May 6th 2012

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 6th 46-53F, 8-12C, breezy, occasional sunny periods but mostly cloudy. A white frost when we woke up! Not forecast either. I decided to dress appropriately today. I put on my latest winter cycling jacket from the charity, recycling shop. It looks brand new! A scull cap under the helmet and medium weight, £5, supermarket cycling gloves. I was glad for them all, too, as I headed into the north-easterly breeze up the West coast of Fyn.

The cap came off when I turned back at half way but the gloves and jacket were still necessary. A banana and some biscuits kept me going. Washed down with apple juice. I felt no fatigue at all even at the end. So my increased mileage is beginning to show benefits. Quite a few solo riders out training. They were all wrapped up well for the cold. 42 miles.

 A difficult subject. The drive (Jomfrumarksvej:Virgin Field Road) is slightly askew. As are the distant gate pillars. The twin roof lanterns/spires are mostly lost behind the decorative barns. The approach is too flat to give the necessary, higher viewpoint. The private road warning notice, out of sight just beside me, claims their dogs bite! Mr Higgins wisely refused to go any further. The image at the top was taken with a lot of zoom.

7th 46-52F, 8-11C, light breeze, occasional sunny periods. Just another hilly shopping trip. Going well. 21 miles.

There is rain forecast for the next couple of days but the quantity keeps shrinking. If it does turn really wet I should use it as an excuse to take a rest day.

Cavendish was brought down by a Ferrari in the final sprint of Stage 3 Giro d'Italia in Denmark!

Mike Dixie 10 mile Memorial Tricycle Time Trial:

http://gallery.myff.org/gallery/1311501/Result+of+the+26th+Mike+Dixie+Memorial+%28for+Forum%29.doc

8th 52-56F, 11-13C, very breezy, mostly sunny. After spending several hours working on the roof yesterday, pm, my legs were very painful this morning.  Apart from my knees hurting, when I stood up to climb, I didn't really notice anything on the trike. Must be using different muscles.

The farmers are working overtime on pig shit spreading and poison spraying! Totally regardless of wind speed, as usual. Blowing an easterly gale later. I brought back a bag of compost lashed onto the rack and a load of shopping inside the saddle bag. 25 miles.

9th 54F, 12C, light winds, overcast, wet. Rain forecast for most of the day. My right knee and hip are killing me. A rest day.

10th 54F, 12C, windy, overcast, continuous rain. Knee still hurting badly from roof clambering activities. No point in going out. Another rest day.

11th 54-59F, 12-15C, blowing a gale, raining. Already blowing hard with 45mph gusts forecast all weekend. It is supposed to be dry today! My knee has recovered thanks to two days sitting on the computer with an elastic bandage on my knee.

Oil seed rape or "Raps"as far as the eye can see.

Well, it was very windy but dry when I left. I seemed to have found the perfect route to avoid the worst of the headwinds. It felt quite warm. So I was soon stripping down to my jersey and shorts. There was even a period of warm sunshine. Loads of shopping. Legs fine except for a dull ache in the knees. I don't know whether I shouldn't try raising the saddle slightly. A few clubmen out training. 24 miles.

12th 46-44F, 8-7C, gales, rain clearing? Waiting for the rain to go away.A mixed bag of shorts sharp showers and a very gusty wind. I headed north and returned by the same route to avoid westerly head winds. The Aldi jacket was perfect for today. I may go out again. Legs fine even climbing out of the saddle. The rest days have shed the heaviness. I have to do something about the cut-down rack. It is moving forwards at the bottom. So that the pipe clips are catching my heels. A bit of batten should fix it. 15 miles so far.

I was able to escape for another ride in the afternoon. Blowing much worse than earlier. Almost at a standstill in some of the fiercest gusts.  I only managed 16mph on my usual 30+mph downhill run. That was on the drops and pedalling hard! The wind was strong even in the middle of the forest! Another 14 miles for 29 total today.

Just passed 3000 miles for the year so far. At this rate I'll be lucky to see 7,500 total! I fixed the heel contact problem with a length of alloy tubing to keep the rack in position. Now I need to find a way to keep the pipe safely in place. My size 11(GB) heels barely clear the seat stays. Anything sticking forwards, even by a millimetre or two, is bound to catch my heels. I suppose I could move the shoe cleats backwards slightly for a bit more clearance.

13th 54F, 12C, windy, mostly cloudy. Cold headwind despite riding in a circle. I was deliberately trying to stay above 100 rpm as much as possible. Not always with success. It seemed to cause pain in my lower calves unless I dropped my heels and ankled. I left it too late to eat my biscuits and felt rather weak after 30 miles. Though I soon recovered. Quite a few riders out Sunday training.

The alloy tube supporting the rack seems to stay in place due to friction. Though it is a bit unkind to the seat stays. It rests on the pipe clips so cannot fall. I'll try some fine cord lashing before I go out again. Just to ensure it can't slide endways. IT would be nasty if it fell out and went in the spokes! 41 miles.

14th 52-57F, 11-14C, windy turning to gales, occasional sun. The wind was very gusty. Often difficult to tell where it was coming from. I was hiding behind the handlebar stem for the last ten miles! Rain is promised all pm.

A builders merchant had some smaller pipe clips for my rack supporting tube. A perfect fit and nice and tight! This will avoid metal to metal, point contact between the tubes. I'll add some pictures later. I'm very pleased with the new level of bag stability.

Under the motorway.

My constant need to replace worn-out sports bags had me searching for a "proper" saddle bag online. I have a normal sized Carradice but it is on its last legs after years in storage. It has no real capacity by my demanding standards.

Nobody does a decent saddle bag suitable for trikes. Side pockets on a big bag are completely useless. They rub in the spokes when stuffed even lightly. I don't think any of the commercial bags are remotely big enough for my shopping needs anyway. A trike bag wants to be really deep and boxy without any extra width. Large pockets are very useful but should point backwards.

It's lucky I only pay a couple of quid for my used (but as-new) sports bags in charity shops. They only seem to last a couple of months despite my taking good care of them. The zips are the usual weak point despite my waxing them with a candle. It's a shame most sewing machines can't cope with leather or webbing and cotton duck. Or I'd try and run one up myself. :-)

My present sports bag is 50cm wide x 30cm high x 26cm deep. Which equates to 39 litres. Carradice's largest bag is only 24 litres! Mine has large but shallow side pockets with limited usefulness. Stuffing anything in there just makes them fatter! The bag could be shrunk to (say) 45cm wide without much loss of useful capacity. Plus a bit more freedom between the trike rear wheels. 27 miles.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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