Cycling and Life
Welcome to my website. I am an ex-London cyclist and now a Göttingen rider – I have a fondness for cyclo cross and gravel cycling. This is a narrative of sorts regarding my cycle life in my newly adopted home country. Aren’t Websites Defunct? A debate has raged for some time now about whether traditional… Continue Reading
Results, video and picture links from cycle road races held in 2020 which feature gravel, pave and dirt. Road races that have in common a touch of the ‘Roubaixesque’ about them. I am now based in Germany and so sadly I cannot say that all the video links can be viewed in other countries or… Continue Reading
Freddie Frinton Rides are rides which are to paraphrase Freddie,“The same procedure as last time” from Dinner For One, a cult German film shown each New Year. These are a few rides that are undertaken regularly and this includes Freddie Frinton Ride One featured here. As High as An Elephants Eye 2 – August 12… Continue Reading
Featured images used as a ‘cover’ for each month since April 2018 when Cyclesport.London became Velo Klubhaus.com. See also Gallery for lots of pictures from across Velo Klubhaus. August 2020 Happy finding new trails and routes. July 2020 June was a month of wild flowers and rides. June 2020 March, April and May was a… Continue Reading
There are simply not enough cobbles (Kopfsteinpflaster) in the area to replicate the Paris Roubaix cycle race. What we do have are kilometres of Strade Bianche, then there is Befestigter Waldweg, and in addition there are concrete farm roads all of which criss-cross the area in abundance. On this ride I went scouting for cool… Continue Reading
Results, video and picture links from cycle road races to be held in 2020 which feature gravel, pave and dirt. Road races that have in common a touch of the ‘Roubaixesque’ about them. I am now based in Germany and so sadly I cannot say that all the video links can be viewed in other… Continue Reading
A ride with hills to give Tom and Naomi a few ups and downs in contrast to their normal Netherlands terrain over a *Freddie Frinton route which has become one of my favourites. I first met Tom in London over thirty years ago when he was cycle touring and today, we rode with him and… Continue Reading
I thought I had finished scouting All Along the Watchtower but during the Covid-19 lockdown I rethought the ride. The ride will now be spilt into three, one will feature the warte (watchtowers), another three castles and a long ride that will include both warte and castles. Watchtowers and castles tend to be on top… Continue Reading
A lovely day riding with John Beggs and Andrea where all my recent post-crash demons were able to drain away in a gentle exorcism by bike. John has been riding in the super wet and muddy environs of the Harz Mountains lately and so we took him on roads with great views, dry gravel, except… Continue Reading
I rode this day over known benign roads to get ´back on the horse´, to eat cake and to make things good in my head, body, and soul. Several days earlier at over 30kph on a farm track my front wheel had hit a rut hidden by long grass which had been carved by a… Continue Reading
Home – English Home – Manifest – Video/Links – Galerie Vorgeschlagene 55km Route (In English) – 42km Route – 66km Route – 72km Route Schließ´ die Augen und stell Dir vor, Du seist in der Toskana, und mach´ sie erst am Ende der Radtour wieder auf. Strade Bianche de Gutingi In der Umgebung von Göttingen gibt es… Continue Reading
The Strade Bianche ´road’ race follows the white gravel roads of Tuscany and it is one of my favourites. Originally to be held in March and postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic as was the whole calendar. It is now intended that the race will go ahead on August 1 (both women and men). On… Continue Reading
We crossed the valley and were able to make out our house on the other side. This is a small pleasure upon which a life is built. We spotted a small group of sunflowers in a field, the first of the season although I did not picture them. The ride included Jühnde Castle and then… Continue Reading
I explored new roads (to me) and photographed sections of gravel for an extended version of the Gutingi Strade Bianche. My aim was to ride a few sections of gravel (7) and mostly road, I had expected a possible heavy rainstorm or two, although this did not come to pass and I would have welcomed… Continue Reading
When I lived in London, I spent a great deal of time within the built environment and I often found myself in the shade. One of the aspects of my new life in Göttingen is that the sky is open to me and the countryside is accessible being just a few minutes from my front… Continue Reading
My first ride with Gunnar Fehlau since February because of the Covid pandemic which has kept so many apart. We reprised our usual lunch time spin and we rode in warm sunshine. It would be easy to see this ride and meeting with people such as Gunnar as being ordinary – how wrong you would… Continue Reading
A relaxed gravel ride for cake! 32km, with a few hills including the Tillyberg at over 28% also known on Strava as UP Zum Kirschberg. The Historic Spinnerei Cafe is open each Sunday from May 1 (and public holidays) into the Summer between 1pm and 6pm. The Ride Garmin Connect: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/5123820210 Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/3649574164
On the longest day of the year I set out across the Leine Valley to Jühnde Castle and then back across the valley to venture into Thuringia at the State Line with Niedersachsen where once stood the Iron Curtain. Returning to my home state I climbed up to the Gleichen Castle, not to the top… Continue Reading
We rode to the old Internal Border at Kirchgandern just outside of Göttingen to eat cake and to recall the events of June 17, 1953. June 17 is also the date that marks the start of the 2020 Grenzstein Trophy which is the toughest of tough rides along the now defunct Internal Border. On June… Continue Reading
It had rained so much in the last few days that fields are flooded, and I think my neighbour was building an Ark, such was the wood working noises that reverberated from his shed. Although the continual heavy rain fall is brilliant for nature (the forests in particular) and the water supply, it is still… Continue Reading
Josh Schenk is the first person outside of my immediate bubble that I have met and gone out to play with since February when we began the Covid-19 lock down. We talked and talked. My lack of gravel hill climbing saw me struggle on one long ascent, but and I say this with glee –… Continue Reading
We rode a mix of gravel and road to Bisenhausen which was once pushed up against the now defunct Internal Grenze that split Germany down the centre. The farming complex of buildings that make up Bisenhausen are typical for the area and it was owned by the Hanstein nobility. After World War Two it was… Continue Reading
I lost my silk Rapha neckerchief on my Sunday ride and this was a real shame because it was a present from Rapha given over ten years ago. Following the idea that ´fortune favours the brave´ I set out on Monday evening to ride the same route more in hope of finding it than any… Continue Reading
March 2019 saw me in my new home city in Central Germany and a year on we are living in a time of a pandemic. The snippets below are observations and go hand in hand with my letters from Germany. Letter One – Letter Two – Letter Three – Letter Four – Letter Five –… Continue Reading
Cycling is the perfect excuse to eat cake. Another relaxed ride putting as little pressure on Andrea´s knee as possible following sections of the Gutingi Strade Bianche. To eat cake here you must fill in a form to aid contact tracing, you must also socially distance and there are hand wash facilities. Sadly I lost… Continue Reading
We were expecting heavy rain with thunder and lightning, so with a mind to a future drought I connected two water butts to the house drainpipes. With two nicely filled butts and no rain forecast for the evening I ventured out, but it did rain and I spent 44 plus kilometres getting gloriously wet. I… Continue Reading
Monday was a bank holiday for Whitsun/Pentecost and finally we rode to eat cake! Hooray! This time we added a hill to test Andrea´s knee which is giving her trouble. The wild spring flowers are really brightening everything up and I have been told they are planted especially for the benefit of bees and other… Continue Reading
I haven´t been on a road ride for some time. Canned Heat are not one of my favourite 60/70s bands (I am more of a Buffalo Springfield person) and I have no idea why their song ´On the Road Again ‘ switched on in my head. I was humming it throughout and I could also… Continue Reading
The theory is if we stick to the flat gravel trails of the Leine Valley and miss out hills etc. plus keep to a cool pace it will allow Andrea´s knee to heal. It seems to be working. Hooray! We also bought strawberries and cake. Hooray! The Ride Garmin Connect: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/5007678021 Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/3530946813 Cycle Fahrrad… Continue Reading
In the last weeks we have had some very warm days and on one such ride I even got a suntan. We have also been through the ´Ice Saints´ period during May when the temperature annually plummets, and I was getting the impression that the Eisheilige wouldn´t go away! Today I took out my road/gravel… Continue Reading
