Month: June 2020

I’ve subscribed to Strava now, because I couldn’t find a cycling route planner that works for me as well as the Strava one. Even so, I don’t find the new, paid up version of the route planner nearly as usable as the previous free, beta version so I’m unsure if I’ll continue as a subscriber past the free trial.

However, one useful perk for subscribers is the ability to see a personal ‘heat map’, and this is (most of) mine:

Unsurprisingly the stretches down to Twycross, and over toward Packington and Ashby burn brightly red. But even roads I’ve only done once, like the remote end of the Norfolk trip I did in 2017 (not pictured above), are highlighted in a faint blue.

I’m led to believe by the weather forecast that today is the last day of the modest heatwave we’ve had, so I thought I’d do a few hours after work. Still feels like a novelty to be able to ride without tights on.

Wanted to run in the new rear tyre on the X, and I headed off on the eastbound route at about 4:10pm, to make the most of the warm afternoon sunshine. I did think of doing the June Fondo, but decided not to go quite that far. I was on call from 6pm, and didn’t want to push my luck.

Turned back not long after Six Hills. Decided to come back through Coalville, to increase my chances of seeing lady joggers in tight gym pants pounding the pavement. My initiative was not rewarded.

https://www.strava.com/activities/3554669581

45.27, 77 done this month. Glad to have taken a decent bite out of this month’s distance task. 503 still to do.

I went out on my Specialized after work. I was going to take the X, to give the new rear tyre a test run. But when I got to the garage, the S Works just seemed to want it more.

Another really warm, sunny day. Where are they all coming from?? Since the wind was coming from the east, I headed out that way. I was going to do about 20 then turn for home, but I became nervous after about 15, as I’d forgotten to bring my phone. Yep – I was on call, and I hadn’t brought my phone. However I was more worried about having a mechanical and having to somehow attempt to borrow a phone from a stranger while social distancing to call ‘er indoors, than the prospect of not being available if needed at work.

So I did a U turn just short of Cotes, and came back. I took a longer route back though, through Long Whatton and Diseworth, and down Top Brand. The bike was rolling along so nicely, and my knees were coping so manfully,  that I decided to put my boot down a bit and see if I could get a personal best along Top Brand. I assumed there must be a segment there. There was, and I did! Top Brand just flew past. This was almost certainly the only time I’ve ever ridden down Top Brand while caring about how long it might take but for what it’s worth I did it in 5:49, the previous best having been 6:32 in August 2016.

I did the same along Moor Lane – a segment on which I have tried to get a personal best a few times, just for fun – and I got my best time on that one as well, the previous one, interestingly, having happened on the same ride in 2016. I did a time of 7:04, shaving 7 seconds off my August 2016 record. A zippy bike makes all the difference. I suppose being a kg or 5 lighter myself helps, as well.

Very nice run out, and a decent start to the June campaign. I’ve decided to aim for 5775 miles in 2020, to equal my previous yearly best. On that basis, this month’s target is 580 miles.

31.79 miles of them done today.

https://www.strava.com/activities/3548754014