01/01/2019
Took the dog out for a really long walk with the family today so walked about 5 miles so didn’t bother riding the bike at all today.
Managed to go without coke and just drink water with no issues today.
02/01/2019
Was feeling rough today due to coca cola withdrawals (sugar) so slept until midday. I then had to take my son back to his mothers house so didn’t get a chance to go to the gym today before I went to work. Can’t believe that I have dropped the training resolution after one day but what can you do. I will have to make up for it tomorrow and do gym and ride the bike as well. I need to get back into riding ASAP as I have a race on Sunday and I am really out of shape!! At least I have still not drunk coca cola as this is the most important resolution to follow as it is my worst vice at the moment and is keeping my weight up and generally bad for me so I am focusing on this more than anything else!
03/01/2019
Got up early as I had a doctors appointment this morning so I hit the track afterwards. Did a few pump laps to get used to the bike again and also to warm up. I then had to do first straights as a family with small kids turned up and were riding the last straight so I figured I would keep my distance.
After a couple of tentative first straights I got into it and had more confidence in my knee and got up to pretty much full speed after about 5 straights. I finished after 10 first straights as the knee started to feel a bit sore and I didn’t want to push it.
I was also blowing out of my arse from not riding for so long.
04/01/2019
Didn’t get a chance to ride today as I was busy running errands and also feeling rough from coca cola withdrawal. As I have a busy weekend planned I decided to rest today.
05/01/2019
Did some gates today but I forgot my clipless peddles so had to gate on flats which wasn’t the best as I still loose peddles out of the gate for some reason even though I am fine if I don’t gate!!! go figure.
Did about 10 gates and then called it a day as I didn’t want to do too much as I am racing at Torbay tomorrow.
06/01/2019
Got to the track bright and early and did a few pump laps to see how the knee was holding up and it was OK so I did some full speed first straights and then pumped the rest of the track.
I then did some gates and was gateing really well but I was really blowing out of my arse by the end of the first straight. I decided that I was going to use the racing as timed practice as they were using the timing system so that is what I did.
During the racing I basically gated and did first straights and then stopped and pumped the rest of the track.
In the first moto I was in lane 8 and got to the first turn in 4th place and did a 10m time of 2.719 Seconds which was the 4th fastest time in the race.
In the second moto I was in lane 1 and got to the first turn in 3rd place. My start hill time was 2.604 which again was the 4th fastest time.
In the 3rd moto I was in lane 4 and I gated a bit slower in a time of 2.689 as the guy in lane 5 came across on me so I backed off as there was not need to hold my ground.
In the final I gated really well and had an amazing start and got to the first jump in second place and only a wheel back from the guy in first place which is amazing as he is in the 17-24 age group so much much younger than me 🙂
Unfortunately the timing system had an issue so I didn’t get a time which is a shame as it was definitely my fastest time of the day.
All in all a good days training.
07/01/19
Took the day off today to recover from the weekend.
08/01/19
Took the day off as it was my birthday so I went to the Bath track and played about doing pump laps and first and last straights. I had to remove my clipless peddles and put the flats on as the clipping in and out was making my knee really sore.
I did some 3rd and 4th straights and then did my sprints for the day. I did moving starts so that I didn’t put too much stress on the knee as it was already sore.
I did 3x 30m followed by 3x60m and then finished off with 3x100m.
I then did a few more pump laps to cool down and then had to go home as we were going out for a meal and I had to get ready.
09/01/19
Had another days holiday and met up with my friend Matt and went to a new pump track about an hour away that the chairman of the Bath Bmx club built in his town.
The track was a bit icy still when we got there but after about 30 minutes of riding it was fine.
The track is amazing but my knee hurt when I manualled so I just practiced jumping which was fun too.
We had to go after about 2 hours of riding as Matt had to get back to do the school run. To be honest I was knackered anyway 🙂
10/01/19
Took a rest day today as my legs were still sore from sprints and the pump track from the previous 2 days so didn’t want to stress them more.
11/01/19
Has another rest day as I had to take a bike to the post office after work so I didn’t have tome to ride.
12/01/19
Went to the track and set up for gates and took the dog for a couple of walks but didn’t really ride as I was on flats and not feeling too great so didn’t want to push it.
13/01/19
Got up and took the dog for a walk and then went into Frome and played tennis for an hour with my son which was a bad idea as I hurt my knee several times during the hour.
We then went to the pub for lunch as it was my Dad’s birthday.
I had to rush back from the pub as my stomach wasn’t very good and it looks like I have a stomach bug so had to stay in bed for the rest of the day.
14/01/19
Had a rest day as I was still feeling bad and not really able to eat.
15/01/19
Another rest day as my stomach isnt too good still although it is much better than yesterday and I am able to eat again!
Just bought a bike in the USA ready for my trip and it should arrive at my flat 3 days after I do.
I went with a 2018 Meybo Clipper Cruiser as it was a better spec and cheaper than most of the cheaper 2019 bikes. Here is a picture and its specs:
Specs:
The Meybo Clipper complete bike is a light weight competitive race bike that is ready for competition straight out of the box. The bike features the Meybo Clipper aluminum frame in the exact geometry as the well proven Meybo Holeshot bikes and frames. This is an unbelievable bike for the price.
Features Cruiser Clipper Bike 2018
| Fork: | SD pro 11/8“ fork 24” |
| Headset: | Sealed Full Integrated 11/8“ |
| Handlebar: | SD cr-mo pro handlebar 5,75” |
| Stem: | SD Stem 1 1/8” 53mm |
| Grips: | 130 mm Non Lock Grip |
| Brake Lever: | Tektro Sabre |
| V-Brake: | Tektro 95mm J310AL |
| Front Hub: | Sealed Pro Hub 36H |
| Rear Hub: | Sealed Pro Cassette Hub 36H 6 Pawls |
| Spokes: | Spokes Black |
| Nipples: | Nipples Brass Black |
| Front Rim: | 24×1.75 Pro Double Wall 36H |
| Rear Rim: | 24×1.75 Pro Double Wall 36H |
| Front Tire: | Maxxis TORCH 24×1.75 |
| Rear Tire: | Maxxis TORCH 24×1.75 |
| Seat: | SD pivotal slim black |
| Seat Clamp: | Black 31,8 |
| Crankset: | SD Pro outboard bearing 4hole 175mm |
| Bracket: | Outboard sealed bearing |
| Pedals: | Alloy Black |
| Front Sprocket: | Chainring 4 Hole 39T Black |
| Cog: | Cog 17T Silver |
| Chainring Bolts: | Black Steel |
| Chain: | KMC 610HX 3/32 Silver |
| Chaintensioners: | Black 2pcs |
Sizing Cruiser Clipper Bike 2018:
| Top Tub Rider Area | 22,04″ |
| Down Tube | 23,693″ |
| Chaintstay | 15,157″ |
| Head tube Angle | 74,0 o |
| Seat Post Angle | 66,3 o |
| Head Tube Size Full Integrated | 1 1/8″ |
| Seat Post Size | 27,2 mm |
| Dropout | 10 mm |
| Bracket | EU |
| Weight | 349,21 Ounce |
16-01-19
Felt rough again today so didn’t ride. I did take the dog for a long walk but my legs felt really bad and I felt really weak.
17-01-19
I got up early and met my friend Tom and we went to Wroughton pump track. The track was a bit muddy from the rain washing the mud onto it but it was running really good.
I concentrated on keeping my body and weight behind my seat as I have been riding too over the bars which made me ride really stiff and made manuals harder.
After a few laps manualling I decided that I wanted to jump the table top on the back straight which I did second attempt and then kept doing it in rhythm and not having to pull up. Once I had the tabletop down smoothly I was hitting the next double really fast and jumped it almost by accident to I kept getting it cleaner. By the end of the session I was clearing them both easily. I then called it a day as my knee started to fell sore.
All in all a really productive day.
21-01-19
Up at 3 and on the bus to travel to Seattle. Had a really good flight and got to the office and then the apartment with no issue. Passed out at 6pm after getting some food.
22-01-19
Woke up at 2am so got ready and decided to leave the apartment early and walk the 5 miles to work to get the lay of the land. Walk was fine but took longer than I thought it would as I got a bit lost. Found out later in the day that my jeans had rubbed holes in both my legs 🙁 Got the bus home and decided to get the bus the rest of the week to let my legs heal.
24-01-19
Had to buy some new shoes and gym shorts as I forgot to pack any and only packed a pair of vans and I will need gym kit for next week to get back into training. Went to the nike shop and got a pair of Jordan 1’s and some Jordan basketball shorts so all ready to go. My left leg is still being rubbed raw by jeans even with compression shorts instead of boxers. On a positive not my right leg has scabbed over nicely and isn’t hurting any more.
The bike arrived this afternoon while I was at work and was left in the mail room for me to pick up when I got home. Built it up after I had eaten and it is good to go except for the tyres are flat so I will need to hunt down a pump tomorrow after work.
Here is photo of the built up bike:
25/01/19
Went to target after work but they didn’t have any pumps in stock!!! Also went to another couple of big stores and they had sold out too!!!! Unfortunately all of the bike shops in town close at 6pm and I work until 6!! I will have to get a pump tomorrow. Also need a peddle spanner as well.
My left leg was really hurting walking again today so I bought a pack of large plasters and I will try using one of these tomorrow to try and stop it getting worse and give it time to heal.
26/01/19
Woke up at 4 again and have been killing time waiting for the bike shops to open at 10am today. Hopefully they have a pump or at least I can take the bike there and get them to pump the tyres up.
I was planning to ride to the BMX track today but once the bike is sorted I don’t think I will have enough time to ride to the track today, I will leave the track until tomorrow and I will do a practice ride to the office and back to get ready for next week. It will be a 10 mile round trip so it will get be back in the rhythm of riding and also get me used to the bike.