Zo'C Cycling

Cornwall coast to coast cycling

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 10:26:00 -0700

This last week was a well deserved and highly needed holiday week in St. Ives, on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, and of course, we took the bikes with us. On Thursday Anna decided to stay on the B&B and I took the time to cycle 12km (8mi) across the Cornish High Lands to Penzance, on the English Channel coast.

I don't usually like to cycle back the same way I went somewhere, so I decided for a different, longer, route. Also, I was hoping that by following more of the coastline I'd have to face less hills but I couldn't be more wrong. The way back to St Ives via Pendeen was even more hilly and windy than the direct route.

I cycled from Penzance following the route to St. Just but taking switching to the road to Pendeen, where one of the most extraordinary things happened, the wind was not agaisnt me but in my favour, and I'm not talking about a breeze, I'm talking about wind strong enough to propell me to 52km/h (33mi/h) uphill, almost effortlessly and that went on for over 5km (3.1mi).

I have been to faster speeds than that in intense downhills but going uphill is just amazing, not only because the crazy feeling of, well, riding uphill quite fast, but the sense of safety that comes of being more in control uphill than downhill. I loved that feeling, I want to do it again, if I only can figure out how to do it...

The other amazing thing has to be the lovely views of the Cornish countryside and the coastline, riding for miles and miles with no more company than the sun, the pastures, the ocean, cows and the odd car and cyclist.

All in all, every extra mile I cycled was worth the effort, it was an amazing ride and I strongly recommend it.

Oh, and next time I want to go as far as Land's End. Why? you ask. Oh well, it's called Land's End and it's the beak of England, do I need better reason?

Enjoy the pics.

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Rochester this Sunday

Wed, 19 May 2010 07:54:00 -0700

The time has finally come.

After some 800Km (500mi) and several pounds worth of training in the last few weeks, this Sunday we're finally heading to Rochester (23rd of May).

Weather forecast says it's going to be nice and Sunny but changes so much that I'm not counting on it, whatever the weather we should be on the The Crown Pub in Rochester by mid afternoon and you are welcome to join us either for the ride (no, it's not too late if you want to go) or just for drinks afterwards. Trains run three times per hour from Victoria and you can catch up with us there.

We are happy that our effort here is helping make such a difference in Malawi. The good thing about investing in education is that the benefit will last for the lifetimes of those children and quite possibly passed on to future generations. Every pound won is making a huge difference, so please consider making a donation adn keep an eye on this blog for pictures and stories of the ride.

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Cycling from Putney to Hackney

Mon, 10 May 2010 08:44:00 -0700

Oh joy! From Putney (SW15) to Hackney (E5).

A friend invited us for a Sunday lunch and as part of my training lessons for the Big Adventure I decided to cycle from home to Hackney. Easy!

It was almost a hill free journey, not so much traffic. Even the weather helped and changed from rainy to sunny/cloudy when I mounted my bike! It took me 1 hour and 40 minutes each way, cycling around 19 km per hour... not too bad! I feel I am getting there!

We had a chance to see the lovely North Mill Fields and the river Lea. After spending a great day with our friends we went back to Putney and were surprised by an AMAZING sunset. The sky was pink/orange, just beautiful! The riverside was particulary fabulous.

Please sponsor our ride to Rochester here. Only 2 weeks left and still £90 to be fundraised to build classrooms in Malawi, Africa, for poor children.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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Butterfly handlebars

Sat, 08 May 2010 09:16:00 -0700

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I have read so much about the benefit of butterfly handlebars (also know as Trekking or Touring Handlebars) that I decided to give them a try. I bought this one for nearly £14 on ebay and I bought yellow and red Fizik Microtex tape to create a harlequim pattern. Now, you may have noticed that the handlebar was not put on its canonical position and the reason is that I want to try projecting the handlebars more to the front because I'm a tall chap and I want to gain a few centimeters. That also allows me to put the saddle a bit more forward too and putting me in a position closer to the one I am when I cycle standing on the pedals, which is much more efficient. I'll try the handlebars in a few different positions before I commit my tape into it and I'll let you know how it went.

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Hard work - Cycling around Richmond park (3 times!)

Tue, 04 May 2010 07:56:28 -0700

This weekend was very productive. Besides cleaning the house and a lot of DYI (Gui did most of the DIY stuff and I did the cleaning) I have proposed myself to cycle 3 times around Richmond park, which is more or less 3 hrs at a speed of about 12 km/h. A big jump from the usual 1 hr ride in the park but less than last adventure to Windsor.

I normally cycle around the park and it takes me 1 hr (30 min to Gui - shame on me!). There is a hard part of the route where I have to dismount my bike Josephine as I am not fit enought to cope riding up the hill, between Robin Hood Gate and Ladderstile Gate. My dutch bike doesn't help too....

The first ride around the park was great as usual - nothing new. Second ride was ok as well but in the end I needed water - and Gui bought me a bottle at the Roehampton Gate cafe (he's the best)! So... the third ride - that was difficult!!! My legs were starting to fail when cycling up the hills and I begun feeling very hungry. So we made a pause at the Pembroke lodge and had something to eat. Uff.... that was good but there was still more work to be done! Not the best performance after eating a sandwich and juice, but I finally made it! 3 rides around Richmond park!

Now I will keep working on the training, try to cycle 2 times around the park during the week and try again 3 times in the weekend. I have the feeling I will be left behind when cycling to Rochester..... oh no!

If you want to sponsor us in our big bicycle adventure on the 23rd of May, click here.

Wish me luck!

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Cycling to Windsor

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:48:00 -0700

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The weather was so great in the weekend we decided to cycle from our home in Putney to Windsor on Saturday.

It was very challenging for me, an easy journey to Guilherme - a very experienced biker - and we made it! Almost 40km later and we were at the Windsor castle, relaxing at the Great Park

3 hours cycling! Fantastic landscapes and beautiful villas in the way to Windsor. It was a great experience and I am so proud I was able to reach my goal! Now I am more prepared for the big challenge: cycle to Rochester on the 23rd of May. Please sponsor us here.

We went back to London by train but instead of leaving the train at Barnes station we decided to leave a bit earlier at Richmond and complete our journey cycling 10 more km home via the Thames path. It was a beautiful end of the day and it's always inspiring to cycle around the Thames path.

To celebrate our bravery we end up at the White Hard, our favourite local pub, overlooking river Thames.

Guilherme is saying Edinburg is our next challenge but I have to say I need more time for this - sorry, lol. But will keep you posted on our next adventure!

Cheers

Anna

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3 websites to track your cycling

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:59:08 -0700

Being a data geek, one thing that keeps me busy when I'm not cycling is to see maps and track my progress but much beyond that a website to track your cycling can also be a useful resource to share and find routes, get tips and make friends.

Since I started cycling I tried several services and here are 3 of my favourites.

Every Trail

As the name implies, www.EveryTrail.com lets you record all sorts of trips you make. These don't have to be cycling, running or sports related at all. You can track train trips, boat trips or, really, every trip.

Pros:

* Great variety of users and routes to help you out plan yours

* Player to visualize the trail with elevation and speed graphics

* Allows you to embed maps on your website

* iPhone apps fully integrate with the website

Cons:

* Lacks in social features. There are some, you can follow people, send them messages, view their routes and leave comments but there aren't any group activities.

* Privacy settings for your routes are either public or private. No sharing with friends and family, it's all or nothing.

* Lack of support for calories count, heart rate, goals and other sport related info.

Garmin Connect

Though Garmin Connect (http://connect.garmin.com) belongs to GPS manufacturer Garmin, there isn't anything in the Terms of Service that prevents you from using the site without a Garmin device.

As I have an Edge 705, I find it very useful to automatically synchronise it with the web site. Garmin provides a browser plugin that allows websites to connect directly to the device, which is used also by the other sites on this post.

The Garmin Connect site is all about performance and data. Social features are really a minimum but it lets you set up goals, keep a calendar and gives you all sorts of reports.

It is made to import from garmin devices but you can upload GPX files as well. You can't just create your own routes by hand, though.

Pros:

* Heavy on performance info

* Tightly coupled with garmin devices (if you own one)

* Many export options to take the date to other services

Cons:

* Almost complete lack of social features

* You need GPS data files to create routes, no manual routing

Daily Mile

I just discovered this one a couple of days ago but www.dailymile.com is my current favourite. The site is heavily social, has a beautiful and friendly interface, imports routes direclty from my Garmin and promotes interaction with other users. It is also heavy on the sports data.

You can create challenges and invite your friends you can share routes and you can chose to only show routes to your friends, rather than the extreme public/private.

There are some things to be improved on this site but generally seems to carry a lot of goodness from both a sports and a social point of view

Pros:

* Heavily Social

* Comprehensive Sports Data

* Selective route sharing

Cons:

* Lacks a player to simulate routes

* No iPhone app yet

And you, what is your favourite site to track your cycling?

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Wow - almost there!

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 04:15:24 -0700

Yay! Today our friend Felipe from Israel has donated £50! Thanks Felipe!

Now we are almost there! Please keep helping the cause and donate!

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We are a team now

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:58:27 -0700

Before I could even start the blog up properly, my wife, Anna, decided to join the ride and the fundraising so we decided to make a joint effort in training, keeping the blog and getting the funds. As a result, I've changed the profiles, pictures and the looks of the blog but it's the same campaign, just more collaborative and interesting now.

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The cause, the plan

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:29:00 -0700

When I've decided to join the cycling event yesterday and start the fundraising I thought the thoughest part would be to actually raise the money. I wouldn't have thought that less than 24 hours after it started, I'd be halfway there and I'd be humbled by the support and generosity of early donators to the cause I'm supporting for this ride.

The cause

I have to say I've always believed education is the central piece for social reform and improvement. I do think most of the commendable things one can campaign for can be achieved as a consequence of an educated society and helping create a few classrooms in a poor country in a Africa is, though modest, is quite in the right direction.

The plan

Now, to the light of the generous donations that were given I do start to feel responsible not only towards the children in Africa but also towards the donors and being the one to have fun with the cycling, I do want to share the fun and joy with you guys so in the weeks that precede the event I will be updating this blog with pictures, cycling tips, routes, bike maintenance tips, training updates and all the general fun of cycling.

Last but not least, I'll try and bring as much as I can from the lovely ride it's going to be to this blog. So sign up for the feed to get the updates, please donate if you haven't done so, you'll be helping a lovely cause and if you are a cyclist sign up for the event and get involved.

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Bicycles and Classrooms in Africa

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:20:00 -0700

Two months ago I bought a new bike. The previous one was stolen early this year and I hadn't had much chance to use it properly, sadly, before that, I didn't cycle much since I was a teenager. In those days, though, I used to cycle a lot and enjoy it just as much.

Now I'm completely (re)converted. I cycle to work almost every day and I've been willing to join cycling events and then today I came across with a bike ride from London to Rochester which has an additional benefit, it's a fundraised to build up classrooms for children in Malawi, Africa.

http://www.ganetsadventureschool.org/

The ride is 41 miles long, which is not an overwhelming physical challenge but the challenge will reside in actually raising the funds. The initial goal is £100 but of course the sky is the limit, the cause is as good as it can be.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/guioconnor

Which brings me full circle. I open this blog unpretentiously to keep track of the fundraising, the training and to share useful cycling information about cycling on London or elsewhere.

Be welcome and if you're feeling generous, help spread the message or fund this great cause.

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