Forum Ride from Hebden Bridge to Slaidburn, Sun 10th July

[ColinJ]

My rule-breaking new saddle set-up definitely reduced the amount of saddle-sore damage I suffered. I'm uncomfortable, but nowhere near as bad as I was after the previous couple of forum rides.

(I rotated the nose of my saddle a few degrees clockwise from the straight-ahead position. That gave my asymmetric body an asymmetric saddle set-up to compensate. Instead of horribly sore and swollen right side, okay left, I now have a quite sore and swollen right side and a slightly sore left side.)

These saddle-sore problems are related to my weight and lack-of-fitness. I didn't have such problems before I got fat again. Yesterday's ride was 70 hilly miles. In 2007, when much fitter and weighing 2 stone less, I did a 140 mile ride to Coventry (and back a week later) and had no comfort issues with my saddle.

Hmmph - I'm disappointed with my photographs - again! My camera struggles with contrasting light conditions and is especially bad in poor light. The pictures have come out badly underexposed, and attempts to lighten them just make them look really speckly but here is one of Paul heading towards Newchurch-in-Pendle with Pendle Hill in the background. The rain clouds were starting to blow over, and the sun was about to come out, but you can see how wet it had been.

 

[potsy]

My previous saddle/numbnuts problem seems to have gone now, much more comfortable yesterday despite being my first long ride for two months.
My legs are feeling it a bit today though, bit of muscle strain on my right hamstring and general soreness has kept me off the bike today.

A few pics-
Lovely views as ever on these rides-

Cafe stop was good if a little busy due to it being a control point for a local 200k Audax-

Colin overdid the suncream a wee bit, especially when we were riding in monsoon conditions-

Action shot of the different ways to get up a hill-

 

[SlowerThanASluggishSloth]

Action shot of the different ways to get up a hill-[attachment=4276:Paul giving it everything.JPG]

So, Potsy, you've started leading the break-aways, have you? You'll be needing a polka-dot jerseynow!

 

[potsy]

So, Potsy, you've started leading the break-aways, have you? You'll be needing a polka-dot jerseynow!

I do have my moments

 

[ColinJ]

So, Potsy, you've started leading the break-aways, have you? You'll be needing a polka-dot jerseynow!

He is so much fitter than on his first forum ride of the year - I went out with bromptonfb and potsy in February and doing 32 miles over these hills nearly killed him!

About my crappy camera ... I happen to have taken virtually an identical shot to potsy. I've cropped and zoomed it to as close to the same shot as I can. Compare and contrast!

My photograph:

Potsy's photograph:

His picture looks so much better than mine! Just look at the sky and clouds. My picture is dull, washed out, slightly out of focus and the colours are wrong.


(One thing though potsy - whatever you used to resize and/or recompress your picture has left some artifacts. The hillside on the right has a fuzzy edge.)

 

[Holy Warrior]

I love the scenery around HB, I only went there for the first time a month or two back.



At least you had the weather for it

 

[potsy]

(One thing though potsy - whatever you used to resize and/or recompress your picture has left some artifacts. The hillside on the right has a fuzzy edge.)

I can see the fuzzy edge on the small pic but it goes once you click to make it bigger, is this the same for you?
I just resize mine in 'Paint' that's the only thing I have on my computer unless you know of anything better (free obviously)

The 'mode' I was trying to explain yesterday is called 'Intelligent Auto', haven't used it on those shots but will try it next time. I'm impressed with the camera for a novice like me, very easy to use and quick to start up, literally off to taking a pic is about 1.5 seconds.

Holy Warrior- When are you coming out to join us then? Don't know what your level of fitness is but the rides are slow and leisurely, the hills are gruesome though if you're not used to them, I thought my 80-100 miles of commuting per week was keeping me fit until I went on my 1st Hebden forum ride

 

[Pennine-Paul]

At least you had the weather for it

You should have seen it a couple of hours earlier,

monsoon like would be an apt description

 

[ColinJ]

I can see the fuzzy edge on the small pic but it goes once you click to make it bigger, is this the same for you?
I just resize mine in 'Paint' that's the only thing I have on my computer unless you know of anything better (free obviously)

The fuzzines isn't quite so obvious when the picture is viewed full size, but if you look closely, you can still see it!

I recommend that you download Irfanview. It's freeware and lets you do some quite sophisticated things to your pictures apart from just the usual cropping and resizing.

The 'mode' I was trying to explain yesterday is called 'Intelligent Auto', haven't used it on those shots but will try it next time. I'm impressed with the camera for a novice like me, very easy to use and quick to start up, literally off to taking a pic is about 1.5 seconds.

Yes, pretty impressive. I've looked at a couple of reviews online and there are some really good pictures taken in gloomy light conditions that my camera just doesn't work properly with. I might have a £100 job coming my way this week and if so, I'll be sorely tempted to put that money towards a new camera. I have a mate who wants to buy a camera so I might see if he will offer me something for mine!

 

[potsy]

The fuzzines isn't quite so obvious when the picture is viewed full size, but if you look closely, you can still see it!

I recommend that you download Irfanview. It's freeware and lets you do some quite sophisticated things to your pictures apart from just the usual cropping and resizing.

Thanks for that, have downloaded it and will have a play tomorrow, looks far more complex than paint that's for sure

 

[Holy Warrior]

Holy Warrior- When are you coming out to join us then? Don't know what your level of fitness is but the rides are slow and leisurely, the hills are gruesome though if you're not used to them, I thought my 80-100 miles of commuting per week was keeping me fit until I went on my 1st Hebden forum ride

Oh dear god no not yet haha! Thankfully for the time being I work sundays! I've just planned a little route for tomorrow solo and then fri with a mate which I thought was a little hilly - Wyke - Scholes - Hartshead...

 

[ColinJ]

Oh dear god no not yet haha! Thankfully for the time being I work sundays! I've just planned a little route for tomorrow solo and then fri with a mate which I thought was a little hilly - Wyke - Scholes - Hartshead...

So you don't yet take after your avatar, super pro-climber Andy Schleck then!

 

[Holy Warrior]

So you don't yet take after your avatar, super pro-climber Andy Schleck then!

I'm a similar build! I was pretty decent, ie able to crack quite a few dales hills when i was a bit younger, but on a mtb not a roadie. A couple of years drinking/ clubbing has just knacked my fitness though. It's getting back there though just need to take it slow and not try anything too big too soon (like a trip to the shop like one of these!)


Schleck for le tour '11!

 

[Calum]

I'm a similar build! I was pretty decent, ie able to crack quite a few dales hills when i was a bit younger, but on a mtb not a roadie. A couple of years drinking/ clubbing has just knacked my fitness though. It's getting back there though just need to take it slow and not try anything too big too soon (like a trip to the shop like one of these!)


Schleck for le tour '11!

These rides are usually pretty tough routes, but we do them slowly and re-group at the tops of hills etc. Plus they're always a laugh and involve a lot of p!ss taking, swearing and mucking about! You'll be ready to do one sooner than you think!

 

[Holy Warrior]

Oh dear god no not yet haha! Thankfully for the time being I work sundays! I've just planned a little route for tomorrow solo and then fri with a mate which I thought was a little hilly - Wyke - Scholes - Hartshead...

[quote name ='Calum']These rides are usually pretty tough routes, but we do them slowly and re-group at the tops of hills etc. Plus they're always a laugh and involve a lot of p!ss taking, swearing and mucking about! You'll be ready to do one sooner than you think[/quote]


Things seem to be looking up my above ride was 20 miles, felt like I could have done at elast another 10 miles when I got back home, possibly the whole loop again. Took just short of 2hrs with about 15/20 mins of stops waiting for my dad Like I say i'm doing it again friday with a mate, possibly 2 of them depending on whetehr his new bike comes in time which should mean that it's a little quicker, hopefully about 1hr 30 ish.


I reckon that when I feel confident enough to join you (or do similar rides) i'll be well on my way being fit enough to do the coast to coast next year!