if you are younger than me

Sadly not, but I’m not all that much older. I’ll push harder next time ;-)

I have done a couple of MTB races but they were relatively short-track (on the hour +1 lap basis) and actually I found that I didn’t push as hard. I think that’s because I’m not so good over the technical stuff, so it was very much more stop/start. Certainly the Strava estimates of power were well down on what I get if I go for a “normal” MTB ride.

The next one is in a couple of weeks so I’ve a bit of time to get “better”, though I’m not sure whether 2 hilly days MTB in the Peak translates well to a flat 10 TT course ;-)

Rob

Well that happened.

It wasn’t a classic night for TT. Blustery with occasional showers. Thankfully it didn’t rain on the event, just in the ride to sign on, and then again to the start.

I did 29:15, and wasn’t last, so I’m happy with that. My average HR was 88% and max 94% and it was a pretty gradual increase, so I could probably push harder, but the overall “shape” of the effort seems to have been OK.

I’d like to say that it was slow because of the conditions, but someone took the all-comers course record in 20:55, so obviously conditions weren’t *that* bad ;-)

Thanks

Rob

I’m not expecting anything great because I’m an old bloke on a stock (cheap) bike. When I last rode the route (looking back at Strava it was 3 times in 2015 and once in 2016) I wasn’t riding as much as I have been over the last 18 months or so, and I’m just curious as to whether any of it has made any difference or not.

None of my additional riding has been targeted at 10mile TTs (last year’s plan was SDW in a day, so quite different) but I do feel like a different rider to the person that I was. Whether or not that translates we’ll see.

I’m a bit perturbed by the idea of holding 95%+ for the entire ride. Not sure I’ve got that in me!

I wasn’t planning on riding the route beforehand because, like many TT routes it seems, its not that nice of a road (and I’m not all that fussed).

Thanks for all the replies, suggestions, and data. All good.

Rob

You probably don’t really know your max

I have a pretty good inkling – Matlock Top 10 – Riber ;-)

butcher – So even on a bad day you’re talking of 91% max average. I think I’m going to have to upgrade my plan!

Thanks for all the replies. Just to clarify a few points:

a) I have done this particular 10 a few times before (in 2015/2016) and so was curious to see if all the riding I’d done since then had had any effect on me?

b) I’m not bothered in my position, or other riders. I’m an old guy on a cheap road bike (and I’ll be on my way home from the office!). I just want to compare myself to other instances of myself.

c) I’d like to be a bit more rigorous in my approach (i.e. trying to have a plan) but I doubt very much that I’ll be puking on the bars any time soon (see (b))

For those that do use %HR as any kind of metric, what sort of level are you sustaining for 10 miles (given that my anticipated time is probably just under 30 minutes)?

e.g. Is 90% achievable? I’d be inclined to think that I’ve only got 10 minutes or so of that, so perhaps save it for then end. Then again, there are a couple of smallish hills (well one is a bridge!) where I might need to dig for 30s or so. Or should I expect to go at >=90 for the whole thing?

Rob

I’m sure you’ve heard it all before, but you know what they say: Labradors are born half trained, spaniels die half-trained ;-)

We’ve a 9 year old Welsh Springer. Mad as a box of frogs, but a beautiful temperament. Unless there are Whippets around who, for some unfathomable reason, he can’t stand.

LR

I’ve never worked out the actual mileage, but the trip computer never gets above about 31mpg. As others have said, unless you need 7 seats, or big load carrying (coincidentally we’re currently using ours to move offices) then its probably overkill.

On the whole its been pretty reliable. We’ve had 3 “major” things go wrong, but only actually been let-down by the car once:

1. The radiator failed. The Volvo dealership wanted ~£900 and couldn’t get one in time for us to go on holiday. Local garage fitted a pattern part next day for £425. That was the last time I went to the main dealer.

2. Wheel angle sensor needed replacing. It just gave a naggy warning about anti-skid being disabled. Not sure that I ever noticed, or would have noticed. That was another ~£450.

3. The emissions filter sensor died whilst driving, resulting in “limp-home” mode (and a cancelled trip to the Peak). This was relatively cheap to fix.

One thing I have noticed is that we get through a lot of light-bulbs. Fortunately replacing them is a doddle. Probably the best bit of design on the car.

Bikes on the roof is OK. My technique is to put the wheels in the track with the bike flat, grab the roof-bar with one hand (bike with the other), put a foot in the rear door well, and pull myself up. Dead easy with my roadie, more of a pain with the alloy full-sus! Note – Don’t try this in road cleats!

On the down-side

* Its big. I find parking a pain. As you enter any parking space you can no longer see any white lines. Mine doesn’t have front sensors, and no matter how far forward I go, there’s always a foot spare (See Hofstaders Rule).

* Its not actually all that roomy inside. There was probably more passenger space in our Galaxy. That said, we’ve driven to the Alps several times (including sleeping in the car) and it was OK.

* You can never tell if the 4 wheel drive is working/going to work. Earlier models had some recurrent problem with this, and the Volvo forums are full of techniques to tell if the rear-wheel drive actually works. I’ve not tried them, and in snow (both with and without winter tyres) its been pretty good.

Rob

I’ve got an old-ish one (61 plate) and can fit my 27.5 MTB (Merida Big 7) in the back with the seats down. Its a bit of a fiddle, but works. You could probably use 1 back seat if needed.

I’ve also got a tow-bar mounted Thule jobbie which isOK but not great (it grounds out, and the heat from the exhaust has partially melted it) and I’ve also used roof-bars which are fine, but its quite hard to get the bikes up there. Its a bit of an art getting them on.

We’ve driven it ~ 90,000 miles now, so if you have any questions fire away.

Rob

I did it in July. I was riding for 13:15 with a total transit of 15:15. I’d trained reasonably well (within the bounds of what time I had available) and had done:

a) Some long-ish flat rides around Essex (e.g. 75 miles off-road).
b) A few trips to the Peak to get some major climbing in.

I’d never done 100 miles before, never climbed that much before (I logged 11,500ft) and never ridden for that long.

To echo what others have said:

1. Take some “proper” food. I had some sandwiches in additional to the usual gels/bars, and though by the time I ate my last one they didn’t look that great they were *marvellous*!

2. Pick a dry day. I went in the rain and the chalk is lethal. I dropped the bike twice, and this resulted in a minor mechanical (dropped the chain a couple of times before I got it properly sorted).

3. Know where you are going. I had a GPS route, but getting power for that long is tricky. I found that I couldn’t charge my Garmin 1000 on the out-front mount (the bar blocks the charging port) so mounted it backwards. Even so I made a couple of mistakes (I find QECP a bit of a headache) as there are just so many trails.

4. Enjoy it. Its a lovely route.

If you are interested https://www.strava.com/activities/1105992251

Rob

Been getting that for a while on an XC-90. Volvo main dealer said it was a wheel angle sensor ~ £500 to replace. This raises 2 questions:

a) Do I really need one? (I’ve no idea what it does, or when).

b) Might a local place do it more cheaply?

To clarify (b) I’ve rather fallen out with the main dealer over a previous repair issue and have been using a local chap. I’ve not asked for a quote (yet) and it is on my list of things to do (before we take the car to the Alps in Feb!)

Rob

A Street Art Tour of Brick Lane in London

Another question (sorry). Do you ever, when riding your horse, really give it full beans?

Is this considered a bad thing?

In all the horses/riders I’ve met only 1 was going full-gas. She was quite apologetic, but I thought it was great. I’d love to see it more often.

That said, horses scare me. I have thought of riding lessons as a way to get over it.

Rob

Thanks for all the replies.

How many times per week does a horse need to be deliberately exercised?

Not thinking of getting one, just curious.

Rob

I’m interested in this topic as I’ve been looking at the Mudhugger. Trouble is I’ve a full-sus 29er based on an Orange Gyro frame and its got a very big frame thingy (not sure what you’d call it “swing-arm?”)

Can they be made to fit?

Saw these https://www.alpkit.com/products/love-mud-jekyll in Alpkit Hathersage last weekend. They look pretty good, and I’m tempted to get a pair.

I’m surprised nobody mentioned Travellers. I thought it was really good. S2 coming soon.

Occasionally with the kids we have a bottom gear race. Find a short section of flat, put the bikes into the bottom (easiest/granny) gear then race. Its really hard to spin your legs fast enough.

Well that’s done. Riding time 13:15, with a total time of 15:15. I left Winchester just after 5:00, so needed lights for the first part. Even as the sun was coming up it was very dark under the trees for the first hour or so.

I’d been very apprehensive about this in the days leading up to it, and if I’m honest wasn’t looking forward to it. It had become a bit of a “just get the damn thing done” in my head. However, within about 30 minutes of setting off I remembered just what a nice route the SDW is, and that riding on enclosed bridleways and byways is basically what I like to do on my bike, so all was fine.

I think in hindsight though that I should have cancelled. The route was wet (lots of standing water) and I fell off twice, in really innocuous places, because the wet chalk was like ice. I also had a couple of minor mechanicals cause, I think, by the build up of mud on the bike.

These things being what they are, I’m already thinking how much faster I could be if I:

a) Picked a better day (drier, and perhaps a month earlier).
b) Took less stuff. I was able to re-fill water in several locations, so could have had smaller bottles. I carried 2 tubes, but had no flats.
c) Navigated better. I find QECP particularly tricky, and also went wrong in a couple of other places (nothing major but they all add up). I had intended to do a few recce’s beforehand, but didn’t find the time.

7/10 would do again.

Rob

Starting to get a bit worried about my attempt of Friday. The weather on the day is looking good, but not sure about the rain on Wednesday/Thursday.

We went to the Rodin Museum http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/home It didn’t take all that long, and the kids seem to enjoy it. Most people know “The Thinker” so they could sort of relate to what they were looking at.

Its pretty close to the Eiffel tower.
Rob

@deadkenny “The worst are the deliberately deaf groups out for a stroll”

I did come across an actual group of profoundly deaf people out for a walk recently. They were quite strung out along a bit of shared access path. It took quite some time to get past them all because, even as the back-markers spotted I was there, I had to wit for everyone else to do the same.

I’m not complaining, it made me smile at the time, and there was much grinning and thumbs up to show that all was OK. It goes to show that you never know why people are ignoring you.

On a related note, I have not yet found a way to announce my presence without scaring the crap out of people lost in their own world. Any suggestions?

Rob

I’m aiming my attempt for 28th July (with alternates on 27/29). Winchester-Eastbourne is much more convenient for me but I’m curious:

a) How wet would it need to be (on the day, or in the days leading up) for you to cancel?

b) How much Easterly would there need to be for you to reverse the direction and start in Eastbourne?

I know these are “how long is a piece of string” questions, but I’d like to hear people’s opinions.

Rob

Cards on the table I think Strava is brilliant, and if I ever met the inventors I’d buy them a pint (because lets face it I’m never going premium ;-)

However, if, like me, you use it for free its worth remembering the expression “If you aren’t a customer, then you must be the product”.

Rob

I have a Thule tow-bar mounted 3+1 and I’m less than impressed. What I’ve found is that

1. The exhaust on my car is too close to the bottom left-hand tyre strap and, over time, has warmed the plastic so that the strap attachment point has bent out of shape. I’m now having to use separate straps on the front 2 bikes.

2. With my tow-bar, the back of the rack is very low and can scrape the floor. I can’t reverse off my own drive with 4 bikes mounted.

rossburton – Its interesting what you way about byway/bridleway because where we were staying (Constantine Bay) there was just about nothing (Zero, zilch zip).

However, we did find our way to the Woods. They are not directly on the Camel Trail. A few miles out of Wadebridge you come to a bridge and can take steps up the side to the road. From here you can access the Woods.

We didn’t really have much clue where we were going, but spent about an hour riding up various fire-roads and down trails. It was a lot of fun, and we had the place to ourselves.

Rob

PMFJI, I was reading this thread with interest as we’re off down that way soo too. I was looking at the trails near Bodmin, but more to the West. e.g. Hustyns Woods and Bishops Woods.

What is the access to these like from the Camel Trail (since this is the obvious way to get there for us)?

Once in the woods, how easy are the trails to find?

Thanks

Rob

FYI I found that you can add “Locations” to the garmin. On my last ride I added a couple to see what would happen when I got near and rode past them both (twice) without noticing anything out of the ordinary.

Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll have an experiment with Waypoints (never used them before).

I have a Thule towbar mount (3 + 1) and what I’ve found is:

1. The position of the exhaust pipes on my car (XC90) has melted and deformed the ratchet-strap mounting point on the first 2 bike positions, so I have t ouse an alternative strap.

2. For such a big car the bar is very low giving poor ground-clearance when 4-up. We quite often ground going up steep inclines (e.g. our own driveway).

For such an expensive bit of kit I’ll give it 6/10.

In 2014 I stayed at the YHA in Hawkshead and did some rides from there:

There’s this one https://www.strava.com/activities/169088364 which was the Grizedale North Face trail from Hawkshead (i.e. you start part way round).

Also this one https://www.strava.com/activities/169086717 which appears to share a lot of ground with the image posted earlier by Trout.

A couple of things I would add:
1. Some of the uphills were very hard work (particularly I recall getting out of Hawkshead) because they are rocky and it was wet, so we found that we could get no traction.
2. (In our defence) the links above aren’t very quick, but the lad was only 14 and on a cheaper-end bike ;-)

HTH

I’m enjoying the suggestions in this thread. Might I ask: How many people here have ridden the South Peak Loop, and how long did it take?

I’m wondering if it would be a useful training ride for my SDW in a day later in the year (I’d be looking to do the South Peak Loop in probably June).

Rob

Have a read of https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/download-garmin-705800810.html

At the moment FS isn’t an option. As for tyres, my Hardtail has got Smart Sam Plus on, which are meant to be puncture resistant. I’ve been pretty happy with them.

Well I guess that has pretty comprehensively answered that question. I still fancy one for some of my other riding, but I won’t rush out and get one just yet.

Ta

Last year the boy and I stayed at The Castle in Castleton. We were able to lock the the bikes in a storage shed thing. Had a nice dinner, and dried our clothes on the radiators (It was summer after all!).

We paid £75 for a family room.

More thanks, this is all brilliant information to have.

Rob

The tunnel is much quicker than the ferry (generally) and if you are time-poor then probably a good idea.

I’d also recommend getting a Sanef toll doofer. They mean that you don’t have to stop, open the window, wake the passenger etc. We’ve had one for several years and they are great.

To echo what others have said, Alpe d’Huez and Ventoux are a long way apart (4 hours!). Could you not find some other hills closer to the Alpe instead. Otherwise its more of a box-ticking exercise than a weekend of riding.

Rob

Thanks for all the responses.

In answer to the various questions:

<<How fit are you all?>>
Reasonably, though we’re planning some fairly serious training between now and July. I have done the SDW before, but it was over 3 days several years ago when my lad was only 13, so not the same sort of enterprise at all.

<<How flexible are you on dates?>>
Not massively, just because of the people involved. My aim is to do it mid-week (so its less busy) with perhaps day either side as a backup. If its been raining loads then we’ll not bother (or perhaps just ride out and see how we fare).

<<6000 calories! How long are you planning to take>>
That was a top-of-head guess. I think a fairly flat hour of off-road is probably worth 400cals, so 14 hours = 5600. That said we can afford to end in calorie deficit. I don’t think how long makes much difference. Certainly for running if you go A-B then most of the effort is moving your mass from point A to point B. Whether its faster (more cals per unit of time) but shorter or slower and longer, the answer comes out about the same.

Rob

Thanks for all the replies. I’d rather not charge at rest-stops, because that relies on my remembering, and probably by 10 hours in I’ll have lost the power of rational thought.

However, a right-angle lead and the charger gaffer-taped to the bars (or in a top-tube top bag) might do it. I’ll experiment.

I’m sure there will be other SDW related questions (I’ve a couple in mind at the moment).

Rob