This is my experience over the year as I build up towards the challenge of a lifetime in aid of East Cheshire Hospice and The Christie charity! I will be cycling From London to Newcastle (310 Miles) in 24 hours
.
It's all about the ups and downs!!!
So last Saturday morning I dragged myself out of bed in the wee small hours (well 5am.) covered myself in bum cream (it helps prevent saddle sore) and headed out to Newcastle.
I couldn't believe in a way that I was actually going to do it.
All I had on me was three bottles of energy drink. some gels and bits of food. My rain jacket and my mobile phone. That being my primary navigation aid as I had uploaded my route onto my phone. I did realise this wouldn't last the whole day so I even took an external battery that I had just purchased to boost it up!
So out I went out of Hyde through Stalybridge out the other side and on towards Saddleworth Moore.
To give you an idea of the hill I was going up at this point it crosses the highest motorway in England (M62) at the highest point! Hmm that warmed the legs up a bit!
After that I descended into Sowerby Bridge and set off towards Halifax. I was reminiscing on the way as I grew up in this area and at least though I knew the roads well.
Onwards up and over I cycled as I made my way down the steep valleys and up the long hills of the Calderdale area. Then North out towards Keighley and TDF country!
I didn't know it when I was planning the route I was to be riding on but a good few miles of my ride would be on the now famous roads the Tour de France's Grand Depart around Yorkshire went on last month. It was actually really nice to see that all the small villages had obviously taken cycling to heart. People waved and said hello to me as I cycled down these leafy lanes. As I admired the wonderful countryside, the landscape was dotted with Yellow bikes and signs of cyclist friendly community everywhere. I was happy and relaxed. As the miles rolled by and the hills got steeper I hardly noticed. It was really such a nice place to be!
Past Bolton Abbey I went as I climbed the backbone of Britain. Through Barden then up and over past Stump Cross Caverns. I was luck y with the weather so far as I was getting a bit of a push from the wind, the rain was just minor little showers and when it was sunny it was really very nice indeed!
I dropped down into Nidderdale, then on towards Marsham and headed up to Leeming Bar where I would cross the A1(M) for the first time. I was feeling a bit peckish as I reached Northallerton so I stopped at a shop. Locked up the bike and then quickly rushed in to buy some food and drink to keep me going.
I was doing this without support remember so I had to carry everything, food, water, spares, the works!
A sausage role half a pack of wine gums and a bottle of energy drink later I was all ready to hit the road. Northwards I went, heading down little country lanes. my only company the cows that always give you the "Are you mental?" Mooo! and the occasional tractor/farmers LandRover speeding along. Can make your hear stop sometimes, but generally I saw very little in the way off traffic and people and I rode my way through little country villages. It was really nice again and I was also making good progress. Sometimes I got a bit carried away and took the odd wrong turn or two! I was regularly checking my map on my phone and keeping an eye on the battery as I knew I would have to plug it in at some point soon.
As I passed through Yarm I could see black clouds forming on the horizon then Finally as I reached Sedgefield it began to rain with vigour!..... and cats, dogs, small rodents and everything else it seemed that I could think of that could describe how heavily it rained. I actually had to stop a number of times as I couldn't see. Rain water was getting in my eyes so much that they stung and my vision blurred! Probably pollution or sweat of my head, either way may pace dropped right down and my phone chose this as the best point to pack in.
Now with only a vague idea of the direction I was to be heading in I rode blindly towards Durham. The rain held off for a brief 20 ish minutes. Just enough time for me to blunder through Durham with still no idea and head out on the wrong road not entirely towards Newcastle!
As I found myself crossing the A1 again and heading towards Sunderland I finally caved and stopped to buy a map from a Garage. Back on track, all be on a dual carriageway where I really didn't want to be I headed up the A690. Cars screaming past at 70 + Mph I was not doing anything illegal by being there (it is still an A road) however I really wanted to get off the road at the earliest opportunity. Finally just as I got to Houghton-le-spring I turned onto a nice quiet B road and breathed a sigh of relief.
I headed through Birtley and on towards Gateshead giving a wave to the Angel of the North as I past her. I only wish I had taken my camera.
Legs numb and my body tired I continued on to the Tyne bridge (I think) A167 only to realise that having come this far I actually had no idea where my sister in laws house actually was and what the landmarks near it are!
Now it was real guess work time and attempting to navigate on a map of the scale you get in a UK road atlas (pocket edition) was proving impossible! Finally, after getting all the way to Biker (yes the irony a cyclist stuck in Biker) I found a pay phone and phoned the wife to get rescued. Once I described where I was she knew the place. It was about 1 1/2 miles from the house and I had no idea. Literally just around the corner!
After just over 12 hours and 155 miles I was in surprisingly good shape! I wasn't sore in the bum department, my legs did ache but I hadn't overly stressed them. I was a bit annoyed that I hadn't made it all the way to the door and that my phone had run out. My own fault really for not taking a good old paper map for a journey of such a distance. A bit pee'd off that my Strava only recorded 138 miles of it too. But I made it and that is what counts!
Now its the countdown to the big ride on the 29/30th of this month. I am worried as I know it will hurt. however I am looking forward to what will be a great adventure and something to be proud of.
Don't forget you can sponsor me through the link on this page (top right).
Well technically it was in the past 30 (ish) days as the World Corporate games this year for the UK event was being held in Liverpool. Of course being a keen cyclist and one of only a few within the company that has taken part in any kind of racing I was really excited and proud to be selected to go. As a company, Swinton Insurance had 88 competitors in various events ranging from Dragon Boat racing, open water swimming and Poker playing to 5 and 6 a side foot ball, table tennis, running and not forgetting hockey.
It was certainly a good weekend and a very hard race for me too.
I arrived late on Friday night after finishing work cycling home and packing all my kit into the car for the long drag over to Liverpool.
To my surprise the hotel the company had booked us all into was actually very nice and I even had a room to myself. This did help also as I had my bike and lots of gear with me so took up loads of space.
On the Saturday I went to watch the Dragon Boat racers have fun literally making a splash down at the docks. I also just spent the day chilling out and relaxing with a little 30 minute workout to ensure my legs were in order for the race.
What I should have really done ( and intend to do next year) is take part in the Time Trial event on the Saturday and then the road race on the Sunday, Oh well, lesson learnt on that one.
Sunday morning came and I was up bright and early for a good hearty breakfast, then made sure I had all my kit together and around 11 made my way back to my car.
Little did I know that Aintree race course had a race circuit. It's a very big and wide track and is even used for motor racing. One of the organisers let us know that one year (sometime in the 50's) it was even used for the F1 Grand Prix! Impressive stuff. However today not many of us would be getting to much above 30mph (50kph) never mind the kinds of speeds you would see in a motor race.
Unlike the Saturday, the Sunday was red hot and a little breezy too. This would hurt a great many people in the race as we were to find out shortly. Turning up early gave me plenty of time to prepare. I made sure my bike was in good working order. I had my phone with me (because if it's not on Strava, it hasn't happened!) had a nice easy run around a few laps and then finally lined up for the start!
About 20 racers in the race I was in started, however ahead of us were about another 100 cyclists of varying abilities and experience. Now I am not saying that was a bad thing as a lot of them were doing this for the first time and had never raced. Most had taken part in a few sportives. One chap I spoke too had only just bought a mountain bike the week before and didn't even cycle to work. So it was going to be carnage! Thankfully it was a big track and we knew who too and how too avoid when we set out at race speed.
And on the whistle GO!
From the very first moment the pace ramped up and we could tell the mix of rider classes throughout the racing field. Cat 4 rider like me got dropped straight away! then the cat 3's, 2's and 1's all seperated out into there own ability groups and various speeds. It was really impressive to see the really fast cat 1 guys go at it, but the rest of us had no chance.
The open air cooker...
As previously mentioned it was a bit hot. When you turned down wind you baked in the heat and on the long (it did seem to go on forever!) back straight, we were into wind on a very gentle incline and it hurt. I saw lots of the less experienced cyclists just drop out and call it a day after a few laps. The race as supposed to be 50 km (20 miles) or 18 laps. I managed about 10 laps at race speed before I felt like I was going to puke then decided to slow down and not totally kill myself as the cat 1 missiles came past me like I was stood still. In all I did 16 laps before the race was finished so they lapped me twice (I think).
I did manage to keep up with most of the riders in my category range and haed great fun with a sprint finish to round it all off with.
This was to be my last planned road race of the season as I not have a far bigger fish to fry.
LE TOUR DE FRANCE
No I wasn't going to be taking part in it but I was going out to watch it.
An old work mate an d cycling friend headed up to Holme Moss very early on Sunday morning to see Stage 2 of Le Tour come right through the area we live in.
The party atmosphere was tremendous. Even by 10am when we arrived it was really busy. The best thing was that no cars meant everyone could safely use the roads. Thousands had made there way up the hill on foot or by bike. Some had camped up on the top to ensure they got the top spot and as the commentators described it, it looked like a refugee camp.
The reality on the ground was so much better!
However once the riders arrived the place just erupted and the crowds really did go wild!!
It was certainly a great day out and the best party ever on the top of the hill!
Next came my first (and only) Time Trial this year.
It's one of the old "secret" race type TT courses back when road racing in Britain was banned and the only way cyclist could compete was to do it on the quiet by riding a minute apart but still against the clock!
The course started up hill, and continued up hill until your lungs burst and legs drop off.
After a steep and fast descent it is back up hill again to the end of the valley. Now simple physics would say if you have gone uphill to get somewhere and you just simply turn around 180 degrees then it will be downhill on the way back. Nobody mentioned the laws of physics when they designed this course so it is uphill (or that's what it felt like) in both directions! It was so much fun though despite the pouring rain and tired legs from commuting all week. I covered the 9 miles in 28 minutes. Not a world beating time and really no where near the best time going, however when I do it again next year I will be aiming to smash it!
Have a look here for my route I took to ride the final TT of the season. Now that s my racing finished with for the year... Probably!
