Thread: Cycling/Cyclers on L4P?

Thoughts on deeper wheels with crosswinds. I'd love to get some 50mm deep carbons since they look dope, but I'm just not sure I could deal with it if I get blasted by a 25mph crosswind. And this is purely a case of me wanting some bike bling.

Originally Posted by slomaro3.4

Thoughts on deeper wheels with crosswinds. I'd love to get some 50mm deep carbons since they look dope, but I'm just not sure I could deal with it if I get blasted by a 25mph crosswind. And this is purely a case of me wanting some bike bling.

Mine are 60mm and catch a lot of wind for sure. I 20-21mph and there is always a 5mph breeze (usually headwind) but that you don't notice too much. On the windy mornings where is 15+ and they are sideways i'm getting blown all around. But custom colored carbon wheels are really the only trick parts that make a road bike stand out of a crowd.

Well we only went and did it.... London to Paris

Conditions were absolutely horrendous. It's the middle of Summer and we have been having terrible weather with unbelievable amounts of rain.

We started in the rain at 11am, it eased off after an hour and stopped for an hour or so and then it started again. And it didn't stop until we were on the ferry. So that was maybe 80 out of the first 90 miles done in the pissing rain. Absolutely wet through, wetter than an otter's pocket, with trench foot a distinct possibility!

Most of the ferry ride was spent trying and failing to get wet kit dry, put dry kit on and eat as much as possible.

We got off the ferry in Calais as it was getting dark and set of in to the night, cheered up by the fact it wasn't tipping it down and that French roads are brilliant to ride on, so much smoother than here and we were soon zipping along with considerably less effort than we're used to here.

The first couple of stages in France seemed to fly by even though we got a bit of drizzle, it was nothing compared to what we'd ridden through already, and before we knew it it was 2am and the start of the first 40 mile stage. And that's when it started to get hard. At 3am, 160 miles in it started to rain again. Proper rain. Torrential rain. 20 miles in to a 40 mile stage, in the pitch black in the middle of nowhere. By the time we got to the end of that stage we were soaked again and cold. People were dropping out voluntarily or being made to drop out by the medics because they couldn't get dry and warm and stop shivering. We forced coffee, food and energy gels down us, I managed to get out of my lightweight jacket and wet jersey and get a thermal top and my goretex jacket on, and off we went again for another 28 miles in the cold dark rain.

By the time we got to the next stop the sky was getting light, but everyone was really feeling it. One of our mates rode in after having fallen asleep and crashed into a ditch dislocating his finger, everyone wanted painkillers, coffee and food. There was hot food at that stop but I could barely eat, I managed about four bits of chicken, half a piece of chocolate cake, some jelly babies and a carb gel before we set off on another 40 miler. Eventually it stopped raining and the sun even threatened to come out, but unfortunately the headwind decided to come out to play as well. The next 40 miles we the most exposed and the most 'rolling' yet, endless ups and downs, but in to a headwind even the downs weren't chance for a rest and the hills all seemed to have false brows. Near the end of this stage was the only time I came close to bonking out, but a gel and full bottle of energy drink pulled me through and I made sure I forced as much energy as possible down me at the next stop.

After that there were 'only' three stages left, a 28 and two 19s. The 28 felt like another 40, more hills, my mate Alex really suffered and I had to work hard to keep him going to the next stop.

After that it was just about surviving it to the finish, which some twat in a car decided he was going to try and prevent, overtaking us on a clear empty stretch of road but properly swerving in on us forcing me to swerve into Alex to avoid getting hit and almost taking us both out. C*nt!

So then just 19 miles in to Paris to go. Traffic traffic traffic and traffic lights, especially in central Paris we barely went 200 yards without traffic lights and every set was against us. We successfully got around the Arc de Triomph roundabout and made it down the Champs Elysées, thankful for it not to raining on the cobbles. But then it started again.. 5 minutes from the finish line the heavens opened yet again. By that point we didn't really give a shit and infact it was quite appropriate that we finished in the rain as at least three quarters of the ride had been done in the rain so why not the end!

So we made it. We missed the 24 hour target, we made 260 miles in 24 hours, and finished the full 280 in around 25 and a half hours.

280 miles in 17h40 in the saddle at a 16mph average including the slow slogs out of London and in to Paris, in the cold, dark and wet.

Not too bad an achievement.

Lands End-John O'Groats next summer (900miles) and a rerun of London to Paris to try and get under 24h!

Wow, thats a pretty gnarley ride. Any idea on cals burned? 10-15k?

It sure was!

My computer was showing 6,000-odd calories, but as it's only a 4 digit display for cals I guess that it was actually 16,000-odd!

I'd been carb-loading for three days beforehand though.. 2,000 calorie high carb lunches and as much rice and pasta as I could eat!

I got a ducati 600sx! every sunday : 2h30 in forest!


VTT 600 SX

Couple of pictures from the last couple of weeks I've been back at school and riding with the team again:

Went down hard today, sprained my hand and ankle, 7 staples in my leg and my bike is short one shifter. Here is a picture of us all waiting around for the wambulance:

First ride since I went down two weeks ago. I did buy myself a get well present too. The bike shop my school team works with hooked me up with a sick deal.

Picked up this frame yesterday from work. 2011 Diamondback Podium 6. Can't wait to build it up and go ride!