A Winter Tale

December 6, 2008

 

With the sun on full this Saturday I decided it would be a good day for a winter spin. It was quite cold the night before (-4 C), the cat was stuck on us all night like a limpet. The day promised a balmy +4 C, it was time to ride. My kitting up took more time than I thought. Bib shorts, thermals (top & bottom), tights, long sleeve base layer, winter jersey, neck warmer, skull cap, gloves, cycle socks, wool socks, overshoes and shades. I was an overstuffed sausage (Pork and Lycra) but ready to go none the less. I even managed to put my arms down, unlike poor little Ralphie's brother in the classic film "A Christmas Story". In the film a little boy's mother puts so many layers of clothes on her son to go to school that he can't see or even put his arms down. I think the remark about "preparing for deep sea diving" was quite apt. Anyway, the mother says "you can put your arms down when you get to school". Anyone who grew up in the great white north can sympathize.

 

I had a really nice ride out into Shropshire enjoying the sun. No wind but the roads was awfully wet. About 25 km from home, I saw black ice on the tarmac ahead. The ice crystals were gleaming at me like the Sirens of Sirenum scopuli. By the time I said "Oh Sh-" I was on the deck! Ouch. A genetic mutation of Lance Armstrong and Olga Korbut couldn't have kept my bike vertical. I took the full force on my hip, hand and shoulder. Why oh why does this always happen the absolute furthest from home? I was literally at the half way point! I stared into the blue sky assessing the damage with one foot still clipped onto the bike. Nothing broken, relief. I gathered my self upwards for a better look, adrenaline course through my veins. Nothing too major, just sore all along my right side, in particular my hip and elbow. Having three layers on saved me some serious road rash. The only visible damage was small tears in my glove and overshoes.

 

Being in the middle of nowhere my next concern was for the bike. Both tires were true and inflated. Only a slight bend on my handle bars and STI's. Both of these problems were easily fixed on the road. At least I had transport. Feeling totally paranoid about ice, I set off on a slow hobble, not wanting to risk another episode. After about 30 minutes of walking and very slow un-clipped riding, I managed to get to my return roads, which I knew were ice free.

 

Once at home I dosed up on some cycling candy (ibuprofen), washed/repaired my bike, got some hot food and hit the showers. Once in the shower I saw a nice bit of bloody road rash on my arm. The strange thing is, there was no tearing or ripping in either my jersey or base layer. How this happened I don't' know, comments please.

 

The lesson for the day was 1) don't ride the day after a heavy night frost, when in doubt stay home. 2) 25 mm wet tires have 0 grip on icy tarmac, you will fall. 3) Several layers of clothing are a good thing. 4) Having a dedicated winter bike is well worth it, if it had been my Madone, I would have been in tears. 4) Red wine and a hot bath cures all fall related ills.

 

Chuck

 

p.s. 5 falls since 2005 only 1 trip to hospital.

 

Hadrian's Audax - Day 2 Grindon to Whitley Bay

I was up early on the morning, watching the sunrise over the moors. A lot of low lying fog and lavender skies made for an eerie scene. We had a band of rain pass over us during the night and the forecast was for clear skies with a cool morning. Our host Les set us up for the day with another full breakfast (not losing any weight on this trip!). We setup our bikes for the relatively short ride, hoping to finish by the afternoon.

We set off at 9 a.m. exactly, quite well for us as we are normally about an hour late. The low lying fog was still around but made for some wonderful scenery. Our altitude was such that we didn't have to ride through any fog but could see it all around us in the valleys to the south. Although we were enjoying our warm up I think we were all thinking about crossing the North Tyne River in Chollerford. In order to cross this river, we drop all of the altitude we had gained over the past day down to the river. Once over, we had to gain it all back plus a little more in a very short distance. We all were a little apprehensive about "making it to the top".

We made the descent into the valley at high speed (60+ km/hr). Losing all our gained altitude in mere minutes. We had to throw out the anchors to keep from going too fast and putting ourselves in a position where a fall would be disastrous. A quick stop on the river for pictures and we were on our way up a 14% grade again. This one was tough. Mark and I set off ahead of Steve and Maile (still struggling with a duff derailleur). Within the first few minutes, Mark and I were on our lowest gears and out of the saddle. When it looked like we were beat and ready for a stroll, the slope levelled off just enough to catch our breath. We then marched a slow and steady cadence up to a point where we finally levelled off. Although we both felt knackered (and a little sick) we had made it without too much difficulty. Steve and Maile were not far behind. We stopped for a quick breather before going up and over the last 80 metres.

The only redeeming thing about this climb was that it was mostly downhill to the coast from the top. There would be a few small hills, but there would also be a lot of coasting and fast spinning. By the time we descended the moors, we were desperate for a coffee and cake stop. Fortunately there was a farm shop just in the right place. Nothing like hot coffee and cake to warm the soul and a cool morning!

Not soon after our cake stop, we hit the built up areas of greater Newcastle. This section of the ride was not meant to be much fun, just a means to an end. We had to fight the traffic, lights and roundabouts along the A191 to the coast. Not too many dicey moments, just a lot of stop-start riding. We were all amazed at the huge volume of traffic on the roads, given that it was a Sunday afternoon. It was a continuous stream of traffic the whole way. Quite disheartening to think that this is the way the country is heading, cars tail to tail 24/7. It seemed ages until we finally saw the coast. None of us felt that tired as we rolled to a stop in Whitley Bay (total distance 148 km). The beach was busy as it looked like the last day of sun we might get for awhile. There was nothing else for us to do but get some fish, chips and mushy peas on the seaside!

After some seaside snaps, Mark's wife took him and Maile back to Grindon to collect the car while Steve and I waited. Steve and I decided to pedal north to find a pub and wait for Maile to collect us. We had a couple of pints at a pub in Seaton Sluice before heading to the nearest car park for collection. The drive back south was uneventful and we made it back to Crewe and Nantwich at 9 p.m. We all agreed it was a great and fulfilling weekend. The next trip is in the capable hands of Mark. What will he have waiting for us?

Chuck

Hadrian's Audax - Day 1 Bowness-on-Solway to Grindon

We all met up on the evening of Friday the 26th in Carlisle to make our final preparations and have a few jars of ale. We managed to behave ourselves that night as we were saving ourselves for the first days ride. We stayed at the lovely Howard Lodge Guest House in Carlisle (very cycle friendly). A grand Victorian building set close to the centre of Carlisle. A huge cooked breakfast set us up for the days ride on a cool morning. Maile dropped Steve, Mark and I off in Bowness-on-Solway by car a bit later than we had planned but still at a reasonable start time of 10 am. Maile headed back to Carlisle to pick up her bike and head to the halfway point (Grindon) before catching us up on bike by heading west as we headed east. Confused? Yes it was a logistical quandary.

Our ride east towards Carlisle followed along the south coast of the Solway, just above sea level. Nice and flat, allowing us to warm up slowly and digest our meaty breakfast. The road was mostly closed to road works, so we had a relatively traffic free run into Carlisle. We did, however, have to dodge the occasional cow, sheep or cattle grid. The sky to the north was black as coal but the sun was shining to the South. We were prepared for the worst but hoping it wouldn't materialise.

Once in busy Carlisle we happened to stop and chat to a Swedish phrenologist with an interest in the progression of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. Only when you travel do you meet some interesting, if slightly eccentric, people. We now know a few things about cycling in Sweden that would bore the socks off the most hardcore dullards.

Once out of Carlisle we found some very pleasant riding near Lanercost Priory. The lanes were rolling, woody and quiet. With black clouds still looming we climbed steeply through the village of Banks up onto the moorlands and hooked up to Hadrian's Wall, which we would follow all the way to Newcastle. Some sections of the wall are still in good condition, considering they were built ca. AD 122. We stopped at a few places along the wall to take the ubiquitous pictures. Once we started following the wall, we could see quite clearly how the Romans liked to build walls and roads, straight at possible! By this point we were desperate for a coffee. Fortunately we found Slack House Farm near Birdoswald, which does excellent organic coffee, scones and jam. The cheese looked good too, but there wasn't enough room in my bag for cheese. I have enough trouble getting myself up hills, let alone with a block of mature cheddar!

A few miles further on we finally caught up with Maile at Greenhead and the sun came out. It was good to see she was getting on okay, but she had some news for us. We had a 14% graded hill to climb not far ahead! This hill was a pretty good test for all of us. Mark made it up first with me next, huffing and puffing. Steve wasn't far behind with Maile bringing up the rear. Unfortunately she had to walk up some of it as her rear derailleur was playing up. After we caught our breath (some time later) we made good progress along the B6318, stopping for a pint and nibble at some pub whose name I can't remember. Good beer though. A fairly relaxing, and very straight, ride for the next few miles brought us to our halfway point at 4 pm. We had enough time to relax and enjoy the evening. We stayed at the very conveniently located Old Repeater Station, where our host Les kept us fed, watered and somewhat entertained.

Chuck

The Next Challenge - Hadrian's Audax

For our next outing we are planning to do a coast-to-coast ride roughly following the line of Hadrian's Wall. We will be setting off on the 27th of September from Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria. We will be doing the ride over two days with a stay at The Old Repeater Station, which is North of Haydon Bridge. Our ride ends at Whitley Bay, North of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Since this ride will be in the autumn, we are hoping for good weather, but not expecting the best. There are four riders on this journey, the profiles of which will follow later. Here is a map of our route (~150 km).

Chuck

It's All Over

Our Justgiving.com page has closed on the 2nd of September 2008. We have raised a total of £1450, which is £450 more than our target. A huge "Thank You" to all of you who have donated. Since the charity ride is over I think it is time to recycle this blog. We will now be using it as our general blog for our cycle related outings. We have a trip coming up very soon, watch this space.

 

Chuck

 

Day 7 Bodmin to Land's End

We made it! This was our last day. After looking at the maps the night before we realised that the quickest way from Bodmin to Land's End was along the A30, all the way. We set off at about 9 a.m. joining heavy traffic on a windy and wet dual carriageway. This wasnt the best place to be during poor visibility. We had quite a few dicey moments where cars and lorries were flying past us at 70 mph just a few feet away, and in some instances it felt more like inches. When the lorries pass, you get a huge gust of wind which can either push you from behind or the side. The verges are also full of rocks, glass and debris. We had to concentrate very hard to keep the wheels straight. The added adrenaline must have helped as we covered our first 50 km by lunch (pasties of course), which was just at the end of the dual carriageway. Traffic was heavy due to it being a friday and schools are just starting to break up for the summer.

 

After a quick break in Hayle, we went up and over the pennisular to Penzance to prepare for the last leg. There were quite a few sharp hills on the ascent to Land's End from Penzance. We found them very hard as 6 days of intense riding was seriously taking its toll on our legs. Once we levelled off on the last 5 miles, we could see the end and the sheer joy of finishing helped to propel us along at quite a good clip.

 

Coming into Land's End was a fabulous feeling; joy, relief and exhaustion. I still had enough energy to attempt a few weak wheelies at the finish line though. Once we unclipped for the last time, John had a bottle of bubbly waiting us and the celebrating began in earnest. Did we want to get back on the bikes and head the other way? No.

 

Distance Covered: 93 km

Saddle time: 5 hours

Champagne consumed: 1 bottle

 

We spend the night in Bodmin. We had a curry (no energy food! yes!) and a few jars of ale to relax the muscles. Driving back to Cheshire I am starting to realise the scale of this ride. In a car it seems impossible that you could cover vast distances and climb big hills on a bike. I have really enjoyed the ride, bad days and good. We have seen some beautifiul countryside, met some very friendly and generous people. The nights spent at campsites, hotels and pubs enjoying a good laugh will stay with me forever.

 

Lowestoft to Lands End Final Stats

 

Days Riding: 7

Days off: 0

Distance covered: 800 km (500 miles)

Total Saddle Time: 43 hours

Punctures: 2

Falls: 3

 

Time for the thank you's. Thanks to John Welsh, for driving (~ 1500 miles), sorting accomodation, organising food and putting up with us for the last seven days. Thanks to Maile for taking time off work to support us and help John. Thanks to our wives for putting up with all the training runs and spending money on bike bits. Thanks to all of you who have given us words of encouragement and sponsorship money. We should exceed our goal by next week. I think its time for a day of rest and relaxation, until the next challege?

 

Chuck

 

Day 6 Crediton to Bodmin

Hell on wheels. It's all built up to this point, six days of hard riding, ~100 km per day. We are now at the launch point for the final push to Land's End. We're still not quite sure of our route, it depends on the weather and how our energy levels will be in the morning. Today we hit the West Country right proper. All the hills we complained about over the previous days had not prepared us for the terrain we are traversing now. Hilly is an understatement. We can have absolutely terrifying descents reaching speeds of 40+ miles per hour followed by endless climbs which sap every ounce of energy from your body. And just as you have ascended what you thought was clearly the highest hill in Devon/Cornwall, the next one is only a stones throw away.

 

We do take breaks along the way. Some of our breaks are just water breaks where we can take a quick breather, while others involve our support team. The support team meets us for long breaks with food, drinks, spares and drugs (legal ones, of course) at least twice a day. At times, Steve and I feel like steam engines that require a constant supply of fuel shoved into them at regular intervals. It must be working because we are here!

 

Tonight we are at our most tired. We both pretty much hit the wall today and had nothing in the tank for some of the big hills. There is not much you can do except take a break and dig deep for the next push. I think everyone has some little room in their mind in which they go to in order to break through the pain to just carry on, one foot over the other. Today was particularly hard for me as I have contracted a cold from somewhere in Norfolk (you know who are). My lungs are burning and its pretty painful to swallow. Steve is suffering from a common cycling ailment, sore bum. Not much we can do for either but carry on.

 

I'm writing this early tonight (10 pm) so I can try and gain back some of the lost energy from the previous six days by getting a good nights sleep.We are at a B+B in Bodmin, just what we needed.

 

Distance covered: 107 km

New top speed: 71.5 km/hr (scary)

Strepsils consumed: 1/2 box

Cream applied to sore bits: Loads

Hills climbed: 0, as I have wiped that from my mind forever

 

Chuck

 

p.s. Last Day Tomorrow! Thank goodness as my clothes are really smell. 

Day 5 Glastonbury to Crediton

The day started off very well, blue skies, no wind, flat run through Kings Marsh Moor and similar. We quickly moved through several picturesque villages and made our lunch stop at the Co-Op car park in Wellington after a few hairy moments going through Taunton.. A big thumbs up to our support team, John and Miles who have put a lot of effort and time into helping us to get to where we are now-we could not have done this without them.
So far, so good, until we passed through Tiverton then the hills started in earnest. One hill at Bickley Castle proved to be the first one that defeated us-we gave it a go but on our fifth day a 2-mile, 1 in 7 hill was just a bit too much. We had to stop about 1/4 way up otherwise a double cardiac arrest was on the cards....
We did complete all the other challenging hills to arrive in Crediton, Devon where we were picked up by John who took us to Yeatheridge Farm Caravan and Camping site. A big thank-you to the owner Mr. Hosegood who donated the campsite fee to the Cancer Research UK-The campsite is really nice and has a great club house with very good food and cider as we can readily attest to!!
Hard day coming up tomorrow-as long as we can get there before dark we will be happy.

Distance Covered 98K
Saddle Time 6hrs
Cider Drunk-8pints
Games of Pool lost 2 (By Miles and Steve- Dream Team-playing for fun not to win)

Steve

Day Four Lambourn to Glastonbury

We are well into our journey to Land's End, and it sure feels like it! My knees ache, one of my toes has gone numb, my back is as stiff as plank of mature oak, my legs feel like lead, and my innards are doing cartwheels from protein-sugar-carbo surges. As we awoke this morning, the sky was very dull and damp. Energy levels were probably at their lowest, needless to say that our motivation was at rock bottom as well. But what else can you do but get on the bikes and ride? It's still better than work!

After a very slow first few km (to warm up, or course) the sky started to clear, our muscles loosened up and spirits rose. We passed out of the valleys around Lambourn and entered the downs of Wiltshire. We passed a few iron age hill forts and the ever present white horses. This was some of the most serene landscape we have passed through and we were both fortunate to be there (irregardless of the ferocious headwind). We traced along the northern edge of Salisbury plain with grea views of the rolling wheat fields and the Mendip hills in the distance. Lunch was in Devizes with the support team (John and Maile). They topped up our food and water and got us covered with sunscreen as it was starting to get baking hot.

The last few legs of each day are always the hardest, your concentration starts to go, your energy drops and you cant see the end yet. We struggled through horrible traffic in Frome and had trouble navigating through some of the back lanes. Local signage is not great in places, as you see from the picture. We the temperature dropping rapidly with the sun, we rolled to a finish.

Distance cover: 120 km
Saddle time: 6:45
Top speed 62 km/hour
Average speed: 18 km/hour
Litres of water consumed: 3

Devon here we come! Oo argh!

Chuck

p.s. my bike hit its 2000 mile mark today, its looking rough.

Day 3 Tring to Lambourn

We left sunny Tring and headed over the last of the sharp hills heading for the Chilterns. We had several quick stages over mostly flat terrain and good weather, making the best time we have done over the last two days. We stopped for lunch on the banks of the Thames at Wallingford. It was nice to move at a slightly slower pace due to us having set off on time today. We took breaks in Chinnor and Wantage to break the journey up. As it was day three, we were both feeling quite sore and tired. We have now crossed over the top of London, and are almost half way done. As today's itinerary was well planned, we managed to get to our first campsite in Lambourn (the valley of race horses) by 4 o'clock. Johh and Maile (who joined in Aylesbury) had a well set up campsite and bbq waiting for us. It was a good thing, as we were both pretty shattered climbing our last huge hill (the highest in West Berkshire, by my reckoning).

Once at the campsite, I had to service both bikes including a wheel straitening on Steve's. A few wee drinks later and we were ready to tuck into our first night under canvas (well maybe not canvas in 2008), Hopefully the weather holds and we cover some good ground to Glastonbury.

Distance covered: 110 km
Saddle time: 6 hrs
Bottle of wine drank: 4

Chuck

Day 2 Haverhill to Tring

We had a late start today due staying in Norfolk. The weather gods were with us, no wind, light cloud cover, perfect. Unfortunately every silver lining has a cloud. The terrain we covered today can be summed up one simple word: hilly. It was a battle of gravity vs. sheer determination. Well, we made it, with some timely help from our support team (thanks John). Pretty darn tired now, let's see what tomorrow brings?

Distance covered: 120 km
Saddle time: 6 hours
Max speed: 61 km/hr

Just had a massive Chinese meal and a few glasses of wine. Midnight now, time for some much needed sleep.

Chuck

Day 1 Lowestoft to Haverhill

It started with an off hand suggestion one night in the pub. Here we are 6 months later in Lowestoft after months of training and weeks of planning. Steve and I were joined with Mark Nicholson (for the first day only) on our first leg. We set off from Ness Point (the Eastern most point in England) on a cool, wet, and windy day heading to Haverhill in Suffolk. We only managed to go about 100 metres before our first stop, to put on wet weather gear. Next we had a nightmare trying to actually get out of Lowestoft, turning in circles, looking for the quiet country lanes which we enjoy so much. After a few showers and strong headwinds we made it to our half way point at the historic town of Eye. Once in Eye we stopped in a the Queen's Head pub for a drink and feed. Our hosts were most gracious and generous. Not only did we have some fantastic food, were given some charity money as well!

 

After lunch we had quite a long distance to travel (which I hadn't told Steve or Mark). By this time we were coping quite well with navigation and moving through some lovely rural hamlets one after the other. We had one rest stop where we met up with Steve's son John, our support team, who keeps us topped up with drinks and water. The final leg of our first day was a 12 mile haul to Haverhill, at which time we were just about out of energy and ready to collapse. Nothing but sheer determination kept our legs turning until we finally made it to our destination.

 

Distance Covered: 150 km (93 miles)

Time in the Saddle: 7 hours

Top Speed: 53 km/hour

Average Speed: 20 km/hour

 

We were absolutely shattered by the time we finished. The furthest Steve had ever travelled before was 50 km, so to do an extra 100 km on the first day he deserves and extra pat on the back. When we finished, John sped us off to Marks home in Higay where his wife Rebbecca had a fantastic feast waiting for us. We had a couple of vino tinto's to kill the pain, hopefully tomorrow we won't be too sore!

 

Chuck

 

Sending off party

I have to give a huge thanks to my lovely wife Maile for arranging a sending off party. The party was held at the Vine Inn in Nantwich (shameless plug www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/19/19837/Vine_Inn/Nantwich). Not only did we have a few laughs and pints, we managed to raise even more money for Cancer Research. We are very near our goal of £1000 and it looks like we should exceed that target as two big company sponsors are yet to put in some money. After sinking a few jars of real ale and a few pork pies we are now ready to burn off those calories on the bikes, only 2 days left! I have to say, it was a beautiful cake, but alas, it had to be eaten! Yum!

 

I went for a short ride before the party to test out some new gear. It was windswept, raining hard and very dark. Not a pleasant ride, especially since my bike seemed to get attacked by a brigade of gremlins. So many new noises and squeaks, or was it my imagination. They all seemed to go by the time I limped back home, so fingers crossed that my wheels will last the distance.

 

Chuck

 

p.s. Thanks Maile!

 

Counting down

Departure day, which is 09:00 12 July, is rapidly approaching. The nerves are now starting to become more apparent and the scale of the ride seems longer every day. We have been making last minute plans for accommodation. For the first three nights we will be in hotels/houses but after that we'll be camping under the stars and trying to stay dry. We can expect busy roads for the first 3-4 days as we pass over the top of London and cross a few of the busiest motorways in Europe. After that, the rolling hills and farms of the West Country start to fall into view as the lanes clear of commuter traffic and we settle into our more familiar rural riding.

I have been making a few modifications to my bike. Over the summer, it's stripped down to bare minimum, to save weight and increase speed. Now I have added full fenders, an extra bottle cage, a mirror, a bar bag and map case. It's having to become a bit of a tourer now, after a former life as a tri-bike and road racer. I'll be looking not to add to much weight as the bike isn't the lightest anyway, not as light as Steve's. Just time left for a few test runs.

The map above was put together by Steve's son John and clearly shows our waypoints. For those interested here are the details:

A Lowestoft, Suffolk, Start Point

B Haverhill, Suffolk, 70 miles (110 km)

C Aylesbury/Tring, Buckinghamshire, 70 miles (110 km)

D Lambourn, Berkshire 50 miles (80 km)

E Glastonbury, Somerset 70 miles (110 km)

F Crediton, Devon, 60 miles (100 km)

G Bodmin, Cornwall, 60 miles (100 km)

H Land's End, Cornwall, Collapse Point 60 miles (100 km)

Total estimate 430 miles (700 km)

You know, looking at that map, Paris doesn't look that far away, hmmmmmm.

Chuck

p.s. Halfway to £1000! Thanks to all who donated. To those who haven't, time to get busy, we certainly are!

Training 29 June 2008

It's amazing what you can see when you slow down your pace of life. Cycling gives you that perfect speed between walking and driving. Walking allows you to see your surroundings in great detail but you only get to see a small part of it. Riding in a car, you can see vast distances but with little detail. Cycling is the perfect medium. Ask any cyclist and they will tell you of all the strange and wonderful things they pass. Such as suicidal wildlife, dead wildlife, farm critters, other odd people in lycra, and odd objects in verges. This picture falls into the odd category, unless you are "in the know". It's the time of year for the Wrenbury Scarecrow Trail (www.scarecrowtrail.co.uk). Where local residents of this small Cheshire village (in conjunction with the local school) construct fantastic scarecrows for all to enjoy. I liked this particular dude as it looks like Steve when I mentioned we will have to ride 230 miles in our first three days!

 

Best Regards,
 
Chuck

Nearly half way to our £1000 goal!

Donate: http://www.justgiving.com/low2le

Training 14 June 2008

When you get to Land's End

We are now less than one month from departure! I am really looking forward to a week off of work and an week on the bike. A little nervous too. Last week my maps arrived from Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency of Great Britain. There is a total of five maps (O/S Travel Maps - Tour). This series of map is perfectly suited to our journey. Not only is the scale "just right" at 1:100,000 but the maps have both regional and national cycle routes indicated. In addition, the maps show locations for pubs, campgrounds, pubs, restaurants, pubs and of course pubs. We will be avoiding busy roads (A roads) and sticking to the back lanes (B roads) for most of the ~500 km journey.

This weekend past, Steve and I went for a shortish training run as Steve was having some knee problems. Too much rugby and karate in his youth! We were both remarking how great it would be to have your knees replaced with proper metal ones and never have to worry about knee pain ever again. If you are active and under 40 without knee pain, don't worry! You will eventually get it and can enjoy the thrills of pill popping and ice blocks for the rest of your life!

Chuck

p.s. To those who have donated at www.justgiving.com/low2le a huge "THANK YOU"! For those lurkers out there, get donating!

Training 1 June 2008

With 100 km under my wheels from the previous day, I met Steve for a late morning blast to Malpas (near the Welsh border) and back (46 km). I was very apprehensive about going for the ride, half expecting my legs to seize up, my body to run out of energy, and my backside to feel like a pincushion. I needn't have worried as I felt pretty good for most of it, just a little sore (backside again!) towards the end. This was all good news as it meant that stringing day after day of 100 + km is definitely possible with good planning. Steve was clipping along well, working on cadence while monitoring his heart rate. It sure jumps going up those long hills. Look out for the suicidal bunnies though! Just out of Malpas, the skies became very heavy and dark. We decided to b-line back to mine for coffee and cake (strawberry mmmm, thanks Maile!).

I spent the rest of the afternoon de-gunking my chain. This is necessary job but I am learning to really really hate it.

Chuck

Training 31 May

Piling on the mileage. This past Saturday (with Steve away with family commitments) I had made my mind up to cover some longer distances. During our ride across England we will be covering well over 100 km (62 miles) per day. With our comfortable and normal speeds of 20-25 km/hour we can expect to be 'in the saddle' for 5-6 hours per day. I figure we will be using about 600 kcal per hour, which adds up to a whopping 3000-3500 kcal per day. A person will need about 3000 kcal per day, with little or no exercise just to exist and maintain and even weight. With a good breakfast lunch and dinner, there will still be a shortfall. It would be great to lose some weight, but this a very unhealthy way to do it! We do not want to have an energy crash and run out of glycogen 2 days into a 7 day ride. With this in mind, I have been looking at nutrition during the ride. Assuming 3 good meals a day, with low fat, some protein and high carbs (beer?), we will need to have several hundred kcal on the bike. This can be in the form or simple sugars (i.e. glucose, fructose) and complex carbohydrates (i.e. maltodextrin).

I have been taking energy drink with me on my rides. It is a bulk product which I make up in one of my two 750 ml water bottles. Each bottle has about 200 kcal (with electrolytes). It tastes awful! A bit like soapy water. The main problem is that the drink contains protein (which makes more amino acids available for fuel and saves your muscle protein from breaking down) which does not dissolve. This means you have to give it a good shake before drinking/eating it. But, it is a very easy method to take in energy on the fly. My wife Maile has been busy experimenting with home-made energy bars. She has been combining oats (complex carbo), whey (protein), peanut butter (protein and fat), and syrup (simple carbo). Her first batch produced a bar that tasted very sweet and had the consistency of poo. It was a mess, especially after sitting in my nice warm jersey pocket for a few hours. After a bit of work and brainstorming, she now has a bar which looks, and tastes, the business (and doesn't turn to mush in my pocket). I can expect about 300 kcal per bar. Now we just need to figure out home much to take on each ride.

With all this in mind, I set off from Nantwich with food, water, map and spares for a long day in the saddle. I managed a long jagged loop right along the edge of south west Cheshire. With the sun on full, I passed near Chester, through Malpas, Marbury (near Whitchurch), then past Wrenbury and Audlem before heading back to Nantwich. About 90 km in, I was feeling completely drained. My legs were moving but the muscles were working hard to keep the wheels just spinning. I didn't feel out of energy, just tired (should improve with fitness). My dilemma was, do I manage another 10 km to make a metric century or head home and count costs. Those of you that know me, already know the answer. So there was silly me doing laps around the block just to get to 100 km! Well, I did make it. 100.6 km in 4 hours of saddle time, my first metric century. After a proper meal, I didn't feel too bad, so I must have taken about the right amount of food and water. 100 miles next time??? Watch this space.

Chuck

Low2Le Logo

Hope you like the Logo we have come up with for our Lowestoft to Land's
End charity ride. If you look carefully, you can make out the 'low2le'
---somewhat stylised, but it's there ---Honest!! If you have a really
good imagination and squint, you can also see a stylised rider on a
bike--or is that just me? Not quite 'magic eye' picture but we like it!!

Training 10-11 May

This weekend we had some fantastic weather. Long, warm and sunny days without a wisp of wind. Perfect cycling weather! I was joined on a 50 km (31 miles) ride on Saturday with a very good friend of mine (Mark) whom also has caught the cycling *bug. Mark brought his brand spanking new Kinesis road bike. A sweet looking ride with relaxed compact geometry and Tiagra groupset. He let me have a spin on it just outside Wrenbury. I was quite impressed, much faster and more responsive than my old beater. The bike also felt more comfortable, but that could be due to it being a slightly smaller frame than I’m used to, causing my posture to be more upright.

While Mark was visiting, we fitted his seat height using the 109% and LeMond methods. Using an average of the two methods, we found his seat to be quite a bit low (4 cm). By raising his seat up, Mark looked pretty comfy in the saddle and I think he mentioned getting a bit more power out of the cranks. In addition to the fitting, our wives went to Aldi to get some of their über-low priced cycling gear which included a computer for Mark for £5, bargain.

On Sunday, Steve joined the two of us for an out-and-back from Nantwich to Malpas, which is about 43 km (27 miles). Steve couldn’t make it on Saturday as he was travelling back from Athens for work. The day was a warm one in which we quickly ran out of drinks. As we were riding through Wrenbury we passed a watering station for some type of race. We were not sure if it was a running or bike race. Anyway, as we flew past, the volunteers offered us bottles of water, which came in handy. Whoever you were “Thanks”! It was a good ride with some mixed riding styles; tight grouping for drafting, sprints, and our all time favourite pootling. Nice to see three old farts out having fun in the sun.

Chuck

*Chalk up another disillusioned wife. “You spent how much!”

Training 3-5 May 2008

We had some good weather over the bank holiday weekend, finally. With the rapeseed in full bloom, the two of us managed to cover most of South Cheshire with rides out to Peckforton, Marbury, Wrenbury, Crewe and Church Minshall. Saturday was a particularly wonderful day as a great ride was followed by an ever greater football match. It was Nantwich Town FC vs. Sheffield FC for promotion to the Unibond Premier Division. Nantwich won 4-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw and added extra time. Nerves were stretched to the limit. Well done you Dabbers!

Our fitness levels have been getting better. We are not so concerned with our legs managing to go 60-80 miles a day. Instead we are concerned that our backsides won’t be able to handle it! Bungee strap a pillow to the seat? Stand half of the time? We are open to suggestions! The forecast for this week looks great, so at least one of us will be riding as Steve (The One Man Peloton) is off to Athens. Maybe he will find Cyclus, the Greek God of Cycling, who can offer some wisdom.

Chuck

Training 26 April 2008

Steve and I did a nice little run through Wrenbury and Marbury this past Saturday. The weather was cloudy and mild, with no rain. We managed a whole mile before one of us had a puncture (Steve this time). It turned out to be a failed patch with a bit too much pressure on it. A quick tube replacement and the rest of the ride was uneventful. We ended the ride with a sprint down a slight grade near Ravensmoor. I managed to finally break my top speed at that spot with a dizzy 61.5 km/hour (38 mph) with Steve right behind. A modest 30km (18 miles) covered during the ride followed by coffee and flapjacks.

After the break, I went with my wife Maile for a test ride on her newly acquired used bike. We made a short 12 km loop just outside of Nantwich. With the weekend ride and my three mid-week rides I managed to total up 120 km (75 miles). I am looking forward to next weekend with a long ride planned.

Chuck

Training 20 April 2008

Should have stayed home. Since both team members are in the same county, it seemed a good idea to go for a ride together. I picked up Steve on Sunday morning, with my car, for the short drive to Nantwich. Upon getting to my house Steve found he was one cycling shoe short and one training shoe too many. He blames his cheeky granddaughter for the mix-up; I’m thinking that ‘vino tinto’ might be the cause. So, quick drive back to Steve’s to pick up his shoe. A less than auspicious start, the first sign we should have stayed home.

We finally set off by late morning, making sure we had all our gear. I even had a spare tube, just in case. As we pulled out of the drive, the rain was persisting down. It was that light yet determined rain which seemed to fill your shoes with water then work its way up until you are as wet as some really wet thing. Another sign!

We managed to get a few miles out of Nantwich when “Pttttisssss”. Puncture, oh bugger. With the cold rain now falling directly down my back, I managed to find a finger sized hole in my tube. “No problemo” I thought. I’ll put my spare tube on. That went great until the Presta Valve broke off, Nooooo! Now I had to patch the original tube with the hole from hell. After fitting a very big patch (can’t feel my fingers at this point) we managed to get the wheel back on the bike and pumped up. We were off! Managed to go maybe another mile or two when “Ptttisssss”. Steve saw that puncture happen from behind and remarked at how dramatic it looked. Dramatic my ass, I was thoroughly pissed off by this point! Do we send someone back for the car or try yet another repair. I was so wet and cold at this point I though, “let’s just get it fixed and head straight for home”. Another duvet sized patch was fitted and the tube inflated to a point with just enough pressure to make it home.

We limped into Nantwich Canal Basin and stopped at the Waterside café for a coffee and scone. The coffee there is top stuff. I enjoyed the snack, even with the small lake forming at my feet as my shoes emptied themselves of rainwater onto the floor. I won’t tell you how far we managed to cycle but let’s just say it was longer than a stones throw. It was only when I was washing the five pounds of mud off my bike when I found the cause of my problems. I must have hit a very sharp stone which punctured my Continental Ultra Gator Duraskin sidewall that, according to the manufacturer, has “a reinforced form and external protective shield over the entire casing to prevent cuts, punctures and abrasions”. Yeah right.

Better luck next time, I hope.

-Chuck

We have a date set!

After hours (about 5 minutes) of deliberating (at the pub) we finally (three pints later) picked a date for our ride from Lowestoft to Land's End. We are going to set off on the 12^th of July and hope to be done by the 19^th of July. Now the hard work begins! Time to get muscle mass on the legs and condition those derrières to sitting in the saddle for hours at a time.

It’s also time to for you lot to show us the money! We are hoping to raise loads of money for Cancer Research UK. Cancer Research UK is the world's leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research. They support research into all aspects of cancer through the work of more than 4,250 scientists, doctors and nurses. Over the past 10 years alone, thousands of lives have been saved through earlier detection and improved treatments. But, much work remains to be done if they are to achieve the aim of beating cancer. Charity Registration No 1089464 www.cancerresearchuk.org

Donating could not be any easier. All of our donations are handled through www.justgiving.com. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Cancer Research UK will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. Just follow this link:

http://www.justgiving.com/low2le

You can donate as little or as much as you like, from anywhere around the world. So please sponsor us now!

Training 14th April 2008

Just a short-ish run this morning---24k. Felt better than yesterday especially considering how (suprisingly) blustery the weather was--as Chuck remarked in previous post-how can there always be a head wind on a circuitous route? I know it was not being produced by my sheer speed which averaged a measly 21Kph !!- I am not exactly streamlined so maybe I was catching every gust ....
Still, I'm not too worried about speed, the ride is going to be more of a 'marathon' than a sprint, with plenty of time to 'stop and smell the roses'--- and taste the beers on the way!

Training 13th April 2008

Steve here---finally got back from China a couple of days ago, unfortunately could not find a suitable bike to train on out of the 9 million in Beijing while I was there, so I have a lot of catching up to do with Chuck.

My first Blog so thought I would put a picture of my bike since I just washed it--it's a Boardman Road Comp -so far so good, nice smooth ride and easy gear changes. Halfords also replaced my broken Boardman Cycle computer arm free of charge so I am very happy with their customer service.

Since I have not been on a bike for about 8 weeks now, I thought I would take it easy so did a short 15k out and about Nantwich. Not much to report other than I was a lot more knackered than I expected to be--maybe last dregs of jet lag?? I'll do a slightly longer run tomorrow just to get used to my cleats again-not toppled over yet but a near thing at one unexpected junction....

Will start building up again with Chuck next weekend--I need to try and put plenty of miles in over the next few months so that I can actually enjoy the ride across England this summer and not worry if I'm going to make it up the next hill!!.

Training 6 April 2008

SNOW! Winter came back overnight and dropped a few inches in Cheshire. The morning was picture perfect but not conducive to riding! After a quick trip to work, I was ready to hit the roads as the snow quickly melted, leaving only a little on the hills. You may just be able to make it out in the picture below.

During the previous week I gave the bike a mini service due to it hitting its first 1000+ miles. I replaced the poor quality standard fitted tyres and tubes with some Continental Ultra Gator Skins and tubes. I also solvent washed the chain and sprockets with White Lightning Clean Streak and finished with White Lightning Epic chain lubricant. There must have been a pound of gunk that came off! I must remember to do this more often. The solvent came in handy once more as I de-shined my brake pads. The new tyres and service made a noticeable difference during my ride. I was a little bit quicker and the chain and derailleur were working very smoothly.

The ride itself was strange, how can the wind be head-on the whole ride, when you ride in a loop? To add insult to injury, I swear a large black storm cloud was following me. Just as I was pulling into the drive, the snow started to fall again. In all I coved a modest 56 km (35 miles). Steve is back this week. Hopefully he will have a good run at it this weekend. I won’t be able to join him as I am going into hiding over the weekend to commiserate my turning 40, aaaarrrrggghhh!

Chuck

Training 30 March 2008

Saturday gave us high winds and heavy rainfall. Not fun for riding, at all. I decided to go running instead, to keep fitness up. On Sunday morning, a large bright object was sighted in the sky. The Met Office says its something called “The Sun”. Whatever it is was it was time to get on the bike and enjoy. All the rain the previous day left some of the roads looking like this.

I was happy I put some fenders on (SKS Race Blades)! It keeps the backside from getting soaked. Even though it was a great day for riding, a series of punctures and work commitments only let me manage a puny 35 km (22 miles). I had a milestone of sorts during this last ride; I completed my first 1000 miles on the bike. Steve is still in China, but was he spotted?

Chuck

Training 23 March 2008

I decided to go for a blast this Easter Sunday. Steve is still in China, so it was another solo run. I had the vague idea of just riding west until I felt it was time to turnaround and head back. I had just about every type of weather; rain, sleet, snow, sun, and my least favourite, high winds. So, how do you know when to turn around? The answer is when the road signs change language!

Yes, I made it to Wales but didn’t have time to pick any leeks as I was cold and getting very tired. I managed to thread my way back to Nantwich having just enough energy to make it back without being too shattered. In all, a good run of about 58 km (36 miles). According to Katie Melua there are nine million bicycles in Beijing, let’s hope Steve is on one of them!

Chuck

Training 15 March 2008

With Steve in China until April, I was left to my own for training. It was another grey, wet and cold day in South Cheshire. I wanted to put some distance on my legs in a short time. I headed to Burland, as the road there is closed for a few months due to re-surfacing. Although I had to walk through some of the works, it was a great pleasure riding one of our busiest local roads with no traffic for miles. Upon reaching Beeston Castle I decided to do a complete loop around and work the hills around Burwardsley. My legs felt fine, if a little wobbly upon heading back to Nantwich via Wrenbury. Just outside of Nantwich, I was running out of energy (food and water as well) as my legs began to cramp when out of the saddle. This may have been due to the recent change in seat height and lack of fitness. In all I managed about 53 km (33 miles) in two hours. Let’s hope Steve is finding some saddle time in the hotel gym!

Chuck

Please Sponsor Us!

Not only is this ride going to be fun, we are hoping to raise loads of money for Cancer Research UK. A little bit about Cancer Research UK:

Cancer Research UK is the world's leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research. We support research into all aspects of cancer through the work of more than 4,250 scientists, doctors and nurses. Over the past 10 years alone, thousands of lives have been saved through earlier detection and improved treatments. But, much work remains to be done if we are to achieve our aim of beating cancer. Charity Registration No 1089464 www.cancerresearchuk.org

Donating could not be any easier. All of our donations are handled through www.justgiving.com. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Cancer Research UK will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. Just follow this link:

http://www.justgiving.com/low2le

You can donate as little or as much as you like, from anywhere around the world. So please sponsor us now!

Many thanks for your support.