Accents

I came across something interesting today while reading the British newspaper, "The Guardian" http://www.guardian.co.uk/. This paper is the UK's equivalent to the left-leaning Washington Post. In the Financial section there was an interview with an American named Jules Kroll. He was described as having a "refined east coast accent." What does that sound like I wonder?
Further reading reveals that he was born in Brooklyn and currently works in Manhattan. Ahhh... so that's what "refined" sounds like to the Brits.
-Dale

Life according to the exchange rate...

When we first moved here, we thought that the exchange rate of dollars to pounds was pretty sad. However, I had hope that it would improve. After looking at the steady decline of the dollar over the previous year, I thought that it would have to end at some point and start to improve against the pound eventually. My thoughts were that it could not possibly continue to get worse.

Now, we have been living in England for a year and I can say that I was absolutely wrong. To give you a feel for the state of the dollar against the pound, here is a graph of how many dollars it takes to buy one pound (notice how the bars keep getting taller) since the beginning of 2007.

I try hard not to think about the dollar cost of everything when I buy it. However, it certainly can put a damper on the fun fare food when you realize that the candy floss (cotton candy) that you just bought your two children cost you $16.

Cycling in England...

During group rides, if anyone gets a puncture the group will stop and wait for them. We do this because the route changes every week and the route is invented by the ride leader as they go. Also, the rides are usually quite long and riding by yourself for 60+ miles is no fun especially if you set off to ride with a group. As we stand on the side of the road and wait, I take the opportunity to look at everyone else's bikes. I find it interesting coming from groups rides full of Orbea, Trek, Litespeed, Cannondale, Specialized, Scott, Colnago, and Lemond bikes to here where you see primarily Trek, Dawes, Ridley, Ribble, GT, Scott, Bianchi, Pinnacle, Saracen, and Ridgeback with a few Cannondales and Specialized bikes thrown in. I had never heard of half of these bike brands until we moved here.



A more recent popular item on road bikes here are compact crank sets. These are cranksets that have smaller front chain rings (34/50) that enable you to pedal in an easier gear as opposed to the standard sized chain rings (39/52) that come with road bikes. What is interesting is that this type of gearing is good for hill climbing or better yet mountain climbing and in Cambridgeshire it is difficult to find a decent hill. This made me wonder why compact crank sets are becoming so popular here. The reason given to me is because most people here like to do audax and sportives.



Audax are long-distance cycling events, using a system of timed checkpoints used to record a successful ride. "Classic" audax events are 200km, 300km, 400km and 600km (200km is approximately 125 miles). However, the events can have unlimited mileage depending on the organizers. I have heard a lot of talk within the group rides about events lasting several days. These events almost always are found "up north" where there are lots of long climbs making compact crank sets a wonderful invention.



Audax events are not races. On the same theme, 'support' - for example a following car - is very much frowned upon. If you have a mechanical or are too tired to continue, you better have your cell phone with you. The organizers don't provide any broom wagons at the event. There are maximum and minimum time limits, which basically decide when checkpoints are open so that you can get your card stamped. Each rider carries a 'brevet card' which is stamped at intermediate checkpoints and at the finish, and which is later returned to the rider as a certificate of their achievement. From what I have heard about the venues for these events, finishing one is quite an accomplishment.



I found a good explanation of sportives at the following website: http://www.kilotogo.com/faqs.htm . The sites states,

A sportive or cyclosportive is a mass-participation bicycle
event that combines elements of road bicycle racing and long distance bicycle
touring. Many cyclosportive events attract a wide range of riders, from
dedicated racing cyclists to leisure cyclists wanting a challenging ride, and
allows them to test themselves over a race-proven route. For example, l'Etape du
Tour is held annually in France and allows amateur cyclists to race over the
same mountain roads used by professional riders in the Tour de France; the Gran
Fondo Felice Gimondi uses roads near Bergamo that test riders in the Giro
d'Italia. Some cyclosportives offer a choice of routes of different lengths or
difficulty.

A cyclosportive falls between a traditional road race and
a non-competitive randonnée or Audax event. Riders sometimes carry a number and
the time they take to complete the course is recorded, and there is sometimes an
upper time limit within which the course must be completed (unlike many
randonnée events, there is no lower limit constraining riders from completing
the course quickly). The routes will usually be well sign-posted and/or
marshalled (some cyclosportives in Europe take place on roads which have been
closed to motor traffic for the duration of the event), riders will be able to
use feeding stations positioned at intervals along the route to replenish their
food and drink supplies, and mechanical and medical support may also be
provided.

Some attract thousands of participants - since 2000
l'Etape du Tour has offered places to 8,500 riders each year.

You have to be very fit to do sportives and audax events require you to do a lot of mileage. All of the people with whom I do weekend rides do these types of events. They are not interested in racing, but they certainly have the fitness for it. With so many non racing events available to anyone with a bike, it is no wonder that the average fitness level of cyclists in this country is high. The only thing keeping this country back from producing an unending supply of great cyclists is the weather.

Two bicycles per person...

In the States, we have two car families. You rarely see families existing with less than two cars. In England, you will find two bike cyclists. In the States, I never had more than one "active" bike. There was no need for one. The weather there gave you more than enough days in a row of dry weather to compensate for the occasional rain shower. On those rainy days, only the truly devoted went out riding and those of us who avoid getting wet at all costs, look at these people as if they might have a little water in their brain for displaying such crazy behavior. In England, it was pointed out to me from the beginning that if you did not ride in the rain, you would not spend much time on your bike. Group rides are not cancelled due to rain here. In fact, it does not even seem to diminish the ride numbers. I know this, not because I like to turn up for rides in the rain, but because I am a ride leader now and it always seems to rain on the weeks I am slated to lead.

The rainy season is upon us as we enter the month of October. On last week's ride I noticed people have started to get out their "winter" bikes. The faster, road bikes are being hung up and the second bikes are showing up for the group rides. Winter bikes are usually built on heavy, steel touring bike frames complete with mudguards. Last week, a guy asked if I would switch bikes with him at the tea stop. Continuing the laugh, I went over to his bike and moved it off the fence where it was leaning. I immediately noticed that the bike must have weighed at least 50 lbs! I think that if I could manage to ride such a heavy bike all winter, I would be much better for it in the spring.

Despite the weight, the winter bikes serve a great purpose. They protect all the money you sink into your good road bike. After nearly a year on the road in England, my one bike shows all the reasons why people have two bikes. The damp, wet conditions corroded my brake calipers and I am replacing my rear brake caliper for the SECOND time since I got here. My bottom bracket is being replaced after only a year and a half of riding. I have to use oil the consistency of molasses to protect my chain and cassette from rust. Our training wheels are complete with slime liners, a strip of plastic that acts as a barrier between your tyre and your tube to prevent punctures. We did this after suffering several punctures a week caused by the wet pavement and sharp stones. Our heavy duty tyres have so many cuts in them that they look like we rode them over a bed of nails (but the slime liners work!!). I even have a new set of mud guards for the winter riding (I have not put them on yet because I stand the thought of adding so much weight to my bike).

Up until now, I spent my energy trying to keep my bike as light as possible for the group rides. Now my time is spent waterproofing and trying to keep all the squeaks away. One of these days I am going to have a winter bike and it will probably weigh nearly 50 pounds too. But if I make it through winter without giving up, my OTHER light, road bike will make riding up hill a cinch!!