Author Archives: Jay Trotman

The heat is on

I’ve done a lot of cycling by myself of late and although the inside of my head is a lovely place to be, I was getting a bit tired of keeping myself company. I put out an ACG call to no avail, and sent texts to GW and SH. As of first thing yesterday morning, as I sat in bed drinking coffee, it was still due to be just me, myself and I. Until the phone went, and suddenly I had a ride partner as SH had opted out of the Burnham Run.

As you know by now, cycling with either GW or SH tends to make me feel nervous. Probably because they’re so much better than me that I’m worried I’m going to make a prat of myself. Or something. However it doesn’t stop me doing it. Going out with them that is, not being a prat. Maybe. I had the usual butterflies fluttering around my insides as I got ready. More anticipation than nerves maybe though – as SH is very good at cycling with me so I tend to be more worried about what route he may take us rather than whether he’ll drop me…

SH rocked up at 10:30am for what was supposedly going to be a couple of hours ride. I’d left the route down to him, having even said I didn’t mind the odd hill. I keep having to not avoid them after all. He announced we were off to coffee at Maunsel Lock, near North Petherton, which sounded fine to me. I’ve only been there once before – also with him – and I do like going somewhere different. And abdicating all responsibility on the route front. It’s quite relaxing 🙂

We started off with the A38 and Weare Hill to warm up. Across the Levels, via Edington and onwards southwards… After that I’m not entirely sure where we went, other than it looking vaguely familiar. SH got us a little lost…and after a while I had no idea where we were, other than getting rapidly closer to Taunton! It was sunnyish, windyish, warmish, quite ish really. I tried to do my best to take my turn, and to keep up, but I was definitely feeling the need for coffee by the time we finally got to the Lock which, having not known where I was, I was starting to think we’d never find. SH on the other hand knew where he was and where he was going which always helps, and gave him an unfair advantage. I was just sat at the back, cussing quietly, and wishing we’d just get there already! 😉

We sat outside in the sun, drank coffee, and talked bikes, as you do. We’d already been out a couple of hours, so I considered it diplomatic to text home and alert the troops to the fact that I wasn’t going to be home anytime soon, which luckily didn’t cause ructions. Conscience thus eased, I knew I didn’t have to rush, and it was really nice to just chill there for a while 🙂

We headed back in as direct a fashion as possible. SH did warn me this would involve the odd hill which I was kinda dreading. He mentioned Pedwell Hill, which didn’t mean anything to me, and I plodded all the way up it fairly happily. I got to the top and twigged as to where I was, and was vaguely gobsmacked, because, as I had to to point out to SH, that hill’s usually really difficult! I was proper chuffed and definitely boosted for the rest of the ride home. Way to go me! 🙂

As we came back down my fave stretch of road, SH attempted to give me a lesson on sitting on his wheel properly because apparently when ever he comes to take his turn on the front I drop back. Now this isn’t entirely because I’m scared to be too close to his back wheel, though that’s partially true. It’s really because when I’m on the front I feel I have to go as fast as possible to try and make myself look good, but once he moves in front, I can drop back and take it a bit easier and hope he hasn’t noticed! I should have know better – he always notices these things *grin*.

Cycling time: 3:46:13
Distance: 61.17 miles
Avs: 16.1 mph
ODO: 7928 miles

It was a very good ride on several fronts. First off – my knee was not strapped up, and apart from the odd twinge it was fine. No pink pills required. Nary a one. This is very good. On top of that my legs felt really good, and like there was plenty in the tank, which I guess is probably a result of all the training and regular sportives. I didn’t feel like I was slogging it all the way to keep up with SH, and I do feel like I did a reasonable share of the work. Bearing in mind I hadn’t been planning on cycling that far or that long, to be able to do so without it being an issue is kinda cool. I got home feeling proper positive about the whole thing – PMA well and truly boosted 🙂

Hopes and fears

The Easter Holidays do nothing for a girl’s training schedule. Even when you can find time/persuade hubby to come home early, life and the weather have a tendency to conspire against you. As was the case yesterday when the heavy rain forecast was indeed wet, and the husband in question wasn’t home as early as he might have been either. Just as well as it turns out all my kit was still in the washing machine *grin*.

Which brings us to today when I’d managed to find someone willing to play responsible adult and let my two hang out at her place for a couple of hours. Luckily the weather played ball by remaining dry. So I squeezed a couple of hours cycling in. It’s a shame it was a squeeze, and it was a shame it was on my own, but hey, better than no ride at all right?

I was going to do the usual loop, but start with Shipham Hill. However my legs were feeling distinctly and unusually leaden as I headed out, so I decided to skip the hill and just see how I went. I wiggled my way around as ever, getting to Loxton the lumpy way, and coming home up Mudgeley Hill – so I didn’t avoid hills altogether. It was a grey and uneventful ride. One of those rides when you look down, sure you’re doing the usual 18mph or so, and realise you’re only doing 16…which I guess must be the tail end of the effects from Sunday’s event. However I must have been fairly constant, or doing better up hills, as the stats turned out ok.

Cycling time: 2:03:55
Distance: 31.46 miles
Avs: 15.2 mph
ODO: 7867 miles

Other things you might like to know about.

On Sunday’s ride my knee was strapped up as a precaution, and I didn’t have to take painkillers until 5 1/2 hours in – to hit the combo of knee/neck pain. Which they duly did. This is, believe it or not, progress. 🙂
My bike, as suspected, needs a new bottom bracket. We’re also going to get it new narrower handlebars, and some new wheels. Andrew is putting together a bike for eldest – who will get my old handlebars – it’s recycling cycling *grin*. Right about now I could use a lottery win. Or a sponsor. Feel free to volunteer 😉
My next event is on Easter Monday. Not a big gap…

Pro VO2 Maxifuel Longest Day

I don’t know if it was the longest day, but it certainly wasn’t a short one…as it started at a very early and dark 5:00am. 35 minutes later I was on my way, heading off into the sunrise.

The further I went the lighter the sky became. As I approached the M5 junction a fox streaked across the road in front of me, a flash of black keeping low to the ground. And as I reached the M4/M5 junction the street lights were going off around me in oddly random fashion, and the sun was a molten ball rising ahead…in to which I was to drive, hiding behind the aptly named sun visor, for the rest of the journey. .

I’d managed to acquire a cheap Thermos travel mug on Saturday so was drinking coffee as I went, but it’s somewhat tricky to eat muesli on the move. So as planned I pulled into whichever services at around 6:30am where I duly ate breakfast and used the nearly deserted facilities. Another hour on and Tim the TomTom had me at my destination – Dorney Lakes – where the lakes were still and the lycra was massing. By the time I was registered, toileted, and had sufficiently faffed around, I was underway at around 8:30ish at a guess. Bright and early morning sunny it may have been, but it sure wasn’t warm yet, and it was nice to have a flat run along the lakes to warm up a bit!

So off we went. I say we, it was fairly quickly just me. I overtook a few people and got stuck behind some for a while but I have to do a sportive at my pace or it just doesn’t work, so I overtook them and headed off into my own space. That was pretty much it, barring the odd exception, for the rest of the ride, as the tale will tell.

The first hour or so was pretty flat, and I didn’t hit bottom gear until 45 minutes in. To be fair this was not the hilliest of sportives – there was plenty of fast flat very enjoyable stuff – but there were quite a few hills, the Chiltern Hills to be precise, and they were mostly of the long slow drag variety. Which is good as I can do those. Slowly but surely that is. The first big hill of the day was just before the 40km food stop – steep at the bottom and then a drag – and that steep bit was the steepest bit of the day. However there was one long steep hill somewhere in the middle somewhere where I had to take a breather… Still, no walking, that’ll do me.

It was a very colourful ride. Green everywhere, Green Field, Green Common, the Green Man pun. Early bluebells, periwinkles, blossom galore. Copious quantities of butterflies. A white and black windmill. Panoramic views. In homage to the area – there were some lovely How Now Brown Cows. And the roads were littered with the corpses of very colourful peasants. Sorry, make that pheasants. You see if the numerous sportscars around had their way I think the former would more likely be true. I was keeping a mental tally of them as you do. Porsches were 10 a penny, I bumped into the same Z4 at least twice, the Caterham 7 was a highlight, as was the 3 wheeler Morgan, and the little convoy of frog-eyed sprites put a smile on my face. I was somewhat taken aback by the lack of Aston Martins, having seen my fair share of Bentleys during the day, but Marlow High Street supplied a Vantage to fill in the gap. Ok, ok, not that interesting, but when you have 8 hours of mental time to fill it’s amazing where the brain goes. Harking back to the colourful theme, the Rainbow Inn looked distinctly tempting…

As the sun came out and temperatures rose, the denizens of affluent Buckinghamshire took to the roads. And the streets. And the parks. And every single pub garden going. BTW, unless you rate an 11/10 on the physical fitness front and have already acquired a suntan, please keep your pasty flesh under wraps…*grin*. It got warm. Very warm. All my spare layers were stuffed in the saddle bag, and I was down as far as I could go. The breeze that turned up in the afternoon was actually a relief because of its cooling effect – who knew I’d ever be grateful for wind? Well, as you could tell on the few occasions when I had to stop, it really wasn’t enough that much of a wind. Yes I stopped occasionally, for food, battery changing, call of nature, fly release, helmet bug check. As you do.

Back to ride details for a little while. The 90km/180km split was in Marlow – 1st time around – and not long after that someone had moved a sign. Something to do with rival event politics. They managed to get a marshal ahead and warn at least myself and two other guys who I’d met also cycling off into the uncertain distance. Their GPS wasn’t helping…but once given a detour to get us back on track, we stuck together until that happened. It was very sweet of them to let me tag along – being as they’re both Ironmen! I kept up really well, but once we were back on track, and found the 60km food stop just up the road, they were off. And that was that. Back to me again. In fact the next 120km was just me. I saw more non-event cyclists than those cycling with me, and on the odd occasion when one of “mine” came past it came as a bit of a shock!

Which is where my main gripe comes in. If I’m going to be on my own for 4 hours and have already been “lost” once, I don’t want to just think I’m on the right route, I want to know! There weren’t enough signs, no repeaters, several junctions not marked at all… Plus there a couple of daft bits – like taking you up to a roundabout and then back to turn left, and then there was a daft dog leg bit near the end which had you do a loop and then rejoin the route again that was confusing, badly marked and gratuitous. I don’t want to have to try and read marker pen scrawled notes on a sign, especially 20km from the end when I’m hot, tired, and bothered. I got lost doing that loop too and there was bad language used, to accompany my bizarre urge to burst into tears and throw a tantrum. I retraced my steps and sorted it out, and I think my temper probably helped fuel me for a while! GB would not have liked this – there was a lot of route retracing here and there especially to get back to base – which was however good in this case as the familiarity helps you know that you’re going the right way! Or are you? Maybe you’re lost and going in ever decreasing, or worse still increasing, circles? 😉

There were plenty of friendly food stops – although I never saw the 90km one – and they had water, and drinks and maxfuel food. But what I wouldn’t have done for a nice plain fresh banana… I can only eat so many energy bars. Actually it always amazes me what you can do on very little. I did the whole thing on drinks and 2 Torq bars. That ain’t a lot. I’ve just a doughnut to compensate *grin*.

It was a lovely ride. Let’s face it, I got to ride a bike in gorgeous scenery, in the sun, for the best part of 8 hours, without a care in the world. Well, apart from worrying about where I was of course. That can’t be bad, right? That’s the kind of day you dream about when the sun comes out. 😀

Cycling time: 7:23:46
Distance: 112.07 miles
Avs: 15.1 mph
ODO: 7835 miles

I got in to find everything being packed away, and precious few souls left around so I grabbed a diet coke and my t-shirt, and headed for the car, missing someone to share that post-ride euphoria with but happy enough nonetheless. And hey, it’s easier to change clothes when there’s no-one left around to watch you. That just left me with another 2 hours Reading services espresso fueled drive down the M4, once more into the sun, to get me home. I guess I followed the sun all day 🙂 A long day indeed…

My official time is 7:55:53, which means over 8 hours I stopped for about 1/2 hour. I was 72 out of 90 on the long route – I knew there weren’t many of us out there – which ain’t great 🙁 I was 3rd of the 3 women in my class – although 64 seconds faster and I’d have been 2nd – and there were only 4 women altogether. The first woman was only half an hour so faster than me so maybe that’s positive. Top time overall was 3:22. I have no idea how people do that. Ah well, at least I didn’t take 9:46…and I did have a very lovely ride 🙂

PS: to the red/black/white garbed p*ll*ck on the matching tri-bike who had to pass everyone in the bottle neck of people, bikers, cars and bikes at the Bull & Butcher – you do not need push past me, weave through the cars, and rudely cuss at some poor biker lady crossing the road for not moving out of your way fast enough even if you “have got 108 miles to do”. People like you give cyclists a bad name and if your bike had had your number on it (too much drag for you?) I reckon you should have been disqualified. If her biker friends had, as they were briefly tempted to do, chased you down and hit you I would have been neither surprised, nor condemnatory!

Happy to be stuck with you

Today’s ride was somewhat of a trial run for me. On Sunday I’m doing the Pro VO2 Maxifuel Longest Day which is one hell of a mouthful. It’s also quite a challenge coming in at 111 miles. My son informs me that makes it like Bilbo’s Birthday – eleventy one miles. I’ll endeavour to remember that, and the way it made me smile, when I’m down in the dumps two thirds of the way round 😉

The forecast for Sunday was, yesterday, not unlike the forecast for today so I figured it was a good opportunity to see what I’m going to wear. Not that forecasts ever really mean anything or stay the same for very long. Last I checked the BBC were predicting 15C + light rain, but if you ask Metcheck it says 22C + sun + v light wind so I’m now totally confused! Personally I think I’ll go with the nicer forecast. Besides which, it’s not like I can do anything about it is it?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Well, I’ll have to wait and see since this is an event I shall be doing in the singular. Today however I had company. GW and I did the seaside loop, taking in a stop in WSM for a glue purchasing errand. It’s coming up for the “avoid WSM like the plague” season but I think we made it by the skin of our teeth – though you do get funny looks walking down the pedestrian shopping centre with bikes. I’m not sure they’re familiar with people who exercise… Maybe it’s just the lyrca. If I’d been pushing a pushchair or smoking a fag or both I’d have blended right in.

The ride itself went well. I wore shorts for the first time this season, and the world is still turning… The rest was layers, isn’t it always? It was distinctly nippy thanks to the NW wind, which was definitely motivation to keep moving, but as the sun got higher so did the temperature. I do like sunshine 🙂 GW has been cycling the last couple of days, presumably to work and back, and was a bit tired, which is probably why with the aid of the odd downhill I actually left her behind for a change a couple of times. Hey – I have to take my pleasures where I can *grin*. My legs felt good. Really good. Even coming back over Bleadon Hill the proper way. It’s hard to explain but the hard bits, such as they were, just felt a notch less hard which is good for the Positive Mental Attitude that I need to be having for Sunday. The knee was unstrapped but did twinge a little so I think I’ll strap it up for the longer distance. That should make for an interesting suntan mark *grin*.

Cycling time: 2:00:00
Distance: 28.61 miles
Avs: 14.2 mph
ODO: 7723 miles

*fingers crossed* that the sun shines on Sunday too. It’s going to be a very long day, and it’ll be a far more pleasant one if it’s in the sun 🙂 Mind you, I shouldn’t have said that and am tempted to delete the entire paragraph in case the Fates are listening. Hopefully they’ve got better things to do with their time…? *touch wood*.

Take a good look at my face

There was a plan for Sunday, created by himself, to head out and do a loop to Bruton and back. Now this was rather hillier and rather longer than I had had in mind when I mooted the idea of a Sunday ride, but I was prepared to MTFU (which is my new favourite phrase *grin*) and go do it in the interests of training and the like.

However GB had man flu. Or tonsilitis. Or something. And far be it from me to look a gift horse in the mouth, what with it being Mothers’ Day ‘n all. So we opted for Plan B, which was our usual fall-back plan. Yes – time to visit Fairyland. Darn…what a shame 😉

I was told that I was leading the way, which was somewhat of a challenge what with it being apparently intolerable to repeat any part of a route or go back on ourselves *gulp*. I did my Level best and we ended up doing a wiggly but actually very scenic route. I wasn’t left leading the way for long either as, as many cyclists will tell you if there isn’t a journalist around, drugs work, and GB perked right up. In fact you’d have thought he wasn’t ill at all, as you can tell from our average speed. Some people…

Having seen auto-conversational man the other day, which I had thought proved that I was where I thought I was, I had been informed that real proof of being in Glastonbury would be panpipes/nose flutes or someone wearing inappropriate fairy wings. To be fair, there are few occasions when the wearing of fairy wings is appropriate. Sadly I was to be disappointed on both, if not all three, counts. At least I have something to look forward to later in the year now…

We sat inside the café – he was ill you know – and drank very good coffee as ever. Apparently lemon cake has restorative properties too. I was busy being disproportionately pleased to see, in the fridge behind the bar, a little row of chilled Orangina bottles, and the right shaped bottles at that. The L2P saw the start of a coffee & Orangina tradition, resurrected during last year’s summer holiday when cycling with Dad, and the sight of that little round shakeable bottle put a smile on my face and in my nostalgic heart. And it tasted just as good as ever 🙂 Ah to be on French roads again…*sigh*.

Cycling time: 2:36:51
Distance: 41.93 miles
Avs: 16.0 mph
ODO: 7695 miles

Thanks to all that unplanned wiggling, our ride worked out longer and further than it might have been too, which was good. The fact that it wasn’t planned made it feel more relaxed. The weather was also, if not balmy, reasonably pleasant. Basically that just means it wasn’t freezing, it barely rained, and the wind was tolerable. I don’t ask for much – and that will do nicely. And to top if all off, having known that we were going to go for Plan B, I had opted not to strap the knee up again and barring the odd twinge early on, it was fine.

All in all, that made for a pretty good Sunday ride in my book. Or my blog. Whatever. *grin*.

Enter Sandman

I was so tired when I got up this morning that I was practically falling asleep driving the car on my way back from the school run. Not a good start. So the thought of a long ride with GW was not filling me with the joys of spring. However I hate to back down from a commitment and this morning was no exception to the rule. Man, I wish I was less responsible! 😉

She arrived on my doorstep, in the drizzle, and a great many layers. Now I was sure that although it was proper windy and unattractive out, it wasn’t that cold. Something to do with the fact that I was perspiring lightly just sorting the washing out. I resisted the temptation to put on more layers to conform, stuffed my gilet arms into the saddle bag just in case, and we headed out.

This long ride being her idea, I left the route in her hands. I’d say capable hands but she does have a habit of getting us lost so… Not today though, or at least not that she gave away. Essentially we went out South (Wedmore, Shapwick, Charlton Mackrell) took in a long stretch of the busy and altogether unpleasant A37 in a Northerly direction, and came back via good coffee at the usual place in Glastonbury. She spared me Wraxall Hill for which I am truly grateful. Slogging up a steep bendy hill as HGVs overtake me is not my idea of fun, and the A37 had supplied quite enough of the close encounter experience already!

We sat outside Heaphy’s without regretting it – proof that it was indeed quite warm out there. See – I told you so. I may even have seen GW sweat en route… 😉 Mr “I’m talking to myself and having a darn good conversation” was sitting outside the cafe too, probably likewise enjoying the sun and surroundings, just to show that Fairyland never changes. At least the quality of the coffee remains the same too 🙂 There were no fairy wings or panpipes though – so that’s something to look forward to later in the year *grin*.

Somehow we managed to suffer from the strong South Westerly wind pretty much the entire time. More of the West less of the South too. We got it either as a side wind or a head wind, and most of the return loop was just a slog. GW bemoaned that her legs were getting tired which was odd because we hadn’t been up any hills [sic]. That would be any hills that she’d noticed that is! I noticed ’em – you know those things that you go up and realise that I’m no longer even trying to get behind you? Yes – those would be the hills. 1460 feet of them. OK OK, not a lot, but plenty, if you see what I mean *grin*.

Cycling time: 3:30:26
Distance: 52.10 miles
Avs: 14.8 mph
ODO: 7695 miles

So with what I call hills and plenty of unceasing wind, I think we did pretty well. OK I did pretty well. GW had a walk in the park. As usual a large portion of the cycling “with” GW was more watching her disappear into the distance but hey, I’m used to that, and on the quiet back roads we got to catch up a bit. I was also allowed to take the lead for most of the run home too, which is good for the ego. It was nice to do some less familiar roads – and the stretch along Reynaud’s Way, although hilly, was very pretty. I may have to head out that way again. On my own. Slowly. 🙂

I was tired before…and am certainly not less so now. However I feel pretty good for it, and it was time for a longer ride. More miles is good. It’s all training right? 🙂

In Da Club

As GB and I stood waiting in the Square for the other members of the ACG to join us, the South African pair hove into few, and my heart sank. Mr and Mrs Very Fast. Very lovely, but very fast. They don’t RSVP so I never know to expect them. Mr SA was wearing red, which as it turns out is red in the red rag to a bull sense.

You see normally today would have been a blindingly good ride for me. My legs were feeling fine, the newly adjusted bike felt good, and for the most part I was flying along at 18/19 mph. However…the peloton, being GB, DM, SD and the SAs were off on one…so I still got left behind! *grin*. (Well, Mr SA anyway, as Mrs SA was under the weather and left us at Mark).

There’s this red competitive haze that descends over the testosterone afflicted when those two come out – heaven forbid we should admit we don’t usually go that fast. Oh no, we have to keep up. Well, I would if I could! *grin*. I had to settle for knowing that I was doing really well by my standards, enjoying the relatively mild weather and the fairly unfamiliar roads, and not grumping too much. Ho hum.

DM made us a lovely route which took us round the Levels and down to Catcott and Ashcott, taking in coffee at Sweets at the way back, from whence Mr SA headed for home to check on his good wife, leaving the rest of us to collapse in a heap and recover over coffee. I’m sure keeping up was good for us but still… The Tor 2000 lot were there when we arrived, and still there when we left….they clearly chatter worse than we do! Not to us though, as clearly we’re not up to their lofty standards 😉

The ride home was a lot of fun. My legs have felt like they had an extra gear all week – they seem to have benefitted from last weekend’s event – and there was some caffeine aided hurtling to be done. Just for the flies in your teeth fun of it *grin*. DM found us a totally uncalled for and very steep little hill on the way home, up which I think I managed to make a fairly good showing. Mind you I noticed as I reached the top that I was doing that hot/cold sweat + lip tingling thing which is not a good sign. Push too hard and…faint? Except luckily I didn’t. Sometimes I’m more afflicted that way than others – my postural hypotension is particularly bad today and I think it was related. Yes, I’m getting old, and clearly falling apart *grin*.

We arrived back in the Square having done a reasonable distance at a very presentable average speed. Honour satisfied 🙂

Cycling time: 2:25:23
Distance: 41.00 miles
Avs: 16.9 mph
ODO: 7643 miles

It was my first ride in a long time without my knee strapped up and I’m pleased to report that once it had warmed up it felt pretty good. The right shoulder is another matter. I really can’t look over it to, for example, check on traffic coming up from behind, without fairly excruciating pain, and that’s even with painkillers. Far from ideal, and a tad dangerous. :/ It’s also hard to tell if the tweaks to the bike have improved things until that’s stopped, although the ride did feel very comfortable, so that’s a good start.

Bed of nails

Mondays are my rest day. So, it being post-event ‘n all, I rested. However I felt way worse on Tuesday when I had no intention of resting but my body gave me no choice in the matter as I spent most of the day doing a very good impression of a member of the walking dead! Maybe next time I’ll bear that in mind… Worse still was that on both Monday and Tuesday nights I didn’t sleep well – restless mind, fidgety legs, high heart rate, which meant that I was even more tired than I should rightly have been.

Yesterday, with a massive sigh of relief, I made it back to the gym. Ok, so my knee hurt instantly on the bike, but actually it settled down once it had loosened up. I did my normal session, including all my physio’s stretching and strengthening bits, and felt good. What’s more I slept properly from the get go too. See, I knew this resting lark was rubbish! 😉

I guess, if it had occurred to me, I could have ridden yesterday, but I don’t think I felt ready to, and I’m getting better at listening to my body. So the glorious sunshine passed me by. Not today though, oh no. Today it was time to get back on the bike and to get back out there. And it was very very luverly. Really just gorgeous. As I told GB which, from his office desk, I’m not sure he truly appreciated 😉

For starters I was about half a stone lighter, as I didn’t have to wear base layers or over-shoes or a winter jacket. I stuck to longs though – I’m not sure the world was quite ready for my legs as yet… But it was so nice to feel lighter, and less encumbered. And all my clothes felt looser too – always good 🙂 Well there may just be a tad less of me than there used to be…

I spent an extremely enjoyable couple of hours cycling in the sunshine, me and my tunes, grinning away happily. Tempting as it was to go up a big hill I decided not to push it too soon as the knee was twingeing from the get go. Mind you once again, once warmed up, it settled down. But it was about enjoying the ride not training, not today. That can wait until next week 🙂

Cycling time: 1:58:38
Distance: 31.21 miles
Avs: 15.7 mph
ODO: 7602 miles

Did you know that, as of today, since I started this blog in October 2008, I have cycled over 10,000 miles? Seems to me that that’s quite a long way 🙂 Even though it is over 30 months – that’s an average of 333 a month. Yep – still loving my figures and stats *grin*.

And in an attempt to move with the times, you can now follow thecyclingmayor on twitter. Just click on the button and Robert is your father’s brother. Go on, you know you want to… 😉

Endura Lionheart

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I was signed up to do the 100km route for this event. Then I looked at the route, and realised it was actually less than that, more like 93 kms, which comes in at around 58 miles. Now, weird as this may sound to “normal” people (normal is over-rated), that really didn’t seem worth getting out of bed and making a fuss for. That’s training ride distance, not sportive challenge distance. So after a little deliberation, and considering that both GB and SH were signed up to the longer ride, I swapped to the 100 mile distance which, you guessed it, was due to be a little less than that, coming in at around 96 miles. Which meant that the Endura Lionheart became the first long ride of my sportive season at rather short notice.

That brings us to this morning, and the usual bright and early start. Up at 5.00am – which in retrospect was a little too early, since having been organised yesterday, I was ready, drinking coffee and killing time for rather too long until GB arrived at 6:30am. Note to self – do better next time!

Longleat is only an hour or so away but due to the route setup everyone was supposed to be in and parked before 8.00am which we were. It’s a lovely venue – plenty of parking, plenty of toilets (though rather too far away from the start), gorgeous scenery, fab little pied-a-terre… It was cloudy and a tad nippy, but with a sunny forecast, thus leading to more than the usual faffing around with regards what to wear. (In case you’re wondering, and the suspense is liable to get to you – I didn’t get it right ;)).

We met SH at the start line and got away sometime after 8:00am – I’m afraid I wasn’t paying attention to the clock since, let’s be honest, it’s not what time you start, it’s when you finish! Although it’s not a race, right?! 😉 The first 20 minutes were on the estate and rather hillier than you’d think. Not to mention demonstrating the sheer size of the place. Well, can you ride around your garden for 20 minutes? On top of the shock that going uphill is when you haven’t warmed up, you then exit via the long ascent that is the drive – hubby tells me it make a great hill climb – which was a pretty torturous way to start the day, and also marked the last time I saw SH! No wheelsucking for me then… Several people were walking up the hill as I rode past. Now, I’m sorry and I know it’s a big hill on a not massively hilly route, but if you’re walking already, and you haven’t even got out the gates yet, I think the time may have come to go back to the car…*grin*.

GB and I both agree that this is one of the most scenic sportives we’ve done. The scenery was stunning. Lots of rolling hills, views, gorgeous houses, churches and the like. There seemed to be a good few hills to start with, and then it was more just undulating, until the last 20 miles which contained the two biggest hills of the day – one with only 5 miles to go, no fair! The biggest hill of the day, and it was a doozie, was up to King Alfred’s Tower and I’m afraid I had to stop twice. But I didn’t walk so…it’s just that my legs were doing that wobbly thing that generally means they’re about to give way and the chances of un-clipping in time are slim, so I’d just end up in an undignified, and probably painful, heap on the floor. Best to stop, take a breather, and try, try again. Whilst watching GB make his way to the top uninterrupted. *sigh*.

After that many miles on the bike, details tend to blur. I remember some very lovely down hills. A very colourful pheasant by the side of the road watching me go by. A traction engine. A large and ornate (GB says italianate) church. A weird off the ground grain barn building. Not to mention lots of very attractive and seriously out of my price range property.

The signage was brilliant. The roads were mostly back lanes and very quiet. The brief stretch on the A303 was slightly heart in mouth – remind me never to do that again! The marshals and motorcycle riders were fab. The foodstops were all in village halls, staffed by very friendly people, and very well provisioned by the WI who apparently make very good cakes. (GB will vouch for this, – I stuck to curvy yellow fruit). They were also stocked up with Torq which, being my brand of choice, was great for me. And being village halls, there are toilets! Which means no hiding behind bushes, and also that I could strip off and remove my base layer at the second one. Yes – the sun came out, the temperature rose, and I was just too hot. I do not cycle well when too hot. So I misjudged that one slightly, but not to too serious ill effect, and besides which, who can complain when the sunshine is making everything look gorgeous? It would be churlish…

GB and I were together to start with, and then on and off later on. He’s just faster than me, and I always feel guilty when he gets stuck cycling with me, at the same time as enjoying the company – so there’s a quandary for you. I think we got the balance about right today though. I spent a stretch in the middle on my own without seeing another cyclist for hours, and we suspect that not all that many of the 500 entrants were doing the long route. That was however the same stretch that took me through the Stourhead estate, with gorgeous views of the lake and follies, long shady forest climbs, views for miles…nicely taking care of that part of a ride where I’m a long way from the start yet not near enough the end, and feel like I’m in the doldrums. Not today 🙂

The best bit? After all the pain and struggling near the end, and the “1 mile to go” sign which must have been at least 3 miles out, I rode under the gatehouse and down the main drive towards the house. Flying at nigh on 30mph, down the wide flat road, with the sun shining, lengthening shadows, and Longleat laid out in front of me. A very memorable finish 🙂

GB was there already, though he said he’d not been there long (hm…) and I just managed to catch up with SH as well as GW + mob who were there in support team mode. Time for a well earned, and very good, americano. Yes, I could have had my free hotpot, which GB did, but I wasn’t really in the mood for that. I’m always in the mood for good coffee though! Nice goody bag too – cool medal, new bottle, Lionheart buff, Cycling Active magazine, a Torq one shot, and amusingly, a Lion bar 🙂

Cycling time: 6:39:14 (not including stops)
Distance: 97.32 miles
Avs: 14.6 mph
ODO: 7571 miles

I had been aiming at under 7 hours, and hoping for 6 1/2 so, on balance, I think I did ok. And it was those last couple of killer hills that dragged the average down below the over 15mph it had been up until then. Hardly surprising – so no complaints here.

This was a medically aided ride. My knee was strapped up. I took my pink pills and paracetamol plus (the plus is caffeine – ‘rah!) at 7:00am, and they clearly worked as I could feel them slowly wear off as the hours passed. So I took more at 12:30pm and felt them slowly cut in again, though not all the way, I think because there was just too much for them to be fighting against. (Knee, shoulder, neck…such fun). Still, they enabled me to get round without unbearable discomfort so I’m loving the combo. I also didn’t get a stitch this time around which was good, as I’d been worrying about that. I do worrying very well…

OK, by the end of the ride, I didn’t really want to go up any more hills, but other than that I felt pretty good. I’m thinking my base level fitness is pretty good – doing the mileage isn’t actually a problem – which is really positive. The main problem is the pain from my various bits, which I’m hoping to address soon. Oh, and the additional pain from sitting on a saddle for that long for the first time in ages! A proper pain in the arse 😉

All in all a really good ride 🙂 Two events down, five to go. Endura Lionheart – done! I am cyclist, hear me roar! *grin*

UPDATE: official time is 7:13:54, compared to 7:10:39 for the ever patient GB, and 6:41:26 for the nowhere to be seen SH. I can’t figure out my placing as yet – if ever – because I don’t know who did which distance etc. But I figure my time’s ok. Nowt fab, but good nonetheless.

Use your illusion

The ride that never was. Well, if I didn’t have a sportive on Sunday, then maybe the thought of heading out for two hours cycling in the pouring rain, with a topping of cold wind, would have been a more attractive one. Maybe. Instead GW and I opted for cups of warm tea and a natter on the sofa. I shall compensate by going to the warm dry gym later, so no doubt the weather will now brighten up, the sun will shine, and I shall cuss quietly under my breath as I’m out there doing things other than riding.

In other news I’ve arranged to go and see Andrew to look at my bike set-up next week. The more time I spend on the bike, the more pain I’m in. I’m thinking we need to reverse the changes we made a while ago to make my position more upright again. He also suggests we consider trying to reduce the road noise, make the ride more comfortable. Something to do with different cross something or other wheels. And possibly going up to 25mm tyres. Oh and he mentioned something about handlebars too. Personally I think it’s more down to the posture…but I guess as long as we check out one thing at a time we should be able to figure out what works. Let’s start with changing the position, right? Because that doesn’t cost money, and changing components definitely does…

You see apparently living on painkillers is not the way to go, nor is always strapping up my knee to ride. Actually the knee is, I think, very slowly on the mend. It’s definitely the neck/shoulder thing that’s the big issue at the moment, and I can’t say as I’m looking forward to 100 miles with it as it is. I’m sure I remember the days when long rides didn’t actually hurt…well, they hurt, but not like this, if you know what I mean! 😉 Some of the enjoyment is definitely missing at present, and I’d like that back 🙁

In the meantime, from a Plan B point of view, if anyone would like to buy me a Van Nicholas Chinook, as recently reviewed in Cycling Plus, (it’s *so* pretty), I’m sure that would fix all my problems, and I’d be eternally grateful! *grin*