Sunday 1 September 2013

Richmond Park Solo Brompton Spin

This morning I was up bright and early and off to Richmond Park with my Titanium Orange Brompton. There was a strange occurrence before I set off. I noticed that my bike was leaning over to one side when folded. Upon closer inspection I saw a flat front tyre. Examining the tyre and inner tube I could find nothing wrong? I decided to change the inner tube anyway. Before I left I put 100 psi in to the old inner tube and it looked fine? I suspect it may have been a fault with the valve but was glad I spotted it before I departed.

I was in two minds about going but two things nudged my thoughts to venturing out. First and foremost it was a glorious morning and upon arriving at Richmond one could tell it was going to be a beautiful day.

The second reason is perhaps the more important. There seems to be little point me writing about my desire to get fitter, faster and to ascend hills more easily unless I actually put in the work. I could have tootled around London taking photos or gone to Hyde Park but neither of these would have done anything for me, nor would they have provided the workout I wanted. No. It had to be Richmond Park. 

I am not sure why I took my GoPro this morning but I did. The link to the video clip was me on my first lap. I have had to cut the timing down as I had to keep it under 15 minutes. Again I opted for the rear view and I still like it.

I managed to complete four laps of the Park today at a reasonably good pace. The first lap averaged just under 17 mph, with the second just hitting 17 mph. Laps 3 and 4 which I didn't record on the Garmin (as I had pressed stop instead of lap) were hovering at an average of just about 17.5 mph. I was cycling as fast as I could and on the flats I was on or just over the 20 mph mark. 

My breakfast this morning consisted of a cereal bar - mainly as I had to tend to the puncture. This was rather stupid of me as by the 4th lap (I did want to do five) I had all the signs that I was bonking. This is basically where your body runs out of fuel. Once back at the car I took on some water and ate a Mars Bar I kept in the boot and I was fine again. 

Again I was rather pleased to take the scalps of a few roadies and I must say that some really do seem to lose heart on the hills. I was perhaps spurned on by the fact I was wearing my Brompton World Championships cycling top.

The roads around Richmond Park were very busy with cyclists. I spotted another Bromptonian on a yellow S-type. He was going in the opposite direction and looked pretty nippy. Like the recent Brompton World Championships at Goodwood I looked for roadies I could draft. I didn't have too much luck however. Some were too slow, while others riding in a lengthy peloton could be followed for a few hundred metres before they powered off into the distance. 

At some point this week the Kojaks will be going off until spring next year to be replaced by standard Marathons. I will also be putting the mudguards back on. I am doing this as I intend to use my Titanium Orange Brompton throughout the autumn and winter. 

It was a good little training run today. All too often 'training run' is employed for merely cycling around at 8 - 10 mph. Over longer distances this is certainly valid but I am glad that today's training run accurately describes the type of cycling I did this morning. 

4 comments:

  1. Hello Mr O.

    It is not your fault, I honestly stumbled across your blog after the incident in the cycle shop with the Cycle To Work Scheme gumpf.

    It is though your fault entirely that your eminently readable and enjoyable blog has wasted a few hours of my time in the last couple of days.

    Cheers

    Paul

    6 week wait for a M6R Cobalt btw, which is the fault entirely of my colleague who has been showing his off for the last few days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Knee keep reading Pao and enjoy your new Brompton.

      Delete
  2. "...I had all the signs that I was bonking. This is basically where your body runs out of fuel..."

    Where I come from, "bonking" used to have, maybe still does, a slightly different meaning...

    No offence. As a recent Brompton purchaser I really enjoy your blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is quite a well know and legitimate cycling term that has been around for a long time. Have a look:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitting_the_wall

      As for other meanings I couldn't possibly comment!

      Delete

Thank you for leaving a comment.