Re: New to cycling
 

Just did the Alps 2 Ocean Bicycle Trail in NZ South Island. It is a 280km trail but I did some sections twice etc so racked up 350km. Was good trip. Took my Cyclocross bike and some sections were a bit rough for that but overall probably was the best weapon for the job.

Made just under 6000km in 2015, 5088m max elevation climbed on a ride and 84,832 metres overall for the year.

Re: New to cycling
 

I'm planning on doing the A2O in Feb when on leave, will skip the Mt Cook start though and go from Tekapo, can understand tourists doing it from there but not locals who see Mt Cook all the time.

Re: New to cycling
 

Similar to me. Did about 6200km and just over 81000vm, which is about 500km down on 2014 and about 1000vm up on 2014.

As my kids get older, and with me doing rotating shift work, I've been finding it harder to find time to get rides in, esp the bigger rides. Hopefully I can still get close to 6000 km this year as well. The vm tend to take care of themselves as I live in a hilly area.

On holidays in bris at moment but spent best part of last 4 days trying to cough up a lung. Not happy.

Re: New to cycling
 

Wow....thats insane, thats waaaaaaay beyond the current record.
Speaking of which, the existing record is about to be toppled as we speak.

http://road.cc/content/news/174177-k...r-record-today

Re: New to cycling
 

thanks mate , looks like beauty , i`ll look into that .

Re: New to cycling
 

i`m sitting here with some blood dripping out of my leg and my elbow :yelrotflm,............... took my first tumble today in decades, i was just doing moderate 20 k ride today and i was trying to beat some fairly nasty storm clouds over head , had about 1 k to go maybe less , coming back through the local park / bike path another rider coming the other way on the dirt track tried to avoid me as i was just off my seat and taking the weight off my front wheel as the path turned from cement to dirt with a bit of a drop ,
the gentleman coming the other way tried a bit of evasive action and give me some more room and lost his front wheel grip went over and i went over the top of his front wheel then over the the top of my bike , .

really amazing how stuff just happens at the right time , if it happened 3 seconds earlier or later it would not have happened , if you where a movie director you could not have timed it better :).
note to : "self buy helmet for knee and elbow and left hand ",
i took the tumble a bit harder,
the other gentleman (good bloke )helped me up , we asked each other if we had any injuries dusted ourselves off , had a bit of a laugh about it and went on our merri way.
amazing that today i had my best ride ever(until that point ) , i finally got the bike set up with seat and and the handle bars up about an inch an a half , and then bang.
All part of the fun ,
a little coincidence , usually i have a go pro running on the bike , i decided against it today , pity i would have had some good footage :).

Re: New to cycling
 

Glad it wasn't worse for you, Mik! At least you could get home under your own steam.

Re: New to cycling
 

That's the same record, the article uses miles, rather than kilometres. It also mentions that Bruce Berkeley is London based, yet Strava has him riding 1357km around Adelaide the last four day. I think he's finishing his attempt in the UK partway through the year.

Re: New to cycling
 

Thanks Swanny , im starting to feel a few other aches and pains coming out now, and i have skin missing from a few spots that are now hotter than a 4wd on a road test :), but nothing serious i think , i might have to spend some time with tweezers getting some splinters out from a few spots, with any luck i`lll be back into it tommorrow:evill

Re: New to cycling
 

Sorry to hear mik. Hope you heal up fast.

Re: New to cycling
 

Thanks Shav, I'm feeling a bit sore and sorry today let me tell you, I may have been a bit premature with my ambitions to jump back on the bike today : ) ,
Im now thinking a bit of recooperating time might be a good thing.

Re: New to cycling
 

Had my second GP visit after my stack today , i have discovered they have a different technique for treating cuts and abrasions/gravel rash these days , in the old days we`d clean up the wounds best as possible removing the debris with tweezers and swabbing as you go , and then a topping like Mercurochrome or something similar would on that left a dry scab .
Now they give it a quick clean up them put some sort of bandage on impregnated with something and it keeps the wound/s gooey and seeping , today upon pulling the patches off , heaps of puss and debris was swabbed off, underneath it looked pretty good apart from missing skin :) , it looks like a good procedure , hopefully i wont get to see it done again ,
take care peeps. ...

Re: New to cycling
 

Sorry, i didnt mean to freak you all out with my pussey post :), but it just goes to show how even if your pretty careful you can get caught out, on the particular path i was on i dont think i had seen anyone there before, the other bloke was a surprised as me ,
ah well **** happens .
looking forward to get back on the bike in a few days if all goes well, i wont really know if im damaged still until i go for run.

how does the lycra go when you come off , does it give you any protection at all ?
it figures the day i came off was the first time i decided to wear shorts on a ride :).

Re: New to cycling
 

Havnt been riding as much as id like to only to and from work, getting sick of using it as a commuter. Got this coming up soon looking like ill probably enter it, more a social ride than anything.
https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...dc&oe=573D8705

Re: New to cycling
 

Santos tour down under or whatever it is starts next weekend in my neck of the woods
Ive got a four day weekend so illl think i will stay at home
The roads out here will be pretty full on with a couple of thousand cyclists
Although the hot rod show is on the weekend so should be interesting on the roads

Re: New to cycling
 

Had my first decent ride of the year yesterday, did the Hauraki Rail Trail from Thames to Waihi (Nth Island, NZ). It's only 56 km but 40 km of it was into a buggar of a head wind, was a fantastic ride though, the Karangahake Gorge section was sensational, tunnels, bridges and perfect flowing track that followed the river through the gorge.

Re: New to cycling
 

My 80 YO Dad, brother and I are doing the Otago Rail Trail in late Feb. Dad is amazing for his age. I introduced him to cycling 20 years ago and he's never looked back. We start near Queenstown and finish at Oamaru a week later. Can't wait!

Re: New to cycling
 

Nice one, it's on my to do list also.

Re: New to cycling
 

i got back into it today (er yesterday )after my bit of a spill 10 days ago , i didnt know what to expect injury wise , because i hit the deck pretty hard and the old bones and cartileges have seen better days , but i eased into it with a ten k ride and i felt pretty good (touch wood) ,
i also had a bit of time to tune the cycle up a bit ..... give her a blue print and balance :), .........and im wrapped , no more seat pain , (maybe i can give some tips to any one having trouble in that area, im happy to help any way )
..... so weather permitting and motivation on the ride days im really going to try and hook in now, thats the plan anyway.
be safe out there .... pain does hurt ;).

Re: New to cycling
 

just wondering how many of us cyclists take mobile phones with us , and what other gear you take with you , i pretty much take the kitchen sink , i have a decent size tool kit strapped and pvc taped to cross bar up near the goose neck , on top of that i have my blue tooth hamburger speaker cable tied to the strap ....... also have my kmart 5 dollar pump pvc taped to the under side of the cross bar ....running out of room :).

on the handle bar i have a spare new tube in a box pvc taped on, also have my mobile phone holder for my note 4 which supplies my blue tooth music and s health tracking app,
also have the go pro mounted with a very powerful alligator type clamp(by go pro... works a treat) near the goose neck ,
plus the usual led headlight on the handle bar , and under the seat my tail light which shares the seat post with a one metre cable bike lock , plus my water bottle on the upright (properly attached ), also i have a pouch thing on a strap around my fat gut to hold various bits and pieces, keys, money, more tools , more pvc tape ( i love that stuff ! ) , soon i will taping a spare tyre to the handle bar if i can find a spot :).
Went for my daily today and made my best pace since i have been riding again in recent times ................. over 22.79 k`s an average of 18.7 kph , i think im doing ok for a decrepit old fart ...... cough :).

Re: New to cycling
 

Good work Mik! Especially with the payload you're carrying

I always take my phone in my rear jersey pocket... just in case (along with reading glasses). It has some music on it, but I've been doing without lately.

I've got an under seat pack with a spare tube, a couple of patches and glue, two tyre levers which I had to use this morning. Rear light is mounted to the seat post. Two bottle cages, with at least one bottle on board.

I have a hand pump fitted to the seat down tube. For longer rides, I have a bag fitted to the top tube behind the steering tube, which I throw in my multi-tool, and a muesli bar or three.

The handlebars hold my headlight, and the Garmin 500.

I only take my keys into my jersey pocket when I'm riding to work, and then I've got a back pack with a uniform as well.

Re: New to cycling
 

i only take wallet, keys, phone and some muesli bars or banana or similar in my jersey pockets, and a small flannel esp during summer.

the bike has 2 bottle cages and i usually always take 2, and the saddle bag has a spare tube, tyre levers, puncure kit and a couple of Co2 canisters.

thats it.

Re: New to cycling
 

usually I cary my phone and smaller wallet in a pouch in my jersey pocket, sandwich bag with cloth sunnies case and a muesli bar or similar in another pocket.

Dependant on the ride length if I need to carry two bottles or not, I have either a small saddle bag or tool bottle with two tubes, multi tool, 3 Co2, chain link, some glueless patches and 4&5mm Allen keys.

Re: New to cycling
 

I take a small saddle bag which has a tube, leavers 2x c02 cannisters and the applicator.

Then in jersey pocket, left hand side has my phone and keys (if required) middle has another tube, right has pump and gels (if required).

If I'm doing 100+km's or it is unusually hot, I'll normally wack a second bottle cage on and carry a powerade and a water.

PS. Due to work being busy, and being personally busy with moving in to a new house (yes I bought a house!) I've really fallen in to a funk with riding.

I'm riding home from work today, first commute to the new place, which I hope perks me back up, but yeah really fallen out of love all of a sudden.

Re: New to cycling
 

Way too much stuff Mik, I work on carrying only the essentials that will prevent me from having to push my ride home.

That is:
1 x tube (I run tubeless)
3 x mini tyre levers (clip together type, metal core)
1 x Multitool (Birzman - allen keys and chain breaker)
1 x Park Tool tyre boot (if my tyre sidewall is torn)
1 x Small hand pump
1 x CO2 kit
1 x 11 speed Sram connector link (if I break a chain)
1 x mobile phone

This all fits into the two zip pockets in my Camelbak

I figure the chances of something else breaking and forcing me to have to walk home are so remote that I just don't carry it.

Re: New to cycling
 

i've just got home from spending a bit of time with my folks in brisbane. i go visit them pretty much every year, and the last couple of years i've shipped my bike up to ride whilst there.

this is the view from Kamarun Lookout, which is right up the top of O'Reillys.
https://i183.photobucket.com/albums/...psczpxhyt2.jpg

this would be one of the best rides i've done. its a 36km trek from Canungra and is basically uphill the whole way. the first 5km or so is a bit undulating but then its all climbing from there. elevation gain is around 900vm. the road is a bit of a goat track in spots, with many sections only 1 lane. i went early to avoid the traffic which ended up being a very good move. i'd been told about the climb by Lynton(GeckoGT) but he failed to mention the 12% ramp at the end. boy, that nearly finished me.

doing a 30km climb really tests you mentally. for me thats climbing for about an hour and 3/4. thats a long climb. even the decent takes a while. i mentioned about going early being a good move. on the decent, there was quite a bit of traffic, which really slows you down as you have to give way. there simply isn't room in some spots for a car and a bike to be side by side. easier to do this going downhill than going uphill.

just thought i'd share one of the many pics i took from the lookout (google maps link https://www.google.com.au/maps/place...b6d46587?hl=en)

Re: New to cycling
 

keep an eye out for me. I'll be the guy in the blue, green and white jersey:yelrotflm:yelrotflm:yelrotflm

sorry, someone had to say it:dance

my number is 1850, so give me a shout if you see me. i have a white cannondale caad8, as per the above pic.

Re: New to cycling
 

Will do! I don't know my number yet, as my brother has collected my kit, but I'll have a jersey matching white /green/blue Giant TCR.. :doh

I've never done a TDU ride before or been to the TDU. never climbed Nortons either so i'm certainly looking forward to it.

Re: New to cycling
 

Norton's isnt too bad if you pace it easy, save your energy for Crows Nest. That will test a few out as you'll have 120km under the belt by that time.

Re: New to cycling
 

Yes indeed. I'm staying in Victor from Wednesday, so time permitting I'm thinking of going for a recon of that on Thursday. I have slotted my nanny cassette (32-11) on in prep. :yelrotflm