The Barsley Brief

Almost a year ago I completed the Great Kent Cycle.  I was reading my ride review to remind myself how things went last year.  Why you may ask?  Because on the spur of the moment I did it again today!  Other commitments I had disappeared so I had no excuse but to go to the ride.  As my lack of posts has indicated this year I have done very few long rides so I wasn’t sure how things would go.

As we arrived in Ashford it was spitting with rain, but we had been assured that this would clear.  We set off at 8am on rather wet roads.  The further we went though the better the weather got.  Most importantly unlike last year there wasn’t a wind coming across the coast and comparing my spilt times to last year I was up to 30 seconds a mile quicker on these sections.

Also unlike last year I pedalled up all the hills!  In the end I was just 3 minutes off last years time, over 60 miles thats not bad!

In an earlier post that you can find here I wrote that I wanted to learn some photography skills.  To this end I am initially focusing my learnings on Jodie Coston’s free online photography course.  Lesson one was entitled Composition And Impact – It’s A Beautiful Photograph, But Do You Know WHY It’s Beautiful?  This lesson focused on how to take a good photo, eg the rule of thirds, get in close, leading lines etc.

To tell you the truth I think I need to spend a bit more time on this the first lesson!  The “assignments were to take an abstract photo and to take several photos of one thing from different view points.  Yesterday (Sunday) I got out in the snow and took a few photos.  They don’t exactly fit my assignments but  put a bit of thought into them so I’ll try and illustrate why.

So I was out and about while it was snowing (lightly) in Matfield.

Matfield Village Green

This was one of the first photos I took on the village green,  When I took this photo I really didn’t like it but now seeing it on the PC it is growing on me.  The subject of this picture was the Village Green sign.  Normally I would just look at something and photograph it dead centre, here I tried to think about it more and position it off to one side ala “rule of thirds”.  I also like how the tree comes into the photo on the right but that was just luck!

The Post Office

The road into Matfield

Above are two images which focus on the cycle route 18 sign.  I have seen many pictures which take a seemingly ugly object but the positioning and background makes it into a brilliant photo.  When I first bought my camera I walked round Matfield taking pictures of everything including the Post Office all completely centred and straight on.  This Post office image I have tried to break up by placing the cycle route sign in the foreground.  Not sure its a great picture though.  The next photo It of the same sign from a different angle.  I quite like this image, you have the sign on about a third of the picture and the road creating a “leading line” through the photo.  I’m not sure whether the snow storm improves the photo or distracts from it.

Finally nothing to do with me learning photography (because I hate this last picture) but the obligatory “it’s snowing” image!  After an aborted trip to work, don’t think I got out of second gear in the car and then was turned away from the train station I have spent the day working from my home office keeping warm with copious cups of tea.  Though a beautiful view out of the office window!

From my office window

It’s been a busy week.  Sorry I have neglected my blog slightly recently.  I have finally got broadband installed at home so I hope it will be easier to keep you up-to-date now.

On Sunday I set off from home with one goal in mind!  To surpass 1000 miles on my speedometer.  I have done a little more actual miles as there were times when it wasn’t plugged in or I forgot it.  But I cycled out the house with 30 miles to do.  I didn’t really know where I was going, in fact I even got lost but I just ploughed on the same road and eventually found something recognisable.  I set myself the little challenge of seeing how close to 1000 miles I could get too.

I cycled through sun and rain, a previous storm had also meant the road surface was very gravelly.  My route took me out to Tunbridge wells, to Pembury, Capel, East Peckham and back through Paddock wood, Rams Hill and Brenchley to home.  I came in at 998.9 miles Doh!!  So I did a loop of the village green which got me up to 1000.5

Then on Tuesday I went out after work with 2 of my cousins, they had completed the London Triathalon at the weekend, so I pushed hard at times to keep with them.  But pleased with my performance.  Another 12 miles done.

This weekend is my last weekend of heavy training.  So all being well with the weather I will do my biggest weekend ever!  Then I slow it down in preparation for the Pedal To Paris!!!!

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Saturday 5th April,

It has been such a frustrating weekend!  Drove down to Worthing for business in the morning with the sun beaming down thinking of getting out for a long cycle in the afternoon.  Then on the drive home it looked like the sky was clouding over.
I got out on the bike about 2pm and then cycled down to Paddock Wood to sort some bits out.  Went into Evernden Cycles.  They have the new Garmin Edge instock.  It looks really good, but I really can’t spend that much money on a cycle computer ….. yet.

While I was in the store it started raining.  It wasn’t too hard rain so I left and tried actually get a bit of a ride in.  The rain actually didn’t bother me as it was quite warm.  But it did make the road really slippery.  As I was rounding a corner my front wheel went over a manhole cover and slipped sideways about 4 inches.  Won’t be doing that again!  In the end did a similar loop to the one I did mid week.  But wasn’t really pushing.

Distance 9.82

Max Speed 34.5

Time 41.15 (with an hour gap in the middle when I stopped in paddock wood)

Average Speed 14.2mph

I want to try and set my self the goal (which I won’t always achieve) of doing 60 miles a week, 20-30 in the week and then a longer weekend cycle.