Confession Time

[Bonefishblues]

Forgive me father, but increasingly we canoe as a family more often than we cycle

On the Thames?

Not yet, interestingly (makes mental note). We've done many others but not the Thames. We were on the Nene for the first time for my daughter's birthday not long ago.

New canoe being collected this weekend

Two cycles sold to part-fund

[Bonefishblues]

Forgive me father, but increasingly we canoe as a family more often than we cycle

Thank you for confessing, ye faithful
How do the distances cycled and canoed compare? That is the question

A canoe is rather more leisurely - imagine a 25" fixed gear.

[pwa]

Forgive me father, but increasingly we canoe as a family more often than we cycle

Thank you for confessing, ye faithful
How do the distances cycled and canoed compare? That is the question

A canoe is rather more leisurely - imagine a 25" fixed gear.

Very tiring on the arms for those of us who don't do it very often. I have done it for a couple of hours at a time, once every few years, so my arms are not trained for it and my muscles burn.

[Bonefishblues]

Thank you for confessing, ye faithful
How do the distances cycled and canoed compare? That is the question

A canoe is rather more leisurely - imagine a 25" fixed gear.

Very tiring on the arms for those of us who don't do it very often. I have done it for a couple of hours at a time, once every few years, so my arms are not trained for it and my muscles burn.

It's a bit like most things, a little bit of technique really helps. An experienced paddler doing, for instance, so-called Indian Strokes (presumably to be re-named shortly...) is a lovely thing - the canoe slips forward, the paddle never leaves the water, and there's no noise.

[peetee]

A canoe is rather more leisurely - imagine a 25" fixed gear.

Very tiring on the arms for those of us who don't do it very often. I have done it for a couple of hours at a time, once every few years, so my arms are not trained for it and my muscles burn.

It's a bit like most things, a little bit of technique really helps. An experienced paddler doing, for instance, so-called Indian Strokes (presumably to be re-named shortly...) is a lovely thing - the canoe slips forward, the paddle never leaves the water, and there's no noise.

I never quite mastered that technique. I would be good for a while then start to fishtail the tub and clatter it against the oar. It seemed to be a combination of steering with oar and hips that was only truly mastered when you didn’t have to think about it. But yes, great for silently gliding along and listening intently to the world around you.

[Mick F]

Off out riding tomorrow!
44miles planned.

I'm finally getting to the point of having ridden on all the roads in Cornwall. Impossible task to do in an absolute way, but within reason, I've done it .............. except for the Far North of the county where there are few to do.

To that end, I'm driving up to a big layby on the A39 just south of Bude with Moulton in the back to ride a zig-zag route for my way on the roads not yet done. By the time I've done them, the job's a good 'un!

[Cyril Haearn]

Forgive me father, but increasingly we canoe as a family more often than we cycle

Thank you for confessing, ye faithful
How do the distances cycled and canoed compare? That is the question

A canoe is rather more leisurely - imagine a 25" fixed gear.

I ride a bicycle with 49" fixed, I thought that was abnormal
Mind, I can think of a few places where a canoe would be good for getting from A to B

[peetee]

Off out riding tomorrow!
44miles planned.

I'm finally getting to the point of having ridden on all the roads in Cornwall. Impossible task to do in an absolute way, but within reason, I've done it .............. except for the Far North of the county where there are few to do.

To that end, I'm driving up to a big layby on the A39 just south of Bude with Moulton in the back to ride a zig-zag route for my way on the roads not yet done. By the time I've done them, the job's a good 'un!

Well done. I’d like to think I will give that a try one day, although there are stretches of the A30 I won’t look forward to riding!

[Tangled Metal]

A canoe is rather more leisurely - imagine a 25" fixed gear.

Very tiring on the arms for those of us who don't do it very often. I have done it for a couple of hours at a time, once every few years, so my arms are not trained for it and my muscles burn.

It's a bit like most things, a little bit of technique really helps. An experienced paddler doing, for instance, so-called Indian Strokes (presumably to be re-named shortly...) is a lovely thing - the canoe slips forward, the paddle never leaves the water, and there's no noise.

I'm more of a kayaker (gravity assisted variety) but canoeing and kayaking are skills to learn. You start off a wooden top with tired and aching arms/shoulders. Eventually it starts to click and you start using your more powerful and efficient muscles like your core and quads. That's when you no longer feel the aches in your shoulders but in your stomach, abductors and quads.

That soon goes and by that time you'll suddenly find the older hands and better club paddles start to invite you out with them. You're now intermediate.

Then one day you find yourself doing a difficult river and you're the only one not to take a swim. Eventually that gets noticed by the most experienced who tells you, authoritatively, that you handle your boat well.

Then on the same trip, having again been the only one not to swim, you get cocky and spun backwards above a 5m waterfall. A quick shrug of the shoulders as you decide it's easier to just do it backwards. 10 minutes later you're fished out, white as a hospital sheet, traumatised but grinning from ear to ear having had an epic.

Yes, canoeing and kayaking are fun when you get the technique to be efficient at paddling and even more efficient at being an idiot in a boat. Confidence is great in appropriate levels

Of course a 5 mile whitewater trip is a lot harder IME than 50 miles cycle ride with hills. Distance is really relevant to discipline only. Like with climbing its often the brain that's most tired muscle in the body.

Anyone fancy Devizes to Westminster race? What a thing to do. Like the Whitton but possibly harder.

[pwa]

On the subject of confessions:

When my Missus gets home I will be confessing to spending £120 on bits to get my Spa Ti Audax up and running again. Largely replacing things stolen by me to make my Ti Tourer nice. When it is put together I will give it to my son. I will make the fit the same as on another bike that he uses. I like my tourer so much that the Audax gets no use. Missing items included the stem, some stem spacers and the seat clamp, and I needed some carbon grip paste to re-install the FSA carbon seatpost. And new bar tape.

The Missus is used to these sudden depletions to our bank balance and so long as I don't do it too often, all is well.

[Cyril Haearn]

May I confess that I have attended several church services recently?

I started because it seemed the only way to see the village churches from inside, but it is very interesting, there are literary readings from a Famous Book, we sing songs, there is a bit of a sermon about right and wrong
I like just sitting there quietly enjoying the smell and the view too

Got to visit the town church again, up the tower, it closes for winter soon

[philvantwo]

Church towers..........always good for a bit of totty spotting!

[Cyril Haearn]

Good place for holding sensitive confidential conversations

[philvantwo]

No news from the great Mick F? I wonder if he's back from his ride yet?

[Mike_Ayling]

Very tiring on the arms for those of us who don't do it very often. I have done it for a couple of hours at a time, once every few years, so my arms are not trained for it and my muscles burn.

It's a bit like most things, a little bit of technique really helps. An experienced paddler doing, for instance, so-called Indian Strokes (presumably to be re-named shortly...) is a lovely thing - the canoe slips forward, the paddle never leaves the water, and there's no noise.

I'm more of a kayaker (gravity assisted variety) but canoeing and kayaking are skills to learn. You start off a wooden top with tired and aching arms/shoulders. Eventually it starts to click and you start using your more powerful and efficient muscles like your core and quads. That's when you no longer feel the aches in your shoulders but in your stomach, abductors and quads.

That soon goes and by that time you'll suddenly find the older hands and better club paddles start to invite you out with them. You're now intermediate.

Then one day you find yourself doing a difficult river and you're the only one not to take a swim. Eventually that gets noticed by the most experienced who tells you, authoritatively, that you handle your boat well.

Then on the same trip, having again been the only one not to swim, you get cocky and spun backwards above a 5m waterfall. A quick shrug of the shoulders as you decide it's easier to just do it backwards. 10 minutes later you're fished out, white as a hospital sheet, traumatised but grinning from ear to ear having had an epic.

Yes, canoeing and kayaking are fun when you get the technique to be efficient at paddling and even more efficient at being an idiot in a boat. Confidence is great in appropriate levels

Of course a 5 mile whitewater trip is a lot harder IME than 50 miles cycle ride with hills. Distance is really relevant to discipline only. Like with climbing its often the brain that's most tired muscle in the body.

Anyone fancy Devizes to Westminster race? What a thing to do. Like the Whitton but possibly harder.

I did the DW in 1971. You have to know your speed then time your start time so that you get to Teddington lock on the top of the tide because ir is very difficult to paddle against an incoming tide. Completing the DW is quite an achievement.
Mike