[chappers]

on another note...
are there "correct" tools for fitting a head set. (a-head type to 1 1/8 forks). i just used the following: hacksaw, "hammer applied to bolt in the star-nut till it was banged in far enough", and grease.

im going to get some new forks for my fixed ride, is there a correct way to go about this - i dont want to pay a shop to do it!

on another note, i picked up a mag/book called the ride journal in magma. quite a good read and beautifull it is. intervew with lemond about that final stage.

[fatkid2000]

Well its the big day of Le Tour tomorrow - Alpe d'Heuz, Col du Telegraphe and Croix de Fer, with full Eurosport and ITV4 coverage. I think CSC have something to blow Evans of the road, as his team just can't compete with CSC's strength. Watching today just made me want to go and climb some of Alpine Cols more than ever. Mind you did anyone else see that Barloworld rider almost climb himself after crashing on the descent - makes you realise that the concentration needed to descend must be enormous when totally f***ed after the ascent.

According to Eurosport commentary this afternoon most of the riders are using compact chainsets in the Alps these days, with a 30 or 34 inside ring, rather than a 39. With a 53 or 54 on the outer to get the speed up on the descent.

Anyone do the legbreaker over the weekend?

[webbo]

According to Eurosport commentary this afternoon most of the riders are using compact chainsets in the Alps these days, with a 30 or 34 inside ring, rather than a 39. With a 53 or 54 on the outer to get the speed up on the descent. 

how does that work i thought the reason that most compacts only had a 50 outer was your front changer could only handle a gap of 14/16 teeth or the like.

[fatkid2000]

According to Eurosport commentary this afternoon most of the riders are using compact chainsets in the Alps these days, with a 30 or 34 inside ring, rather than a 39. With a 53 or 54 on the outer to get the speed up on the descent. 

how does that work i thought the reason that most compacts only had a 50 outer was your front changer could only handle a gap of 14/16 teeth or the like.

Got no idea how it works - it baffled me when I heard it, but apparently that's what they use.

[Percy B]

Maybe they're using a long cage front mech like you have to use with a triple? That might work. I'm sure the concept of having a gear ratio of 54-11 for descending seems like a good idea until you hit 120kph and are heading towards a hairpin bend with your carbon rims red hot and causing your brakes to fade.....

[chappers]

ahhhhh bless the summer holidays. here i am watching the tour live all afternoon     lets hope that csc do the work to destroy the rest of the field to hot things up!

[fatkid2000]

Well Cadel didn't win again - Shame. Well done Sastre.

I got stopped for speeding (on a push-bike) this morning - no kidding!!  I was coming into Hathersage at 7:30 from the direction of the Fox House, I wasn't aware how fast I was going as I was on my winter bike which doesn't have a computer. According to PC plod I did 44 mph at one point in the 30 zone - woops. I got a warning not to go so fast again. Shame he didn't see the Audi which almost collided with the traffic lights down the road towards Hope due to a really dodgy overtaking maneuver.

[chappers]

I got stopped for speeding (on a push-bike) this morning - no kidding!!  I was coming into Hathersage at 7:30 from the direction of the Fox House, I wasn't aware how fast I was going as I was on my winter bike which doesn't have a computer. According to PC plod I did 44 mph at one point in the 30 zone - woops. I got a warning not to go so fast again. Shame he didn't see the Audi which almost collided with the traffic lights down the road towards Hope due to a really dodgy overtaking maneuver.

nice one. in a strange way it is a dream of mine for this to happen to me! odd.

sastre has done well. it was good to see CSC's tactics unfold towards the end of the race. nice one.

[webbo]

Well Cadel didn't win again - Shame. Well done Sastre.

I got stopped for speeding (on a push-bike) this morning - no kidding!!  I was coming into Hathersage at 7:30 from the direction of the Fox House, I wasn't aware how fast I was going as I was on my winter bike which doesn't have a computer. According to PC plod I did 44 mph at one point in the 30 zone - woops. I got a warning not to go so fast again. Shame he didn't see the Audi which almost collided with the traffic lights down the road towards Hope due to a really dodgy overtaking maneuver.

i think for some cycling offences on the statute book the sentence can transportation.so if your struggling to find the money for your honeymoon it might be worth checking the law out.

[squeek]

I got stopped for speeding (on a push-bike) this morning - no kidding!!  I was coming into Hathersage at 7:30 from the direction of the Fox House, I wasn't aware how fast I was going as I was on my winter bike which doesn't have a computer. According to PC plod I did 44 mph at one point in the 30 zone - woops. I got a warning not to go so fast again. Shame he didn't see the Audi which almost collided with the traffic lights down the road towards Hope due to a really dodgy overtaking maneuver.

nice one. in a strange way it is a dream of mine for this to happen to me! odd.

sastre has done well. it was good to see CSC's tactics unfold towards the end of the race. nice one.

One of my friends got a fine for going through a red light on his bike at a T junction, where he was going straight on so wasn't stopping traffic.  I don't think he'd have got done if he was riding on the pavement.

The speed camera on the Parbold side of Parbold hill is a good one to set off on your bike.

Bit mean to say, but I'm glad Cadel didn't win because he never looks like he knows how to lead or go for anything.

[Plattsy]

Bit mean to say, but I'm glad Cadel didn't win because he never looks like he knows how to lead or go for anything.

  Too much wheel hugging over the last few years for my liking. Needs to attack more and win more stages.

[fatkid2000]

 

And get himself a proper team - would he have won if he rode for CSC?

[Bowie]

i have been (v) slowly building up the miles on the road bike and took on the froggat hill challenge (admittedly been putting off for a while..) with a benchmark of 13 minutes i took off fast... too fast! made it in 19mins! well at least i have my own benchmark now.. got to the grouse seemingly quickly but from there to the junction seemed to take a lot longer than anticipated. anyhow, a good challenge.
now i need to get some lycra...
andy

[tlr]

FatKids time of 13.20 is very, very fast. I'd suggest that sub 17 is respectable, sub 15 is pretty good, and sub 14 is very impressive.

For what its worth when I did 14.23 I was at Froggatt gate at 8.30 and at the Grouse at 12.30. I had a useful breeze as well, which is very helpful - a headwind for the top half will add a lot of time.

My new wheels have finally arrived - DT 1.1 on Tune hubs. Felt quite zippy on the way home last night, and definitely more compliant over the cattlegrids. Have to see of they improve my Froggatt time.

[fatkid2000]

I'm averaging 14 mins to 14mins 20 secs at the moment on Froggat Hill - I doubt I'll ever go under 13 mins 30 again.

Those wheels sound good Tim and must be worth a pretty penny - I looked at some tune hubbed carbon wheels - looked real good just out of my price range though.

[Mark Lloyd]

I've been up winnats a couple of times this year once as part of the Polka Dot Challenge, there is a challenge on this hill as well, cattle grid to cattle grid, don't have any benchmark times though so maybe be send fatkid up to set the standard. If he does well he can enter the national hill climb challenge this year on bank road in Matlock !

P.S anyone else doing the Spud Riley in Sept ?

[fatkid2000]

Winnats is f***ing steep in my book and I'm glad to just get up the thing. I think the average gradient is 25% and the traffic doesn't help. I've never timed myself up it but I do know my heart rate has hit 200 on here. The other hill which may be worth timed ascents is from Barber-booth  up to the top above Winnat's. Its max gradient is around 15% and has less steep sections in it. The first section is the worst as you hit the ramp at the bottom.

[Mark Lloyd]

I agree Winnats is a b**tard its the hardest one I've come across in the peak.
There are a couple near me that are as steep (Riber/Rowsley Bar) but no where near as sustained.
A gentler hill similiar to froggatt maybe a bit shorter and less busy is Beeley worth a punt if your out that way.

Changing subject slightly, I read last year that some guys had cycled up Jacobs Ladder, now that is impressive.

[fatdoc]

Jacobs ladder has a load of myth and mystery attached to it... many stories abound, I'm sure it's been done by a fair few XC whippits. An amazing feat. Though I have to say the very top bit has been sanitised a lot, I rode it down 2 weeks ago and it seemed disappointingly tame - I had memeories of it being a true drop into steep loose baby head grit blocks, not now 

[Percy B]

Spent a short while following a delightful bloke today (replica pro team kit, shaved legs, etc, etc) who was not up for having people riding behind him so spent his time snotting on me and veering all over the road so I couldn't pass (I assume he was pretending I wasn't there although he had just passed me at a junction)! 

Luckily I also met some nice roadies out there today which made up for the feeling of despair the first guy had given me. Its nice to be back on the bike after the best part of a month off

[fatkid2000]

Spent a short while following a delightful bloke today (replica pro team kit, shaved legs, etc, etc) who was not up for having people riding behind him so spent his time snotting on me and veering all over the road so I couldn't pass (I assume he was pretending I wasn't there although he had just passed me at a junction)! 

Was he on a cervelo and in CSC kit. I went past a bloke in this kit a week or so ago & he did the same snot related things to me. Mind you he was bloody slow up hill.

[fatdoc]

after a raging bout of insomnia I dragged by bike out and did a short blast at 5 a.m.... despite being at least 5 pounds heavier (god bless the post mtb beers) did my local up to owler bar and back through holmesfield in 38 mins, thats 3 mins better than i've done before. It was one of those *why wont my heart rate go up, god i must be tired* rides.. weird... rode mtb for 3 hrs y'day as well. very strange!!

saw 3 cars.... no wind, not hot... much fun!!

[Bowie]

nice. i kind of had the opposite, 'why is my heartrate so high'... although the nice tail wind up to owler bar from baslow was excellent.
it was a milestone in my short roady career. a) bought heart rate monitor. b) bought cheep lycra's from decathlon. now it feels like i can't be overtaken!
 

[tlr]

Would have been a really good day for Froggatt Hill Challenge on Sunday I reckon. I went down it and could barely get over 40kph into the headwind. Seemed like lots of people riding up it too, loads without helmets, but thats their choice I guess.

[fatkid2000]

Would have been a really good day for Froggatt Hill Challenge on Sunday I reckon. I went down it and could barely get over 40kph into the headwind. Seemed like lots of people riding up it too, loads without helmets, but thats their choice I guess.

Oh yes it was a good day - 13mins 50 - my second best. I've noticed loads of people without helmets recently, I know a lot of roadies will tell you that head injuries only kill a small number of people and chest/abdo injuries are more likely to be serious - but for the sake of £50 - it may make all the difference between a life sat in piss and in a wheel-chair and normality. Went over to the East Coast last week and saw a load of blokes of 70 plus spinning huge fixed gears - I know its flat but I was well impressed at them.