13 rides in 2013 (ish!)

The weekends are filling fast with all sorts of fun, but non-cycling, stuff so, with a pre-emptive strike in mind, my good chum Leslie (the evil genius behind much of what follows) and I decided to take the high-viz highlighters to all the calenders we could find. Fortunate, privileged and wholly supported chap that I am with N, the family and Flakes the cat wholly on side, here goes:...

February 2013:

The Tour of Sufferlandria - twice. Once on the Tacx Satori followed by another nine days on the inside ride e-motion rollers. All designed by The Sufferfest and monitored Trainerroad. As this is all inside I'm not sure it counts for this section? However, it has proved to be so much painful fun I have dared to include it. Stage 6 and stage 9 were, well... you ride them and find out for yourself! Bike: Faggin '81 + Tacx Satori (L4-5)

Aside: On Monday 11th Leslie and I visited to 'Velorama', the National Fietmuseum (bicyle museum), Nijmagen, Niederlands. No riding but a brilliant museum. Report to come.

Wim van Est's 1951 Tour de France bike - the one he rode off the edge of a mountain!

March 2013

Sunday 3rd: Klassikerausfahrt, Dusseldorf: A retro bike ride... The Faggin rides again! Details to come.

Sunday 24th: Stalen Ros Klassieke racefietsen

Saturday 30th: illness has led to my withdrawal from this event as I will never be fit in time. I can't recommend www.go4cycling enough though - if you can, why not join them (there's at least one place going!) Flanders Weekend; the amateur Ronde van Vlaanderen (100 mile +) with the excellent www.go4cycling.com team. 20 000 cyclists... got to ride at the front! Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg, Koppenberg (steep and cobbled), Steenbeekdries, Taaienberg, Leberg, Berendries, Valkenberg, Eikenmolen, the Wall from Geraardsbergen and Bosberg. Will Johann Museeuw be able to stop giggling at my efforts? Will Nico, Bart, Patrick and Peter wait for me to finish.. hours after the rest? Is this living the dream? Report to follow. Bike: Serotta Otrott SE.

April 2013

Sunday 7th: Klassikerausfahrt, D'dorf. details to follow (~80 km +) Bike: Faggin 81.

Sunday 14th: Deutsche Post Bonn Half Marathon, Bonn. Bike, er, none, I think I'll use the Newton Gravity shoes & Action Medical Research vest (Danke, Oly).

May 2013:

Sunday 12th: Rund um Koeln. A lumpy 120 km + club run with plenty of photo opportunities for when the pro's fly past.... if they can... Grrr! OK, I'm sorry, I'll stop this now!

Saturday 18 - Sunday 19th: RSC '77 Bimbach Rhön-Radmarathon 205 km (Sunday, 5000 riders). Shorter 160 km ride on the Saturday. The climb is the very place gliding was first demonstrated!

238 km with 4500 m of vertical ascent.

http://www.rhoen-radmarathon.de/en/

Link to GPsies HERE.

Friday 24th - Sunday 26th: The Retro Ronde. Sat sees me ride my first ever Crit' on a 1981 Faggin for 7 km of maximum effort... in Flanders, Belgium! Sunday the 100 km Retro Ronde ride in full pre-1987 kit! Why do I enter these things! Bike: Faggin '81 or the red stunner from Bochum (Leslie, are you reading this???)

Route Map HERE

June 2013:

Sunday 2nd: Klassikerausfahrt, D'dorf. Detail to follow. Bike: Faggin '81.

Saturday 8th: Rommerskirchen-Dusseldorf-Rommerskirchen, Klassikerausfahrt. Link to 2012 event review (it was rather wet!)

July 2013:

Sunday 7th: Klassikerausfahrt, D'dorf. details to follow.

August 2013:

Sunday 4th: RIDE LONDON-SURREY - Closed road 100 mile + Olympic Road Race. Raising money for Action Medical Research

A rather snazzy fly-by of the Ride London-Surrey 100 mile Olympic Legacy Sportive Route ...

Below, race director Mike Bennett reveals the route to the Mayor Boris and the good Burghers of Old London Town ...

Saturday 10th: "Täler und Höhen", 155 km, RTV Lohmar 83 e.V. Practically on my doorstep so I can ride to and from the start/finish area. One of my favourite rides, despite the racing speeds that most riders fly around at!