The sound that sucks the joy out of cycling - the puncture fairy

Getting punctures can be one of the most frustrating things when out cycling, particularly over the winter months. I had so many punctures that I almost gave up my bike rides. But a hunger to ride the Etape du Tour kept me going.

I must say, I have had a wobble in my preparation for the Etape du Tour. I am normally pretty motivated in the things I do, but my patience has been tested recently. 

Over the Christmas period and in the early part of January my rides have been plagued with punctures. The wet conditions have just led to ride after ride being interrupted, even aborted due to a puncture. 

Punctures: they happen and they're frustrating 

I don't enjoy my rides as I even feel anxious when riding. Every time I go over a bump or see broken glass I feel stressed thinking, this is it - ride over. And of course it then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when that heart-sink moment comes, as the bike suddenly becomes sluggish to handle, and I see that the tyre - usually the rear one - has gone down like a failed meringue.

That happened on Christmas Eve while I was out in the lanes at Cudham. After folornly changing the inner tube, I decided I no longer wanted to continue along these damp roads on a tyre with a sub-optimal amount of air. (I am not physically capable of pumping a tyre up to 90 psi with a hand pump.) So, with Dunton Green just being a short distance after Star Hill I rolled down to the station and wended my way home, thanks to Souteastern Trains, via Sevenoaks and Orpington.

I then got another puncture on Boxing Day, this time in Brockwell Park, Herne Hill. With it being local, and in any case having no choice due to no trains running on this public holiday, I hobbled home. Thankfully I salvaged the ride session by picking up my cyclocross and doing a comparatively stress free, albeit more energy taxing ride on fatter tyres.

There had been other puncture incidents in Hyde Park,  and at Elmers End, too. This compares with previous years when I might have had just one puncture a year if that. 

Putting on new Continental tyres for front and rear wheels hadn't made much difference. It's not necessarily a negative reflection on the tyres, but probably more an illustration of the condition of the debris-covered and pot-hole infested roads these days. It's not helped by the fact that our roads are almost permanently damp with all the rain we've had over winter. 

My road bike is a bit "old skool" with no disc brakes, and the wheels aren't set up to hold tubeless tyres. So I may just have to suck it up - which sadly also leads to the joy of cycling being sucked out of me.

Given that there are other sporting activities I like to do like running, swimming, or even ice-skating, all of which are low maintenance and don't require hours of practice, it would be easy enough to ditch the bike for a hassle-free activity. After all, I do cycling for my enjoyment. There's no fun in sitting at the side of the road in the wind and rain fixing punctures.

So I decided not to do anymore riding for the time being. For about a week I felt quite relieved to not have to get out and ride during these dreary winter days, and was happy to hear about my sporting mates' tales of derring-do from the warmth of my home, while looking at their records on the Strava app. I was looking forward to spending Sunday mornings going for a mini run, followed by playing my flute or clarinet, and maybe doing some crochet or reading a book. 

But of course there was the small matter of the Etape du Tour which I had entered and paid for, along with all the other logistics, and more importantly my friend Angie with whom I had organised to do it with. I didn't want to let her down, particularly as I was the one who had been going on about what a great event it is.

Deep down, I wanted in. I wanted to be part of that massive merry band of 10,000+ riders wending our way through the Alpes-Maritimes, one of my favourite parts of the world. 

Also being in my mid-50s you don't know how much longer you will be fit for. There are lots of illnesses or other things that can suddenly generate from here on in. Sadly, a few people I know have even died suddenly. 

Without wanting to go any further down the morbidity road, I'll just say the whole carpe diem spirit began to wash over me and I realised I do want to ride the Etape du Tour and give it my best shot. So I will get in some miles for January.

What I decided for January and February would be to ditch the road bike and do all my rides on the cyclocross bike.

So that's what I've been doing. It's not ideal given the sluggishness of the bike on the road, but it's better than nothing, and is probably making me stronger - which isn't a bad thing.

Related posts 

Operation Etape du Tour: December update 

Freewheeling: Why I'd rather ride outdoors than use Zwift - even in mid-winter

Operation Etape du Tour: Understanding the challenge 

Daily photo - 24: Shout out to Geoffrey Butler Cycles

In light of a few local bike shops having difficulties, and sadly the recent closure of Blue Door Bicycles in Crystal Palace, I thought I would give a shout out to one of my relatively local bike shops, Geoffrey Butler Cycles - a bike shop in Croydon that has been trading for around 60 years.

There was a time when I would go there quite a lot when they were based a little nearer to Croydon Town Centre and I would ride past there on my way back from club runs with my then cycling club, Addiscombe. They also used to supply the club kit so we would often go there. It was quite nice to arrive there on a Saturday afternoon, bump into other local riders and chew the fat about the local cycling scene.

These days I don't travel down that way as much as I used to, and I am no longer a member of Addiscombe CC. I managed to pop in there today to have my cyclocross bike serviced and it was good to catch up. They did a good job, and provided further advice on the bike, which always enhances the customer experience. It's a shame I wasn't able to buy cyclocross tyres from them though, as they said that nowadays they just don't see the point in stocking items when they know that folks are buying them on-line. 

I recall getting a similar reply from David Hibbs of Blue Door Bicycles when I asked him about 'cross tyres. He said that in 9 years of trading, he had never had anyone enquire about them. 

I guess therein lies the problem for local bike shops - less custom as folks abandon face-to-face shopping in order to go on-line. I guess Butler's stem the loss by having an on-line presence too, which is essential these days. I do hope that Geoffrey Butler Cycles and other local bike shops don't fall victim to the digital economy and other upcoming trends.

Related posts

Bye bye Blue Door Bicycles 

52 Cycling Voices: Jenni Gwiadowski

Fastest cyclist in the world

Festive 500: Rail trails in England - Day 6

Monsal Trail - Derbyshire Peak District + a cyclocross race


Stats
Kms ridden: 34
Running total: 376
Kms left: 124
Refreshments: 500ml water; nutella sandwich; raspberry jam on toast

Weather: sunny with cold wind; 10 degC

Highlight: Tunnels through the Monsal trail; Notts and Derby League cyclocross race


Rides on Strava
Monsal Trail

Cyclocross race

Warm-down

This was a day to look forward to, as I had heard a lot of good things about the Monsal trail. It appears to be one of the most popular rail trails in the country, yet for all my cycling in the Peak District I had never been on it. So it would be good to finally make it onto the trail.

One of four tunnels along the Monsal trail

There was also a cyclocross taking place. That's my favourite type of racing. Mind you, these days it's the only type of racing I do!

So after another longish drive cross country to reach Bakewell I checked out the Monsal trail. Again, I was limited on time because I needed to be back in time to sign up and prepare for the race. By prepare that just meant getting my bike out of the car and putting on my race number. There wouldn't be time to pre-ride the course, so I would be racing it blind - something that I quite regularly do!

Monsal Trail

At least today, I would be nicely warmed up after a quick blast along the 8.5 mile Monsal trail. Finding the trail was easy enough because it was right behind where the race was taking place. I just had to navigate around the various tapes across the field, which was fun and games given that racing was already in progress!

The start of the trail from Coombe Lane

The first section onto the trail involved a steep ramp and I feared that it would be this steep all the way along. In fact, this was the only ramp on the ride. There are many places to enter and exit the Monsal trail, and all of them will involve a steep ramp given that this trail is above the village and the dales.

Immediately onto the trail and I could see that it was definitely popular. This trail had more people on it than I had seen on any of the other trails I had done during the Festive 500. There were groups of walkers, groups of cyclists - leisure bikers and mountain bikers - even a group of horseriders. It seems everyone was on the Monsal trail, and those who weren't were at the cyclocross race!

The surface is compacted earth and gravel that drains well, so it was not muddy. Along the way were refreshment stops in the disused railway stations - notably at Harrop.

One of the main features of this trail is the tunnels. There are four of them, each being around 400m long. They are fully lit in daylight hours, though I think it woud be good to still have lights on the bike just to alert walkers. When travelling towards Bakewell the route goes slightly downhill so you can pick up quite a speed if you want. So from a safety standpoint a light would be a good idea.

Views over the Derbyshire Dales and the Peak District

I went through two of the tunnels and then turned back in order to get back to my race in time. In the afternoon sunshine the Monsal trail is a lovely place to be. There are beautiful views over the Peak District and the surface is very easy to ride on, and easy to navigate. This was definitely my favourite trail to date during the Festive 500 week.

Notts and Derby League Cyclocross race

Once back at the Bakewell Agricultural Showground I set about preparing for the cyclocross race. Although the temperature was advertised as 10 degC, the windy conditions made it feel a lot colder, and for the first time since I can remember I actually did the race in long tights. I didn't overheat either - not even on the testing climbs.

As with races in the Notts and Derby league, the women's field was pretty big. There must have been at least 30 women signed up for it. The level would also be quite high as I recognised a number of names of people who race the National Trophy series of races.

For me, this was just a chance to do a cyclocross race and get my pulse rate working a bit higher than the plod I had mainly been doing over the rail trails.

Conditions were nowhere as claggy as the two races I had done the previous week in Tonbridge and at Mendips Raceway. There were still a few sticky patches though. More importantly there were some tough climbs and a very tricky descent that was steep with loads of bumps. I have no idea how I managed to do it without crashing. In fact as I bounced down the hill with my body being thrown around like a ragdoll, there was a "whoa" from the crowds as they were expecting me to stack it. But somehow I stayed on the bike. I guess it's called focus and core stability!

Overall, the race was hard work and I languished near the back, as usual sparring with a couple of local women from Ilkeston and Derby, fighting not to be the lanterne rouge. I think I finished third last in the end, but I was just happy to have got round without any incident. I felt reassured to know that I could do this race even after all the other stuff I'd been doing.

It remains to be seen how much energy I have tomorrow when I tackle another cyclocross race as well as two rail trails! Whatever happens tomorrow, I can say that today was a good day.

Related Posts
Festive 500: Early morning rant!

Festive 500: Rail trials in England - Day 5

Festive 500: Rail trails in England - Day 4

Festive 500: Rail trails in England - Day 3

Festive 500: Rail trails in England  - Day 2

Festive 500: Rail trails in England - Day 1

Can-do girls - Delia conquers Three Peaks Cyclocross

It's that time of year when cyclists indulge in wacky racing over muddy fields, through woodland, in sandpits, jumping over hurdles, and sometimes climbing up flights of steps with their bikes slung over their shoulders. You've guessed it - cyclocross is back on again.

So this month's Can-do girl features none other than local hard nut racer, Delia Beddis of Vicious Velo, champion of the Three Peaks Cyclocross challenge. Hailing from Otley, the same town as that other women's cycling champion, Lizzie Deignan (née Armitstead) Delia isn't satisfied with the traditional cyclocross races that are completed in barely forty-five minutes. What really gets her out of bed is flying up and over the big peaks of the Yorkshire Dales - Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen y Ghent, one after the other with her bike in "the hardest cyclocross race in the world."  

That means a distance of 61km (33km being on mountain trails), 1500m of climbing, and about 4 hours of racing for Delia, though probably more like 6 hours for us lesser mortals including myself, if I even try it at all! The Three Peaks cyclocross race is definitely one for the bucket list, but I must say that I find it one of the scariest races on the sporting calendar. Running a marathon or doing an Ironman triathlon are things I would tackle first as my preparation for this monument of cycling athleticism! I therefore have massive admiration for Delia who has done this race no fewer than four times, and been the winning woman on two of those occasions. Chapeau! (or maybe even Flat cap as they might say oop North!) 

So here's a bit about this challenge in Delia's own words.  

I've done the Three Peaks four times now. The first one wasn't too great and the second was the infamous year of torrential rain when unfortunately I crashed out. Things got better after that.

I won the race for the first time in 2013. It was the third time I was doing it. Most importantly, my Dad and I won the 'Parent / Child' competition that year and we got a bike rack for our efforts! 

I'm not made for top-end speed so I like a long gruelling race. Also, if you're half decent at running you can get a good result. It's such a great atmosphere and it's near my proper home in Otley so I'm fairly used to the terrain. That's why I keep coming back!

The terrain on the Yorkshire Dales is totally different from a normal cross race. That can be a shock to the system for most people when they race it for the first time. It varies between each peak. Ingleborough is like moorland and can be a bit boggy on the tops; Whernside is more rocky with steps - the limestone slabs on the descent make for good riding especially with disc brakes. Pen Y Ghent is more like a trail but still tough to get up especially near the summit.  

I try to dovetail my Three Peaks training with road racing in the summer. I use the road to build up some endurance but start to layer in some walking and running from May/June to remind my legs how to do it. Slow and steady build up is the best way to avoid injuries. I generally stop road racing around July to focus on Peaks endurance. I then do mountain biking and running uphill with the bike as much as possible. 

I don't get to do as much training as I would like in the Dales. This year I only managed one training weekend at home so the rest of my training is done down in Kent. There's no substitute for riding up in the Dales and getting used to the terrain and the conditions though. Even things like knowing how to shoulder the bike into a strong wind really helps. I did get some harsh weather practice in the west of Ireland this summer, which was good prep!

The course is bumpy but different to the cobbled classics. The longest parts with bumpy descents are Whernside and Pen Y Ghent. Whernside is okay once you relax into it. If you're too tense then it can hurt a lot and you're more likely to crash. I usually find that Pen Y Ghent is a great, fast descent but I was in pieces by that point this year so it felt very bumpy. I hadn't eaten enough so blew big time on the final climb. 

How to reduce shocks to the body? I've been working with my coach Jo McRae on core conditioning and weights this year, which has been a big help for taking the bumps and being able to recover afterwards. Other than that, I try not to get too tense on the bike.  

I rode a Giant TCX Advanced Pro this year and I love it! It was fitted with Land Cruiser tyres because they're like tractor tyres, so low risk of punctures. 

I don't make any significant changes to my bike for the race. Disc brakes help but I did a better time in 2013 on cantilever brakes! Some people put tubing on their bike for when shouldering [carrying the bike] but I don't think there's any need. I just don't use a bottle cage so that it can sit correctly. 

The time I did it in this year wasn't my best and was well down on what I was hoping for. It started well and I was happy after the first two peaks until I realised I was running on empty. I knew that riders like Verity Appleyard were strong, and in a panic to try to save time I didn't eat as planned at the top of each climb. I totally blew apart on Pen Y Ghent and everything from there on was a bit of a blur! I am still really happy to have got the win though, and there was a great atmosphere in the pub at the end. Mark Richmond, who has taken on the mantle of managing the Three Peaks from John Rawnsley is doing a great job. 

My tactic was to go as fast as I could uphill and keep going faster downhill, then time trial the road sections. 

Some people switch to racing on a road bike on the tarmac sections and then get back on their cross bike on the off-road trails but I think it's a bit of a faff to be honest. It takes a lot of time to plan where helpers will be and I don't like the idea of something going wrong. There are limits on the tyre width that you can use so there's minimal advantage in switching bikes. So I just try to keep it simple! 

You've probably guessed that the toughest part for me was Pen Y Ghent! I just had to dig in really hard even though I was seeing stars! I got through by drinking Coca Cola and Lucozade offered by some friendly supporters and racers, just so that I could get some much-needed sugar. 

Starting up at the front makes a really big difference as you don't get stuck in the bottlenecks. If I do get stuck, my general tactic is to get my elbows out and shout as loud as I can. I'm not a very nice person when I'm in race mode! 

I didn't crash or have any mechanicals this year. My boyfriend Mark and my Dad were my support crew and everything was seamless as ever!

My most memorable moment from any edition of the Three Peaks was in 2013 when I won, and seeing my Dad at the car park in the end. I think that achievement paled in comparison to anything else I've done in his eyes. Sorry is that a bit soppy?

I have had an extended break since doing the Three Peaks because I'm doing an assessment for work. I need to get my head back into it now and start training for the National Trophies, so will probably target the latter part of the season. I'll see how things go. 

Photo by John Mullineaux

I'd love to go further up on the podium at the National Championships. [Delia came third behind Nikki Harris and Helen Wyman at the 2016 Championships.] However, it's such a competitive field these days!

I'll race in Belgium though, with my ViCiOUS VELO team mates this winter. There's a block of races around Christmas and New Year that are great fun. I'm nowhere compared to the pros but racing at that level really brings me on. 


Related posts
What Katie did at Milton Keynes World Cup Cyclocross

Milton Keynes goes Cross Crazy

Getting Scared at Rollapaluza Halloween Cross

Claire Beaumont gets into Cyclocrosss

Cyclo Cross Round Up - The Hapless Rider !

The last couple of London League rounds have been in Sussex. I don't ride there very often so didn't really know what to expect. What I did notice was how hilly the courses were - just at a time when I was distinctly disadvantaged !

STANMER PARK
This was a bit of an ordeal. Having fallen and badly hurt my arm the previous day I was not in a position to ride particularly strongly. In fact I was unable to hold the bars of my cyclo cross bike so ended up using the mountain bike. So a painful arm and a chunkier bike which did not compare with the slick machines of my fellow competitors was never going to bode well. Still, I wanted to give it my best shot, hence I showed up at the start line.

The warm up had been a very hot affair, given the hill and the fact that I was still in my warm up gear. Realising that I was going to have to work harder than the other women just to keep level with anyone I decided to remove my long sleeves and race in fingerless gloves to reduce any risk of overheating during the race.
After 3 laps my arms were freezing, my fingers were even colder, and the brisk cold wind brought with it a blast of driving rain and sleet. By the end of the race my fingers were shivering so much that I couldn't operate the gears. Mistake number one.


I took it easy going up the hill on the early laps and spun a low gear, thinking that although I was at the back, as the race progressed I would eventually catch someone whose fuel level would have run low. No one got tired, in fact the wind probably whipped riders up into an even speedier frenzy just to keep warm !! I only began to put in more effort on the penultimate lap, but it was too late by then. Mistake number two.

I wore my pink kit for this race on the premise that if I couldn't win, at least I could look stylish. I even lost out there ! The ladies' winner, Jenn Hopkins was not only the fastest, but in her Minx-Girl colourful skort and jersey suit she definitely looked the most stylish.

Immediately I crossed the line I dashed back to the car to thaw out and put the race the behind me.


LANCING MANOR LEISURE CENTRE
My arm was slightly better for this one, but still not recovered enough for me to use the cross bike. I was resigned to taking the mountain bike again, but more resigned to not making the same mistakes as before. I'd dress appropriately, set off hard, and just wear my no-frills blue kit.

The weather was incredibly mild for November, so I just wore shorts and my short-sleeved jersey. I know I got that bit right. The hill was so much steeper, and longer than at Stanmer Park. But I wasn't afraid - I was going to power myself up it - ride my first lap like it's my last, really develop a killer instinct, ride like an animal etc. etc.

Immediately the whistle was blown the hard work began. Straight up a long steep hill. I powered along, a fellow competitor shouting at me "spin, woman, change down!"
I just ground away on a hard gear. My quads were burning, but I didn't mind because I was in a bunch. However, the downhill that we eventually got was not much of a reward for me. It twisted very technically through the trees, and the wood chippings made it rather slippery. In fact I found it rather frightening. I soldiered on nevertheless, with my rivals right on my tail. As soon as we hit the more open descents they overtook me. The numerous false flats really drained the energy out of my legs, and I began to pay for the mistake I'd made with my gearing early on in the race.

Still, I was determined to catch my rivals even as they sailed past me and I steadily drifted backwards. But alas, my pedalling became more laboured as I began to suffer from general fatigue. When I realised I was too tired to be able to control my bike on the tricky descents I started pulling into the side to allow faster riders (practically the whole of the field) to get past me. Naturally I lost even more time on my fellow competitors and waved goodbye to any chance of moving up the women's rankings. A couple of people fell, including one guy who had a nasty collision with a tree stump. In spite of that I was still unable to catch anyone.

Finally, I decided to change down to a low gear and just easy-spin my way round. That gave me time to recover, and on the last lap I even managed to overtake a 60-year-old man I'd been sparring with throughout the race ! I'm not sure if that was meant to make me feel better.

Ok, so two races in which I tried different approaches - neither of which worked. But it's all in the learning as they say.
This weekend we'll be back at Stanmer Park, and I shall be on my cross bike. Hurrah ! Who knows, I might be more fortunate next time around.


Photos by Kevin Knox and Joanne Upton