paul's cycling blog

My name's Paul, and this is my blog about cycling - with occasional musings about Milton Keynes and London

[cyclblg]

Review: ETC front fork pannier bag rack / carrier

It’s a brave cyclist who entrusts the fortunes of his luggage (not to mention his safety riding on the road) to a piece of cheap £20-30 metal sold ostensibly as a luggage rack for the front f…

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Mens agitat molem.

- Virgil

Mind moves matter.

[jeffambrose]

Paradise Valley, home.

[cyclblg]

January 1941. "The cycle club of a Sarasota, Fla., trailer park." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration.

[from the excellent Shorpy.com]

[furtho]

Paul Ordner‘s poster promoting Cycles Stella bicycle company (via here)

[cyclblg]

Flying

Nothing feels as good as riding my bike again after a weekend of carrying 10kg+ of cargo. I was absolutely flying this morning.

And it works both ways: carrying that load this weekend - tent, clothing, stove and cooking equipment for a couple of nights away - was just as satisfying as it always is. Self-sufficiency. It's a heavier load and it makes the hills harder. But it feels so good to be able to carry all your own stuff from A to B.

[cyclblg]

BikeLife: South to Stanley - Shifter

Did I mention I almost cut my finger off? No? Well, I’ll cover this in a coming post maybe. Just thought you should know. It was part bad id

Daniel Milnor's recent #bikelife posts are proving a great read. There's nothing like enjoying short, simple and passionate blog posts about the joys of getting out on your bike to make you just want to do the same. Highly recommended.

[cyclblg]

Hello! I haven't written in this blog for... Years, it must be. And I miss it. This summer I've been getting back into cycling, and been on some long rides. In a couple of weeks I'll be going for my longest ride yet, a multi-day ride along the coast of northern France.

I'd like to get back into posting here, and it'll be interesting to see if Tumblr is still the hotbed of cycling posts that it always used to be.

I'm still riding my lovely Giant Blvd mk. 2, seen above on a recent outing to Regent's Park having had a reasonably decent clean for the first time in a while. I've also fitted new tyres since this picture was taken.

[tracksterman]

The first thing I do when I move into a new area is buy the local 1:50,000 maps and start searching; tracing out the railway lines, figuring out how the minor roads and bridleways join everything up. The smaller scale maps give you a better overview than 1:25,000 sheets and, oddly, Sustrans routes and cycleways are marked more clearly than on ostensibly more detailed mapping. Landranger 103 piqued my interest so, early yesterday afternoon, I jumped off the train at Todmorden and started cycling…

I’ve been to Calderdale once or twice before, but my last visit was at least nine years ago, and I never really got to know the place well. Which, in hindsight, mystifies me, because it’s a fantastic place to ride a bike! I strung together a great little loop taking me over the high ground south of the valley, dropping down into Hebden then climbing back over the moors to Burnley for the train home. A fair amount of climbing, 730m in 33km, and scope to add plenty more in. This was real quality stuff in warm October sunshine, definitely an area to come back to.

[bicycle-wanderlust]

Day 13. Lake.

We made it! Time to rest up for a few days, then I’ll start the ride back to Colorado solo.

[bicycle-wanderlust]

Day 2. Hungover.

Last night was fun, but this morning was not. After some eggs and coffee I managed to get on the bike and felt better as we started riding. My dad’s a champ apparently and had no such difficulties.

The riding today was fast for the most part, except for an interesting detour down a “road” that could be more accurately called a field. We made it to Cheyenne with plenty of daylight and just in time to seek shelter from the biggest hail storm I’ve ever been in.

[bicycle-wanderlust]

Day 1. Easy.

We wanted to ease into the trip, so the first day was only 40 miles. Both bikes felt great and we stayed with some friends of mine that live in Fort Collins, Co. They showed us a great time and I’m probably going to be hungover in the morning.

[bicycle-wanderlust]

Day 0. Prepare.

My dad is joining me on a tour from Boulder, Co to Detroit Lakes, Mn. This will be his first long trip and my first time trying out a new bike set up.

[justridethebike]

Recap: Cycling across the USA, 2013

Remember that cross-country bicycle trip, mostly via the TransAmerica and Pacific Coast bike routes, that I did back in 2013? Perhaps you do, as I posted about it, of all places, right here. 

That was fun, and I sometimes like to reminisce on it, but it was a bit cumbersome to do that. So I decided to compile each day’s riding plan, locations, mileages, and campsites all in one post! Welcome to that post.

It amazed me how easy it was to remember most nights’ campsite details—many of these town names are permanently inbrained (patent pending), and they conjure countless fond memories. 

The other startling reality of re-reading this travelogue is how little each day’s report says. That was as intended, as I’m not a fan of ultra-detailed write-ups, but my post-ride thoughts really did shed just a fraction of a ray of light on this grand road trip. Some things are better left done than said.

Besides about 10 days off the bike after arriving in the San Francisco Bay Area, this list recounts, in order, each day of my trip.

Locations, distance, accomodations

Anderson, IN to Columbus, IN. 72.6 miles. WarmShowers host Dan.

Columbus, IN to Bloomington, IN. ~50 miles. Motel.

Bloomington, IN to Dixon, KY. ~35 miles (plus car transport). Fire station.

Dixon, KY to Eddyville, IL. ~70 miles. Campsite.

Eddyville, IL to Murpheysboro, IL. ~85 miles. Campsite, city park.

Rest Day #1, Murpheysboro, IL. Motel.

Murpheysboro, IL to Farmington, MO. ~90 miles. Hostel.

Farmington, MO to Ellington, MO. ~60 miles. WarmShowers hosts.

Ellington, MO to Houston, MO. ~70 miles. Campsite, town park.

Houston, MO to Fair Grove, MO. 82 miles. Random building.

Fair Grove, MO to Pittsburg, KS. 104 miles. Hotel.

Rest Day #2, Pittsburg, KS. Hotel.

Pittsburg, KS to Toronto, KS. 94.2 miles. Campsite.

Toronto, KS to Newton, KS. 106.7 miles. Fire station.

Newton, KS to Lyons, KS. 71 miles. Campsite.

Lyons, KS to Great Bend, KS. 31 miles. Don’t remember!

Great Bend, KS to Dighton, KS. 95 miles. Campsite (I think).

Dighton, KS to Fowler, CO. 205 miles. Motel.

Fowler, CO to Pueblo, CO. ~40 miles. WarmShowers host Richard.

Rest Day #3, Pueblo, CO. ~5 miles. WarmShowers host Richard.

Pueblo, CO to Guffey, CO. 85 miles. Random log cabin.

Guffey, CO to Silverthorne, CO. 93 miles. Hotel.

Rest Day #4, Silverthorne, CO. ~3 miles. Hotel.

Silverthorne, CO to Walden, CO. 119 miles. Town park.

Walden, CO to Saratoga, WY. 71 miles. Can’t remember.

Saratoga, WY to Lamont, WY. ~75 miles. Tipi campsite.

Lamont, WY to Lander, WY. 99 miles. Motel.

Rest Day #5, Lander, WY. City park.

Lander, WY to Dubois, WY. 77 miles. Campsite.

Dubois, WY to Grand Teton National Park. 66 miles. Campsite.

Grand Teton National Park to West Yellowstone, MT. 94 miles. Motel.

Rest Day #6, West Yellowstone, MT. ~5 miles. Motel.

West Yellowstone, MT to Twin Bridges, MT. 115 miles. Bike hostel in town park.

Twin Bridges, MT to Dillon, MT. 29 miles. Can’t remember.

Dillon, MT to Darby, MT. 121 miles. WarmShowers hosts Patrick and Haley.

Darby, MT to Missoula, MT. 70 miles. WarmShowers host.

Rest Day #7, Missoula, MT. WarmShowers host.

Missoula, MT to Idaho County, ID. 100 miles. Campsite.

Idaho County, ID to Grangeville, ID. ~75 miles. Campsite.

Grangeville, ID to New Meadows, ID. 87 miles. Town park.

New Meadows, ID to Oxbow, OR. 86 miles. Campsite.

Oxbow, OR to Baker City, OR. 71 miles. Motel.

Rest Day #8, Baker City, OR. ~5 miles. Can’t remember.

Baker City, OR to Mount Vernon, OR. 89 miles. Bike hostel.

Mount Vernon, OR to Mitchell, OR. 62 miles. Town park.

Mitchell, OR to Sisters, OR. ~90 miles. WarmShowers hosts.

Sisters, OR to Eugene, OR. 104 miles. WarmShowers hosts.

Rest Day #9, Eugene and Elmira, OR. WarmShowers hosts.

Eugene, OR to Florence, OR. ~88 miles. Motel.

Florence, OR to Charleston, OR. 66.4 miles. Campsite.

Charleston, OR to Gold Beach, OR. 86 miles. Motel?

Gold Beach, OR to Orick, CA. 98 miles. Campsite.

Orick, CA to Weott, CA. 108 miles. Campsite.

Weott, CA to Leggett, CA. 51 miles. Campsite.

Leggett, CA to Manchester, CA. 85 miles. Campsite.

Manchester, CA to Bodega Bay, CA. 70 miles. Campsite.

Bodega Bay, CA to Berkeley, CA. ~80 miles. WarmShowers hosts.

Chicago, IL to Logansport, IN. 142 miles. Fire station. (After 10 days off the bike, exploring the San Francisco Bay Area.)

Logansport, IN to Anderson, IN. ~80 miles. Home.

Total miles: ~4,213.9 Campsites: 21 Impromptu spots: 9 WarmShowers hosts: 11 Hotels and motels: 13 Can’t-remember spots: 4

[cyclblg]

A police cycle patrol in Christchurch, which was raised to thwart a horse fiend. From left: Constables J Andrews, D G Sinclair, W Ainsworth, A E Rowell, P Fitzgerald, District Clerk A Stanton, Constables T Barrett, J Hayes, S Flewellen, Cycling Instructor Mr F Painter, Constable D H Hannafin, Sergeant Major W T Mason, Detective R Marsack, Constable J Dougan, Station Cook W Kwoe, Constable W Tonkin, and Detective L D Benjamin. Taken by Frederick Nelson Jones in 1896.

[nazhamid]

Return to Roll Call. Leg held up okay after almost four weeks off. Had it taped up though. Wet, wild and beautiful.

We all stopped when we noticed the buck. We watched him, eating, grazing and enjoying his resplendent self.

Camaraderie, adventure.

[cyclblg]

Sunday morning ride: better late than never

I was something like an hour into this morning’s edition of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch when the horrible realisation that there was another two hours still to go suddenly took hold.

How could this be? Turns out, the show runs for three hours!

I immediately turned off the TV - not before hitting record: they were promising to do a special shepherd’s pie later on - and hunted for my cycling gear.

I’d already scoffed a hearty breakfast of egg and bacon sandwiches that would ordinarily serve as a reward for an early morning stretch of the legs, so I decided to reverse the situation and head out on the road bike to work the sarnies off, instead.

Staring down the barrel of a washout of a bank holiday Monday, I was also spurred on by glimpses of sunshine and relatively low wind.

My route took me along my usual 25km circuit through Whaddon, Nash and Thornborough, but this morning I decided to break through the psychological barrier of the A422 and begin exploring the villages on the westward side of this usually busy road. Sunday morning traffic made this a breeze, and I was soon whizzing through Leckhampstead, Akeley, and on towards Lillingstone Lovell.

The secluded Chapel Lane which winds its way towards this quaintly-named hamlet was free of cars - which pleased me, as I’d spotted a pair of unexpected national speed limit signs either side of a road not wide enough for a single car to overtake me if it had needed to.

From there, a vast network of roads and lanes is available which wind through Wicken, Deanshanger, and many more surrounding villages. This is the kind of environment I’ve loved ever since getting comfortable riding on roads. It allows you to treat the country lanes as you would footpaths when out walking: picking and choosing routes based on the landmarks along the way. I often navigate with just a short list of village names, looking for the signposts at each junction. Other times, the trusty Ordnance Survey map comes out.

From the attractive little centres of Wicken and Deanshanger, modern roads slice up the lay of the land, but fortunately there’s a neat little suspended, shared use pathway that goes right up and over the busy roundabout and drops you back into the lovely surroundings of Passenham, a tiny scattering of buildings including a pretty church, just the other side of Stony Stratford.

From there, I’m very much on the home straight. I could’ve gone in the opposite direction, doing another lap of my regular circuit, but I was just the right combination of satisfied and warmed up that I just fancied heading home, ending up with a decent 40km under my wheels.

Now, if only I’d done all this several hours earlier…!