Mice Log Star Date 56.

Brrrrrrrr That East Wind Doth Blow! 25.2.13.  22.21 Miles  11.8 ave speed, top speed 22.1, duration 1hr 53. A pootle with a couple of chores and a blithering idiot!

A day of appointments! My planning had been careful - a local appointment, another in Marylebone allowing time for a pootle in the park and the third near home again.  Rocket science, clearly!

It looked pretty cold outside so I wrapped up well.  Nothing, however could prepare me for the power and the "Oh My Giddy Aunt" chill factor of the wind.  Good grief!  I pedalled a bit harder to try and stay warm.

There were very few people in the park - apart from the City of Westminster's new farming strand which was in full force.  What are they doing?!  I was scalped by a Brommie which was a bit galling but on the other hand the owner was wearing a very snazzy cycling top over a lean machine of a body so I let him (like I had a choice!!) whizz by!

Two and a half laps later I shot off to my 2.15 appointment.  Except it wasn't at 2.15 it was at 2pm and I had missed it. Durrr! (Look no further for the blithering idiot, obviously)!

It wasn't all bad tho as it meant I had more time on my bike!! Two years ago if someone had said I had two hours to hang around Marylebone I would have popped into Le Pain Quotidien for a cappuccino and one of their treacle tarts then gone shopping.  Lots of shopping.   

These days however - no fear!  I have a bicycle! I went straight back to Hyde Park for a couple of laps, some pics and some research into how long a metre is.  I think it's about three feet.  Definitely not the sort of room a couple of Taxi cabs gave me and one car actually tried to squeeze me into the curb.  He needs to ride a bike.  

I headed along the Serpentine and thought this seagull was affirming the message he was sitting on!

I must have cycled past this practically every day and never really noticed it before.  It looked like something out of Mid(winter's) Night Dream.

The sun (not that I saw it all day) was disappearing so I headed home via an enormous piece of Gails Bakery Carrot Cake.  This is not good news for the calorie consumption by wowser it's delicious!

Im not sure of the weather forecast for the rest of the week but will be checking it often.  Thick gloves are essential. Stay warm peeps!

Mice Log Star Date 55

Sunday London Ride 24.02.13 32.45 miles, ave speed 11.5mph, top speed 23.2 in 2hrs 48mins.

A text from a friend on Saturday night asked if I was going to do this ride. I hadn't decided but that spurred me on - yes, I replied and agreed - subject to ice. 

At 7am the alarm went off and I stuck my nose above the duvet. Brrrr,  it was cold. The BBC weather website said it was -1. Minus 1! Well that's the end of the ride thought I.  20 minutes later a text arrived from Becs "Am up and about, heading for station, see you at 9.30". Gordon Bennett, this was going to happen after all!

Minus 1 was still ringing in my ears - that means there could be ice. So this would be a hybrid ride and no cleats - trainers were deployed.  My cleat learning curve had reached the stage that if you don't unclip your feet fast enough you land on the ground like a sack of potatoes and can really hurt yourself.  And I learnt that the hard way on my first or second group ride at night when I didn't unclip my foot fast enough and not only held up 35 people for three quarters of an hour whilst I recovered from the fall but also fractured my arm.

  

Not my finest moment especially as this happened at 2.45am ie in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere - about seven miles outside Blackburn. Best not think too much about that! Suffice to say that stopping on a bicycle is basic and involves using the brakes - an automatic reaction learnt many years ago.  However  incorporating swivelling your feet at the same time takes practice.  I think I have mastered this now and wouldn't dream of cycling long rides without cleats - but not on ice.

I layered up and headed to Hyde Park Corner at 9.25 where I found three others - looking very cool of course but also rather cold! 

They were all in cleats and lycra - this was a longer than 5 mile ride and indeed one of them had been up since 7 and cycled 30 miles up and down hills near to home. I said that if I was not able to go the speed they wanted I would turn back without a worry.

Becs arrived a few minutes later and we were both happy to hear that the original plan to Alexandra Palace was revised to go to The Olympic Stadium instead (which is a flat route).  Wooop Wooop!

We waited for the Household Cavalry to go by. It always takes my breath away and I take too many pics!

We cycled down Constitution Hill behind them, along the Mall and into Trafalgar Square, down to the Embankment and along to Blackfriars Bridge following a friend called Ian.  

                                                              Becs is in yellow

Onto Commercial Road, into Whitechapel and all the way to The Bow Flyover.  This junction is well known to cyclists and non cyclists but not for good reasons.  Two people in separate incidents were killed within three weeks of each other using this junction - on their way to work.  Shocking and inexcusable.   

Transport for London  have redesigned the junction and this was the first time I have seen it.  I'm not really in a position to comment - it was  a Sunday morning, with fairly empty roads, as part of a group. On a Monday morning in rush hour or on a regular basis I have  no idea what it's like. I do wonder how many people in TFL and the Department of Transport actually, genuinely commute to work on a bike.  I hope they know what they are doing - the price paid in lives lost - any life - is too high.

We made our way towards the Stadium - the security guards were very helpful and even operated a human level crossing for us - opening gates as we arrived and closing them behind us.

  We reached the cafe where the door furniture was unusual!

Since my last visit a year ago, a conservatory has been added.  Nice and warm - I look forward to being back there soon.

                                        Brunch was excellent.

The Manager chatted with us about cycling and he confirmed that the bicycle racks that were missing would be returning soon!

Meanwhile we had some wheels to admire

  

                                                               Very nice!  

Possibly not quite as clean as this bike though

Down to the Woolwich Ferry, a route I cycled on my very first Sunday London Ride two years ago when I was on a low racer recumbent.  We were not at one, the recumbent and I, but that's another story.  It did mean that being so low I had no idea that we cycled past the City London Airport runway - it looked not unlike (although I have never been there!) Hong Kong Airport.  Next time I will take some pics.

We reached the Woolwich Ferry terminal just as the ferry was unloading - perfect timing!

Once across the river and along to Woolwich Arsenal to do play hide and seek (somewhat unsuccessfully) amongst some statues!

 

 

   

 

Along a busy road to Greenwich, straight out the other side and back over the river using Southwark Bridge.  We arrived at The Aldwych - Ian had already left us, Dave headed South, Eddy West and Becs and I weaved our way to Portland Place and said our goodbyes.  I headed to Victoria for a very important purchase of bread - I was starving!  It may have been cold (understatement!) but it was a great day with fab peeps.

 

Mice Log Star Date 54

The return trip south! 22.95 miles 11.3mph ave 23.6 top in 2 hrs 1 min!

It's the first time I have ever woken up to a full length poster of One Direction's Niall!
  

A lie-in was followed by quite the most spectacular breakfast. The sort of thing I see in a cafe but I was still in my jimjams! (Let's not mention the smoke detector getting in on the act!)

 

More eating and laughing right through to midday when it was time to head home. 

 

Out into the snowstorm. What was I doing? I took directions to avoid the hill I had whizzed down the night before but then thought that frankly that was a bad thing to do so headed straight up the hill - and some would say it wasnt even a hill!

I took the same route down as up but couldn't resist a peep at the giraffes at the London Zoo.

 

Then I found myself cycling back to justebikes in Portobello Road as they have been on my mind.  Could I replace my 49cc scooter with an ebike? The scooter is used at night in bad weather and to carry heavy shopping. But an ebike would replace that and I would never have to buy any petrol again - nor road tax, parking permits and all the other running costs involved. 

Justebikes recommended the Sparta. The great thing about these bikes is that you can turn off the electric supply and power it yourself completely but if you want to have the extra assistance it's available.  I wonder what experience and thoughts you have on ebikes.  My mulling continues.

I got back on my own bike and on principle cycled up to the top of Ladbroke Grove! 

I found myself heading back to Ledbury Road to Daylesford for their carrot cake. Tut Tut but how delicious! On the way home I bumped into a friend in Kensington Palace Gardens and after a chat headed home.