CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

[van ordinaire]

Plenty of specialist firms out there that do this sort of work on 'vans - next time you're in Sniffs pick up a couple of (appropriate) magazines you might not even know exist & trawl through the ads in the back.

[CitroJim]

A rather special day today...

I completed my first 100 mile bike ride

Conditions were not the best for such a long ride... It was cold, windy and at times wet too...

Still, that all pales into insignificance... I'm now a member of the Century Club!

Own Work

Own Work

Saw a very early Ford Transit van done up in what is usually H Van territory - a mobile food wagon. It was on a D plate (1966). I thought the earliest ones were on E plates but it was definitely a genuine early MK1. I could tell by the lights - Front indicators on the very early ones had both orange indicator and clear sidelight areas...

[Zelandeth]

Well done Jim! That's quite an achievement!

[bobins]

A rather special day today...

I completed my first 100 mile bike ride

Conditions were not the best for such a long ride... It was cold, windy and at times wet too...

Still, that all pales into insignificance... I'm now a member of the Century Club!

Very well done, Jim. That's quite an achievement. Only another 20-odd of those over the course of 23-odd days and you'll be in Tour de France territory A 100 mile bike ride is about 99 and-a-half more miles than I'll comfortably ride

[RichardW]

Nice one, Jim! Most I have ever done is about 90 - but that did involve riding over snake pass and the subsequent hill twice - plus down into the bottom of Sheffield and back up the other side. My mate thought it would be a good idea to ride from Manchester to Sheffield and back to see a friend. Didn't seem such a good idea as we ground up past the snake pass inn on the way back.....!

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

completed my first 100 mile bike ride....conditions were not the best for such a long ride... It was cold, windy and at times wet too...

Well done Jim, in all the thousands of miles I've put in over the years, I've never achieved the century. Those conditions sound just right for what I call 'heavy air' which I think is the absolute worst to cycle in; even more so than a headwind.

NB: I once got half way on a 100mile journey that I ultimately did not complete, I was 17 & cycling Bournemouth to Torquay on a not very old then Record Sprint. Chideock Hill had posed no real issue but I got just East of Bridport to an area called "Morecambe Lakes" (near Peter, with the 406) and just couldn't keep going. It was some time before I realised I was on a long slow climb of at least a mile! I ultimately terminated my ride 80miles out at my Gran's in Exeter and was grateful to complete the ride on an incredibly noisy D Series Merc Bus to Torquay.

[CitroJim]

Puxa, 'heavy air' is a bloody good description of it I've been looking for a succinct way of describing it and now, thanks to you I have

I've come close to a century on Sportives several times and this was an aspiration to finally see the magic three figures come up on the Garmin!

You must have been gutted to have had to terminate at 80 miles but I fully understand - those last ten or so are the hardest ever... A bit like the last 1Km of a half-marathon...

I'm very much an endurance athlete - that's my specialty - along with hillclimbing on bikes - and hence my love of distance running and distance swimming too...

I've not done the century just to tick it off some bucket list as many do... It's just the start; after being encouraged by another member on here I'm now going to branch out into doing some Audax events...

Always onward and upward

This was my Garmin yesterday

Own Work

[CitroJim]

An interesting new project has just landed in my workshop...

More details later

All I will say for now is that it only has two wheels and is British...

[Hell Razor5543]

A Raleigh Chopper bicycle?

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

glad to assist with the description Jim.

Think I was too knackered to be gutted at the time, and the prospect of not having to climb Telegraph Hill was a big 'plus'. Also my late Gran, rest her soul; could talk anyone into submission.... another family member hit the nail on the head with the comment, in good taste, that you visited her "for a listen" rather than for a chat.

Endurance athleticism isn't my skill set, but I was curuious about the Audax thing and had a look at the events website; I remember people speaking of them on the Sunday Rides I sometimes did back in the day, there's some hardcore mileages there! You might bump into my Missus' Dentist on one of them, on more than one occasion she's come home from check ups advising that he's off to foreign climes by bicycle!

I've been 'around the block' on my Racer today & yesterday.... my weight keeps creeping up, so trying to keep that in check.

Had some interesting motors pass me lately.....
Today's rarity was a 1968 Fiat 500, it sounded surprisingly nice as it accelerated out of a private driveway; one of only three cars I saw in the entire journey (its rural)!
During our holiday an 80's vintage CX came the other way along an urban road, 4 up with excited looking kids in the back windows (not the safest thing to do, but looked charming)
Also during our hol, I was really pleased to see a 5 door Pug 104 being trailered on the opposite side of the Auto-Route, red flatted paint with what looked like original alloy wheels so probably the sporty version; they're very unloved and equally scarce, so it was nice to see a resto project.

I noted also that the Citroen Dealer, Garage Van de Velde, close to our accommodation, always had some rarities on the forecourt or parked nearby, all in use: Ami 6, Traction Avant, 204, DS and a 60's looking Yank, some of which I have pix of - not yet sorted them so at a later date.

Even the computers have changed haven't they, there's loadsa info on that Garmin isn't there!

Have fun with it Jim !

NB: what's your preferred method of hill-climbing?
Do you stay in the saddle or get out and give it your full body weight?
Select your highest gear & just plug away, slow & steady.....
....or try & stay at least a couple of gears short of 1st and give it some?

[CitroJim]

A Raleigh Chopper bicycle?

James, you're warm there, but just very luke-warm I have to say

another family member hit the nail on the head with the comment, in good taste, that you visited her "for a listen" rather than for a chat.

Sorry, that did make me giggle I know a good few people like that!

You might bump into my Missus' Dentist on one of them, on more than one occasion she's come home from check ups advising that he's off to foreign climes by bicycle!

Oh yes, that'll be me in June when I go to France for a few days via Amsterdam and Germany Looking forward to it - it will me my first foray overseas on a bike...

Even the computers have changed haven't they, there's loadsa info on that Garmin isn't there!

And that's only a subset of what it does... Not shown is heart rate, cadence and average power among other things... It'll even do breadcrumb navigation...

And the Edge 500 is considered old and primitive now but by gosh, it does the job wonderfully...

For running (and some cycling) I use a Garmin Forerunner 35 which is almost as powerful and acts as a very competent watch at the same time. That they can put a full GPS system into something that can comfortably be worm on the wrist amazes me...

NB: what's your preferred method of hill-climbing?
Do you stay in the saddle or get out and give it your full body weight?
Select your highest gear & just plug away, slow & steady.....
....or try & stay at least a couple of gears short of 1st and give it some?

I have a nickname of 'Diesel Legs' in cycling circles and that quite well describes how I do hills. Big gears and high-torque slow cadence. Very rarely do I drop onto the small chainring and go for the 'granny gear'. My bikes spend most of their time on the big 50T chainring and the 11T rear sprocket...

Oh, and out of the seat whenever I feel the need... Or if I can't be bothered to change gear for a short-sharp one...

One rider who once spent a bit of time following me asked if I was riding a 'fixie' as he never once witnessed me come off the 11T in around ten miles of undulating roads

I have to set up my rear mech. to favour the little sprockets...

[Hell Razor5543]

A Raleigh Chopper bicycle?

James, you're warm there, but just very luke-warm I have to say

Raleigh, or chopper?

[Michel]

An interesting new project has just landed in my workshop...

More details later

All I will say for now is that it only has two wheels and is British...

A buggered Austin Maxi?

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

that's impressive to go up hills in that sort of fashion Jim. I'll usually hill-climb in the saddle in 2nd or 3rd which is a 42: 24/20. Bottom is a 42:28 which isn't often exercised.

I know I wouldn't get very far up a hill pulling my top gear of 52:14 (old Biopace Chainset), which probably works out much the same as your 50:11.

I'm wondering if the bike could be an RSW (Raleigh Small Wheel) or similar, maybe a Moulton, ie both wheels the size of the Chopper's front; hence James being 'warm'.

[bobins]

An interesting new project has just landed in my workshop...

More details later

All I will say for now is that it only has two wheels and is British...

What powers it ?

Legs ?
Electrickery ?
Internal combustion ?
Elastic band ?