A quick training update...
Well... had a good ride today. 64 miles in absolutely fabulous weather by Aberdeen standards - blue skies, light Easterly breeze, slightly nippy. Today I hit the big hill, Cairn O'Mount. I joined the climb 30 miles into the ride 125m above sea level. It starts with a little 1:6, just a couple of hundred meters or so before settling into a 1.5 miles section of about 1:10. This is just enough to be able to get back up to 7 mph and get the pulse back down to 170 before hitting the grand finale - a nice long 1:7 up to the top at 455 m. My legs and lungs were screaming at the top! Luckily I had the 25 sprocket which got its first outing. Did you know that at 5mph it turns a massive 38 times a minute... For the Hully-Gullies, imagine climbing Spout Hill, then being teleported to the bottom of the High Hunsley 1:10. At the top of this you get teleport back down to the bottom and then when you reach the top your whisked off to North Grimston to hit the 1:7's. That's more or less Cairn O'Mount hit from the South side.
The decent down to Strachan is much longer, made up of long near-flats with short sharp descents. After this was a long flat slog down Deeside into Aberdeen with the wind in my face. The first 30 miles had been over rolling hills with the wind on my back which had been one of the best 30 miles I've ridden all year! Fantastic scenery, great weather, long, fast descents. Cool!
The now ancient bike was in good form today. I've sorted the position out after having a somewhat recumbent position last week. A new pair of top notch racing tyres finish it off perfectly keeping the speed up and comfort down to the min! Nearly new bike sounds are cool as well. I know... this is a sad thing to say...
So...home in 3:55ish, 17mph on the dot. I'm pretty chuffed with this, though a tad concerned that this is only half the Alpine distance and relatively I only did piddling little climbs!
Well, more from the Northern frontier next week. Cheerio. Col.
Nathan Evington
28/02/77 - 03/11/07
About Nathan
Nathan, was a big chap in more ways than one. He was always to be found at the centre of the action, telling it exactly as it was – loudly!
In fact, Nathan was in such a hurry to make his impact on the world, he arrived on a cold February morning 8 weeks early. He was so premature that he spent his first month in hospital, and at the time was one of the youngest babies in Hedon Road hospital to survive!
Cycling played a huge part in Nathan’s life. He loved the film American Flyers and watched it many times. In it, there is a scene where the main character does the "torture test" which involved running on a treadmill for as long as possible before ending the test by hitting the "chicken" switch. After Nathan’s diagnosis of cardiomyopathy in 2004, he was actually quite excited to discover that he would be required to do his own "torture test" and spent a good deal of time psyching himself up for a good performance. In fact, he was so determined that it was ultimately the doctor, his Mum and the technician who had to drag him off, as Nathan refused to give in himself.
Cycling also revealed Nathan’s talent for remembering facts and figures. He was our very own walking cycling encyclopaedia. He loved to test his friends and show off his knowledge, and he was always the person you would want on your pub quiz team.
Nathan was determined to live life to the full, and unbeknown to his Mum he began playing in a football team a few years ago. The cat was out of the bag when a new football trophy took pride of place on the mantelpiece one evening. Nathan was very proud of himself and his team-mates, although I am reliably informed that Nathan was valued more for his enthusiastic participation, rather than his football talents – which led to his shots on goal just missing the target – 100% of the time!
Nathan was the life and soul of any party and loved to dance. He would always take to the dance floor first, and was quite happy to dance alone. However, his infectious enthusiasm always encouraged others to join him.
Nathan was a kind man, and always generous to a fault – on the benefit of his Mum and brother. He had a very special sense of humour – one he shared with his brother – and left his mark on everyone he met.
Sunday, 20 April 2008
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