has been no cycling, and no inspiration.
Now things have gone full circle, lots of cycling and so much to write about its difficult to choose. Last week I managed over 130 miles in lovely weather including a 67 mile jaunt over the Humber bridge to Lincoln for a family mothers day summit meeting.
It was a great ride over the the spine of the Lincolnshire Wolds and although there was a really strong side wind the weather was clear and sunny.
On arriving at my destination the heavens opened, which was a relief.

The weather gods have seemingly got bored with trying to upset me all the time and are now trying to please me, they even provided me with a rainbow on my lift home.
This week I have started commuting to work by bike.
This week I have discharged the shackles of conformity
This week I seek Elysium
It is something I always wanted to do but have been a slave to convention.
Usually when I participate in recreational cycling I feel like a second class citizen on the road.
The bottom of a long list of road users which includes trucks, cars, motorbikes, horses, pram pushing pedestrians and small dogs.

Now I am an urban commuter cyclist I feel like a two wheeled gladiator.
breaking loose, smashing through the lines of traffic like a dodgy curry passing through a fragile digestive tract.
As I wait for the traffic lights to turn to green, I edge forwards in anticipation brushing my over sized calves on vehicular bumpers, claiming my space, whilst staring out drivers like some seasoned warrior.

With my carbon footprint Zero, I puff out my chest in self righteous eco-indignation at my slow moving carbon burning brothers in arms as we all battle to arrive at our respective destinations.
Arriving at my desk I am showered and scented while they are stressed and sweaty.
With nearly a hundred miles completed so far this week I now have choices at the weekend. previously I would have to cycle to get my miles in but now I wont have to.
Instead I can concentrate on quality training rides, hill training, or cycle exploration.