Blaze Light

It has arrived my Blaze light is here and I have made my first trip using it!

Towards the end of last year I saw an article about a new bike light that was about to hit the market, Blaze. It was helped to be created by kickstarter, now I had missed the opportunity to be part of this but I did sign up to the website at Blaze.cc to be on the list to get first dibs on ordering.

My wife always asks me what I want for Christmas and I can never really think of anything, I am very lucky to have most of what I would like, obviously a Ferrari is out of the price range! So last year when she asked I knew what I wanted, a Blaze light.

At the time Blaze were trying hard to get the lights to market in time for Christmas but it became apparent before they started to take orders that this was not going to be possible.  My wife was a bit disappointed that the only thing I had asked for would not be able to be under the tree on Christmas morning, me I didn't care I just wanted the light.

So January arrived and with it a few emails from Blaze about when we could expect our lights, Kickstarter supporters were, quite rightly, taking priority but I was one of the lucky pre-order customers that was in the first batch of deliveries.  Another email towards the end of January stated that the light had been dispatched and was on its way, unfortunately the Customs people decided to be ultra cautious about letting the packages be sent and they sat at a warehouse for several days.

Yesterday was the day that Customs had finally done their thing and the light was delivered, typical I was at work and then had to go straight out to a meeting when I got home. Nothing was going to stop me checking out the light though so I snatched a few minutes to unpack and check it out, I also managed to get it on charge so it was ready for use on my commute this morning.

My first thought on opening the pack was that the light was very solid it seemed to be very well put together and the accessories were very green! My second thought was "how is that bracket going to fit on my handlebars?"

This morning when I dragged my bike out of the back of my car the first thing I needed to do was attach the bracket and get the light sorted, good job I had to be up early to move my car so my son could go to work!

I was still unsure about the bracket, it seemed that my bars were just too big, the bolt would not fit into the slot properly and it seemed to be just on the edge.  Having tested it the light did seem secure so I set off but I will double check the bracket again when its light and I am not by the side of the road!.

The first half of my commute is relatively light in terms of traffic, especially at the earlier hour this morning.  The second half of my trip is where I saw the benefits of the Blaze's not so secret weapon, after all the main reason we have all bought one is due to the laser image projected in front!

The main light was great, it is probably one of the brightest I have used but it was when I started to hit heavier traffic that I switched the laser on and a little green bike appeared on the road in front.

(Yes I know that the image above is not in traffic and is on the wrong side of the road, this was when I was setting the light up in a little side road, not sure it would be safe to take a photo with my phone while riding!)

Under some of the brighter street lights on my route through London the image seemed to get a little lost on the road but was still visible when hitting other vehicles and on a couple of occasions I noticed that other cyclists had seen the image so I hope that drivers did too.

All in all the light is great and does exactly what was expected, it is functional whilst funky, now if Blaze can make a rear light that is as funky and good quality I will be very happy!

National Champs

So this weekends training suffered due to me wanting to go to watch the National Cyclo Cross Championships in Derby.

Saturday was spent doing family stuff, taking the boys to and from Tennis and work, interspersed with tidying out the garage (Again!) and putting some more shelves up.

Then Sunday was the day to go to Derby, it was a 3 hour drive to get there and quite a muddy walk around to see what was happening, I arrived in time to see Helen Wyman warming up on the course and Roger Hammond riding round the course. Maybe he is thinking of a comeback? The last time I saw him ride was when I was a schoolboy riding and he was just starting out, even then it was obvious what a rider he was going to be. Fortunately I was old enough to be in a different age group despite him riding above his and still beating everyone! Ah the good old days of ESCA (now BSCA).

I wandered round whilst the Junior race was going on to see what was happening, it was all quite different from when I used to ride all those years ago, pressure washers to clean bikes each lap? I remember finding big puddles and using them to clean my bike when I could, pits? I used to swap bikes or wheels anywhere on the course that my dad could get to. It is much more structured now, in a good way!

Then it was time for the elite women to start, this was actually the main race that I wanted to see. I had met Helen Wyman a couple of times due to my involvement in Ride London (see earlier posts) and was keen to see how she raced.  Well she went off from the start and led until the finish in a very impressive display of cross riding.  I spent some time near the pits to see what happens in them and saw Stefan bolting back and forth between the pits and the pressure washer area with Helen's bike to make sure that it was cleaned and working well at each change, he must have got soaked!

The event itself seemed great the course looked very slippery and challenging, I thoroughly enjoyed watching if a bit jealous that I wasn't riding but now I am a Vet I would have had to be there on the Saturday, nothing to do with not being fit enough! Congratulations to everyone who competed especially all the new National Champions and also to the organisers and marshals.

I did stop to watch the start of the men's race and the first pass of the pits but then had to make a move to get home in time for more fatherly duties, number 2 son needed collecting from work!

Well having missed a weekend of training I need to make up for it over the next week so will have to fit some swimming and running in alongside my regular cycle to work but it was definitely worth the trip to Derby to watch some very inspiring bike racing.

Maybe after the Ironman in July I should make my goal being fit enough to take part in the National Vets Champs next year? Actually after my last ride out at Didcot I may need a more realistic goal.

2014!

I was having a discussion at work the other day about what events I was doing this year, when I started to list them I realised I have entered more than I thought!

Feb 22 Dorney Duathlon

Mar 2 Reading Half Marathon

Apr 6 Brighton Marathon

Apr 19 Dorney Duathlon

Jun 15 Cotswold Half Iron Distance Triathlon

Jul 20 Ironman UK

Oct 5 Cumbrian Run

Seems a bit loaded at the first half of the year! Oh and I find out next month if I have a space in Ride London this year.

Well the second half of the year I will have to get my Cyclo Cross bike out again! That and maybe some other events might crop up that take my fancy!

Well my training has started ok I just need a bit more structure and keep at it, well I have enough events to keep me focused, hopefully!

Cyclo-Cross comeback

When I won a place in Ride London 100 earlier this year I was lucky enough to have a chance to take part in a filming session that involved Helen Wyman.

During 1 of the car journeys between filming locations the conversation in the car was around what we had written in our submission to the competition.

My submission included details of when I used to race cyclo-cross as a schoolboy. Sitting in a car chatting with a multiple British Champion and the European Champion made me think about all the enjoyment I had from riding cross.

I have scoured ebay and my dads garage to get together enough bits to build a cross bike so that I could start again.

This all came together last weekend when I rode the cross organised by my old club Didcot Phoenix. On the Saturday I checked out the bike, snapping the chain and having to fix that, better than it happening during the race!

Sunday arrived and I set off for Didcot arriving at the course nice and early which meant that I could help Mum sort out numbers ready for the signing on process.

Then I was running back and forward between the HQ and finish line for the junior races so that I could take the judges cards back for Dad to sort out results. Not much had changed since the last time I raced!

Then after the Youth race I thought it best to ride a lap of the course to see what was in store for me. It was a long lap with some quite tricky sections so I was glad to have some time to check it out.

Then we were called to the line in sections; Juniors at the front followed by the women and then the Vets. The vets were split into 2 further sections 40-49 and 50+. I was at the back of the first section and noticed that one of the guys in the front row of the section behind had some rather fetching stripes across his jersey!

It wasn't going to be long before I was overtaken when the National Champion was starting only about 30 seconds behind me.

At the end of the first lap I thought my lungs were going to burst and my legs fall off, this was much harder than I remember. Mind you last time I raced I was a junior and this race was a Vet, I totally skipped the senior ranks!

I was the last person to only be lapped once so hence the last lap was a bit lonely and I was the last person to cross the finish line, but not before taking a tumble on one of the tight corners! 

Fortunately there was very little damage to me or the bike, unlike one of the juniors who came off breaking his collar bone, best wishes Issac hope you recover soon.

So my race was done and I had made my comeback. I thought I was quite fit having completed several marathons and an Iron distance triathlon but this was a whole different level! 

Thanks must go to the following:

Helen Wyman for inspiring me to ride cross again

Dad for helping me build and set the bike up

My brother Dave as although he doesn't know I nicked some bits off his old bike to build mine!

Mum for coming out on the course to cheer me on, just like the old days!

All of the organisers and marshals from Didcot Phoenix for putting on a great race.

I will ride some more races, I need to really get fit!

Safety!!

When I started my last post I said that I had not been up to much and writing about my ride to work wasn't very exciting.

I have felt the need to follow my last post up quickly by writing this one. Most of my posts have been about my fitness exploits from running marathons to riding long distance events to competing in triathlons. All of this fades into insignificance when matched against my ride to work when I really think about it.

My ride to work takes me across London along roads that have seen a number of my fellow cyclists not make it to their destination, there has been a large amount written about London's roads and safety of cyclists recently.  Unfortunately this is due to the number of cyclists who have lost their lives on the roads.

Boris Johnson has been criticised for making comments that have been portrayed as blaming the victims for how they have been riding, other writers have seemed to suggest that it is ok for cyclists to jump red lights. It seems to have descended into a lets blame the other party for the problem.

My views are that it is ok to suggest that cyclists should obey the rules of the road and ride responsibly, this is not any affront of any of the cyclists that have lost their lives.  I do not have any knowledge of the exact circumstances of their accidents to be able to make any comment either way on how they or the drivers were  acting.  I also think that it should be noted that there are motorists that should have their attitudes and behaviours questioned, advance stop lines are there to protect cyclists but many motorists believe that they should be allowed to stop within that box too. Indeed I have sat at one such line and had a metropolitan police van casually come to a halt at the advanced line, so there are a lot of people who need their attitude to our roads adjusting.

Until everyone accepts that there is no such thing as a perfectly behaved Cyclist, Driver or Pedestrian nothing is going to change. Some are obviously better than others and whilst I like to think that I am fairly well behaved when riding my bike I am sure that there are people who would point to some of my actions as not meeting their expectations. I know that I sometimes see some cyclists and drivers and think that they are not very considerate of the laws or each other, but only by working together, rather than blaming each other are things going to get better.

I have seen it written that cyclists jump red lights because they think it is safer, well in my experience there are plenty of cyclists who jump red lights through impatience and a thought that they will get to their destination that much quicker by not having the inconvenience of waiting at a red light. There are of course far more who do stop and wait for the lights as the law requires. To balance this out there are also plenty of drivers who also jump red lights for the same reason as the cyclists but again plenty who wait for the light to turn green.

I have also seen it written that cyclists who jump red lights are only putting themselves in danger, well no actually they are putting themselves in harms way but they are not the only people who they are endangering by their actions. Pedestrians who quite reasonably could expect the road to be clear for them to cross may find themselves being run into by the cyclist who has jumped the red light. I have also sat at a red light to see another cyclist ride straight through. Other cyclists, who like me were sat patiently, commented that they felt sorry for any driver that may hit them.

I have always found it quite strange when arguments occur between cyclists and drivers and the driver comes out with that immortal line "I pay my car tax unlike you" or words to that effect. Leaving aside the discussion about what constitutes car tax, it assumes that no cyclist drives a car. My trip to work consists of 2 sections, first I drive my car for about 45 mins then park up take my bike out of the back and cycle for about an hour, so actually I do pay my "car tax" like any other motorist. Of course I know that there are cyclists who don't drive just as there are drivers who don't cycle and I am not suggesting either has more or less rights to use the roads.

I read in the paper and on twitter this week that Police were stopping cyclists who were not wearing helmets or high vis gear to give them advice and also stopping drivers of HGV's to check on their situation.

Now until recently I could have been one of the cyclists stopped for not wearing a helmet and given advice, I say until recently as I now wear a helmet on my ride to work as I feel that my reasoning for not wearing one was flawed, I always used to say a helmet is not going to help much if I get crushed by a lorry, although this is still true obviously there are other kinds of accidents that can occur where a helmet is going to help save me from injury.

Despite having given a couple of paragraphs to the subject of helmets I do disagree with them being discussed as part of cycle safety, this may be controversial and an idea that people do not agree with but let me explain. I never used to wear a helmet when riding a bike other than when I had to because of rules of racing stating that I had to, this was despite the amount of advertising / education around the subject. I always felt uncomfortable wearing one, I really dislike wearing head gear of any sort. My point is that wearing a helmet is a personal choice and one that has been discussed and promoted widely, if people choose not to wear one that is up to them.

Discussing helmets can be seen as a distraction from the wider debate about cycle safety, if someone says the number 1 aspect of cycle safety is getting all cyclists to wear helmets this can detract from discussions around segregating cycle ways and making improvements to road junctions. If helmets is the number 1 aspect then everything else by default is a lower priority?

Recently I saw a video on youtube promoting cycle safety, the video showed the view from the drivers seat of a lorry looking in the mirror showing nothing beside it. The camera was then taken out of the cab and around the front to show a queue of cyclists between the lorry and the pavement.  The idea behind the video I'm sure is to show cyclists that they should not ride up the inside of a lorry but my initial thought on seeing the video is why do we allow such vehicles on the road if they have such a massive blind spot. On many occasions I have found myself between a lorry and kerb due to the lorry pulling up beside me rather than me riding up alongside the lorry. I believe that the big message to take from this video is simply that cyclists and lorries with such a blind spot will always be a danger to each other when sharing the roads. Yes a danger to each other, the danger to the cyclist is obvious, flesh and bone is going to come off far worse in a coming together as has so tragically been apparent this month, but in the nature of this post I am not looking to blame one or other party.

Something needs to be done to solve this, that could be segregated cycle ways or banning lorries with such blind spots from the roads at peak times, there must be a way to make the roads safer for all.

I am sure that there will be plenty of people who ride bikes and who drive that will have an argument against some if not all of my points. I welcome the opportunity to discuss them with anyone who disagrees, I am not adverse to changing my opinion if I can be persuaded properly but please be open to listening to my view as well as criticising it. We can not change opinions if we are not able to discuss and understand all views!

Please all road users consider each other and look at ways that we can all be safe on the roads whatever our method of transport.

Duathlon

So I have not had much to post about recently, only riding to work and that has not been very exciting.

So a little while ago when I saw a tweet from @dashing_divasuk asking for a cyclist to take part in Dinton Duathlon whilst she did the running it seemed like a plan.

Dinton Pastures is not far from me and I ride a bike a bit, so I duly answered the tweet to offer my services. Then the details came through, what time did I have to get up on a Sunday morning?!!

An email arrived from Sian to check that I was ok stil for the event and a text and a tweet, she had just checked the timings too!

Anyway I duly dragged myself out of bed at 5.30 put on my kit and drove off to Dinton Pastures, a lovely site and well worth a visit even if not competing at silly o' clock in the morning.

Sian arrived and we registered, collected our numbers and timing chip, the baton for the relay. I collected my bike from the car, numbered it up and racked it in transition, we were ready to go.

There was a mandatory race briefing, including the reason behind the early start, which was short and to the point followed by a quick explanation of how the transition for teams would work, I have never done a triathlon or duathlon as part of a team so this was all a bit alien to me.

At 8.40 Sian set off on her first 5k run and I went to get myself ready in transition to await her return. Her arrival was announced by the commentator picking up her number and giving a shout out to team Dashing Diva & Dude! fairly soon we were transferring the baton  and I was off on the bike.

I had guessed that it would take me about 40 mins for the ride but I had a bit of a stormer and surprised Sian by turning up back in transition about 6 mins before she was expecting me.

When Sian returned from her 2nd 5k run we had finished as the 4th placed mixed team, both quite chuffed!

The event was great, organisation was excellent and a good course, well worth getting up early for. Big thanks and congratulations to Ellie and the team for organising and marshalling a very successful event. Maybe next year I should return to complete the whole thing as an individual!

After leaving Dinton Pastures I headed over to Mum and Dads to say hi, blag some lunch and raid Dad's garage for bike bits to complete my cross bike. With the bits I had already and some spares from the garage along with nicking some bits of my brothers old cross bike I now have a complete bike! Just need to enter a race now!

Marathon Entry Process

Well with my enforced rest continuing I have no fitness details to write about so I thought I would put my thoughts about marathon entry processes down in type! Yes I have had a "Sorry" magazine from London Marathon along with so many other people.

There have been many comments on social networks about the process for the entry to the London Marathon including various questions about the fairness of the ballot. I think many people think that the ballot is a totally random pull names out of a hat type ballot but I do not believe this. I think that ages and times entered on the entry play a part. I don't know if I have read that this is fact or that it was something that has been suggested, either way it is a possibility.

The only way that people would believe that the ballot is truly fair is for the organisers to be totally open about the process. The drawback to this is that if there are factors around age and estimated times people would try to give themselves a better chance by fiddling these factors on their entry.

So it is a bit of a dilemma for the organisers if they give out too much information then they risk people trying to rig the process and if they keep it too secret they are accused of a lack of fairness.

I can't complain about the entry process personally, I have been lucky enough to get a place in the ballot twice and also ran the marathon twice more on a charity place.  The first ballot place I was successful with was just after they had scrapped the 5 rejections and your in rule, this is a rule that is widely being complained about not being in existence anymore. I guess the problem is that there were too many people who qualified for a place under this rule so it became impossible to honour and I can understand it being
removed.

The other rule that has changed this year that has come in for criticism is the Good For Age time changes, something that was never going to affect me.  My thoughts on this are that the times needed to be revised due to too many people achieving the standard, people are getting quicker! the issue I have is how the change was implemented mid year, surely the change should have been effective the following year when people had not trained and planned for the previous standard?

I do understand that there is huge frustration out there due to some people getting a place multiple times through the ballot whilst others enter the ballot every year for years and always get a rejection, something is clearly wrong with the entry system but I can not come up with an alternative that would suit all!
 
One thing that I do not understand is the delay between entry in April and finding out if you have been successful in October, this has not changed since the old paper system that I completed back in 2000 for my first attempt. Now the entry is fully computerised and it still takes the same length of time and we still have to wait for a magazine to drop through the letter box, surely this could be changed to be more efficient?

Other marathons have a first come first served entry process which people are suggesting for London, the issue I can see with this is that there are only so many places for the public, I am not sure the exact figure is ever published, but it has got to be less than 30,000! The ballot allows 100,000 people to enter and that sells out in a matter of hours, I remember the first year that Virgin sponsored the event the website could not cope with the numbers entering the ballot so how feasible a first come first served entry system would be I don't know. I'm sure some people would claim that is not fair either.

As many people have pointed out there are plenty of other marathons around the UK to enter, personally I have run the Brighton marathon every year since it started in 2010 and I have entered for next year too, how long I can keep running it every year I don't know, I guess it depends how long it is that it remains a first come first served entry marathon!!  I have run 9 marathons all together and along with the 4 in London and 4 in Brighton the only other one is at the end of The Outlaw Triathlon, I really must widen my marathon tastes!

So in summary, the London marathon entry system is not perfect but I don't have a solution for it but there are many other marathons out there that people can run if they want.

Now hopefully tomorrow I can get back on my bike and start training again ready for Brighton in April and Ironman UK in July!!