30 from 30

Day 1
So after last March’s successful 30 from 30 attempt it’s time for another go. Steve is the instigator this time as he attempts to become half the man he is this year. Kicked things off with a commute. 96km, 3h22m. The ex cross bike is now sporting the USE bars, post and stem from my road bike giving me a longer, lower position. Feels good. Managed to miss most of the rain today, got home just before a big thunderstorm. Splendid.

96km|3hr22m|CX

Day 2
Should have headed out first thing but instead decided to start unpacking stuff from my holiday. Meant I got caught in the rain about halfway around the ride. Oh well.

22km|1hr22m|Surly

Day 3
Expected to awake to pouring rain but instead the sky was clearish and I got to see a lovely sunrise. Chucked with rain all day but eased to showers for the return leg.

96km|3hr32m|CX

Day 4
Quick ride after getting back from work. Headed out on the pompino as the sun was setting for a quick loop that I know takes me over an hour to do. Threw in a few hard sprints and was able to spin up to over 30mph on a few descents which surprised me as I’ve hardly ridden fixed recently.

33km|1hr11m|Pompino

Day 5
Another commute. Torrential rain, floods, wind. Couldn’t help but laugh and ride really fast :)
5 days, 343km. Maybe I’ll be able to take on Jo’s challenge of riding 1000 miles this month. Another 140km over the weekend will give me my first ever 300 mile week. Not sure I’ll make it but it should be close.

96km|3hr17m|Pompino

Day 6
Didn’t really fancy riding far today. Would have gone offroad but the weather was lousy (again) and there are always too many people about at weekends. Eventually headed out on the pompino to do the bare minimum to keep the 30/30 going. Did manage to set a couple of records though –

Longest weekly distance – 369km with a day still to go!
Fastest speed on the pompino – 60.5kph, 191rpm

The first record was expected but the second was a real surprise and makes me think that with a bit of practice I can crack the 200rpm barrier. Something to aim for!
Passed 6000km for the year and I also somehow managed to find a 1 hour slot where it wasn’t raining. No idea how!

26km|1hr13secs|Pompino

Day 7
One week finished. Managed to avoid most of the rain on the way in to work today but got caught in some torrential downpours on the way home. The drainage system was soon overwhelmed and the roads flooded. I’m getting quite bored of it now.

96km|3hr40m|CX

Week 1 stats…
Distance : 465km (new personal record)
Duration : 17hr24m13s
Weight loss : 2kg
Food eaten : Lots!

Day 8
2 options this morning – ride from home for an hour in the fog then drive to work or drive to work early with a bike in the car then ride for an hour before starting work. I chose the latter option. Turned out to be a good choice. I got to explore some of the lanes that I could use for my commute and the sun had come out to cheer me up. Splendid.
Saw Steve out on his bike as I drove home. He’s on day 3 of his 30/30 after abandoning his original attempt.

25km|1hr1min|Pompino

Day 9
Very wet commute this morning with a headwind all of the way. Coming home was much nicer, with a bit of sun and an occasional tailwind. Felt strong.

96km|3hr24m|Pompino

Day 10
Got home from work, faffed about for a bit deciding which bike to ride and where to go. Eventually settled on the Soda (which I hadn’t ridden for ages) and dragged it downstairs. The tyres were flat and the valve on the rear tube had seized (which was nearly enough to make me choose a different bike) but a bit of work with a pair of pliers and a track pump soon had that sorted. Bunged some lights on and headed out into the strong wind. Meandered my way up to the Pike (including what felt like the slowest ever ascent of the school climb) where I had a quick chat with another couple of riders up there. After they went I flicked my light into high power mode for a flat out descent from the tower followed by flying down the Ice Cream Run. Fun. Kept it in the big ring for the rest of the ride home so that the potatoes I put in the oven before setting off weren’t overcooked. The potatoes were covered in butter and grated cheese and I had them along with a sirloin steak and a load of salad. Splendid :)
20 days to go!

23km|1hr23m|Soda

Day 11
Commuting. Rain in, dry home. Saw Dave 360 on the way home and rode with him for a bit. He managed to trace the annoying rattle on my bike (loose bottle cage bolt) which was good. Worked hard after he turned off. Chased down a couple of roadies, sprinted from all traffic light stops.

96km|3hr30m|Pompino

Day 12
An hour in the pissing rain and dark after work. Kept sane by Motorhead and the hypnotic flashing from my Hope Vision 4. Nearly half way there! No alcohol yet this month either.

27km|1hr01m|Pompino

Day 13
Another spin on the Pompino which sometime during the last week or so became my most ridden bike since records began in 2006 – 5093km (total – 21086km)
I appear to be the complete opposite of Matt – all of the components are original except for the chain (and the tyres but they were half worn when I built the bike) I might chuck another new chain on it soon. The chainring (TA 1/8″ track) and sprocket (EAI 1/8″ steel) are still looking in pretty good condition so a new chain should help extend their life even further.

Oh I’ve just remembered, I replaced the bearings in the rear hub a few months ago. Pretty good going overall though :)

34km|1hr19m|Pompino

Day 14
Trip over to Oxenhope for Steve’s birthday ride with Dave and Sharon. Bingley loop with a mid ride pub stop. Splendid.

27km|2hr10m|Soda

Week 2 stats…
Distance : 328km
Duration : 13hr49m
Weight loss : None
Food eaten : Even more than last week :)

Day 15
Started the ride with beautiful red, pre-dawn skies which were soon replaced by grey, drizzly conditions that lasted all day. Legs were heavy on the way in after yesterday’s exertions but felt strong on the way home and extended the route a bit further than usual.

Half way!

101km|3hr50m|Pompino

Day 16
It felt properly autumnal today. Dark, drizzly, cool. I even wore tights for the first time since last winter. Couldn’t decide where to ride so just pottered around some random roads and lanes listening to music (Compulsion – Basketcase)

26km|1hr2m|Pompino

Day 17
More Pompino riding for a change :)
Nice gentle pootle into work followed by a hard ride home. Started off riding back with Leon at a reasonably brisk pace and sort of stayed there for the rest of the ride. Got passed by someone about halfway into the ride and upped my pace to around 36/37kph to stick with him and when he turned off a few miles later I dropped back to around 30/31kph for the rest of the ride. Felt good. A big orange ball of fire appeared briefly on the horizon towards the end of the ride as well which made me smile :)

96km|3hr28m|Pompino

Day 18
Two rides in a day. Fantastic ride up to Stoodley Pike with Dave 360 followed by a kebab and then a nightride followed by the Todmorden Beer Fest. Splendid stuff :)

30km|3hr0min|Soda

Day 19
Nice recovery ride on the Surly. No big climbs, kept up a good steady pace. Lovely and sunny again.

21km|1hr20m|Surly

Day 20
Leisurely commute. Cool and misty then sunny and warm. Temp dropped really quickly after the sun went down this evening, glad I had arm warmers with me. 10 days to go!

96km|3hr50m|Pompino

Day 21
I broke my rule on not commuting on consecutive days as I really wanted to ride again in the sunshine. I also wanted to try and complete a 300 mile week for the first time. I did! Quite tired now, time for a curry and maybe some beer :)
113km|4hr25m|CX

Week 3 stats…
Distance : 483km
Duration : 20hr55m
Weight loss : 1kg
Food eaten : A fair bit :)

Day 22
Headed out into the dark at around 1940. Quick ride up to Rivi Pike and back. Stupidly fast down the Ice Cream Run. The Hope Vision 4s rock hugely :)

18km|1hr4m|Soda

Day 23
Really nice ride in to work. Quite chilly but warmed up once the sun made an appearance. Stupidly hard ride home. Had no energy, legs felt awful. Had to stop for chips and coke. Just want to sleep now but need to eat lots of pasta first. 7 days to go. The end can’t come soon enough.

96km|3hr45m|CX

Day 24

Quite broken now. 6 days left.

23km|1hr28m|Soda

Day 25
Just 5 days left now! Only 100km left to meet Jo’s 1000 mile challenge as well. Felt a bit stronger today although the last 20 mins were fairly hard work.

96km|3hr28m|Pompino

Day 26
Nothing much to report

26km|1hr1m|Pompino

Day 27
I passed 1000 miles for the month today! New record by quite a bit. Thanks Jo for challenging me.
Made a bad clothing choice for the ride into work. It really was rather cold, especially through the mist patches. Summer shoes and socks weren’t a good choice. I had frozen feet by the time I got into work. Still, it was a lovely ride in the misty sunshine and another nice ride home in the sun (well until it got dark!)
Just 3 days to go to meet Makin’s challenge.

96km|3hr35m|Pompino

Day 28
Two to go! Gentle pootle the afternoon sun after watching the World’s Road race.

25km|1hr0m1s|Pompino

Week 4 stats:
Distance : 380km
Duration : 15:21:01
Weight Loss : 0.5kg

Day 29
Rain! For the first time in about 2 weeks. Only a few showers. Maybe winter will start now?
Just a pootle along the canal on the surly today to loosen the legs. Last day tomorrow!

18km|1h0m|Surly

Day 30
The end! Horrible day weather wise made far worse by a rear puncture on the way into work (PITA with trackends and mudguards). Have now fitted some Specialized Armadillo road tyres which are the most dead feeling tyres in the world but they’re pretty reliable which I’ll need for winter commuting.
Couple of days off the bikes now for me to recover and then back to a slightly more sensible riding schedule :)

96km|3hr44m|Pompino

Geeky stats…

Distance : 1770km
Time : 3d0hr13m
Starting weight : 89.5kh
Finishing weight : 85.6kg
Weight loss : 3.9kg