Small world Big ride

There I was last night saying I don’t know the guys who I’m riding with and then this morning Beth’s dad gives me a story from the Kenilworth Weekly News about Werner! It turns out he is an alumni of Warwick Uni, as am I. This led me to his website http://www.end2end.co.nr/ which has told me as much as I need to know about him. It turns out he lived in Kenilworth whilst studying at Warwick. Sadly for me, I also learnt that he, along with John the other rider, is half my age, so I risk a) being left behind and b) becoming some sort of father figure. How scary is that (for them I mean)? Young at heart….

(For our overseas readers: Kenilworth is the next town to Warwick, with a crappy castle because they were on the wrong side in the English Civil War and it got mashed by Cromwell – see previous blog entries on Edge Hill and Naseby).

I must be getting carried away – I’m referencing my own blog!

Another day nearer

Not much to say today, but I want to share the excitement. I'm itching to get on the road. There are so many unknowns despite all the planning. I have route maps, route notes, hotels booked, have to remember to take everything. And don't forget I haven't even met the people I'm going to spend 12 days in close proximity with. What if we hate each other! I'm sure we'll bond whilst watching each other's lycra bound backsides bounce up and down in front of each other.

I started checking the long range weather forecast today. I don't know why. Its a British thing. I can't control the weather, but then its no different to plotting out the route so I can see the profiles each day (although day 12 looks gratifyingly easy, you can see it and the other 11 days here: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-kingdom/kyle-of-tongue/1080390135 ), its not as if I can move a hill because it looks a bit tricky on the map. Its there to be conquered.

One thing I do want to do is thank Dave Thomas. Dave long ago entered Morris family lore as a gift to mankind sent by some celestial body to make all our lives easier. In attempting to bully him into sponsoring me, we got talking about charity wrist bands (because I was boasting about the Livestrong band personally given to me by Lance Armstrong, well actually personally given to Bryan Gumm who carried it across the Atlantic and gave it to me, but it was still in the bag, so it kinda counts - I thought I might scrape some DNA from the bag and merge it with my own to make a kind of hybrid Lance Armscraig but I might get Bryan's instead and become Craig Morgumm, not that that's a bad thing but you get my point), anyway, Dave volunteered to sell some FSID bands to raise money for me. So 100

bands were duly delivered from the back of an FSID cupboard where they were quietly resting and Dave has the challenge of selling them all to raise £100. I know he'll do it (well he's got to now, the whole world will read this blog and be waiting in expectation for me to proclaim his victory - or shame).

Enough dribble, I did spin today and a few weights. Its not the same as being out in the fresh air but its a good intense workout. I can't wait to pit myself against the British countryside. We pass through England, Wales and Scotland en route. I've just watched Robbie Coltrane (who I once had a drink with in a pub in Clerkenwell) in his travelogue of Britain, pass through Dumfries, where we'll be going. The scenery there is fantastic I've mountain biked a few times up there. I'll try and post pictures if I can get a decent wifi connection, here's one of Birdy from last time we did a MTB road trip. This is Kirroughtree, one of the 7 Stanes http://www.7stanes.gov.uk/.

Exultant

I feel good tonight. After work I picked up my new mountain bike, an Orange G2 with Rock Shox Tora forks, Deore components and Hayes disc brakes front and back - and its British! £700 worth of hardtail MTB for £280 through the cycle to work scheme. Sweet:

"Cross Country is where it all began. Giving riders the opportunity to go beyond roads and experience new places in nature where no one else goes. It is a test of endurance and technical skills where one must climb up steep hills and descend down narrow trails through wandering trees and over rocks. Giving one an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and excitement with one simple ride."

Which is pretty much how I feel now, but I haven't been off road. I didn't get on the bike until 6:20 and it was already gloomy. I don't have lights on my road bike because a) they add weight b) I don't ride in the dark and c) they're a bit girly, so I cut my ride shorter than planned. Still, I managed just over 30km in 1hr 5minutes and thoroughly enjoyed myself. That's nearly 300km in 72 hours and I still feel fresh (although I don't smell it) and its also pretty much the end of my training. I have a spin class and gym session planned on Thursday, a couple of hours at the weekend and that's it. We're off. At the moment I'm buzzing and raring to go.

I'm made up with the the amount of sponsorship I've had. People have been so kind and I can't thank them enough. Now I have to reward their faith by a) completing the end to end and b) really suffering whilst doing it, to make them feel they've had their money's worth! To that end, I plotted a few more days of the route. Just take a look at what the profile does on day 3 at about 40 miles in (click the show elevation tab at the bottom of the map) : http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-kingdom/sampford-peverell/277736044

That's rock climbing not cycling! Wish me luck. I love it.

Avon calling

I'm guessing that a nutritionist wouldn't recommend 5 bottles of beer and a chicken balti the night before a big ride by way of preparation, but that was what I set off with today after another great night with friends. 136km today pretty much along the Avon valley and back. I went out through Arrow and headed towards Worcester. I was riding into a strong headwind so about 15k short of Worcester itself I turned south from Upton Snodsbury towards Wyre Piddle (I'm not making this up) which took me through Pershore, which was heaving, presumably because of the plum fair (!) that was on in the market square then to Broadway and back through Stratford which was also heaving, presumably because of Shakespeare and home through Charlecote. 5 and half hours elapsed, average 28kph. Not much to report, the weather was good if windy, I stopped and filled my water bottles at a cider mill outside Broadway and ate cherry flapjack (not home made, full of e numbers and preservatives but they'd given me free water so I felt obliged to buy something) and I had a pleasant five minute stop by the Avon in Stratford watching the boats. I also stopped on the green at Inkberrow for an energy bar . Inkberrow was allegedly the inspiration for the village in the Archers, particularly this 16th century pub which features as The Bull. But I resisted a pint. I didn't want my secrets broadcast to the nation on Radio 4 as part of Archers' gossip.

When I get fit

I finally got out to test the new cassette properly last night, 52k to Little Alne and back. This route has two short sharp climbs and a couple of long drags. I made it all without too much trouble (3 cogs spare into Wilmcote, 1 spare into Snitterfield) and again today I went over Avon Dassett, Edge Hill and Loxley (and added Snitterfield hill for good measure) without too much trouble (72k). But it did prey on my mind. I've had to re-learn the bike. I'd made it to that point where I didn't think too much about the mechanics of cycling, more technique. I've covered 2960km this year to date in training and I really don't want to have to re-learn how to ride. My bike and I have a symbiotic relationship. Today I found myself constantly checking gears and mentally trying to compare how difficult a climb was (which I liken to trying to compare pain, is tooth ache more painful than ear ache, is the pain I had in my knee when it shattered worse than childbirth - obviously?). Do you know what I mean? There's no benchmark, no measure, so it feels difficult, but is it more difficult?

On balance I was uncomfortable with changing the setup of the bike so soon before we go, regardless of difficulty, so I rang Evans and asked if they'd change it. The guy I spoke to was very sympathetic and agreed to change it no problem if I took the bike in (we glossed over the fact that they now had the part in stock which apparently they didn't on Thursday and couldn't get in until Tuesday). I grabbed the kids and set off for Milton Keynes. The guy in the shop was not the guy on the phone and he was most suspicious until I explained and produced receipts, even though it was he who had served me 48 hours earlier. Any way they changed it, but not without a parting shot when I went to pick the bike up. As he handed it over he said, "maybe when your a bit fitter you'll be able to swap it back again"! Cheeky so & so. Its not about fitness its about the style of riding I'm doing. I need to be comfortable getting from A to B, not fretting about how quickly I can get there on my big ring 23 tooth cassette. Muppet.

Saw a dead badger today.

Blackberry musings....

Had the bike serviced ready for the off. They didn't have the right cassette so I've had to switch from 12/27 rear to 12/23 which will make climbing harder. Can't wait to get out and try it. Also bought some new tyres and chamois cream (go google it!) so I'm pretty much ready for the off.

Grey day

In the morning I awake, my arms my legs my body ache, so begins another weary day.

I nearly skipped the spin class today because I went to bed with aching quads and woke up with an aching back to match. But I didn't and joy! Tony wasn't there, Nemeka took the class instead, so it wasn't as hard as usual. Although I still had a good work out it had the effect of loosening all my tension. Isn't the human body great (well mine anyway :0).

When I got in tonight I marked the whole lejog route in a road atlas in preparation. Can't wait to get going now. I also got round to mapping the Canon's Ashby route, here: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-kingdom/warwick/771428684 so I could see the profile, which doesn't look anywhere near as daunting as it is on the ground. We'll just have to see how well it's prepared me. Who's idea was it to pick the wettest summer on record to train for and then ride 1000miles in 12 days. Muppet.