10th June 2013

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A leafy avenue and gravel drive leading to a stately home near Padesø. (Sø (pron.suh) means lake in Danish)

The surrounding area is heavily undulating and forested and very popular with walkers, cyclists, runners and now golfers. Thanks to the terrain one never gets a sense of it ever being crowded. Parking is cleverly discrete in forest clearings set back from the winding lanes.

10th 61-72F, 16-22C, light mist clearing to sunny and breezy. Headwind riding to Odense. Tootled around town and then the wind followed me home. Warm and sunny. I actually finished my water bottle. Which is very unusual for me. Traffic very light in the lanes. Very busy in town. The shopping centre was packed with people. 46 miles.

11th 54-62F, 12-17C, breezy, mostly overcast. Assens and back. I should have taken a towel because I was given a soaking by a farmer's irrigation system. It was set  up so badly, right beside the road, that much of the artificial rain was completely missing the field. I presume all the wasted water was free. Or subsidised by the taxpayer. So that's alright then. 18 miles.

A superb action picture  of Barry Charlton. 2013 World Men's Tricycle Champion in both the Time Trial and Criterium. Barry has been setting a blistering pace in tricycle time trials. Setting a number of new course records. It is fitting that he took the titles in both TT (Time trial over a fixed distance while racing alone against the clock) and the Criterium. (massed start, short circuit, road race usually of fixed number of laps and/or duration) 

A lot more pictures of the 2013 Tricycle World Championships have now been posted on the Tricycle Association website: Links are below: 

InternationalTricycleChallengeGallery

InternationalTricycleChallengeResults: 2013

http://www.tricycleassociation.org.uk/2013.html

A whole variety of styles are seen here as the riders negotiate the chicane. Cornering at speed is one of the most demanding skills of any tricyclist. Requiring a careful balance of body weight over the inside wheel to avoid lifting a wheel or even tipping right over! Imagine doing that in a crowded peloton as they all fight for position! Leaning inwards too far is pointless and tiring and you can't (usually) pedal hard at the same time. So the minimum lean for a given corner and speed is the fastest. Most tricyclists will freewheel while hanging off the side and then accelerate hard out of the corner once the centrifugal forces are no longer such a problem. A chicane is a stern test of skill because it throws the tricyclist off balance in opposite directions with a short period of time. This requires great agility to remain safely on three wheels!

Jane Swain 2013 World Women's Tricycle Champion in both the the TT and Criterium relaxing on 'Burple' her Longstaff racing/TT trike. 

I have copied both of these images (with permission) from the TA website and 'tidied up' the backgrounds in PhotoFiltre. This is not (remotely) meant as a criticism of the original photographer's work. I was just trying to maximise the true context of the images. Anything which distracts from the hero and heroine of the hour, does them no favours. The photographer did not have the luxury of a clutter-free background but still managed to take some really great pictures. 

12th 54-66F, 12-19C, breezy, overcast. Rode to Odense. It soon turned sunny. A crosswind both going and coming back. Going well today. I saw a gaudy Redstart in his best outfit standing on a roadside post. It was so brightly coloured I imagined it was an escaped tropical pet. Probably the first I have ever seen close enough to be able to identify clearly. (Though I had to look it up to be sure)  It didn't seem bothered by me as I rode past. There seem to be a lot of Goldfinches and Yellowhammers in the country lanes at the moment. They forage on the road for stunned insects from passing vehicles. I see quite a few squashed birds and even the odd egg or two on my travels. The Brooks 'Special' saddle in combination with the Bontrager shorts is behaving itself better each day. I'm still waiting to hear back again from Tactic-Sport on the shorts with the tight braces. 38 miles.

13th 61F,16C, overcast, windy, raining. The forecast is rain and wind all day. It is 3 weeks since I last had a rest day so that's excuse enough to take one! I shall try very hard not to spend the entire day ranting and rambling. I am battling a failure of 2 USB wireless adapters to be recognised by their own software on installation. It seems I am not alone with this problem. How can an item be legally sold which doesn't work for so many people? It cleared up to sunshine but was blowing a gale with fierce gusts. Only 7 miles. Still no rest for the wicked.

14th 53-62F, 12-17C, overcast, windy and wet. It is supposed to brighten up but the wind is likely to reach 35-40 mph later.  Very rough wind with nasty gusts.Odense again. Big mistake having to come back into the headwind. Resolved the problem with braces on the Tactic-Sport Pro-Ride2 shorts. I exchanged them for the next size up at a very generous discount for my trouble with the braces on smaller pair. I will try the new shorts to see how they cope with much longer rides. They do seem to have by far the most comfortable pad, by far, of any shorts/bibs I have ever worn. The manufacturers are in Catalonia/Spain. Thanks to the clever design and materials they do not become hot and sweaty. I can now add Cykel-Experten, Odense to the list of very user-friendly and highly competent bike shops. With an impressive collection of very desirable bikes on display. They are situated quite near the Tarup Centre. Sharing easy parking with Fakta on Rugårdsvej. 39 miles.

15th 58-65F, 15-18C, sunny and windy. Cloudburst warning on DMI! Not quite so windy as yesterday but rain is forecast for later with high winds and heavy rain tomorrow. The wind was extremely variable and turbulent to boot. Spoke to a chap intending to ride his bike down to France. It turned grey towards the end of today's ride but with a beneficial tail wind.  My wife (The Head Gardener and Chief Wildlife Warden) now insists on plastering my face and neck with suntan cream before I am allowed out. So if you see a tricyclist in racing jersey and shorts and sunglasses, role-playing the part of a New Guinea warrior, that'll be me. I passed the mad dog at the farmer's machine centre but it was dozing in the open garage. By the time it launched its delayed attack I was well past and pedalling hard. It hasn't been around recently. So I was becoming quite worried about its health. It was almost a relief to see it was still alive. 21 miles.

16th 55F,13C, windy. Cool, bright start but has quickly become overcast. Showers are promised this morning but brightening up later. When to go out? Decisions-decisions. Heavy showers intervened and made the decision for me. Gusting to well over 45mph until after 15.00pm. No point in trying between showers with such strong winds. A rest day.

17th 60-65F, 16-18C, sunny, light winds. Just a quick shopping trip. Warm. 14 miles.

http://brooksengland.us1.list-manage.com/track/click/Cambium

Brooks has announced the first limited edition, production run of the Cambium @ £145. It's a very pretty shape, has a unique finish and has received many positive reviews from those who were selected for the trial prototypes.  It is so like my Vetta SL ATB in plan view that its really quite uncanny. No doubt the sharper rear corners are to update its appearance. A difficult trick to pull off when one has a long history of using leather. Perhaps ventilation holes were too risky so early in its testing life of the rubber material? They might represent weak spots in the structure. Leading to an unnecessarily shortened life. Perhaps it would lead to fraying of the covering cloth. One could imagine the use of unusual patterns or specially shaped holes to lift it above the historical norm.


The tweed may appeal to the relatively well-heeled, small-wheeled fraternity. Or even the tweed and "Golden Age of cycling" fantasists on their vintage and retro machines in the gridlocked city traffic. There would seem to be room for a range of colours to match individual taste. Tartan or favourite football team colours anybody? I might be tempted if the price comes a long way down, longevity is absolutely assured and they can print my initials in small ventilation holes on permanently dyed, carbon fibre patterned,  purple cloth. So, my preference for aging leather is unlikely to be too troubled in the foreseeable future.

Lest we cast too many aspersions on the new Brooks we should all remember the Unica Nitor, moulded plastic saddle.of the early 1960s.  Which broke completely with long standing leather tradition. The alternative was a heavy set of multiple springs covered in cheap and readily degradable plastic. Both types were regularly sneered at when new by conservative serious cyclists who would only ride what came out of a single factory in Italy but whose, unpronounceable name is now almost forgotten thanks to obscene overpricing and equally blind  and stubborn conservatism. Not to mention the complete lack of universal, international standards.

What was missing from the Unica was a complete range of colours and a little more comfort. I rode the black "Road" Unica but always wished for a brightly coloured one. The (tri)cycling extrovert was already deeply ingrained years before I actually owned a trike. I had to make do with a different saddle and a foolishly large 58T TA chainring.. The Green and the Orange Unica-Nitor models were the only ones I ever saw with my own eyes. I tried sitting on the narrower and heavily curved "Track" model once but the pain was far too much to bear for long. Rather like sitting on one of those narrow, cutaway, rock hard leather, Brooks models! Ouch!

The similarity of the Cambium to the Vetta SL is not really that marked when studied closely. There are only so many different forms possible if the shape is to remain a saddle. Note how the Cambium can be completely dismantled with a Torx screwdriver.

18th 58F,14C, sunny, light winds. The forecast is full sun and 23C, 73F with winds gusting to less than 10m/s. (22mph) Another ideal day for cycling where only constant headwinds spoil the ride. Do I really need tri-bars for my sedate pace in the lanes? They might make real sense given the constant roaring of the wind in my ears, that may make a good epitaph. "In the absence of the real thing; he invariably made his own headwind." ;-) Rest day.

19th 66F, 19C, cloudy and breezy. I had to ride to Odense again. It started raining 2 hours early on the way home but it was too warm to worry about it. The sky was split evenly between a black, featureless thunderstorm and lumpy grey cloud. I was riding along the dividing line with regular claps of thunder high overhead. Just after I arrived home the storm moved right over the top of us with frequent thunder, lightning and heavy rain. It became so dark we had to put the lights on. Some places in Denmark had hail up to 3/4" in diameter and a thatched house burnt down after being struck by lightning. So my free shower and soggy shoes was relatively painless. I have been notified that my Brooks 'Select' has been back to the factory. The replacement B17 'Special', which I had deliberately requested in preference to the 'Select', has been despatched. 43 miles.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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5th June 2013

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5th 56-76F? 13-24C? Windy, cloudless sky, warm sunshine. Despite being a bank holiday I rode to Brenderup and Nr. Broby. Having been overtaken by a young chap on his TT/Triathlon bike at well over my own speed I was then overtaken by a clubman on his carbon fibre racer. He slowed considerably for the big hill so I overtook him despite the Camper bag and a load of shopping already on board. Putting a hundred yards on him by half way. Though I did find my breathing limit and was panting hard while turning a high cadence.

He overtook me again on the flat and said something like "badger". I have no idea what it meant. Perhaps I misheard him? Try as I might I could not follow him downhill while he just sat up and free-wheeled. I was pedalling  hard but could make no impression on him at all. Later still, I was passed by a royal family limousine and then by their horse transporter.

Destructive, silk-laying caterpillars destroying a hedge.

It was a headwind all the way home. The pad on the new bib shorts is superb. I felt just as comfortable arriving home as when I had left. Never a moment of discomfort. Which is a first for me in several years. Even the Bontragers begin to let their presence felt after 30 miles. Though their shoulder straps don't cut as deep as the new ones! What drooling idiot would put a hard, raised seam at the shoulder of a very expensive pair of bib shorts? A non-cyclist? The Bontragers have a nice flat seam offset from the shoulder. I just hope the new straps stretch with use! I might be allowed out again this afternoon. But only if I'm good. 40 miles so far.

Plus 10 more miles pm. There was a slightly amusing incident at a rural junction. A 4WD pulling a trailer had to stop suddenly when he was obviously expecting to pull straight out. Sharp squeal of tyres. Followed by a huge crash and much clanking. His trailer full of steel sections had deposited itself on the road behind the 4WD. You can just imagine the driver's famous last words to his colleague before they drove away with their load. "It'll be alright". A similar thing happened in Odense this week on the same route I took on my way home. A caravan rolled off the back of a trailer and killed a 59 year-old cyclist on the cycle path. "It'll be alright." But it never is.

A tall TV mast in a private garden. These are still remarkably commonplace in Denmark. Once used to receive terrestrial German TV in the absence of domestic choice. 

6th 63-72F, 17-22C, sunny, windy. It seems impossible to divorce the house thermometer from the warmth of the roof in morning sunshine. 57F on the well-shaded, but very well ventilated, outside thermometer under the eaves of the shed. 64F on the house with the outdoor sensor in the shade under the dormer roof overhang. Not much agreement there! If I dress for the higher temperature I will freeze! I have just moved the sensor to under the eaves and have been rewarded with a far better agreement with the shed thermometer. Reading within 2F of each other now. That's far better than before.

No doubt this is all very boring to my readers. Who only wanted to look at pretty pictures of old cottages and misshapen cycling equipment, but it is important to me. Not only to record the day's temperatures, reasonably accurately, but (far more importantly) how to dress suitably for it.

I have yet to establish a good (affordable) way of recording wind speed. With so many trees in and around the garden it is often difficult to judge. I usually look at the trees thrashing about and compare them to the local meteorological forecast. My chosen route for the day is often heavily biased on wind direction and strength. Quite often mistakenly. I suppose I could buy a "weather station" but reading reviews and forum posts does not fill one with confidence as to accuracy and longevity. At least not in my usually tight-fingered, budget range.

Achieving the regulation 30 metres height for the wind sensors (anemometer and vane)  is apt to give one pause. Though only 30 metres would lift them above the local trees! So you can see my dilemma. Enough rambling. I had better get off the computer chair and onto my Brooks 'Special'. Which, BTW, has assumed a much more acceptable shape over the last few days. The former convexity has flattened nicely over the seating area.  Just another tootle to the shops. 21 miles fighting a constant headwind. Which may explain the constant roaring in the ears when I'm out.

7th 65-70F, 18-21C, very light winds, sunny. A perfect day for a ride but I had to go up on the roof. Not to protest, I should add. A plastic bird stop under the ridge tiles had slid down. All is safely gathered in. I'm getting too old to be shoving massive, 6 metre long, roof ladders up there from the top of another ladder! I have a torn muscle, or trapped nerve, in my upper arm. Which is agony if I make the wrong movements. No problem most of the time. If I try to throw anything the pain almost makes me nauseous. I haven't seen a quack about it. They'd probably tell me to stop cycling and take painkillers and high blood pressure tablets for the rest of my life. Doctor's waiting rooms are best avoided. They are usually full of sick people and I don't have the Danish vocabulary for aches and pains anyway. A pleasant, warm day for a ride. With high cloud and a northerly breeze. One of the very few days of the year when the wind turbines weren't turning. Talking of wildlife: First Dragonfly this year and two Bumble bees were spotted today. 22 miles. Plus 6 more miles later.

Leather at its most gorgeous. The Brooks B17 'Special' basking in late afternoon sunshine.

8th 54-60F, 12-15C, sunny periods and already breezy. 25mph NW gusts forecast. The new outdoor sensor position, under the eaves, is much better than before. The house reading actually lagged slightly behind the shed thermometer yesterday in all day, full sun 70F+ conditions. I think this was due to the total lack of wind. The tall hedge alongside must have been absorbing warmth in the still conditions. At least there are no more nasty surprises when I leave the house in shorts and jersey with high 60sF showing on the thermometer. Only to "freeze" in true 50sF with an added wind chill factor. Enthusiasm for the ride ahead, matched by foolish optimism, has all too often required a swift return indoors. For the addition of a warmer jacket and some scolding. Before passing final inspection and being let out of the servant's side gate by The Head Gardener. :-)

The poor Blackbird, which fills our days with his endless racket singing, has just been attacked by a Magpie! My wife (The Head Gardener and Chief Wildlife Warden) had to go outside to sort them out. The other day a couple of male Blackbirds were having such a scrap that they didn't notice me standing right beside them. The fight went on for hours as they kept fluttering noisily in different hedges and trees around the garden. We have noisy Greenfinches and Chaffinches too. The male Pheasant is just as bad. He thinks he owns the place and gets quite upset if he's disturbed in his contemplative perambulations.

Then there are the ride-on lawnmowers, chain saws, circular saws, dogs howling or barking all day and the endless rat-run juggernauts on the narrow, winding road. Not to mention the huge flocks of high performance motorbikes which seem to migrate here in the summer to enjoy the sharp bends and undulations. It's all a bit Mulholland Drive at times. But with lots of greenery, noisy wildlife and pathetically poor driving skills. Though sadly, there are no really decent hills.

Almost every single day, the first vehicles I meet are usually on completely the wrong side of the road. Either having deliberately cut a sharp, blind bend. Or have badly overshot it by several yards of somebody elses' vital road width! Almost as many fall off the road here as its more famous cousin in the Colonies. Though you never, ever, see any police cars. I gave up counting when we whizzed past 50 "off-roaders." Don't talk to me about peace and quiet of the countryside! Note that I have made no mention of round-the-clock tractor pulling in this particular rant. ;-)

The otherwise, superbly comfortable, Tactic-Sport, Pro-Rider2 bib shorts are leaving deep red ruts on my shoulders. How could they get the bottom half so right and then throw it all away on poor shoulder seams and hard edges on the bib braces? I know I'm fairly skinny for my height but it's a bit disappointing. The Bontrager bibs aren't nearly so comfortable, in the seat, but have perfect shoulder straps. Nice flexible braces with soft, flat seams all over.

I have already received a sympathetic response to my email from the Tactic-Sport factory in Catalonia! With an offer of a replacement pair of bib shorts with longer and more flexible shoulder straps. Now that is truly great service! There ought to be a way of having adjustable shoulder straps. Except that one doesn't want naked Velcro thrashing around in the washing machine with mechanically sensitive materials. No doubt buckles and buttons would both fall foul of the same laundry rules.

But is it art?

I also had two nice emails from the UK dealer which sold me my Carradice Junior saddlebag. Apologising for  any dissatisfaction with the product and refunding my payment. For all my moaning about some products I hope I don't unfairly criticise. I do lavish praise where it is deserved. I removed the critical post after receiving an acceptable saddlebag from another dealer. Still not perfect, but cosmetically and functionally acceptable.

It remained grey, cool and increasingly windy all morning. Only 25 hilly miles carrying a heavy load of tinned pineapples up to the brim of the Camper Longflap. One has to take advantage of special offers when they turn up. Lunch is not the same without a generously-sized, bowl-full of mixed fruit and organic yogurt to follow.

9th 52-62F, 11-17C, grey, cool and windy. I didn't leave until 11am heading north via the lanes. There seemed to be a huge number of cyclists out today. Several large and small club groups as well as solitary cyclists out training. I turned for home at about 25 miles as the sun came out and a headwind picked up. Taking an hour and a half to do the last 20 miles while fairly heavily laden on very a hilly route. A large group of club cyclists was following me downhill through a village. Only half a dozen managed to get past before they blocked my path and turned off my route. An untidy and undisciplined lot. They were all over the road before and after I arrived in their midst. 44 miles. I still have to go out again. Plus 11 more miles late afternoon.

The Tricycle World Championships were held in the UK last weekend but still nothing to report nor link to.
The following links may help to whet the appetite of those who have noticed the lack of real substance so far: 

Jane Swain is World Champion | Willesden Cycling Club

Jane Swain bags a PB on her Trike | Willesden Cycling Club

Congratulations to Jane Swain!

World Tricycle Champion in both TT and Criterium.

Click on any image for an enlargement. 

June 1st 2013

Ist 65-70F, 18-22C, bright but rather cloudy. A light breeze. I'm a bit bunged up today. Runny nose, sticky eyes and thick  in the chest. My left ear is almost deaf. A blooming allergy to the many square miles of oil seed rape crop? Or an overaccumulation of agricultural poisons? Will I survive? Probably.

These organic cattle took umbrage at my sudden arrival in their own dimension as I tried to frame the shot. I hoped to avoid the ugly, roadside railings for the brook on the right. Clearly defensive of their young, the adults glared at first. Then seemed to quickly melt away.

A later start but I enjoyed a loop through several woods and along the lanes before I started shopping. The wind was much stronger than forecast but the bright sunshine made up for it.  A peloton of 30-odd, orange-clad riders passed me going the opposite way. I now carry a large, ultralight sports bag in the Carradice 'Junior.' So I can shop without requiring a large saddlebag at all times. The reduction in weight and drag over the 'Camper' is worth having. The loss of convenience trivial. 30 miles.

A striking window on a rural country pub. The premises closed some time in the 80s. There being, presumably, no local habitation to support enough trade after the arrival of the breathalyzer. Like countless others the local Brugs (Coop) went the same way. Monitoring rural change is a heavy burden reserved for the elderly. I cropped the image from a plain, whitewashed wall. At a guess the window is at least 5' or 1.5m in diameter. I may now carry a compass to cope with overcast skies in unknown surroundings. But have yet to routinely carry a tape measure for such occasions. I find the window immensely satisfying on so many levels. Not least its subdued colour, it's perfect symmetry and its unlikely location. The trees submerged in its watery depths add an unlikely air of mystery. One almost expects a shoal of fish to swim across inside.

2nd 51-66F, 11C, a heavy, grey overcast with strong winds.  It is difficult to believe that the forecast is for sunshine later. Yesterday's forecast had the wind gusting up to 20m/s or 45mph. This has now been reduced but a 35mph N'Westerly is possible for much of the day. It started off cold and northerly as I headed for Ringe. Sometimes it helped and I could cruise just above 20mph. At other times it seemed to be blowing from all directions. It took me an hour and half, including a couple of stops, to do 22 miles.

It was warmer but the wind had turned more easterly for the return journey. So it was a straight-on headwind with all the trees, grass and crops in motion.. Two hours to get back including a couple of shopping stops and slightly longer route. I was struggling to reach 10-12mph at times. Away from the main roads the traffic was almost non-existent. As an experiment I replaced my saddle 1/4" higher after the latest Proofide treatment. No knee pain but it threw surprisingly more weight onto my hands. The saddle will go back down again. I was much more comfortable and relaxed before the height change. 46 miles.

A strange concrete tower near Bogense and ugly street furniture set tight up against a beautiful old farm. The vast majority of drivers in Denmark seem to be analphabet. So speed limit signs are just a waste of taxpayer's money. The marking is in kph for those in any doubt. Most prefer to read them in mph and then add 10mph. Just to be on the safe side.  

3rd 50-66F, 10-19C, bright sunshine but quite breezy. It feels rather cold in the shade. Too cold for just a T-shirt. The winds are supposed to be lighter today but the trees are already swaying at intervals. The promised cloud has yet to arrive. With only a few, high brushstrokes so far.  I have to return a pair of bib shorts to a bike shop in Odense. The shorts reek like Chinese wheelbarrow tyres. Or those hideous rubber sandals which stink out so many discount shops these days. The wind should be over my left shoulder on the way. Off my right shoulder on the way back. At least that's the theory.

What's that old blues song? "Nobody knows the trouble I've had." Yesterday I noticed a broken chain link and had to remove it. Today I thought I was still on the middle ring when I selected the bottom gear sprocket for a sharp corner. Whoops! The chain was too short to fit both largest gears. Total lock up and no way to move the chain! I had the idea to remove the rear changer from the hanger to free the chain slightly without damage. Somehow I could not find the right allen key. I knew there was a bike shop about half a mile away. So I walked there pushing the trike and borrowed one. Only to discover the correct allen key was hiding in the tool kit. I managed to free the chain and rode on into Odense.

Needs new sills.

While I was getting a refund on the shorts I bought an Sram chain just for backup. Half a mile later I left the old chain lying on the road as I pulled away! I wrapped the old chain in Dock leaves to avoid getting my hands too dirty. Then I had to fit the new chain crouched beside the busy main road. I wrapped the new chain over the largest sprocket and chainwheel and through the changers. Then broke the chain with my mini Park Tool extractor. Then the quick link wouldn't lock by hand pressure alone. I ended up standing on the pedals with the brakes on to get the link to close properly. The gears were fine after that.

I'm still hoping I have made the chain exactly the right length. I would have much preferred to have the trike on the workstand. All this means that I'm never going to try repairing a 10 speed chain with a rivet extractor again. I shall only use a matching quick link.  My hands were all greasy so I used more Dock leaves to remove the worst of it. Arriving later at a bike shop they let me wash my hands properly. The rag I removed from the toolkit as excess baggage is going back.

It seemed far windier than the forecast yet again. To make things worse the wind has turned much more westerly. Instead of the promised northerly direction. So coming home was much harder than expected. At least I have new bib shorts to add to my tiny collection of two. Which means that the pressure is off to wash and dry the same pair for next day. There is a downside to obsessive cycling. Nothing in my wardrobe older than 5 years fits me any more! I've been doing the Wiggins on my Higgins. <groan> The local charity shops will have to expand to make room for all my old stuff! 44 miles.

4th 57-65F, 14-18C, sunny and windy. Forecast max of 63F/ 17C with 35mph gusts promised. A clear, sunny day but very windy. Diims found me all over Odense yesterday and once in Assens today. Does this mean they are expanding their total number of post van sensors? A week ago they missed me entirely for five whole days. Only 18 miles. The wind put me off having an afternoon ride.

Click on any image for an enlargement.