I've
recently taken up cycling as a healthier option
to my long time hobbies of smoking, drinking
and general laying about and I must admit it
has been quite a revelation. For a middle aged
man who has spent his lifetime with the devout
belief that he is allergic to all forms of exercise
I find myself thoroughly enjoying this indulgent
pastime.
In the twelve or so weeks that I've been cycling
I've experienced a range of hitherto dormant
emotions as I've battled the initial struggle
to get my legs to push me along and the breathlessness
that comes with a total lack of stamina. These,
coupled with biting winds, rain and my propensity
to lose my bearings have made my initial steps
into serious cycling quite an adventure.
:-)
You'll have to go to Chris'
blog to read the rest of his amusing introduction....The
CoolBlue Journal
TheJamestown
Pedalist
JUNE
2012
Saturday
30 June
Northala
Fields
Awesome!
We'll be going back in a fortnight to check this place
out properly.
The
weathermen were right!! There was almost no respite
at all from the rain, thoroughly miserable night.
Had
a really good time, what with bridge-barging, curb-bashing,
rear-ending, manhole-skidding and aponchi-braking, it
was a night I'll remember for a long, long time. Wouldn't
have missed it for the world. :-)
The
canal we rode on was the Hertford Union Canal (or Ducketts),
it connects the Regent's Canal to the River Lee.
On the night of 23rd of June 2012
London will host an exploration of cultural and architectural
history on bicycles: an urban expedition called LONDON
VELONOTTE. London Festival of Architecture has invited
Velonotte to produce the event on the very first night
of the Festival.
This unprecedented architectural event has been conceived
by prof. Sergey Nikitin, young Moscow-based architectural
historian. Prominent architects and cultural historians,
including Peter Ackroyd, Ricky Burdett, David Adjaye
and Peter Murray have been invited to narrate the moonlit
bike tour which will take participants through the Whitechapel,
Spitalfields, Tower of Hamlets, Poplar and Newham while
discussing architecture, urban policy and cultural life,
culminating in the newly built Olympic Village. More
here...
Could
have sworn I did three laps of the outer circle but
it appears I only did two!
I've
been going way over my HRtop
threshold of 145 bpm, the
trouble is I can't hear the alarm when it goes off.
I've
seen a couple ofwrist monitors that
come with handlebar mounts, wish I'd known about them
before I got mine.
Cool,
sunny morning, great conditions for a good workout.
Got
a great Father's Day present from the girls, it's called
the AIRZOUND)))
Bike Horn. Can't wait to try it out on
the next cretin that crosses my path or gets
too close. :-)
RHR:
55 bpm
MHR:
189 Time:
N/A Average Speed: 9.6 mph Odometer reading: 9.64 miles
Sunday
17th June
I
was in Regent's Park before 08:00, sunny clear sky,
temperature was 17°C. Perfecto!
I'll
be riding up to Clissold Park this afternoon for the
last day of the festival.
RHR: 52
bpm
MHR:
189 Time:
0.55.49 Average Speed: 11.3 mph Odometer reading: 10.59 miles
Spent
the afternoon in the park with Chris listening to the
different bands. Very good indeed!
Odometer
reading: 12.53 miles
Saturday
16th June
Went
for a short ride with Chris (he's still nursing an injury)
to Clissold Park, it turns out there's a music festival
being held there over the weekend. We'll be meeting
up again at around 14:00 to check-out Stoke Newington's
answer to Woodstock! :-)
Had
lunch and rode back to the park just in time to catch
the end of Terence O'Flaherty's performance. It took
just 15 minutes for the Congagies to reset
the stage for Ozi Ozaa, they were very
good, Yaw Asumadu (master drummer)
was brilliant. Jyotsna Srikanth (violin)
wasn't bad and Lokito Ya Congo were
good. If not for the wind and dipping temperature I
think we would have stayed till the end. But, there's
more tomorrow!
The
rain stopped me from going out but if the sun comes
out this evening I'll do a late session.
Checked
my RHR this morning, it was 54,
wow! I'll check it a few times to get
an average.
Got
a free one day pass to a gym in Covent Garden, I'm hoping
to get my MHR measured by a professional.
Hey, why not? :-)
Thursday
14th June
05:00,
Regent's Park.
Can't
find a way to reset themaximum heart
rate (MHR) displayed on the monitor,
think I'll probably have to remove the battery and configure
it from scratch.
I
looked at the numbers when I thought I was working hardest
and the biggest number was 141
bpm (beats per minute). My HR never
dropped below 102
in the park, I know because I've set upper and lower
thresholds on the monitor to alert me when it moves
outside them.
The Maximum Heart Rate
of a man is usually calculated by using the Age-adjusted
MHR formula: 220
- Age=Age-adjusted
Max HR The
American sports people use a slightly different formula.
214 - 0.8 x AGE=Age-adjusted Max HR
Time:
0.55.28
Average Speed: 11.0 mph
Odometer reading: 10.29 miles
Wednesday
13th June
Was
out at 06:00, forgot the computer so did 4 laps of the
outer circle.
Got
a MHR reading of 220,
this must be an anomaly, I'll see what happens tomorrow!
Exercise
Programme
Monday
- Friday
10
miles or 2 hours
Regent's
Park
05:00
- 07:00
Saturday
& Sunday
Leisure
rides - 15 miles+
Could
be anywhere
Anytime
Recognized
benefits of doing regular aerobic exercise are:
Strengthening
the muscles involved in respiration, to facilitate
the flow of air in and out of the lungs
Strengthening
and enlarging the heart muscle, to improve its pumping
efficiency and reduce the resting heart rate, known
as aerobic conditioning
Strengthening
muscles throughout the body
Improving
circulation efficiency and reducing blood pressure
Increasing
the total number of red blood cells in the body, facilitating
transport of oxygen
I'll
be taking a more 'professional' approach to my exercise
regime from now on and hopefully will be able to hit
my targets in the next couple of months.
BMI
WEIGHT
RHR
NOW
26.43
205
68*
TARGET
24
185
60*
*
I have to take readings over 3 days and use the average
Went
to visit Mum in Harrow and took the bike even though
I knew rain was forecast for later in the day. Sure
enough it started just after I left and I had to stop
under a tree to put on my overtrousers.
The
Cycle
Streets route to Greenford
Rd was lovely, very quiet backstreets and on
trails & paths. OsmAnd
crashed a couple of times, but it got me there in the
end.
I
found the canal towpath without any difficulty but I
had to stop after a few miles to take the overtrousers
off, I was roasting in them. The rest of the journey
was in a steady drizzle but was surprisingly pleasant.
Good
visit, good meal, good ride!
Odometer
reading: 22.36 miles
Addendum: I could have been killed by a woman in a small
hatchback today. She drove straight into the roundabout
without looking and I came to a stop about two feet
from her rear passenger door, she actually stopped in
the middle of the mini-roundabout, I suspect her passenger
probably shouted out, 'LOOK OUT FOR THE BIKE!' or something
to that effect. I had started to apply my brakes because
she hadn't looked in my direction once and was busy
chatting to her passenger. If I hadn't done that I would
have been in front of her car when she entered the roundabout.
Phew!!
I
also travelled for FREE on my outbound journey on the
train. I forgot to touch my Oyster card at Euston so
when I got to Harrow I told the guy at the barrier what
I'd done and rather that put me through the official
procedure for my 'crime', he let me through!
Make that man employee of the month!:-)
My
lucky day?
Saturday
9th June
London
Green Fair - Regent's Park
Chris
and I had our bikes checked out by the LCCC's
Dr Bike. My gears have now been indexed by a pro and
are changing better than when the bike was new. Just
more proof that the Camden branch of Evans
Cycles are not very good at their
job. I have to say that I was served by a very helpful
middle-aged man the last time I was in the shop, but
the young guys that work there don't have a clue.
Tried
again to get some pictures of the Queen and failed!
I got to Trafalgar Square and found a good spot but
found out she wasn't due there for another two hours,
so came home to watch it on TV.
Trafalgar
Square
Odometer
reading: 5.53 miles
Monday
4th June
Chris
and I decided to ride to the palace to take
advantage of the road closures in that part of town.
In the event we ended up riding in Hyde Park, Kensington
Gardens and Regents Park because of the sheer number
of pedestrians in the area.
Rode
down to the river with the intention of taking
some pictures of the Queen's Jubilee Pageant,
but couldn't find a spot with a view along the
route.
Got to Tower Hill and decided to abandon the
mission and head back home for some much needed
sleep!
Easy
ride with Chris, didn't want to over do it before the
'Big Ride' in Slough. :-)
Odometer
reading: 13.30 miles
Tuesday
29th May
Rode
along the Grand Union Canal towpath from Paddington
to the Bulls Bridge Junction in Ealing. The weather
was great and the towpath is very well maintained, until
you get to Ealing where it's pretty atrocious! I wouldn't
like to cycle on that section after its been raining.
It
was a very long ride but I enjoyed it thoroughly! :-)
20°
celsius.
Average
Speed: 8.5 mph
Time: 4:15:49
Odometer reading: 36.48 miles
Monday
28th May
DAY
OF REST!
Sunday
27th May
Set out for Battersea Park just before 07:00. Skirted
past Regent's Park and cut through Hyde Park down to
the river. Very nice day for a ride.
21°
celsius.
Odometer
reading: 14.52 miles
Saturday
26th May
Met
Chris on Westbourne Road and rode down to Colebrooke
Row, the Eastern end of the Islington Tunnel. We intended
to Ride to the Limehouse Basin but ended up cycling
all the way up the Limehouse Cut to Bromley-by-Bow.
GREAT FUN! :-)
23°
celsius.
Islington
Tunnel - East Portal
Towpath ride to the Limehouse Basin BIKECAM
Rode
up the Parkland Walk, exited at Stanhope Rd and walked
up the almost verticalincline
to Hornsey lane and up to Archway Bridge. I've passed
under the bridge many times but I've never been on it.
The bridge passes over Highgate Hill, the road was the
route of the first cable car to be built in Europe.
Met
up with Chris on my way back from Archway and we rode
to Clissold Park.
25°
celsius.
Odometer
reading: 14.36 miles
Thursday
24nd May
Did
the North end of the Parkland
Walk for the first time. It's much nicer than the
Southern section but not very long. Had a cup of coffee
in Highgate Wood, the worshippers were out in full force.
'Bikecam' footage will be released in short order.
Headed
for the City and St Paul's Cathedral. Doubled back and
still had some energy so rode to Regent's Park and did
a couple of laps of the outer circle.
Odometer
reading: 11.81 miles
Tuesday
15th May
Bikeability
Level 3:
Had
my lesson, but I'm a little disappointed.
James
the instructor was late and didn't dress appropriately
for the cold and wet conditions. He kept complaining that
he was cold, so we ended up spending 30 minutes of the
lesson at a deli in Camden Town. He did however attempt
to index my gears but thinks the right shifter might be
broken and also inflated my tyres to the manufacturer's
recommended 75 psi, - my pump is useless - which made
quite a difference to the ride of the bike.
As
you can see from the track we never made it into heavy
traffic, so I'll have to book another lesson.
We
abandoned the route when we got to Trafalgar Square because
we kept riding past the 'quirks'! It would seem that we
needed both the GPS coordinates AND a
hardcopy of the route map.
Still,
we had a great ride on a lovely, sunny day and the
mightyGunners wonaway at the Hawthorns! Does
it get any better than that?
:-)
Odometer
reading: 24.34 miles
We should be back in plenty of time for the 15:00
kick-offs.
ARSENAL FOREVER!
See
if you can spot the fake houses of Leinster Gardens,
walk down the narrowest street in London and discover
the interesting history of the Mandela Way Tank. Stepping
away from the typical London tourist cliches reveals
a rarely seen side of the city that will provide you
with plenty of stories to pass on to your friends.
This is a route best completed on a Sunday to take
full advantage of the quiet square mile.
It
was DRY and the sun was out! There was
quite a stiff, cold wind but hey, it was DRY!
The
DIY 'bikecam' mount worked perfectly, I'm well pleased.
I've put some black masking tape over the yellow cable
ties so it doesn't look too much like a Blue
Peter sticky-back-plastic job!
:-)
Odometer
reading: 17.54 miles
Thursday
10th May
I
popped into the 99p Store yesterday to
see if they had any new cycling accessories and picked
up a 'heavy duty' lock that
I'll use as a seat lock. I wasn't going to use the bracket
that came with it until I had a brainwave! Why not use
it to mount the 'bikecam'? So, here it is!
I'll
road-test it as soon as it stops raining. That could be
a long wait!
Really
good start to the day, the sun was out and it was warming
up nicely!
Left
for Finsbury Park not long after 09:00.
Chris
was ready when I got there so we set off almost immediately.
The audio on the Osmand app isn't very clear so after
a couple of wrong turns we eventually arrived at the park.
It's a lovely place with great views over London, will
definitely be going back this summer.
It
started raining just as we were about to leave, but it
was still a good ride.
Route Map
Met
up with Chris in Clissold Park. We were both a little
leg weary and saddle sore from our epic ride yesterday,
but we managed to dig deep and clocked up a few leisurely
miles.
Left
in good time to catch the early kick-off, Newcastle vs
Man City! Come on City....... I need a barf-bag. :-(
Finsbury
Park
- Springfield Park (River Lee Towpath)
- Stratford
- A406 (Argon Rd)
- Springfield Park - Finsbury
Park
Used
OsmAnd to navigate to and from the river
with a GPX file created at Ridewithgps.com,
it worked flawlessly!
Odometer
reading: 29.01 miles
Friday
4th May
Clissold
Park is a lovely open space in Stoke Newington that was
'discovered' by Chris a few weeks ago. A great place to
clock a few miles on the odometer away from traffic. The
runners, joggers and cyclists were out in force! I'll
definitely be going back.
I
used Osmand to navigate to the park and
although I ignored most of the voice directions, it kept
correcting for my 'mistakes' and got me there. After the
struggle I had figuring out how to work it, I have to
say I'm impressed. Now to see if it'll work with the GPX
file I'm going to create for our ride tomorrow.
Well,
the trial of OsmAnd
didn't go very well - it's probably me - I opened the
app, started navigation, chose the GPX file I created
last night on Ridewithgps.com
to Finsbury Park, selected cycling mode and was informed
by a female voice that the route was about 6.2 km. I set
off and didn't hear a tweet from her again, but I will
persevere!
I
used My Tracks to record out session
and for the return journey to Camden.
OsmAnd
(Open Street Maps Android) Osmand
is opensource navigation application with access to a
wide source of popular open street map data. All map data
including vector and raster maps can be stored on the
phone memory card for offline usage. Osmand also has online
routing and audible guidance.
App
Screeshots
Some of the core features:
- offline data, configurable folder for the maps and tiles
- compact vector maps for whole world
- offline search of addresses and places
- custom tile map area download
- pedestrian, bicycle and car modes
- many map layers with customized transparency at a time
- offline routing for short distance (experimental)
- Galaxy Tab supported
Limitations of OsmAnd Free:
- number of map downloads
- no access to Wikipedia offline POIs
Decided
to visit my Mum and do some riding as well.
Left
for Euston station at around noon in the rain and it was
still raining when I arrived at Harrow and Wealdstone.
Had
a good visit and left just after 17:00 to allow plenty
of time to get home before dark.
The
plan was to ride on backstreets through Harrow and Wembley
to reach the Grand Union Canal at Park Royal. Google Maps
gave me three options to get to Abbey Rd, Park Royal,
I thought I'd selected the route through Harrow and Wembley
but I apparently hadn't! The map shows the route I took
and apart from a hairy couple of minutes on the North
Circular and a big hill it was pretty much plain sailing.
I
knew where I was after I'd hopped over the railings on
the North Circular, so switched off the GPS and abandoned
the canal idea.
I
took my only break on Shoot Up Hill, drank a bottle of
water and was back on the road in 10 minutes with a big
grin on my face. I had made it, I was back in my 18! :-)
That's
me from 48 to 1.30 and at 5.38 on the pavement.
More
footage of yours truly: 3.48 to 3.53: Youtube
| from 3.33
Youtube
Rain,
rain, rain..... and more rain!
That
was the story of Saturday 28th April 2012, the day of
The Big Ride.
Our
group of three was supposed to leave Camden at 10:30 to
take a leisurely ride to Hyde Park for the noon start.
I sent an e-mail to the group at 09:28 and a txt message
out at 09:43. I got a reply from Steve B.
Chris
called at 10:31, I missed the call and returned it at
10:42, he was setting out. Fine I thought, it should take
him 40 minutes at the outside to get here so I chilled.
At 11:50 I knew Neils wasn't coming because I hadn't heard
from him and I couldn't get hold of Chris on the phone.
I was going to miss the ride if I waited any longer so
I set off for Hyde Park on my own. I got a call from Neils
at 11:59 to say he wasn't feeling very well so he wouldn't
be coming down.
My
phone started going as I was approaching Marble Arch but
I wasn't about to stop and answer it in the pouring rain
- I didn't take hands-free earphones - hell I was late!
Sure enough when I got to Upper Brook St the ride had
left.
A helpful policeman informed me that the tail-end of the
ride was at Hyde Park Corner, I thanked him and set off
down Park Lane, all two lanes of the southbound carriage
to myself! :-)
I
caught up with the main group outside Fortnum & Mason
on Piccadilly, they'd come to a standstill . I didn't
know it at the time but there were '9, 999' riders ahead
of me! Considering the weather conditions it's a huge
triumph for the LCC.
I
spoke to Chris while stopped on Piccadilly and we arranged
to meet along the route.
It
took about 20 minutes to slowly make our way to Regent
St. It was all downhill from this point (I'm talking about
gradient) Pall Mall to Trafalgar Square and through Charing
Cross and down Whitehall to Parliament Square, all the
way surrounded by cyclists, fantastic!
I
met up with Chris under Big Ben and we rode down Victoria
Embankment to the finnish near Blackfriars Bridge. There
were only a handful of people there when we got there
and it wasn't even 2pm yet, I guess the weather had something
to do with that.
I
thoroughly enjoyed the day, in spite of the dreadful conditions.
The
video, shot in Amsterdam by the people behind Budapest-based
website Hungarian Cycle Chic, gives a flavour of what
LCC and other campaigners are seeking to emulate.
