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!