The Rest of Week 1 in the UK

After a rather rocky first 3.5 days here in Manchester, the last four days have thankfully been a bit steadier.

On Monday I spent some time on the phone looking for local shops that either stocked track forks or could obtain one quickly. The local track league promoter suggested one that panned out well, so in the afternoon, I took the track bike with damaged fork over to Eddie McGrath Cycles on the south-west side of the city. It was a short walk to the Oxford Road train station, and then about an 8-minute train ride to the Urmston stop, where the Eddie McGrath shop sits just a short walk from the station.

After dropping off the bike at Eddie McGrath Cycles, I stopped for a fish and chips lunch which I took to-go from a cafe between Eddie McGrath and the train station, and then ate the meal while sitting on a bench at the Urmston station, waiting for the train that would take me back to Oxford road. I have to say, fish and chips with a bit of vinegar and salt are pretty tasty. If not everyone likes them, then start calling me “not everyone” because I dig 'em!

Monday evening I headed over to the velodrome again, but was unable to race (no rental bikes for race league, and no accreditation yet) so I sat in the stands and ate a sack dinner while watching the first couple events. Based on the number of juniors racing at the Manchester track on Monday night, it is no big surprise why GB does very well on the track at international level competitions. With a talent pool that big, they are going to come up with some absolutely brilliant riders.

On Tuesday, I was down to my last set of clean something-or-others, so I headed over and did some laundry. Washing clothes here in Britain is expensive! Or rather, after talking with some new friends from Australia, everything in America is cheap. Next time I think I'll spend the extra pound or two and get some more dryer time. Having damp clothes for the rest of the week is no fun.

What is fun, however, is the Tuesday night A+B SQT training session at the velodrome. I turned up and had to ride the 81”-geared rental (hire) bike again, but had quite a fun time riding with the more experienced and fitter cyclists. About an hour and a half into the 2-hour session, we did a 30-lap scratch race. Everyone took 1/2-lap turns until we saw 10 laps to go, then we accelerated until 5 laps to go. With 5 to go, game-on for the last 1.25-km of a scratch race finish. I got on the wheel of a fellow with Zipp 808's, figuring that he looked pretty fast. With 5 laps to go, we were sitting about 5^th and 6^th wheel respectively. I was happy with that position. With three laps to go, we were on the front (he was on the front, I was on his wheel). He was ramping the pace up and I think at that point we started dropping folks from the field. With 1 and a half laps to go, I jumped around him on the back straight and drilled it for about 375m to take the win. I thought for sure that with the wimpy little 81” gear on the rental bike that somebody would come around me in the last half lap, but nobody did. I looked around while crossing the line and it appeared I had about a bike length gap over the second rider.

Between starting laundry and winning the practice scratch race in the Tuesday night SQT session, I booked a room at a different hostel through this weekend to the middle of next week, and started a list of places outside of Manchester where I intend to visit before returning to the USA. It's good to keep busy...

On Wednesday, I dragged my carcass out of bed a bit earlier than usual, and headed over to Crossfit Central Manchester for a morning workout. A few of their athletes who are preparing for a regional affiliate-cup type competition were practicing a modified version of one of the team workouts that will feature at the event. After running a mile (as a team) with a 20-kg plate, wall-balls, 24-kg kettlebell swings, 25-kg push-presses, 90-kg deadlifts, and another mile (as a team) with the 20-kg plate, we stopped the clock with a time somewhere under 30 minutes. That workout was a kick in the butt, but I think the CFCM team is going to do really well. I held my own on the running, wall-ball, and KB swings, but felt like I was the weak link on the push-press and deadlifts. I'm pretty sure they have someone else for the team, so they should be good.

After a late-ish breakfast on Wednesday, I walked to the Museum Of Science & Industry (MOSI) and toured around the open exhibits. There was an air and space hall that featured some old bicycles. I particularly liked the “Boneshaker”:

In the engine and train hall, I enjoyed the exhibit about hydraulic power distribution here in Manchester. At one point, it must have seemed like a really good way to power the 2,400 or so industrial machines connected to the 35-mile network of pipes and pumping stations that served the city. Here is a picture of an old ad for hydraulic power:

The other exhibit halls covered the development of water and sewer utilities in Manchester, and the communications technologies used here in Manchester over the last 300 years or so. Mobile phones and fast computers sure are nice...

On Wednesday evening, two new friends from Australia and I walked over to the Marble Arch pub for some dinner and brews. The food was standard pub fare, not bad but not terribly exciting either. The house beers, on the other hand, were fantastic! Someone who works there really knows how to make delicious beers. I had a Dobber golden ale, an IPA, and the standard Pint, as well as tasters of the chocolate stout and the ginger beer. The Marble Arch IPA made most American IPAs seem like over-powering steamrollers of flavor. After the IPA, though, I was still fully able to enjoy the other beers I tried. Brilliant!

Today there was a bit of luggage juggling as I moved hostels, followed by a trip to Eddie McGrath Cycles to pick up my track bike with the new fork. I was really excited to be back on my bike, so after picking it up from the bike shop, I pretty much went straight over to the track for another SQT training session. The new fork handled just like the old one, and looks pretty sharp too. Here is the bike with the new fork:

In the background, the careful viewer can see the old fork, with a tear in the carbon fiber in between the 'F' and 'E' in FELT on the rider's right-hand side. When I return to the states, we'll see if Felt has a good, bad, ugly, or existent crash replacement policy...