My first fall – “CLEATS ARE GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF ME!” // PART THREE

This is my third IRL bike ride and in an attempt to get better at the cleats I’ve decided to ride from my house (in Essex) to Clacton-on-Sea, a 64k bike ride along busy country roads, gravel trails and cycle paths. Everything I need to practice. Oh and I have my first fall or two…

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oh my God I’m on the wrong side of the road I’m going to [Music] die that was necessary [Music] a so this is my first real real outou in on my new gravel bike my last video was my first OU in on it oh done it again super tuck well I say my first outing my first outing was 4 weeks ago now when I am boxed the bike and I rode it around my house a few times I don’t count that as my first outing as I was using toe cages didn’t have a bike helmet and only rode up and down my street for 30 or so minutes it was all very safe due to the appalling British Spring weather the bike then sat undisturbed for nearly 4 weeks until only a few days go when I went for a cheeky 10K bike ride around my Village riding up and down a small Hill near my house holy a i Haven changeed gear I don’t even know how to finding hill climbing and descending fun it’s fun though it heels fun probably more fun than a 44y old man should do but the ride was only 10K and considering I have my London to Brighton bike ride in just over a week from now which is 54 miles I thought thought I’d better get some miles under my belt as I fly down this really bumpy road just not my camera sitre so today’s ride is I’m just going to take it easy to heal here today’s ride is a practice ride but unlike my last video my last cycling video it’s a practice ride for the London to Brighton uh I live in deepest darkest Essex I’ve decided to cycle to CLA from my house I live in the heart of Essex so I decided to cycle from my sleepy Village to clacton on sea I like the seaside and thought it was a good enough destination as any I Googled the route on Google Maps realized Google suggested I take the a12 all the way there anyone that’s ridden a bike will know that riding on an aoad is probably not a very good idea I’m going over the a12 now and then we’re on country roads to the next town what I have done is I put the GPS coordinates for today’s cycle on my watch CU I’ve got no idea how to get to Clapton on a bike obviously I know how had to get there on a in a car pretty much a12 no way am I allowed to cycle on a major a-road like this and even if I was which I’m not I wouldn’t as I’m probably the most nervy cyclist ever and I want to attempt to stick to back roads and trails wherever possible I’d also like to get to the destination with my head still intact I also looked on a website called we are cycling UK and I plotted a route from my house to claxon on SE hoping that the majority of the route would be better than following Google’s kamakazi cycling route but I’m going to Clapton just purely because it’s a nice day I like the seaside and there’s two things I want to do firstly I want to practice the bike as much as I can so everything that goes with it all the paraphernalia what I need to carry what happens if I get a puncher All That Jazz practice my cleats taking my feet in and out fitness wise I’m not worried bike Fitness cuz I’ve been doing a lot of indoor biking it’s just confidence on a bike I just feel like an imposter at the moment when I’m on the roads I’ve got this overwhelming urge to let everyone go past me before I cycle and obviously doing that on the main road I’m not going to get anywhere so that’s priority number one priority number two is I’ve got picking me up from Clon in a couple of hours so we bought a bik rack to go on the car never used a bik rack in my life I want to practice using that cuz I need that to get to clap and common on the 16th of June which is in about 10 days and then I have to ride 54 mil on the London to Brighton over the past year now I have massively improved my cyclum fitness used using zwift I’m fit enough to attempt a long ride but I need to work on my bike handling and Road riding confidence and skills that is the purpose of today’s long ride I really need to get some IRL cycling experience under my belt if I want to enjoy the London to Brighton bike ride I have coming up next week there are three things I want to get out of today’s big old long ride the first one is to work out the best way to record this challenge for my YouTube channel the second thing is setting up the bike rack for transport on my car so I’ve got Tracy meeting me in clacton for lunch on the seafront and when we finished our chip shop chip lunch I’m going to hook the bike up on the back of the car and transport it home hopefully without incident I need to know how to do this for the drop off and collection on the l2b day l2b day on the lond to Brighton day this is my Hill super tuck so today’s plan route is a 56k ride through all of the lovely roads and trails of Essex wrong G [Music] [Applause] again high gear to low gear or is it low gear to high gear I can never remember that however with all the bobbing and weaving I did as well as some wrong turns I actually end up cycling just over 62k I literally added 6K to this ride by not paying enough attention to my watch Main Road up here but what I’ve done I’ve been quite clever so I have downloaded a GPX file from a cycling website which you know I think I’m being clever oh sh I think I’m being clever but probably everyone does it oh he wants me to go down here on hindsight post Ride Now using this website was probably the best thing I did I then downloaded the GPX file and uploaded it to my garming watch so I could follow it on Route full on gravel path here we go this is going to test the old tires I’m not speeding through here I’ve even taken my feet out the cleats this is apparently is a cycle path oh apparently spping neck I get my foot back in now pedals seem to stop facing down and I don’t know why that is thought that counterbalance the other way right feet are in oh no they are now and then the third priority and probably the most important of the three I need to get used to the cleats on this bike specifically clipping in and out without falling in front of a moving vehicle I am really really bad at cleats so yeah I’ve been trying to be clever and to choose a route a GPX file downloaded from a cycling website which I’m pretty sure where am I going left which I’m pretty sure every cyclist does because who wants to cycle main road when you can take your life into your own hands on a single track gravel path like that and pulling out in front of me even look I fully I have fully turned into one of those cyclists wants me to go straight over feet out getting better with the cleat there temperature today is 15° so it is cool it’s not cold but off the main road for anyone jumps into the comments and says instead of looking at your watch you should buy yourself a a computer for your bike I will I will eventually but yeah I’m spent enough on this Hobby and if once I’ve got London to Brighton done which I don’t need gps4 because it’s well marked out so I don’t [Music] need to be spending hundred more pounds when I’ve just done you know thousands really and of course I want to have fun doing all of this this it’s a sunny day and I’m cycling to the seaside 1995 Ryan would have loved this so the good news is we’re on some nice Royal paths now uh I’ve just checked my watch yeah 50k I’ve got left to go I have massively overestimated hang on where am I going oh gone the Wrong Way Gone the wrong way talking to camera back on course good let’s get this done 50K hey okay we’re on the main road now going into Colchester just a CL uncomfortably close to a tractor than a single Lane Road sitrep I feel good my legs feel good my legs are nice and warm now warmed up it’s a bit chilly though there wind when you’re going guy behind me just thought about pulling out in front of me it’s just these main roads that really they’re really poth holy and bumpy my watch reckons I’ve gone the wrong way it reckons there’s a cycle path over there or probably a muddy Trail and it’s trying to take me off the main road which if I’m honest with you I’m happy with I am happy to come off this road do I go right here I don’t know what to do yeah I’m going massively the wrong way but I’ve got a car right behind me and now I’ve got a big hill ah I don’t why this car isn’t overtaking here we go so my watch reckons that I should be on a trail about 4 500 M over there I’m off Route but there’s a road here which I’m going to take [Music] I just need to go when there’s no cars I’ve decided to stick with this GPX route cuz if this works if this works out well and these routes turn out to be quite good route cycling routs I’ll use this website more often come on Ro we nearly back on trail this is lovely even if I this was worth it the sun’s properly out now which is warming me up I mean I know my heart rate’s going but there’s a wiy [Music] breeze oh come on give me a break have I gone the this is now saying I’ve gone the wrong way this is killing me I’m going to turn nearly never got my oh my God oh my God I thought I was going to fall off then full on gravel path this is first time other than that little stint back there but that was only about 100 m where I need to kill myself and put my feet on my clats this looks like it goes on for quite a while I’m pleased I found this I’m pleased I never stuck to the roads hair waving in the wind sun’s out let’s do this straight off my bike into the bush okay oh Jesus completely missed pedals upside down bike is slowing in come on get get your foot in right foot’s in good let’s hope this gravel path is kind to me and there’s no glass uh ccle path this way can I come through yeah cheers guys some tree surgeons cutting down a tree getting out of there want to make sure I can come through I didn’t want to jeopardize them me this is fast you right guys yeah no worri thank you is he busy down here [Music] oh okay when people gravel bike do they put their feet in cleats like the ones we used to use as kids no one had cleats then right over the bridge down the other side so this gravel path took me straight into the heart of colchester’s outer suburbs and the start of the constant start stopping trying to Traverse all the minor and slightly more major roads I need to tighten these good right okay we’re now going through Colchester but we really do need to kick on now that’s taken longer than I wanted there’s a whole army barracks and they’re training to find mors yeah I’ve never seen anything like that there’s a whole Army Barracks here I didn’t even know this existed and there’s whole regiments of soldiers and there’s a big group of them there training to find mortars I’m assuming they’re not real but yeah still still training [Music] in oh footing come on okay these I’m not going to say it now these foot PS are amazing not foot paths cycle paths this is a cycle path and this is God imagine if this was all the way sorry I lost loads of time trying to get through Colchester which is a really really busy City if I ever do this route again I reckon I could shave at least 45 minutes off the total time it took me just by knowing the route first and by being more confident with my cleats ultimately meaning I didn’t have to probably stop as much oh my god when I try and Rush these cleats I always get them wrong I they all nervy I was like panicking and so I just go in when I when I think about it it’s not a problem uh ah oh my God plates are going to be the death of me I stopped at all the Junctions whether they were busy or not knowing full well that if I got them wrong I’d be flat on my side still attached to my feet and as much as that’s really annoying on paths and trails I really didn’t want to do this on any road okay guys okay annoyingly I wasn’t filming but I just had my first fullon fall off the bike went straight down like a sack of potatoes and uh guess what cused it cleats so yeah just full on landed on my side still attached to the bike that would teach me for going around the corner slowly I had a sharp turn and rather than stopping and getting my feet out and turning I just thought I’ll go around at Snow’s pace yeah just taking a whack to my hip and my pride oh my hip anyway I’ve had my fo now so hopefully I can get that out of the way done hopefully this is going to take us out of Colchester we’ve been in Colchester for a while and I’ve been doing a lot of winding stopping having to turn get my feet out of cleats F out the CLE I don’t want to fall over here oh man there is is mud what a depressing footpath there a lot of water here I’m a sh minutes left just want to get out cold tester now I’m not enjoying this uh City cycling think I’d rather the country road I’m okay right just need this car to go good and footing straight in the cleat see when I don’t pressurize myself when I don’t when I wait for a big enough Gap that there’s no cars come in I don’t feel Under Pressure I can do it but as soon as there’s any pressure it is like a spinning wheel of Doom and I just can’t get my foot in okay left and then right a this is nice this is the this is the river this is the river that runs through Colchester which is which is what I need to cross because this runs out into the into the estery or the ocean and Co and clacton the other side obviously being it’s on the coast over the bridge now be nice to cycle cycle along the uh River see what I mean about all these windy terms glass in the road oh man I’ve missed the half cuz of the glass yeah all these windy turns have made it so it’s near impossible to get any speed up cuz I and also I have to take my feet out the cleats cuz I’m too nervy I don’t know if I’ve mentioned how much of a nerdy cyclist nerdy I’m not nerdy I don’t worry about anything in regards to the actual spec of the bike so that makes me the opposite of nerdy I suppose but I don’t if I’ve mentioned how much of a nervy cyclist time look at the river look at this guys let me show you on this camera C along the river this and we’re about to turn off the river I was about to say this is what I wanted to do not cycle through traffic not some lunatic commuter guys this is what I’m talking about river river gravel path this is what cycling dreams are made of I just need the sun to come out from behind the clouds and I am living the dream there’s no turns inide I can see this foot paath as far as the eyew will till the ne Bush there’s no turns so no need to get my feet out the clips I can switch I stinks every mut spreading nice uh we’ve arrived at Wen ho that’s Wen ho station behind me wyen ho marks the halfway point of the route I had no idea of distance at this point I know where wyen ho is in the car but I knew this route was far more winding and driving from A to B in a car on the a12 isn’t the same as riding to a destination on back streets paths and gravel trails that foot path along the along the river it’s the river coin c o l n e or coin or cone I don’t know anyway that foot path was phenomenal really good wow witho is pretty lovely old Norman church this is a proper Old Village on the outskirts of Colchester right we’re on the main road into clacton I’ve just turned onto it can’t get my foot in a in oh wants me to go left I don’t know why I’m just going to follow it that was the main road into Clapton I’m just going to follow the route it hasn’t done me a disservice up till now now I will say that following this GPX file that I downloaded from this website was probably the best thing I did the route was fantastic it’s attempted to avoid all major roads and it took me on cycle routes as and when they appeared on Route if I followed my instincts I’m sure I would have ended up cycling the wrong way up the a12 straight under the first Lorry while still moaning about these bloody cleats so far so good I have absolutely no idea a distance cuz I’ve just got the map on my watch but I know we’re not far from Clapton now I’m now about 20K from clacton so far I’ve cycled about 45k due to all the winding and missed turns I’m also about 2 hours into this ride and I feel really good feel really good actually I need to go to the toilet actually I might just go here I’m genuinely pleased with my fitness levels thanks to all my zift in over the past 12 months I’ve really enjoyed this ride it wasn’t the ordal I remember from 5 years ago I’m really pleased I found it this much fun as it would have been a very very expensive mistake if I hadn’t okay we’re back on the main road had a Wei in a bush I feel like this has been a really really successful ride I’ve um kind of got my head around the gears kind of still not 100% sure what the gears on this side do but whenever I’ve gone to change them they’ve done something yeah I feel a lot more comfortable on these busier roads as you can probably tell with these car zooming past me really really good venture out cleats oh they’re still my Nemesis but I am getting better at them I’ve had a fall which as much as I’m embarrassed by I feel I’ve kind of got it out the way now um I don’t want to have too many of them though because that hurt and even though I’ve lost 95 kg I don’t want to have 95 kg come down on the floor like that too often my hip’s still hurting sit rep how do I feel feel fine absolutely fine uh bum feels good these shoes are brilliant these shoes I’ve bought these Shimano I mentioned them in my last video they’re so good oh I’ve just fallen off falling off the bike again that’s twice now I’ve only fallen off because I was stationary at the traffic lights oh I’ve just come on the pavement just just to get out the road for a second cuz I had a cure of cars looking at me now I will say this fall properly annoyed me it was avoidable I stopped fine pulled up to a set of traffic lights with a queue of cars behind me stopped perfectly fine got my feet out but when the lights turned green I put my feet back into the cleat went to pull away and I went straight down on my right side the opposite side to my earlier fall that’s now both my hips I’ve done now I would say I’m embarrassed but I’m a 44y old man out in public wearing skin tight lra if I can do that then falling over isn’t the end of the world even if it is in front of a line of amused slightly confused motorists however it’s still still really really annoying I’m I’m getting the up with these cleats now I just want my foot to go in so I can pedal right it’s me not the cats but I’ve I’ve just fallen off at the traffic lights the annoying thing was I fell off when I I managed to get my feet out for the red stopped and then went to go over balanc to the right my right foot was in my left foot wasn’t but obviously I’m I’m falling to the right I just fell yeah straight on so that’s both both sides now both hips really annoying all right just going to get his ride finished I’m really determined to not allow these cleats to beat me I don’t care if I arrive black and blue I will Master them and be able to ride from A to B without falling over like a drunk statue they’re also really comical fools as well like a tree slowly falling in the woods I can feel it happening and there’s nothing I can do to stop it as I frantically try and get my feet to detach from the cleats it’s the worst feeling in the world there’s a hill here then I come to a hill and this super tuck cheered me up no one can remain annoyed when they’re able to Super tuck down a hill on a summer’s day so I’ve come to realize actually on the bike I’m not too bad my bike Fitness is good it’s all right I’m able to do stuff like this it hasn’t taken the entire day to do it I haven’t had to stop for breaks or to eat anything I’m able to do it with 500 M of water so yeah happy days so from that perspective tick I just can’t bloody stop and start is my problem stopping and starting with these flipping cleats I’m going to dream about them tonight this is nice cycling through a Village Green Road Service isn’t very good bit cobbly make sure I stay on track cuz I I get in a Zone don’t pay attention to the map and I’ll make a wrong to I keep going I don’t turn I do the opposite I’ll make a wrong turn I don’t turn this is pretty we’re in clacton now on the main road actually in Clapton we’re in Clapton uh I was about to say on the main road into Clapton but we’re in Clapton I just need to get to the Sea front so I need to go round this roundabout and I’m going to do it on the cycle path which I just clocked cuz I was about to vomit out into the roundabout roundabout so hair raising okay Rover uh where’s it taking me taking me up there uh hang on this doesn’t feel right I’m going to check the map it’s okay we’re in the right spot we’re in the right place we’re going the right way I think right I went the wrong way I just set the back track there’s a foot path here these are the things I keep missing I keep saying foot path this a this is a cycle path and this obviously takes me to the sea front cuz I’m less than a mile away and I can hear the seagulls dog nearly took me out then you see that and we’re here this is it guys this is it sea front I can feel the wind freezing saly wind on my face well I need find tracing now she’s my ride home I to eat as well I’m going get a bag of chips at Seaside I don’t know where she is I need to ring her where are you passed up here I’m on that’s exactly where I am did you know where the house upside down house is a there you are a did it guys I it done oh need to hit stop how was it 3 hours bloody hell that was longer than you thought did you get lost yeah I made some wrong turns I made quite a few wrong turns got it I think that’s kind of level how’s it that side yeah it’s about even okay thanks for watching this video Tracy and I really enjoyed our chip shop chip lunch sat on a bench overlooking the sea with a feeling of knowing that I had arrived there under my own steam but not so knackered that I can’t enjoy the rest of my day that’s a really really good feeling probably one of the best lunches I’ve had in a long time this was my first real long-distance bike ride and with the exception of the two fairly Hefty Falls straight onto both of my hips this was a very successful first attempt at a bike ride from one location to another now the good thing about this ride was that it pretty much included everything from small country roads to busier B roads muddy trails to well-maintained Town Center Cycle paths he had everything and having now completed it I feel 100 times better about enjoying the London to Brighton bike ride I’ve got happening next week this ride in total was about 62.2k further than the original planned route as I made quite a few wrong turns and mistakes and rather than backtracking I ventured on finding the path further down the road I was on ultimately add in further distance I will eventually invest in a Garmin bike GPS computer thing but until then my watch will do I just need to remember to look at it more and spend less time sightseeing the mistakes of not turning were my mistake not the watch or a computer wouldn’t make any difference I still need to remember to look now I might try and squeeze in one more long ride before the big one in a week from now if I do then I’ll share it on here I really hope you like my cycling video in the meantime thanks for watching and see you in my next video please don’t forget to like And subscribe leave me a comment if you want to I’ve got a feeling a lot more in real life cycling videos may appear on my channel this summer I enjoyed it that much