tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77401295648260184242024-02-20T20:02:22.986+01:00A long way upRobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-19195554885806165292015-12-30T12:35:00.000+01:002015-12-30T12:35:17.774+01:00#festive500 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
Festive 500, 2015</div>
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This year I had decided that I would not participate in the festive 500 and I sold my trusty cyclocross.</div>
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I still needed a bike to get me to work and I got a great deal on a steel singlespeed that had been stood around the shop for 4 years. I fit slightly heavier gears 32-16 and I found that I could reach 24km/h spinningly on the flat and just about make it over the steepest hills on my daily commute.</div>
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The reason why I wasn`t going to do the 500km`s during the festive season this year is because I wanted to dedicate more time to my 2.5 kids, wife and 2 dogs but my wife, it seems, had taken it for granted that I would be out pushing the miles and burry myself on Strava and intagram anyway and encouraged me to do it this year too..... So it was decided that I would do it on my dedicated singlespeed winter bike because its just not possible to ride in our conditions on a road bike.</div>
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I have read a lot of reasons why people do the festive500 and the usual suspects are, base miles, getting out in the elements, a challenge, etc. but for me the way I view the festive500 has changed.</div>
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For me, the festive500 is the closest I`ll ever get to winning the tour de france. </div>
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Well, that's a bold statement I hear you mutter and to a point I agree but just bare with me while I explain. </div>
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I`m a middle aged bloke that doesn`t compete anymore and just enjoys riding my bike, be it a moutainbike, road bike or whatever... I love to get out and ride for no reason than the riding itself. No goals, no pressure, no hunting for extra watts, or lower BMI, just riding for riding's sake.</div>
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Now, the reason why I compare the challenge to the tour de france is the overwhelming support and encouragement I have recived over the last five sucsesfull attempts. Every time I stop , take off my gloves in freezing weather and take a picture, I know that someone else, be it from Japan, Germany,Australia or the USA will be encouraged to keep going and also write supportive comments on both instagram,facebook and Strava. Just the fact that I , a normal bloke with a bike can help motivate others to get out and ride more is mind blowing. </div>
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Going back to the plot, how many middle aged blokes in lycra get so much attention for simply just riding their bike? I have even made friends with the guys and girls that I have "digitally" met under the festive500 and even virtually met some people just to go for a ride.</div>
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This year I have had visitors to my house, complete strangers that have become riding partners and I also travelled to Germany to an obscure and literally unknown radmarathon in the black Forest to do what I love doing the most.....getting out in the elements and simply riding a bike.</div>
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As you may have guessed, I completed this years Festive 500 on my singlespeed 29`er and I realy encourage other to give it a go. It`s not about how tough you are (the tough guys are doing over a 1000km`s ) , for me its about the global cycling community, all pulling together and cheering each other on. I think the guys a Rapha created something more that they originally expected.</div>
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Chapeau! And see you next year.<br />
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For more photo`s , go over to my Instagram account <a href="https://www.instagram.com/manx71/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/manx71/</a><br />
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To see my riding stats go to Stava <a href="https://www.strava.com/athletes/102862" target="_blank">https://www.strava.com/athletes/102862</a><br />
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RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-11567363155855138472014-12-30T12:11:00.003+01:002014-12-31T13:51:01.290+01:00Festive 500 2014Its that time of year where I dust off this "blogg" to share my festive 500 escapades.<br />
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This, being my 4th Festive 500 means that I know what it takes to be able to complete the challenge. With this in mind I actually got in some base miles in November and I decided that I would plan my routes through places that I could take some interesting pictures even if it meant a lot more hours in the saddle through some of the toughest conditions,temperatures and climbs we have down here in the coastal area of southern Norway.<br />
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To be sympathetic to my family I decided to set out so that I would always be home at the latest 12 noon. My kids are a little older now and that meant spending valuable christmas time together at the breakfast table. This meant some very early starts and 4-5 hours in the dark. This also meant that, weather permitting, I should capture some nice sunrises and nice lighting conditions that only artic winter could produce.<br />
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After my November miles I worked out that I would have to struggle in the snow and ice at around 18-20km/h, any faster just isn`t possible. On the hills I couldn`t stand or the back wheel would spin and downhill I just didn`t dare riding fast and on some days the wind chill factor was literaly unbearable at higher speeds.<br />
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I`ll throw up some stats here first and post some pictures at the underneath.<br />
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Average speed for the whole challenge : 20.8 km/h<br />
Total hours out on the bike : 26hrs (plus another four warming hands at petrol stations)<br />
Total meters of climbing :7200metres<br />
Average temp : -7 celcius<br />
Lowest recorded Temp : -17 celcius<br />
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Lucky for me there was almost no wind, no mechanicals, no punctures and only a couple of low speed tumbles.<br />
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I set out hoping to find a little adventure and Wow, what an adventure this year proved to be. I have had some great rides, 2 of which were 130km long. I had to dig deep sometimes but the rewards were well worth it.<br />
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Before you look at the pictures, please bear in mind that it took on average about 20 minutes of riding before I could feel my fingers again, albeit stingely so I just wanted to take the pics fast and get my gloves on again. Thanks again for the motivation Rapha and Strava. See you next year.<br />
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Its -15 Celcius and dark. The sun slowly appears over the horizon and although the only warmth it produces is warmth in your soul, its just feels great.<br />
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There are more pictures over on my instagram account under manx71RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-35418177939128964242012-12-30T14:34:00.003+01:002012-12-30T14:37:54.893+01:00Mind games.YES! YES! YES!<br />
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As you might work out by the above statement, I have made the 500km mark.<br />
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I have promised my wife that I will make reindeer stew for all our guests we have invited to celebrate new years tomorrow, so I decided to bag the the last 70km`s this morning, giving me time to peel spuds and stuff tomorrow.<br />
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When my alarm went off at 06.30 today I really struggled to get my weary body out of bed, especially with the fact that i could hear hailstone battering down on the bedroom window. I consequently pulled the duvet back over my head but with a helping elbow from Anniken I finally managed to roll out of bed at 07.30.<br />
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The temperature outside was -2 degrees and the sleet/hail had died somewhat. Today I decided that I would just ride a loop around my village on the roads that were almost ice free that I had spotted yesterday.<br />
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The loop is 7.5km`s long and I would have to ride it 10 times to get the needed km`s.<br />
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After round nr.2 the storm eased off a little and I found a photo opportunity.<br />
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Not soon after I shot the picture, the skies turned black again and the sleet returned and the wind picked up.<br />
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I was pretty miserable by round 5 and stopped at the local petrol station for a coffee. I grabbed a customer and asked her to take a picture. The result was my head inside, and her legs outside.<br />
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The ice on the roads was almost completely melted where the car tyre tracks were, so I could either chance riding on rotten slush, or a gully full of water. It was raining so much at this point that I kept my wheels firmly in the gully and put my head down. " I am not wet, or cold", "I am not wet, or cold". "Only 20km`s and I can get a shower" were about the only things I thought about round the last few laps of Søgne.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENa6TlHdi3vWLtEuDDsbQI8RPWFB1bDxBqbzXxFzTTX_xegaoS9qk7UOcSf2LGtTeAbnw5S8y0HydCzwxI92_vfYfZ92spcyl3zkOwjcDUfHjSdZXNQzDB2r3N7mUcTpzXmbH0FUhyphenhyphenaIv/s1600/IMG_20121230_115341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENa6TlHdi3vWLtEuDDsbQI8RPWFB1bDxBqbzXxFzTTX_xegaoS9qk7UOcSf2LGtTeAbnw5S8y0HydCzwxI92_vfYfZ92spcyl3zkOwjcDUfHjSdZXNQzDB2r3N7mUcTpzXmbH0FUhyphenhyphenaIv/s320/IMG_20121230_115341.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The ice and rotten snow was blocking the escape routs for the accumulated water mass.<br />
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Hehe. Childish i know but these signs still make me snigger.<br />
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All in all I am very pleased with myself and I am not going to pretend I havn`t had some tough times over the last week. Its been pretty hard at times due to the conditions and the fact that i have been solo on my 13kg cyclocross bike with studded tyres. (and with an average temperature of -6 Celsius)<br />
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Iv`e spent 31 hours 32 mins 54 seconds out on my bike, 26:6:03 of actual moving time. (a lot more than last year, even though i`m a little fitter) and My 2 minutes of fame being that i was on top of the Norwegian leader board on Strava when I uploaded my final ride, with one less ride than my "rivals".Brilliant! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSPDlVJsR6eg0F6kqQo3Q4dgM5mtIBzYs7FqlYZGn89-yZQlDwauwLM03P2Xw0DdfxS8-y952tzcNn1WT_L52xB3vZQPp3K6y76WjaLGuY-dlYTozwzIqNzNsYWEwifRjNOPf3uFHPrfR/s1600/leaderboard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSPDlVJsR6eg0F6kqQo3Q4dgM5mtIBzYs7FqlYZGn89-yZQlDwauwLM03P2Xw0DdfxS8-y952tzcNn1WT_L52xB3vZQPp3K6y76WjaLGuY-dlYTozwzIqNzNsYWEwifRjNOPf3uFHPrfR/s320/leaderboard.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As per usual today Strava log is <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/34713783" target="_blank">here</a> and my Instagram photos are <a href="http://instagram.com/manx71" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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This has got to be the best base mile week I have ever had, so if i doesn`t help me out next racing season, I really am a basket case! <br />
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Thanks go to Strava, Rapha and my family for the motivation.RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-64216922568144028392012-12-29T19:16:00.001+01:002012-12-29T19:28:54.926+01:00And now for something different...One of the Scandinavian weather traits is how fast the temperature can rise and fall. Most people who ski or climb mountains know that extra dry clothing is a must. I say this because after riding in -13 Celsius yesterday i woke up to rain and 6 Celsius today, that's a whopping 19 degrees difference in just 6 hours.<br />
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I had planned to ride about 50km`s but had to cut the journey short because although I don't mind most weather, being reduced to have to walk my bike just rubs me up the wrong way! Especially on the bike paths that are right beside a road that is totally snow and ice free. Arrgghh! The reason why it annoys me is that the government are all pro-cycling. They love campaigning to get more people on a bike and out of a car, especially commuters. The problem is that although they love us in their campaign, they simply don't look after the cycle paths... OK, rant over.<br />
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Sheet ice with rain on the top. A bit of a nightmare to tell you the truth. I didn`t fall today so I put it down to my Schwalbe marathon winter tyres. Top dog for winter commuting and training.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIdNSFNw_B4K6HuK675HLbONsSBbcDeoXQE91zuGeJMM_KR8DimgZuJ2qKwz7rA5MJXRvBHO1-CnypVG7cdp2t7EtU6XYqHv1wJWAcUDHPGM9bYicjy5jyxSEkBtOvPVZKblL0UKLO9n_/s1600/IMG_20121229_141247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIdNSFNw_B4K6HuK675HLbONsSBbcDeoXQE91zuGeJMM_KR8DimgZuJ2qKwz7rA5MJXRvBHO1-CnypVG7cdp2t7EtU6XYqHv1wJWAcUDHPGM9bYicjy5jyxSEkBtOvPVZKblL0UKLO9n_/s320/IMG_20121229_141247.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Did I say I hate walking my bike?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJFif0KhjgO9HSE_P9blA3MtO6YyvppmOYwORmf-TEQD5Mv8cYTQlz8y_hPBJziW_2hNFfFJLKJQMQ1nGkjG_MS1BnyeWwCCWDvCDAngZDPO0Iq9LJ8rlNUs-tX9x_FyXw7814STVSdSR/s1600/IMG_20121229_145821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJFif0KhjgO9HSE_P9blA3MtO6YyvppmOYwORmf-TEQD5Mv8cYTQlz8y_hPBJziW_2hNFfFJLKJQMQ1nGkjG_MS1BnyeWwCCWDvCDAngZDPO0Iq9LJ8rlNUs-tX9x_FyXw7814STVSdSR/s320/IMG_20121229_145821.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I got a Rapha hardshell off my wife for Christmas. A really good jacket for the rain but I have to say that my soft shell is still my all time fave. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4BckM8ncffF-2xhjw6gA81wcpDglXlJdViKEVAmwN2m6sYKI3d3oVje_hu9PFddkS3t4IVw8_kiNKQiDUsWo0WUMNwBzMRRaq_2fJ8JQxL0sQP5YgE_aBsh2QrjrO1ZsQfDjJ_1pnu8j/s1600/IMG_20121229_160211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4BckM8ncffF-2xhjw6gA81wcpDglXlJdViKEVAmwN2m6sYKI3d3oVje_hu9PFddkS3t4IVw8_kiNKQiDUsWo0WUMNwBzMRRaq_2fJ8JQxL0sQP5YgE_aBsh2QrjrO1ZsQfDjJ_1pnu8j/s320/IMG_20121229_160211.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The best thing I noted about my ride today was how fast I racked up the miles on my garmin edge 800, even with the walking. If it wasn`t for the freezing garmin abnormalities I had on the previous rides I would have completed the challenge already today. Strava logg <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/34560335" target="_blank">here</a> , and Instagram account <a href="http://instagram.com/manx71" target="_blank">here</a>RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-62228448159726330452012-12-28T20:05:00.002+01:002012-12-28T20:05:35.940+01:00Ride four! Today it was a fresh -13 Celsius when i set off, and the temperature sank down to -15 Celsius before rising to around -7 during the day.<br />
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I was worried that my bum was going to hurt today but I used loads of rapha chamois cream, and it really does work wonders. <br />
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(Note to self: apply chamois cream<em> BEFORE rubbing your legs with winter embrocation)</em><br />
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Legs were good, but we didn`t get any sun today. I am amazed that I managed to do the whole 160km`s today and I am well on my way to completing the festive 500 challenge.<br />
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Unfortunately, Garmin stole another 30km`s (so, no, it isn`t a myth that Garmin Edge doesn`t work too well at low tempratures). This ride gave me 160km`s during last years Festive 500 but it was warmer last year. Never mind, I suppose its only fair to the other arctic riders out there that we a playing on a level field.<br />
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I hit the most spectacular scenery when the temperature gauge was at its lowest, so unfortunately I didn`t fancy taking off my gloves 60km`s away from the nearest place to get warm again. Although this was my longest ride, I took the fewest pictures.<br />
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Here are todays photo`s...<br />
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A frozen fjord<br />
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Fun,fun,fun! Twisty turnies.<br />
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Lunch bought at my half way point, whist I had a little de-frost.<br />
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So, according to my strava log found <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/34395285" target="_blank">here</a> , I did "133km`s" today and have racked up a total of 388km`s on my four rides. Average speed is off because of the missing km`s but moving time of 7 hours and 12 minutes is correct. I had a few more stops than I planned, simply to de-frost my bottles.<br />
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I have tried to rally some support from fellow riders but to no avail, so it looks like it will be a 100% solo affair this year for me, Billy no mates.... hehe. RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-7205902218840213812012-12-27T17:39:00.002+01:002012-12-27T17:40:30.246+01:00Amateur dramaticsI`m such an idiot sometimes!<br />
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Yesterdays mini thaw, was joined by today's deep freeze. This made the roads really scary. I broke with my front disk brake going over some washboard ice and fell flat on my face and bent my front mudguard so it dragged on my wheel which I just bent back in a manner of fashion. The nice thing about ice is that it is really forgiving if one should have hiccup. No damage to me or clothing as I slid about 10 metres on my side. <br />
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Anyway, it gave me a scare so I took the rest of the day gingerly. The roads were very icy so I had to keep my bum firmly on the saddle on the climbs for traction and what turned out to be 60km`s of washboard gave my wrists and bum a real pounding....So i`m sitting on one cheek while I type.<br />
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I had a few scary moments and I used these as photo opportunities. The weather was gorgeous, the sun was out, the wind was kind and the temperature varied from -7 Celsius down to around -9 Celsius in the shade.<br />
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Like I said, I took loads of pictures, so without further ad do, here they are.<br />
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Late start, same ritual.<br />
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Bent front mudguard. These Lake winter shoes are a godsend. Today I used Rapha`s deep winter tights, as I normally do all winter.<br />
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Mugshot. I was really pleased I got a shot of the gnarled bumpy ice created by the ploughs with snow chains.<br />
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The largest dilemma of the day was, do I (a) stick my freezing water bottle up my jacket to prevent it from freezing or (b) just don't drink. I opted for the latter and ended up with a headache. Doh!<br />
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All in all, I just plodded around taking photos and enjoying the beautiful weather today. Now I`m at the halfway point, and really hoping I can complete the challenge. Well happy. The strava log for today is <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/34200337" target="_blank">Here.</a> </div>
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<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-30099912558972385512012-12-26T14:45:00.004+01:002012-12-26T15:48:29.440+01:00A festive day three, ride two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another early start and today I was determined to get in about 120-30km`s. </div>
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I was expecting pretty hard going because we have had a mini thaw. Just enough to soften up the top layer of snow but not enough warmth to thaw the ice under the snow. I encountered a myriad of challenges and conditions. I got about 80km`s of sheet ice with a thin layer of water on the top, 30km`s of 20cm deep slush, I encountered some sleet and right at the end of my ride I got rain and actually saw some black asphalt patches even though the mercury was telling me it was -3 celcius. <br />
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Not really the worst place to fall on my face, although trying to get hands out of Bar-Mitts can be troublesome. It`s a bit like the good ol`SPD fall, but with your hands, instead of your feet.</div>
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I love this shot! 40km`s from home and the sun is just peeking through the mist. </div>
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Another shot, about 20km`s from home. The blurry effect isn`t something I have added but as mentioned on the above pic, It was pretty misty. <br />
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The going was painfully slow today but I decided not to let the speed bother me and just get my head down and do the miles and keep my studs facing terra-firma as much as possible.</div>
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One thing that does bother me slightly, is my Garmin 800 got the holes under it, blocked by snow. This ride is normally 128km`s long with 2200m of height gain. Today Garmin gave me 571m of height gain and only 108km`s. </div>
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Still, chin up! over a 3rd of the challenge complete. Yay! </div>
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Strava log <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/34019745" target="_blank">Here</a></div>
<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-74648056451130799802012-12-24T12:13:00.002+01:002012-12-24T21:36:21.677+01:00Epic!I havn`t got time to write much because I used an hour more than planned and I have to get cracking on Christmas dinner....<br />
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What I can say is the first two hours were spent riding in porridge in the dark. I got hit by a blizzard and the temperature was lower than expected at around -7 Celsius at the half way point.<br />
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On the way home, night turned to grey and the snow plough lads were out in full force which made the going home just sweet. Meandering down the valley through the pine tree forest was Epic enough for me to stop and take pictures and to block my freezing fingers at the back of my mind.<br />
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Wouldn`t have missed it for anything, gorgeous and pure fun! <br />
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As you can see, not much to see the first couple of hours.<br />
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Today's Strava log <a href="http://app.strava.com/activities/33751321" target="_blank">HERE</a> showing 70km`s layed down. Chuffed to bits. :)</div>
<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-19728759844263630542012-12-23T23:00:00.001+01:002012-12-23T23:03:49.437+01:00Festive 500 2013 Its that time of year when I brush the dust off the blogg and start waffling (Norwegian pun intended) about my silly riding antics. I did actually complete the Rapha rising competition this year (and got the badge to show it) but didn`t document it on anything else than Strava and instagram......<br />
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Well,back to the festive. This year I`m not at all sure that I will make the 500, but i`m certainly going to give it a good hard try.<br />
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The weather conditions and amount of time my family can let me out on the bike will be the deciding factors. As with last year, I will be setting out on my trusty Cube cyclocross bike as early as my body can get out of bed.<br />
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Tomorrow is the first day and I would have liked to get out at 5 ish in the morning but the weather is forecast for a outright storm this evening and with a bit of luck should die down a little at around 6 am. and not that cold @ - 2 Celsius.<br />
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The plan is to ride as far as I physically can in 4 hours. In the summer that would mean somewhere between 100-130km`s. However, tomorrow I will be lucky if I can rack up 15-20km`s an hour depending on how busy the snow ploughs have been during the night.<br />
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Conditions at the moment are, as mentioned snow storm with about 4-6ft of new snow and approx a a foot of snow on the roads.<br />
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RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-33106493991448954822011-12-28T18:44:00.000+01:002011-12-29T01:14:26.749+01:00All done!I am amazed by the fact that I managed to meet my goal of 500km`s before Thursday!<br />
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Today I wanted to give my family a little something back.<br />
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I grabbed my Niner One-nine single speed, put some air in the tyres and rode the first 20km`s of my 35km ride today solo.<br />
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When I came home, my youngest son was in his kit and bike at the ready. I could see the anticipation in his face. We have ridden this particular route several times before, but like me he was now riding it as a part of the Rapha festive 500!<br />
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The reason why I wanted to do this with my son, is because he has been asking to tag along all week. So today was his day.<br />
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The weather was a lot like the weather me and Espen had endured on our imperial century ride but maybe a little colder.<br />
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Sebastian rode like a champion, I could see he was getting tired but he has inherited his dads` stubbornness and didn`t complain once.<br />
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They have a saying here in Norway that says " There isn`t such a thing as poor weather, just poor clothing ".<br />
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When we got home we were so cold that the warm shower stung our legs and fingers.<br />
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After the shower, I made the whole family a British brunch consisting of bacon and eggs, chips, beans and HP sauce.<br />
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Thanks to the gents and ladies at Rapha for the inspiration and here are my redemption statistics.<br />
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Distance: 502,9 km<br />
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Calories burned: 13,783<br />
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Total saddle time: 24:22:29<br />
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Elevation climbed: 4702m<br />
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Average temperature 4 degrees Celsius<br />
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Here is today's Video, featuring today's hero Sebastian.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CWQVdnrlgzc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-86035233313635955092011-12-27T18:41:00.002+01:002011-12-27T20:04:42.521+01:00Almost done!My plan from the start of the festive 500, was, if possible, to complete it before Thursday.<br />
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If I don`t get run over by a bus tomorrow, then I will have achieved my goal.<br />
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The reason for this is that I have a part time job as a spinning instructor. I know its a bit "no-no" but it helps pay for bike parts and most of the true enthusiasts I know have either worked as a spinning instructor at some point, or a cycle courier.<br />
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Anyway, most things I do are usually done to the best of my ability and I want my customers to go away thinking that I have given them their moneys worth. In a spinning hall, that means I also have to be motivated enough to motivate them.<br />
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I personally like to think of myself as a MTB racer but my only god given talent, is my height. I can train loads, but I just don`t get any faster and always end up as cannon fodder, middle of the pack. The most important thing is that I enjoy doing it. Otherwise I would have given it up years ago.<br />
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Right. Back to today.<br />
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My neighbour pulled me out of bed, kicking and screaming at 07.00am. My body is really feeling the miles and I could have easily slept all day.<br />
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We set of in the dark as usual. What wasn`t usual is that it wasn`t raining, nor was there sleet. After about an hour, the sun came up and the wind died down a little.<br />
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I used the first 2 hours to get my legs to wake up and then the last 2 and a half hours of pure numbness just spinning and trying to think about what I would eat when I got home. When diesel cars drive by, and all you can smell is chicken, you know your body needs re-fuelling!</div>
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We stopped at a petrol station and I bought some chocolate chip buns. Whilst we were there I finally tightened the top out screw on my front derailleur as my chain had been thrown past the big ring on several occasions the past couple of days. I just havn`t been bothered to take of my gloves because of the cold. Today BTW, the temp was around 7 Celsius on the flats and 4 Celsius when we gained some height. the roads were clear in the lowlands but there was still ice on the hill up to Drivenes.</div>
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We totalled 104km today on our slow ride shown here on <a href="http://app.strava.com/rides/2908035" target="_blank">Strava</a> , which means I have now ridden a total of 469km in 4 rides. ( which is what I would normal ride on the road in a good summer month) .</div>
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I have something completely different lined up for tomorrows ride, so stay tuned! </div>
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<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-28448787554973529502011-12-26T18:02:00.002+01:002011-12-26T21:18:41.781+01:00An imperial century !I know rapha are looking for stories just as much as the miles, so with this being my longest ride, you get a long story.<br />
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I spoke briefly with my Friend Espen last night on the phone and asked him to join me today. Luckily for me he said it would be an adventure.<br />
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I met him half way to Kristiansand and when he asked how long we were going I simply replied with " a long way ".<br />
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To put this in context, we are both budding mountain bikers and closet roadies ( I suppose that secret is out now ), and " A long way " in mountain bike talk is about 70-80km`s.<br />
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Keeping with the festive spirit, I filled my pockets with some Norwegian Christmas goodies like the marzipan pig I mentioned on an earlier post along with "kransekake" which loosely translated is an almond biscuit/cake.<br />
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Being a mtb`er, the only winter-type shoes I have are these free ride shoes from shimano. They weigh a tonne but have enough room for a good thick pair of woolly socks.<br />
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Anyway, back to the plot. I left my house at 06.00am and met with Espen at 07.00am. He came smiling with no Idea of what was to come.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7vyB9Q5MA_MDfwctbxzLlR7jsanAzyls9CDDvQgWCdKGksEmnJXSKz09EP3f-hI7XuFkavWHcaOC3uAAAETSiHWXeTkDqVhHKMOXPkARIWCG0iaM6bYX44Yh8zWFh-syB5Q_KGn6t2pw/s1600/festive15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7vyB9Q5MA_MDfwctbxzLlR7jsanAzyls9CDDvQgWCdKGksEmnJXSKz09EP3f-hI7XuFkavWHcaOC3uAAAETSiHWXeTkDqVhHKMOXPkARIWCG0iaM6bYX44Yh8zWFh-syB5Q_KGn6t2pw/s320/festive15.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Last night it was really windy, so there were fragments of trees and rock blown on the road and because we have a warm front the temperature had risen to +4 degrees when we left and was about 6 Celsius when we got home.</div>
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The snow had all but melted but the roads were full of gravel and the rivers were bursting their banks.</div>
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Here is you watching me, watching you Espen</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2DVYp68qGOdNDxnKyWRpXcaxPE5wvpipTq1YBMsjafW2tgy1kMB9auQBkTPynTzpDyGUtlIbHXOXlksGonNXDZMajod-Sn8Fhcn89sIrZs9FCHfbCQ9U6Ai7c2F472fDWAbQJbPmBy-Z/s1600/festive17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2DVYp68qGOdNDxnKyWRpXcaxPE5wvpipTq1YBMsjafW2tgy1kMB9auQBkTPynTzpDyGUtlIbHXOXlksGonNXDZMajod-Sn8Fhcn89sIrZs9FCHfbCQ9U6Ai7c2F472fDWAbQJbPmBy-Z/s320/festive17.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After about 70km`s we were hit by the tail end of the storm (aptley named hurracane <a href="http://www.adressa.no/vaeret/article1748430.ece" target="_blank">Dagmar</a> ) and endured drizzle at first, which turned into torrential reign. We had a very strong head wind and the smile on Espens face had all but disappeared. Feeling sorry for the guy I jumped on his front wheel and towed him down to the coast. Now while most sensible people would be avoiding the coastline, in a storm, we had to face it head on. The wind in my ears was slowly making me insane, it was really unbearable! "Make it STOP!"</div>
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Luck was Finaly on our side as the headwind turned to a rear facing side wind, and as we were nearing home, Espens` face started to smile again.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLy5zzykPAbNix1srvkbHKvIXf10cFzrCOxLhfOOYbbwHiozs7S7xn3MQlP7rwfz5ZtBpSJjGFmio6zUMyVviG08Wyusln92jLVvLiZ5Qd2IiTYhiRYm0YAZjpUdT9lGYO2dS1-2obAzD/s1600/festive18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLy5zzykPAbNix1srvkbHKvIXf10cFzrCOxLhfOOYbbwHiozs7S7xn3MQlP7rwfz5ZtBpSJjGFmio6zUMyVviG08Wyusln92jLVvLiZ5Qd2IiTYhiRYm0YAZjpUdT9lGYO2dS1-2obAzD/s320/festive18.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4KEnh1OfN3EvM_RmA9Phk5t9QbW7DBTadKdi_RrXuKu_Q-HRbAxIhmADzaMXIbeADPoikf0PHbasBDX8V8NnsGtAMlOSTrgBeEWiTvsYo1G-Hv821M2x1gnDgk1bIeHUKx0ce9tPnYKv/s1600/festive20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4KEnh1OfN3EvM_RmA9Phk5t9QbW7DBTadKdi_RrXuKu_Q-HRbAxIhmADzaMXIbeADPoikf0PHbasBDX8V8NnsGtAMlOSTrgBeEWiTvsYo1G-Hv821M2x1gnDgk1bIeHUKx0ce9tPnYKv/s320/festive20.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Espen " There are two types of winter training, before, and after fitting mudguards "</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Yz1fvBB9mn5oNTUqtRmyPmC5bFo88-k06RIXdM6a84dKf6BQ-ik5ykzhlXjQRaYxfPKyFE3W34WCe178eWMavHC5-CCo9tElrs8D9YnQQmrt-0FSjHm2DxevxRC48AxvJxPAzzjNKw_l/s1600/festive21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Yz1fvBB9mn5oNTUqtRmyPmC5bFo88-k06RIXdM6a84dKf6BQ-ik5ykzhlXjQRaYxfPKyFE3W34WCe178eWMavHC5-CCo9tElrs8D9YnQQmrt-0FSjHm2DxevxRC48AxvJxPAzzjNKw_l/s320/festive21.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL95v-oTyBUi5L-yMeojbj9bhJJoaW8PF-knSPmmfZOnE9QCzXZlY8cFZUkRVE-tKuqDQcxaXpmFXkZSTYBUBA5EF4Jq1r0k1iB7-w1P8A0aGFAC2z15eSpjM3ZrKu2lQkL87volfrwzrf/s1600/festive22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL95v-oTyBUi5L-yMeojbj9bhJJoaW8PF-knSPmmfZOnE9QCzXZlY8cFZUkRVE-tKuqDQcxaXpmFXkZSTYBUBA5EF4Jq1r0k1iB7-w1P8A0aGFAC2z15eSpjM3ZrKu2lQkL87volfrwzrf/s320/festive22.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Today's tally was recorded over on my <a href="http://app.strava.com/rides/2890290" target="_blank">Strava logg</a> and totalled 160km`s, 1,763 meters of climbing, 4,656 calories burned in a time of 7 hours 35 minutes.</div>
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I`ve also made a short film and I`ll post it up shortly. (I need to spend some quality time with my family)</div>
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...................and here it is.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0HchL7U5vyw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-22644561931104490672011-12-24T12:28:00.002+01:002011-12-24T14:41:18.646+01:00Why the festive 500?I have been asked a few times by people who think that I`m a nutcase for doing the Festive 500.... "why? " "whats the point"<br />
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Well, apart from the obvious reason of getting in some quality miles and keeping the belly at bay. <br />
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My take on it is that any idiot can ride 500 km`s in 8 days, so its not what you do but how you do it. I`m getting out at a time I wouldn`t normally ride to the places I ride in the summer, and because its cold, I`m stopping more at the petrol stations get grab a well earned coffee and meeting strangers...<br />
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I wouldn`t normally stop to admire the views, and definitely would`t be making short films or taking pictures.<br />
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Today my legs were really feeling my struggle from yesterday, so I stopped for photo opportunities, what seemed like all the time.<br />
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I really think that I have been awarded by the best pictures I have ever taken with a mobile phone, well truthfully with any kind of camera!<br />
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Here are the pictures from today's ride, a small festive film and my Strava ride log stating 63km`s <a href="http://app.strava.com/rides/2861018" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFMPzt42WgmtpHeg6YbKKBD9arZgq45ZcbZuTFkJag2ekVjQTRfafchIBHAwaojO6ZNHKMsy-YMXmdwj7c9d_F6U9T2zSTxtwXJHStyr9iUVrOuSw7woHwK3UYx1VhJ2OpP_LUu2s4d0a/s1600/DSC_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFMPzt42WgmtpHeg6YbKKBD9arZgq45ZcbZuTFkJag2ekVjQTRfafchIBHAwaojO6ZNHKMsy-YMXmdwj7c9d_F6U9T2zSTxtwXJHStyr9iUVrOuSw7woHwK3UYx1VhJ2OpP_LUu2s4d0a/s320/DSC_0112.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VESYud5m-UpAK6klKVM1Ljz_UN1prvmKOiIXYqWsV4n9A8clP005F921GrpbKiczWC1UTqbuh9l__p6ONGexgsI2oF1Dli5axFUNaY-StnAcTtTj8meNWojafk-u55nO3U5kKA6Eco3W/s1600/DSC_0116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VESYud5m-UpAK6klKVM1Ljz_UN1prvmKOiIXYqWsV4n9A8clP005F921GrpbKiczWC1UTqbuh9l__p6ONGexgsI2oF1Dli5axFUNaY-StnAcTtTj8meNWojafk-u55nO3U5kKA6Eco3W/s320/DSC_0116.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tOvP8VZfCrtkyXuS94JWmaxOwZ7i6TUQMv4e1Xs3SyQ9cyJj6vLjQUrRwSdkavFhsWeWF2Jy6WPspOL_MbrOY_RHoJTObwBWBkO5OPLG1GdUo0lxNfbNJ5eIfnl7e9lPbcQIKnSSiIfk/s1600/DSC_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tOvP8VZfCrtkyXuS94JWmaxOwZ7i6TUQMv4e1Xs3SyQ9cyJj6vLjQUrRwSdkavFhsWeWF2Jy6WPspOL_MbrOY_RHoJTObwBWBkO5OPLG1GdUo0lxNfbNJ5eIfnl7e9lPbcQIKnSSiIfk/s320/DSC_0118.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYsdl9yi78ePBPB_jbXtqdsWYDi7oHhM1HvpA_4PYw_9AyuE494ql1GCoC29NpmDD_8FgL8MzUqruKQUgiL-JYpYxCSuT5YKT6ir3yw-NDDEvwcA5x3VEjhItv1vMqeWtSjQ0ttX3T1qE/s1600/DSC_0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYsdl9yi78ePBPB_jbXtqdsWYDi7oHhM1HvpA_4PYw_9AyuE494ql1GCoC29NpmDD_8FgL8MzUqruKQUgiL-JYpYxCSuT5YKT6ir3yw-NDDEvwcA5x3VEjhItv1vMqeWtSjQ0ttX3T1qE/s320/DSC_0120.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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HoHo, forgott my video, here it is..</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MsdRWa0SVAU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-71698321441759541942011-12-23T17:08:00.000+01:002011-12-23T17:29:37.161+01:00Festive, Day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/13wR_96WYyc/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/13wR_96WYyc?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" />
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My plan today was to get in as many miles as possible in the conditions we have got.<br />
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I managed to forget to turn on my garmin 500, not once but TWICE during the ride and lost a few km`s. DOH!<br />
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Anyway I`m still pleased with 142km`s (which inncedently placed me eigth place on the Strava leaderboard, and 1km more than my boss. HA! ) done with an agonising average speed of 20.6 km/h. <br />
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I had a lot of different types of weather and winds, but the section between Høvåg and lillesand was just sheet ice. I stopped the bike to take a picture and it was pretty much imposable to walk. I`ve got to say that Schwalbe marathon winter studded tyres are simply brilliant.<br />
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After the long(ish) climb from Birkeland, the temperature dropped and I was faced with thick fog and some rain. The trip down to Vennesla was also a slow one because the road was packed with ice and a brown dry slush on top, making me drift all over the show.<br />
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Here are some pictures I took today and a little video.<br />
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Here in Norway we celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve.<br />
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Well I`m a Britt and call Norwegian Christmas legal child abuse. The reason for this is in the UK the kids get up in the morning and open parcels straight away. Over here in Norway they have to endure the fact that the parcels are under the tree all frigin day. We will go over to the in-laws at 13.00 and eat rice pudding, try to find a Mandel and win a marzipan pig (weird ehh? ).<br />
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After this, we rush home and I will make Christmas dinner, which isn`t served until 18.00 and only after were are all tidied up, are the kids allowed open their pressies...... Like I said, child abuse.<br />
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What this means from a festive 500 perspective will be another early morning where I will ride as many km`s as i can before we go over to the in-laws. Probably somewhere between 40-50.....<br />
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Strava ride log is<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><a href="http://app.strava.com/rides/2842500" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">HERE</span></a><br />
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<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-87810420158671019862011-12-22T19:07:00.001+01:002011-12-22T19:07:13.447+01:00Day before hellish 500!I`m ready!<br />
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I have been planning my first day of the festive 500 today and trying not to let the fact that most of the route has now been reduced to a slushy mess on the road, dampen my spirit.<br />
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I was originally planning to ride with a fellow rapha`ist, who phoned me up today to tell me that he has got the flu. This news did dampen my spirits a little because fighting the slush and sleet alone is only half the "fun"... oh well.<br />
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My plan of attack, is to do as many miles as my poor body can cope with on the first day, so I don`t have to upset my family too much during the course of the next week. 3 kids and a wife and all the visits to other family members during the festive season mean that I have to get up at the crack of dawn after too little sleep, ready to ride. This in turn means that i get really grumpy and i`ll really struggle with the false smile at the dinner table.<br />
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Tomorrow's planned ride looks like this....<br />
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All well and done but firstly looking at my Strava log, my longest ride this year was 135km in the middle of the summer!<br />
I am expecting my km/h to be drastically reduced to around 18-20 km/h, which in turn means a 7 hour haul without any breaks..... Wish me luck.<br />
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<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-1127262600645216232011-12-20T22:11:00.002+01:002011-12-20T22:11:38.666+01:00Weatherman fail....A little midweek update.<br />
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The weatherman say this...<br />
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And not this....<br />
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Yup, maybe I`ll be taking some festive photo`s during the 500 after all.<br />
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Fcuk! <br />
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Starting to regret opening my big mouth now.<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-52298586865229153102011-12-18T12:05:00.002+01:002011-12-18T12:21:32.628+01:00I had a great ride today together with Eskil. We started at 8 o`clock sharp inn the dark and as we reached this bridge we saw the sun rise over the Norwegian Fjords..... Stunning.<br />
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It was quite cold @ -3 celcius but I would prefer to do the festive 500 under these conditions than pouring rain.... I`ll just have to cross my fingers. <br />
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I think I`ll call this picture "moods of Norway"<br />
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We stumbled over Arnt, who is another local, out braving the eliments this morning..<br />
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<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-17160669684407479222011-12-17T21:21:00.002+01:002011-12-17T21:28:01.233+01:00I have been talking to my family and it seems that if I am going to get enough time to do the Festive 500, there are going to be quite a few very early mornings!<br />
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The weather doesn`t look like its going to play the christmas game and I wont be able to post nice snowy, picture postcard photo`s either.<br />
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So at the moment it looks like I will have to endure some realy miserable rain and fierce winds at around 11 to 15 m/s.<br />
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I am planning on using my trusty Cube X-Race comp CX/commuter bike, for which I have mounted mud guards and Schwalbe marathon winter studded tyres. A couple of the rides I have planned are going to be through some back-country where I will most certainly encounter some ice, so I will endure the rumbeling of studded tyres on wet asphalt just for saftey reasons...... well, actualy I can`t be arsed to swap back after the cold spell we endured last week. hehe...<br />
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I am also planning on doing a few rides on my trusty One9 singlespeed if I get enough miles done in the early stages, and my legs feel good enough..... More on that when the time comes.<br />
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Only 5 days to go, soon time for some PANIC !!<br />
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<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com04640 Sogne, Norway58.0925028 7.786117558.0841103 7.7663765 58.1008953 7.8058584999999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-28356981578843996012011-12-09T21:09:00.001+01:002011-12-09T21:16:28.424+01:00Rapha Festive 500<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok folks, time to clock some winter miles! <br />
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I am going to give the Rapha festive 500 a go, but this time I mean to complete the whole bloody thing.<br />
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I just hope the weather improves somewhat better than on my ride, home from work on my cyclocross last night. <br />
Frozen roads and with a strong gail blowing. Proberbly the scarriest commute I`ve ever done!<br />
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<br />RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-12030069124201365882011-07-12T11:32:00.000+02:002011-07-12T11:32:18.204+02:00HolumMy plan this morning was to get up at 5 in the morning and ride holum hill 10 times.<br />
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First of all I didn`t manage to get out of bed until 6, and secondly I got bored of riding the hill at Holum on my 3rd attempt.<br />
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It was pretty cold up there this morning with a stiff breeze and around 10 degree`s celcius. To solve my problem with boredom I rode over to Mandal and back and then one last attempt at the hill. This gave me another 1200m of vertical.<br />
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<a href="http://app.strava.com/rides/922453"><span style="color: #ea9999;">Here</span></a> is todays Strava log. and some pictures.....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5VM46hS-kzy7qyR8lsN9PskRIZ9VRJDeml8Eo8iYxgUXRJT63eK_Ou_6R_qhcuRglKZTsA4161ghmFzRaCGxU6iZ4GNl7-UrDR8efxzSWTcZFCU5wGJQen6JZEwDEae9WcXTKvQo_wPk/s1600/holum02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5VM46hS-kzy7qyR8lsN9PskRIZ9VRJDeml8Eo8iYxgUXRJT63eK_Ou_6R_qhcuRglKZTsA4161ghmFzRaCGxU6iZ4GNl7-UrDR8efxzSWTcZFCU5wGJQen6JZEwDEae9WcXTKvQo_wPk/s320/holum02.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-91479591759587881422011-07-11T15:48:00.000+02:002011-07-11T15:48:46.430+02:00Still going.Up at the crack of dawn this morning I grabbed my gear. Rapha shorts, gillet and my well loved cap. <br />
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I jumped in the car (a first for me) and parked at the foot of a hill hoping to get some effective climbing done today.<br />
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The problem is that I was trying to find a road I had ridden last year that I know has a 10km climb. Not a problem you think? Well, I have absolutly no sence of direction and overshot the turn by about 25km`s.....<br />
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When it then started to rain I decided not to turn back but grit my teeth and get my head down and simply pedal. My feet were freezing and my A$$ was drenched. My Rapha socks had been religated to the bin last week, and I was regretting not keeping them for one last ride. Cotton doesn`t suit 15 degrees and rain in quite the same way.<br />
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However, the gravel that had found its way in to my shorts soon made me forget about my cold feet. It was like wearing a wet nappy (dypers to the guys over the pond), with a handfull of sand between my cheeks.<br />
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The wind picked up at the half way point just to make sure I was having a miserable ride. I decided to pick up the pace and stamped up the last hills back to the car. <br />
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Its funny how this shitty ride turned out to be an epic adventure as soon as I had got home, had a shower and sat down with todays first cappuccino. In fact I belive it to be the best ride I have had this year. <br />
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Memories of the hardest rides are proberbly one of the reasons we all do this.<br />
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Anyway, here is the<span style="color: #ea9999;"> </span><a href="http://app.strava.com/rides/916435#"><span style="color: #ea9999;">RIDE</span></a> in black and white on strava.RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-64828778071628478272011-07-10T10:13:00.000+02:002011-07-10T10:13:53.383+02:00Bukkerittet....Just come home from the mountainbike race and it was great!<br />
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Lots of slippy slopes to climb and mudholes to fall in, but great sceenery and the weather hold out for us. According to strava I have now climbed over 6000m this week, totaling 22 hrs on the bike. Only 14,953m left. hehe...<br />
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<a href="http://app.strava.com/rides/908087"><span style="color: #ea9999;">Here</span></a> is my race log on Strava, and a picture of my bike "pre-washed".....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOb7Lq_yYSV9ncqugcimdcQm6Q5m5yGxnwtTjL4gC2kgbrGBrExI1slOpxcjw4IE3Qlk0tr-GyQF4YaSoNVL-iRnydiiUlLRMPuOeoE2OFn4WQN-8guitCIxOFfoFc1J0b-75oCSgxamT/s1600/bukkerittet01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOb7Lq_yYSV9ncqugcimdcQm6Q5m5yGxnwtTjL4gC2kgbrGBrExI1slOpxcjw4IE3Qlk0tr-GyQF4YaSoNVL-iRnydiiUlLRMPuOeoE2OFn4WQN-8guitCIxOFfoFc1J0b-75oCSgxamT/s320/bukkerittet01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-75311275590180795972011-07-07T10:47:00.001+02:002011-07-07T14:54:06.188+02:00Bad knees...For me, there is no denying the fact that all the work I do on the road is to help me get better in the woods.<br />
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No matter what else I do or ride, NOTHING beats a good ride in the forest to get rid of some cobwebs..... Yesterdays ride which you can see the <a href="http://app.strava.com/rides/884070"><span style="color: #ea9999;">STRAVA LOG</span></a> was, on the other hand a shitty one. My legs wouldn`t work and my head wasn`t with me either. My knees are starting to hurt and I have a MTB marathon race on Saturday in the back of my mind.....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesjG2fT7qRhfw82OGmuo-iAv60ENadmiJAd7VufKsWZBBsfsLUKV1jTydl7v_BIxVrjOcIzFDrGLg0fwm_U4_MVlhr2Q2BgMCqCbfRxbE2rg_FQPZVcdDpBgikRzCHXerXlVQSN2oEapW/s1600/267550_2228257470444_1368040398_32526509_2275910_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesjG2fT7qRhfw82OGmuo-iAv60ENadmiJAd7VufKsWZBBsfsLUKV1jTydl7v_BIxVrjOcIzFDrGLg0fwm_U4_MVlhr2Q2BgMCqCbfRxbE2rg_FQPZVcdDpBgikRzCHXerXlVQSN2oEapW/s320/267550_2228257470444_1368040398_32526509_2275910_n.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Today I decided to ride into Kristiansand and hit all the hills I know of....... in a sloooow pace. If I`m going to make the full 21,125m of climbing I can`t afford to take many day`s off. So here is my log on <a href="http://app.strava.com/rides/888215"><span style="color: #ea9999;">Strava</span></a>. I`m not sure what is killing me most, the km`s , the climbing, or the gettig out of bed so early......</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">According to the Results page, which can be found<span style="color: #ea9999;"> </span><a href="http://app.strava.com/events/156/news"><span style="color: #ea9999;">HERE</span></a> I have totalled 4,925m of vertical and ridden 17 hours and 42 minutes. Looking at the race profile on Saturday I should be well over 6,000m by Sunday...... </div>RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-41590407252023243112011-07-04T14:30:00.000+02:002011-07-04T14:30:45.291+02:00Roller Coast(er)I had some antisipation as I jumped onboard my bike today. Stiff legs, sore a$$ and it was early....<br />
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This ride is a local epic. The coast is both beautiful and brutal. I like to call this road the roller coaster, and you can see why, on my Strava log<span style="color: #ea9999;"> </span><a href="http://app.strava.com/rides/867173#"><span style="color: #ea9999;">Right Here</span></a>. There are over 50 small but steep hills to conquer. I took some photos with my blurry mobile phone camera of some of the scenery. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFihD3N6XpcLTO8U_9qrKDTu0pIixPL-63GapQlPC7MGSDbVp074RaCxL1tzsSEHP0w3riZXSHDmL-gcsdY0iKDrkHkkvIGGNkuoAKlO6J_PvwN41OYHo6LsNcN55QHO-YFolVuopCXZ5/s1600/DSC00603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFihD3N6XpcLTO8U_9qrKDTu0pIixPL-63GapQlPC7MGSDbVp074RaCxL1tzsSEHP0w3riZXSHDmL-gcsdY0iKDrkHkkvIGGNkuoAKlO6J_PvwN41OYHo6LsNcN55QHO-YFolVuopCXZ5/s320/DSC00603.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58hqUY2bf-Ip9GaDTiDar1h94oZ8QnEidc-Xdq8u0gE0_p_Lb23jX3zKTHoZ0uf133f-mGvPGDIfEUEz_OS-6gGI1BpOz0hyphenhyphenKbdYdmvfNzWB-5VGfwqAcjk9o93KJxPF5WJpIJ0J1Z8F8/s1600/DSC00601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58hqUY2bf-Ip9GaDTiDar1h94oZ8QnEidc-Xdq8u0gE0_p_Lb23jX3zKTHoZ0uf133f-mGvPGDIfEUEz_OS-6gGI1BpOz0hyphenhyphenKbdYdmvfNzWB-5VGfwqAcjk9o93KJxPF5WJpIJ0J1Z8F8/s320/DSC00601.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7740129564826018424.post-57416782560801964032011-07-03T21:15:00.001+02:002011-07-03T21:16:28.118+02:00Tonights rideNice little ride this one. I will definatly be using this as a training route on my cx in the future. I didn`t wan`t to push my luck on those 16% grades today because of the planned ride tommorow.<br />
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The gravel roads were realy washed out but i`m not sure what was worse. The short hard efforts, all the stutter and brake bumps, my hangover or the sheer number of flies I digested...... Strava log is<span style="color: #ea9999;"> </span><a href="http://app.strava.com/rides/862933#"><span style="color: #ea9999;">here</span></a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirc28z7LJnBvQxWYqkwmL8OH2GSljj_J_MGVwzCXm0SDpZuZhW0bBx5lOZLJuZx6FlBjTZxP9OjEE3QMsHBE8h5LIyHJDlv0YplOTta0LYAgQMXTQFo5EEeVNWTcA0Ta8oQJ3vDsz0e3j2/s1600/DSC00600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirc28z7LJnBvQxWYqkwmL8OH2GSljj_J_MGVwzCXm0SDpZuZhW0bBx5lOZLJuZx6FlBjTZxP9OjEE3QMsHBE8h5LIyHJDlv0YplOTta0LYAgQMXTQFo5EEeVNWTcA0Ta8oQJ3vDsz0e3j2/s320/DSC00600.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>RobGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04110256793835655235noreply@blogger.com0