Now for something completely different

As well as cycling, I go yacht racing every Wednesday evening in summer on the Firth of Forth, underneath the bridges between North and South Queensferry. I am foredeckhand on a 707 called Jetstream, owned and skippered by Dave and Demort, assisted by myself and 2 other blokes, usually Colwyn and Nick. Click here for a set of photos I took last Wednesday night.

Bike training: 6 x 2min intervals on the ride round Arthur's seat, 3 on the hill, 3 on the flat. Makes the ride quite a bit more active. 15km, 340m climb.

Some weblinks

Lots of photos of someone's trip to North Shore in BC. Pretty craszy stuff.
Spudhucksters. I Need body armour, lots of time, and probably a silly beard helps to do this stuff. They have loads of pictures and reports from places in North America.

Fitness test

Went out for some lunchtime circuits of Arthur's seat with Dermot, a ride we have done quite a few times this summer. Dermot is pretty fit, and does these crazy 10hr bike marathons. We are usually pretty much the same fitness and go round at the same pace. After a month of regular cycling I was hardly raising my heart rate and Dermot was already panting. Did some hard sprints up the hill to push my heart rate up. Assuming he is pretty much as fit as before, I am clearly much fitter. The problem - how to maintain that fitness.

From the Pleasance, 3 x round Arthur's seat is 15k, and takes 50mins at a not too hard pace.

Old bike, old routes and nice crash

Fixed the old bike up while the Rockhopper is in the workshop. Looks and feels crap to start with - smaller, hardly any suspension, flat handlebars etc. Get the brakes working, chain on again, but the rear hub is a bit rough. Neil is sick, so can't make it for the Sunday morning ride. I head out of a couple of hours - get lost looking for new route up Craiglockhart - carry the bike up through stinging nettles. Everything is so overgrown in just 6 weeks. After crossing under the bypass at Bonaly, I try to ride the narrow path over the shoulder of White Hill skirting Bonaly Tower. Much of it ridable, except for 2mins of steep steps - even more so if I had easier gears of the other bike. Quickly up to Bonaly Res, down to Glencorse (not too wet today) and up over Maiden's Cleugh. The hills are beautiful today - all the heather is purple. Only 1:30hr gone, so follow some other bikers back up to the col and spend time chatting. A guy with a new bike arrives slowly and is promptly sick - not sure if it was the hill or something he ate. I hope he got home OK. Another bloke arrived and climb up Harbour Hill. Always looked too steep, but looks like it just needs a low gear. The 3 bikers said they had ridden much of the other side, which is steeper. Down to Glencorse and and back up Phantoms Cleugh. Meet an aquaintance, then two other cyclists ask if I know a good way down. One has a big heavy FS bike, but they are both a bit slower than me. I lead them down through Terror Woods (WHite Hill)- i.e. the very steep and rough gorge of Dean Burn. I manage to ride much more than I have ever done before. One of the guy's say "Do you do base jumping?!". Back over the path towards the bypass. One of the guys takes a tumble down the steep slope that falls away from the narrow path. Looks spectacular! On the next very narrow set of steps I try to ride, but a log across the path makes me brake more than I should, and I tumbled down the steep hill about 20ft - the bike twice as far. Land in the nettles, but everything seems fine. Gear lever bent though, so stuck in 8th gear, and calf well bruised I can hardly walk later. Luckily the hill was just earth and plants - very different to Spain where it would have been sharp rocks. Anyway, feel I can ride much harder things now - just need to clear the logs first! 31k, 2:55hr, 660m.

Back from Galicia

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From El Escorial we went to Sanxenxo, a town in the south of Galicia on the coast. Most people stay on the beach or go on the water, but there are extensive forests and rural areas with vinyeards and small farms. Completely different biking country. Hills (Monte do Castrove) rise behind the town up to about 600m near Pontevedra, about 15k East. The hills are covered in eucalyptus forests with some pine. Loads of forest trails I have run over before, linking tops and small villages. Quite a few deep valleys and steep paths and fire breaks.
Click here to get to more images on Flickr.




First day I did a 5 hour trip to the highest of the hills, Alto de Castrove, stopping frequently with the map and compass to find my way though the maze of paths. At the top chatted to the fire vigilante. He said that the hills were very dry and fires frequent.



Great views over the whole area - the Ría Arrosa to the north, and the Ría Pontevedra to the south. Lots of wild horses around. Tried to find a technical descent to the south, ended up an a very steep path that was ridable, except the brambles aross the path ripping in the legs and mechs.

After finding a dead horse in a small reservoir and getting lost trying to find a path around a tiny village, managed to find a way back home. 5 hours ride, 1000m climb, 40k.
Couple of days later did another ride, furthur to the north, getting lost in a small village next to the Monestario Almeneiro, then by road over to Cambados, and back, with a final climb through tiny farms of Meaño. 40 degrees in the sun, 55k in about 4 hours.

Then the forest fires started: people were setting fires all over Galicia, the sky was covered in smoke for nearly a week. Forest close by were burning out of contol. The bike was also playing up, gears slipping all the time. First bike shop did not have a clue, so I worked about I had a bend gear hanger, and another shop tried to fix it. Much better, but the whole thing snapped 1/2 hr into a fast climb. Tied it all up with strips of bark and freewheeled down.

Off to Pontevedra to "Motobike" a very well stocked shop, very helpful, to buy new hanger and a spare.
Two more rides out, pushing much harder for 3 hours, trying to keep pace and heartrate up. Took similar routes to before, but this time the forests were almost completely burned. Had to turn back at one point, and another day the fire came down to the path in the time between riding out and riding back.


Set of photos of the burnt and buring woods I rode though.
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Final day down the hill the front fork suddenly rose up 5cm as I reached the bottom of the best steep technical section - I guess a value broke, but it made technical climbing very strange with the front end much higher in the air and clunking. Then the rear dereilleur gave out too - spring came out. Bike in a very sorry state by the end of the holiday, and now in the repair shop for 2 weeks for lots of new parts, and shocks (Rockshox Tora) sent off for a warranty claim.

Spent some time practicing technique in Sanxenxo. Lots of kids in bands of various ages out with their bikes practicing tricks around the steps and curbs of the town, some very good. Picked up some ideas and tips from watching them. Met a couple of bikers in the woods on days out, for chat and some riding together, but in general the woods are deserted.

Great holiday , nearly 500km in 15 trips over the month. Learnt lots about the bike and good to spend hours and hours covering technical climbs and descents, building up skills and fitness.