End Day?

Was a docu-drama with lots of fake news footage on a few things that that could mean the end of the world – pandemic, meteor strike and things like that

Simply awesome, heart rate was through the roof watching that.

The tv footage didnt capture it but when Koretzky attacked and had the gap late on then next thing you see is Pidock on the front again it was due to this

https://x.com/YntoTheRide/status/1817922512035917834

I use it regularly in the winter (5 or 6 days a week) but other times of year it’s much more occasional and very weather dependent – it maybe weeks between going on. At £18 a month i’ll pause/cancel as it’s just not worth it

The beta nootropics gels are very effective but not particularly pleasant tasting – there is a warning on them not to take more than 1 a day. I only use them a handful of times a year when racing so the cost isn’t too bad. Because i dont like them i’m not tempted to use them for things like chaingangs or general riding/training.

The beta energy chews are really nice though and i use them regularly. Sometimes a bar is hard to swallow or digest when working hard and the chews work well in that respect.

If you are looking for a quick loop and don’t mind the road then Glen Fruin is nice – if you head towards Faslane then when passing the base there is a right turn that takes you onto a singletrack road (it’s signed Glen Fruin and is the road before the roundabout and runs parallel to the Haul Road). Nice climb with hairpin bends through the trees then at the top you can look back and see the submarine pens. From the top it’s then mostly a gradual descent for a few miles and will eventually come to a fork – if you take the right that will bring you out to the top of the road at Helensburgh.

You in the office baby…..going up.

I had an order cancelled too – had assumed it was due to something being out of stock but after reading this it is presumably due to using the code. Only put the order in after their promo email that mentioned extra10. Have re-ordered and hadnt read this thread so used the code again so that will likely be cancelled next week!  Wiggle+ delivery wasn’t available for second order.

A summer evening chain gang / drop ride is amongst the funnest things you can do on a bike.

My first time going to one i got dropped after 10 minutes. Was back the next week and lasted a bit longer, I then used it to gain fitness and when i eventually made it round the whole route without getting dropped it felt like an achievement.

The well established fast groups will be a real mix of riders from different disciplines too – out and out roadies but also those that do xc, time trials, track, cx and gravel (and often a combination of those). Virtually everyone that participates will be looking forward to the clocks changing so things can kick off again. It’s social in it’s own way too with banter before and after the ride plus the ride home. On the surface it seems to be an unwelcoming environment  but it’s the opposite for me – if you are fit enough and know the ropes of how to ride one safely you could turn up to any of the open ones around the country and be included – no pressure to be social either, just ride hard and be safe and you’ll be accepted.

I’m struggling to think of any  TT courses in Scotland that go through 20mph zones so it’s not really going to be much of an issue here at least.

20mph zones tend to mean road ends, junctions, parked cars, pedestrian crossings etc so not IMO suitable for racing on.

I had lower back pain early this year  (it would flare up particularly when pushing hard on the pedals). Yoga has sorted it out – the issue was tight hip flexors and hamstrings, rather than my back itself. Followed a youtube video and did it about 3 times a week . This was the video i followed at the start, although i’ve now adapted it a little for it to be a shorter routine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDQNqZMv1V0

I’ve actually gone to 165mm cranks on my race bike since then to allow a more aero position. I see no drawback other than now wanting to convert my other bikes to it too…However as a first step i’d give yoga a go. Took about 3 weeks for me to notice the improvement and the pain gone.

I might be wrong but i think there are plans for one of these in London – whether it gets the go ahead remains to be seen though as there was a lot of objections in terms of light pollution to local residents

Rapha do a pair of arm sleeves for the sun, a bit lighter and cooler than normal arm warmers. their pro team long sleeve training jersey is fairly lightweight too.

It has varied over the years – in the past you would get a starting time and each wave off at minute intervals based on fastest estimated riders off first.

Last couple of years it was been bigger starting pens and then staggered with so many riders away every minute or two but a bit more flexible in what time you go off at. The long ride starting before the shorter one

I go over there regularly in the summer. The road and gravel is some of the best in Scotland and the mtb is decent but with a lot of potential. Pop into the co-op or the corner shop for the cheap western tickets and max 20 minutes waiting for a ferry and as a foot passenger with a bike there has always been a space. Getting on the boat adds to the occasion too – seen submarines and dolphins pass by and even a killer whale once.

Just catching up on it this morning, what a race!

Cleaning and sanding will make a difference

What tubs are they? Something that might have been fine for use at somewhere like Herne Hill might not be good for a steeper track like Calshot. Some tubs just aren’t particularly grippy.

The ease of communication for club members (either through facebook or whatsapp) has also been biggest ‘negative’. A closed facebook group and whatsapp group for organising rides put barriers in place for attracting new members or those that don’t have a facebook account. To attract new members it’s important to publicise rides in a non closed way or at least have a meetup place and time that is regular and can be relied upon for riders to be there. When it’s all in private groups then even a very active club with lots of members can look a bit dead with nothing going on.

Although despite that – it sounds like the club chairperson should stand aside rather than unilaterally deciding to close the club!

Have enjoyed watching it so far – i guess critics will say its not particularly technical but it reminds me a lot of the gravel riding i do – piecing together different off road sections whether it paths, gravel roads, singletrack etc in between road bits.

Absolutely gutting news.

Crammed a lot into his life on the bike – raced in every discipline, Scottish champion, went to the commonwealth games, raced for GB, coached hundreds if not thousands of kids (some of whom are now on the world stage), and now with the wahoo sponsorship and video series.

I only knew him a little bit but anytime i’d see him he’d make me feel like an old friend. Just a genuinely lovely guy and the Scottish cycling scene, whether it be competitive or just riding bikes for fun, is going to feel a whole lot emptier without him there 🙁

It was pretty disappointing to see such a small field particularly in the women’s race. I know there are bigger priorities for the top riders but surely the home nations could have sent some more riders partly for younger ones to gain experience at a big event but also to flesh out the race and give the crowd some more riders to cheer. It might be the only experience a lot of those attending will have of watching XC racing – for cycling fans the commonwealths are an after thought but for the general public its probably the race that gets the most coverage and attention outside the Olympics. Jersey had more riders than any of the other nations!

As for Rochelle Gilmour – awful commentator and im surprised the racist tweets a couple of years ago didn’t end her broadcasting career on the bbc.

Uncorroborated allegation from unnamed source comes out literally one day after he announces he’s no longer supporting the Democ-rats, because “they have become the party of division & hate”.

Offered a horse in exchange for an “erotic massage” ? Oh ok, entirely plausible scenario right there.

Musk is an idiot if he believes the Democrats and not the Republicans are the party of division and hate.

Alternatively he is cynical and playing to an audience of the gullible, credulous and insincere. So when he was asked to comment on the sexual assault allegations (before they were published) he asked the reporter for more time before he would respond further. He didn’t. However he now knew the story was about to break, and in turn made the comment about being a republican and how he would now be the subject of dirty tricks and smears. And there are millions ready to lap all that shite up.

I have a pair of Light Bicycle with DT Swiss hubs. Braking is not as good as on my Zipp 404s but other than that no complaints. If it’s disc wheels then not going to be a problem.

I got them then a couple of years ago just as brexit was happening with all the port delays and chaos and the wheels got caught up in that. They were stuck in a port for a while then the shipping company sent them back to China but Light Bicycle contacted me to tell me this and say it would be an additional delay of 5 or 6 weeks. I wasn’t particularly happy as it had already taken about 5 weeks by this point so they said they would ship another pair of wheels (same hub, spoke choice, nipples and rim as i had selected) asap which they did and i had them 4 days later by fedex. Pretty impressed with that service – i was expecting a lot of hassle when they told me about the delays.

I’ll jump in on this one. I saw that Vladimir Pozner piece a while back and was tempted to post the video on here when the war kicked off but didn’t want to deal with the accusations of being a Russia apologist by the experts on here. It’s from a few years ago, objectivity isn’t the issue here, he is simply giving a view as an American who went to work in Russian Media after the Cold War.

It is very, very interesting, amongst other things it offers insights into the erossion of independence in American Media as corporations have taken over independent outlets.

He doesn’t make excuses for Russia, rather he points out a lot of mistakes and miscalculations that the West has made regarding Putin over the last two decades. I learned a lot from watching it, almost as much as I’ve learned on here!

If you notice, the video was produced at Yale university, it’s not some random Twitter nonsense. One thing that struck me when I watched it was the intelligence of the questions posed by the audience.

When I first saw it I saw it as a warning that was going unheeded rather than Russian propaganda.

He worked for the KGB as a propagandist and was one of the most famous apologists (in the West at least) for the Soviet Union. An articulate man with a pretty interesting life story but it is pretty disingenuous to portray him as an American who went to work in Russia after the Cold War!

I’m not a fan of it either. IMO over hyped by influencers who aren’t upfront that they are being incentivised to use it.

Ex weapons inspector now employed by Russia Today and is a twice convicted paedophile…Putin’s shills are not the brightest and best humanity has to offer.

I have both

The XC MTB is better off road – more capable and more comfortable however my main use for it is very local stuff where i can be on the trails within about 15 minutes riding. If it involves much more road riding than that i’ll take it by car to somewhere more interesting. Whereas with the gravel bike i dont mind riding it for an hour or more to get to good gravel roads, trails, paths and singletrack. It’s also better for linking together rides on poor quality roads or taking off road detours or shortcuts that are unsuitable for road bike. For these sections the MTB might be more suited for but if most of the rest of the route is road then the gravel bike is the better choice for me.

Then why is Cuba still under embargo? They are such a tiny country by comparison to the superpower US and yet US still feel threaten by them. Why? The answer is the strategic position.

For the last 30 years the Cuban embargo is about US domestic politics rather than any strategic reason. Provides a communist bogeyman for the the right wing to rile their base about and the Cuban exile community is an important electoral bloc in a key swing state.

I use the power arc on my track bike – it’s a really good saddle for an aggressive position and in the drops but less good for sitting upright and less good for moving about position – like shifting to sitting further back when climbing. But when on the drops and putting power to the pedals its the best ive tried so far.

Not tried the Phenon but the Romin Evo works for me on the road and feels a bit more versatile for different positions compared to the power – but not quite as good for in the drops. Standard Romin i don’t get on with though at all.

I’ve heard Glentress (or at least Peebles area) will feature too. Not sure if that will be for XC or MTB marathon (or both)

Single sided Favero Assioma.

I have had a couple of sets of Vectors and the 2s were fine. Upgraded to Vector 3 and they were good for a couple of years they were much easier to live with and swop between bikes compared to the 2. However i started getting issues and spent lots of time trouble shooting with different brands of batteries, babyoil, lots of battery door replacements (i think it was 4 replacements over my time owning with different revisions to the design). A lot of the issues were due to it being replaceable batteries and some badly made design choices to implement this – the size of battery and the threads for the battery door. These issues may be sorted now but it was such a major frustration i wouldnt purchase again unless they were a very good price – which they aren’t.

With the Faveros the power seems accurate, it’s consistent, the charging is easy, the app is good and they are easy to swop between bikes. I’ve only had them a year though so cant comment on long term if they are reliable – but so far so good.

I have the Edge 830, its the best head unit i’ve had and has great battery life. 530 is pretty much the same without the touch screen so will be a good purchase i think.

I was a convert during the first lockdown when cafes weren’t an option – for road riding it allows for carrying extra food without overloading the back jersey pockets. Easier to get stuff out too.

For mtb then its convenient access rather than having to take a pack on and off.

cheers, been a while since i’ve been in Alpine

Finished it today – due to covid positive it’s all been indoors on zwift. I’ve also kept things in zone 1 in terms of heart rate as although my symptoms have been very mild i didn’t want to tax myself too much.

Doing a group ride on a flat course or following the C pace bot then a couple of hours is about 80km then had another couple of slightly longer days while watching the cx. To be honest it didn’t feel like much of a challenge this year as with self isolation I had lots of time to do it and the zone 1 didnt really add much fatigue. Of course i could have made it harder and selected more difficult routes or harder group rides but i just wanted it done as quickly and as easily as possible…

I’ve been using A bontrager flare for a few years now – use it in daylight on the road bike as well so not just when its dark. Only rear light ive had that has lasted that long and still works fine despite lots of soakings

Well seems i have joined the list of infected. Got pinged on Monday, had done a lateral flow earlier that day and it was negative. Got my PCR and while waiting on results did another lateral flow yesterday (still negative). No symptoms at this point so was sure i’d be OK – had my booster last weekend plus over the weekend had only been in contact with others in the supermarket where everyone had on masks and outside on the bike with 7 or 8 others which i thought was relatively safe. I’m not aware of any of them being pinged. However despite this last night got my message of a positive. Arse. Woke up this morning with a bit of a cough and a slight sore throat. Hopefully thats all and doesn’t get worse from here on!

Felt a bit like the Grinch that stole Christmas filling in some contact details for tracing…

There have been similar riots in Rotterdam relating to Feyenoord – including a similar police response in shooting football hooligans. So it’s not something new and seems to be how the police there deal with such incidents.

Rapha do a peaked merino hat

Don’t know what this version is like but the non peaked one is good – i originally bought it for wearing under a helmet but ended up getting another one to wear normally too.

Thanks for the heads up. Don’t know the east end or Essex well at all so no idea what the route could be. Would at least have been nice to know a start and finish location!

The 10’000 first come first served entries followed by a ballot for the rest is a much better way of doing things. In previous years you’d enter then have to wait months for the ballot to come along and then find out with a magazine through the post.

Big fan of the original and ive changed my mind a few times over the years over whether he is human or replicant. I think it being ambiguous is a strength and Ridley Scott answering the question definitively took away a little from the film.

I was reluctant to watch 2049 at first because i didnt think a sequel was needed but went along to see it at the imax and was blown away. Perhaps a bit controversial but i think it’s a better film and up there with the likes of Tarkovsky in terms of sci fi cinema as ‘art’. Love the atmosphere and pacing but can understand why others may not like it for the same reasons.

It’s a road i’m on fairly regularly as are a lot of Glasgow area cyclists when heading out west towards Renfrewshire. For those that know the area it was on the straight bit of road just after the old India of Inchinnan factory before the Red Smiddy roundabout.

Frankly it is a travesty of justice and I just can’t understand why the jury have returned that verdict. As for the killer Jordan McDowall? Absolutely shameless coming up with that as her defence – she knows what she has done.