Tour de Pistonheads 2015
Discussion
I was carrying a slight injury anyway from a mishap in a circuits class late last year. My fault for not having it seen earlier though it was mainly around the knee cap and not rear of the knee. Anyway, called Aviva today via our work health scheme and I have to see my GP first for an open referral - 2 weeks wait for that! Itching to get back in the saddle but I know I'll have to resist.
Any chance of a review of the Aeroad? 
what was the semi-compact set up like and how does the geo comapre to the Triban? Looking at the Stack/Reach ratio its something like 1.38 which puts it on the "a bit racey" side of things, for comparison my RS in the equivilent size is 1.49. What was it like climbing out of the saddle and was there any flex?
what was the semi-compact set up like and how does the geo comapre to the Triban? Looking at the Stack/Reach ratio its something like 1.38 which puts it on the "a bit racey" side of things, for comparison my RS in the equivilent size is 1.49. What was it like climbing out of the saddle and was there any flex?I've little experience on other bikes for benchmarking but I can tell you that I am properly smitten with the thing. Crosswinds can make for interesting descents at speed but I'm sure you could say the same of any deep rims. The geo is more relaxed than the Triban after a bike fit (I suspect I went too large with the Triban) and with some gel padding under the bar tape I found it very surprisingly comfortable on the Tour. I've also swapped the tyres for GP4000s 25s, but do still run high pressures. I spent a lot of time on the drops and didn't suffer for it.
Out of the crosswinds she descends confidently. I would actually like a 53 on the front if I could, but I do love the descents and fast rolling terrain. On the back I've swapped for an 11-32 and as much as I liked the close stack of the 11-28 I don't miss it enough to bugger around with swapping it back and forth. I'll keep it at 11-32. It was useful for sparing my knees on some of the longer climbs of the Tour.
One big surprise was the frame's performance in crosswinds. It genuinely feels like crosswinds are less punishing on the frame than they were on the Triban, relatively speaking.
There was a little creaking out of the saddle but I've since discovered that it was related to the rear skewer not being tight enough. I can't say that I notice any flex when climbing. I usually try to spin but I did mash it up Jenkin Road and still wasn't conscious of any flex.
Ultegra is… well, Ultegra. It's superb. 2,500km in and it's needed no adjustment since the original setup. The direct mount brakes are absolutely superb. They squeal on the Exalith surface to begin with but 100km in and that changed to the most delicious braking noise. The wheels sound awesome too, humming along at a rolling pace and then ramping up when sprinting.
It's at speed that the bike just comes alive (at least compared to the Triban) and it's a real joy to be hooning along above 40kph. It just encourages you to smash it.
The reviews have all been gushing. Looking around, I can't see any serious alternatives without spending a good amount more money. In summary, I'm loving it.
And I still haven't got bored of looking at it.
Out of the crosswinds she descends confidently. I would actually like a 53 on the front if I could, but I do love the descents and fast rolling terrain. On the back I've swapped for an 11-32 and as much as I liked the close stack of the 11-28 I don't miss it enough to bugger around with swapping it back and forth. I'll keep it at 11-32. It was useful for sparing my knees on some of the longer climbs of the Tour.
One big surprise was the frame's performance in crosswinds. It genuinely feels like crosswinds are less punishing on the frame than they were on the Triban, relatively speaking.
There was a little creaking out of the saddle but I've since discovered that it was related to the rear skewer not being tight enough. I can't say that I notice any flex when climbing. I usually try to spin but I did mash it up Jenkin Road and still wasn't conscious of any flex.
Ultegra is… well, Ultegra. It's superb. 2,500km in and it's needed no adjustment since the original setup. The direct mount brakes are absolutely superb. They squeal on the Exalith surface to begin with but 100km in and that changed to the most delicious braking noise. The wheels sound awesome too, humming along at a rolling pace and then ramping up when sprinting.
It's at speed that the bike just comes alive (at least compared to the Triban) and it's a real joy to be hooning along above 40kph. It just encourages you to smash it.
The reviews have all been gushing. Looking around, I can't see any serious alternatives without spending a good amount more money. In summary, I'm loving it.
And I still haven't got bored of looking at it.
Edited by Gruffy on Thursday 14th May 15:45
As much as I dislike new bike designs, I have to admit to liking Gruffy's quite a bit.
My perspective has changed about cycling distances now. I revisited the idea of cycling to/from my sisters house near Hindhead last night. At 137 miles, the last time I looked I thought 'not a chance', last night I thought '10 hours easy, it's only 10 miles further than TDPH Stage 1 with less climbing'
I have a big thanks to Yorkshire, I just took an easy first ride out after the weekend and bagged my first KOM descent, and set a couple of PR's over what we class as hills in Norfolk. Got held up by a car on that KOM too! The bug has definitely struck again
My perspective has changed about cycling distances now. I revisited the idea of cycling to/from my sisters house near Hindhead last night. At 137 miles, the last time I looked I thought 'not a chance', last night I thought '10 hours easy, it's only 10 miles further than TDPH Stage 1 with less climbing'
I have a big thanks to Yorkshire, I just took an easy first ride out after the weekend and bagged my first KOM descent, and set a couple of PR's over what we class as hills in Norfolk. Got held up by a car on that KOM too! The bug has definitely struck again
I can't see that anyone else has yet mentioned the Penny-Farthing that was spotted during stage three. It was heading toward us (two of us riding together at that point, but sorry, I can't recall who was with me) and turned left (our right) away from us as we headed into a left hand bend. A 'proper' old Penny-Farthing, too, not one of those small modern recreations. The chap riding it looked fairly old, cutting along at a fair old pace, wearing a blue cycling top and a cotton cap, no helmet. A proper 'WTF?' moment, before I processed what I was seeing and then thought "Awesome!" 
yellowjack said:
I can't see that anyone else has yet mentioned the Penny-Farthing that was spotted during stage three. It was heading toward us (two of us riding together at that point, but sorry, I can't recall who was with me) and turned left (our right) away from us as we headed into a left hand bend. A 'proper' old Penny-Farthing, too, not one of those small modern recreations. The chap riding it looked fairly old, cutting along at a fair old pace, wearing a blue cycling top and a cotton cap, no helmet. A proper 'WTF?' moment, before I processed what I was seeing and then thought "Awesome!"
Another of the days highlights! I can't remember, but he might even have tipped his hat as we rode by. I certainly would have raised mine if it hadn't been strapped on. I don't know if people have been able to watch much of the Giro, but I was really taken by Stage 4 from Chiavari to La Spezia. (Up near Genoa in the north of Italy)
A 150km (133km without the lap at the finish) "Medium Mountain" stage. Starts by running along the coast from Chiavari then up into the mountains for some climbing and descending fun before coming back to run along the cliff tops into La Spezia. At first watch the roads looked mostly minor and there was no doubt the scenery was absolutely beautiful.
I thought to myself, wouldn't it be nice to go out there for three or four days in late September and ride two or three stages? Or two or three quiet routes inspired by them? Hmmm... Giro de PistonHeads 2015 anyone?
A 150km (133km without the lap at the finish) "Medium Mountain" stage. Starts by running along the coast from Chiavari then up into the mountains for some climbing and descending fun before coming back to run along the cliff tops into La Spezia. At first watch the roads looked mostly minor and there was no doubt the scenery was absolutely beautiful.
I thought to myself, wouldn't it be nice to go out there for three or four days in late September and ride two or three stages? Or two or three quiet routes inspired by them? Hmmm... Giro de PistonHeads 2015 anyone?
2015 Tour de Pistonheads - Stage 1
Harrogate-Harrogate 200km, 2,700m
Strava (Darren) | Strava Fly-By
It was a glorious Thursday afternoon in London when I dropped the pooch off at my neighbours, loaded myself with luggage and wobbled off to Kings Cross to meet Tony for the 13:35 to Harrogate. It was a great feeling to finally be on our way after months of anticipation. Martin (Johno_78) wasn't long behind us, heading in from Norfolk. Justin was busy tinkering with the Saab and picking up supplies and wouldn't hit Harrogate until much later.
Al (burriana) met us at the station and relieved us of luggage. We rode through sunny Harrogate in our civvies, past countless yellow bikes and even though it was only a mile to Al's place it was one of the most fun rides I've had. The excitement, perhaps. Martin arrived and we decamped to the Imperial for an all-you-can-eat Chinese carbfest. Justin pulled into the hotel just after 22:30 and we got a chance to finally meet in the bar before retiring for final prep and bed.
The three weather apps on my phone had been taking a beating in the two weeks leading up to the Tour. None of them could make their minds up whether we were going to roast, drown or face gale force winds. In the end the answer was all three, but Friday kicked off cold, dry and windy, which we considered to be lucky. We hustled to Al's for toast, Alpen, caffeine and a bit of last minute bike faffing before pressing the start buttons on the Garmins.
The official TdF route started in Leeds with a neutralised section to Harewood House to meet the royals and have a second send-off. We came in from Harrogate by the same distance and stopped off at the House for a photo-op. Wills and Harry were no-shows.
And so we’re off, heading west towards Skipton through the morning rush hour traffic as the clouds dispersed and the sun put in an appearance. Al was appreciating me setting a quick pace at the front. I kept hearing him call me Contador, or something like that anyway. He must have changed his mind a little later as “Half a log” came the shout from behind. Half a log!? That’ll be ‘Yorkshire’ for ‘drop the tempo a little’. I’m not used to riding in a group so it wasn’t until later in the Tour that I’d got the hang of riding in a bunch at a team tempo.
Our first rendezvous with Justin came 40km in, just past Ilkley. We couldn’t help but smile as we pulled into the lay-by to find an open Saab with all of our individual feed boxes, kit bags and team supplies neatly lined up. Marginal gains and all that.
Soon we reached Skipton and, turning north towards the Dales, swapped the A65 for quieter lanes. With all my riding starting and ending in Central London this stunning rolling terrain of Yorkshire presented quite a challenge. It was hard to maintain discipline and rein it in when inside I was just itching to open the taps and inevitably blow up too soon. The riding was getting better and better. At any moment I was expecting Postman Pat to appear on the crest of the next roller or from behind some drystone wall. We didn’t have a definite plan for lunch so it was eyes open for a suitable stop. With lady luck on our side we stumbled upon the very pretty Kilnsey Park Estate and gorged ourselves on sausages sandwiches and cake in the sun.
Refuelled it was onwards to the Cote de Cray (416m), the first categorised climb of the Tour, known locally as Kidstones Pass. 1.6km at an average of 7.1%, making it a bigger challenge than any of our personal local hills. Tony is a Kent lad (better be sure to enunciate that properly) so has a couple of bumps locally but nothing to rival this. Martin’s local mountain is 28m. He’s from Norfolk. The Surrey Hills is as topographic as my riding had been. The knowledge that this was one of the ‘easier’ climbs of the Tour helped with motivation. We knew we had to be able to crack this one comfortably, so we did, in spite of the wind. We’d stuck together so far but now was the time to find our own pace and spin to the summit. I found a steady rhythm and just spun my way comfortably to the top, pleased to have the first big climb under my belt.
My favourite part of riding is fast descents and in London there are few opportunities to really open the taps up. I’d been dreaming about these for months. In and around London there are few opportunities to really go wild. The gusty crosswinds encouraged a bit of caution and the drystone walls were just tall enough to reduce sight lines around corners so it wasn’t the flat-out effort I was hoping for but it still put a huge grin on my face.
Video: Justin's dashcam chasing me off Cote de Cray
At the halfway point Al guided us to a great little cafe in Hawes for coffee and panini ahead of the big climb of the day over Buttertubs (532m). A 4.5km category three climb at an average of 6.8%. It starts off innocuously enough and you’re left thinking “this isn’t so bad” but then it ramps up quite dramatically, peaking at 17% in the middle section. The final third is a false flat that eases off to around 4-5%. Climbing perspectives were starting to shift and in my mind I was able to shrug 5% off as being recovery time.
Video: Justin's drive over Buttertubs, from near the summit
I tackled the descent with a bit of caution. It has a handful of very tight corners that do sneak up on you a bit. That drystone wall focuses the mind a little as it’s probably not the most forgiving of things to hit. The gradient flattened off in the pretty village of Muker and I found a row of benches overlooking the Dales to rest up, refuel and wait for the gang.
The final big obstacle of the day was Grinton Moor, a category three climb over 3km at 6.6%. I was beginning to learn that these average gradient measurements only tell half the story. Most of the climb is mellow at 5% but it’s spiked with a 12% section at the start to sap your energy and then a 13% ramp in the middle. Being the last big climb of the day though I felt motivated to tackle it. Tomorrow’s profile loomed large in the mind and I kept thinking I needed to be able to comfortably cover stage 1 if I had any chance of finishing the Tour.
By this time the weather was turning and layers had been added. The descent down off Grinton Moor was one of my favourites, with a bit better visibility affording a bit of extra confidence to open it up. As we reached the bottom of the descent the heavens opened and the rain kept building until it was torrential. With 50km to go and energy levels flagging we were treated to some ‘proper’ Yorkshire weather. The next 15-20km to our last coffee stop in Masham were the longest of the day and it took some heavy charm (as much charm as four men in sodden Lycra could manage) to persuade the ladies of the cafe to stay open for just a few more minutes for us to grab a much needed top up.
The final 35km run into Harrogate was a slog, no two ways about it. Al had claimed his first century. Martin had too but we didn’t realise this was his first until much later in the weekend. When we passed Justin for the final time Tony needed to grab more layers from the car so Al and Martin pressed on into the wind and rain. I tried to bring Tony back to the lads but didn’t seem to be making much ground on them, almost until we’d reached Harrogate. They were laying down quite a serious pace given the conditions and the riding we’d already done. 23mph it later turned out. With the finish line within reach we’d all found a little extra in the reserves and by this time we were all very comfortable riding in a tight bunch, which helped keep our pace high to the line.
Riding into Harrogate was a wonderful feeling, in spite of the torrential conditions. There was a huge sense of accomplishment all round. Al with his first century, the rest of us just overjoyed to have ticked off stage 1 without feeling too broken. Now it was time to hustle back to the hotel and freshen up before dinner at Al’s and some time with Tim, the seriously excellent physio from his local cycling club. Huge helpings of spag bol and cheesecake were wolfed down. It should have been time for bed but the luggage needed packing to be transported to Sheffield, the bike needed some TLC after riding in those conditions and I couldn’t help reviewing the ride on Strava too. Still wired from the day’s excitement I struggled to sleep and killed time on Pistonheads and reviewing tomorrow’s weather forecast, which was the stuff of nightmares. Eventually the first yawn appeared and set the alarm for four hours time.
Harrogate-Harrogate 200km, 2,700m
Strava (Darren) | Strava Fly-By
It was a glorious Thursday afternoon in London when I dropped the pooch off at my neighbours, loaded myself with luggage and wobbled off to Kings Cross to meet Tony for the 13:35 to Harrogate. It was a great feeling to finally be on our way after months of anticipation. Martin (Johno_78) wasn't long behind us, heading in from Norfolk. Justin was busy tinkering with the Saab and picking up supplies and wouldn't hit Harrogate until much later.
Al (burriana) met us at the station and relieved us of luggage. We rode through sunny Harrogate in our civvies, past countless yellow bikes and even though it was only a mile to Al's place it was one of the most fun rides I've had. The excitement, perhaps. Martin arrived and we decamped to the Imperial for an all-you-can-eat Chinese carbfest. Justin pulled into the hotel just after 22:30 and we got a chance to finally meet in the bar before retiring for final prep and bed.
The three weather apps on my phone had been taking a beating in the two weeks leading up to the Tour. None of them could make their minds up whether we were going to roast, drown or face gale force winds. In the end the answer was all three, but Friday kicked off cold, dry and windy, which we considered to be lucky. We hustled to Al's for toast, Alpen, caffeine and a bit of last minute bike faffing before pressing the start buttons on the Garmins.
The official TdF route started in Leeds with a neutralised section to Harewood House to meet the royals and have a second send-off. We came in from Harrogate by the same distance and stopped off at the House for a photo-op. Wills and Harry were no-shows.
And so we’re off, heading west towards Skipton through the morning rush hour traffic as the clouds dispersed and the sun put in an appearance. Al was appreciating me setting a quick pace at the front. I kept hearing him call me Contador, or something like that anyway. He must have changed his mind a little later as “Half a log” came the shout from behind. Half a log!? That’ll be ‘Yorkshire’ for ‘drop the tempo a little’. I’m not used to riding in a group so it wasn’t until later in the Tour that I’d got the hang of riding in a bunch at a team tempo.
Our first rendezvous with Justin came 40km in, just past Ilkley. We couldn’t help but smile as we pulled into the lay-by to find an open Saab with all of our individual feed boxes, kit bags and team supplies neatly lined up. Marginal gains and all that.
Soon we reached Skipton and, turning north towards the Dales, swapped the A65 for quieter lanes. With all my riding starting and ending in Central London this stunning rolling terrain of Yorkshire presented quite a challenge. It was hard to maintain discipline and rein it in when inside I was just itching to open the taps and inevitably blow up too soon. The riding was getting better and better. At any moment I was expecting Postman Pat to appear on the crest of the next roller or from behind some drystone wall. We didn’t have a definite plan for lunch so it was eyes open for a suitable stop. With lady luck on our side we stumbled upon the very pretty Kilnsey Park Estate and gorged ourselves on sausages sandwiches and cake in the sun.
Refuelled it was onwards to the Cote de Cray (416m), the first categorised climb of the Tour, known locally as Kidstones Pass. 1.6km at an average of 7.1%, making it a bigger challenge than any of our personal local hills. Tony is a Kent lad (better be sure to enunciate that properly) so has a couple of bumps locally but nothing to rival this. Martin’s local mountain is 28m. He’s from Norfolk. The Surrey Hills is as topographic as my riding had been. The knowledge that this was one of the ‘easier’ climbs of the Tour helped with motivation. We knew we had to be able to crack this one comfortably, so we did, in spite of the wind. We’d stuck together so far but now was the time to find our own pace and spin to the summit. I found a steady rhythm and just spun my way comfortably to the top, pleased to have the first big climb under my belt.
My favourite part of riding is fast descents and in London there are few opportunities to really open the taps up. I’d been dreaming about these for months. In and around London there are few opportunities to really go wild. The gusty crosswinds encouraged a bit of caution and the drystone walls were just tall enough to reduce sight lines around corners so it wasn’t the flat-out effort I was hoping for but it still put a huge grin on my face.
Video: Justin's dashcam chasing me off Cote de Cray
At the halfway point Al guided us to a great little cafe in Hawes for coffee and panini ahead of the big climb of the day over Buttertubs (532m). A 4.5km category three climb at an average of 6.8%. It starts off innocuously enough and you’re left thinking “this isn’t so bad” but then it ramps up quite dramatically, peaking at 17% in the middle section. The final third is a false flat that eases off to around 4-5%. Climbing perspectives were starting to shift and in my mind I was able to shrug 5% off as being recovery time.
Video: Justin's drive over Buttertubs, from near the summit
I tackled the descent with a bit of caution. It has a handful of very tight corners that do sneak up on you a bit. That drystone wall focuses the mind a little as it’s probably not the most forgiving of things to hit. The gradient flattened off in the pretty village of Muker and I found a row of benches overlooking the Dales to rest up, refuel and wait for the gang.
The final big obstacle of the day was Grinton Moor, a category three climb over 3km at 6.6%. I was beginning to learn that these average gradient measurements only tell half the story. Most of the climb is mellow at 5% but it’s spiked with a 12% section at the start to sap your energy and then a 13% ramp in the middle. Being the last big climb of the day though I felt motivated to tackle it. Tomorrow’s profile loomed large in the mind and I kept thinking I needed to be able to comfortably cover stage 1 if I had any chance of finishing the Tour.
By this time the weather was turning and layers had been added. The descent down off Grinton Moor was one of my favourites, with a bit better visibility affording a bit of extra confidence to open it up. As we reached the bottom of the descent the heavens opened and the rain kept building until it was torrential. With 50km to go and energy levels flagging we were treated to some ‘proper’ Yorkshire weather. The next 15-20km to our last coffee stop in Masham were the longest of the day and it took some heavy charm (as much charm as four men in sodden Lycra could manage) to persuade the ladies of the cafe to stay open for just a few more minutes for us to grab a much needed top up.
The final 35km run into Harrogate was a slog, no two ways about it. Al had claimed his first century. Martin had too but we didn’t realise this was his first until much later in the weekend. When we passed Justin for the final time Tony needed to grab more layers from the car so Al and Martin pressed on into the wind and rain. I tried to bring Tony back to the lads but didn’t seem to be making much ground on them, almost until we’d reached Harrogate. They were laying down quite a serious pace given the conditions and the riding we’d already done. 23mph it later turned out. With the finish line within reach we’d all found a little extra in the reserves and by this time we were all very comfortable riding in a tight bunch, which helped keep our pace high to the line.
Riding into Harrogate was a wonderful feeling, in spite of the torrential conditions. There was a huge sense of accomplishment all round. Al with his first century, the rest of us just overjoyed to have ticked off stage 1 without feeling too broken. Now it was time to hustle back to the hotel and freshen up before dinner at Al’s and some time with Tim, the seriously excellent physio from his local cycling club. Huge helpings of spag bol and cheesecake were wolfed down. It should have been time for bed but the luggage needed packing to be transported to Sheffield, the bike needed some TLC after riding in those conditions and I couldn’t help reviewing the ride on Strava too. Still wired from the day’s excitement I struggled to sleep and killed time on Pistonheads and reviewing tomorrow’s weather forecast, which was the stuff of nightmares. Eventually the first yawn appeared and set the alarm for four hours time.
Edited by Gruffy on Saturday 16th May 17:06
Edited by Gruffy on Monday 18th May 00:12
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