Written by:Read what is the first in a potentially irregular series whereby we report on what the members of ADVNTR have been up to in recent weeks.
John
January is always a funny time of year for me. I am invariably either in the throes of a cold, chest infection or a post Christmas malaise. Meanwhile there is a whole year ahead of me, full of promise yet slightly daunting too. Worse still, my “miles this year” clock on Strava is horribly low.
As 2018 takes me frighteningly close to 60, I am claiming seniority as an excuse for not getting out in the cold and the mud. It is the turbo trainer (Bkool) that is taking up my riding hours. The good thing about it is that I can ride the climbs without the added weight disadvantage that I have in real life. If nothing else, it is helping to temper the onset of post December wobbly bits.
Thus far, apart from making sure all my bikes are disturbingly clean, my cycling life is on hold for now.
A rise in the ambient temperature will see me out on the roads/trails as quick as a flash, just as long as it stays dry-ish. I’m not wimping out of the rain, it is just that the local mud is a perfect grinding paste, when mixed with chain lube and just eats components.
John has ambitions to spruce up his classic Singular Swift…
Projects on the go include a total rebuild of my Singular Swift, slowly collecting components for a new wheel build and trying to persuade She Who Must Be Obeyed, that several weekends in the warmer months can be allocated to going away with the rest of the ADVNTR.cc crew.
James
Just like John, I’ve spent the last couple of months collecting a variety of chest infections and generally feeling sorry for myself. I got my hands on a VERY bright rear light from Exposure: The Blaze boasts 80 lumens of retina burning red light and is just screaming to be put to use on the unsuspecting road users of Suffolk.
And while others have embraced a Dry January, I have been embracing a rather fine pineapple rum from the Plantation Distillery. Stiggins Fancy has ‘smoky notes and aromas of tropical fruit’. Adventure in a glass!
Browsing cycling events in a mildly inebriated state has meant that I appear to have entered quite a few. Rather than drinking, I best get training and right now, that’s happening on the turbo trainer with the help of a beta release of Road Grand Tours. It’s like Zwift was a couple of years ago; glitchy and without much else to do but just ride. Aimlessly.
Virtual Gravel! Lonely riding in Road Grand Tours
RGT has the potential to be good, but it needs a lot more development and some form of training targets. On a positive note, it is free to use while it is in beta and that makes it a lot more appealing than the £12.99 a month subscription that Zwift now demands.
My highlight though was a trip down to Mason Cycles in Brighton for an access all areas tour of their HQ and to find out what the future holds. Dom Mason’s enthusiasm and drive is pretty infectious and it’s great to see that the whole team down there all share the same determination. The order books are full and the workshop team were working non-stop on bike builds.
Inside Mason. James had a candid chat with Dom about the direction he is taking the brand. The future looks brighter than an orange Bokeh!
Just don’t mention the gravel word – “gravel just sounds dull and gravel grinding?! That sounds like torture!” protested Dom. The Mason term is AdventureSport. I like that. It pretty much sums up everything that you can do on these bikes.
Look out for our Mason feature on ADVNTR very soon.
Nigel
December saw me delighted by completing the Rapha Festive 500 for the first time. The delight was somewhat tempered as the final ride was a 250km Audax that sadly ended in a DNF at the 230km mark as I rode through flood water and submerged debris ripped off my rear mech. While the Audax points, along with the derailleur, were a write-off, 228km was enough to take me a few KM over the 500 mark.
Despite the grotty weather January has proven to be fairly busy for rides and I haven’t yet succumbed to setting up the turbo trainer.
On the 7th I rode the Iceni Audax Coast & Countryside 120. My two previous winter outings from Swaffham have been chilly affairs but on this occasion there was only a slight diversion to the planned route because of icy backroads.
While Swaffham and North Norfolk are quite hilly (By East Anglian standards) it’s always the wind on the coast that gives the sternest test to a rider. On this Audax there were only information controls but I managed to find a small shop with an espresso machine and bus stop opposite to shelter from the elements.
I also had to help a fellow rider trapped in his clipless pedals on his side after his rear mech and hangar sheered. Had the same thing happened to me in December I’d have drowned! Jonathan at Iceni Audax not only plans on a good route but also puts on a great spread at the arrivée before and after the ride.
The week after saw me join first time bikepacker James Pearson on the Bearbones Café Racer, which you can read about here: Bearbones Café Racer ride report.
Amazing view of Llyn Clywedog
Last modified: 28th January 2018
