Sorry for the delay on this one, it took all of Sunday and most of Monday to actually drive back from JOG (it IS a heck of a long way away, in case you still hadn't noticed) we got in around 5:30 pm last night, unpacked and watched some TV...
OK..
Day 8
It was always going to be a split day, with the first 58 miles to Helmsdale being "rolling" up and down and the second half from Helmsdale containing the two toughest climbs of the entire ride and the run to the finish line.
I had looked at the weather before and it looked as though the wind was going to turn to challenge us and get up to 12-15mph steady as a headwind (remember that we were riding at around 13 mph) .
The first half weant to plan, a steady roll out through Dornoch, spotting seals up on the rocks as we headed north of the Black Isle, and up the coast. Slowly it began to get a bit tougher, basically devolving into a perverse game of snakes and ladders whereby we dragged up a climb for a mile only to drop back down to the beach level at the next village/Town.... this was starting to get wearing when we stopped for lunch at Brora. (apologies to those following the live tracking, we seemed to lose signal around here... later, the location fixes up until 17:56 on the road to Wick did show up too..)
We knew that the next 20 miles (and 2 climbs) would be defining moments of the ride, the climb profiles are HARD...we arrived at Helmsdale village and hit the first 9-10% climb up through the village itself.. not too bad...knowing the real climb is about 2 miles long...the clouds were rolling in fast. As we reached the roundabout at the top to turn onto the new road out and onto the 8% drop to the bottom of the climb proper, the wind hit...hard... we were on a descent that, freewheeling, we should be capable of 25-30 mph easily, but we were pedalling hard just to move.. this killed any momentum onto the climb itself..
we hit the bottom, I slammed into my "mountain gear" (34 on the front - 30 rear) and could do nothing but plod.. every pedal turn moving me roughly one wheel circumference forward..it was slow... but it was steady...the rain and wind did not let up at all, we climbed on and on, knowing that Nellie was stationed at the summit, being blown all over the place, pedalling hard on up and the brief down slope. Knowing that I was still just about controlling my breathing kept me going..when I get to one breath per pedal stroke, I know I've "blown"... near the top, we turn into a little hairpin valley which was just funneling the wind and rain even harder, but up to our right, we could see Nellie...at the pinch of the turn, the wind was suddenly behind us for the last ramp to the car.. we pushed on and I pretty nearly fell off the bike at the top.
Shivering, cold and struggling for breath, I was wrapped in a big coat and bundled into the back of Nellie, P took shelter in the lea of the car and we tried to warm up... it took a while for me, P had climbed well and was nothing like the mess I was.
20 minutes or so of regrouping and we set off again, along the top of Navidale towards the harder climb of Berriedale Braes..
just getting to the bottom was scary, the road tilts down at 8% for a while then slams down at 13% into the base of the climb for quite a distance..escape roads on the descent (with tire tracks showing use) marked this out as treacherous...the sheer narrow nature of this valley actuall offered us some shelter and the weather had gone back to just "windy and rainy". We hit the bottom and the road flips straight back up at 13%... it then turns left to a hair pin around an old burial ground and then curves up past the church., the gradient never really lets off in the first part of the climb, again, we'd planned to have Nellie at the top of the steep part .. this was a vicious climb..harder than anything I'd ridden..but (and I'm still not sure of the actual mental process that got me up this) a combination of "It's the last MAJOR barrier","why we are doing this (for the Project, for people who lose the ability to even walk again) "just to this next corner, OK, just to the end of this wall" and "we are over 800 miles into this now, we CAN'T not finish" managed to get me up this horror of a climb.
A quick stop at Nellie and we pushed on , on the exposed moor towards Wick...and the promised headwind arrived...it was slightly downhill and could have been a joyous ride, but into the teeth of a wind that was gusting at us faster than we were riding into it, I could only put my head down and try to power through it. After the climbs, this should have been easier, it really, really wasn't... just counting down the miles to each Nellie stop..shovelling in food and pushing on got us to Wick, with 17 miles to go. the road turned a little , and the wind eased (a little) and P made the call to make the Nellie stops each 6 miles to break the last stints down..6 miles out of Wick, first stop...more food, and gels, another 6 miles, ending on a hill...more food..quick break, the light is going...we're on the last bit of road now... that was the last Nellie stop...the next time we met up with the support team would be the finish line.
We pressed on, knowing that the last 5 miles also contained the last climb of the ride (up to 400 ft, nothing compared to some of the climbs we'd faced, but at the end of 870 odd miles in 8 days, every ramp was draining me).. as we hit the hill, P shouted to me that this was "the last hill in Scotland" and we pushed...I really pushed, as I saw the gradient drop after the 6% section, I managed as close to a sprint as I could to crest this last darned hill... for a second your heart drops as you see hills further ahead...but on the crest proper, it becomes clear that these ARE hills, but that they are on the Orkney islands ahead of us.
Passing a sign for our hotel saying 2 miles to go, we rolled side by side in failing light down to the settlement at John O'Groats...downhill all the way... past the hotel.. down to the ferry quay...down to the finish line where Nellie and the Support crew of Dave and Andy were waiting... pointing at the line and with all of Nellie's strobes and flashing lights lit up..
DONE... I rolled over the line, plopped the bike down on the grass bank and hugged pretty much everything in sight.. we'd done it.. we'd done it in horrible conditions and we'd done it in the time we set , even though a lot of people were surprised we'd pushed for 8 days... we crossed the line at about 2051hrs, after approx 68.5 hours of actual riding (not counting stops) for about 870 miles.
The point here is simple, if we'd gone for more than 10 days, we'd clearly proven we could manage 80 (or fewer) miles a day relatively easily. by going for 110 miles a day, we had challenged ourselves, it made what we were doing harder, and hopefully more worthy of all of your support. Your support has helped so much, when we've had suffcient signal to get the texts, emails and comments on Twitter and facebook.
People talk of the finish being an anticlimax, I don't think so... JOG isn't an exciting place in and of itself, it is more about what this point on the map symbolises...
We rolled back up to the hotel, checked in, and went for dinner and a celebratory whisky (the Seaview hotel has a ridiculous selection of malts) and bed....
On Sunday we got up, packed, had breakfast and rolled back down to the finish line to get a cleaner, well lit photo against the sign wearing our sponsored ride kit.. then strapped the bikes to Nellie and set off on the near 600 mile drive home...
Today, the bikes go back to our LBS for another service (and the bent spoke in my front wheel we spotted just BEFORE the ride needs to be replaced) and that's it... done..
I think a review post in a couple of days will be called for. Including full thanks for everyone who supported us..
but for now...
We did it...
Caroline & Phil
Tuesday 28 August 2012
Saturday 25 August 2012
Day 8 - Job Done (interim post)
We did it, Land's End to John O'Groats in 8 days...
Just a quick post to confirm we made it safely... Tomorrow, I'll try to explain JUST how tough today was.
Thank you all for your support, please keep donating, the Project really need and appreciate every pound donated.
Night all x
Just a quick post to confirm we made it safely... Tomorrow, I'll try to explain JUST how tough today was.
Thank you all for your support, please keep donating, the Project really need and appreciate every pound donated.
Night all x
Friday 24 August 2012
Day 6 and Day 7 - a swap
No update last night as we ended up in a different location to the plan..
Original plan was day 6 -112 miles to Pitlochry then Day 7 - 99 miles over the Drumochter pass and the Cairngorms..
What ACTUALLY happened was that day 6 was going reasonably to plan (if occasionally wet) we set off, reached Lanark, met my parents standing by the road... And headed towards Whitburn..
Only to find the A706 closed and a 5 mile diversion that crucially turned us back into the teeth of what had been a strong cross/tail wind... This really tired me .. We met up with Nellie, refuelled and set off . Everything went ok over the Forth bridge, and a lot of climbing through Cowdenbeath .
The drop down to Perth was glorious, and after another Nellie stop, the planned route on the Garmin went a little wierd .and took us off the A9 onto a bizarre looping route.. Once we worked out were we, and Nellie , were.. We cae back towards Dunkeld... The light was starting to go and the A9 is not the safest road, a decision was made to stop there for the night (on 98 miles) and start fresh today, making it 112 miles or so .. Huge thanks to the Royal Dunkeld Hotel for putting us up, locking the bikes away and doing awesome food.
This morning we cracked on, the climb to Drumochter is long, not hugely steep, but tiring..,and the weather closed in again.we crested the top, met our Nellie , topped up and set off (each Nellie Gap is 12.5 miles) .. The long gentle descent was unbroken so we did most of the next 12.5 miles without having to turn a pedal.. And in great time.. We were getting wetter and wetter and I was struggling to get comfortable in my longs, the pad was so wet that it rubbed "somewhere" .. So at the next stop I switched to some of my own shorts and knee warmers instead.. Huge improvement in comfort and morale for me. The result was great time,each Nellie Gap seemed to fly by..and we were soon plunging into Inverness and on to the Black Isle and tonight's hotel nice and early despite 112 miles, horrible weather and two mountain passes... Epic day..we are tired, but happy with the outcome of toady...day 8 tomorrow !!!
Original plan was day 6 -112 miles to Pitlochry then Day 7 - 99 miles over the Drumochter pass and the Cairngorms..
What ACTUALLY happened was that day 6 was going reasonably to plan (if occasionally wet) we set off, reached Lanark, met my parents standing by the road... And headed towards Whitburn..
Only to find the A706 closed and a 5 mile diversion that crucially turned us back into the teeth of what had been a strong cross/tail wind... This really tired me .. We met up with Nellie, refuelled and set off . Everything went ok over the Forth bridge, and a lot of climbing through Cowdenbeath .
The drop down to Perth was glorious, and after another Nellie stop, the planned route on the Garmin went a little wierd .and took us off the A9 onto a bizarre looping route.. Once we worked out were we, and Nellie , were.. We cae back towards Dunkeld... The light was starting to go and the A9 is not the safest road, a decision was made to stop there for the night (on 98 miles) and start fresh today, making it 112 miles or so .. Huge thanks to the Royal Dunkeld Hotel for putting us up, locking the bikes away and doing awesome food.
This morning we cracked on, the climb to Drumochter is long, not hugely steep, but tiring..,and the weather closed in again.we crested the top, met our Nellie , topped up and set off (each Nellie Gap is 12.5 miles) .. The long gentle descent was unbroken so we did most of the next 12.5 miles without having to turn a pedal.. And in great time.. We were getting wetter and wetter and I was struggling to get comfortable in my longs, the pad was so wet that it rubbed "somewhere" .. So at the next stop I switched to some of my own shorts and knee warmers instead.. Huge improvement in comfort and morale for me. The result was great time,each Nellie Gap seemed to fly by..and we were soon plunging into Inverness and on to the Black Isle and tonight's hotel nice and early despite 112 miles, horrible weather and two mountain passes... Epic day..we are tired, but happy with the outcome of toady...day 8 tomorrow !!!
Wednesday 22 August 2012
Day 5 - what a difference the rain makes
Now, I know I suggested rain of biblical proportions yesterday, well, the old boy looking for his animal pairs was out again today..
We started with the climb of Shap Fell. It is hardest right at the top of its nine mile duration, and keeps turning corners to surprise you, the climb was done in light rain, which kept temperatures manageable but the descent was done in high winds and driving rain. Down through Penrith towards Carlisle for lunch ( the support crew of Dave and Andy are gems, they've got the routine for each stop, whether it be a 12.5 interim or 25 "bottle stop" ..invaluable today , especially with warm jackets and towels) .. On the run in we were passed by the two Ride for Vince guys ( local to us back home, doing a 10 day ride) for the last time as our paths diverge taking different routes through Scotland , and us finishing a goodly way north of them tonight. Lovely team ( including their support car, which has, along with ours , another group and a chap on a moto supporting a solo rider , formed a great camaraderie with toots and waves as each passes the other)
The ride from Carlisle to Gretna was physically and mentally tough, though flat, we had really high winds coming straight off the Atlantic trying to throw us, especially P , somewhere near Newcastle !!! . Over the border (HOME!!) and picked up the b7076 all the way up alongside the M74.. And the rain hit again.. Our stop after ecclefechan was a bit fraught, I'd not turned on my garmin so the mileage wasn't clocking up, though I didn't notice, so felt we weren't getting anywhere and running with rain jackets was slowing us and sapping all energy.
Having finally got my act together, we set off on the final push, over Beatock summit and down (eventually, it felt as though it never would) to Abington and our hotel..
Starting and finishing over big hills made it an interesting day, made tougher by the weather. Tomorrow is looking better for both profile and weather... So...off to Pitlochry .. Night all x
We started with the climb of Shap Fell. It is hardest right at the top of its nine mile duration, and keeps turning corners to surprise you, the climb was done in light rain, which kept temperatures manageable but the descent was done in high winds and driving rain. Down through Penrith towards Carlisle for lunch ( the support crew of Dave and Andy are gems, they've got the routine for each stop, whether it be a 12.5 interim or 25 "bottle stop" ..invaluable today , especially with warm jackets and towels) .. On the run in we were passed by the two Ride for Vince guys ( local to us back home, doing a 10 day ride) for the last time as our paths diverge taking different routes through Scotland , and us finishing a goodly way north of them tonight. Lovely team ( including their support car, which has, along with ours , another group and a chap on a moto supporting a solo rider , formed a great camaraderie with toots and waves as each passes the other)
The ride from Carlisle to Gretna was physically and mentally tough, though flat, we had really high winds coming straight off the Atlantic trying to throw us, especially P , somewhere near Newcastle !!! . Over the border (HOME!!) and picked up the b7076 all the way up alongside the M74.. And the rain hit again.. Our stop after ecclefechan was a bit fraught, I'd not turned on my garmin so the mileage wasn't clocking up, though I didn't notice, so felt we weren't getting anywhere and running with rain jackets was slowing us and sapping all energy.
Having finally got my act together, we set off on the final push, over Beatock summit and down (eventually, it felt as though it never would) to Abington and our hotel..
Starting and finishing over big hills made it an interesting day, made tougher by the weather. Tomorrow is looking better for both profile and weather... So...off to Pitlochry .. Night all x
Tuesday 21 August 2012
Day 4 - as long as day 3 !!
Profile wise, today may have been the smoothest, but throw in Warrington, Wigan, Preston etc and the MOST torrential downpour (e.g. We saw an old bloke with a beard collecting two of each animal to go on his boat!!) oh, and a lovely sliver of glass through my tyre and it meant today got long.. We lost about an hour overall..
Lying in bed at the Gilpin Bridge Inn, who have been wonderful , keeping back food for us, etc.
We kept meeting up with a group of 4 guys who left LE about 30 mins ahead of us , and two local chaps (on a 10 day schedule ) and their support crews, as well as crossing over with the "Brothers on Bikes"(14 and 15 with friends and family riding too) going the other way, it was nice to stop briefly and chat face to face after many twitter exchanges in the past.
The weather was variable, the towns were stop/start affairs ( we overtook Nellie twice crossing Preston !!) and the terrain not too bad... Body wise, we both hurt a fair bit, my aches are moving around, probably from compensating and couching the previous injury . Main problems are in the saddle area and knees. And the vibration through the bars means I'm losing sensation in the palms and last two fingers of each hand ( though it's no worse today , so... Bonus !!)
The key thing is that Project Mobility are getting noticed and the cause is being publicised..
That is, after all, why we ride..
Tomorrow, Shap Fell and into Scotland .
Night
Lying in bed at the Gilpin Bridge Inn, who have been wonderful , keeping back food for us, etc.
We kept meeting up with a group of 4 guys who left LE about 30 mins ahead of us , and two local chaps (on a 10 day schedule ) and their support crews, as well as crossing over with the "Brothers on Bikes"(14 and 15 with friends and family riding too) going the other way, it was nice to stop briefly and chat face to face after many twitter exchanges in the past.
The weather was variable, the towns were stop/start affairs ( we overtook Nellie twice crossing Preston !!) and the terrain not too bad... Body wise, we both hurt a fair bit, my aches are moving around, probably from compensating and couching the previous injury . Main problems are in the saddle area and knees. And the vibration through the bars means I'm losing sensation in the palms and last two fingers of each hand ( though it's no worse today , so... Bonus !!)
The key thing is that Project Mobility are getting noticed and the cause is being publicised..
That is, after all, why we ride..
Tomorrow, Shap Fell and into Scotland .
Night
Monday 20 August 2012
Day 3
Taking the decision that I could try and ride into the day (with the option of stepping off if I really felt that I hadn't recovered at all)
A rolling day , with a few nasty ramps. We did have the chance to ride through Ledbury, Ludlow and Shrewsbury . the latter 2 containing a couple of interesting "power climbs"..
we really started to get our routine sorted with the support car going 12.5 miles ahead and then finding a spot to wait up for us. The sight of Nellie as we round a corner is really great and welcoming.. so much so that a main topic of conversation when we are riding is the distance of the next "Nellie Gap" (which really fits the tune of "Smelly Cat" from friends and now YOU might have it stuck in your head.
All in all, a long old day, biggest problem for me were stomach cramps and slipping whilst trying to clip in on the way through Shrewsbury as my foot slipped out and I banged the more private area of my saddle area HARD against the saddle. Very painful and I've resorted to the serious painkillers.
Got to the hotel in Wem in good time and are now back in the room after a good meal at a local place.
for some reason, I'm rather tired.... so.. night all.
C
A rolling day , with a few nasty ramps. We did have the chance to ride through Ledbury, Ludlow and Shrewsbury . the latter 2 containing a couple of interesting "power climbs"..
we really started to get our routine sorted with the support car going 12.5 miles ahead and then finding a spot to wait up for us. The sight of Nellie as we round a corner is really great and welcoming.. so much so that a main topic of conversation when we are riding is the distance of the next "Nellie Gap" (which really fits the tune of "Smelly Cat" from friends and now YOU might have it stuck in your head.
All in all, a long old day, biggest problem for me were stomach cramps and slipping whilst trying to clip in on the way through Shrewsbury as my foot slipped out and I banged the more private area of my saddle area HARD against the saddle. Very painful and I've resorted to the serious painkillers.
Got to the hotel in Wem in good time and are now back in the room after a good meal at a local place.
for some reason, I'm rather tired.... so.. night all.
C
Day 2
Posting and writing this tonight as , in all honesty, I was in no fit state last night.
I'm not sure if it was something I've eaten (possibly at lunch) but I was very unwell last night..so much so that it was really 50/50 as to whether I'd ride today..
I did.. but back to day 2.
We left the Travelodge at Whidden Down a little later than planned. it was nice to NOT be on the A30.. the route 1 approach to get out of Cornwall worked, but the white noise of the traffic was really noticeable...as soon as we turned off the road.
The ride into Exeter was flowing and we made good progress despite a climb that I hadn't expected just as we arrived.
with a light rain. and recovering from day 1, the morning was long and hard.
we stopped for lunch at Taunton and changed over support drivers, Alison left us (thanks Ali) and Dave and Andy have joined us for the rest of the trip..
The flat section over the Somerset levels was a little bit of a let down as the wind turned into a cross/head wind and made for harder work than hoped.
Rather than climb up the corner of the Mendips past Bristol Airport, we chose the slightly longer route via Weston Super Mare, which did mean we got to ride along the seafront.
It was also at out planned stop at Weston that I started to feel really unwell.
We got to Bristol OK, but a combination of later start and too much time spent on breaks meant we statrted to lose the light..we put the Support truck behind us and ploughed on... maybe pushing a little hard..
the Hotel seemed to be further than planned and just before we found it, my Garmin died (note,... tun off audible warnings as they kill the battery)
the result was arriving late, nearly missing food (the pub laid on a small selection for us, after much negotiation) and retired to the room to be rather unwell..and not sleep very well.
a tough day.
I'm not sure if it was something I've eaten (possibly at lunch) but I was very unwell last night..so much so that it was really 50/50 as to whether I'd ride today..
I did.. but back to day 2.
We left the Travelodge at Whidden Down a little later than planned. it was nice to NOT be on the A30.. the route 1 approach to get out of Cornwall worked, but the white noise of the traffic was really noticeable...as soon as we turned off the road.
The ride into Exeter was flowing and we made good progress despite a climb that I hadn't expected just as we arrived.
with a light rain. and recovering from day 1, the morning was long and hard.
we stopped for lunch at Taunton and changed over support drivers, Alison left us (thanks Ali) and Dave and Andy have joined us for the rest of the trip..
The flat section over the Somerset levels was a little bit of a let down as the wind turned into a cross/head wind and made for harder work than hoped.
Rather than climb up the corner of the Mendips past Bristol Airport, we chose the slightly longer route via Weston Super Mare, which did mean we got to ride along the seafront.
It was also at out planned stop at Weston that I started to feel really unwell.
We got to Bristol OK, but a combination of later start and too much time spent on breaks meant we statrted to lose the light..we put the Support truck behind us and ploughed on... maybe pushing a little hard..
the Hotel seemed to be further than planned and just before we found it, my Garmin died (note,... tun off audible warnings as they kill the battery)
the result was arriving late, nearly missing food (the pub laid on a small selection for us, after much negotiation) and retired to the room to be rather unwell..and not sleep very well.
a tough day.
Saturday 18 August 2012
Day 1
Apologies for the lack of a proper day 0 entry.. No signal at all could be had at our hotel in Sennen Cove.
We set off from Land's End later than planned, but the mist was starting to burn off and it became a nice day with a light tailwind for most of it.
On the drive down, I managed to scare myself a little looking at the hills we'd have to ride back up. And make no mistake, today was the hardest and hilliest day of the whole route. But I made it, even the really nasty climb up to Okehampton on the A30, just.
The Project Mobility land rover "Nellie" is already becoming our favourite sight as she sits in a layby for us to refuel and have a quick break.
Saw a load of people starting off this morning, I hope they all had a good day of riding, we know 4 did as they arrived at the travelodge at the same time as we did (from a different direction, and they set out about 40 mins before us from LE.
Pretty tired now, we've eaten and are back in the room winding down after a pretty successful Day 1. P's new bike has been amazing and a real step up in comfort levels with geometry and position. And my new rear cassette , with it's 30 tooth sprocket, has been a godsend (my "mountain" gear) and I needed it a few times today..
Easier start tomorrow as we don't need to transfer the bikes anywhere first, so it will be up, and eat, and out.
Thanks for your support, either here, on twitter, Facebook or the lovely people on the road who've asked us abut what we are doing and why... Night all.
We set off from Land's End later than planned, but the mist was starting to burn off and it became a nice day with a light tailwind for most of it.
On the drive down, I managed to scare myself a little looking at the hills we'd have to ride back up. And make no mistake, today was the hardest and hilliest day of the whole route. But I made it, even the really nasty climb up to Okehampton on the A30, just.
The Project Mobility land rover "Nellie" is already becoming our favourite sight as she sits in a layby for us to refuel and have a quick break.
Saw a load of people starting off this morning, I hope they all had a good day of riding, we know 4 did as they arrived at the travelodge at the same time as we did (from a different direction, and they set out about 40 mins before us from LE.
Pretty tired now, we've eaten and are back in the room winding down after a pretty successful Day 1. P's new bike has been amazing and a real step up in comfort levels with geometry and position. And my new rear cassette , with it's 30 tooth sprocket, has been a godsend (my "mountain" gear) and I needed it a few times today..
Easier start tomorrow as we don't need to transfer the bikes anywhere first, so it will be up, and eat, and out.
Thanks for your support, either here, on twitter, Facebook or the lovely people on the road who've asked us abut what we are doing and why... Night all.
Thursday 16 August 2012
Live Tracking Link
Tomorrow, we set off to meet up with the Project Mobility team and our support vehicle, and then down to Land's End, ready to start on Saturday.
Nearly everything is in place, the final packing is to be done tonight/tomorrow.
and that's it... we go......
To follow our progress live.. click on the link below (or the new button on the right) and select the date. the position should update every 5 minutes.
LEJOG live tracking.
I hope to update daily... so..I'll be speaking to you next from the hotel at Land's End...
wish us luck and thank you for your continued support.
C
Nearly everything is in place, the final packing is to be done tonight/tomorrow.
and that's it... we go......
To follow our progress live.. click on the link below (or the new button on the right) and select the date. the position should update every 5 minutes.
LEJOG live tracking.
I hope to update daily... so..I'll be speaking to you next from the hotel at Land's End...
wish us luck and thank you for your continued support.
C
Tuesday 7 August 2012
Live Tracking.. and other things
Morning all.
Finalising the last few details that should allow you track us "live" on the ride... keep watching for more info.
in other news....
Last few things are falling into place..
Chatting with the Project guys about the support vehicle and fitting the bike carriers.(and getting replacement keys...oops)
Sorting the final requirements for our ride food that is being supplied by Sponser (the Olympic Women's triathlon Gold Medalist Nicola Spirig is a Sponser athlete...as is Reudi Wild, who is competing in the men's triathlon today....lofty company for us)
I need to make sure the route is mapped in GPX format for the Garmin.
And the final preparation on the bikes...in P's case... this is a whole new bike.. in my case.. a service, a new rear cassette (12-30 rather than the current 12-28...every little helps) and new bar tape, I think.
But it's all getting very close..very close indeed.
On Sunday, whilst driving home, following one of our training loops, I saw 2 cyclists in matching jerseys... I slowed behind them and waited for a nice clear stretch to pass and saw that they also had "LEJOG 2012" branded jerseys...a bit of research found that they are setting of on a 10 day route on the 18th too...so we might see the "Ride for Vince" chaps down at "the startline" ...their route is a little different from ours though... Good Luck to them.
We are also going to be on the lookout for at least 2 JOGLE rides that cross over with us, probably between Kendal and Penrith as we go...it's been interesting watching everyone's preparation.
I will be updating more regularly as we get into the final countdown (cue music) and plan to update daily over the course of the ride, internet connectivity permitting.
Thanks for all of your support so far...with gift aid, we are at just under £2000 raised...
More soon.....
C
Finalising the last few details that should allow you track us "live" on the ride... keep watching for more info.
in other news....
Last few things are falling into place..
Chatting with the Project guys about the support vehicle and fitting the bike carriers.(and getting replacement keys...oops)
Sorting the final requirements for our ride food that is being supplied by Sponser (the Olympic Women's triathlon Gold Medalist Nicola Spirig is a Sponser athlete...as is Reudi Wild, who is competing in the men's triathlon today....lofty company for us)
I need to make sure the route is mapped in GPX format for the Garmin.
And the final preparation on the bikes...in P's case... this is a whole new bike.. in my case.. a service, a new rear cassette (12-30 rather than the current 12-28...every little helps) and new bar tape, I think.
But it's all getting very close..very close indeed.
On Sunday, whilst driving home, following one of our training loops, I saw 2 cyclists in matching jerseys... I slowed behind them and waited for a nice clear stretch to pass and saw that they also had "LEJOG 2012" branded jerseys...a bit of research found that they are setting of on a 10 day route on the 18th too...so we might see the "Ride for Vince" chaps down at "the startline" ...their route is a little different from ours though... Good Luck to them.
We are also going to be on the lookout for at least 2 JOGLE rides that cross over with us, probably between Kendal and Penrith as we go...it's been interesting watching everyone's preparation.
I will be updating more regularly as we get into the final countdown (cue music) and plan to update daily over the course of the ride, internet connectivity permitting.
Thanks for all of your support so far...with gift aid, we are at just under £2000 raised...
More soon.....
C
Tuesday 31 July 2012
Training Block
The last few days have been pretty good. I took Thursday, Friday and Monday as leave to get some good rides in.
Thursday - up and out - the plan was to do minimum 70 miles in a couple of loops. the ride went well until a mile or so from home at the end of the first loop when I had a miscommunication with P and turned across him at low speed as we took to a cycle path. my mistake. but it was P who suffered. falling and rolling after clipping me. His front wheel seemed to be slightly off true, so we rode home, grabbed lunch and then rode round to Cyclezone. A cuppa, a chat and 20 mins later, the wheel was sorted and we hit the road again.. until climbing out of Wokingham, where as P pulled on his bars the left hand bar snapped... obviously the carbon had failed after the earlier drop.. back to the bike shop slowly, then home to collect my new Garmin Edge. bars replaced. carbon in the bin ... 57 miles all in...
Friday was better.. not quite so hot.. 2 loops .... 70 miles... I was feeling a niggle in the back of my knee towards the end so we didn't go for 80.. instead returning home, via Fleet Hill (just to make up for the "lost" mileage) and the bike shop (again) ... upshot... P is looking at replacing his S-Works Roubaix... Fleet Hill isn't easy..but it was good to ride up it better than the last time we came that way , especially with 65 miles already done that day (and 120 back to back)
Saturday and Sunday were "days of rest"... which mostly meant watching the Olympic road races and going to visit P's parents..I also used the Saturday morning to fit and set up the Garmin.
Monday - up and out again... a different route taking in a 40 mile loop including the sharp climb of Wiggins Copse (seriously, it's actually called that, near Bramshill). Using the Garmin and recording cadence properly for the first time (P has been using a cadence comp for a while and really works well by it) I modified my rhythm and speed to LEJOG pace .. the interesting thing being that when we hit "Wiggins" I stayed in the saddle, used all the gears and kept spinning at 90 rpm, this is not my normal style (think "Grinding Big Gears Like an 80s Russian Pursuiter") and rode the whole climb, including the steep ramp right at the end, in the saddle...I was impressed...
The loop then took us out via Hook to Beacon Hill just outside Farnham. we've ridden it twice before, once each way, and this was approaching from the steeper side. it's nearly 2 miles long, and has a long stretch over 7% in the middle (peaking over 10%).. I span the gears... running out when we hit the 8% stretch... and had to just sit in and grind it out...but I did just that..and recovered fairly quickly over the top and dropping down into Aldershot (as the rain arrived, to make the descent...interesting)..and up the second climb to get into Aldershot proper..Still no where near a mountain goat, but I did get over this steep climb intact..and had something in the legs for a climb straight after...this is good....
The rest of the ride was steady, again, keeping the pace right, the gears low and the cadence higher than I ever used to ride..leaving me feeling pretty fresh at the end.
in total ---- 170 miles (including the 56/70 back to back)
results
1: Neither of us seemed to suffer with the mileage
2: I am looking at fitting a 12-30 on the rear to replace the current 12-28
3: P is getting a new bike in time for the ride ...and very nice (and handbuilt) it will be too :)
Back to work today and a rest night (both of us taught at my Sword School on both the Thursday and Monday nights as well as the ride work.... P also did a sparring session on the Saturday whilst I fitted the Garmin and watched the RR..so we're not slacking THAT much )
C
P.S with Gift Aid, so far we have raised £1730 for Project Mobility - I'd love to get this over £2000 by the time we ride in 2.5 weeks time...
P.P.S
Just a another reminder that we have amazing support from SPONSER for our sports nutrition supply,They've been really supportive and helpful, with Shannon being a mine of information. and remember,
If you order anything from them HERE and use the code "ReSkill Ride" you get a 10% discount AND 5% of everything spent will be donated straight back to Project Mobility.
Thursday - up and out - the plan was to do minimum 70 miles in a couple of loops. the ride went well until a mile or so from home at the end of the first loop when I had a miscommunication with P and turned across him at low speed as we took to a cycle path. my mistake. but it was P who suffered. falling and rolling after clipping me. His front wheel seemed to be slightly off true, so we rode home, grabbed lunch and then rode round to Cyclezone. A cuppa, a chat and 20 mins later, the wheel was sorted and we hit the road again.. until climbing out of Wokingham, where as P pulled on his bars the left hand bar snapped... obviously the carbon had failed after the earlier drop.. back to the bike shop slowly, then home to collect my new Garmin Edge. bars replaced. carbon in the bin ... 57 miles all in...
Friday was better.. not quite so hot.. 2 loops .... 70 miles... I was feeling a niggle in the back of my knee towards the end so we didn't go for 80.. instead returning home, via Fleet Hill (just to make up for the "lost" mileage) and the bike shop (again) ... upshot... P is looking at replacing his S-Works Roubaix... Fleet Hill isn't easy..but it was good to ride up it better than the last time we came that way , especially with 65 miles already done that day (and 120 back to back)
Saturday and Sunday were "days of rest"... which mostly meant watching the Olympic road races and going to visit P's parents..I also used the Saturday morning to fit and set up the Garmin.
Monday - up and out again... a different route taking in a 40 mile loop including the sharp climb of Wiggins Copse (seriously, it's actually called that, near Bramshill). Using the Garmin and recording cadence properly for the first time (P has been using a cadence comp for a while and really works well by it) I modified my rhythm and speed to LEJOG pace .. the interesting thing being that when we hit "Wiggins" I stayed in the saddle, used all the gears and kept spinning at 90 rpm, this is not my normal style (think "Grinding Big Gears Like an 80s Russian Pursuiter") and rode the whole climb, including the steep ramp right at the end, in the saddle...I was impressed...
The loop then took us out via Hook to Beacon Hill just outside Farnham. we've ridden it twice before, once each way, and this was approaching from the steeper side. it's nearly 2 miles long, and has a long stretch over 7% in the middle (peaking over 10%).. I span the gears... running out when we hit the 8% stretch... and had to just sit in and grind it out...but I did just that..and recovered fairly quickly over the top and dropping down into Aldershot (as the rain arrived, to make the descent...interesting)..and up the second climb to get into Aldershot proper..Still no where near a mountain goat, but I did get over this steep climb intact..and had something in the legs for a climb straight after...this is good....
The rest of the ride was steady, again, keeping the pace right, the gears low and the cadence higher than I ever used to ride..leaving me feeling pretty fresh at the end.
in total ---- 170 miles (including the 56/70 back to back)
results
1: Neither of us seemed to suffer with the mileage
2: I am looking at fitting a 12-30 on the rear to replace the current 12-28
3: P is getting a new bike in time for the ride ...and very nice (and handbuilt) it will be too :)
Back to work today and a rest night (both of us taught at my Sword School on both the Thursday and Monday nights as well as the ride work.... P also did a sparring session on the Saturday whilst I fitted the Garmin and watched the RR..so we're not slacking THAT much )
C
P.S with Gift Aid, so far we have raised £1730 for Project Mobility - I'd love to get this over £2000 by the time we ride in 2.5 weeks time...
P.P.S
Just a another reminder that we have amazing support from SPONSER for our sports nutrition supply,They've been really supportive and helpful, with Shannon being a mine of information. and remember,
If you order anything from them HERE and use the code "ReSkill Ride" you get a 10% discount AND 5% of everything spent will be donated straight back to Project Mobility.
Ride Kit arrives
Last Wednesday we took receipt of the kit for the ride, supplied by Half Baked Brand (thanks to James for working so closely with me to get things right). So... this is how it looks ..
Thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters .. we hope to do you proud.
p.s. the first day we wore the kit , we ended up in our local bike shop - CycleZone - and, chatting to another customer, he asked about the ride and donated £10. The power of positive advertising ..
p.p.s if any of you wondered what a Panda on a bike looks like, there is your answer..... ;)
C
Thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters .. we hope to do you proud.
p.s. the first day we wore the kit , we ended up in our local bike shop - CycleZone - and, chatting to another customer, he asked about the ride and donated £10. The power of positive advertising ..
p.p.s if any of you wondered what a Panda on a bike looks like, there is your answer..... ;)
C
Monday 23 July 2012
Velocast Podcast
Having hugely enjoyed the work of John and Scott on the daily Velocast Tour de France podcasts , I'm hoping that they will go ahead and cover the Vuelta day by day as well ... the first week of this year's Vuelta a Espana coincides with our ride and it would be an excellent way to unwind every night and catch up with the race whilst we are away.
The chaps at the Velocast are entertaining, knowledgeable and have supported and promoted our ride on line..
SO ...check out the Velocast and, if they do the daily VueltaCast... you really should sign up...
VeloCast the Official* podcast of our LEJOG ride
*Official = the one we tend to listen to and they have been nice enough to promote us so far...
i.e. not "official" in any real way whatsoever.
The chaps at the Velocast are entertaining, knowledgeable and have supported and promoted our ride on line..
SO ...check out the Velocast and, if they do the daily VueltaCast... you really should sign up...
VeloCast the Official* podcast of our LEJOG ride
*Official = the one we tend to listen to and they have been nice enough to promote us so far...
i.e. not "official" in any real way whatsoever.
Wednesday 18 July 2012
Why we ride
If anyone is in any doubt about the impact of Project Mobility and why we are cycling 870 odd miles in 8 days for them...
watch this...
Project Mobility Promo
Please help in any way you can.
Thank you.
watch this...
Project Mobility Promo
Please help in any way you can.
Thank you.
Thursday 5 July 2012
Reminder - Sports Nutrition and helping our cause
Just a quick reminder that we have amazing support from SPONSER for our
sports nutrition supply,They've been really supportive and helpful, with
Shannon being a mine of information. and remember,
If you order anything from them HERE and use the code "ReSkill Ride" you get a 10% discount AND 5% of everything spent will be donated straight back to Project Mobility.
Every little bit helps us, the products are fantastic (half of a High Energy bar every 45 mins when I'm riding now is just right) and they support cycling from top to bottom (even as lowly as two folk riding the length of the UK for a great cause)
C
If you order anything from them HERE and use the code "ReSkill Ride" you get a 10% discount AND 5% of everything spent will be donated straight back to Project Mobility.
Every little bit helps us, the products are fantastic (half of a High Energy bar every 45 mins when I'm riding now is just right) and they support cycling from top to bottom (even as lowly as two folk riding the length of the UK for a great cause)
C
Monday 25 June 2012
A Touch of Wind
well.. THAT was a bit blowy.
50 miles yesterday morning, making use of the forecast hole in the weather (although the winds were still gusting hard) I could have left it later really as the afternoon got better but.. all good miles...
well, not ALL good..the run into Maidenhead and across to Windsor was excellent... (tail wind / flat) but at the turn for home, I got the wind right in my teeth..I was trying to eat and get a rhythm but felt like I was pedaling in treacle....thunk.... suddenly felt the road through the rear tyre...a slow puncture...
I tried pumping to see if it would hold air...(it did ...for 100m) and pulled over into the park and changed the tube. Can't complain really as it was my first puncture in months (actually, first this year and first on the Synapse..so not too bad really... ) it took a little while to get the rhythm back ...coming up the hill in Windsor Great Park at about 11 mph over the crest into a 16-18 mph head wind (estimated. based on forecast). the last stretch home was steady... the hill through Bagshot into Camberley (where I "bonked"* badly in Feb) went OK, just a nice steady plod. then home...
I felt that I'd got closer on hydration and feeding based on the advice from Shannon from Sponser . though not perfect, and I could have managed my recovery feeding a little better...
In other news.. last week we passed the £1000 mark in fundraising...thank you all so much, on behalf of Phil and I and Project Mobility....but we need to keep going...the more we raise..the closer to actually opening the Reskill Academy they get.... so...please keep retweeting/following/donating/supporting us...it really will make a difference to many lives.
* For the benefit of our Non-Cycling viewers-
To "bonk" (or get the knock) - to run low on glycogen and energy and basically just lose any ability to push (akin to marathon running's "wall")
50 miles yesterday morning, making use of the forecast hole in the weather (although the winds were still gusting hard) I could have left it later really as the afternoon got better but.. all good miles...
well, not ALL good..the run into Maidenhead and across to Windsor was excellent... (tail wind / flat) but at the turn for home, I got the wind right in my teeth..I was trying to eat and get a rhythm but felt like I was pedaling in treacle....thunk.... suddenly felt the road through the rear tyre...a slow puncture...
I tried pumping to see if it would hold air...(it did ...for 100m) and pulled over into the park and changed the tube. Can't complain really as it was my first puncture in months (actually, first this year and first on the Synapse..so not too bad really... ) it took a little while to get the rhythm back ...coming up the hill in Windsor Great Park at about 11 mph over the crest into a 16-18 mph head wind (estimated. based on forecast). the last stretch home was steady... the hill through Bagshot into Camberley (where I "bonked"* badly in Feb) went OK, just a nice steady plod. then home...
I felt that I'd got closer on hydration and feeding based on the advice from Shannon from Sponser . though not perfect, and I could have managed my recovery feeding a little better...
In other news.. last week we passed the £1000 mark in fundraising...thank you all so much, on behalf of Phil and I and Project Mobility....but we need to keep going...the more we raise..the closer to actually opening the Reskill Academy they get.... so...please keep retweeting/following/donating/supporting us...it really will make a difference to many lives.
* For the benefit of our Non-Cycling viewers-
To "bonk" (or get the knock) - to run low on glycogen and energy and basically just lose any ability to push (akin to marathon running's "wall")
Wednesday 6 June 2012
A Rather "Hard Day's Ride"
On Sunday we had a completely free day for training, the weather forecast wasn't great but only promised drizzle or light showers for the bulk of the day.
The plan was to ride 40 miles then top up with bars and water and continue for another 30/40 depending on how we felt.
It drizzled...and drizzled and drizzled...the first 40 went pretty well, steady pace, once we got "a bit wet" then we settled in for the mileage. The climbs on the first loop went pretty well.. I'm getting happier and happier with my performance on most hills. I'll never be a mountain goat, but I'm not breathing through my...um... ears at the sight of the first speed bump any more. The roads were fairly quiet too.
The 40 miles brought us back to the house where we stopped and grabbed fresh bars, ate quickly and had a "natural break" and set off again... A few miles in the cloud cleared enough for the sun to peep through and I saw a clear crisp shadow of my front wheel on the road...I smiled...that was enough.... the cloud rolled in and it got darker...and darker.. around the 52 mile point, the heavens opened..so.. instead of the planned munchie stop we ploughed on to a petrol station (that had a shelter).. pushing just a little harder than we had been...standing water very quickly formed and the roads really got nasty. The rain was coming in really hard. making seeing the road ahead pretty difficult. When we stopped, the rain eased (obviously) and we set off after a quick snack (more Sponser bars... excellent and fast nutrition intake and uptake) . A little slower but still steady.
As we turned on the route, of course, we caught the top edge of the rain system again...knowing that as we circled back towards home, we'd plough right into it...and so we did...after a nervy ride down from Bramshill (the Wiggins Copse hill in reverse) we had decided that 70 in these conditions (basically, constant rain or drizzle the whole way) was enough...heading back towards the house, the weather really hit again..and even harder. I know that P was tiring a little, I was feeling hungry and wet but I pushed on as hard as I could at that point. My choice to push interrupted P's rhythm quite badly and has helped prove that for LEJOG, we really need to ride at a steady pace throughout (averaging about 12.5 mph is the goal) the 70 miler was at just under 15mph average with some parts really pushed ...I knew the last stretch was the last stretch so I gave more than I really should and felt the effects after .
All in all, the actual ride went well.. we managed the 70 with no major aftereffects. The horrific weather and road conditions made it much harder than a sunny 70 or 80 (or 90) would have been.
With guests on Monday and yesterday being another wash out, we didn't ride again this weekend...aided by the fact that I pulled a muscle in my back on Monday (not cycling related).. which is annoying.
A good, but hard, training ride...all good stuff really...
The plan was to ride 40 miles then top up with bars and water and continue for another 30/40 depending on how we felt.
It drizzled...and drizzled and drizzled...the first 40 went pretty well, steady pace, once we got "a bit wet" then we settled in for the mileage. The climbs on the first loop went pretty well.. I'm getting happier and happier with my performance on most hills. I'll never be a mountain goat, but I'm not breathing through my...um... ears at the sight of the first speed bump any more. The roads were fairly quiet too.
The 40 miles brought us back to the house where we stopped and grabbed fresh bars, ate quickly and had a "natural break" and set off again... A few miles in the cloud cleared enough for the sun to peep through and I saw a clear crisp shadow of my front wheel on the road...I smiled...that was enough.... the cloud rolled in and it got darker...and darker.. around the 52 mile point, the heavens opened..so.. instead of the planned munchie stop we ploughed on to a petrol station (that had a shelter).. pushing just a little harder than we had been...standing water very quickly formed and the roads really got nasty. The rain was coming in really hard. making seeing the road ahead pretty difficult. When we stopped, the rain eased (obviously) and we set off after a quick snack (more Sponser bars... excellent and fast nutrition intake and uptake) . A little slower but still steady.
As we turned on the route, of course, we caught the top edge of the rain system again...knowing that as we circled back towards home, we'd plough right into it...and so we did...after a nervy ride down from Bramshill (the Wiggins Copse hill in reverse) we had decided that 70 in these conditions (basically, constant rain or drizzle the whole way) was enough...heading back towards the house, the weather really hit again..and even harder. I know that P was tiring a little, I was feeling hungry and wet but I pushed on as hard as I could at that point. My choice to push interrupted P's rhythm quite badly and has helped prove that for LEJOG, we really need to ride at a steady pace throughout (averaging about 12.5 mph is the goal) the 70 miler was at just under 15mph average with some parts really pushed ...I knew the last stretch was the last stretch so I gave more than I really should and felt the effects after .
All in all, the actual ride went well.. we managed the 70 with no major aftereffects. The horrific weather and road conditions made it much harder than a sunny 70 or 80 (or 90) would have been.
With guests on Monday and yesterday being another wash out, we didn't ride again this weekend...aided by the fact that I pulled a muscle in my back on Monday (not cycling related).. which is annoying.
A good, but hard, training ride...all good stuff really...
Thursday 31 May 2012
Update Time
In the last few weeks we've been riding when we can, I think I've added around another 90-100 miles in total.
Most of the last 7 days has been without rides as my Gran passed away and I've been back in Scotland for the funeral.
I got back on Tuesday and rode yesterday. 40 miles (hilly) at a steady pace. P did a good, hard effort on our 16 mile hilly loop, using it as an interval session on both some of the flat sections and hilly sections.
I'm pretty happy that we've finalised the kit design with James at Half Baked Brand He has been great and really quick to respond to any questions or concerns as we've gone through the design process. We should have the jerseys in a couple of weeks and the shorts to follow.
I'm also really glad that we've signed with SPONSER for our sports nutrition supply,They've been really supportive and helpful, with Shannon being a mine of information. and remember, If you order anything from them and use the code "ReSkill Ride" you get a 10% discount AND 5% of everything spent will be donated straight back to Project Mobility.
On Monday, P delivered an assembly to his school (he teaches) and Bruce from Project Mobility came down to help deliver the message.
The key thing here is that to open the Reskill Academy, the Project need £20,000 for the deposit on the building. Now, I don't for a second think we can raise that much. But I really want the ride to help as much as possible. So far we are around £600 all in.. I KNOW we can do better than this. please help where you can. The "Donate" button is just over there on the right.
The other benefit of Monday was a chance to discuss some of the pure logistical elements of the ride and I'm happier now (though I was away at the funeral) that we have the bulk of the issues in hand.
One of the things that has been suggested is that some of the guys that the project is helping come across and meet up with us on the ride. The obvious place would be at the end of Day 2 just north of Bristol.
It'd be great if we can get pull this together.
Long weekend ahead... bank holiday almost guarantees rain... so... looks like we will be getting wet then :)
C
Most of the last 7 days has been without rides as my Gran passed away and I've been back in Scotland for the funeral.
I got back on Tuesday and rode yesterday. 40 miles (hilly) at a steady pace. P did a good, hard effort on our 16 mile hilly loop, using it as an interval session on both some of the flat sections and hilly sections.
I'm pretty happy that we've finalised the kit design with James at Half Baked Brand He has been great and really quick to respond to any questions or concerns as we've gone through the design process. We should have the jerseys in a couple of weeks and the shorts to follow.
I'm also really glad that we've signed with SPONSER for our sports nutrition supply,They've been really supportive and helpful, with Shannon being a mine of information. and remember, If you order anything from them and use the code "ReSkill Ride" you get a 10% discount AND 5% of everything spent will be donated straight back to Project Mobility.
On Monday, P delivered an assembly to his school (he teaches) and Bruce from Project Mobility came down to help deliver the message.
The key thing here is that to open the Reskill Academy, the Project need £20,000 for the deposit on the building. Now, I don't for a second think we can raise that much. But I really want the ride to help as much as possible. So far we are around £600 all in.. I KNOW we can do better than this. please help where you can. The "Donate" button is just over there on the right.
The other benefit of Monday was a chance to discuss some of the pure logistical elements of the ride and I'm happier now (though I was away at the funeral) that we have the bulk of the issues in hand.
One of the things that has been suggested is that some of the guys that the project is helping come across and meet up with us on the ride. The obvious place would be at the end of Day 2 just north of Bristol.
It'd be great if we can get pull this together.
Long weekend ahead... bank holiday almost guarantees rain... so... looks like we will be getting wet then :)
C
Monday 14 May 2012
Another good 50
Sunday, glorious morning...
50 miles (reverse of the Beacon Hill route down through Aldershot) over 1000ft of climbing including ramps and long drags (the last 5 miles for example)
The ride felt great, knocked the average speed down a tiny bit (15mph for 50 miles) and could really feel the advantage of the training miles and climbing practice.
3 mechanicals, I shipped my chain on a roundabout (fixed almost straight away),
We had a problem with P's rear after Beacon Hill (replacement tube had pushed the bead up on to the rim) dropped the pressure, reseated the tyre and used my Lezyne Road Drive pump, with which I am really pretty impressed, to re inflate. Not quite track pump pressures, but good.
Stopped later to top up tyre and after having some issues getting the pump on, the centre of the valve stem blew out. Rather than fixing or checking, simply replaced the tube and rode on (I've fixed the stem for now, will pressure test it on a wheel later).
I felt really good all the way round, food and hydration seemed about right . I've started eating half of a Sponser High Energy Bar every 45 mins or so, I'm going to experiment with cutting them in half (still wrapped) pre-ride for ease of grabbing.
P rode pretty easily for most of the ride, really measured effort, and rather enjoyed the climbs.
Feeling tired this morning , but that's more about lack of sleep over the last week than anything else.
Total miles Sunday :50
Total miles since 1st May : 191.5
50 miles (reverse of the Beacon Hill route down through Aldershot) over 1000ft of climbing including ramps and long drags (the last 5 miles for example)
The ride felt great, knocked the average speed down a tiny bit (15mph for 50 miles) and could really feel the advantage of the training miles and climbing practice.
3 mechanicals, I shipped my chain on a roundabout (fixed almost straight away),
We had a problem with P's rear after Beacon Hill (replacement tube had pushed the bead up on to the rim) dropped the pressure, reseated the tyre and used my Lezyne Road Drive pump, with which I am really pretty impressed, to re inflate. Not quite track pump pressures, but good.
Stopped later to top up tyre and after having some issues getting the pump on, the centre of the valve stem blew out. Rather than fixing or checking, simply replaced the tube and rode on (I've fixed the stem for now, will pressure test it on a wheel later).
I felt really good all the way round, food and hydration seemed about right . I've started eating half of a Sponser High Energy Bar every 45 mins or so, I'm going to experiment with cutting them in half (still wrapped) pre-ride for ease of grabbing.
P rode pretty easily for most of the ride, really measured effort, and rather enjoyed the climbs.
Feeling tired this morning , but that's more about lack of sleep over the last week than anything else.
Total miles Sunday :50
Total miles since 1st May : 191.5
Monday 7 May 2012
Not a bad week
Another day, another ride.
P had to miss this due to a very early mechanical, I knew I needed to do "more than 25" miles. Set off into the rain on a long loop, rain got worse, I ploughed on, rain got less worse, I headed round.
First decision point at 30 miles to turn home (2 miles away) or turn onto another 10 mile loop to the south. South it was and the ride down to Farnborough and back up through Camberley was good (picking up a nice tail wind)
Second decision point at 41 miles to turn into our road or carry on straight for a 10 mile hilly loop. So…I carried on. the Broadmoor bypass is hard work, especially after 40 rainy miles, so I sat in and plodded my way up. The very last little ramp (2 miles from home) was steep and I simply could not climb "out of the saddle" I needed to have taken on more food. Climbed up this in the saddle and turned for the last 2 miles into the wind)
Total: 51.5 miles (wet)
Back to back yesterday and today: 91.5 miles
Total since Tuesday : 141.5 miles
Shoulders aching, lessons learned on feeding and a productive week for me.
And now…a couple of hours rest then off to teach people swordplay !
P had to miss this due to a very early mechanical, I knew I needed to do "more than 25" miles. Set off into the rain on a long loop, rain got worse, I ploughed on, rain got less worse, I headed round.
First decision point at 30 miles to turn home (2 miles away) or turn onto another 10 mile loop to the south. South it was and the ride down to Farnborough and back up through Camberley was good (picking up a nice tail wind)
Second decision point at 41 miles to turn into our road or carry on straight for a 10 mile hilly loop. So…I carried on. the Broadmoor bypass is hard work, especially after 40 rainy miles, so I sat in and plodded my way up. The very last little ramp (2 miles from home) was steep and I simply could not climb "out of the saddle" I needed to have taken on more food. Climbed up this in the saddle and turned for the last 2 miles into the wind)
Total: 51.5 miles (wet)
Back to back yesterday and today: 91.5 miles
Total since Tuesday : 141.5 miles
Shoulders aching, lessons learned on feeding and a productive week for me.
And now…a couple of hours rest then off to teach people swordplay !
Sunday 6 May 2012
This week - getting into a training rythym
I'm rather tired tonight :)
It's been a busy week with the Sponser announcment and getting the last logos and sizing info sorted for the ride kit.
From a training and activity point of view, from last Saturday it has looked a little like this:
Saturday : 3 hours Taiko practice
Sunday : Hard turbo session courtesy of 3LC (Time Trial DVD - constant hard efforts)
Monday : Work, then teaching at the School of the Sword.
Tuesday : Work, then 25 mile ride.(rolling/hilly)
Wednesday : Work, then 15 mile ride (new loop, discovering a rather nasty little hill)
Thursday : Work, then teaching at the School of the Sword (including 2 rather enjoyable bouts)
Friday : Work , then 10 mile ride (flat)
Saturday : Taiko - 6 hours of practice (3 hr class then a group practice).
Sunday : 40 mile ride.
This makes my mileage for the week 90, (with more planned tomorrow, one hopes)
The taiko session has left me with a rather sore left quad and arms (taiko is played in a "lunge" type stance so the left thigh takes a fair hit). The only real impact on the ride today was when climbing the viscious little ramp up towards Heckfield (by Wiggins Copse, seriously) my first "out of the saddle" effort rather collapsed, So I sat in and rode the climb in the saddle. later standing efforts went better.
Minor tweak on my right Achilles tendon, also from Taiko, which was a "niggle" today more than a problem.
Really impressed with the Sponser products I've been using all week though tonight, as I said, I am really rather tired.
It's been a busy week with the Sponser announcment and getting the last logos and sizing info sorted for the ride kit.
From a training and activity point of view, from last Saturday it has looked a little like this:
Saturday : 3 hours Taiko practice
Sunday : Hard turbo session courtesy of 3LC (Time Trial DVD - constant hard efforts)
Monday : Work, then teaching at the School of the Sword.
Tuesday : Work, then 25 mile ride.(rolling/hilly)
Wednesday : Work, then 15 mile ride (new loop, discovering a rather nasty little hill)
Thursday : Work, then teaching at the School of the Sword (including 2 rather enjoyable bouts)
Friday : Work , then 10 mile ride (flat)
Saturday : Taiko - 6 hours of practice (3 hr class then a group practice).
Sunday : 40 mile ride.
This makes my mileage for the week 90, (with more planned tomorrow, one hopes)
The taiko session has left me with a rather sore left quad and arms (taiko is played in a "lunge" type stance so the left thigh takes a fair hit). The only real impact on the ride today was when climbing the viscious little ramp up towards Heckfield (by Wiggins Copse, seriously) my first "out of the saddle" effort rather collapsed, So I sat in and rode the climb in the saddle. later standing efforts went better.
Minor tweak on my right Achilles tendon, also from Taiko, which was a "niggle" today more than a problem.
Really impressed with the Sponser products I've been using all week though tonight, as I said, I am really rather tired.
Wednesday 2 May 2012
Sponser UK providing our Sports Nutrition support
I am really proud to announce that the Swiss sports nutrition supplier Sponser have agreed to provide full sports nutrition support to our ride in August
Having tried sports nutrition products from many suppliers over the last couple of years I was really interested when I heard about Sponser on the Velocast podcast and tried their sample pack.
The main things I noticed quickly were that none of their products are heavy or unchewable and the flavours are subtle and not overpowering like some of their competitors.
The gels (Liquid Energy and Liquid Energy Plus) come in really neat,2 serving tubes with re-sealable lids. Anyone who uses gels whilst riding will know the problems of waste gel wrappers and hot jersey pockets. Sponser make this a thing of the past.
The staff at Sponser have been really helpful so far, and we look forward to planning out our nutrition strategy for training and the ride itself.
But there is more.
By getting YOUR sports nutrition supplies from Sponser UK online and using the code "Reskill Ride" you will not only get 10% off of your order (on anything other than the sample pack, which is already discounted) but each quarter 5% of the total spent with this code will be passed back to us for the Project Mobility fundraising.
Sponser offer this type of scheme to British Cycling registered clubs too, and knowing that we are dealing with a company providing great products and real support to grass roots cycling in the UK makes me really proud to be involved with them .
Having tried sports nutrition products from many suppliers over the last couple of years I was really interested when I heard about Sponser on the Velocast podcast and tried their sample pack.
The main things I noticed quickly were that none of their products are heavy or unchewable and the flavours are subtle and not overpowering like some of their competitors.
The gels (Liquid Energy and Liquid Energy Plus) come in really neat,2 serving tubes with re-sealable lids. Anyone who uses gels whilst riding will know the problems of waste gel wrappers and hot jersey pockets. Sponser make this a thing of the past.
The staff at Sponser have been really helpful so far, and we look forward to planning out our nutrition strategy for training and the ride itself.
But there is more.
By getting YOUR sports nutrition supplies from Sponser UK online and using the code "Reskill Ride" you will not only get 10% off of your order (on anything other than the sample pack, which is already discounted) but each quarter 5% of the total spent with this code will be passed back to us for the Project Mobility fundraising.
Sponser offer this type of scheme to British Cycling registered clubs too, and knowing that we are dealing with a company providing great products and real support to grass roots cycling in the UK makes me really proud to be involved with them .
Tuesday 1 May 2012
Food for more than thought
I've just had an email from a leading sports nutrition company offering full nutritional support for our ride.
This is both brilliant news and a huge help logistically.
Stay tuned for the official announcement soon.
C
This is both brilliant news and a huge help logistically.
Stay tuned for the official announcement soon.
C
Monday 16 April 2012
The benefit of social media
If you are reading this particular entry, there is a good chance you came here after seeing our ride mentioned in a Retweet on Twitter..
For me,as a returning hobbyist cyclist, it's a real honour to have our ride promoted by cycle equipment companies like Prendas (@prendas), teams like Matrix (@onthedrops) , Team DS (and commentator and all round nice bloke of Scottish Cycling) Brian Smith (@BriSmithy) and elite riders like Lizzie Armitstead (@L_ArmiTstead) and Ted King (@IamTedKing)..
Thank you all. your support is really appreciated.
Please keep reading, donating, following (@swordpanda) and Retweeting...
C
For me,as a returning hobbyist cyclist, it's a real honour to have our ride promoted by cycle equipment companies like Prendas (@prendas), teams like Matrix (@onthedrops) , Team DS (and commentator and all round nice bloke of Scottish Cycling) Brian Smith (@BriSmithy) and elite riders like Lizzie Armitstead (@L_ArmiTstead) and Ted King (@IamTedKing)..
Thank you all. your support is really appreciated.
Please keep reading, donating, following (@swordpanda) and Retweeting...
C
Sunday 1 April 2012
Update - "And I would ride 100 miles"
At least, I would have had my knees been OK , more of which later...
The lighter nights now mean that we can squeeze in rides after work. On Friday, I went round our local 10 mile "hilly" loop at a steady average of just over 16 mph.
On Saturday, we planned to do another "50", this time over a new route, looping north past Wokingham then south to Hook and Aldershot before heading north again. To mirror what we are planning to do on the ride itself, we planned to stop at 25 miles to fill up bottles and eat.
The ride went well, with no major problems other than my inability to ride Beacon Hill (past Farnham) at anything other than a crawl. but I DID ride it, without stopping. The same goes for the following climb up to Aldershot.
The ride, including stops, took us around 3 hrs 50 minutes with a rough average speed of 15mph.
Initially we planned to repeat this on Sunday, but on Saturday evening I had problems with my knees leading to fitful sleep and a decision to reduce today's ride to our smaller 26 mile loop (see the Check Test Ride post from the 19th March). The weather was glorious and the ride was good , despite my knees, and the two hills went even better than on the 19th again.
Total for the weekend for me 86miles, for Phil 76 miles (though he will get more riding in this week, more than making up any difference).
Feeling a little tired and stiff, but I'm happy with where we are at the moment and I have "a plan" of where we need to be each month as we get closer to the ride itself.
The lighter nights now mean that we can squeeze in rides after work. On Friday, I went round our local 10 mile "hilly" loop at a steady average of just over 16 mph.
On Saturday, we planned to do another "50", this time over a new route, looping north past Wokingham then south to Hook and Aldershot before heading north again. To mirror what we are planning to do on the ride itself, we planned to stop at 25 miles to fill up bottles and eat.
The ride went well, with no major problems other than my inability to ride Beacon Hill (past Farnham) at anything other than a crawl. but I DID ride it, without stopping. The same goes for the following climb up to Aldershot.
The ride, including stops, took us around 3 hrs 50 minutes with a rough average speed of 15mph.
Initially we planned to repeat this on Sunday, but on Saturday evening I had problems with my knees leading to fitful sleep and a decision to reduce today's ride to our smaller 26 mile loop (see the Check Test Ride post from the 19th March). The weather was glorious and the ride was good , despite my knees, and the two hills went even better than on the 19th again.
Total for the weekend for me 86miles, for Phil 76 miles (though he will get more riding in this week, more than making up any difference).
Feeling a little tired and stiff, but I'm happy with where we are at the moment and I have "a plan" of where we need to be each month as we get closer to the ride itself.
Charity Announcement
It's taken just a little longer to sort things than I hinted at the other week, but as you will no doubt see from the changes to the site, we are proud to announce that we are doing the ride in aid of:
Some of you may remember seeing these guys on Top Gear last year running a rally car for, and maintained by, disabled servicemen. At this time Phil and I were starting to discuss the idea of doing a ride like this and this organisation seemed to be the perfect fit.
Money raised will go towards supporting the Reskill Academy project, setting up a purpose built site where injured service personnel could learn useful skills maintaining and adapting off-road vehicles, as part of their structured rehabilitation programme.
The vehicles can then be used for Project Overland : providing fully tailored off-road safaris for those injured or disabled.
Project Mobility's third stream is the plan to enter a fully disabled rally team in the gruelling Dakar rally (Project staff and vehicles have recently supported rally car builder Bowler in the Tuareg Rally in North Africa)
To find our more about Project Mobility click here
If you wish make a donation in support of us on the ride and help a very deserving cause. please use the button on the right or go to our CharityGiving page and give what you can.
All monies donated are eligable for gift aid (for UK taxpayers) and will go to the charity
We are funding the logistics of the ride ourselves, along with the wonderfully generous offer of a Project support vehicle and drivers to back us up on the ride.
Thank you.
Money raised will go towards supporting the Reskill Academy project, setting up a purpose built site where injured service personnel could learn useful skills maintaining and adapting off-road vehicles, as part of their structured rehabilitation programme.
The vehicles can then be used for Project Overland : providing fully tailored off-road safaris for those injured or disabled.
Project Mobility's third stream is the plan to enter a fully disabled rally team in the gruelling Dakar rally (Project staff and vehicles have recently supported rally car builder Bowler in the Tuareg Rally in North Africa)
To find our more about Project Mobility click here
If you wish make a donation in support of us on the ride and help a very deserving cause. please use the button on the right or go to our CharityGiving page and give what you can.
All monies donated are eligable for gift aid (for UK taxpayers) and will go to the charity
We are funding the logistics of the ride ourselves, along with the wonderfully generous offer of a Project support vehicle and drivers to back us up on the ride.
Thank you.
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Route Planning
Tonight we sat down and went through the basic skeleton route I'd created , finding the actual splits and making decisions on which of the "options" I'd hit that we would take. This brings us to the following outline route (mileage figures are approximate and rounded for now):
Day 1 - Lands End to Okehampton (A30) 100 miles
Day 2 - Okehampton to Alveston (A30 to Exeter - A38) 114 miles
Day 3 - Alveston to Whitchurch (A38 - A417 - A49) 122 miles
Day 4 - Whitchurch to Kendal (A49 - A6) 107 miles
Day 5 - Kendal to Abington (A6 - B7076) 103 miles
Day 6 - Abington to Pitlochry (A73 - A706 - A9) 108 miles
Day 7 - Pitlochry to Dingwall (A9) 100 miles
Day 8 - Dingwall to John O'Groats (A9-A99) 107 miles
Giving a rough total of 861 miles
There are some "interesting" profile details (I'm liking the 20 mile, flat , sea level stretch on Day 2 myself)
This means that P can book the accomodation over his easter break.
Day 1 - Lands End to Okehampton (A30) 100 miles
Day 2 - Okehampton to Alveston (A30 to Exeter - A38) 114 miles
Day 3 - Alveston to Whitchurch (A38 - A417 - A49) 122 miles
Day 4 - Whitchurch to Kendal (A49 - A6) 107 miles
Day 5 - Kendal to Abington (A6 - B7076) 103 miles
Day 6 - Abington to Pitlochry (A73 - A706 - A9) 108 miles
Day 7 - Pitlochry to Dingwall (A9) 100 miles
Day 8 - Dingwall to John O'Groats (A9-A99) 107 miles
Giving a rough total of 861 miles
There are some "interesting" profile details (I'm liking the 20 mile, flat , sea level stretch on Day 2 myself)
This means that P can book the accomodation over his easter break.
Monday 19 March 2012
Check Test Ride
On Friday night we took my bike to our trusty Local Bike Shop (thanks again Dave at Cyclezone) and did a proper setup check to try and address the "contact patch" issues I'd been having.
Changed and checked saddle angle, fore and aft position and a new stem (20mm shorter) all done and felt good on the turbo.
Rode out yesterday (solo as P had a mechanical just before we were leaving) on a 27 mile loop that we've used before. looping out past Bramshill, down to Fleet, round Farnborough and back via Frimley and Camberley. There are 2 notable hills, from Eversley the road rises gently towards Heckfield Heath with the last km ramping up consistenly, with the last 50 or so metres up to the junction being rather steep. then the road drops for 500m then another 1km climb.
The last time we rode this way I struggled on both, yesterday I managed both without stopping (quick breather after the first ramp) and specifically the longer one went well (it also ramps up in the last 200m)
On the whole, the ride went well, not fast, it was never supposed to be, but steady and a LOT more comfortable than I have been.
I'm also improving my pedal stroke, clearly evidenced by the fact that my quads are a little achy today. Out of the saddle climbing is starting to feel a little more natural again too (remember that I used to ride a LOT 20 years and several stone ago. though I'm now nearly 2 stone lighter than when I started road riding again last May). I also felt really good at the end despite a lack of sleep (late night and an early F1 GP), and really ropey nutrition on the Saturday (I really didn't eat enough at all for a number of reasons).
More chat with the charity and we appear to have arranged support drivers and a vehicle (this is a surprise as we had planned to use our trusty Freelander) and a couple of "training days" with them.
I am hoping to sit down on Tuseday/Wednesday and put together the announcement proper. I'm also going to start firming up the actual route this week.
5 months to go...
Changed and checked saddle angle, fore and aft position and a new stem (20mm shorter) all done and felt good on the turbo.
Rode out yesterday (solo as P had a mechanical just before we were leaving) on a 27 mile loop that we've used before. looping out past Bramshill, down to Fleet, round Farnborough and back via Frimley and Camberley. There are 2 notable hills, from Eversley the road rises gently towards Heckfield Heath with the last km ramping up consistenly, with the last 50 or so metres up to the junction being rather steep. then the road drops for 500m then another 1km climb.
The last time we rode this way I struggled on both, yesterday I managed both without stopping (quick breather after the first ramp) and specifically the longer one went well (it also ramps up in the last 200m)
On the whole, the ride went well, not fast, it was never supposed to be, but steady and a LOT more comfortable than I have been.
I'm also improving my pedal stroke, clearly evidenced by the fact that my quads are a little achy today. Out of the saddle climbing is starting to feel a little more natural again too (remember that I used to ride a LOT 20 years and several stone ago. though I'm now nearly 2 stone lighter than when I started road riding again last May). I also felt really good at the end despite a lack of sleep (late night and an early F1 GP), and really ropey nutrition on the Saturday (I really didn't eat enough at all for a number of reasons).
More chat with the charity and we appear to have arranged support drivers and a vehicle (this is a surprise as we had planned to use our trusty Freelander) and a couple of "training days" with them.
I am hoping to sit down on Tuseday/Wednesday and put together the announcement proper. I'm also going to start firming up the actual route this week.
5 months to go...
Monday 20 February 2012
Benchmark Training Ride - the first "50"
On Sunday we did our first 50 mile ride.
The route was planned to go along the A30 towards Virginia Water and then drop off to Chertsey, Sunbury and Kingston so that we could pop into the Specialized Concept Store and Sigma Sport.
The profile was interesting, the first couple of miles took us to the highest point and from then it was mostly rolling up and down with a down bias until we reached Chertesy. The route from there to Kingston and back is , basically , flat.
Interesting trip out, linked up with a couple of riders around Shepperton and then I went a little hard on the front for several miles (mental note - don't do this on distance training rides, you idiot). A little shopping (overshoes, rain capes) and a nibble later and we headed back.
The wind (now a cross/head) had got up a bit and kept the temperature and speed down.
Climbing up through Virginia Water back to the A30 was pretty easy, but then the return to the highest point (just outside Camberley) was basically 10 miles of "up"...was just about managing until the climb out of Bagshot, where I had to climb off for a few mintues and some energy chews before tackling the last ramp to Camberley.
Having got over that, I got back into some rythym and the last 3 miles home were fine.
P managed fine the whole way round, I am the weak link when the road goes up.
This is being compounded with "contact patch" issues on my behalf.. not sure which of Saddle angle, bike setup, clothing, position etc are to blame, but OWWWW... the constant shifting to support this was tiring me out, with that and the last 16 or so miles basically being uphill, I found I was no longer responding with the bike and any bumps were catching me out and bouncing me into the saddle.
This is the main reason that my shoulders and neck hurt today as I was so tense trying NOT to get bounced. So...yeah...made 51 miles intact (mostly)..this was, for us, a benchmarking test as it's the longest we've ridden together and also the first real ride on the Roubaix (a.k.a "Michelle") and the Synapse (a.k.a "not named yet", but sworn "at" a bit)..
On the whole, we think the ride was a success and gives us a marker of where we are with 6 months to go.. much to work on..but ....well....if it was easy...etc....
The route was planned to go along the A30 towards Virginia Water and then drop off to Chertsey, Sunbury and Kingston so that we could pop into the Specialized Concept Store and Sigma Sport.
The profile was interesting, the first couple of miles took us to the highest point and from then it was mostly rolling up and down with a down bias until we reached Chertesy. The route from there to Kingston and back is , basically , flat.
Interesting trip out, linked up with a couple of riders around Shepperton and then I went a little hard on the front for several miles (mental note - don't do this on distance training rides, you idiot). A little shopping (overshoes, rain capes) and a nibble later and we headed back.
The wind (now a cross/head) had got up a bit and kept the temperature and speed down.
Climbing up through Virginia Water back to the A30 was pretty easy, but then the return to the highest point (just outside Camberley) was basically 10 miles of "up"...was just about managing until the climb out of Bagshot, where I had to climb off for a few mintues and some energy chews before tackling the last ramp to Camberley.
Having got over that, I got back into some rythym and the last 3 miles home were fine.
P managed fine the whole way round, I am the weak link when the road goes up.
This is being compounded with "contact patch" issues on my behalf.. not sure which of Saddle angle, bike setup, clothing, position etc are to blame, but OWWWW... the constant shifting to support this was tiring me out, with that and the last 16 or so miles basically being uphill, I found I was no longer responding with the bike and any bumps were catching me out and bouncing me into the saddle.
This is the main reason that my shoulders and neck hurt today as I was so tense trying NOT to get bounced. So...yeah...made 51 miles intact (mostly)..this was, for us, a benchmarking test as it's the longest we've ridden together and also the first real ride on the Roubaix (a.k.a "Michelle") and the Synapse (a.k.a "not named yet", but sworn "at" a bit)..
On the whole, we think the ride was a success and gives us a marker of where we are with 6 months to go.. much to work on..but ....well....if it was easy...etc....
Thursday 16 February 2012
Bike Update
Things are a little quiet on the discussions and planning with the charity front at the moment. so..
We now have both bikes and they have been serviced by our trusty local bike shop (thanks to Dave @ Cyclezone in Crowthorne).
Currently I've only had a brief (10 miles at 0 to -1 degree temperatures) check ride on mine plus a couple of turbo sessions. P has an additional road test under his belt and they are feeling good.
Mine - 2011 Cannondale Synapse 5 Carbon -105..
Sweet looking, light , nimble and comfortable (SAVE micro suspension)..really liking the direct response when I push the pedals harder.
P - 2008 Specialized S-Works Roubaix - DuraAce
Second hand find. Ridiculously light and nimble, and as close to a pro team race bike as we are gonna get (saying this, I know Liquigas have used the Synapse in Paris-Roubaix rather than their normal SuperSix). It really is a nice bike.
Hoping for a longer ride out this Sunday.
No doubt pics will follow at some point..
Oh. and my 2011 Ridley EOS is now up on Ebay...if anyone is interested in a good 58cm sportive/winter bike...have a look http://tinyurl.com/7lgls9m
We now have both bikes and they have been serviced by our trusty local bike shop (thanks to Dave @ Cyclezone in Crowthorne).
Currently I've only had a brief (10 miles at 0 to -1 degree temperatures) check ride on mine plus a couple of turbo sessions. P has an additional road test under his belt and they are feeling good.
Mine - 2011 Cannondale Synapse 5 Carbon -105..
Sweet looking, light , nimble and comfortable (SAVE micro suspension)..really liking the direct response when I push the pedals harder.
P - 2008 Specialized S-Works Roubaix - DuraAce
Second hand find. Ridiculously light and nimble, and as close to a pro team race bike as we are gonna get (saying this, I know Liquigas have used the Synapse in Paris-Roubaix rather than their normal SuperSix). It really is a nice bike.
Hoping for a longer ride out this Sunday.
No doubt pics will follow at some point..
Oh. and my 2011 Ridley EOS is now up on Ebay...if anyone is interested in a good 58cm sportive/winter bike...have a look http://tinyurl.com/7lgls9m
Edit - the Ridley has now been sold - Edit
Thursday 2 February 2012
Good News
Today is a good day on the project..
Last night I collected and assembled my "ride" bike - a 2011 Cannondale Synapse Carbon 105 and this morning I've had an email from the charity with which we hope to work which looks like it sorts our biggest worry in planning this...more info to follow when we announce the charity etc in the coming months.
Should be picking up P's "ride" bike on Saturday too....
Last night I collected and assembled my "ride" bike - a 2011 Cannondale Synapse Carbon 105 and this morning I've had an email from the charity with which we hope to work which looks like it sorts our biggest worry in planning this...more info to follow when we announce the charity etc in the coming months.
Should be picking up P's "ride" bike on Saturday too....
Tuesday 31 January 2012
Welcome
It's official then, having announced our intention to ride the "end to end" , Lands' End to John O'Groats, It must be time to set up the obligatory blog...so here it is...
2 people, one fairly new to cycling and one a returning "veteran" (I know... but... over 40 means in cycling terms, at least for things like time trials, I'm a veteran) , two road bikes, one car (and driver or drivers... more of which later ) and approximately 900 miles of the British road network...(oh yeah..and 8 days to do it)
I hope to detail the run up, the training and the ride itself on this blog.. Can't promise excitement, but I do promise that we WILL do this.
2 people, one fairly new to cycling and one a returning "veteran" (I know... but... over 40 means in cycling terms, at least for things like time trials, I'm a veteran) , two road bikes, one car (and driver or drivers... more of which later ) and approximately 900 miles of the British road network...(oh yeah..and 8 days to do it)
I hope to detail the run up, the training and the ride itself on this blog.. Can't promise excitement, but I do promise that we WILL do this.
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