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The day dawned wet and raining, well at least it did when I pulled back the curtain at about 7:30am and looked out the window, so I went back to bed, it looked as though the forecasted severe weather was right…………wrong. The heavy rain during the day never arrived, light drizzle and one heavy shower, by mid afternoon the sun had broken through complete with white fluffy clouds and blues sky. By late afternoon we went for a walk along the river bank. OK it was windy and the wind was cold but where was the severe weather??

A couple of post ago (this one) it was suggested that I speak about what kit I have got and that got me thinking how much I have amassed since I started riding bikes again in Oct 09. Back then it was a simple case of lets buy a bike and it will help with the weight loss. I knew I wanted a mountain bike, I had had a “Race Bike” as they were called when I was younger, a white 10 speed derailleur with drop handle bars and those extra arms on the brakes levers so that you could activate the brakes while your hand were on the top section of the handle bar, all mod cons in those days. And lets be honest, “Race Bikes” are built for anorexic stick insects, not somebody weighing just under 19st, at least that was my reasoning back then. Walking into the bike shop for the first time was an eye opener, the placed was packed with bikes and customers and some of the prices………. After about an hour I left having purchased a Cannondale F5 for me and a Specialized Myka for the wife, some lights, crud catchers and a helmet for the wife (I had a helmet at home I was intending to use).

It was not long before I was back at the shop purchasing a new helmet for me (I had forgotten why I stopped wearing it). This was quickly followed by a pump, puncture repair kit and water bottle & cage. Next on the shopping list was a track pump and some cleaning gear and lubrication. As anybody who has owned a bike will know how the list went on.

It was not only the ancillary bits that I was buying, the first item to change on the bike was the handle bar grips, I fitted a pair of Ergon GR2 handle bar grips. Due to a warranty issue I had to have a new frame, but the same frame was no longer available. So a better compatible frame from there F2 range was sourced from the USA, apparently the European F2 is a completely different bike to the American F2 and is a better frame than the F5. Just before I found out that I needed a new frame I ordered a new pair of Recon Race single air front forks, thankfully they went on the new frame. Since then I have changed the pedals to get a better grip, the handles bars and seat to improve the riding position. I keep telling the wife I am building another bike by stealth……..

Here is my bike as it stands today

My bike after a wash and service

and here is my old F5

My bike having a scenic rest

Not a lot of difference when you look at the pictures but it is a completely different bike now, a lot lighter.

The one aspect of biking I have not bought into yet is the clothing, the price of some of the kit really scares me even more than the price of bikes. I currently ride with a base layer top and a pair of lycra running trousers, a pair of normal shorts over the top, an old fleeced jacket and a pair of hiking shoes. The only concessions I have made to biking clothing is a pair of gloves and a pair of seal skin water proof socks.

While I was writing this I did thinking about adding up what I spent on cycling to date, I decided very quickly that it would not be a good idea……..

With the UK obsession with the weather you would of thought that the met office & co would be able to forecast the weather with some degree of accuracy. There certainly no need to to discuss their failing concerning our BBQ summer and mild winter…………NOT!

Friday’s forecast for us was rain, what we got, cloud, blue sky’s and sunshine. Today’s forecast, heavy rain shower in the morning clearing into the afternoon to give sunshine with occasional shower and light winds. Actual, damp grey cloudy morning leading to occasional sunshine, light rain shower (about 5 minutes) and winds between 18mph to 24mph.

They spend millions on satellites and we are no closer to forecasting it correctly than the guy with a rock and pampas grass in his garden. He looks out of his bedroom window first thing in the morning and concludes if the rock is wet, it is raining, if the pampas grass is swaying it is windy, if there is a shadow of the rock or pampas grass it is sunny………..you get the picture.

My interest in the weather today was based on the fact that it was supposed to be a good day today and a lousy day tomorrow. We almost did not ride today because the weather looked so miserable when we got up. But as we were being told that Sunday was likely to be a day of heavy rain and strong winds then I wanted to make the most of riding Saturday. Thankfully for us (the wife and thee) the forecasted rain this morning never turned up, the wind put in an un-welcome appearance and boy was it warm (when out of the wind). The only rain we saw was at 14:15 this afternoon as we were about to drive off from the New Forest.

The ride its self was not to bad a lot of standing water, must remember to keep my mouth shut when going down hill at speed, track water does not taste nice. We decided to do a shorten Linwood Loop in the New Forest. We started at the bottom of the South Oakley Inclosure (east of Burley), ride up to the Canadian War Memorial, then out towards the A31 going under the dual carriageway and then turning off towards Broomy Lodge and the Broomy Inclosure, then on to Linwood and the Red Shoot pub. We stopped at the pub for a nice sandwich and a drink, no it was coke in fact…….. and very nice it was to.
It was here that we had a problem, the battery in the GPS expired and the map of the route was in the car. I had only done this route once but fortunately remembered the directions to get us up onto Bratley Plain than back to the road under the A31 and back toward the War Memorial. Normally from here we would carry on past the War Memorial down toward the deer sanctuary and back to the car park where we started. But the short loop mean we go back down the track we came up on through the South Oakley Inclosure to the car park for a little under 17 miles with a few large hills (well they are to us).

Thankfully there was no problems with either bike this ride. If there is a chance I will ride tomorrow if not I will spend the day giving the bike a good clean.

I don’t mind some part of my body hurting if I have bashed it or done something to it, but I am not keen of those pains that just creep up on you from no where. Sunday afternoon I became aware of a pain in my neck………..right who said the wife, shame on you!!! Back to the plot, anyway as afternoon became evening it got progressively worse to the point when I got up Monday morning I could not turn my head without a lot of pain on the left side of my neck towards the back of my neck. I don’t have a clue what caused it, all I know is that it is damm painful and none of the painkillers I had in the house got any where near dulling the pain.

With not be able to turn my head I have not been able to drive, so I have spent the last two days off work. As it is now I can move my head with just some mild discomfort, so assuming nothing happens between now and tomorrow morning I will be back to work tomorrow.

Well yesterday night was weigh in night and as I could not drive we had to walk to the meeting at least it is only down the road. Not sure if it was the walk or the previous weeks diet but I managed to loose 1.5lbs last week, which considering everything that was not to bad. At least now I am heading in the right direction again.

And plenty of it.

When I got up this morning and opened the curtains and saw the rain I found the calling of my nice warm bed a more promising prospect than riding in the rain, so I climbed back into bed for another 20 minutes. My better self eventually won the battle in my mind and that going riding would in the long run be better for me.

Before long I was rolling down the hill near my house and waking the neighbours up with my screaming brakes, don’t know why they do it but they make one hell on a noise when you apply them in the wet, certainly don’t need a bell on my bike. Before long I am up to my rims in mud along the river bank (decided to do my normal Throop, Hurn, Parley Throop loop), I can’t wait until I exit the third field where the hard gravel pathway starts. This pathway only lasts for a couple of miles before it reverts to a field with a 30 degree angle to wards the rivers, fortunately there is a 100mtrs between me and the river and little chance of me sliding into the river but every chance of ending up on my arse as the back wheel struggles for grip.

Its about now that I realise that I have left my water bottle at home so I have nothing to drink and no money with me to buy anything either, hope I don’t get thirsty.

Soon the field gives way to a narrow dirt path (after negotiating a cattle gate where you have to stand the bike up on the back wheel to get through), here the path is on two levels the lower level where you ride is covered in mud and holes while the higher level is where the hedges grows and a field full of cows wonder what the hell you are doing. The other side of the path has barb wire fence to keep you company. At one of point the path is just about handle bar wide as a large oaks fill over half the width of the path, that barb wire fence does not look inviting. Now we are at the gate to the field which is basically a mud pool, somebody has put a plank and a couple of large brick across the pool to aid walkers, but does nothing for bike riders as you have to stop and untie the gate on the other side to continue on down the path. In fact on my return through here somebody held the gate open for me and I tried to ride across the plank, my front wheel slipped off the plank and I ended up colliding with the gate post on the exit!

Now into another field which is not bad going until you reach the exit which is another mud pool due to all the horsey people driving there cars into the field to feed and attend to their horses in the adjacent field. The farmer has now blocked the gateway and dumped a load of hedge clipping in the entrance in an attempt to soak up the mud. I headed for the little single gateway (without a gate) which is barely handle bar wide that you have to take at an angle and escape onto the service road for the sewage works.

Still being early the road is quiet and I get to the Old Mill without seeing any traffic, a large dog and its owner of crossing the first weir bridge so I wait until they clear the bridge and make my way across and then across the muddy path towards the main weir bridge. Straight over this and right at the end and I back onto a narrow path along the river bank. After a couple of gates this open up into a muddy field, picking the best route is not easy but for the most part I make it to the other side without to much of a problem. Now onto the flooded track-way, I learnt now that if you are anywhere on this track other than riding next to the verge\bank on the left you are going for a swimming lesson as there is a large hole (read axle deep) on the right which I have found twice. Up the track over another bridge and then I am back on the road heading for Hurn roundabout.

Hang a left at the roundabout and then another left onto Matchams lanes, Hurn Forest car park is about a mile down the road, just hope the dickhead in his Range Rover decides to give me room as he passes me at some obscene speed (I seem to catch him most weekends, if I can catch him why can’t the police??). In to Hurn Forest car park and do a 180 degree turn down the track next to the road, then dive into the woods. Not in the woods long before you are on to a gravel\dirt track. Before long the track goes back into the trees over a load of tree roots and out into a clearing towards the little stream crossing, its not wide but quite deep, I have crossed this stream several times and today is not a problem, this path now rejoins the main gravel path through the forest. At the Hurn end there is a lot of surface grit on the gravel which saps your speed and strength, once you get to the top of the first section and turn right the gravel becomes very stoney and bumpy which kill my butt!

Just before the end of the path where it turn right toward the St Leonards end of the forest there is a large grass area on the left which leads down towards Oakdene caravan park which is where I am going. While it is quite wide so are the muddy areas with the muddiest being just before the Oakdene caravan park drive way. Here is where I normally stop and have a drink and bite to eat (cereal bar type thing). I still stop but there nothing to eat or drink (the eating part does not bother me, could do with a drink), I stretch my legs and try to get some other feeling back into my butt.

I set off again down the narrow pathway with the 6ft fence on my left and the hedge on my right and the path width about 3.5 ft wide at best, this breaks out onto a dirt track-way which in turns narrow into a muddy pathway as it approaches the bridge. It is good to see the river level is still down and the bridge approach and exit is dry, up the ramp and onto the bridge and then drop down the steps on the other side, then clear the large tree route and back along a narrow muddy pathway, out on to a short tarmac drive. Couple of hundred meters up the drive and I turn left on Parley Common. I make my way across the commons dirt, sand and mud until I reach the bridle way at the far end and then down the bridle way to the Parley\Hurn road.

Now there a couple of miles of tarmac as I head back toward Hurn, I eventually turn off the main road opposite the terminal and head down to a place called Merritown which until a couple of months ago I never knew existed. This eventually leads into the fields as I now head back towards the big weir at Throop. The first section down the track-way is muddy and puddle strewn with some large bricks buried in the ground for good measure. This eventually leads you out into the muddy fields and paths. The first gate out of the field there is a large muddy puddle either side which is full of clay based mud that grabs your wheels and refuse to let go. With my wheel now twice its normal size as I wobble across the muddy field. I eventually make it back to the weir and the return journey home along the river bank.

I never intended to write a detailed description of my ride, it just happened.

A total of 21 miles and I was knackered this morning by the time I got home. Where we live is like on the top of a hill, not a big hill by any means but it is a killer for me at the end of a ride.

It was good to go through a weekend without breaking anything on the bike, unlike the previous couple of weeks. This weekend rides amount to about 30 mile,,not sure exactly after yesterday problems. Hope I have done enough for the weigh-in tomorrow, can’t take another week of gains.

Going to get my thinking cap on about where we can ride next week, with the wet weather forecast which means every where will be very muddy after a week of rain and the Wareham Forest closed for a Car Rally I am not sure where we are going.

Went for our normal Saturday bike ride this morning, should of realised thing were not going to be straight forward, first I had left it to the wife to decide where we were going and up until 45 minutes before we were due to leave there had been no decision. So I took it upon myself to decide for her, we were going to Wareham forest but we were going to park at a different location which was basically in the middle of the loop we did the previous week. So I had to do a bit of route juggling as starting where we parked only gave us 8 miles, so I added a 3 mile loop, well at least I tried to. The GPS mapping software was not playing ball this morning. It has the facility to delete part of an existing route and then add another section of a route to it, do you think mine wanted to play this morning……….. not a cat in hells chance. I deleted the entire route three times instead deleting the section I wanted to delete. Then when I added another route to give a nice long ride rather than delete the section I wanted it deleted everything even the route saved on the hard disk. So by the time I left home I was a bear with a sore head!!

If I thought my GPS problem were over no chance, I set the route up on the GPS and clicked follow, this was OK for about the first 1000mtrs, I found that I could not scroll the screen, did not matter what I did the screen would not scroll and then I lost the follow option. Switch the GPS off, turn back on reload route, select follow and we are of again. This was not to be the last of the GPS problems.

But now I had a squeak, not from the GPS but from my front disc brake. Now this was doubly annoying as I thought I had sorted this problem out on Wednesday night, a quick adjustment and then a quick whiz round the block to check (and test the rear brakes as I changed the pads), not a sound everything seemed OK. Not now, after about another half mile I had had enough of the hamster wheel impersonations, jumped off the bike and set to work adjusting the calliper again. Thankfully this time it worked without a problem, we could now ride without my front wheel impersonating a hamster wheel.

We had now gone about a mile and a half when the wife shouts at me that her rear end does not feel right, at this point I declined the urge to comment as the problem was clearly visible………….a flat tyre. So once again we pulled over and I replaced the tube. After a short interval we are on our way again.

As I had put some new pads on the rear in the week I was making the most of any downhill section to shoot off downhill at speed and then whack the brakes on to heat the pads up, the wife asks me if I am having problems fortunately the answer was no. We finished the remainder of the loop with out a problem.

Th next 5 or so miles almost go with out a problem. I find that my water bottle is contaminated, the water tastes bloody awful, so I end up sharing the wife’s water bottle. By now we are at the far end of our route where I decide that we are going to have a little excursion off into the undergrowth as I have spotted what looks like a nice dirt track. It is now that the GPS come back to annoy me. As I had been following a route I had not noticed it had not been laying a track (as the route already on the map would hide my track) but this little excursion into the undergrowth revealed that the GPS was not tracking my route. Now this is annoying for two reason, one by having a track I have a good note of the total distance we travelled and secondly I will not have a record of this route to use in the future. By now I was beginning to give up the will to live. The dirt I found was not to bad, we were unable to follow the map exactly as the track shown on the map went into a mud pool but our little excursion brought us out half way along the route we would of been on had we followed our route and where the map showed the track would of rejoined the route.

The remainder of the ride back to the car was rather uneventful (compared to the earlier parts). As our ride had been a bit short I decided that I would check out another little dirt track that I had spotted earlier on the little loop. So I left the wife at the car and headed back up the trial, I soon found the entrance into the trees that I was looking for, I was soon to regret finding this little track. This little track through the tree (imagine a pine tree plantations with the tree all neatly planted in lines) was like dodgems with the trees and up hill with the narrow track winding it way between the trees with only a couple of inches to spare and what was worse, I was stuck in high gear. There was no straight section of track I just could not get any speed to change down on the front chain ring. I came to a mud pool where I got off the bike and pushed my way through as there was no way I could ride through it, I carried on pushing up the hill on the other side, I reached the top of the hill wheezing like an unfit 50 year old (mmm, I fit that description). I am almost certain that this route should be ridden from the top where I was to the bottom where I started, there was no way I was going to try I now. I wanted a drink but only had my contaminated bottle with me. I set off down the track, it was only after about half a mile that I checked the GPS and found I was heading in the wrong direction. So a quick about turn and I kept an eye on the GPS to ensure I was going in the right direction almost to the point where I missed the corner and nearly went in to a ditch, the sooner I get back to the car the better I was going to be. I soon found the main road and made my way on to the tarmac and headed the short three quarters of a mile ride back to the car.

We loaded the bikes onto the car and headed for home, both bikes needed a good chain clean so that’s was my next job as soon as we got in. The wife hosed the bikes off while I got the cleaning kit and bike stand ready. As I am cleaning the bikes my stomach is aching, but I ignore it and carry on cleaning the bikes, then putting all the kit away while I let the bikes drip dry. I head inside for a clean up of myself some clean cloths……………………….AND THE LOO!! I spend the next hour trying to eat dinner and ignore my somersaulting stomach. Thankfully as I only had a couple of mouth full of water the iffy stomach disappeared as quickly as it arrived. It was at this point that I notice it is pouring with rain and both bikes are sat out side drying, well at least that was the intention, so I then have to sit in the rain oil-ling the chain

I guess the only good thing that came out of the ride today was the fact that I did not break anything on the bike, apart from that I think I might forget this Saturdays ride!!