The Fat Cycle Rider

Myprotein ENER:GEL review

2013-05-18T20:44:00.000+01:00

The guys at ProBikeKit asked me if I'd like to try out the new energy gels from MyProtein.

MyProtein are market leaders in sports nutrition and supplements. Now they've ventured into the cycling arena with the ENER:GEL. They currently have two different flavours available - Orange Zest and Lemon and Lime. I was sent the Orange Zest flavour.

Packaging
The gels come in the very common 60ml pouch. The packet can be torn by your teeth from either side and more often then not you need to tear from both sides as I couldn't seem to tear it in one clean sweep. The size of the gel is fairly handy for carrying a handful in your jersey pocket and are not too heavy.

Flavour
The flavour was just sweet enough. Not too sickly, just a nice refreshing taste. People often choose gels based on taste. I think this flavour will appear to many.

Texture
The gel is not thick and not too watery so it's easy to consume and digest. The high water content means you won't need to wash it down straight way like the thicker gels on the market.

Cost
ProBikeKit currently sell a box of 24 for £19.19 including delivery. That's just 80p per gel. Excellent value.

Performance
The gel performed well while out riding. Each gel provides 25g of carbohydrate and just 101 kcal. Enough for leisure and sportive riders like me.

Verdict
A great tasting, great value gel that will fit well into the current offerings from the well known gel makers.

Other uses for SPD pedals

2013-04-19T19:52:00.001+01:00

Staying hydrated

2013-04-09T13:59:00.000+01:00

As it seems spring is finally here, more and more cyclists are getting out on their bikes. Many, like me will be getting some decent training miles in with long rides.

If you're planning to ride for long periods of time, it's important to stay hydrated. Proper hydration will improve performance and also stop your legs feeling so tired after your ride.

The simple solution is to drink little and often. The simplest drink is just water. If you have a bottle cage on your bike, you can get a bike drink bottle and put plain old tap water in it. There are some fancy calculators that can tell you how much to drink when riding but drinking little and often should be OK for most rides in most weathers.

Depending on how much water you carry on your bike and where you intend to ride will determine whether or not a bottle or two is sufficient. Also, if you ride a mountain bike off road then bottles are likely to fall off your bike quite easily. One solution is to get a different bottle cage, but many mountain bikers like to use hydration packs. A hydration pack is basically a purpose made small rucksack with a plastic bag inside you fill with water that has a tube coming out of it for you to suck on when you're thirsty. Depending on which one you go for you can get them in sizes up to 3 litres (that's 6 standard drinks bottles).

If you're not averse to carrying a bag on your back then you can also get ones that double as proper rucksacks. Some are only a little bigger so cannot store much but many are available in a decent size like 18 or 25 litres. You can carry your lunch and all bike accessories for a long ride in these. Some come with a hydration bladder as standard and some are compatible so you can choose which one you fit.

On really hot days you might want to consider an electrolyte replacement drink to put in your bottle or bladder. Your body loses salts through sweat and these salts are important for your body to function properly. By drinking an electrolyte solution you can replace lost salts as you ride. Most are added to your water as a tablet or powder. Some have no calories and just replace salts. Others also have sugars to provide energy.

Bike pumps

2013-03-26T13:27:00.001Z

It's inevitable that you'll need to pump your tyres up after a mid-ride puncture at some time or other. The puncture fairy can strike at any time and no matter how good your tyres or tubes are at resisting punctures, you need to be prepared.

Hand pumps
There are two types of hand pumps - high pressure or high volume. High pressure ones are suitable for road bike tyres where you'll want to put in over 100psi. High volume pumps are for mountain bikes for example where you might only need 50psi. Most hand pumps will require you to have serious stamina to pump your tyres up properly. The nearer you get to the target pressure, the harder it will get.

Some pumps will fit directly to the valve. This can put a lot of force against the metal valve and in some cases you can find yourself damaging it or snapping it clean off!
It may be worth looking for a pump with a flexible hose or even one of the more stamina friendly mini floor pumps.

CO2 Pumps
These work by having a sealed cartridge of compressed carbon dioxide. The cartridges are replaceable and cost around £1 each. They may seem expensive but are a godsend, especially in cold weather when you don't want to be hanging around getting cold. CO2 is expelled into the tyre so fast that you can pump it up in just over a second. Most pumps come with cartridges suitable for road bikes, hybrids and 26" mountain bikes. If you are using a 29er mountain bike you may want to consider using two cartridges or getting a bigger 25g one.

Hybrid hand pumps
These are the best of both worlds. They are normal hand pumps but with the ability to fit a CO2 cartridge. That way you can pump of most of the tyre by hand and when the going gets tough, you can use the cartridge to top it up. That way your cartridges go further. Some of these don't have flexible hoses so you could still damage the valve if you overdo it.

Track pumps
Also known as stirrup pumps, these are what you keep at home for your regular maintenance. They can pump to the highest pressures with ease and as they have a long plunger handle you can get good leverage and pump your tyres up in no time at all. Most have a pressure gauge so you can be sure you've put enough air in and also that you've not put in too much.

3 year anniversary

2013-03-14T19:00:00.000Z

Yesterday was three years since I started cycling.

In that time I've ridden a total distance of 13,662 miles. I've lost 8 stone in weight and become a new person both physically and mentally.

In the past year I found myself hitting an invisible barrier, weight wise, that I couldn't get below. My weight went up and down a number of pounds but stayed fairly stable. I tried new methods of diet and exercise and had some success. I tried to focus less on the weight and more on the fat percentage.

One thing I've learned over the last year is that as I'm getting used to how I look now, I'm also finding it hard to be comfortable with my new body image. I'll be honest and tell you that I was never comfortable before but now I have a new shape, I'm not totally happy either. There's always more I can do but it will take a lot longer to shape than it has up until now. I've posted a couple of before and after pictures. I was very anxious about posting these publicly but I think it needs to be done.

I also went for an anniversary ride. I recreated the first ride I ever did on my mountain bike. Just 3 miles. I was a massive step for me 3 years ago.

Top UK cycle routes (infographic)

2013-03-11T13:13:00.000Z

Source: www.globalbike.co.uk

Keeping warm on the bike

2013-02-22T13:15:00.000Z

I've not written much in the past about winter cycle clothing, but as I progress through my third winter on the bike I thought I’d share what I've learned.

It’s easy keeping your body and legs warm but stopping your extremities like hands, feet and nose from getting cold is a different matter.

Feet

Most bike shoes have mesh ventilation panels to keep your feet cool in summer but in winter, they also let cold air in. One tip would be to wear thermal socks - two pairs of them. If you suffer from poor circulation like I do then two pairs of socks may not be enough. The answer isn't to put three pairs on. The simple answer is over shoes. Overshoes are like gloves for your shoes. Nearly all are waterproof to some degree so not only do they block the wind they also keep your feet dry when it’s raining which also helps keep your feet warm. They may seem a little extravagant at around £25 a pair but they’re well worth the money.

Hands
It’s obvious that you’ll need to wear gloves to keep your hands warm in winter but choosing a good pair is important. You don’t have to spend a fortune on them but if you buy some that are waterproof they generally have a wind-stopper material which will keep your hands warmer. Again if you suffer from poor circulation like me your hands will get cold no matter what gloves you wear. However, your hands will start to warm up within 15-20mins of vigorous pedalling. If you feel you still need more warmth for your hands, you can always buy some glove liners.

Face
The best thing I've found for keeping my face warm is a Buff. A buff is a piece of headwear that is very thin and tube shaped and can be worm in many styles to cover your head, face, ears etc. If you require full head and face coverage you can use two. One for your top half and one for the bottom half of your head. Again you will start off a little cold but you’ll warm up as you ride.

Body
I like to ride with as little as possible. The more layers you have the more restricted you’ll feel. I've found all I need is a base layer and jacket. This is good enough is almost all temperatures. When it gets to -1c or lower (temperature or wind chill) I put two base layers on. A modern base layer is thin and lightweight. It allows heat to be retained but moisture to escape. I use a thin lightweight waterproof jacket on top. This stops the wind from penetrating therefore keeping the temperature higher. Because body heat can’t escape through the jacket you stay warm. This set-up isn't as good when the temperature is mild as condensation builds up between the base layer and the jacket.

Legs
I wear bib tights during the winter. Cheap ones are fine. They stop cold air getting in at the waistline. Most will have some sort of wind-stopper material at the front. Your legs will naturally warm up with pedalling but your outer thighs may get cold. To save yourself having different thickness tights you could always wear a pair of shorts over the top. For rainy days, you could buy some waterproof bib tights but they can be very costly. Instead I use a pair of waterproof over-trousers. Not as streamlined but great value.

Remember, it's always best to start off cold as you'll warm up when pedalling.

I'm always interested to hear what works for others if you want to share your experiences.

We suck at setting goals

2013-01-31T23:47:00.000Z

Please Include Attribution to OnlineEducation.net With This Graphic

2012 Summary

2013-01-07T19:00:00.000Z

2012 was my first year where I didn't have to focus my efforts on weight loss. Here’s a summary of my year.

January
The year started off slowly. A couple of weekend rides and swimming once a week and running 2-3 times a week.

I signed up to Gareth Rowbotham's (@curesam) #12xIronMan Challenge. The challenge is to complete the distance of an IronMan triathlon every month in 2012. That's 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling and 26.2 miles of running. I thought I was well within my abilities to complete this so when I was asked to take part I said yes.

Stats
Swimming: 4.4 miles
Cycling: 448.28 miles
Running: 25.24 miles

February
Took part in the local parkrun. It's an organised 5k run every Saturday at many locations throughout the world. I even volunteered as a marshal.

Had a go at Rollapaluza for the second time. For those that don't know what Rollapaluza is, two cyclists battle it out on a pair of custom rollers connected to a huge dial over a simulated 500m distance. My time was 25.13s. Average speed 44.8mph. Average cadence 180.9rpm. Peak power 807w. I was pleased that I wasn't the slowest and I was just over 2.5s faster than my time last year. It's really tough but good fun.

Stats
Swimming: 2.8 miles
Cycling: 349.29 miles
Running: 28.67 miles

March
March is the anniversary of when I started cycling. In two years I'd lost 8.5 stone and ridden almost 9,400 miles. To commemorate the anniversary and to try and promote the Cycle to Work Scheme I created a video to tell my story. It proved extremely popular over the year being viewed 8,412 times. I also received positive feedback from all that saw it. Hopefully it's inspired some more people to do what I've done.

I also took part in the Burgess Hill Springtime Classic. It was my first proper cyclosportive and was organised by SRS Events. It was a well organised event. However being early in the year my ability didn't live up to my expectations and the 71 mile ride was a killer. Harder than I expected.

Stats
Swimming: 3.07 miles
Cycling: 431.87 miles
Running: 27.83 miles

April
April saw me take part in the 30DaysofBiking again. For those that aren't aware, the challenge is to ride your bike every day for the whole of the month. Although I'm an avid cyclist, getting on the bike every day, whatever the weather can still be a serious challenge. I was able to take my bike away with me on holiday for a week and got to explore new places on two wheels. I even saw some giraffes on one of my rides. However, I ended up having to miss a couple of rides. I'm pleased with what I achieved though.

Stats
Swimming: 5.32 miles
Cycling: 358.92 miles
Running: 26.46 miles

A giraffe on one of my cycle rides

May
This was a busy month. I finished servicing my Specialized Allez Road bike, I'd taken it off the road after the Burgess Hill Springtime Classic and took time to strip it down, thoroughly clean and replace any worn parts. The bike was like new when I'd finished, even if it'd taken me 2 months!

I took part in the Uckfield Sprint Triathlon. The distances were 500m swim, 16km bike and 3.5km run. I was pleased with my performance on the day and it was only my second triathlon.

I was featured in Cycling Active magazine. They'd contacted me after seeing my video. I felt like a minor celebrity and for the first time, revealed my blog to colleagues at work. Up until now I'd kept my online identity a secret.

Stats
Swimming: 2.96 miles
Cycling: 463.03 miles
Running: 25.09 miles

My magazine feature in Cycling Active

June
I took part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride for the third time, raising money for the British Heart Foundation. I was an ambassador for the BHF and was interviewed on BBC local radio and TV.

I made a trip to the new Cyclopark facility in Kent and took two bikes with me. A road bike and a mountain bike to try out the different terrains available.

I also made a second video. This time it was about triathlon and titled '21 stone to triathlete'. I used it to persuade a friend of mine that's very competitive but does almost no physical activity to take part in a novice triathlon. It failed in that respect but I got very positive comments from all those that saw it.

Stats
Swimming: 3.17 miles
Cycling: 339.26 miles
Running: 26.34 miles

Me at the finish of the London to Brighton Bike Ride

July
The first half of July was void of anything memorable. The second half started off with the Pasty Ride 2012 with fellow bloggers Matt, John, Pete and new this year, one of Rafe's neighbours.

I started a bike build project with my eldest son. I bought him a mountain bike frame with the intention of building it up over the summer holidays.

I took one of my bikes with me to London for the day. A very memorable way to get around the capital and the weather was fantastic.

Then there was the BHF Goodwood Cycle Ride at the famous motor circuit which I took part in with my family. I did a total of 20 laps around the circuit and my family all matched or beat last years efforts.

The month was finished off by going to see the Mens Olympic Road Race. I went up to Dorking in Surrey with my family and saw the riders whizz past. We then walked along to the Surrey Hills Road Race Festival. I got to meet up with Pasty Ride Pete again. We also got to see the rest of the race on a BBC big screen.

Stats
Swimming: 0.81 miles
Cycling: 440.02 miles
Running: 10.43 miles

My Genesis Day One Alfine in London

August
I got the chance to go to the Olympics properly this time. I had tickets for the Women's Olympic Mountain Biking at Hadleigh Farm in Essex. It was a great day and the weather was perfect.

I took part in the Ringmer Triathlon for the second year. This time I did the sprint distance rather than the novice. The run was much harder than I expected and my time was much slower than I thought it should be. It was a hot day but I know I have more in me.

I took my bike with me on holiday again. This time I got to ride around Devon and Cornwall. It's great exploring new places by bike.

Stats
Swimming: 2.33 miles
Cycling: 273.26 miles
Running: 23.19 miles

Annie Last, Team GB rider

September
For the first time, I did London to Brighton twice in a year. However, this month it was off-road. I expected it to be tough but with 20 more miles than the other and not much smooth tarmac it was a real killer. I'm so glad I did it and want to do it again in 2013.

I took part in the Tour of Britain Challenge Tour Ride and afterwards went to the Cycle Show exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham. I won two places on the ride and invited John along to keep me company on the 96km route through the Midlands. We then visited the Cycle Show and met fellow cycling blogger Phill. I also got to meet Olympic cyclist Lizzie Armistead.

Stats
Swimming: 1.05 miles
Cycling: 550.44 miles
Running: 7.40 miles

Me, Phill and John

October
Although not cycling related, I went to the Lake District and climbed the two highest mountains in England, Scafell Pike and Scafell. I've never done anything like this before. It was amazing and much more physically challenging than I was expecting. For 2013 I'm taking part in the 3 Peaks National Challenge.

I took part in the Rye Rotary Ride. I chose the longer 100km ride which starts in Rye, heads to Dymchurch and goes back via Appledore. It was tougher than I expected it to be seeing as the ride is completely flat.

Stats
Swimming: 2.85 miles
Cycling: 402.70 miles
Running: 2.13 miles

Me in the Lake District

November
November saw my 34th birthday. Other than going mountain biking once around Bedgebury Forest I didn't get up to much for the month.

I got a new bike light. A Lezyne Super Drive XL. Very bright. Exactly what I needed for the unlit sections of my commute.

Stats
Swimming: 3.08 miles
Cycling: 282.95 miles
Running: 2.15 miles

My mountain bike

December
In the final month of the year I didn't do much at all in the way of extracurricular riding. I rode my mountain bike around the forest once but that was it. It was also the only month I did no running.

Stats
Swimming: 3.28 miles
Cycling: 194.68 miles
Running: 0.00 miles

My collection of medals since I started cycling

Conclusion
It was a busy year, even though I didn't do as many miles as I'd hoped for.

My weight stayed reasonable steady over the year. It only went up or down a handful of kilos.

My blog saw 14,005 visitors in 2012 (92.88% up on last year) with a total 35,848 pageviews (46.57% up on last year).

2012 Totals

Cycling
Total rides: 441
Longest ride: 73.77 mi
Total time: 342h 39m 13s
Elevation Gain: 115,062 ft
Max Elevation Gain: 7,217 ft
Avg Speed: 13.1 mph
Max Speed: 47.8 mph
Calories burned: 248,961
Bikes owned: 4
Punctures: 9

Commuting miles: 3,472.52
Leisure miles: 1,082.35
Total mileage: 4,554.87

Total days driven to work: 40

Running
Total sessions: 63
Total distance: 205 mi

Swimming
Total sessions: 36
Total distance: 35.12 mi

Stats for December

2013-01-01T15:34:00.000Z

This is the final month of the #12xIronMan challenge set by Gareth Rowbotham. The challenge is to complete the distance of an IronMan triathlon every month in 2012. That's 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling and 26.2 miles of running.

Didn't manage to complete the challenge this month. Again, running has been the let down. I've managed no running whatsoever in December. I'm generally please with my performance for the year though.

Here's my stats for the month;

Swimming: 3.28 miles
Cycling: 194.68 miles
Running: 0.00 miles

7 Core Exercises that Cyclists Should Do

2012-12-10T07:00:00.000Z

Guest post from ProBikeKit

While leg strength gets most of the attention in the cycling community, the true biking enthusiast should also build up their core muscles. Your abdomen, sides, and back will help stabilise you during the ride by restricting any unnecessary movement and conserving your energy for where you need it most. Here are seven critical core strength exercises which will help build up your key cycling muscles.

Boxer Ball Crunch
This exercise requires a stability ball. Lie with your back on the ball and place your hands behind your head. Bend your knees at 90 degrees and place your feet flat on the floor. Lift your back and move your torso clockwise. Make sure to push down on the ball to stop it from moving around. Do 15 clockwise circles then 15 anticlockwise circles. This will build up muscular control, allowing you to minimise movement while in the saddle.

Power Bridge
Lie down on the floor and place your arms by your sides with the palms down. Bend your knees and bring in your heels until they are flat on the floor. Raise your hips, forming a straight line that stretches from your shoulders to your knees. This should be done in one smooth motion. Your toes should come off the ground as well. Only lower yourself three-quarters of the way back down to complete one repetition. You should only touch the ground once this has been done 20 times.

Hip Extension
Again, this exercise requires a stability ball. Lie with your hips and stomach on the ball and place your palms on the floor for support. Stretch your legs out so your toes are on the floor as well. Keep your spine straight and move your shoulder blades backwards. Raise both of your legs as high as you can, making sure to keep them straight. For maximum effect, your legs should be greater than parallel to the floor. This should be done 20 times.

Plank
Lie on your stomach with your elbows positioned below your shoulders. Forearms and hands should remain on the floor. Raise your hips upwards, keeping your back straight while resting on your toes. You should also clench your abs. Try to hold this position for 60 seconds. This exercise will give you added endurance and power while on the road. Instead of struggling forward, you can coast along, leaving other cyclists behind in your wake.

Transverse Plank
For this exercise, lie on your right side. Your right elbow should be parallel to your shoulder on the floor. Your left foot should be resting on top of your right. Raise your left arm until it is all the way over your head. Raise your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line running from your head to your toes. Lower your hips until they are just off the floor. This will complete one repetition. Do this fifteen times then switch sides.

Scissors Kick
Lie on your back and stretch your legs straight in front of you. Place your palms face-down beneath the small of your back. During this exercise, you will need to push your elbows down and bring your belly button towards your spine. Raise your shoulders and face toward the roof. Lift your legs off the ground, keeping them straight. Move your left leg over the right then the right over the left. This is one repetition. Do as many of these as you can. Ideally, you should be able to do 100 for optimal core strength.

Catapult
Sit on the floor and slightly bend your knees. Your heels should be firmly pressed against the floor. Stretch your arms in front of you at shoulder height. Palms should be placed together. Keep your arms straight and look upwards. Inhale deeply and exhale. As you inhale again, slowly lower your body forward to the floor. Then, exhale quickly and move your body upwards to its starting position. Your arms should always go first. Do this 20 times. Although this movement seems violent, it actually builds up physical body control which is later beneficial when cycling around.

About the Author
ProBikeKit is a leading provider of cycle tyres and other bike components across the UK. They offer a vast product range on their website and in their showroom.

Stats for November

2012-12-01T15:32:00.000Z

I'm still taking part in the #12xIronMan challenge set by Gareth Rowbotham. The challenge is to complete the distance of an IronMan triathlon every month in 2012. That's 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling and 26.2 miles of running.

Didn't manage to complete the challenge this month. Cycling has been good this month. Again, I've not managed much running as I'm concentrating more on muscle mass and fat loss and don't have time for running.

Here's my stats for the month;

Swimming: 3.08 miles
Cycling: 282.95 miles
Running: 2.15 miles

What an RAF pilot can teach us about being safe on the road

2012-11-05T22:27:00.001Z

Guest post from the London Cyclist Blog.

What an RAF pilot can teach us about being safe on the road:
“Sorry mate, I didn’t see you”. Is a catchphrase used by drivers up and down the country. Is this a driver being careless and dangerous or did the driver genuinely not see you?
According to a report by John Sullivan of the RAF, the answer may have important repercussions for the way we train drivers and how as cyclists we stay safe on the roads.
John Sullivan is a Royal Air Force pilot with over 4,000 flight hours in his career, and a keen cyclist. He is a crash investigator and has contributed to multiple reports. Fighter pilots have to cope with speeds of over 1000 mph. Any crashes are closely analysed to extract lessons that can be of use.

Our eyes were not designed for driving

We are the result of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. Our eyes, and the way that our brain processes the images that they receive, are very well suited to creeping up on unsuspecting antelopes and spotting threats such as sabre-toothed tigers.
These threats are largely gone and they’ve been replaced by vehicles travelling towards us at high speeds. This, we’ve not yet adapted to deal with.
Why?
Light enters our eyes and falls upon the retina. It is then converted into electrical impulses, that the brain perceives as images. Only a small part of your retina, the centre bit called the fovea, can generate a high-resolution image. This is why we need to look directly at something, to see detail.
The rest of the retina lacks detail but it contributes by adding the peripheral vision. However, a mere 20 degrees away from your sightline, your visual acuity is about 1/10th of what it is at the centre.

Try this scary test to see quite how much detail you lose in your peripheral vision

Stand 10 metres away from a car.
Move your eyes and look just one car’s width to the right or left of that car.
Without moving where you eyes are now looking, try and read the number plate of the car.
Try the test again from 5m.

The test shows you quite how little detail you are able to truly capture from the side of your eyes.
That’s not to say that we cannot see something in our peripheral vision – of course we can. As you approach a roundabout, you would be hard pressed not to see a huge lorry bearing down upon you, even out of the corner of your eye – obviously, the bigger the object, the more likely we are to see it. But would you see a motorbike, or a cyclist?
To have a good chance of seeing an object on a collision course, we need to move our eyes, and probably head, to bring the object into the centre of our vision – so that we can use our high-resolution vision of our fovea to resolve the detail.

Here’s when things get really interesting

When you move your head and eyes to scan a scene, your eyes are incapable of moving smoothly across it and seeing everything. Instead, you see in the image in a series of very quick jumps (called saccades) with very short pauses (called fixations) and it is only during the pauses that an image is processed.
Your brain fills in the gaps with a combination of peripheral vision and an assumption that what is in the gaps must be the same as what you see during the pauses.
This might sound crazy, but your brain actually blocks the image that is being received while your eyes are moving. This is why you do not see the sort of blurred image, that you see when you look sideways out of a train window.
The only exception to this, is if you are tracking a moving object.

Another test to try

If you are not convinced, try this test.

Look in a mirror.
Look repeatedly from your right eye to your left eye.
Can you see your eyes moving? You can’t.
Repeat the test with a friend and watch them. You will see their eyes moving quite markedly.

You can’t see your own eyes move because your brain shuts down the image for the instant that your eyes are moving. This is called Saccadic masking.
In the past, this served us well. It meant we could creep up on antelopes without our brain being overloaded by unnecessary detail and a lot of useless, blurred images.
However, what happens when this system is put to use in a modern day situation, such as a traffic junction?

Why we miss motorbikes and bicycles

At a traffic junction all but the worst of drivers will look in both directions to check for oncoming traffic. However, it is entirely possible for our eyes to “jump over” an oncoming bicycle or motorbike.
The smaller the vehicle, the greater the chance it will fall within a saccade.

This isn’t really a case of a careless driver, it’s more of a human incapacity to see anything during a saccade. Hence the reason for so many “Sorry mate, I didn’t see you” excuses.
The faster you move your head, the larger the jumps and the shorter the pauses. Therefore, you’ve got more of a chance of missing a vehicle.
We are effectively seeing through solid objects, with our brain filling in the image.
Additionally, we tend to avoid the edges of the windscreen. The door pillars on a car therefore create an even wider blindspot. This is called windscreen zoning.

The danger of playing music

Our ears help us build up a picture of our surroundings. However, inside our cars or with music playing, our brain is denied another useful cue. Additionally, bicycles are almost completely silent, so won’t be heard by car drivers.

How accidents happen

Let’s say you are driving along. You approach a junction and you notice a lack of traffic. You look left and right and proceed forward. Suddenly you hear the blast of a horn, as a motorbike flashes in front of you, narrowly avoiding an accident.
What just happened?
On your approach, you couldn’t see there was another vehicle on a perfect collision course. With a lack of relative movement for your peripheral vision to detect and the vehicle being potentially hidden by being near the door pillar, you miss it entirely.
Lulled into a false sense of security you looked quickly right and left, to avoid holding up the traffic behind you, and your eyes jumped cleanly over the approaching vehicle, especially as it was still close to the door pillar in the windscreen. The rest of the road was empty, and this was the scene that your brain used to fill in the gaps! Scary, huh?
You were not being inattentive – but you were being ineffective.
Additionally, if you didn’t expect there to be a cyclist your brain is more likely to automatically jump to the conclusion that the road is empty.

Now that you’ve been warned. What can you do?

Forewarned is forearmed, so here’s what we can do.
Drivers:

Slow down on the approach of a roundabout or junction. Even if the road seems empty. Changing speed will allow you to see vehicles that would otherwise be invisible to you.
A glance is never enough. You need to be as methodical and deliberate as a fighter pilot would be. Focus on at least 3 different spots along the road to the right and left. Search close, middle-distance and far. With practise, this can be accomplished quickly, and each pause is only for a fraction of a second. Fighter pilots call this a “lookout scan” and it is vital to their survival.
Always look right and left at least twice. This doubles your chance of seeing a vehicle.
Make a point of looking next to the windscreen pillars. Better still, lean forward slightly as you look right and left so that you are looking around the door pillars. Be aware that the pillar nearest to you blocks more of your vision. Fighter pilots say ‘Move your head – or you’re dead’.
Clear your flight path! When changing lanes, check your mirrors and as a last check, look directly at the spot which are going to manoeuvre.
Drive with your lights on. Bright vehicles or clothing is always easier to spot than dark colours that don’t contrast with a scene.
It is especially difficult to spot bicycles, motorbikes and pedestrians during low sun conditions as contrast is reduced.
Keep your windscreen clean – seeing other vehicles is enough of a challenge without a dirty windscreen. You never see a fighter jet with a dirty canopy.
Finally, don’t be a clown – if you are looking at your mobile telephone then you are incapable of seeing much else. Not only are you probably looking down into your lap, but your eyes are focused at less then one metre and every object at distance will be out of focus. Even when you look up and out, it takes a fraction of a second for your eyes to adjust – this is time you may not have.

Cyclists and motorcyclists:

Recognise the risk of being in a saccade. High contrast clothing and lights help. In particular, flashing LED’s (front and rear) are especially effective for cyclists as they create contrast and the on-off flashing attracts the peripheral vision in the same manner that movement does. There’s nothing wrong with leaving these on during the day. (Especially if they are rechargeable)
The relatively slower speed of bicycles means that they will be closer to a point of collision if a vehicle begins to pull into their path. Turn this to advantage – when passing junctions, look at the head of the driver that is approaching or has stopped. The head of the driver will naturally stop and centre upon you if you have been seen. If the driver’s head sweeps through you without pausing, then the chances are that you are in a saccade – you must assume that you have not been seen and expect the driver to pull out!
Recognise that with a low sun, a dirty windscreen or one with rain beating against it drivers are likely to have less of a chance of seeing you.
Cycle instructors have been saying it for years: Ride in a position further out from the kerb as a driver is more likely to be looking in this location. See: How to make your next bike ride safer than the last.

What should we do with our human weakness?

John Sullivan’s findings and suggestions are excellent. However, they rely on drivers changing well embedded habits. Personally I believe that, unlike RAF pilots, a driver is very unlikely to change their behaviour. Therefore, I’d suggest that this is another reason we should be looking at building safety in to our roads, with Dutch style cycling infrastructure.
Two important takeaways for cyclists: Increasing your contrast helps you be seen. Think flashing bike lights. Also, remember the importance of good road positioning.

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Stats for October

2012-11-01T13:20:00.001Z

I'm still taking part in the #12xIronMan challenge set by Gareth Rowbotham. The challenge is to complete the distance of an IronMan triathlon every month in 2012. That's 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling and 26.2 miles of running.

Didn't manage to complete the challenge this month. Cycling has been good this month. I'm doing less running as I'm concentrating on muscle mass and fat loss.

Here's my stats for the month;

Swimming: 2.85 miles
Cycling: 402.70 miles
Running: 2.13 miles

Stats for October

2012-11-01T13:20:00.000Z

I'm still taking part in the #12xIronMan challenge set by Gareth Rowbotham. The challenge is to complete the distance of an IronMan triathlon every month in 2012. That's 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling and 26.2 miles of running.

Didn't manage to complete the challenge this month. Cycling has been good this month. I've not managed much running as I'm concentrating more on muscle mass and fat loss and don't have time for running

Here's my stats for the month;

Swimming: 2.85 miles
Cycling: 402.70 miles
Running: 2.13 miles

The secrets to safe cycling

2012-10-23T20:35:00.001+01:00

Found on London Cyclist blog.

We have written a number of posts on safe cycling here on London Cyclist (7 mistakes you are making with your cycling and How to make your next bike ride safer than the last) and I’m glad to say they are always popular reads. This proves to me that you guys are interested in doing what you can to improve your safety on the roads. However, we have yet to provide things in an infographic, which potentially makes the tips easier to follow. Today, we’ve partnered up with Access Legal to bring you the below graphic. If you think your Twitter followers/Facebook friends/Redditors or Pintrest Amigos will find it of interest, share it around. You are also welcome to print it out (on the company printer when no one is looking) and pin in on an announcement board at work!

Cycle Safety Tips – An infographic by the team at Access Legal.

Tour Ride NEC and Cycle Show

2012-10-02T22:16:00.001+01:00

On Sunday I took part in the Tour of Britain Challenge Tour Ride and afterwards went to the Cycle Show exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham.

I won a competition via Tribesports.com and one of the prizes was 2 free places at a Tour of Britian Tour Ride of my choice. Looking at the locations available, I decided to choose the NEC Cycle Show Ride as it was on at the same time as the Cycle Show and I was planning to go anyway. The ride included entry to the show plus half price parking. I invited John to do the ride with me and he accepted. Yay!

There were two ride lengths to choose from. 96km or 150km. I chose the 96km ride so that we'd have ime to look around the show afterwards.

The ride was set to start at 10am but during last wek I received an email to say it would now be starting at 8am, the same time as the longer ride. This meant having to stay nearer the event as travelling up from Eastbourne that morning would mean leaving at 3.30am!! My good friend Chris let me stay the night at his house so this wasn't a problem in the end.

The morning of the ride, I drove over to the NEC arriving at 7am. I got both our rider numbers and timing chips from the registration point and met John shortly afterwards.

John at the start

Once our bikes were ready, we headed back to the holding area in search of toilets, food and water. We found the toilets OK but food and water were a little more difficult. There was supposed to be food and drink at the start. There were some bananas but no water. When I asked, there was a quick scramble to go and find some. The nice lady came back with some bottles of water for us.

There was a lack of people at the start and as they were sending us out in batches of 50, we started the ride after a few minutes.

It was cold to start with and John set the pace early on. Having done 108 miles the day before, he was still too fast for me. It took me a while to realise he was trying to chase down a group ahead of us to help save our legs but kept dropping back to me when he realised I wasn't going fast enough. After a while I realised this and we joined a group. I managed to maintain a higher speed for less effort.

We arrived at the first feed station at just over one third distance. I filled up my drink bottles, used the facilities and grabbed some energy bars and flapjacks. When we got back on the road, our group leaders were no longer there so I was up the front of a much smaller group with John. The group didn't get back to the smooth workings we had before but I nearly always had someone's wheel to sit on, even if it was John's.

The second feed station never appeared and a few we were with were a bit miffed. I wasn't too bothered as I had enough food and drink but it would have been nice to stretch the legs.

We arrived back at the NEC, passing under the same gantry we started from. My official time was 3:17:08 and the Garmin registered the distance as 56.83 miles.

Once we'd collected our medal, goody bag and recovery drink we headed back to the car to secure our bikes and get changed.

Upon entering the Cycle Show, John was immediately taken by some old fashion bikes, something he went on about all day. We walked about a bit before getting some lunch at Subway.

We then proceeded to find Phill who was helping out a friend of his at the show. Thoroughly nice bloke (aren't all cyclists?). We chatted for a bit before heading off to see more of the show.

Me, Phill and John

We looked at more bikes and tried to hunt down a road bike with hydraulic disc brakes. We didn't find any. The closest we came was a couple of cyclocross bikes with hydraulic converters.

Cable to hydraulic disc brake converter

I then came across Olympic cyclist Lizzie Armistead. She was lucky enough to have the honour of winning Britain's first medal of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Lizzie Armistead

We looked at yet more bikes and bike stuff. Having made our way around twice we went back for a further chat with Phill. John left and not long after that so did I. Totally knackered from an early start, hard ride and walking around all afternoon. I drove home in the chaos that is the motorway network.

It was a tough but enjoyable day out.

Stats for September

2012-10-01T22:32:00.000+01:00

I'm still taking part in the #12xIronMan challenge set by Gareth Rowbotham. The challenge is to complete the distance of an IronMan triathlon every month in 2012. That's 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling and 26.2 miles of running.

Didn't manage to complete the challenge this month. Cycling has been good this month. I've cycled more miles this month than any other this year. I've also had injury, crashing hard whilst mountain biking. This stopped me from running for a whole week but also stopped me from swimming. I also missed some swimming sessions due to other commitments including cycling events.

Here's my stats for the month;

Swimming: 1.05 miles
Cycling: 550.44 miles
Running: 7.40 miles

Stats for August

2012-09-01T20:00:00.000+01:00

I'm still taking part in the #12xIronMan challenge set by Gareth Rowbotham. The challenge is to complete the distance of an IronMan triathlon every month in 2012. That's 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling and 26.2 miles of running.

This month I've had some time off for holiday and also taken some days off in the lead up to my second triathlon of the year. This has, of course, reduced my mileage.

Here's my stats for the month;

Swimming: 2.33 miles
Cycling: 273.26 miles
Running: 23.19 miles

Women's Olympic mountain bike race

2012-08-13T14:29:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I went to the Women’s Olympic Mountain Bike Race at Hadleigh Farm, Essex.

It was an early start as me and my friend Rob. I got up at 5.25am having missed my alarm for 5am. I arrived at Rob’s house in Bexhill for 6.10am and we drove to Orpington railway station.

We used our Games TravelCard and got the first train to London Bridge. From London Bridge we got the tube along the Jubilee Line to West Ham. Whilst waiting for our train to Leigh-on-Sea I noticed you could see some of the Olympic Park. Not surprising, as West Ham is one of the main stations for the Olympic Park.

We arrived at Leigh-on-Sea with plenty of time before the race started. There were buses waiting outside to take us to the venue but Rob insisted we walk as it was good for us. I agreed but under protest!

The walk was nice at under 40 mins but it was well signposted, off-road and with great views including Hadleigh Castle. The Salvation Army (owners of Hadleigh Farm) were handing out water along the way and there were along toilets on the route.

There were plenty of friendly, smiling staff along the way and at the entrance to the venue. Their enthusiasm didn’t falter all day. Very impressed as they were all volunteers.

The queues were short to get in and the army were there to search our bags and pat us down. Luckily we weren’t carrying any banned items, so they let us in.

A short walk later and were could see the circuit. You enter right by the start/finish line. Although there are lots of possible places to stand to see the race, we decided to stand alongside the start finish loop once I’d worked out the best place to use my 800mm camera lens. There was also a big screen TV behind us so we could watch the race when the racers were out of sight.

The men were out training on the course at the same time the women were warming up for the race. I started practicing with the lens to work out how to get the best pictures from it.

As the race start got nearer, the crowds started to build. 20,000 tickets had been sold in total. The sun was shining, there was a light breeze and the grass was dry. Rob and I decided to try and have a nap for half an hour before the race started.

Once the race was underway there was lots of cheering as Great Britain's Annie Last as she was leading after the first corner. As the riders all came past there was a lot of dust being kicked up. For the first couple of laps or so, Annie was in the lead but I wonder if she pushed too hard early on to please the home crowd as she slowly started to lose time to the leaders after this.

Annie Last - Team GB

Each time the riders came round we cheered them on and took photos, and for the rest of the lap we watched them on the big screen.

By the final lap, most of the riders were fairly spread out and we cheered them home as the rode the final loop. The biggest cheer was for Candice Neethling of South Africa as she came in 28th and last.

The medal ceremony followed within 5 minutes of the finish and being next to the start/finish line we could see them, even if we were behind them. Julie Bresset of France got gold, Sabine Spitz of Germany got silver and Georgia Gould of USA got bronze.

Following the medals the RAF Falcons parachute display team put on a show for us and landed at the venue.

We decided to stay at the venue for around an hour before leaving so it wouldn’t be so busy. We had a quick look around and then had a kip on the grass.

We started to make our way out of the venue and the staff were still friendly and smiling. Even the armed police were high-fiving people as they were walking past. As we go to the gates, I suggested we take the bus this time back to the station. Again, Rob insisted we walk. The walk back to the station was pleasant, even if it did take 35 mins.

Upon arrival at the station, were were greeted by a number of police horses, many of which were being stoked by members of the public. We walked into the station and straight onto the platform. 30 secs later our train arrived. At each stage, back into London the public transport was quick and not too busy.

We stayed in London for a few hours visiting an Evans Cycles. It’d be rude not too. We also saw Tower Bridge with its Olympic rings.

A very long but enjoyable and memorable day. I’m glad I got to go to the Olympics.

Next up, I’m off to the Paralympic Games on 8th September.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

BHF Goodwood Ride

2012-08-06T13:11:00.000+01:00

The bikes all loaded up ready for Goodwood

A couple of weeks ago I took part in the second annual Goodwood Ride for the British Heart Foundation.

The ride starts at 10am so we didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn.

It's a nice family friendly event where you can ride without traffic on a closed circuit. It suitable for all abilities and is almost flat with only a few undulations.

I was suffering from a trapped nerve in my shoulder so wasn't sure how many laps I would be able to complete. Last year I managed 21. Whilst on the bike my shoulder wasn't a problem. I completed one shy of last year in the end, 20.

My wife an two boys joined me for the second time to take part and raise money for the BHF. My youngest son did better than last year and my wife and eldest son matched their previous efforts.

If you would like to donate some money for our efforts, however small, please visit www.justgiving.com/toby2012. Thank you.

My youngest son on the circuit

My two bikes taking a rest (wife using my mtb)

Stats for July

2012-08-01T13:34:00.000+01:00

I'm still taking part in the #12xIronMan challenge set by Gareth Rowbotham. The challenge is to complete the distance of an IronMan triathlon every month in 2012. That's 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling and 26.2 miles of running.

I've had problems with my back this month. At the beginning of the month, I suffered severe lower back pain and about half way through the month, as the back pain got better, I got a trapped nerve in my shoulder. Both have been interfering with my swimming and running, hence my poor performance in these areas this month. Cycling has not been a problem and I'm finally back to the swimming and running.

Let's hope I don't suffer in my next triathlon in just under 3 weeks, as a result.

Here's my stats for the month;

Swimming: 0.81 miles
Cycling: 440.02 miles
Running: 10.43 miles

Men's Olympic road race

2012-07-30T13:39:00.000+01:00

On Saturday I took my family to watch the Men’s Olympic Road Race.

Having seen that there was a free cycling festival near Box Hill, along with big screen TV to watch the race, I planned to go there and watch the cyclists as they came past and catch the end of the race on the big screen.

My two boys waiting for Team GB

With the race passing Dorking at 11.35am we aimed to get there about an hour earlier. We arrived in plenty of time and got a spot near the station. There’s many vehicles, mostly police outriders, that precede the cyclists. There was a lead group that came through first several minutes before the peloton. When the peloton came through, it was at such speed.

Once the riders and all the vehicles had all passed, we headed to the Surrey Hills Road Race Festival which is only 10 minutes walk away. The Festival is based at Denbies Vineyard and was host to a live BBC feed on a big TV, cycling trade stands, food stands and a few bits of entertainment for the kids.

Watching the big screen

After seeing how busy the route around the Box Hill loop was on the TV, we decided against walking over and trying to get a view of the riders doing laps. We spent the afternoon watching the race on the TV with the huge crowd looking around the trade stands.

On one of the stands, there was a competition to set the fastest time on a virtual ride up Box Hill. My 12 year old son had a go, The bike was a little big for him but he managed it in just under 11 minutes. I had a go and after killing myself trying, I set a time of 4m51s. The fastest time of the day so far was 26s faster.

Whilst I was there I met up with Pete (waist2go.wordpress.com). I last saw him only a couple of weeks ago on the Pasty Ride.

The weather was fantastic and had to be careful not to get burned sitting in the sun watching the end of the race. It was a little disappointing for Mark Cavendish and Team GB to not do as well as expected but it was still a great day out and to be so close to the Olympic action.

There was a long queue at the train station for the journey home but a bit of waiting and 3 trains later we were back home.

Waiting for the train

Me and my boys

London by bike

2012-07-25T23:04:00.000+01:00

Last week I got the chance to visit London. This time however, I took my bike.

I was a little apprehensive about taking my bike as I was worried about leaving my bike when I needed to leave it unattended and lock it. After a little indecision, I decided to take the Genesis Day One, along with my Kryptonite Evolution 4 and KrypoFlex cable.

I took the bike on the train to Victoria. Upon arriving I needed the loo. I wondered where I might lock the bike. Just over the road from the station there were a few bikes locked to park railings. I thought this would be the best place. I made sure the back wheel, frame and front wheel were securely locked to the railings and took my saddle bag and gps off. I was away from the bike for only 5 minutes but was panicking constantly. Upon my return the bike was still there. What a relief!

Olympic lane

The trouble with riding a bike through London is that all the tourists think I'm a local and kept asking me for directions. Surprisingly, I managed to give some of them directions.

At first I walked with the bike as the roads were a little daunting and full of double decker buses. Once there was a clear path in the bus lane, sorry, Olympics and bus lane, I got on the bike and started to ride. It wasn't long before I got to a red light. This is a recurring theme on central London's roads. Ride, red light. Ride, red light and so on.

Olympic triathlon grandstand

It wasn't long before I reached Hyde Park and went for a ride off the main roads and through the park on the dedicated cycle lanes. Being a very big city there's no shortage of bikes being ridden at any one time. Most are regular cyclists and seem like their in a hurry to get where they need to go. A few like me are either new to the area or inexperienced and meander around trying not to get in the way of others.

In Hyde Park I saw the building of the grandstands for the Olympic Triathlon across the Serpentine. There was also a new London 2012 shop. A temporary building specially for the Olympics. More about that in a minute.

I carried on to Kensington Palace Gardens. I noticed that the park had a small number of cycle paths as did Hyde Park but many paths to walk on.

My geography of London's major tourist attractions isn't that great. I visit London at least a couple of times every year and visit a few places but always navigate by underground to get where I want to go. Some landmarks I've not visited since I was a kid so I thought I'd use this opportunity to get as much in as I could.

Whilst riding through Kensington Gardens I notice a wonderful striking gold monument. As I got closer I went around the front and saw it was a memorial to Prince Albert. I also saw it was opposite the Royal Albert Hall.

I carried on riding, heading back to Hyde Park. I got off the bike and walked over to the Princess Diana memorial fountain. Unusual in design but quite amazing to watch the water flowing around it.

Back on the road I skirted around Hyde Park but pulled into the park by the Household Cavalry to have a closer look at the London 2012 shop. There were only a few foreign tourists around so I thought the shop wasn't open but wanted to get a picture of it nonetheless.

It appeared the shop was open after all. I looked around for somewhere to lock my bike as I couldn't miss the chance to have a look inside. My only option seemed to be a tree directly opposite the entrance. Once inside the shop there seemed to be everything you could buy that was Olympics or Team GB branded. There was even jewellery. I'm quite an indecisive buyer so looked at everything at least twice before buying some gifts for my wife and kids.

Me with an Olympic torch

Upon leaving the store there's a smaller store that just sells signed memorabilia. There was a nice signed cycling jersey from Chris Hoy for a cool £1,299. Right next to it though was an Olympic torch. I took a photo of it. Moments later I was holding it in my hands. One of the kind ladies in the store asked me if I'd like my picture taken with it. I wasn't going to refuse. With a smile on my face I left the store and went back to my bike. Still nervous that it might be missing again. It wasn't.

Next stop, Buckingham Palace. I've never been there, although I've been past once. The road down Constitution Hill was quiet and the road was wide. I took my time and took a couple of photos. My next plan was to ride down the Mall but it was partially closed due to preparations for the Olympics. I rode a short way down it and then took a detour into St. James's Park. After stopping for a drink, I jumped on the bike, moving no faster than walking pace when I was stopped by a police officer. She proceeded to tell me that cycling is not allowed in the Royal Parks except in certain places and that they would soon be introducing a £50 fine. She took my details and I went on my way.

The next attractions along the way were Big Ben, Downing Street and Trafalgar Square. I then headed down to Victoria Embankment. Here I took a picture of the Genesis with the London Eye in the background. Where next? I suddenly realised I'd not seen St. Paul's Cathedral since I was a kid. I had a quick look on my phone to see where it was and got back on the bike.

When I got to the Blackfriars Underpass I wasn't sure if bikes were allowed in but there was a bike ahead of me and he went, then so did I. Out the other end I noticed I'd gone a little too far and had to back track slightly. I stopped to admire the magnificence and took a photo. At this point I thought I'd better head back towards the station for the ride home.

One the way back to Victoria I stopped outside Westminster Abbey to admire the architecture. Almost at the station I saw a bike store, Action Bikes. Thought it would be rude not to pop in and have a look. It's a small store but the staff were friendly.

Once back at the station I asked where I could lock my bike up so I could get something to eat. I was told by platform 1. Walked all the way over to be told it was by platform 8. I walked over there only to realise it was on the platform and I'd have to go through the barriers. Instead I got something from one of the smaller food stalls. Half hour later and it was time to get on my train home.

An enjoyable day if a little inconvenient at times with a bike. You can cover a lot of ground on a bike without tiring out your feet and you get to see more sights than you would on the underground. The real benefit is you can stop when you like. It'd probably put off a novice cyclist but I'd do it again, maybe with a Boris bike next time. The only other point I'd make is it's sad to see so many cyclists jumping red lights. I can see why they get frustrated being stopped so often by them.

Buckingham Palace

London 2012 countdown in Trafalgar Square

St. Paul's Cathedral

My bike locked up near Victoria station

A large cycling origami sculture

The Royal Albert Hall

Albert Memorial

Bike build project

2012-07-19T17:00:00.000+01:00

I've started a project with my son to build a bike, a mountain bike.

I bought him a new frame and thought it'd be a good idea for him as a project over the summer holidays. He currently has a cheap Apollo mountain bike so I thought it's about time he realised how much better it is to ride a quality bike.

Apart from the disc brakes, which will come from my bike, every part will be new. I will help him choose the parts and teach him what each component does. I will then supervise the build and help where necessary.

I must remember that it's his bike and not mine. It'll be so easy to take over and do it all for him.