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It really begins here

I expect you all get lots of charity sponsorships from pals undertaking all sorts of events and over the years I’ve contributed to quite a few but never done an event.

This year I set a family challenge of doing the Etape Caledonia for McMillan the cancer charity.  The idea was not mine but a cycling pal who is also a Scot got me into this and I persuaded Kate my wife and her Alex and Francesca to also give it a go.

Collectively we hope to raise in the region of £1000 so anything you can pledge via this just giving page would be much appreciated especially by me as I wanna beat them in the fund raising stakes!

So if you don’t want to be bored don’t read any further just go pledge a bit with my special thanks.

For those of you who want to know a bit more here’s the story so far.................most recent news  last  so if you want to see how we are doing drop to the bottom of the page.

Etape Report Date sometime in early April

Shopping and starting out

I got my new Felt bike early in 2009 from Justin, a top bloke at Evans cycles in the Cut by Waterloo station.  Some wobbly riding followed building up to 20 or 30 miles on a Sunday.  Of course a guy needs proper gear so shoes, cycling jerseys helmets and so on all give plenty of scope for magazine browsing.

Then after the Edinburgh Tattoo and too much joshing in the pub the family decided to put the Etape idea on the back burner as being over ambitious.  Then Francesca came and said wot about if you get me a bike we could do the Etape, think a new cycling friend was behind it but anyway I said ok. Alex was not really interested till he saw the team kit which drew the remark “ well I’ll have some of that gear if you are doing it properly”   So  another bike was acquired ready to start the training.  Kate did not know if she would solo the event  on her own bike or want to do it on a tandem with me. 

Some weeks passed and then decision made Kate was up for the challenge on her own bike with the additional pressure of learning how to ride a racing bike which has completely different gears, handling and position.

My job has been to make sure everyone is getting best advice, a training schedule, route planning and ride outs to build up bike skills with on bike encouragement and coaching so we are reading the road managing traffic and junctions while mastering new bikes as well as enough of a physical challenge to build endurance but all the time keeping it fun.

Apart from Justin at Evans who I mentioned earlier William Pearson is the real deal when it comes to bikes.  I just wanted to go to William and Guy’s shop cause I had seen his Scottish cycling jerseys on the web, then I found out they were the UK’s oldest privately owned bike shop and they celebrate their 150^th anniversary this year.

I spoke to William about the bike for Francesca and what Will did was build a custom fitted bike for her and we were so pleased with it we did the same thing for Kate all be it in different colours. These are full carbon frame bikes with a good spec of gear so it performs well and is a pleasure to ride.  To give you some idea of the difference it makes Kate is a novice cyclist really and on the flat could manage about 10mph on the flat and not for that long. The new racer is a different prospect with just the briefest of familiarisation ride she was rolling along for long spells at 15 to 18 mph which is an enormous difference and she looks so good on the bike as it is a really good fit.

If any of you are reading this and thinking about a bike give William a ring you will find them on the web at Pearsons cycles Sutton High Street.  His customer service matches the quality of his bikes and he will give you really good advice and not sell you stuff that is not right for you. 

First rides

The first rides were very tentative 8 to 10 milers then Kate went for it Easter Monday and knocked off 29.4 miles with me Alex having done 34 miles with me earlier that weekend. Francesca is our dark horse she is out training with her friend and is believed to be well up for her first long session.

We’ve all fallen off me looking back waiting for Kate to come up a hill I looked back while going too slow next thing I was on the deck feet still stuck on the cleated pedals.  Alex also a victim of the cleats did not get out of the drive one ride before head butting the gravel much amusement all round.  Francesca was perhaps the most worried about falling off and being fixed to the bike with cleats but now she has fallen ooh at least 6 times she is used to it and finds it funny, the latest one being trying to get off the bike with one foot on the ground and the other still attached to the bike, result yep on yer bum once again.  Kate managed to negotiate a roundabout at the end of her long ride but being tired had a target fixation moment to hit the kerb and off she went , what a gal she just laughed and got up once she got over the surprise...........

So if you see a group of cool looking cyclists just watch em you never know when they will take a purler ........give em a wide berth is what I say as cool becomes comical in a flash of inattention or inexperience,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yep we are learning lots and having fun but we do suffer for our sport in the embarrassment of the moment .

Training

This is basically limited during the week to a couple of gym sessions in the evening and very light meals to try to become a bit leaner and meaner.  Why carry all the extra pounds for 80 miles if you don’t have to is gently encouraging us to get a bit fitter.

Weekend riding is now up to the 30 mile barrier and we plan to go on a 53mile  New Forrest cycling event with a couple of thousand other cyclists so that we have a dress rehearsal   to get used to event riding and preparation.

The plan is to get up to a 60 or 70 mile weekend run by early May plus a few hill training sessions. The route to this is to build up total weekly training mileage to around 100 miles so that means a bit of time on the static bike roughly 3 one hour sessions or the equivalent plus a weekend ride.

Sounds a lot and it is but we have limited time to get ready and we want to be prepared to be able to complete the event in a reasonable time and to enjoy it because we are well prepared.

80 miles and some reasonably challenging climbs is quite a target and I want our little team to do well and have fun because we have gas in the tank.

Training also involves experimenting with sports nutrition drinks and stuff like that so that over the 7 hours or so of the event that we are out on the road we don’t run out of steam

Some say this is a fad and cycling is the new golf

Well that is what the media says but I don’t seem to get time for much golf and Kate is much better than I will ever be so I chose my sport carefully as at cycling I have a reasonable chance of not being put to the sword by Alex and Francesca.

Cycling is however really the in thing, it’s the place for worn out joggers like me who still chase the rush of endorphins but with dodgy knees can’t cut it anymore.  However I don’t want to be pigeon holed with the new cycling fashion of fancy gear and expensive bikes but no go or feel for biking as a culture.

Think my history in that regard is safe, my first bike was just a kid’s bike in black which I went everywhere on before graduating to a rather just too big, to grow into, a second hand Raleigh Superb  in green that was a real treat to ride with stormy archer gears.  Main thing I recall about that one was flying down a hill one day and in slow motion seeing the front wheel leave the bike before the speeded up crash landing face first, not a pretty sight being the consequence of a broken axel............you can go off brands and somehow I have never ever bought a Raleigh bike again.

My next bike did not arrive till I was a student, being being broke I went on a diet of beans and lentils for a term to save up the money to get my red Eddie  Merx  which was my first 10 speed racer type. Great bike that I took off all the decals so it was unbranded and I also discarded surplus bits so I guess it was a back to basic stripped down affair which has become fashionable in some cycling circles today but this was early 1970’s. Then came girlfriend , cottage to bunk up in and need for car to get to college to she, the bike that is, had to be sold.

A while later a black Falcon was acquired from Andersons cycles in Aberdeen, again new out of the box this was touring style racer and we went cycling around Aberdeenshire and once on camping cycling expedition to the West Coast , Scotland not California. Longest run one day saw us cycle from Gairloch to Inverness which somehow was not followed up as we got busy with other things.  The Black bike was used off and on and relocated to London where on a trip to Rayners Lane station she was borrowed on permanent loan by  one of the locals who must have been in more desperate need of transport than I was.  I still hate Rayners Lane as it was also the place where my car was nicked again from the station car park ............how unlucky is that !!

So with the insurance money burning a hole in my pocket I went for the next fashionable thing yep a mountain bike. Really bad move that as living in suburban Pinner there was limited scope for off roading and it was dog slow on the road.  I still have it which is a testament to its lack of use from 1987 or so to the present day.........I must sell it one day I’d probably be lucky to get £20 quid for it so there it sits in the garage unloved except for an occasional ride out in the woods.

So there you have it my biking credentials laid out and of doubtful pedigree but at least I can say I am not a fashion victim who has just fallen victim to the new bug sweeping the country for middle aged men who should know better donning cycling gear and taking to the road !! or am I at least I feel fitter and its great fun

 

12 April

Just over a month to go so we felt lucky with great weather this weekend, Francesca and Brendan were out and did a respectable 30 miles in 2 hours 17 minutes which was fantastic given she only got her road bike a few weeks ago. 

Alex,  Kate and I as well as the other team members Dave and Carol on tandem tackled a 40 mile route which included a bit of a pub lunch towards the end of the run. Two weeks ago the furthest Kate had done was 8 miles on her new bike see more below on this.

No fallers this weekend , well except for Alex who was stunting and turning round in the road , turned right but leaned left and ping he was off, the nice Mercedes driving couple thought he had fainted but with much giggling off we went none the worse for wear.  On arrival at the pub I asked Alex what he would like to drink he said quick as a flash a pint please,  we had to advise that we did not think he was quite getting it yet and that perhaps a pint with 10 miles to go was not the best idea..............he had orange and a mega sandwich.  Alex did spend a lot of time on the iphone must be a Y generation thing but how can a 5 min water stop immediately turn into a texting session  ??? Alex is working on his look no hands technique at which point I expect the iphone will come into its own I bet there is an app to give you things to do when cycling along...........any app developers out there I thought of it first!!

Anyway ..........We are now at the stage of doing just about enough miles in the saddle to survive the Etape time wise so we will keep that up but its speed we are going to be working on now as we have to be up to an average of 15 miles per hour at least.

So the plan this and next week is to go for  a bit of strength training with some gym work and shorter but harder rides on the static bike in the gym so that at the end of this we are all a bit better prepared for the dreaded hills.

Next weekend is the New Forest sportive bike ride its 53 miles or an epic , their words not mine 80 plus miles. Needless to say we are doing the 53 miler as a dress rehearsal for being in an event. Apparently the organisers have a limit of 1000 riders the Etape in Scotland has several times that so we need some group riding practice.

My bit to get us there has been to hit the web and get a cycle carrier to transport the 4 bikes and get a tow bar fitted to the car onto which said rack fits. Of course the tow bar has nothing to do with me taking my trusty Aprilla 250 motorcycle to the Track days I have booked later in the year.  If you are into Bikes as I am check out Rapid Training  tracks Gary Baldwin is the boss and a top bloke so have a look at his site.

 April 23

So much for planning , the New Forrest was sold out by the time we tried to book so the Sunday ride I planned into Hampshire and Berkshire Odium to Silchester the Roman town we did a respectable 47 miles but the let down was the fullers pub that did not do food after 2:30! so it was crisps and a banana to keep us going.

We had a lovely sunny day but it was not the easiest of rides as we had not tried the route out and kept getting lost however we made it although we kind of took far too much time.

Gym this week has been limited for me Kate has managed 3 sessions to my one and Francesca two not sure what Alex has done but he seems to be the most relaxed about it all probably cause he is built like a whippet and seems to be able to ride along all day without getting tired.

My Target this weekend is to do the south Downs event which is about 70 miles so wiht a lack of training this week I will need a bit of luck to get round ! But hey today is friday , the sun is shining and I can do an hour in ghe gym tonight Hurrah

 

April 27

Last week saw some good stuff but during the week it had been a bit of a failure I only did 30 mins on cross trainer and was feeling rotten with severe hay fever. Come Friday I was not a happy camper. Saturday was get the motor bike out and go to dentist good ride into London then visited an old pal Adrian. On coming back home kate we desperate to go out for a bike ride but I wsa bushed and thought we'd just make mistakes and disappoint ourselves. As it was late in the afternoon we deciden on a gym session.

Things then started to turn around I did an hour on the static bike then pushed on to hit 50 kilometers by 92 minutes plus some weights to end the session.

Next day was the Wiggle cycle event in Surrey Hills, the day began with up at 7 on Sunday am and off to Dave and Carols who have a tandem , it was pouring wiht rain as we loaded up the cars not a very good start. We got to Dorking and rain went off and we headed out on the route, it was 72 miles of hills and rolling countryside adn a stiff challenge for me as its rated as 4 out of 5 for diffficulty and I'd not yet broken 50 miles.

It started well adn some steep hills climbed but at 20 miles the 21% gradient defeated me and I had to push to the feading station at the top. revived we tackled the next sections of lovely lanes and fast roads. At 35 miles I really thought gee whiz just half way and I am sore all over from pullling up hill and rapid bumpy decents which tested my resolve to go fast. I backed off at 35 mph on the garmin thinking I'd not go this quick on this lane wiht the Suzuki and that has an engine adn stoppers to die for compared to my trusty Felt .

So we then came to the last third of the run and some long gradients up hill, topped off wiht an 18% again too much form me so more pushing up hill. Dave adn Carol cycled up all the way I was impressed but they told me they did not make it last year on tthe same hill so Ii hope to try again when fitter and lighter !!

The run ended wiht a mega fast descent on a lovely sweeping road with good vision so we had towards 40 mph come up on the garmin as terminal speed!!

At tthe end we got a little Wiggle medal a free magazine and a few took the offer of a handy massage to ward off the after effects.

It was simply the best thing I have done on the bike so far a real challenge and great feeling of accomplishment so I know now that I can do the Etape at just over 80 miles and I relayed the news back to the team.

There will be some photos up on this page shortly so if you wnat to visit again please do have a look

Now planning next weeks training session for the team to get them to break 60 miles .........

May 3

on Saturday it was up early and down to see Will Pearson in his cycle shop to get the bikes serviced , buy some new tyres and other bits and bobs, Will has lent me a special Ridley bike to try, I cant afford it but it will be nice to try out a proper top end carbon framed bike and compare with my trusty red Felt sportive bike

Well we were going to go out on Sunday to do 65 miles but it rained so that became a shopping trip ! By the end of this I was wondering if I would ever get to do a ride over the weekend. BUT...

 Next day the Monday bank holiday we headed over to Dave and Carol at Egham to do daves route. My brief was to get some hills in and do 65 miles and Dave had planned a wiggle around Surrey preceeded by a nice breakfast. The day was not promising we had rain, hail, head winds, and sunshine it seemed all at the same time.

So condititions were not great but as I said at the time just a typical Scottish summers day without the midges. We did the hills early and Kate learned a bit more about going down hill a bit faster, blending in with the traffic, ( now why do cars feel they need to coles pass a cyclist when there is plenty of room on the road oh nad while I am at it the horn is for letting other road users know you are there not as a method of scaring the pants of a cyclist who knows exactly where cars are .....cause they make a lot of noise so any car drivers non cyclists reading this please as the Department of Transport campaign urges Think about it.................back to the ride kate also learned about feeding well and early on a ride.

Sadly she hit the physical wall at 50 miles after trying very hard and wiht a bit of a rest and a snack made it back to Egham. The calorie expended count was towards 3000 so lesson learned we all get it that you have to have our go bars, bananas and  gels ready.

AS the ride was a bit shorter Alex and I elected to cycle back from Egham to Finchampstead some 15 miles to give 65 for the day which was good and we did that in the hour so good speed after a longish run.

Next week will be busy at work again so unlikely to get in gym time so looking forward to time off in Scotland to get some short fast rides in before the event on the 16th

 

Next report will be from Scotland