The joy of riding the Surrey Hills

Posted on 19 March 2009 by Alex Murray

Went out on Tuesday for my first long ride in ages through the Surrey Hills. They form one of the main hubs of activity for cyclists in the South East of England and I’ve been riding them ever since I was a child.

I think I rode for around 5 hours, missed a couple of hills and turns, but enjoyed the mild spring weather. Rode through Peaslake which is always pretty and pleasant, managed to miss Whitedown Vale and the more challenging side of Leith Hill (well the one I dislike more). Those were accidental but skipping Ranmoor Common was a deliberate choice as I was in need of a cup of coffee and some cake and it was taking longer than expected to get to Box Hill.

Next day I was absolutely ruined. I’ve never recovered well from long rides and this being the first in a while meant that I felt worse than ever. I don’t think I would have made a stage racer.

This weekend is Milan-San Remo which I’m rather looking forward to. I’m not tipping anyone as it’s usually the way to jinx them. Then again, looking at the list of injured/ill riders, I don’t need much help: Ballan’s out with the curse of the rainbow jersey, Cancellara’s injured, Schleck too and Freire.

Still first of the men’s classics traditionally signals the beginning of the cycling year for me.

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A steady rate of climbing

Posted on 15 March 2009 by Alex Murray

Climbing the Col de MenteI’ve been trying to get the hang of climbing out of the saddle for the last few weeks. Not that I’ve ever been any good at climbing but I don’t seem to be able to crack finding a nice rhythm.

My main problem is finding a steady cadence and level of effort. Is that the lack of an even gradient or just me not knowing how to pedal up hills properly? I find that I end up spinning up ever faster and then getting out of breath rather than hitting a sweetspot and riding at that pace.

I know that out of the saddle is more demanding on the body and that it’s not something you can do all the way up a hill, but it feels like I should be able to do it. Anyone got any advice or technique pointers to help me figure this one out?

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Support your local bike race

Posted on 4 March 2009 by Alex Murray

On Sunday I left the house planning to go racing for the first time this year. In the end I didn’t race but instead did something equally useful: marshalled.

British cycling at the elite level on the track may be flourishing, but look on any cycling forum and you’ll see that there’s huge concern about the sport’s future at the amateur level, where most people are racing in this country. Nor are things looking healthy at the domestic professional level: at least three Premier Calendar events have been cancelled or curtailed due to cost, in particular that associated with policing.

While volonteer marshalls aren’t going to solve six-figure bills from the police, volonteers are vital for keeping events running, from making the tea and doing the sign-on to standing to shepherding the bunch in beginners’ races. There’s even a useful job to be done standing by a bollard making sure people trying to spectate on areas of a circuit they’re not meant to be on. No, I didn’t understand why I was freezing my bits off in an orange tabard either.

A lot of people race but, as with almost every sport at amateur level, organising and helping is the preserve of a few. So this year I’m encouraging everyone to try to help out just the once this season.

It’s not much of an ask is it? All you’ve got to do is to make the decision to not race that week when you’re legs aren’t feeling so good, or when you’re coming back from a break. Or even when you’re club’s a body short at their one annual road race.

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