The Sprocket & Cog Café- off-topic chat

[TheLongRider]

Welcome to the Sprocket & Cog Café, a place to pull up a virtual chair, check out the cake menu and discuss the finer things in life.

🚲🚲🚲 very good job 👏.

Not a massive fan but it takes the promise of eggs Royale and coffee to get me up some of the hills on a Sunday morning.

I was eating a large 99 in the sunshine yesterday with 80 miles in my legs and another 45 to go home. It was well deserved!

I'll have one of them rhubarb and custard Danish pastry things from the M&Ss. They're lush.

Hello! Nice idea for a thread

I must admit that these days I'm more into watching cycling on TV than pushing the pedals myself, but I am married to a lovely MAMIL who disappears off on his bike several times a week. He does encourage me to come too, but he goes much too fast for me and I don't want to cramp his style.

I'd love a cappuccino and a slice of lemon drizzle cake please.

Cup of tea and anything gluten free please. Carrot cake preferred but if all you have is a chocolate brownie then that will do.

The more calories the better just to get me up the next hill.

On the other hand after today's ride in glorious sunshine an ice cream might be nice. 😀

Wow that is a long ride thelongrider. I'm hoping to do 100m some time this year but not been over 72 ish yet. Problem is finding someone to join me and then being able to find the time when we can both have a weekend day off from the kids and also get some long rides in leading up to it.
What do you think is a minimum distance to do before attempting a long ride like that. I was thinking maybe getting above 80 in the few weeks leading up to it but as I usually cycle on school days and avoid long rides at the weekend this might be tricky.

I had a long day at work today but Woman's Hour was about women and bikes, no idea of content - I will listen to it later on.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08njtjj

The rule of thumb for long rides is if you can ride three-quarters of the total distance you'll be fine for the full course.

I did my ride solo with just a set of earphones and the radio for company. I do ride with others but most of my rides are solo. I had birdsong and butterflies during the ride and nasty northerly headwind for the last 40 miles and a bit of climbing.

My husband cycles too and we have a child, so we get a day each at the weekend. It does mean that you have to be selfish to get the time to ride but it goes both ways. We rarely get to ride together.

Ooh, I will be listening to that Women's Hour podcast too. Apparently it had a section on "vulval health".

I listened and thought it lacked depth generally, honestly, asking the consultant dermatologist from Addenbrookes who had advised the Olympic team what term she used to refer to her undercarriage ...... surprise, surprise Vulva!

Apparently not waxing, shaving, etc., etc.. is good for vulval health which is good news for someone like me, interesting that all that faff is considered the norm, not in my lazy life.

The bit on maintenance too. I can maintain my own bike even though my husband builds our bikes and I don't really need to.

You must be v dedicated TheLongRider. I would get bored, assuming I was still alive that is .

It's not boring if you're a nosey bugger like me. You get to look at houses and fields and mountains. You're thinking about the next climb or your next break or if you'll miss that raincloud!

I live in Dublin, Ireland and I have everything from mountains to bogland within 20 miles of my house. I could be cycling past thatched cottages or council estates. It's a great way to see the country and you can always stop to take a photo.

We're a chatty nation and you'll get talking to people when you stop.

I also don't find long rides boring. I think when you have a family at home that are constantly demanding your attention for something it's good to be able to switch off and not have anyone disturb you. I rarely answer my phone if I'm out and that ability to switch off and think only about your next breath or where the next hill is can be refreshing and I come home feeling ready for the onslaught to start again.
Thelongrider it sounds like I just need to do one more longer ride then before I try 100 and get above 70.

No cycling today unfortunately as I'm at work. Hoping to get out for a longish one tomorrow with a friend. She likes hills though so could be a tough one.

I found a couple of articles in the Guardian on vulval health. www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2014/aug/14/how-female-cyclists-can-combat-saddle-soreness

www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2016/aug/15/team-gb-cycling-saddle-sore-medals

Both articles cover the same ground. I'd like to see the actual research results.

I clearly have a short attention span, my longest ride in one go is 48 miles and I was bored. DH was with me or I would have turned for home sooner. DD is nearly 11, most of our rides are family rides of 25-30 miles, I love it, just right for me.

Having had the winter off I hate the traffic again.

Steve Hogg makes sense on the subject of fit/discomfort.

www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/sensitive_issues.pdf

www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/more_sensitive_issues.pdf

I can't belive I missed this thread so far!

I love long rides, I love having a nosy at nice houses I pass plus there's no small people trying to crawl up your leg. Bliss.

Plus I think I've found a cafe with the best scones on earth but I'm happy to continue testing others for the sake of science.

Any cycling adventures going on this weekend?? We are driving over to the coast and riding the cinder trail tomorrow.

I am not feeling fantastic, in the middle of a health issue, so I am going to have a go on the back of the tandem as I don't have my usual level of energy ..... I will report back. I am not going to have a go before I get there in case I don't like it much!!

DD prefers her own bike these days but we have kept it because I thought it would be nice to go to the pub on as an old lady .

Hope you're feeling better barchester

How was the cinder trail?

I did my first sportive :-) which was very exciting for me. It was the Dales 3/4/5 dale sportive run by Richmond CC. I did the baby one - only 60 miles ;-). It went through Arkengarthdale, Swaledale and Wensleydale. If anyone fancies a sportive in the North I can highly recommend it - fab marshalling, really friendly, great feed stations and baked potato and chili at the end (well just chilli for me as I eat low carb) - all for £20!

Thanks Sheepy, I am having a few tests, I am fine generally, not much energy though hence I will be hitching a lift on the tandem after riding in the lakes nearly killed me last week.

Your photos look fab, were you out in that nasty storm? How hilly was the route?

The storm has finally passed here. That is why we are riding tomorrow 😀 (Have just spent the rainy afternoon baking so that we can take a picnic with us).

Sorry to hear that barchester, I hope you feel better soon

That sounds brilliant sheepy

I'm heading out tomorrow for the first time in a couple of weeks so rather expecting it to knacker me. I'm dithering over the route I'm going to take so will see how my legs are before picking mountains or the coast..

Oh, in case anyone fancies a book recommendation, I've started reading Re:Cyclists by Michael Hutchinson and it's very funny so far. Technically I bought it for DH's birthday but I'm sure he won't mind me testing it a bit first

Tandem sounds like a good plan then - take it easy :-)
The route was quite hilly. I live in the Dales so I have hills within a mile both directions of the front door :-( It's good for training but hard for a relatively new cyclist. The weather was fabulous all morning then at noon there was a deluge - I was huffing and puffing up Cote de Grinton Moor at the time :-( But it passed in 15 minutes and the sun came out again. We had a really nasty storm later though - thunder, lightning and proper big ploppy rain. Luckily I was happily sat at home watching it out of the window!

Ah coastal ride sounds lovely Flavia - I'm hankering after a ride down to morecambe and the cycling route that goes north from there around the bay (I can't remember what it's called).

Enjoy the picnic Barchester

Ooo I forgot - here is the hilliness ...

I am in Niddedale sheepy, that storm was horrid, pleased to hear that you were inside at the time. You must be really pleased with yourself after that ride, I would be.

Has anyone ever been on a tandem? I see loads of them round here, can't say I am looking forward to it massively atm. I might chicken out and ride my own bike, slower than DH and DD.

Mr. LongRider and I are off on our third annual 200km (125m) ride tomorrow around the Wicklow hills. It's pretty hilly, about 2400m climbing. The route is here.
www.bikemap.net/en/route/4005619-mick-byrne-200-new-2017

It's nearly the only time we get to ride together, DC will be deposited with the grandparents for the day.

How'd everyone get on today?

I'd love to have a go on a tandem, the last sportive I was at had a couple of them, it looked fun..