GrahamF

Glad. to hear you made it back Alan. Graham, Al, Carol and myself headed back Blair Road then turned up towards the Barmill circuit and back  to Barmill,Hessilhead,Rocky Road and down Bowfield.  It was good to sit outside at the Mill and they even provided a new table umbrella for us. The Wheelers photo is still on the menu and the rolls in bacon and scrambled eggs together with the homebaking make this a must visit for all JWCC members. 
Dave 

I was really enjoying that today, when my freehub started getting completely free in either direction, meaning no drive. Cue a call to the recovery wagon, aka Mrs. T. Naturally, once I made the call it started working again, so at least I was able to cycle back to the mill to wait for a lift home, and get on with some spannering.

If I miss the early start, I'll join you, but probably get some extra miles in too.

Yes it was a  good day and thanks for the wheel. Once my fitness improves I will try and be at the front more. Thanks T

Fabulous wee day out on a bike, bit of a headwind from the top of Glen Fruin climb back to the bridge, but otherwise it was behind us. Good company, no one blew up, result. 

Thanks for making the young team welcome, and thanks for the route. Youngsters all enjoyed it and the Dairy's cakes. 

Thanks for the route Dave, a great day out in the sunshine for the first run of the year on the summer bike. It was good to have the Jets join us, it made for a good sized bunch and added to the day.

........... & there's more!
 



 

I'll set off from Kilmacolm to let the Jets catch me on the way to the Port and hope to meet up with the main 9 o'clock group somewhere along the way.

That's me booked up for the ride, I'm staying on the Saturday and Sunday nights at the Belk's B&B in Kettlewell (also known as Zarinas) and planning to add the ride on to a visit to family in Yorkshire so I will be making my own travel arrangements nearer the time.
Only 230 of the 1000 places left for the long ride - so they may go soon!

That's me booked up for the ride, I'm staying on the Saturday and Sunday nights at the Belk's B&B in Kettlewell (also known as Zarinas) and planning to add the ride on to a visit to family in Yorkshire so I will be making my own travel arrangements nearer the time.
Only 230 of the 1000 places left for the long ride - so they may go soon!

Just look at all those chrome, man!
 

Building is slowly coming along, I have pretty much all of the parts ..... except new wheels :-)
This is a process I’ve been doing for a while now, but not sure if any of youse bothers. I saw someone do it & thought it was a good idea ........ that’s if you’re REALLY obsessive about your chains, like me :-)
New chains out of the box usually (especially Campag ones) comes coated in a thick wax/lube that’s a real pain to clean when after the first few rides & it attracts a lot of dirt & goes all gunky very quickly.
Before I put it on the bike, I would bath it in white spirit & leave over night, the result is it turns brown with the wax dissolved. Then wash thoroughly in washing up liquid & warm water until all the stickiness is remove & dry on the radiator to make sure all moisture are gone to prevent corrosion obviously. So there, I have a super clean new chain to put on the bike which is clean to work on & allows me to add my own lube which should be much easier to keep clean!
Also, more shiny bling arrived - an old pair of (but still in great condition) Nuovo Record skewers from the 80’s from Ebay  :-)

Hip hip hooray I am finally on the website.  A very welcoming club so I need to say a huge thank you to Carole, Graeme , Gerrard, Jane and Alan for taking me under their wing.  Also the boys last Sunday who looked after me when I decided to fly instead of pedal..I am very grateful thank you.  Apologies to Charlie he had to put up with the girls chat about our designer heels on Sunday instead of bike chat.  At rugby this Sunday with my beautiful boys have a fantastic day tomorrow.  L

Graham - at Bridge of Weir, heading west. Couldn't stop - had a dental appointment to get to.

Fellow members, I have attached the draft confined event calendar for 2019. Please note that all events may be subject to change depending on road conditions and clashes with open events.
Please also note that we are still looking for people to be listed as organisers for the Don Smith, Jim Daly and Sam Dooley events.
Anyone who would like to hold their hand up for this should pm me
 
 
XLS 20190205 Provisional 2019 club calendar.pdf

Chung,
I think this project justifies a Brooks B17, any other saddle is a mere imitation - you might even be able to get one in a matching colour. 
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/brooks-england-b17-titanium-saddle/

Chung,
I think this project justifies a Brooks B17, any other saddle is a mere imitation - you might even be able to get one in a matching colour. 
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/brooks-england-b17-titanium-saddle/

Good run today.
Alan's wheel and the shelter behind his muscular frame were a great benefit and justified his cafe stop.
After being fairly cautious all day, I managed to hit black ice at the Phoenix roundabout on the run down from Elderslie and went through the roundabout on my a**e rather than two wheels. Not enough damage to persuade the wife to help me out in the shower, though .

Good call Carol. Bowfield was lethal so we retired to our country club to plan a winter if zwift.

These KoM challenges threaten to corrupt my secret training program to win the sprints on the Georgetown next year. Can I suggest all the segments are left open all winter so I can win them when my periodisation cycle, wind direction and air density match in perfect alignment. Thanks.
I am currently working on long term mitochondria improvement.
 

A cold start with Chung from my house this morning, but a clear day with a great ride was ahead.  Took Old Greenock Road along to the bottom of the Clune to meet Carol, Graham and Dave for the ride along  to the ferry.  At the shop to get ferry tickets another bunch of Wheelers rolled up too.  A sizeable group of cyclist boarded the ferry for the run round to Loch Eck.  It is such a nice road round and there is a welcome break at the top of the climb.  Special mention to Ian for popping up and down the climbs just to check how others were doing after a mechanical.  The campfire is the usual scene of fun with food with the bar being provides by Paul, which allowed a toast to Alex Baird in a setting that he would surely approve of.  A nice steady run back at an easy pace to get our ferry.  A unique run in the calendar in fantastic scenery that is worth the extra effort of loading up the bike a bit and all the more amazing when the sun shines all day.

Worth a watch if you have a spare hour - documentary following Team KGF last season.
 

I’m not sure what the focus of this piece is or who it is aimed at.  Maybe it’s to inspire other women to take on similar challenges.  Maybe it’s just me saying ‘hello’ again and to let you know that I’m looking forward to getting back out with the bunch.  Whatever the reason is, someone suggested that writing a race report would be a good idea.  The only problem is, nothing I did this year was a ‘race’.  I’m not getting bogged down in stats and intricate details.  I am a girl who likes a challenge and I set myself a couple of challenges this summer.  They went something like this.
 August 2018 - Marmotte Pyrenees
160km, 5600 metres ascent
Ramsay and I had already decided to spend this summer in the Pyrenees.  We completed the Marmotte sportive in the Alps last year and loved it.  I knew that they did a similar event out of Argeles Gazost and by chance, it fell within the weeks that we were planning to be there.  The decision was made and we were signed up.  Unfortunately for Ramsay, his knee went again in June and he knew that he would not be ready to ride again for months.
We knew that a bunch of Wheelers were out riding too and Ramsay really enjoyed supporting everyone on the day (tonnes more photos of the boys on the Tourmalet than me, which is not a bad thing)!  It may sound selfish, but I knew that in order to make it to the finish at the top of Luz Ardiden, I just had to do my own thing and plod away at my own pace.  I love alpine climbs.  I love the challenge and the sense of accomplishment when you get to the top of those infamous Cols.  The scenery is spectacular and the baguettes with camembert at the pit stops are perfect!  I don’t know whether being a women helps.  I had so many shouts of “allez allez femme” which was brilliant.  Having spoken to some of the boys at the BBQ and confessed our body weights, being a women of a smaller stature, certainly helps when you are climbing an average gradient of 10% for several hours!  Yes, it was tough.  Yes, there were times when I asked myself why I was doing this.  It certainly felt harder than the Alps last year, but finishing was never in doubt.  After a hot shower and a good night’s sleep, the legs had recovered and I enjoyed ticking off so many more of those famous climbs during our time in the Pyrenees.
I can honestly say that one of the highlights was meeting up with the guys the following night for a BBQ.  Great food, lots of wine, even more beer and brilliant banter.  It reminded both Ramsay and I why we joined the club in the first place.  Thank you!
 
September 2018 – Around the World in a Day
245 miles from Machrihanish to Aberdeen, ~ 3500 metres ascent
 Then came the second challenge of the summer.  In 2017, Mark Beaumont set off to cycle around the world in 80 days.  He achieved this by riding an average of 240 miles per day.  The concept for this challenge was to have one rider to represent each day (80 riders in total) and us all to cycle 240 miles.  Hence, ‘Around the World in a Day’!  The day was planned exactly as Mark had ridden around the world.  Four times four hour sections of riding (approx. 60 miles per section) with a 30 minute stop in between (Furnace, Lochearnhead and Forfar).  The route started in Machrihanish and headed north through Ardishaig, before heading north east to Inverary and Dalmally.  We then turned east across the country to Forfar with the final stretch up the north east coast through Stonehaven to Aberdeen.
was one of ten female riders to start and one of eight to finish.  I had ridden 184 miles as a reccie earlier in the summer and only hoped that my weeks in the Pyrenees helped with final preparations and the final miles.  It was a typical Scottish day.....started cold, dark, wet and windy.  The sun came out briefly in the afternoon before it got cold, dark, wet and windy again.  My strategy was to keep a high cadence during the day and shelter within the bunch as much as possible.  I managed a few turns at the front and myself and a couple of the girls led the group for a few minutes when the boys stopped for a pee. Oh how we laughed!!  For the majority however, the boys looked out for us and made sure we were safely tucked in as much as possible.
The last 30 miles were probably the hardest miles I have ever ridden.  It was a rollercoaster of highs and lows and all I wanted was to be warm and horizontal!  I stepped off the bike in Aberdeen and was shaking with cold and exhaustion.  I thought I was either going to be sick or faint or both.  I admit, I cried when Ramsay came to give me a cuddle and it took me some time to reach the “that was an amazing experience” feeling.    But again, after two hot showers and a good night’s sleep, I woke up feeling ok and began to appreciate what had happened the day before. 
I guess that’s how I get through any of these challenges.  I know that even when it feels brutal and you hurt all over, it doesn’t last.  You will recover and you will get back on the bike again......quickly.  I don’t consider myself a powerful rider or a fast rider.  I don’t glide up the ascents.   I bob about in the saddle and do everything you shouldn’t!  I am a steady rider who is happy to tap away at the miles at my own pace.  In saying that, I didn’t just walk in to these events having done nothing.  I put the effort, the hours and the miles in this year.  If I’m honest, I did very little other than cycle and work for most of the summer!
It’s been a while, but I will be back out with the bunch again soon, enjoying the Sunday runs around Renfrewshire and beyond.  I’m looking forward to not just the training (must work on that power output over the winter), but for the banter and the camaraderie.  Hope to see you all soon.   
 

just noticed i got a KOM after all the best bit is that Wout van Aert, Dimitri Claeys, Jaspar Stuyven, Greg van Avermaet and Jelle Wallays were joint KOM holders so they will all have received the message.