I can't quite put my finger on it...

I managed to squeeze a 300km Audax in the last weekend of Summer before heading back to work. As I rolled in late at night all I had done to keep warm was put on a windproof.

Over the course of the next week's commuting it was like the Summer was flicked off like a switch and it had got COLD. Ok, not arctic but Summer gloves no longer cut it.

After the demise of my Polaris windproof gloves I was left with Summer vented gloves or chunky winter ones. Looking for a happy medium I heard about the Galibier.cc Roubaix gloves which seemed to fit the bill and only £16 delivered.

Roubaix of course means fleece-backed lycra and the white stripes are in silicone rubber else there'd be a shortage of grip. The other feature that sold them to me is the longer cuff, gaps between jackets and gloves are a pet hate of mine! 

They got their first run out today and of course there was an upturn in the temperature but first impressions are good and the silicone pattern provides plenty of grip on the brake levers.

I'll report back once they've seen a bit more action!

Arkose and Audaxing

If you've made it through my previous blogs you'll see that I've A) got a new bike that doesn't quite set my heart racing and B) given up on short circuit XC riding.

I can't remember what got me interested in Audax riding but the appeal was obvious, long rides, cheap entry fees and no doing short laps....

The Arkose by now has transformed from a reluctant purchase into the bike I enjoy riding most. I don't feel like I'm ruining it like I do my "nice" road bike and it makes my Fargo very sluggish.
With two wheelsets, one with Nano 40cs and the other with Panracer Gravel King 32c slicks it's 90% as good as anything you'll need here in Suffolk.

So, with a pair of Crudracer Mk3 mudguards fitted I pressed the Arkose into service in January at my first ever Audax, The New Year QE2 100k starting from Swaffham.

The all important Brevet card

For those unfamiliar with Audax events the long of short of it is that you ride a set route in a given time and use a Brevet card to record evidence you have visited a series of controls. What could be better, a bike ride where you collect stickers!?

Langham Dome, a resored WW2 Anti-Aircraft gunner training site

Since then I've ridden the Norfolk Special 200, the National 400 and the biggie, London-Edinburgh-London a 1440k ride with a 117 hr limit, that deserves a blog all of its own...