The Crack On Big Bike Ride

After postponing the ride one more time to give me a chance to recover from two days' hard labouring, I finally set out on the Big Bike Ride just after 8.am on Sunday. The aim was to visit all the Crack On shops within a day's ride.

The first stop was at the Bury Boutique. Here we are (we being the bike and me) outside the shop at about 8.15.

Well, I had to take the picture of course - my bike isn't quite that clever.

Total distance 1.3 miles!

After Bury St Edmunds the next stop was to be Newmarket, about 18 miles away. This part of the route is quite familiar, as I've used it for a few of my training rides. It's the hilliest part of the planned route and there was a slight headwind, so I paced myself carefully, knowing I had over 100 miles ahead of me.

After about six miles I realised I'd left my route plan at home - meaning I'd have to navigate some unfamiliar territory later on. For now, though, and for the second leg, this wasn't a problem.  I found the Newmarket shop easily enough, as it's directly opposite All Saints Church, and was there just after 9.30.

Time for a photo shoot, a snack and a drink. Peanuts, an almond pastry and a bit of coffee, washed down with a few gulps of water. Here's the bike and the Newmarket shop after18.6 miles.

I felt fresh and was fairly sure I knew the best route to Mildenhall, having ridden it recently. After the hills and headwind, a flat stretch with more of a tail or side wind ought to be faster, without trying.

One minor wrong turn took me a quarter of a mile in the wrong direction before I realised. Apart from that, this leg was easy and proved to be the fastest, as expected.

I knew where the Mildenhall shop was, since it's pretty hard to miss as you enter the town from Newmarket direction.

At about 10.30 I was snacking again and taking this picture of the Mildenhall Crack On shop.More peanuts, almond pastries and  a little coffee.

By this point I had done 29.5 miles - about a quarter of the total, I thought...

Now the question was whether to try to remember the minor road route recommended for cyclists or to take the main road and at least know I wouldn't get lost. This leg would also be about 15 miles directly into the freshening wind.

I opted for the main road, reasoning that it wouldn't be too busy on a Sunday. In the event, the traffic wasn't too bad, but the head wind did make this leg a bit of a slog. I paced myself, rode on the middle chainwheel the whole way and, apart from a toilet stop after ten miles or so (when I had another snack), I got to Littleport in a reasonable time of one hour twenty minutes. So I was there before midday, which was the aim.

Finding the shop wasn't easy without my directions, though, and I probably added a couple of miles to my total before I pulled up outside and took this picture.

Littleport is a bigger place than I realised, and the High Street is not the one with the shops in it! 

More nuts, another pastry and the last of my first flask of coffee was enough to get me to my lunchtime stop - wherever that turned out to be.

Total so far was 46.8 miles.

Now came the tricky bit - navigating to Watton. The route I'd planned took up two pages of directions, with lots of 'first right, second left, left again' kinds of directions. How much of this could I remember, or would there be enough signs to make navigation easier than I feared? I knew the way out of Littleport, and knew there was a right turn to be made after a few miles on the A10, so I set off on the Lynn Road.

The right turn was a long time coming, but the A10 was okay, if a bit busier than I would have liked. Eventually, a narrow and obviously little-used road appeared alongside a ditch and heading east.This had to be it, and so it proved. Totally empty, not too bumpy, and with a favourable wind, this was one of the nicest parts of the whole ride, despite the flat countryside. I know I would meet a B-road after several miles, where I would turn right and then take another left soon after. Well, the only left I saw was an unmade road, which might have been okay for a short distance, but not for the next ten miles, so I carried on, knowing I was now definitely not on the right road. No matter - I was going roughly southeast, rather than east, so all I had to do was keep going until I hit another road and a signpost.

With about 28 miles as the crow flies between Littleport and Watton, there was quite a big potential for error. However, the road gradually turned eastwards and it was soon time for lunch, and after about sixty miles I saw the perfect spot - a gateway leading to a grassy path beside a river.

I stopped and took this picture, then fled about 50 yards down the road to escape the flies!

I feasted on cheese sandwiches, more nuts and almond pastries, and half a flask of coffee. With a clearer head, I realised I had to try to head northeast. As the time approached mid afternoon, I knew the sun would be roughly SSW, so I could estimate a northeasterly bearing, as long as I could find a road that went in that direction. I was almost immediately in the village of Feltwell, which didn't mean much to me. There was a road heading north to Methwold, which sounded familiar but I wasn't sure about, so I carried on eastwards for a short time until I decided Methwold was probably where I needed to head for, and I took the next left turn. Just short of Methwold I realised I was now heading slightly west of north, which wasn't good, and I took a right turn towards Cranwich Heath. Again, the name was familiar but it didn't feature on any mental map; it just happened to involve heading east...

Then I saw a sign for Northwold, and turned north again. Methwold and Northwold were the two related villages I orininally planned to reach for my lunch stop. Then, as I got near to Northwold I saw another left turn and recognised one of the few named roads in the area - Little London Road. I vagguely remembered that this came after Northwold in my directions and that I would have turned left coming out of the village. This meant, as I was approaching from the right, that I needed to go straight on. The bearing was about right, maybe NNE at that point. Soon afterwards, I guessed that a right fork would take me even nearer to the ENE direction that I needed.

From that point on the narrow road was more or less straight, with passing places, but still with no signs for Watton. I knew I was going roughly the right way but had no idea what road I was on. I crossed the A134, Thetford to Swaffham road and continued through the forest on a more or less straight road. As I crossed the A1065, Thetford to Kings Lynn road, my road suddenly got much wider, although I still didn't see any helpful signs. Still, I kept going in what I was fairly sure was the right direction until, suddenly, I was on the outskirts of Watton. I knew the Crack On shop was on this road, near the town centre, and so it proved.


It was 3.20pm and I was ready for another snack. More nuts and a pastry, plus the last of my coffee, did the trick.This leg, from Littleport, had been 32.3 miles, so I had now covered covered 79.1 miles.

With little hope of finding the approved cycle route, I set off down the A1075 towards Thetford. It's a decent road, with good surfaces and visibility, and on a sunny afternoon it was irresistible to bikers - the motorised kind, that is. A dozen or more of them must have passed me in the next hour or so as I headed south towards Thetford. I was weary but still doing a reasonable average speed. Time was beginning to drag, though, and this bit of road seemed longer than I expected. 15.2 miles seemed like quite a long way when everyone else was going so much faster! I reached Thetford after about an hour, almost out of water, and pulled into a Tesco Express.

Ignoring the water, I bought a large bottle of energy drink - sometimes, you just have to have what your body craves, and the sugar hit had an immediate effect. I did the last mile or so to the
Crack On HQ at Legacy House after about an hour and five minutes pedalling.

 

I had done 94.3 miles. I ate the last of my bread and cheese, some more nuts and my last almond slice. I took a few pictures, drank some more energy drink and set off for Bury St Edmunds and home. It was about 5.pm .

Again, the main road was the only sensible option. There were no dramas, my legs kept going and I had just about enough water.

I still felt okay as I entered Bury St Edmunds - I even managaed a short (downhill) sprint to beat the lights at the bottom of Northgate Street.  After 107.9 miles, and at 6.15pm, I pulled up outside my home.

It had been a good day's ride!

Total time ten hours. Total time actually moving,  7hrs, 51min 46 seconds. Average speed 13.7 mph.

Roy

Bonus Tip - Core Exercises

I've mentioned how important your core strength is to you as a cyclist and recommended you do exercises to build a stronger core.

I know from experience that a stronger core transforms the efficiency of your pedalling. You can test this for yourself simply by sitting straight and tensing your abdomen the next time you ride, especially when you're climbing - you'll notice the improvement right away. However, if you haven't done enough to strengthen your core you'll find it difficult to sustain this for long.

I have been looking for some core-strengthening exercises to share with you and I've finally found no fewer than 26 of them on a very good website called active.com.

Although these exercises are aimed at mountain bikers, all cyclists (and anyone who wants a stronger core) will benefit from them. A strong core will minimise the risk of back problems, whether you're a cyclist or not.

So go to http://www.active.com/mountainbiking/Articles/26-Core-Exercises-for-Mountain-Bikers.htm for 26 of the best.

Roy

Bonus Tip - Age is No Barrier

It's a sad fact (sad to those of us over 35, anyway) that getting fitter and remaining fit becomes more difficult as we get older. But while a young adult can train harder and recover more quickly, put on more muscle and become fitter and faster than a more mature person, being middle-aged or older doesn't bar you from become a serious cyclist. As long as, by 'serious' you don't mean able to compete in races with fit and fast 25 year old riders.

Touring and long distance rides have as many middle-aged participants as young ones (if not more, since younger riders are often keen to race rather than tour), and many cyclists carry on riding regularly well into what might be considered old age.

I don't think I could ever have been a racer, so coming to cycling later in life was no hardship. That means I didn't miss much (except for hundreds or thousands of hours of cycling pleasure). I was a few weeks short of my 51st birthday when I caught the bug, and that was while driving the support vehicle for my friends' Pyrenees trip. It was another year before I did a serious ride, which was the English coast to coast, and another two years before we did Paris to Venice.

Nenthead, the highest village in England, on the Coast to Coast route

In between those, and in the two and a half years since, we've done various other trips, including the coast to coast and back in four days, some two day training trips in the Yorkshire Dales and several centuries.

At no point (well, at very few moments) did I think "I'm too old to be doing this".

And I'm not super-fit, by any means. I was a runner before I got into cycling, so I was quite fit and fairly slim, and I'm lucky enough to have good health, which means I can train without making myself ill, but I've never been strong or particularly athletic.

And that means that if I can ride nine hundred miles in two weeks and cross the Vosges mountains, the Black Forest mountains and the Alps in the process, so can you. You just need to prepare yourself at least as well as I did.

If you have a weight problem, then the lifestyle changes that go with regular cycling (and other exercise) and eating sensibly will help you to shift that excess weight. It might take you longer to get yourself in shape, but, unless you have serious health issues, you can get there.

If you have further to go you should probably start right away!

Roy

Bonus Tip - What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

Throughout this series of cycling tips we've been pursuing two conflicting aims: firstly, to get fit and strong enough to cope with a long ride or tour, and secondly, to ride as efficiently as possible to make that ride or tour feasible and as comfortable as possible.

We've acknowledged that the big ride will be a real challenge and I've said that in my opinion that's the whole point of doing it.

To become stronger we have to work hard, and the harder we can work the more strength we will gain. So it makes sense to work extra hard on at least some of our training rides. Probably the best way to do this is to handicap ourselves. One way is to add luggage to the bike, which also gives us a chance to learn how it will feel on tour.

There's a simpler way to make riding harder work, though, which we can use more easily on a regular basis, or whenever it suits us, and that's to ride a heavier, slower bike on our training rides. 

These Raleigh tyres cost less than £10 per pair

If you have a 'spare' mountain bike, fit it with the fattest, chunkiest tyres you can and run them at a low pressure. If you plan to use your mountain bike for the tour (and your training rides) try to get hold of a spare pair of wheels so you don't have to keep changing the tyres - swapping wheels is much quicker. You don't need the best quality wheels or tyres for this - the point is to make riding harder work.


Personally, I've acquired a cheap old mountain bike and fitted some fat tyres I salvaged from another scrapped bike. It's fun to ride, but it is much harder work than the bike I use regularly (with its road tyres). After one short ride on the road I could feel I'd had a harder, different kind of workout. Of course, when I go off-road it will be harder still.

Handicapping yourself in this way means you don't need to find a hill build your strength.This might help you to avoid busy or dangerous roads as well, since you can get in a good, intensive workout almost anywhere.

 Roy

Cycling Tip Thirty - Surviving Your Long Ride

On a long ride you will get tired. That's almost the point of doing it, in my book - pushing yourself to go further, climb higher, be more self-sufficient - and survive the experience.

But to maximise the distance you can go, hills you can climb, and so on, you need to cut fatigue to a minimum, and decades of experience have taught cyclists how to do this.

The first step is to have your bike set up to suit your physique and proportions. Too big and you'll be stretching too much and be inefficient, too small and you'll be too cramped, and also inefficient. Inefficiency, of course, means you'll waste energy and become more tired than you need to be. You obviously need a bike with a frame that's roughly the right size for you, although the trend is towards slightly smaller frames than in the past, so that you can easily stand over the top tube (the 'crossbar') with both feet flat on the ground and a few centimetres between you and the tube.

This means seat posts tend to be longer than they used to be, as are are handlebar stems. Adjust the saddle so your leg is still slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke and you don't need to rock from side to side. If the saddle is too low you will be less efficient (again) and your knees could suffer, too.

Your reach (the distance between the saddle and the handlebars) depends on the length of the top tube plus the length of the handlebar extension, and this extension can easily be changed. Extensions can be anything from a centimetre or two to 15cm or more, so there's plenty of scope to get it right. Some are even adjustable.

Most people find that having the handlebars level with or a little below the saddle height is the most efficient position for long rides. Although some people like to sit up straighter this is much less efficient, and unless you have a compelling reason for adopting it, like a bad back, I'd strongly advise you get used to a lower, more aerodynamic pose on the bike.

Once you have a comfortable riding position, there are a few more things you can do to stay comfortable and ride longer. 

Inflate your tyres to the maximum recommended pressure. Soft tyres make a massive difference to the effort you need to put in to ride at a given speed. In poor weather you might compromise on this a little to give you more grip - you'll be riding more slowly anyway. Also, make sure your load is properly distributed so that balance and control are as easy as possible. Again, this saves your energy.

Wear good cycling gloves with adequate cushioning in the heel of the hand. This makes a surprising difference to the amount of shock transmitted through your hands, wrists and arms. In hot weather your gloves can be fingerless, while cold weather calls for more insulation and windproofing.

Shift your hand positions regularly. This isn't so easy with straight bars, but you can add bar ends to give you more options. Take the opportunity every so often to rest your hands very lightly on the bars and sit up. This takes the weight of your hands and arms and allows you to straighten your back.

Relax your arms and shoulders as much as possible. Ride with your elbows slightly bent to cushion you from road shocks.Ride one handed from time to time and relax the other arm and hand by dropping it to your side and shaking it gently for a few seconds while flexing your fingers.

Stretch your legs and knees by standing on each pedal in turn for a few seconds (while coasting) and pushing your heel towards the road with your knee completely straight. 

Staying warm in cold weather can consume a lot of energy - energy that you could use for pedalling...

Wear padded shorts for comfort and enough layers so that you don't feel chilled when riding (this is very tiring after a while). Judging temperature can be difficult. As a guide, feeling slightly chilly at the start is okay, as long as you feel comfortable once you've warmed up. Wind chill adds to the chilling effect of cold air, so a windproof layer you can unzip to suit is ideal. You may also have zipped vents in cycling shorts, jackets and tops, and you can use these to help regulate your body temperature as you go..

A lot of cyclists get cold feet, even in warmish weather. I do myself, but it doesn't really bother me. In wet weather I might use polythene bags over my socks (inside my shoes) or you can use waterproof and insulated overshoes if you prefer.  

To summarise: the best way to stay in the saddle for hours and cover big miles is to be relaxed and comfortable, as well as fit and well-fed. 

That's probably it from me for a while, but do keep checking back and I'd love to hear about your experiences, tips and advice you want to share.

Meanwhile, enjoy your cycling - because there's no point otherwise!

Roy

Cycling Tip Twenty-Nine - Navigating Towns and Cities

There has been a lot of progress in recent years towards making towns and cities more cycle-friendly, although some developments have not been so helpful.

For example, while dedicated and signposted cycle routes are helpful, banning cyclists from the most direct route out of a city is not necessarily such a good idea. On Paris to Venice we wasted well over an hour escaping from the Italian town of Bolzano because the dedicated cycle route was closed for bridge repairs (although we could have walked it, we weren't allowed to), and we were barred from using the main road.

The lesson from that one is to not enter a town or city unless you need to, or unless you know for sure the route is easily navigable.

Most towns are not so unhelpful, though, and very often the best way to navigate a large town or city is to plunge straight through it, rather than following ring roads, bypasses or alternative routes. Even if you have to walk some sections, going all the way around a large town or city, often on unpleasantly busy highways, is not much fun and can add a lot of miles to your day's riding.

Generally speaking, though, unless you want to visit a particular place or you need shops or other facilities, I would advise you to always avoid large towns and cities by routing well away from them, rather than have to make the decision about going through or around one when you get to it.

If you do go through, follow the advised cycle routes but be prepared for pedestrians, parked cars and other obstructions. Don't expect to travel fast, but by taking a direct route you should still save time and put yourself at less risk. 

Roy

Cycling Tip Twenty-Eight - Touring on a Budget

Cycling can be a wonderfully cheap way to see the world, and cycle touring has to be the best value way to visit new areas, countries and even continents - or just to explore the area around you.

If you're travelling a long way from home and you want to be self-sufficient, the price of equipment can still add up. There's no shortage of retailers and online stores willing to take your money, of course, but there are a few secrets it's wise to know in advance that will minimise the cost and make sure you have everything you need.

Firstly, start keeping your eyes open for useful kit as soon as you start to plan your tour and you'll be surprised what's available in off-season sales, closing-down sales, charity shops, from friends, second-hand or at bargain prices - even free. For example, any tough plastic bags, especially, resealable ones, will be very useful for your tour.

Panniers come in a variety of materials, shapes and sizes, as well as different levels of quality and price. Expensive ones will claim to be waterproof, while cheaper ones probably won't. The most economical approach is to assume that no panniers are fully waterproof, buy the cheapest ones that look sturdy and big enough, and wrap and pack your equipment, clothes, etc, accordingly. Use your polythene bags, especially 'ziplock' ones that can be sealed and resealed, for individual items. Some frozen food comes in resealable bags like this and they are often quite sturdy. If the appearance doesn't matter these are ideal, and they're free. Wash them out if necessary and collect them over the course of the weeks or months before your trip.

Even carrier bags will do the job if they don't have air holes in them.Take spare bags and hang on to any that your acquire on the trip - they weigh next to nothing and take up very little space, but might make all the difference to your comfort.

Use a 'rubble sack' - a tough type of rubbish bag - in each pannier to make it waterproof as well. Simply fold the top over and tuck it in and your pannier will be as good as water-tight. You can buy purpose-built liners but they're not necessary. 

A top bag adds a lot of volume to your carrying capacity, although you shouldn't put too much weight this high on your bike. I used a cheap rucksack as a top bag,. tied it securely with its own straps (you can use bungee cords as well for extra security), and stuffed my sleeping bag in it, wrapped in a bin liner for extra waterproofing. It stayed secure and dry for two weeks, including some very wet days.

We camped most nights, which is a lot cheaper than hotels or even hostels. Three one-man tents fitted on a standard sized pitch, so we often saved money there, as well.

I've already mentioned my tent (£32) and my sleeping mat (about £18). My sleeping bag was one I already had that cost about £10 in a sale. I've also mentioned my very cheap back-up lights and you can get a bright LED torch that will see you through a tour for a pound as well. There's no point spending more, in my opinion. Do get some good bike lights - the best you can afford - as your main set, but don't waste money on extras like a torch where a cheaper option will do.

Don't economise on safety, but do buy your spares and replacement parts when they're on special offer. You can often get inner tubes at half price, for example, and many other parts are discounted at various times. If you start looking early you can pick things up when they're at their cheapest, not at the last minute when you will probably have to pay full price.

A cheap pump may be a false economy. Although you can get enough air into a tyre to get you mobile, cheap pumps often won't give you the full pressure you really need, especially for a loaded bike. That will make for slow, heavy riding, and less than ideal grip and handling, as well as shorter tyre life. Cheap pumps also don't last very long. But shop around so you get the best pump you can at the lowest price. 

Panaracer Crosstown

It is worth paying more for good quality puncture-resistant tyres. Worn tyres can suddenly become very susceptible to punctures (even if they're puncture-resistant) as the rubber becomes thinner. Good tyres may also give you better grip and lower rolling resistance, although it's always a question of compromise, when set against durability and weight.

Most tourists on 700c wheels will opt for 32 or 35 mm section tyres, while a good compromise on a 26 inch mountain bike wheel is a 1.5 or 1.75 inch road tyre. I bought Panaracer Crosstown tyres in 26x1.5 inch for my mountain bike and had no punctures on the tour (and very few afterwards). They're not reputed to be the fastest tyre but they are durable. They started to show signs of fatigue about three years later.

Clothing is another area where you can spend a lot of money, or very little. Discount sports shops often have suitable clothes at a fraction of the price of the latest 'fashion' items. Most of them will be polyester, which is ideal as it washes and dries in minutes. I wore a cotton tee shirt as a base layer when required and nylon swimming shorts for modesty over my cycling shorts. I also wore trainers rather than cycling shoes, as I used toe clips rather than clip-in pedals.Any thick socks will do in my experience. You can waterproof your feet (and keep them a bit warmer) by putting plastic bags over your socks before putting on your shoes.

But the key to saving money on equipment is to keep your eyes open in the months before your trip so you can catch all the bargains. Also borrow and adapt equipment you already have, as long as it's not too big or heavy and doesn't compromise your safety.

Don't let a lack of funds stop you enjoying cycling to the full, because there's usually a low-cost solution. Cycling is about riding the bike, not posing for the cameras!

That's how I saved money on Paris to Venice and other trips, but please feel free to add your own money-saving tips below.

Roy