Winnersaint

Got a PS4 last weekend bundled with AC Unity, which is OK. Bought Shadow of Mordor also in the week. Just starting on a bit of Uruk-hai slaying now. Never had an X Box so cannot compare any of them with the previous Sony consoles I've owned PS, PS2, PS3 and now PS4 have done pretty much everything I've ever wanted from a games console. I might have missed a few exclusives on the other side but I've also had the benefit of the Uncharted series which have given me the most enjoyable gaming experiences I have had. Don't do online, too old/slow and can't be arsed to learn maps etc.

Either weear bibs with legwarmers. Prefer these to the tights as the zips on legs and at front don't exactly lock out properly so can come undone. Various base layers depending on temperature either short or long sleeved with any one of my tops over that, finally topped off with semi windproof jacket. Have various glove arrangements. Warmer days will wear normal mitts with Decathlon £1 black fleece gloves underneath, on colder days then its any of my full fingered gloves and I also have neoprene ones for coldest and wettest rides, mind you if it's cod and wet enough to need them then it's the garage and turbo for me. Various socks usually two pairs with neoprene overshoes. Suffer badly with cold feet. Must be an age thing. My first full cycling winter was around 5 years ago and was the coldest in 40 years, since then I've wised up and go out when weather permits and otherwise tick over in the garage. Screw Rules 5 and 10.

Recovery week last week, so mainly zone 2 stuff on turbo with one shorter threshold interval session squeezed in between. Start on some tempo sessions this week. All about providing a base for next year. This is the session I'll be starting with Warm up 10 minutes 7.5 Minutes @ Tempo Pace Effort Recovery 5 minutes 5 Minutes @ Tempo Pace Effort Recovery 5 minutes 5 Minutes @ Tempo Pace Effort 5 minute cool down Cadence 88-90 rpm Will increase one 5 minute effort by by two and a half minute increments next week and the third interval similarly the week following that so by the end of three weeks will be doing 3 x seven and a half minute efforts. This is just to re-familiarise myself with working at this level of effort on a turbo. Will start 10 minute intervals at the beginning of Xmas week go from there. By Feb should be doing 15 minute efforts. This will be interspersed with more high-intensity intervals at this point than will be the case from now until January. On my turbo my tempo pace is around 27.5 building to 29 kph. In the new year

Get to Bagneres de Lucheron and just ride.

Tis the season to be thinking of new bikes I see. Had just about enough of this teaching lark so contemplating bailing out after 35 years so planning bike purchase with part of lump sum. Reckon I can go to around £3500 which puts that Bianchi in the frame. So far I've been to the Newbury Specialized Concept Store looking at Tarmac SL4s. Was shown an S-Works SL4 with SRAM Force, all carbon cockpit and Zipp 30 wheels, which they quoted me £3400 for that build. Trouble is I'm not a big fan of Specialized and if you park up outside Starbucks in Henley S-Works are two-a-penny. Probably will use Boutique Cycles near Hook. They stock Storck, Cervelo and Ritte as well as Cyfac. They reckon I'm into the realms of custom build. As the Aldi advert goes. I like this one. http://images1.slanecycles.com/bmz_cache/2/28bf3f18fdd271d777d9a67089bf4ea4.image.560x400.jpg And I like this one. http://www.cyclomonster.com/cart/storck-scentron-carbon-road-bike.html?gclid=Cj0KEQiAs6GjBRCy2My09an6uNIBEiQANfY4zJYbNP0P7bhhWg3wAs7WKRWVNFVNpHL4Dk8z6P189rwaAhKw8P8HAQ# Deviating from the ad, I also like this one too. http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-ritte-bosberg-3-0-14-48740/ Will be able to discuss build options when the time comes, but may well have to swap out stock wheels for my Ksyrium Elites on the Ridley depending on what they are. Only a new freehub to worry about there from Campag to Shimano.

Took my end of season break last week. A loop out towards Legoland and Windsor Great Park then out to Wargrave and Henley on Thames before returning to Wargrave and going up Wargrave Hill, which isn't very long but a challenge after 40 or so miles. My mate big ringed it and is now top ten for segment on Strava. I bonked. Don't eat enough or drink enough. Roads were atrocious. Lying water, gravel/flints, horse**** and rotting leaves that made it pretty slippery. Had a visit from the puncture fairy towards the end unsurprisingly. Couldn't find the cause, nothing wrong with the tyre or anything stuck in it so have assume it was a pinch puncture. Forgot to check tube before binning it. GP 4000S have been good throughout summer and that was the first puncture I've had. Will have a look at new rubber now. Schwalbe Durano S, Michelin Pro4 Endurance, or GP 4 Seasons. Will probably go with whatever I can get the best deal on. Not a fan of Gatorskins. Have then on commuting bike and found them to be decidedly skittery in the wet on occasions.

Don't know why but the Ronde is one of the continental sportives I would like to do.

I waited until pm before venturing out. Still needed arm warmers, two pairs of socks and full fingered gloves at that time of day. Planned 60K but weather was closing in. Rain in the air, wind freshening and more importantly every car with lights on helped me make the decision to bale out early. Enjoyable for 36K though.

Bobby Stokes RIP, Skate from Paulsgrove, nothing Lallana did or ever could do will ever elevate him remotely close.

I remember playing Rovers at home in L1. Tense game that started the promotion run in. Think it was just after we'd lost away at Rochdale in the midweek before. Only settled late on by Guly. There was some relief around SMS that afternoon.

Good to wind down at some stage. This is a pretty brutal sport/pastime if taken seriously so rest is almost as important as mileage. As someone who is nearer 60 than 50 the quality of what I do is more important than the quantity. I'm on the turbo most of the time now. Term time commitments and dark mornings dictate unfortunately. Hoping to get out tomorrow. Happy to share turbo ideas with anyone either here or through http://www.strava.com/clubs/45350. Let me know where is best. Currently doing intervals with one tempo session, one threshold session and an over-geared session coupled with a road ride each week. Over-geared are the start of prep for Alps. Currently 3 x 6 mins @ around 50/60 rpm in highest gear with 5 min recoveries between.

Go on you know you want to!

Always felt he didn't make it at Chelsea because he didn't develop into a younger version of Lampard quickly enough. Hence loans etc. and eventual sale. Probably always had an eye for goal but never played high enough up the pitch to realise this part of his potential.Between him and MS I'm loving seeing goals from mid-field, something that was seriously lacking under Pochettino. Re Pochettino, Spurs supporting colleagues already frustrated about vast amounts of possession with little end product. Even suggested by one he was AVB Mk2. Bless them!

Bit of a truncated weekend in riding terms. Spent yesterday in Worcester dropping daughter off at Uni for first time. So to today and 50K+locally. Lots of others out riding including a few on TT machines. Stretches of the route are HCC001 a 25mile TT course and used for the Windsor Tri so hardly surprising really. Pretty much end of season for me. No autumn sportives on the horizon so will see how long whatever can be called 'form' that I have holds for. Pleased overall. that in my 57th year that I have still managed to improve. No kick arse climbing really done this year though so that's something I will have to address in the spring, particularly if the Alps beckon next summer.

As VFTT says there are always sportives to take part in in the UK, to the extent that they can generate quite vocal and in some cases active opposition in areas where they take place. The New Forest springs to mind. They do vary in price and in quality with the bigger rides being very popular. Planning ahead is essential. The Wiggle Super Series and Evans Ride It events for example. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/wiggle-super-series/ http://www.evanscycles.com/ride-it/find-a-ride Events like the Dragon Ride http://humanrace.co.uk/events/cycling/dragon-ride tend to be heavily oversubscribed. In addition, to these our close proximity to the continent opens up the possibility of taking part in things like the Tour of Flanders Sportive, Paris-Roubaix Sportive, Les Trois Ballons d'Alsace and La Marmotte. The latter is generally regarded as about the toughest out there. Glandon, Telegraphe, Galibier, Alpe d'Huez included in 107 mile course. My next door neighbour did it last year in 9 hours. Personally I am not an out and out sportive junkie. This year I took part in two shorter events; the Three Counties Cycle Ride and the Wokingham Bikeathon, both were enjoyable and well subscribed, next year I intend to do more and would like to do one in France or Belgium.

Had Oblivion a few years back on PS3. Saw Skyrim on offer at Sainsbury's and was contemplating buying it, but decided not to. Was still unsure so looked for it on Steam. £19.99 with DLCs. Have a PC that runs it pretty tidily so happy I didn't go down PS3 route. Just about to start Golden Claw/Bleak Falls Barrow quests, so still very early days.

So rather than waste my afternoon hitting F5 and refreshing the match thread I went out for a ride with my neighbour. (a far better cyclist than I) Great ride, all in all. Found a detour along a road called Springfield Park in Twyford, quite apt as my neighbour was a young pro at Wigan Athletic well before they moved to DW. Shame that we didn't incorporate Dell Road climb (Finchampstead) into the ride. Anyway it's on Strava. Not much climbing, but rolling terrain, windy in places, but a good test nonetheless.

Looks nice. This is my next year purchase. http://www.cervelo.com/media/images/R3-560x400-2fb8f1e1-2865-4c3a-926d-1fb1a7e23d28-0-560x400.jpg Would love to spec it with Campag but will rough it with Ultegra. Want Shamals though, although Fulcrum Racing Zeros are equivalent and part of same company.

You will get nothing but positives on Strava and on here from the cycling regulars. (BTW just added you to the Saints Fans Cycling group along with one other) Your F95 is an excellent machine for where you are at present. Good alloy frame with carbon forks, can't go wrong. VFTT is spot on when he emphasises the importance of getting miles in when you start.The only thing I would guard against is increasing your mileage too much in one go. Small steps are better than large ones. I am no expert but I would advise on getting a good miles in on a regular basis. When you start to up the mileage it is often recommended that you do so by no more than 10 -12% per week. That is for your aggregate weekly total and the length of individual rides. That figure of 10 -12% was recommended for runners. As cycling places less stress on joints and muscles it could be a little conservative, but is a useful guideline. I used to use it as a minimum and work from there by listening to my body. Being keen to get out and maximise your available time is probably the best sign of all. Although there is nothing to equal being out on the road, you might want to consider getting a turbo trainer if you have the space to set it up. Great for maximising tight time schedules and invaluable in the winter allowing you to do intervals and still cycle when the weather doesn't allow. Not everyone's cup of tea I am aware, but there a are plenty of videos etc. out there to relieve the tedium if it gets to you. Hope this is some use. There is a discussion area for Saints Fans Cycling on Strava http://www.strava.com/clubs/45350/discussion which you can use also.

Bit of a cycling hiatus at present. Banging out 100+ mile weeks since holiday at around tempo pace for me 16-17 mph. Just keeping my legs in working order before the winter training kicks in. Aiming hopefully for the Alps in 2015. Sunday's ride was a typical one. Rolling terrain (we don't get much else around Berkshire) with a few shortish climbs. Have to venture to the Hambleden Valley this week for more testing stuff. All on Strava.

Fantastic! We all start out somewhere. The fact you enjoyed it is probably most important. There are a few of us on here also who are part of Saints Fans Cycling on Strava. http://www.strava.com/clubs/45350. Feel free to join. I started cycling on a MTB around the fields with my dog (sadly recently deceased) trashing a bike in just two years in the process. I graduated to another MTB which I used to commute, before being seduced by C2W and my first road bike in 2010. It has no equals as an leisure activity, sport or transport IMHO. Keep posting how you progress you are sure to get plenty of encouragement from those here and Saints Fans Cycling.

Have you read Geronimo Dave, Tim Moore's account of his re-enactment (sort of) of the hardest Giro of all in 1914. Wooden rims and self made cork brake blocks. Now that's got to be scary!

Planet X also

http://www.pinterest.com/cyclea/2014-cervelo-r3-with-ultegra-11-speed/ This is what I've got my eyes on as n+1. Will be a retirement present to me. I've had my fill of stroppy teenagers especially as my job involves the super stroppy so I'm hoping to bail out of teaching around Easter after the thick end of 35 years. Reckon the Cervelo R3 is just rewa\rd.

Not heard of any similar instances. They are good lookers even if the ride can be a bit on the harsh side. Mine looks a lot worse for wear though. Paint is bubbling on top tube and down tube due to winter use on turbo. Just had a settlement figure of £65 (7%) to pay after 4 years, so not a bad bike for around £450. I've certainly had my money's worth out of it. When I first bought the Ridley which is a far superior machine in every way I still had issues cracking times I had previously done on the Cube, until I got the Ksyrium Elites on it. Give me the Ridley any day now. That said I've got my eye on one of these as n+1.