The clocks roll back and that can only mean one thing – a trip to Portsmouth to catch up with Tom and do the Great South Run.

I look forward to this event every year and was gutted when I came down with a bug. The week before I’d had to take time of work, are rarity for me, and the evening before I ran a high fever.

I woke up Saturday morning feeling a little better and drove down expecting to meet Tom and be a supporter. Getting on the Gosport ferry and mixing with the other runners I couldn’t help but want to join in.

I knew this wasn’t going to be the PB attempt I’d planned on but standing in the starting pen I relaxed and soaked up the atmosphere. There’s something to be said for not having any expectations.

Even though I’d lost my voice I felt ok jogging and just took care not to go too fast. The event has gotten so large now that unless you’re near the front it’d be hard to make any headway and the roads felt congested.

There again were the bands and piper, joined with year by so many spectators that there were even people lining the whole windy home straight.

We got round in a respectable time of 01:18:47 and ended the day with a lovely meal with Tom’s parents.

Note: Following the run I went on holiday and was unwell for several weeks. I really shouldn’t have run with a bad chest and will never do it again – unless its the same time next year

If you thought a Marathon was tough and an Ironman down right ridiculous then you’ve probably not come across the rare breed of ultra endurance athletes. Imagine doing back to back Ironmen, now imagine doing 10 back to back Ironmen. You get the picture.

The Decaironman is established enough to have it’s own site and annual events. Discussing this this morning with a colleague he mentioned that next year there will be a triple decaironman. Jokingly I said the next step would be to attempt round the world. A quick Google later and I found some nutter/adventurer/explorer who is – Dan Martin.

My favourite line on his site danmartinextreme.com is his concern for getting barnacles whilst attempting to swim the Atlantic. Good luck amigo!

Some say that the perfect number of bikes you can own is derived from the formula [total bikes] = [number of current bikes] + 1. I whole heartedly agree and after my 15 year old MTB started to get a few wobbles from carrying a load of luggage round Guernsey I decided I need a new commuter bike. But what sort of bike should I got for?

My perfect bike had some exacting requirements to live up to:

• Be suitable for a 30 mile round trip commute
• Be suitable for the train encase I needed to work late or I can’t be bothered to cycle home
• Be my winter training bike

And ideally:

• Carry luggage
• Be small enough to fit in a suitcase to avoid bike carriage

Being a typical male with a good understanding of the Internet I researched the hell out of folding and travel bikes. I quickly came up with a shortlist of contenders:

Zootr Swift

Pros:

• Unbroken top tube
• Uses standar part

Cons:

• Not the most compact fold
• Drops and front derailleur would have to be added at additional expense
• Fugly!

Dahon Speed Pro TT

Pros:

• Good reviews
• Sram dual drive

Cons:

• Difficulty in getting replacement components
• Price

Dahon speed TR

Bid on a couple of these on eBay. Gave up in the end due to reported issues with stem bearing and availability of parts.

Pros:

• Pannier racks
• Inbuilt dynamo hub
• Good fold

Cons:

• Availability of parts
• Reported problems with stem bearings
• Not sporty enough

Airnimal Joey

Pros:

• Built for touring
• Available with Sram dual drive and drops

Cons:

• Non standard 24′ wheels.

Airnimal Chamelion

Now it’s getting interesting!

Pros:

• Drops
• 10 speed
• Suspension
• Rack mounts

Cons:

• Non standard 24′ wheels
• Issues with frame fatigue on early models although new ones seem ok
• Complexity

Dahon Speed Hound

Then I came across Dahon’s range of mini bikes. These feature more traditional frame geometry but on a smaller scale.

Pros:

• Frame geometry
• Looks

Cons:

• Bar end shifters

Dahon Dash x20

This was close to being the one! Unfortunately Dahon don’t distribute ‘mini bikes’ to the UK anymore as there’s not the market for them. From my research it’s all to do with train companies continually refining what they’ll accept as folding bike on a train. Seems like unless it’s a time Brompton, Mezzo, et al it’s out.

Pros:

• Frame geometry
• Drops
• 10 speed
• Looks

Cons:

• Availability and cost of import

Renolds split frame

Then I got thinking about having a folding bike that could also work as a commuter bike. I stumbled upon a couple of designs for full size frames that break apart for travel. Whilst not technically easy to transport it could be a trade off worth having.

Pros:

• 700cc wheels
• Available with rack mount

Cons:

• Hard to find

Surly long haul trucker

Love this bike as it’s a frame that could be adapted over the years for training and touring.

Pros:

• S&S couplers – means frame can split
• Built for touring

Cons:

• Expense
• Bar end shifters

So what did I go for?

For a long time I was set on the Dahon Dash X20 because, being a taller rider, I liked the appeal of triangular geometry, all be it on a smaller scale, over single bar folders.

During the course of my research I came across a company called Pacific Cycles who make a range of innovative folding bikes, some of which featured similar geometry to the X20.

On eBay I narrowly missed out on a Pacific iF mode.

I wasn’t too upset as it didn’t have drops and reviewers were weary of Pacific’s proprietary suspension and rare 451 wheels.

Then eBay threw up Pacific Reach Racing. It had everything I wanted, foldability, drops, 9 speed gears that I could service with my existing road tools. Although not a compact folder I though it could work as a winter bike. I took a gamble and got it for a steal.

The story gets better. I met the seller when I collected the bike and found out he’s won it as part of the Gadget Show’s triathlon special prize. Not only did I get to validate that the show really does dish out the prizes but I got a brand new bike, still in the packaging for a £1000 off list price!

First impressions

S**t, it’s too small for me!

I set it up and the geometry next to my road bike looked spot on bar the saddle didn’t go high enough by about 10 cm. Then came the realisation that the standard post 31.6 x 400mm was pretty much the longest standard MTB post I could easily obtain.

I looked online, tried a couple of local bike shops and was about to give up when a random Google revealed Mezzo offered a 500mm seatpost on it’s Curve range of folders. Even better I found that a local shop could get me one direct from Mezzo.

I got the post and took it out for a 70k weekend ride with a friend and it was fantastic. Yes the small wheels are twitchy but I maintained a normal riding speed and only dropped back slightly on the hills. the suspension is firm to the point where it feels like I’m riding my carbon Madone.

Bigger challenges

I’ve used the Reach now for a couple of weeks, commuting 30 miles round trips to work every few days. Bar the problem of it not actually having anywhere to mount any luggage it’s great. I’m seeing it more as a winter training bike and prefer it being light weight as it keeps the speed.

I’ve debated a beam rack but don’t really want to put more pressure on the seat post. I did fit my Carradice camper saddle bag but the bike felt top heavy and unstable. Riding with a bag is best, if a little uncomfortable after a day at work.

The trade of is that I’ve been able to pack away my Madone for winter and take the Reach on training rides. Last weekend I climbed from the base of the Malvern hills all the way up the road and paths to the beacon. I’ve done this many times on the Madone and found the Reach to be a capable, if slightly slower, climber.

The Reach at the top of the Malvern hills

I’ve done a few interesting sportives in Wales, from the Gran Fondo Cymru to the Dragon Ride, so when I heard of a new one offering closed roads I entered straight away.

The Etape Cymru promised to be a great end to my 2011 sportive season. It’s only the second UK sportive to be held on closed roads and the route offered up a good mix of climbs and scenery. What I got was an intense, challenging and scary experience.

Just getting to the start was fun. For once we set off with enough time but couldn’t find access to the car parks and ended up parking on a verge next to some marshals. We ended up missing the start and weaving our way through a mass of oncoming riders to get to where we could join in.

Having missed the masses we had clear roads until we caught the field that had been slowed by narrow lanes and the first few steep pitches. Having not studied the route in detail I wan’t quite expecting the onslaught of short sharp climbs that made the first part of the race the toughest. At times it felt more like I was in Cornwall than Wales.

The first 50 miles of the ride were tough, due to the climbs, narrow roads and technical descents. I felt like I was having to concentrate more than normal, which is a bit of a shame given the scenery. The second half of the race took a turn for the worse though.

It all started when I began finding bunches of riders a junctions. Initially we thought we’d missed signs but after back tracking found none. As we continued the situation got worse and a large bunch of us towards the end found our way back by backtracking against the outgoing signage.

The big problem with going of route was the uneasy feeling of not knowing if you were on a closed road. Although later on it became apparent that traffic was ignoring signs. At one point 30 or so of us came face to face with a Transit in the middle of the lane. I have no idea how someone wasn’t run down.

Post ride I found much criticism of the event but thought that the following quote was fair and apt:

Riding on roads in the expectation that they are closed to cars is more dangerous than riding on open roads with the knowledge that cars are present.

From: cyclingweekly.co.uk

Thankfully the end of the ride was less intense and I caught up with a few riders. I got chatting to one guy, Mark, and enjoy good conversation through to the finish. That’s what I love about sportives – you never know what you’re going to get or who you’re going to meet.

I really enjoyed the final few miles. Mark rode strong and I pushed to keep with him. Near the end we bunched up with a couple of people and I ended up leading a bunch in. One guy, on a nice set of wheels, took of on the final half mile. I was going to let him go but my after doing several sprint finished on Kenilworth Wheeler’s bash rides I knew I had more in me. Gritting my teeth I took to the drops for a last time, got out the saddle and drove with all I had. I overtook the bunch, crossed the line doing 55+ kph and nearly took out the girls tasked with removing timing chips. Brilliant!

I don’t want to dwell on the negative but I did feel a sense of relief when I finished. I feel that the organisers had good intentions and I repeat them for trying to put on an event of this type. I hope they learn from this year and go on to realise the potential of an awesome route.

The original motorcycle globe trotter.