11 minute read
Dan’s Diary
Old Star Trek episodes kept the wheels turning for our seriously-solo Audaxer, Dan
Campbell during the weeks of lockdown this year. He got stronger and fitter by using his static bike at home in
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Stoke-on-Trent – but no thinner! This is his lockdown diary…
HERE’S A LOCKDOWN PARADOX
I committed myself to just one hour on the road and 15 miles on the turbo trainer each day during the height of the pandemic. Each indoor training session was, fortuitously, the same length as the Star Trek episodes I watched while pedalling! Here’s the enigma – while I felt faster and stronger as a result, I couldn’t shift my winter belly and the lockdown “top up”.
Like everyone else, lockdown forced a change to my training plan. On the turbo trainer I saw my averaged estimated watts per ride rise from 256w to 310w. In July I managed to sustain 327w for 20 minutes – but it killed my knees.
Because of the high volume of night riding which I do, I converted to dynamo lights this year, and I must say the front light (B&M Lumotec IQ-X 100Lux) is excellent – almost as good as my car headlights when up to speed.
The beam length is outstanding on the downhills and the light still illuminated the road when I was crawling up Mow Cop’s 22 per cent incline at
DAN’S VITAL STATS
Location: Stoke on Trent Bike: 2011 9-speed aluminium tank Age: 44 Weight: Wheel breaking (110kg) Fitness: broken and rebuilt Resting Heart Rate: 65 BMI: Obese
WHR (waist/hip ratio): High Favourite food: See food!
All Dan’s ride reports are here:
https://dancampbell.co.uk/
It’s life, Jim, but not as we know it
audax-ride-list/ 3mph. However, there were occasions when I needed the beam to be a little wider, usually going around sharp corners on very narrow country lanes. I also invested in an Igaro D2 which failed after three rides. I contacted Igaro and they sent me a new unit the next day. You can’t argue with that. Having used the IQ-X light a few times now, I will definitely consider a wider and higher angle beamed light next time.
When I did manage to get out into the world on a bike, these were some of my rides…
Bala for breakfast… 300km diy. Looking back at the top of the climb out of Bala
AROUND STOKE (DIY, 100KM, 1.75AAA) C19 NOT VALIDATED I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed riding overnight when I tested this route. I could tell this was my first 100km since the lockdown started as I flew the first 20 miles through Cheadle and Froghall to Ipstones and gained Strava gold all the way. I guess the turbo training paid off! But to be honest the section from Meir Heath to Ipstones is not very interesting so moving quickly helped. The back roads from Ipstones to Cheddleton were very narrow, often with loose gravel sections. I quickly arrived at the sharp climb from the Churnet Valley Railway (and cafe) to Cheddleton, which had left me mentally scared when I last did it 10 years ago. It was nothing like I remembered and, thankfully the section from Cheddleton to Deep Hayes Country Park and Rudyard Lake was very fast. I enjoyed this leg much more, except for the climb out of Deep
Hayes to Leek. Rudyard Lake (worth a quick detour for photo and a cuppa during the day) represented the start of the next climbing section, over to Biddulph, I especially enjoyed the long, fast and exciting descent off Biddulph Moor, in the dark. I was 23 seconds slower than my fastest time back
in 2012 when I was using this hilly section (Rudyard to Mow Cop) of the route to prepare for the End-to-End ride. Turning off the main road, I settled in for the long climb to the village of Mow Cop which I actually enjoyed as I could see the outline of the livestock in the adjacent fields and hear the sounds of the owls and crying foxes, only broken by the “pimp my car” parade descending past me. Really? It’s the middle of the night! The Woodcock Lane climb (22%) was my final hard climb and took me past the castle, but it was very dark, so I just pushed on for the very fast and wide descent towards Congleton. I loved this section of the ride, some good climbing, and fast descents. Crossing the Congleton main road marked the transition to the flat section to Winterly and Betley. This is a very fast section and it passes very quickly. During the day, this section is mainly pretty Cheshire lanes and the odd cafe. It was a shock when I dropped on to the A531 through Betley to Madeley, but I then re-joined the country lanes with a few gentle climbs before dropping onto the A51 taking me to Stone and the finish. Biddulph – St. Lawrence’s Church at night
This is a lovely ride with lots to see along the way. It can be hard work if it’s windy on the exposed roads. Unusually for me, this was a 3pm start rather than a 3am start. This meant that I had to compete with the rush hour traffic as I made my way through the different towns to reach the countryside.
The first 20miles to Cheswardine and Saint Swithun’s church is my normal route to the Cheshire plains and beyond. The vistas from the roads as you descend from Cheswardine looking towards the Wrekin and Long Mynd are worth pausing for. After crossing the A442 there is a lovely section through Stanton Upon Hine Heath before turning to Moreton Corbet and St. Bartholomew Church and Castle. This was full of families enjoying the sunny evening and picnicking. The B5063 towards Wem was uninspiring but it was quick and mostly free of cars. This next section to Baschurch is lovely too as the roads are quiet and it feels like you are miles from anywhere. I quickly arrived at Baschurch to see a long line of people waiting to go into the late shop, so I just kept going. This next section is also lovely but did get a little lumpy and it seemed to take an age to reach St
The view from Welsh Frankton
Martins. Among the points of interest along the way is St Andrew’s church at Welsh Frankton. A few hundred meters along the route you have vistas across the plains into Wales. I stopped to take a photo of St Mary’s Church in Ellesmere, set above the main road as you pass through the town and I pulled off at the Boathouse cafe in the vain hope that it would still be open – it wasn’t! The section from Ellesmere to Prees Heath took forever. I thought I’d gone wrong but the Wahoo had never failed me before so I kept riding into the night. Prees Heath finally arrived and I had my fingers crossed that the petrol station would still be open. It was! I’ve have ridden the section to Market Drayton and home a few times, so I settled in for the ride and my dynamo headlight was working its magic on the dark lanes. The roads were quiet, and the city life I seek to escape had faded behind me. It was nice to be back on the dark country lanes to Eccleshall. This represents the final section, which is mainly climbing all the way home, especially the last five miles; I live on top of one of the highest points in Staffordshire.
A great ride, though it nearly finished me off, thanks to the wind. But at least the route offers lots of café stops. It was my normal early start (2.30am) as I wanted to be at Chirk Services for breakfast, and Chester’s Net’s Café 100 miles away, for lunch. I followed my normal route to the Cheshire plains through Wem and Ellesmere and on to St Martin’s and the A5 petrol station at Chirk. I love this route; it’s quick and gets me to Wales rapidly. And the best bit - I had the roads to myself. After finishing my chicken and bacon sandwich meal-deal, washed it down with a small bottle of milk, I headed back to St Martin’s and turned north for Chester into a soul-destroying headwind which the weather forecast had not predicted. This is a new section which offered new roads to me and was very pleasant, even more so without the wind. I kept my head down and churned out the miles and the familiar roads around Tattenhall started to welcome me. I had a little stop in Tattenhall for a photo of Seymour the squirrel and an energy gel as I was starting to feel the effort of fighting the wind.
Seymore the Squirrel in Tattenhall carved from an ancient oak tree brought down by a storm in 2014
I knew that the ride along the coastal path was going to be hard because of the wind but boy, it nearly broke me. I had to force myself to keep going on the promise of a lovely lunch at Net’s Café which everyone raves about. Turning off into the industrial estate was such a relief as the wind had all but faded due to the surrounding hard landscape. Instead I had to contend with egocentric SLAG (Socially Lacking Aggressive Group) riders and their selfish riding style. If this is what it means to be a group rider, I am thankful that I ride alone. I was hoping that Tilly’s Café would be open in Bunbury as I know that they have reopened with restrictions. No, they are closed on Sundays! So, I waited in line to enter the Coop to buy some snacks and water for the last 30miles home. As I approached Madeley Heath, the looming dread of climbing Keele Hill, knowing that afterwards I had a five-mile climb to the doorstep, made my legs feel like they had cycled 400miles not 140miles. I pushed on, encouraged by the homemade Chinese meal that awaited my return. BALA FOR BREAKFAST (AUDAX, DIY, 300KM) C19 NOT VALIDATED This is a great ride with plenty of café stops, big climbs and the odd Welsh vista. Chirk to Cerrigydrudion is best done early morning to avoid the A5 traffic. I’d intended to start about 9pm on Saturday evening but we had thunderstorms in Stoke, so I went to bed and got up at 1.30am and headed off into the darkness, trying to avoid the flooded sections of the road. I settled in for my normal route to Chirk (Eccleshall, Wem, and Ellesmere) only stopping to take a photo of the amazingly clear night sky. Chirk was a welcome relief for my knees which were still hurting from my turbo training session the day before. Sitting on the bench listening to the birds singing while eating a sandwich – what a brilliant day. I knew the road up the A5 was long and best done early to avoid the traffic. I was lucky between Chirk and Llangollen – only five cars overtook me. I had the road to myself. From Corwen I turned on to the B4501 just before Cerrigydrudion, climbed over the top and descended toward Tryweryn and Bala. The wind was brutal, but I thought that if I could make it over the top it would be much less on the descent. You should never make assumptions. I stopped at Bala for breakfast. I didn’t want to linger too much as my
knees were feeling like footballs. The next section took me along the B4391, down into Tanat Valley and onwards to Shrewsbury. The climb was much longer than I remembered but just as steep. I was doing 30mph when I had to slam the brakes on – what a great photo of the Tanat Valley. The road is wide, providing a lovely descent. There is one very sharp corner to slow down – and avoid the holes and raised tarmac. The roads through Tanat Valley towards Shrewsbury are fast so I maintained my speed into the small climbs. The last time I cycled along the valley was on John Hamilton’s Wandering Wolves – Lake Vyrnwy (Audax, Perm, 200km). To be honest by knees were feeling no better, so I cut the route short by jumping on the A5 for a few miles to Montford Bridge and heading for Shrewsbury for a drink and a bit of food. From here the route felt hard and long, every time I turned the crank. Let us just say I was glad when it ended.
