Computers, cranks and carbs

You may be wondering why I have put a photo of a fluffy orgasmic kitten as my title shot. Well, its mainly because that's how I look at the moment. Without the fur. Yes, I have returned from my honeymoon with Bella. It was shorter than I would have liked but one feels a sense of urgent obligation to return to earth before family desert me in favour of the lollipop lady who they see for more than five minutes a day...

I have ridden, not obsessively I hasten to add, every day since she arrived. Twice a day. Sometimes three. So yes, this blog post is going to be mainly about bikes and The Bike Shop so if you have no interest or have reached boredom saturation point, I'd go and read a book or something instead. Or consider moving to a beautiful, unspoilt region of the Pyrenees or marvel over some of Scotlands finest panoramas. However if you choose to bear with me, I have three things to report.

• Bella is the most beautiful creature I have ever had to fortune to er..mount. Imagine if you can, being on top (works for both sexes) of your absolute dream man/woman - looking down between your legs and having a grin the size of South America spread across your face because beneath you is your idea of perfection.*
• Being seen with/riding a Thing of Beauty does not exclude you from getting a very sore bottom and bits. I have as a result, ordered a Selle Italia ladies seat (Diva Gel Flow). Please, please watch this video. Its very important (no its not, its just very funny...). It may not cure my problem but its very nice :) and yes, I am expecting to get through about 56 seats in order to find one that is 'me'
• Spending a not-unreasonable amount of money on ones first road bike does not mean that you are ready to hit the road. Noooooo, first you must spend an equal amount of money on kit and 'necessary' embellishments... my boss says I have expensive tastes. When he says that he smiles and I know, as he is a true Yorkshireman, that every time I coo over something shiny he knows he is a few quid closer to his annual holiday. At this rate, he's going to have six months away somewhere hot and exotic..

 *I know I will also say that about my first race bike too but lets just go with the present whole rapturous delight thing eh :)

My reasoning for spending without much guilt is a) its my own money and b) that I don't now have any form of motorised transport as they all blew up. N has stated that the combined engineering genius of our planet could not produce an engine strong enough for me to use without 'destroying completely' (pah! One teeny cracked head! On a 4 litre V8...um....) and therefore I am better off under my own steam/breaking my own stuff.

Anyway - been good to be back riding everyday this week. One moment of panic and confusion over the gears on Bella had me believing that not only had I lost some fitness on hills but I had in fact regressed to the physical strength point of a newborn. However this was resolved by moving out of (accidentally found) Death Gear and onto, almost unashamedly, the Granny ring. Shut up. It was a very steep hill.

Sooooo exercise so far this week:

Sunday 11th  - 46.37km in 2hrs 4 mins (Bella) - hills, hills, death, hills.
Monday 12th - 12.7km in 43mins 7 secs (Bob) - trail mmmmm
Tuesday 13th - 1) 17.7 km  in 47 mins 7 secs (Bella) meandering commute and 2) 11.35 km in 28 mins 32 secs (Bella)commute
Wednesday 14th -  1) 11.35 km  in 26 mins 43 secs commute (Bella) and 2) oooh no ride, went to yoga instead with Sue.
Thursday 15th - 1)  11.35 km  in 26 mins 3 secs (Bella) and 2) 11.35 km  in 24 mins 53 secs (Bella) both commutes

Not impressive. Not even good but its 9-11 hours exercise a week and all exercise is good. While I'm trying to adapt to 18 - 19 hour days I'm not exactly feeling like beasting myself. Fitting the bike computer the other dayhas made things easier. I'd been using the iPod apps - eventually settling on imapmyride app but its not very 'upright friendly' to be raking about in ones sports bra (where I keep phone and keys when riding) to check ones pace. I got the Cat Eye CC-MC100W which does perfectly though I have now been alerted to my 'need' for a cadence meter which means this one might be going over to Bob and Bella gets this one. Pfffrt. Or maybe not as my friends C and S have both threatened to shoot me if I start quoting averages and times. 

Tomorrow I am taking Bob because he will be feeling left out and I do miss him. And, as I'm working Saturday at the Bike Shop, I'm going to not ride that day but instead risk public transport or persuade N to get up and drive me and pick me up. Need to get a swim session in sometime this week too. Refusing to give up on upper body! I have almost abandoned running for the time being however. It got to the point where I could not walk in the morning as my ankles (many times broken in past) felt as though they were fused solid for the first hour or so in the morning and no amount of stretching and massage would help. I have had to walk down stairs sidewards for the last month or so. Time not running has helped though. Today was the first day I walked downstairs normally! I have an appointment with sports physio to assess problem and advise.


Bike Shop is going well I'm pleased to report. Apparently I'm a good luck charm as we've (yes we, I sold my first bike t'other day woo!) sold a lot of bikes this week. Its mostly repairs and services though (it seems ours is a town of Secret Serious Speed Freaks) and I've progressed to owning My Side of the bike stand and Boss doesn't hover nervously when I'm within 10ft of a carbon frame and will happily leave me alone to build or repair unless I yell for assistance/advice/a cuppa or he is showing me something new. There have been some lovely bikes in this week and though obviously none compare to Bella, my eye was briefly caught by a time triallingy training jobbie** which was having the below fitted. This is a Dura Ace 7800 Powermeter with SRM PC 7 (not shown) and not a 'can opener'. Apparently it measures your power output in watts and lets you know how big your thighs are or something. It will certainly remind you how small your bank balance has become.

** Please note new technical jargon. I have managed to persuade Bike Boss to adopt my vocabulary and things are much easier now we're pointing/grunting and using 'Thingies' and 'wotsits' instead of 'Crown race puller' and 'Head tube facing and reaming tool'. I do have to say that out of all the tools so far, the latter is by far my favourite! There is nothing on this planet as satisfying as feeling those teeth slicing away.


So yeah, all going well. Learning more and more. Today, once it had quietened down a bit, I taped some Zipps for tubs. A week ago I wouldn't have known what the hell that meant but now I know it means Be Very Very Careful These Wheels Cost More Than You Jo. He did admit I made a better job of it than he does though. My perfectionist tendencies have finally found a home :)

I do have to say though for a Boss who is still racing (road and mountain) and his son who did race until recently, they eat a lot of not-particularily-healthy stuff! Biscuits, cake, panini's. My illusions of working somewhere where people worshipped their finely honed bodies in order to squeeze out every last ounce of er...thingy, has rapidly been shattered as I watch Bike Boss Son lay waste to half a sultana and cherry cake in one sitting. They are both tall and thin though. Is cake the secret weapon of racers? An enjoyable form of carb loading? I do hope so as I have that aspect of training well and truly in hand.....