Thanks all – looked at the bike last night and it would appear that the stem was off centre a touch so I repositioned it and when I went out it seemed to be somewhat better but of course this could all be in my mind!!

Looking at school website it seems that OFSTED are in so he may have other things on his mind atm!!

I have unchecked the auto rotate on phone but still no joy

Cheers – e-mail sent

Used my short sleeve all through last summer – get one with a full length zip and you should be right

Got an early long sleeve and newer short sleeve – very nice jerseys and they are local to me so get to try before I buy but I own no other jerseys similar so cannot compare. Nice to wear and nice fit

Update – went out again this morning but skipped the pre-ride espresso and drank more than I have done and so far no bloating or wind. Here’s hoping that that is the end of it…

I have an espresso before I head out and a bowl of cereal then a filter coffee and usually an eggs based breakfast when I get back

Thanks for replies. Just drinking water and eating a banana. Going to start using torq energy though as I am going to push time and distance up

Also I end to ride early in the morning so perhaps I am not hydrated enough

I do try and drink but am I right in thinking that too much water can also cause bloating. I’ll try drinking more and see of that helps

No – I don’t want to ride it for free – I can raise some money but I am not confident I can raise it all – would a charity rather someone ride it and bring in some money or not ride it at all? I have actually given quite a bit of money to the Anthony Nolan Trust already as it is a cause I believe in which is why I wanted to ride it for them in the first place.. Fully understand why they set high amounts though…

Thanks all – I am more than happy to raise money I am just concerned that if I don’t (I don’t have that much free time)then I will end up having to pay the difference – not that I mind giving to charity (in fact the opposite is true and why I wont to do the ride) its just that I don’t want to stitch myself up…

Went here last year – great fun. Free entry to theme park and cheap entry to water park.

http://www.duinrell.com

As others have said it depends a lot on what school you end up in. I treat it as a 8-5 job with the occasional early or late finish. I spend a couple of evenings a week doing some planning but only for about an hour or so – no real chore. Tend to spend a hour max on weekends planning for Monday and do no work during holidays – which for me is the big draw having three kids under 10 as it means it is 100% family focused. I do know some teachers who work a a lot more during holidays but I struggle to see how they spend that time wisely not really knowing how the net term is going to pan out. You really have to be able to work smarter not harder

When we play The Smiths in the car my boy always makes the same comment – “I love the music but not the singing!”

Depends – did it come with the food supplement?

Cheers – extra storage should be up around 28th Feb

Pinkerton by Weezer. Flawless from start to finish.

Also agree about The Sophtware Slump

I do the twenty minute GCN High intensity one a couple of times a week-

4 minute warm up

30 seconds L5 effort

recovery

45s L5

1:30 recovery

60s L6

recovery

45s L5

recovery

30s L6

Recovery

10s L6
50s L5
10s L6

Warm down.

Throw in a stretching routine and then it is about 30-40 minutes. Not to burdensome and seems to maintain fitness. CBA to be on there for more than an half and hour. Good chance to listen to some new tunes as well

In answer to my own question I think no. Found three really good albums this weekend – the new Viet Cong, new Gaz Coombes and Petite Noir. All new to me and Petite Noir is particularly good…

Went for medium bibs and small top (I hate baggy tops). Order confirmed using the code for free postage over £100 but with just two items.

Bibs and top for £25 – Summer road wardrobe sorted.

When I was at Uni I used to come home in summer and work as a beach cleaner – fantastic job. Spent all day on the beach, surfed when it was working, played Frisbee, chatted to the locals. Was hard work when it was a warm and sunny weekend but the rest of the time it was fairly relaxed. Used to nip off to the pub for a sneaky drink. Very little supervision. At the age of 35 with a professional career I still say that that was my best job.

Thanks Dez – will keep an eye on that

Malvern rider – interesting sentiments – as I say I used to know my albums inside out.

I think if money was not an issue then I would start buying records again but I am not sure I could live with just one or two a week.

Reminds me of something someone once told me about the amount of books he wanted to read – there was no way that you could ever read all the ones you wanted so better to accept that fact and just enjoy the ones you could – but I guess music is a lot more accessible and easier to dismiss if you do not like it on first listen

gofasterstripes – took a listen, not really my sort of thing. I like as mixture, electronic, post rock, indie (whatever that is now), rock.

You are correct there is a a lot of shonky music out there – I guess I’m the type of person who always thinks that there could be something better out there!!

root – I guess the heading should have been “too much new music”. You can never listen to too much music!!

Saturday morning we both have a lie in and let the kids relax. Sunday morning I am up and out for a ride spring to autumn and winter a turbo session. Once it became a regular thing no complaints – but I go early and am back no later than about 10:30 which still allows us to spend time together and I like it that way. Thinking of taking the kids out for a Saturday morning ride once the weather warms up so the wife can still have her lie in.

Our estate agent was great. Told them that we were keen to sell, sent round appropriate viewers and helped to haggle over price etc when got an offer BUT you do need to keep in touch to let them know you are still keen and that there time wont be wasted on you i.e. that you really are going to sell and not back out. Ours found us a buyer who knew that we were waiting for the right house and he was prepared to wait.

The house we ended up buying was marketed very poorly with sellers who lived away from the area who put no pressure on the agent. Cracking house which we got for about £50,000 less than it should have been. Interestingly, adding to my first point, it was on with the same agent.

Last winter I had the same idea as OP – need to maintain fitness over winter and don’t want to waste nice winter days. December 29th nice sunny day, a bit nippy but no ice around when I headed out. 45 minutes later in my Dad’s car being taken to A&E after slipping on a patch of black ice – 30 minutes later diagnosed broken hip. Three days in hospital and an operation later I came home to a not very impressed wife and three concerned children (“ruined Xmas”)!! Seven weeks off work, six months (so far) of private physio. I was back on bike for summer but now winter is spent either on the MTB on bike paths or on turbo – just not worth the risk if any possibility of ice.

Seems I will just have to live with it. I had an undisplaced extra-capsular break. I only saw my consultant once after the op and he signed me off within five minutes after seeing the x-ray. Been having private physio on my leg for the past five months to build muscle etc up but I still seem a long way off getting back to how I used to be..

All good suggestions – Spotify has just well and truly earned my money. I really liked the Neil Cowley Trio’s “Touch & Flee”

Most of the time I enjoy my job – doing something I am interested in, good variety of challenges, something different everyday and a good amount of holiday – just not on a Monday morning. As has been said plenty of other things I would rather be doing but they are not going to pay the mortgage or keep the kids in clothes.

It is when you only want to be out for three hours. Reason I took up the road in the first place was that I was spending too much time getting to and from the woods.

thanks for replies – will look at getting MTB out and seeing how that feels on the road. Gonna pop some 25s on the road bike and see if that makes a difference as well. I think that it is more a case of mind over matter – the fear of falling again. Might try and convince the wife to let me a get a CX bike as well! But in the end I might just have to find something else to do on Sunday mornings over winter

I would go down Van route if you can. We love camping but the thought of loading up, setting up, packing down and packing away for a weekend puts us off. Fine for longer stay but not for weekend. However in saying that we do take a shed load of stuff – perhaps we need to slim down.

Best cheapish bed we found was the Outwell airbeds about £40, make sure you get a tent with a canopy (preferably one that zips up) to keep cooking stuff and wet things in.) We always take duvets to sleep in

Not taking things to seriously but am using Global Cycling Network Intense 20 minute workout – does this look reasonable to maintain fitness over winter and build up some strength

Video

Agree awful, plenty of brilliant new music out there – that up there is not. However if you like it then you should not worry what I or anyone else thinks.

Check out the new Adult Jazz album – now that is good.

I have gone down the route of cheap phone and oryxmaps but have yet to mount it on road bike but tbh I quite like going out with just a list of villages to visit and then following the road signs. I have always gotten lost but found my way home again – good way to get to know the lay of the land

I am going to try and attach mine with one of those silicone bands and see how it gets on.Link

It is indeed Fowlmead and yes plop pants I am planning on giving the Tuesday night sessions a go