Random Effects

Just messing with the integrated blog took on my phone!

Everywhere hurts!

Technorati tags: Pain, ache, bruises, wireless road, ouch

I think I should give up making plans - horrible things tend to happen whenever I do...

Take this weekend for example - it was supposed to be a sliky ride through the 100km barrier - but it all went wrong long before I got on a bike! In actual fact I should have aborted the mission on Saturday morning based solely on the fact that I didn't get nearly enough sleep the night before due to some unforeseen circumstances...

Still being a hardcore and therefore stubborn individual meant that not even hell and high-water would have stopped me going out...

So first stop to grab some banananananananas from my local green grocer - alas they didn't have the typical Thai mini-torpedo variety and only the "normal" large curved sort - well they won't fit in my shirt (there is probably a joke in there) so declined and rode off in search of another grocer...

Can you believe that in 65km I didn't find another green grocer?

Anyway none of that mattered as much as what happened next - overcooked it turning into Wireless Road and decided to see how far I could slide instead of ride - turns out it was neither as comfortable nor as short as I would have liked - it also freakin hurt...

At that point I should have gone home but pride is a b'stard and so I continued to complete my 65km ride however at the end I was totally finished - even more so than when I have ridden 80km - took ages and ages to recover - at one point I didn't think I was going to!! lol

So this weekend = enforced break from the bike - not only am I a little scratched and bruised but hell it's also Songkran and I'll be up in glorious Chiang Mai getting wet (there is definately a joke in there) in good company!

Weekend Battle Plan

Technorati tags: bananas, water bottle, aero bars, gatorade, power breather

The state is set for a 100km weekend showdown - my bike has now been upgraded with a secondary water bottle (the bottle was free from my preferred supplier - the occassion being the impending Songkran festival!!) for holding my isotonic fuel and I've also fitted a set of aero bars so my straightline speed will improve - oh yes people - this devil is deadly serious about this - so serious infact that I'll mount my bid for excellence on Saturday morning instead of Sunday as planned so I'll have the option of going out again the day after too...

I may also look into adding a protein suppliment to my fluids at some point and for the final time I'm going to have to terminate all forms of smoking related activity and get hold of one of those "Power Breather" tools designed to give your lungs a workout!!

Running on Empty!

Technorati tags: Isotonic, banana, Khao San, hot hot hot

Wow! Still cycling and boy o'boy is it getting hot here! If I go out any earlier I'll be out cycling before I've gone to bed - such is the desire to avoid getting utterly roasted by the heat of the sun...

In typical fashion I was out and about from the dangerously early (for a weekend) 7am - the mission to finally break the 100km record I'd set myself as a target...

Seems that this is just not possible without giving my body a helping hand during the task with fruit and isotonic drinks - I know I wasn't destroyed but the lack of available sugars took it's toil for sure!

All in all I managed 80km on Saturday before returning home, getting changed and going to work...

Just in case I wasn't suicidal enough I also went out on Sunday - this time a more relaxed (!) late afternoon session was had - it still hurt - but then that is my way... Ended up over at the Khao San Road - amusing as ever and by the time I got back (just before dark) I'd managed to add 21km to my weekend total - wahoo!

So this week the mission is to actually go to the supermarket (for the first time in f'in ages) and grab the sort of things hard-core cyclists tend to need while on the move - should be fun!

Bullet Dodging

Technorati tags: No ride, Cold again, Accident, Crank Fixed

Last Sunday I was due to head out for another Rama 9 mission with the intention of clocking up somewhere in the region of 100km however my boss at work decided to scupper all that by giving me his horrible cold virus - okay it wasn't gift-wrapped especially for me - the air conditioning system aided and abetted somewhat but the nett result was that on Sunday morning I decided to stay sat in front of my computer programming rather than jumping on the bike.

All I can say is that was hugely lucky - at least for me - the person I was supposed to be cycling with was involved in a traffic accident while he was riding our route!

I only found out about the accident when I went to collect my bike from the shop - it was having the crank looked at again - clearly I was supposed to collect it in the morning but I didn't get to the shop until the evening...

Thank the lord he is okay but it's another reason for me to have cause to think that someone is looking out for me... It's the same "presence" that seems to get me out of pubs before all hell breaks loose - I think I'll call this guardian - Mother.

Thanks again Mother.

Incidentally the weird crank noise is gone - at least it had gone on the ride back home - it's back to being deliciously smooth - so smooth that I sprinted the whole way from Sukhumvit Soi 3 to Phrom Phong - then I really knew I had a cold - it took ages to recover!! lol

I can only hope Mother is watching this Sunday as I'll be back in the saddle to continue from where I left off two weeks ago - another epic Sukhumvit - Rama 9 - Sukhumvit - Khao San - Sukhumvit figure-of-eight mission!!

Biking Mission

Technorati tags: Rama 9 Cycle Club, Cold weather, 91km, Cannondale, noisy crank

Well well well seems we are in the middle of another cold snap here in Bangkok - I'm actually cold today! Bizarre! Still at least I'm not writing this journal entry from England - snow doesn't make the best surface for cycling from my experience!! lol

Anyway yesterday morning was deliciously warm and in celebration of that and of managing not to drink myself stupid the night before AND managing to get out of bed - easier said than done these days - I set myself a formidable target of 100km for the "Day of Rest"...

Standard mission on the way out - along the Sukhumvit Road towards Asoke then up towards the New Petchaburi Road then along that thing for ages before turning off to head towards the Rama 9 Cycle Club practise area...

The only problem on the way out was a god awful head-wind which made the journey at least twice as hard as it should have been - I was still smiling to myself as I knew the tail-wind on the way home would be my saviour.

Still only managed to put in two laps around the practice area before swinging the bike around for the return leg.

On the way back a normally desolate road (that runs parallel to 10 lanes of Rama 9 expressway traffic) I was reaching speeds in excess of 45kph with little effort - that's how strong the wind was!!

Got back near home with a mere 66km showing on the odometer which meant picking another direction and carrying on - I carried on alright - ended up on the Khao San road! A place I must say I quite like - despite the fact that it's filled with "chankan mogs" and manky packpackers - I even found the time to pick up a few more CDs - I love these cycling jerseys - you can fit so much stuff in the pockets!

Riding towards the cycle shop and I'm starting to tire - my legs feel like lead - perhaps the stop did more harm than good! Got to the Cannondale showroom with 91km showing on the clock - this time that's all I'll be doing as the bike is in for a service and check-up - with any luck we'll get to the bottom of the weird and wacky noise that's been plauging my crank - we can only hope!

There's no people like TV people...

Technorati tags: TV, Queen Sirikit Park, cycle track, arrogant.

Yeah yeah went for a mini-ride today - a mere 30km - as I had to head into the office for a spot of work!! Yuck!

Rode around Queen Sirikit park and couldn't believe my eyes... Seems some TV crew was filming in the park - fine. Some bright(less) spark decided it would be a great idea to put the director and all that shite slap bang in the middle of the cycle track! I mean as far as stupidity goes this is pretty damn dumb! I even heard some Aussie twat saying something like, "Can't we put someone there to stop them?" Arrogance of the highest order and it nearly drove me to have a good lengthy rant - this time however it was easier to ride somewhere else and bite my tongue...

Rama 9 Mission

Technorati tags: Rama 9, Phra ram gow, strange noises, energy food

Wow! Set a new personal best two weeks ago! Has it really been that long since I last posted?! 

I rode over to the area used by the Rama 9 Cycle Club in Bangkok, then did a couple of laps and rode back home - all in all 70km! I'm happy - it felt good and I didn't need to stop and nurse my legs which clearly means I'm ready to throw a few more laps on the table next time around!

I want to add another 30km next time but that might be going too far too fast - I shall have to see what I can muster and it will no doubt help if I don't go out the night before and get moderately plastered...

The bike is still making strange noises when I peddle - I was even lucky enough to see my mechanic while out doing laps - he listened to the bike and suggested I bring it into the shop for (another) look!

Last weekend I only rode 13 km - had to meet my girlfriend but as it happens we didn't meet up until late in the afternoon - so perhaps I should have gone on another Rama mission?!!

This weekend I'll have another crack at the Rama 9 route - I plan to ride somewhere between 80km and 100km - once again it will depend largely on how I feel... Must get some power nuts - that's nuts in honey and sesame seeds - a mouthful keeps you going for miles!

I thought I hated mountain bikes...

Technorati tags: Chiang Mai, Pai, Schimano, mountain bike, heavy frame, chunky tyres, Cannondale, Northern Thailand

It's the start of another year (and a Happy, Properous, Joyful and Healthy 2007 to you all) and while I was on away from my bike for the longest time since buying it (ten days in all - I mean - can you believe that!) I still managed to get out and about by pedal power while out in northern Thailand - a lovely little place called Pai to be exact!

Unfortunately the bike hire firm didn't have anything as sophisticated as a Cannondale racer so I had to make do with a "common" mountain bike (oh I'm such a bike snob!) but as it happens I really had a good laugh - not only did I have a go at riding off-road (without falling off despite near hysterical laughter) but I also found the road riding section to be most reasonable - okay so I couldn't sprint for quite as long, nor climb to such great speeds as I've seen on my own bike but it really wasn't bad at all as an added bonus the seat was disturbingly high too (yes believe it or not - I actually had a bike that fitted me - perhaps not frame-wise but certainly the seat-peddle-handlebar ratio was correct!)

The only thing I really couldn't handle was the climbing - it was freaking hard and not very rewarding! This was undoubtedly a combination of chunky tires and heavy bike... The quick shifters weren't bad although full-throttle changes were best avoided due to the nowhere-near-smooth change action and the lack of toe-clips...

I liked riding around Pai so much I'm actually considering moving to the northern city of Chiang Mai - not only does this city have a more diverse geography (that means more hills to you) but with far less traffic on the roads it should be a whole heap safer... Actually scratch that last bit - I passed a nasty road traffic accident on the way into Chiang Mai in the early hours of New Years Day and the poor fellow who was riding a scooter involved in the incident simply looked like that ride was to be his last - alas the coach I was sat on-board didn't stop so I've no idea whether he made it or not...