Secret Cyclists favourite Pro Cyclist and all round Good Egg, Mark Cavendish has been in the news again.
He has been nominated as one of the shortlist of 10 for the 2011 BBC Sports Personality of The Year.
The full list is as follows-
Mark Cavendish (cycling)
Darren Clarke (golf)
Alastair Cook (cricket)
Luke Donald (golf)
Mo Farah (athletics)
Dai Greene (athletics)
Amir Khan (boxing)
Rory McIlroy (golf)
Andy Murray (tennis)
Andrew Strauss (cricket).
The winner is apparently selected by public telephone vote on the night so, Good Luck Cav!
In addition to his SPOTY nomination, Cav went to the Big House at the end of The Mall, London the be awarded his MBE by Her Majesty the Queen-
Cav gets a gong
On talking about his conversation with Her Majesty, Cav said "We were talking about the Olympics and my event finishing on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace next year - I told her to give me a cheer when we come past."
He is a wag isn't he?
Well done Mark!
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
I hate running but....
I used to go out running on a regular basis. It was part of my regime to keep me in shape for some of the specialisations I used to undertake. Since giving up those specialist tasks four or five years ago, I stopped the running.
To combat the danger of a spreading waistline that spending 80- 90% of a working day sat at a desk presents I joined the local gym. This worked fine and the weight stayed hovering at around 80- 82 kilos (I have always had a rapidly fluctuating weight within a half a stone region). I started to get very annoyed with the gym bunnies however, spending more of their time checking themselves out in the mirrors or chatting to their barely active buddy whilst occupying a piece of equipment or floor space I wanted to use so got a bit dispirited. Alongside regular back and elbow joint pain brought on by doing weights I got a bit dispirited so decided I couldn't justify the expense of continuing my gym membership, letting it lapse at the end of September.
I have started to run again. Initially just a mile/ mile and a half loop in 12-15 minutes but I am now extending it. I will stop at a maximum of about a 6 miler (and this will take a several of months to get to) with the possibility of once a week running home from work and then back to work the next morning.
We shall see.
I still hate running but......
To combat the danger of a spreading waistline that spending 80- 90% of a working day sat at a desk presents I joined the local gym. This worked fine and the weight stayed hovering at around 80- 82 kilos (I have always had a rapidly fluctuating weight within a half a stone region). I started to get very annoyed with the gym bunnies however, spending more of their time checking themselves out in the mirrors or chatting to their barely active buddy whilst occupying a piece of equipment or floor space I wanted to use so got a bit dispirited. Alongside regular back and elbow joint pain brought on by doing weights I got a bit dispirited so decided I couldn't justify the expense of continuing my gym membership, letting it lapse at the end of September.
I have started to run again. Initially just a mile/ mile and a half loop in 12-15 minutes but I am now extending it. I will stop at a maximum of about a 6 miler (and this will take a several of months to get to) with the possibility of once a week running home from work and then back to work the next morning.
We shall see.
I still hate running but......
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Somewhere over the rainbow
Yesterday evenings ride home from work started off dry but cool. 5 minutes up the road however and the cloud I was approaching decided to unload, so I endured 15 minutes or so of rain.
Not to worry, it is only water and skin is waterproof.
Another bonus for me is that the route I ride home is generally North West so I am cycling towards the sun with the exception of the descent from Winter Hill and the ride into Marlow itself which is Northerly (ish). As I come down from Winter Hill I am initially into the sun but the hairpin puts the sun over my left shoulder. Yesterday this meant that after the turn, the sun was behind me and the rain was in front of me. This presented me with the most vivid rainbow I have seen in a long time. The rainbow had a duller twin outside it and outside that, hints of a third!
I really need to get me a helmet camera.
Not to worry, it is only water and skin is waterproof.
Another bonus for me is that the route I ride home is generally North West so I am cycling towards the sun with the exception of the descent from Winter Hill and the ride into Marlow itself which is Northerly (ish). As I come down from Winter Hill I am initially into the sun but the hairpin puts the sun over my left shoulder. Yesterday this meant that after the turn, the sun was behind me and the rain was in front of me. This presented me with the most vivid rainbow I have seen in a long time. The rainbow had a duller twin outside it and outside that, hints of a third!
I really need to get me a helmet camera.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
10 days out of the saddle
Due to work commitments and a chest that sounded like a cement mixer mixing a vat of the slime that drips from the jaws of the alien in the film Alien, until my ride home from work yesterday I had not turned a pedal for 10 days.
My bike let me know that the neglect was noted by delaminating a puncture repair patch whilst it relaxed in the drying room at work. I had arrived at the bike all bouncy and raring to go.
That'll learn me.
My bike let me know that the neglect was noted by delaminating a puncture repair patch whilst it relaxed in the drying room at work. I had arrived at the bike all bouncy and raring to go.
That'll learn me.
Friday, 7 October 2011
Golden Years
Today, Ma and Pa Secret Cyclist celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary.
Well done them!
Clan Secret Cyclist will be visiting them on Sunday and we will drag them out for a nice dinner and the odd glass of bubbly to celebrate.
Well done them!
Clan Secret Cyclist will be visiting them on Sunday and we will drag them out for a nice dinner and the odd glass of bubbly to celebrate.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Jeebus! That was close.
On the ride home yesterday afternoon, I had one of those life flashing before your eyes moments.
I rode up to a T junction and was positioned just left of the broken white centre line, at point. I looked right and saw a car a little way off but too close for me to risk going for it. I looked left and saw a car a little bit closer than the one to my right, indicating to turn right. I had the feeling the driver was going to risk it so looked back again to see if he was going to make it.
I was right about the car to my left. I heard the sound of wheels locking up and saw the front of the car approaching my front wheel, taking the short cut through the junction in his efforts to save a second or two. My heart was in my mouth as I waited for the inevitable collision and pain.
Somehow the driver managed to avoid me and execute his turn- having slowed to a crawl and brought the car coming the other way almost to a standstill.
The driver who nearly had me gave an embarrassed wave and continued on his way whilst I tried to get my heart out of the way so I could draw breath and continue my journey.
No further incidents after that.
I rode up to a T junction and was positioned just left of the broken white centre line, at point. I looked right and saw a car a little way off but too close for me to risk going for it. I looked left and saw a car a little bit closer than the one to my right, indicating to turn right. I had the feeling the driver was going to risk it so looked back again to see if he was going to make it.
I was right about the car to my left. I heard the sound of wheels locking up and saw the front of the car approaching my front wheel, taking the short cut through the junction in his efforts to save a second or two. My heart was in my mouth as I waited for the inevitable collision and pain.
Somehow the driver managed to avoid me and execute his turn- having slowed to a crawl and brought the car coming the other way almost to a standstill.
The driver who nearly had me gave an embarrassed wave and continued on his way whilst I tried to get my heart out of the way so I could draw breath and continue my journey.
No further incidents after that.
Monday, 3 October 2011
Autumn rides- sights and sounds (and smells!)
Yesterday afternoon I decided to head out on my Cannondale R800 for a countryside loop.
I am fortunate in that I have some wonderful lanes to ride within 5 minutes of home.
The ride took in a few climbs which would normally be reasonably easy on the 'Dale (lighter than the commute bike and no luggage) but, I am on the recovery phase of a cold and have an annoying cough. The upshot of this was that the climbing was painful, really laboured breathing and heart rate maxing at 178 bpm at one point (Apprentice crumbly less than a year from the half century) so not good. Hurry up and bugger off cough!
Anyway, as it is autumn, farming folk are quite busy, preparing the land for the next crop. Part of the route I rode took me out of Hambleden village and towards the little hamlet of Parmoor. As I rode this, a farmer was ploughing a field beside the road. I could see something was occurring from a distance as there were 12 or 13 Red Kite gliding overhead watching what was going on. When I got level with the field, I could see 20 or so more Kite on the field itself checking out the freshest furrows for goodies. They leapt into flight as I passed, settling back again soon after. A wonderful sight.
Other farmers had been busy feeding their fields and the smell of well rotted manure was everywhere. Not so wonderful but, if you can't stand the smell- get out of the countryside!
A lot of the loop had tree cover over the roads and many of the trees were Beech. The roads beneath the trees were strewn with beech nut husks and riding over the husks sounded like muted automatic gun fire! I was waiting for the hiss of rapidly deflating tyre but I got away with it.
Autumn afternoon rides are only bettered by those bright, autumn early morning rides with mists over the fields.
I am fortunate in that I have some wonderful lanes to ride within 5 minutes of home.
The ride took in a few climbs which would normally be reasonably easy on the 'Dale (lighter than the commute bike and no luggage) but, I am on the recovery phase of a cold and have an annoying cough. The upshot of this was that the climbing was painful, really laboured breathing and heart rate maxing at 178 bpm at one point (Apprentice crumbly less than a year from the half century) so not good. Hurry up and bugger off cough!
Anyway, as it is autumn, farming folk are quite busy, preparing the land for the next crop. Part of the route I rode took me out of Hambleden village and towards the little hamlet of Parmoor. As I rode this, a farmer was ploughing a field beside the road. I could see something was occurring from a distance as there were 12 or 13 Red Kite gliding overhead watching what was going on. When I got level with the field, I could see 20 or so more Kite on the field itself checking out the freshest furrows for goodies. They leapt into flight as I passed, settling back again soon after. A wonderful sight.
Other farmers had been busy feeding their fields and the smell of well rotted manure was everywhere. Not so wonderful but, if you can't stand the smell- get out of the countryside!
A lot of the loop had tree cover over the roads and many of the trees were Beech. The roads beneath the trees were strewn with beech nut husks and riding over the husks sounded like muted automatic gun fire! I was waiting for the hiss of rapidly deflating tyre but I got away with it.
Autumn afternoon rides are only bettered by those bright, autumn early morning rides with mists over the fields.
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