Aspiring Rouleur
Views on cycling, sport, life and family
Rouleur - "type of racing cyclist that is considered a good all rounder"
Wednesday 2 January 2013
New Years Revolutions
Wednesday 13 June 2012
Welsh Rain Thing
Friday 1 June 2012
Final preparations……
Last week, I went rock climbing with Hatt Adventures. It’s the first time I’ve ever tried it and I found that it was really enjoyable but very tough. I’d certainly like to do it again sometime but think I will do a few indoor bouldering sessions before I do another outdoor course. I certainly won’t be buying any kit though as I’ve spent enough already this year!
As the course was at Harrison’s Rocks in the middle of the woods, I decided that it would be good to test my bivvying gear prior to the WRT. Last week was especially hot and sticky but I managed to find a good spot and set up camp. The tarp was a struggle and as rain wasn’t forecast, I decided to ditch it and just sleep in the bivvy bag. After an hour of mozzies buzzing around my head (I’d forgotten the head net and mozzie spray), I decided that I’d had enough and got the pop-up tent out of the car which meant I had a better night sleep. The mat was as uncomfortable as I’d expected but my lightweight sleeping bag was ok, if a little chilly in the morning, which resulted on me adding a fleece around 6am.
I hadn’t appreciated just how bad I’d been bitten and by Friday night, one of my legs had ballooned. The doctor said I had a blood infection and so I’ve spend the last week on antibiotics, which in turn kept me off work as they’re a pretty strong dosage and upset my body a fair bit!
Anyway, so I’m all set for the weekend but it looks like it’s going to be a rainy one. I’m torn between using the bivvy and putting up with the rain and midges or whether to use my 2 person backpacking tent. It means a 1.4kg weight penalty but I know I’ll be more comfortable and happier in it, which will make the weekend more enjoyable.
I think unless the forecast drastically changes, I’ll opt for the tent. My route is all planned. I hope to cover approximately 100 miles over the 3 days but there are bail out points if I struggle. Having no knowledge of the area, I don’t know the kind of ground I’ll be covering so if it’s particularly boggy, I may struggle. I guess that’s why it’s so much of an adventure.
Precaution wise, I’ve set up Buddy Beacon so that I can be tracked as and when I have mobile signal and I’ll be carrying a good old map and compass as backup.
So my final(ish) kit list is:
Shelter/Sleep:
Eurohike Backpacker 210 tent or Rab Storm Bivvy and silnylon tarp.
Alpkit Base 120 mat
Lifeventure Downlight 600 sleeping bag
Exped pillow
Cooking/Food/Water:
MSR Pocket Rocket stove
125g gas canister
Lifeventure Ti Mug
Blacks solo panset
Spork
Lhoon (long handled ti spoon)
Lighter
Fire steel
1L camelback bladder
750ml bottle
Chlorine dioxide purification tablets
2 x dehydrated meals
1 x instant porridge
8 x brioche/raison roll/waffle (selection of for breakfasts/snacks)
5 x pepperami
1 packet cheese crackers
Cereal bars
Banana chips
Coffee sachets
Horlicks sachets
High 5 Zero electrolyte tablets
Clothing:
Montane fireball smock
Montane featherlight trousers
Regatta shorts
Cotton hat
Buff
Mosquito head net
2 x base layers
1 x pair evening socks
2 x riding socks (wearing 1)
Flip flops
2 x cycling jerseys (wearing 1)
2 x bib shorts (wearing 1)
Gloves
Arm warmers
Knee warmers
Waterproof jacket
Sunglasses
Paracord wristband with whistle buckle
Misc:
Etrex HCX gps
Spare AA batteries
OS map
Compass
Mapping on phone
Vehu Pebble external power pack
Spare phone battery
Alpkit Gamma headtorch
First aid kit
Alcohol hand gel
Biodegradeable wet wipes
Suncream
Anti-mozzie roll on
Ear plugs
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Microfibre towel
Book
Ipod shuffle
2 x inner tubes
1 x Park patch kit
Tyre levers
Multitool with chain breaker
Leatherman Charge Ti
Chain lube
Chain link
Pump
Gaffa Tape
Zip ties
Trowel
I’ll let you know how it goes…..
Tuesday 27 March 2012
Spring has sprung....
Time to touch base with you all again and give you an update on what’s been happening….
The last few weeks have mainly been about spending time as a family. We’ve been to a few National Trust places which is always a nice day out and took the kids on a walk over the North Downs around Reigate Fort. This past weekend, we went to Birling Gap on the south coast and were graced with some beautiful weather considering the time of year. Always a bit nervous having a 4 year old near a cliff edge! Great views and a nice potential spot for some wild camping.
I’ve been getting out on the bike a bit more, mixing things up between road and mountain bike. The warm weather is making me favour the road bike again. It’s good to get some decent miles in and try to build up a bit of fitness. I think the yoga has helped with my flexibility on the bike, I seem to be able to get lower to the bars and more comfortable. I don’t think I’ll ever be a yoga master but I can certainly see the benefits of it so I’ll continue with it as every little helps!
I will be taking a break from signing up for a block yoga course though as it’s quite a commitment and with the light evenings now, I want to be out riding more. I’ll still drop into the classes on an ad hoc basis but I have other priorities at the moment.
Other purchases of late include some new Karrimor KSB walking boots. I’ve had my old Karrimor boots for 5 years now and it was time to update them. I’m getting into the walking a bit more and will be doing a fair bit in the Peak District over Easter. I’ve got a long term plan of summiting Mont Blanc but this could be a couple of years off yet as I’ll need to gain other experience first in the UK mountains with some hill walking and scrambling.
I’ve signed up for a rock climbing course in May which will teach me the basics before we head into Europe for the summer. This year we’re going to the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia so will have good opportunity to engage in some outdoor pursuits. I’ll be taking the mountain bike and hope to do a bit of hiking along with some scrambling and climbing.
I’ve picked up some other outdoor bits – a North Face Venture rain jacket and a 50L Forclaz Ultralight rucksack. I’ll give my verdict on both when they see some use!
Time to get out and enjoy the sunshine……
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Hurting
Having trouble walking today after yesterday's run.
Feel even more pathetic. Who would know a measly 1.6 miles could hurt this much?!
My muscles are not used to the whole running motion.
I can now definitely confirm:
Running sucks.
Tuesday 21 February 2012
Shhh, it's a secret...
I want to get this straight from the start. I hate running. Over the last few weeks though, I’ve noticed that I’ve got lazier and slightly fatter. Since taking up cycling, I have lost weight but my upper body is still rounder than I like and, although I do have a reasonable level of endurance, I lack the lung capacity for sustained efforts. When you throw everything into the mix, I need to do something other than cycling. Yoga is good and I’m enjoying it but I need the extra bit of cardio. This morning, I had a later start at work so I decided to get up early and go for a run. I'm keeping this pretty quiet though amongst my cycling buddies (they never read this blog anyway. In fact, I’m pretty sure nobody does). Stealth training if you like. I'm hoping to lose a fair chunk of weight and increase my stamina prior to the start of those spring rides. I'm hoping to turn up, buff and lean and get the leg up on the season ahead.
Did I enjoy this morning's run? Nope. I managed a pathetic 1.6 miles but I guess everyone starts somewhere. Running distances are feeble though. In cycling terms, in 1.6 miles I’ve barely clipped in and adjusted my crotch. I will be running again though, often, perhaps every day until I develop some decent skills or until KFC go bust. It'll help for my next hair brain idea, or fad if you like. More details to follow at a later date. Clue: it involves outdoors and heights and the Alps or similar.....
Monday 20 February 2012
Loving the outdoors
I got out on the mountain bike on Sunday for a short while but had most fun climbing over the rocks at Higgar Tor. He enjoyed it too.....