Author Archives: Andy Kumar

L’Etape London; my first sportive!

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The Lā€™Etape London 2016 was my first cycling sportive. Originally a runner, I ventured into the world of road cycling when I entered my first Duathlon last year in 2015. Shortly after, a gluteal niggle necessitated the need to spend more time on the saddle, instead of pounding the pavement. This has resulted in me cycling ~4,300 km in 2016 so far. Not high mileage from any serious cyclistā€™s standpoint, but I am fairly happy with it, as I am also back running now! The Lā€™Etape London is a sportive that starts in East London at the Velopark, Stratford (home of the 2012 Olympics), and moves out into the Essex countryside, going through Epping Forest and beyond. Living in Essex, I was quite familiar with most of the early parts of the Essex route. This particular event has three routes; short (~42 miles), medium (~92 miles) and long (~117 miles). I Initially, signed up for the medium route with my friends Mark and Dan. However, I wasnā€™t feeling too great and Dan also had to drop out at the last minute, so Mark and I decided to do the shorter route together.

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Review of the Amazon Echo (UK version)

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I first heard about the Amazon Echo earlier this year. I knew it was not out in the UK (yet), so passed over it without too much curiosity. On September the 14th 2016, I saw that Amazon were now taking preorders here in the UK. I was enticed by discount being offered to Prime members (Ā£99). This resulted in me checking out some YouTube reviews and reading more into home voice automation. Ever watched Ironman or Avengers? Then you may know who JARVIS is; Tony Starkā€™s automated personal assistant. This is pretty much the beginning of that technology. The Echo unit can control a whole host of things that you already use your smart phone for (and more!). I was actually very excited and am glad that I didnā€™t pay too much attention to these units (which have been available in the US for well over a year now), as I would have been a little disappointed not to have one here. It really didnā€™t take long, and I was convinced. I promptly took advantage of this offer and preordered my own Echo. Here are my thoughts.

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London Duathlon 2016 race report

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I first did the London Duathlon last year (in 2015). At the time I was very much struggling with a gluteal injury. Being my first Duathlon, not having much cycling experience and the injury made this a somewhat disappointing event. I paced it wrong, cramped-up and fell below my expectations. I wanted to return this year, with the intention of besting my time from 2015. With my injury pretty much quiescent and having more cycling experience, I felt more mentally prepared this year. Things have been unsteady with my colitis currently flared-up, so I felt glad that I still had the mental drive, and physically made it down to the event.

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Cycliq Fly12 review

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I picked up a Cyclic Fly6 backlight/camera combo back in November last year. Well, it was actually a birthday gift from my Wiggle wish-list. It has served me well over the past few months, and although it does have some limitations, is probably one of my favourite cycling rear lights (along with the Garmin Varia radar). I was excited when I heard that Cycliq were brining out a front light/camera unit, dubbed the Fly12. This has been on Kickstarter for a while now, and finally made its way to retailers in April 2016. I waited for Wiggle to stock these. The Fly12 retails for Ā£249.99, and with Wiggleā€™s 12% platinum discount, I managed to buy one for Ā£220.

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Basecamp bike bag review

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I am a very keen cyclist, and often commute to work and go out on long weekend rides. I like to carry as little as possible on any of my rides. This is not always practicable on commutes to work, but not much of an issue as I carry a small rucksack. Most cyclists opt for a saddle bag. I am not too keen on this, as I use a fly6 with my Orbea, and a Garmin Varia on my Canyons, both of which are mounted on the seat post, leaving little room for a saddle bag. I have seen some cyclists using pannier bags, but as a ā€˜roadieā€™ do not want to add any unnecessary bulk.

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Race report for Pride Run 10k 2016

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The Pride 10k, now it its 13th year, takes place in Victoria Park (Tower Hamlets) and is organised by London Frontrunners. This is an inclusive running club for members of the LGBT community, although they welcome all runners into their club. The race has a reputation for being ā€˜fast and flat’, which encouraged me to sign-up. It was my aim to complete the course in under 40 minutes and use this as a training race to help prepare for the ELVIS Barking Road Runner 5k on 29th August, where I hope to best my 5k time from ELVIS 3 (18:31).

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Cycling: one year on!

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I purchased my first road bike back on July 28th 2015. So much has changed in a year, so I just wanted to share my thoughts on this. Okay, so my intention back last summer was to buy a road bike for the London Duathlon. I knew there was a slight chance that I may get slightly obsessed with cycling and bikes(!) at the time. I was talking to a good running friend Pete Chapman today, who has just recently got into road cycling, and was explain to him (briefly) my journey of getting my first road bike to where I am now. I am definitely not very experienced with cycling, but feel that after cyclingĀ almost 4,000km in 2016 so far, have accumulated a reasonable level of competence. Here is a brief timeline of my cycling journey since last year:

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Great Newham London Run 2016 race report

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I really enjoyed the Great Newham London Run last year. It was the first time I ran it, and the epic finish in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stadium was absolutely fantastic. I knew I would return in 2016. As I had been struggling with a gluteal injury, I waited until May to sign-up for the event. From experience, I was well aware that this was not a PB course, but still wanted to best my time from last year of 39:54.

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Canary all-in-one home security camera

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There are a number of home surveillance cameras available on the market, and as a tech reviewer, I am often invited to review these. The only one which has worked well for me, with minimal effort, is the Philips inSight, which I have in my living room. This allows me to view live footage, but nothing more. Quality is also mediocre at best. I have recently purchased a Canary ā€œall-in-oneā€ home security device. In short, this is a camera from which live footage can be viewed, as well as a history of footage, along with a plethora of additional features. It is these other features which make this probably one of the best home security cameras available to consumers today. Here are my thoughts.

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