Training: EF-Welwyn-Essendon-EF

Pouring with rain from the start I didn't expect anyone to be waiting at the meeting point for the group ride. Only one other guy pitched up and we agreed that we wouldn't make it a long ride. He took the lead choosing the route and led us though some backroads to Welwyn via Brookman's Park. I punctured my front wheel twice on the road to Welwyn - the other guy sponsoring a tube with my second flat.

I led the ride from Welwyn through Essendon hill and back to Potter's Bar. The rain never let up at all and I was totally drenched by the time I got back home. I would have like to have done a long ride today, but the rain made it very uncomfortable and nerve-wrecking.

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Distance: 66.3km / 41.2mi
Time: 2:10:31 (5 min subtracted due to traffic)
Speed: 30.5kph / 18.9mph
Elevation Gain: 624m / 2047ft
Heart Rate: 129bpm (avg) / 175bpm (max)
Calories: 2776

Training: EF-Hatfield-EF

Quick out and back ride to warm up the legs after taking the day off riding yesterday. Ended up doing a surprisingly fast ride. Generally overcast with a few light showers, though not really cold.

Distance: 46.2km / 28.7mi
Time: 1:26:45
Speed: 31.9kph / 19.9mph
Elevation Gain: 427m
Heart Rate: 158bpm (avg) / 183bpm (max)
Calories:1959

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Training: EF-Walkern-Codicote-Welwyn-EF

Nice high paced ride with Werner and a new guy that turned up at Potters Bar. The new guy had to turn back early but he was very fast and pushed the pace whenever the road went up. Werner and I continued on into the hills around Stevenage at a slightly more relaxed pace, but picked it up again as soon as we hit the main Codicote-Hitchin road.

At the end I was totally drained - riding with Werner seems to do that to me - just what I needed really!

Distance: 110.7km / 68.8mi
Time: 3:34:00 (5 min subtracted due to traffic)
Speed: 31.0kph / 19.3mph
Elevation Gain: 1136m / 3727ft
Heart Rate: 150bpm (avg) / 188bpm (max - new max!)
Calories: 4551

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Training: EF-Hatfield-ColneyHeath-EF

Nasty wind from the SW - pretty tough little ride. Ended up on the motorway after getting a bit lost on the way back home and then ended up in a dead end after trying to get to Dancer's Hill from Colney Heath without going through Potter's Bar. The wind didn't help much, but it compensated for riding a fairly flat route.

Distance: 68.0km / 42.3mi
Time: 2:12:30 (5 min subtracted due to traffic/getting lost)
Speed: 30.8kph / 19.1mph
Elevation Gain: 556m
Heart Rate: 150bpm (avg), 179bpm (max)
Calories: 2789

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Training: EF-Welwyn-Whitwell-Bendish(loop)-EF

Met up with the Potters Bar group this morning - the 2 English guys from last week's ride and an Australian that I hooked up with on the way out. Werner didn't pitch up and I don't blame him - the sky was pitch black, it was cold and the forecast said there would be heavy rain. We agreed from the outset that it wouldn't be a 70-80 miler like last week... more like 40-50 miles - unfortunately I didn't bring my HR monitor with me, just the GPS.

The pace from the start was fairly brisk, with the Aussie and I at the front taking pulls through the light drizzle. At Whitwell we encountered some sort of cycling fun ride with lots of men, women and children having taken over the road. We weaved through them and since I was leading the group, missed our turn and ended up doing a big loop around the surrounding hills and back into Whitwell. One of the English guys punctured as we entered the town again so we waited for him to change his tube.

The ride back via Codicote was into the wind, though it wasn't too windy. I led most of the time and actually preferred it as there was lots of water on the road being flicked up from back wheels. At Welwyn with 30km to go the rain really started coming down and all I could think of was getting back home - I was absolutely soaked. Pushing the pace over the last few hills, I started dropping the other guys, so freewheeled on the down slopes to wait for them. By the time we got to Barnet I could hardly see where I was going and the busy traffic made the going dangerous with quite a few close calls. Thunder and lightning started up on the last 5km.

Made it home in one piece - wet, but not really very tired.

Distance:98.9km / 61.5mi
Time: 3:14:22 (5 min subtracted due to traffic)
Speed: 30.6kph / 19.0mph
Elevation Gain: 959m / 3146ft

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Training: EF-Sandon-Buntingford-EF

Official maiden voyage of my new bike - I have called her Eleanor because she is French.

Rode up to Potter's Bar at 10am in the hope that there might have been a large group for the Sunday group ride...but there was no one. As it was still 9:55 I waited for a bit - and was joined by three other guys - two English weekend warriors and an ex-pro South African rider!

We headed off with me leading out the group. The South African, Werner, and I got chatting about all things South African and how we were finding it out here in England - very cool guy and a pleasure to ride with. He said that he'd stopped racing 5 years before and that he was just getting back into serious riding again - it didn't show - this guy was fast, especially on the hills and we kept having to wait for the other two.

We stopped in Buntingford for a cuppa tea and headed back toward London, though there was a fierce headwind to impede our speed. The two slower guys we not handling too well and they told us saffas to not wait - they knew the way. So Werner and I took off into the hills around Bayford - it was here that I could see how strong Werner was - was struggling to hold his wheel on the steeper parts. Lack of miles in his legs soon caught up with him as we went into the last 10-miles before Potter's Bar - he started lagging behind and said that he almost "blacked-out" on the last hill.

At Potters Bar we shook hands and agreed to meet up again for some more riding - a very cool maiden cruise on Eleanor (saddle is a bit painful, but I'm probably just getting used to it...and the rear mech definitely needs replacing - lots of jumping) and hopefully a cool riding partner for the future.

Distance: 123.3km / 76.6mi
Time: 4:14:47 (5 min subtracted due to traffic)
Speed: 29.1kph / 18.1mph
Calories: 5304
Elevation Gain: 1321m / 4334ft
Heart Rate: 144bpm (avg) / 185bpm (max)

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New pics of the Look

OCP quality I hope...