Curious cyclist

I passed this curious thing on a monster bike ride at the weekend. I'd cycled so far that I was beginning to feel slightly delirious so the sight of this object as I rounded a corner near Goodwood House was disconcerting to say the least. Turns out it was part of a large outdoor sculpture exhibition.

I only had my phone with me but I think the shot's come out quite well. Some subjects are so downright arresting that they don't need to be shot with great technical wizardry.

Nice try...

I thought this shot had enormous potential but I fear it falls a bit short. I was about 15 miles into a long training ride this morning when I spotted this view of the Seven Sisters park from a hill above Alfriston. It looked rather lovely - considerably more so than it does in this rather lacklustre shot. Then I saw the mirror and thought I might be able to position myself in the shot, together with the rather lovely farmhouse behind me, to create something quite interesting. But I don't think it works really.

Ah well, you'll just have to take my word for it - it was lovely out there today.

A shadow of my current self

I took this shot doing about 17mph on the A281, which on reflection was a very silly idea. There was quite a bit of traffic about and I wasn't paying much attention to the stuff you really ought to pay attention to as a cyclist. But I need lots of generic cycling pictures to go with my road.cc blog so needs must and all that - and I do quite like the outcome.

Gloves

I've been struggling to find the perfect pair of winter cycling gloves. I realise this isn't everyone's idea of a fascinating topic for discussion on a blog or anywhere else, but you'd be surprised! I addressed this important issue on my road.cc blog and it attracted more comments than anything else I've posted. And before you say anything rude about no one taking any notice of my blog, let me add that it was today's most discussed item on the whole site (which quite surprised me as it goes but there we are). So perhaps you're the boring one for not thinking it's interesting. Bet you hadn't considered that had you?

Bike porn

I went to the Cycle Show at Earl's Court yesterday, feeling ever so slightly sad about the prospect of spending a day wandering around a large hall full of shiny bikes I had no intention of buying, but also quite excited (sadly enough). I thoroughly enjoyed it, just like I knew I would. I spoke at some length to the Enigma guys about theoretical future purchases of course. They told me about a man who had bought his beloved a titanium framed roadbike with diamonds inlaid into the top tube (as dots on the i of the word Enigma on either side of the tube), and with gold-plated front and rear mechs, gold tyres, and a gold chain. It was an engagement present (she said yes I believe) and amazingly it didn't look at all tacky - no idea how they pulled that off.

There were remarkable bikes everywhere, many of which I took photographs of, needless to say. But there's something about this Moulton that really caught my eye. It's the top of their range (which means it sells for about £6,000) and is made of very narrow stainless steel tubes arranged in an intricate pylon style. An amazing bike and one I'd love to own, obviously. I must be growing up though, because I returned home having spent just £10 - eight of which was on a sandwich and a pint of beer.

Centurian cyclists

Ignore for a moment the unusual pose I've adopted here. Try not to think about what I might be trying to conceal. Don't dwell on the reasons behind the almost freakish jollity on the faces of my two companions either. Focus instead, if you will, on the reason this photograph was taken: I'd just finished my first 100-mile bike ride and was feeling so overwhelmingly elated that I demanded someone took a picture of me and two of the three cyclists (the third is the photographer) whose apparently limitless energy had seen me through the dark miles from Plumpton to Devil's Dyke - miles 85 to around 97 of the 100.

The Brighton 100 is a new organised ride that starts and finishes in Preston Park, taking in quite a large part of East Sussex in a huge double loop that goes through Newhaven, Lewes, Eastbourne and numerous villages in the High Weald before heading over to Hurstpierpoint and back to Brighton - with a killer climb to Devil's Dyke three miles from the end. I finished the course in a shade over six and a half hours, at an average cycling speed (ie not including the compulsory 30 minute break for lunch) of 16.7mph. I was more than pleased with this time although I confess I was slightly disappointed not to hit the 17mph average mark.

I was pushing quite hard throughout so by the time I got to the refreshment stop at Plumpton, 84 miles in, I was getting tired but feeling ok. Leaving the pub I latched onto the rear wheels of my three new friends and clung on for dear life as they careered through the countryside at a pace that was very nearly too much for me. About eight miles outside Brighton I started getting cramps in my inner thighs. Then we hit the hills heading up to Devil's Dyke. Blimey but that was hard. I reckon I would have clung on to finish come what may as we were so close to the end, but having a wheel in front of me to focus on going up those hills felt like a real lifesaver. When I got to the top of the hill and knew it was all downhill from here to the finish I was filled with an incredible sense of elation and achievement.

It's the toughest physical challenge I've taken on I think - one I've been training for for around three months. I'm delighted to have stuck to the training and I'm even more delighted to have completed the course in a respectable time without crashing, falling off or otherwise disgracing myself. I think I may be a cyclist...

Scary bike

Yet another apparently fruitless amble along the seafront revealed a golden picture opportunity the other day, when this rather distinguished chap rode past on his unfeasibly tall bike. I was intrigued by what he'd do when the time came to dismount but I'm afraid the answer's rather prosaic: he simply swung a leg over the back of the saddle so he was hanging off one side of the bike, then tilted it until it was safe to skip off sideways. The manoeuvre was dexterous but undramatic so I won't dwell on it. But I wouldn't fancy trying it in traffic...

Teenage boy love

Teenage boys and their too-cool-for-school nonchalance! There are things about this picture I'm not that wild about but the thing I do like about it is the expressions on these boys' faces. As their BMX bandit mate flies within inches of them, twisting his bike this way and arching his body that, they do their best to pretend nothing's happening. Except they're fooling no one! Although the kid in the white t-shirt is doing a reasonable job of looking bored, some of his mates are disguising their admiration for the flying cyclist - and their obvious delight at just being there, together with their mates - very poorly indeed. The expression on the face of the lad with the peaked cap can only be described as love. Bless them.

Seafront cyclist

I was really hoping this guy would turn neatly side-on to the setting sun to give me one of those wonderful shots where the shadow really makes the picture, but the swine wasn't having any of it, so this will have to do. I quite like the colour/texture/patterns of the ground and that rather unsightly dribble of whatever it is... Let's be positive and assume it's sea water shall we?

I think this one looks miles better when you click on it to see it full size. When you do this you can even tell what kind of bike he's riding: a Specialized Langster (does that make me a bit sad?)

Looking up...

Oh yada yada with the work-related bullshit already. I'm being boring and I will now stop (the astute among my imaginary readers will have already worked out that this means I haven't had that tricky conversation with my boss and that I'm rationalising furiously to find ways of avoiding it for good. The clever money's on me with this one).

But anyway, spring's arrived, the daffodils are already wilting, the blossom's out big style and the weather's been kind enough to dry out the trails of the South Downs and thus make them accessible to middle-aged mountain bikers who aren't dedicated or brave enough to tackle them in the middle of winter. Just this afternoon - a regular working day - my terrible boss told me to take an hour or two off as I'd been good enough to stick around and send out a couple of messages last night. So I took the mountain bike and headed off for a quick blast, as you can see from the picture, which was taken just 20 minutes from my front door. I've not really got all that much to complain about have I?

My perky mood is all the more welcome because I spent eight or nine hours this weekend at a house party, where I indulged in dubious practices best reserved for 20-somethings, and deejayed for what must have been at least half the time I was there, if not longer. It was enormous fun - a delightful throwback to how I spent much of my time in the 90s - and the best part of it is that I've not had to pay too high a price on the recovery front, if you get my drift. I have, it seems, escaped undepressed. Life is not so bad, it's official.

Now I've got less angst to moan about I might turn this into more of a photographic blog. I've been thoroughly enjoying a digital photography course that's just finished, so I'm looking for a new outlet for my efforts - something to keep me inspired and in the proverbial game. I might even try to make it a daily thing...let's see how we get on.

Consider the shot above my opening gambit.