Sunday 31 December 2006

2006 Biking

I've only started 'logging' all of my riding for the last few months, but I figured out the other day that I'd done abour 1700 miles this year. Of these, about 1000 were getting to work and getting to places for work, all of them done on my singlespeed Kona on 32:16 and at a decent pace. I didn't do that many other rides, really:

* a couple of local on-/off-road rides (Local road/off road New Years Day ride and On-and off-road through Bolam, Bishop Auckland, Middridge and Aycliffe again) in January, on my own on the Inbred
* Swaledale - Moresdale Road and Fremington Quarry in February, my first ride with the Hamsterley Trailblazers, on the Inbred
* A HTB Sunday ride round Hamsterley (Riding in a winter wonderland) in March, on the Inbred
* A local booze cruise (HTB Booze Cruise) in April, with the HTB group, on the ss Kona
* SSUK 2006 at Hamsterley, in June. I rode there and back, as well as doing the race, for which I won the Spirit of Singlespeed prize, a custom bike frame from Solitude Cycles, all on the ss Kona
* June saw me do 65 miles on the road, riding from Darlington to Barnard Castle to Hamsterley to Darlington on the ss Kona (my first metric century ride - 100km)
* In July, I rode from Darlington to Hamsterley then did a HTB group ride and got soaked on a solo local ride, both on the Inbred
* In August, I rode the 80 miles from Darlington to Tan Hill and Back on the road and did a local guided ride, both on the Inbred
* In September, I completed my first century ride, The Hell O' The North, on the Inbred, and came in sixth in The Great Milk Stout Ride 2006 (pictures), on the ss Kona
* In October, I rode from home to Hamsterley, rode the 50km Hamsterley Hill Rush and then rode home again, on the ss Kona
* November and December saw no biking, other than to (and for) work, all on the ss Kona

So, only 14 non-work rides all year, but averaging 50 miles per ride.

2006 saw my first metric and imperial century rides, both over hilly routes. The Hell O' The North was both the longest ride I've done and the hardest; the weather was the worst anyone could remember for that ride, with an awful headwind for the first 60 or 70 miles - I did the last 40 miles faster than the first 40, I think. Considering my preparation was almost nil, I think I did ok, but want to do it faster next year.

All in, a pretty good year. I did a few 'firsts' and made some new biking friends. I carried on commuting by bike and discovered that I like long bikes rides and I like singlespeed bikes. In fact, I like long bike rides on singlespeed bikes.

December Biking

No riding at all in December, other than getting about and ‘business miles’ (for the second month running).

Business miles: 26 miles
Commuting: 70 miles (14 days riding to work and back)

Total: 96 miles

Thursday 28 December 2006

Secret Worlds

I don't know what lies out your back door, but I know that I find something new each time I roll out mine with rugged tires and vague intentions.


- Secret Worlds

Here's to rugged tyres and vague intentions.

Friday 22 December 2006

Thursday 21 December 2006

(Not) SSUK 2007

The 2007 UK National Singlespeed Championships are taking place on Monday 27th August, as part of a full weekend of racing at the Belmont Estate Mountain Bike Festival, according to the British Cycling website.

Update: It's not SSUK. Ignore me. (See comments.)

Sunday 17 December 2006

If beer is heaven, coffee is faith.

No one without hope ever drinks coffee. If you put a cup to your lips, you’ve made a tacit acknowledgment that you expect life to get just a little bit better.


- The Truth of Diner Coffee

Saturday 9 December 2006

Ways to win elections

Ways to win elections:
* reduce adult illiteracy
* support landless farmers
* use oil profits to provide money for single mothers, subsidise food for the poor and fund six extra universities

Well, it worked in Venezuela...

Thursday 7 December 2006

Maybe capitalism does work?

After reading some of the writings and archive on Rob Newman's site earlier this evening, I was going to denounce capitalism and start a worker-controlled cooperative. The I discovered that McDonald's forced to shut from lack of patronage in healthy town.

Or, maybe I'll still denounce capitalism.

Monday 4 December 2006

November Biking

No riding at all in November, other than getting about and 'business miles'.

Business miles: 52.8 miles (20p a mile, baby!)
Commuting: 105 miles (21 days riding to work and back)
Extras: 10 miles

Total: 167.8 miles

Friday 1 December 2006