1988 Peugeot Aravis
- Thread starter 531 pro
- Start date
531 pro
rBotM Winner
Alpe d'Huez
Getting the Peugeot Aravis up the Col des Aravis proved quite a challenge on 42/28 gearing. The Col is about 7% for most of the way and very beautiful at the top. Very Swiss looking, and you can buy a cuckoo clock in the gift shop. Coming down was a bit hairy. Not only did I wear the original Modolo brake pads down to about half way in 12km of descending, but the lovely new anodising on my Open Pro rims came straight off in the space of 5km!
Alpe d'Huez, on the other hand, is 10 to 12% and I realised I might have brought a knife to a gunfight! Nevertheless, we got it to the top of the mountain and here's me doing a sprint finish...
...but i've got a terrible confession to make. In the end I hired a Cannondale carbon with a triple chainset as there was no way I could have gotten up Alpe dHuez with my old school gearing. The Aravis made it to the summit in the car for a photo shoot though!
Next on the list of mid life crises 'rediscovering the racing cyclist I used to be' is a ten mile time trial, on my old PB course, later in the summer: I think i'll even use the Time TBT shoes I wore when I last rode it.
Getting the Peugeot Aravis up the Col des Aravis proved quite a challenge on 42/28 gearing. The Col is about 7% for most of the way and very beautiful at the top. Very Swiss looking, and you can buy a cuckoo clock in the gift shop. Coming down was a bit hairy. Not only did I wear the original Modolo brake pads down to about half way in 12km of descending, but the lovely new anodising on my Open Pro rims came straight off in the space of 5km!
Alpe d'Huez, on the other hand, is 10 to 12% and I realised I might have brought a knife to a gunfight! Nevertheless, we got it to the top of the mountain and here's me doing a sprint finish...
...but i've got a terrible confession to make. In the end I hired a Cannondale carbon with a triple chainset as there was no way I could have gotten up Alpe dHuez with my old school gearing. The Aravis made it to the summit in the car for a photo shoot though!
Next on the list of mid life crises 'rediscovering the racing cyclist I used to be' is a ten mile time trial, on my old PB course, later in the summer: I think i'll even use the Time TBT shoes I wore when I last rode it.
531 pro
rBotM Winner
Small update
The mid-life crises continues - rummaging around at home I found all this (as featured in the 1989 era opening photograph to this thread).
Look at the left sleeve - that's right, we seem to have been sponsored by ANC like the eponymous racing team. A white Peugeot Aravis seems even more appropriate now and, no, Tony Capper never paid me either ha ha.
Anyway, since hauling my considerable bulk up the side of the Col des Aravis i've lost about 4 stone and i'm now living the Middle Aged Man In Lycra dream with my fellow MAMILs in the local cycle club. Believe it or not this kit still fits (just about)! Mind you, if I was earning more than my 1989 paper round money (like I am today - slightly) I would have bought some of these:
...hang on a minute, I just have! Via the wonders of fleabay - brand new and unused. Unbelievable. I think I'll wear them with this:
...unfortunately, this was a bit small for me when I was 16 so its like putting on a wetsuit these days.
Obviously, when servicing the retro bikes I need a retro workshop coat...
...this was my uniform as a saturday boy in the bike shop. The oil stains undoubtedly date from then. Because we were a '5 star dealer' I had a nice gold name badge - "happy to serve"? Not always with some of our odd ball customers. Most days it was like living in the bar scene from Star Wars.
The mid-life crises continues - rummaging around at home I found all this (as featured in the 1989 era opening photograph to this thread).
Look at the left sleeve - that's right, we seem to have been sponsored by ANC like the eponymous racing team. A white Peugeot Aravis seems even more appropriate now and, no, Tony Capper never paid me either ha ha.
Anyway, since hauling my considerable bulk up the side of the Col des Aravis i've lost about 4 stone and i'm now living the Middle Aged Man In Lycra dream with my fellow MAMILs in the local cycle club. Believe it or not this kit still fits (just about)! Mind you, if I was earning more than my 1989 paper round money (like I am today - slightly) I would have bought some of these:
...hang on a minute, I just have! Via the wonders of fleabay - brand new and unused. Unbelievable. I think I'll wear them with this:
...unfortunately, this was a bit small for me when I was 16 so its like putting on a wetsuit these days.
Obviously, when servicing the retro bikes I need a retro workshop coat...
...this was my uniform as a saturday boy in the bike shop. The oil stains undoubtedly date from then. Because we were a '5 star dealer' I had a nice gold name badge - "happy to serve"? Not always with some of our odd ball customers. Most days it was like living in the bar scene from Star Wars.
Briiliant suff. Love that Raleigh jobs worth overalls!
