Preparation

So what is that on the bike? Yes its suspension forks. Them and a bigger rear cog were put on the bike today at cooksons. An evening ride with Odile and I had to remind myself that suspension forks did not mean that I could ride anything as I nearly overshot a corner. I did get down a set of steps (with some screaming though). Now time for lots of rest!

Hobble Hobble

When will I learn? My bike needed to be dropped off at Cooksons for tuesday, I was home to late on monday to get it there, Ali had the car tuesday. So I decided to run home. I was actually really pleased with my pacing. I was aiming for 10min/miles and basically managed that. I was reasonably consistent over the run, a little slower on the climbs, a little faster downhill. At no time was I was working too hard. I always felt there was more to give.

Wednesday morning though I was hobbling down the stairs at 5am, unable to sleep. It felt like my knees. I iced them in front of the tv and hobbled round getting my mountain bike stuff ready for working. It was fine on the bike. By lunch I realised it was my quads that were sore. Knees were fine, phew!

Still a little sore today, certainly wasn't ideal in the two weeks before 24solo (eek!) but was good to run again.

Just a quick one

I start a new job on monday, its full-time, mountain bike leader. Excited and scared in equal measures. At least I know everyone, been freelancing with them for a while.

The miles add up

Today I had lots of errands to run, first it was down to Cooksons Cycles to get them to have a look at trek, as expected it needs too much doing. Back home again and there was just time for a quick lunch before heading out for a hospital appointment. Heading down Crompton Way I saw the strangest sight, a young deer racing all over the road. It looked terrified. I have to assume there are deer in Seven Acres Park but I am suprised. Onto Bury Road and straight into a headwind, not good. I was on the drops working as hard as I had at the time trial the other week only I was barely moving. In fact I only just got to Fairfield hospital in time. The way home was a lot easier, although you never notice the wind when it is a tail wind!

Then it was time for a short mtb ride. Odile had just picked up her bike with new forks so wanted a ride but was on a time-limit. Ali was tired but wanted some mtb miles so we set out to the golf course. Some playing on trails I normally run, great singletrack here I should do it more often. Some riding down steep slopes.

Then an attempt to get back up by me.

A cheeky ride through Jumbles with some new lines taken then back home via last drop village. 10miles on the GPS.

40miles in total for the day!

A solo bivvy

A lot has changed since I started this blog. Back then I was just starting to train for transwales 2008, going from a weekend warrior. I had only recently started riding off-road on my own having said that I never would. Well last night was another first for me I went bivvying on my own. I've always been too scared to, but slowly with more bivvying experience I decided I wanted to give it a go. So last night I left the house at about 6pm with Ali in tow, she accompanied me to Bury then headed off on her own ride (this is all part of her training for Wales at the end of the month, I think she'll be towing me round). On the way I stopped for supplies for the evening, pork pies, crisps, chocolate, sweets and Philadelpia light and bread sticks (why I thought this was a good snack I don't know, its a bit low on calories). I was soon on Rooley Moor road and already feeling slow and a little tired. Maybe not the best start.

At the top I did some of the trails through Cragg quarry and then enjoyed the descent to Waterfoot. After that it was time for thousands of gates which on my own took so long. In fact at times I was wondering why I kept getting back on my bike to ride. By now it was dark. But I needed to keep going. I had a stop at the Mary Townley Stone and at this point I was beginning to feel good.

I was aiming to get up to Long Causeway and once crossing it find somewhere to bivvy there. I now was happy I would get that far. One long push up and it was back on my bike and feeling like I was descending fast. Probably more to do with the fact it was dark than I was fast. Onto Gorple Road, I saw the Pennine Bridleway North heading off one to explore at another time, and it was time to make my bed for the night. It was so dark and I wasn't expecting to see anyone else up there so I just wanted 50m off the path and tried to find a flat patch to put my bed out on.

A text to Ali to let her know where I was and it was time for my pork pies, she rang then to say she had managed 30miles and say goodnight and then I hunkered down. After half an hour I had to take a layer off, I had actually overdressed! Then I got to sleep, waking as it got light. I dozed for a while and at about 6am I decided I should have breakfast. As well as my cereal I had a belgian waffle that I had picked up earlier, one to remembered as it was lovely. I packed everything up and headed off. About a km later I saw the perfect bivvy spot, ahh well mine was fine.

On the way back there seemed to be baby sheep everywhere. Some of them can only have been a few days only. I got some looks off them, obviously I was a new creature to them. I was realising at this point that at the speed I was travelling (slow I was at about 9km/h including stops) I wasn't going to be home in time. So once I reached Summit I dropped on the road and headed home via Litterborough and Rochdale from there.

Lots of things sorted in my head for the end of May now. First Solo bivvy done and has made me want to plan the next adventure!

Practise bivvy trip

Since Ali and I are off to Wales at the end of May for the Welsh Ride Thing I thought it was a good idea to get out and bivvy. Ali wasn't keen saying it was meant to rain, I thought that we really should try it in the rain. To be fair she also has been ill so maybe she was being sensible! So I spent saturday planning, I had an idea we would get a train somewhere and ride home. This only worked with a long ride in the morning or bivvying in Blackburn - not really what we wanted. So I looked nearer to home. Then Ali came up with a fantastic plan, we would go to Barocco's for dinner and then head out onto the moors for the night.

We set out and just 200m from the house I noticed Ali had forgotten something.... her rucksack! So it was back to the house so she didn't freeze overnight with no spare layers. Then it was a quick stop at Asda for essentials, cookies and jelly babies, before heading up the hill. Since we were on a ride it was of course three courses each and it would have been rude not to have wine (are we taking this bivvying lark seriously?) Once we had finished Ali was talking about rolling down the hill to her nice warm bed, but I was insistent it would be fun to sleep outside. So off we set.

It was still light at this point and I was having fun so I suggested that maybe we rode a little further, Ali agreed as long as it was in daylight. Well maybe I thought it got dark a little later than 9:30pm. But we were both still smiling and it did show us that we have to be careful where we put Ali's light if it is going to be any use with her sleeping stuff strapped on the front of her bike. Although the speed she did the descent through tockholes I don't think she needs a light! Up onto Great Hill and I suggested that we should try sleeping in trees, both of us a little scared of the shadows. So we found a nice spot, sheltered by a wall from the noisy and blustery wind and got our sleeping kit out.

All curled up in our bags we drifted off to sleep with the wind howling above us. Waking up the next morning to lambs calling to us across the wall, baaa! As Ali slept on I ate my breakfast and then waited and waited and waited. At half six I was informed that breakfast time was 7am and to shush! Eventually she did emerge to try eating her cereal with powdered milk - I don't think she enjoyed it ;-) In that case she is carrying her own milk in Wales!

So we packed up and got ready to go, just as we got on our bikes a dog walker came past, good timing! So it was back up onto Great Hill. Then time to take layers off, I was wearing all of mine at that point! We dropped down towards White Coppice, Ali had a few steering issues at the start with the ruts but once she was on the technical descent she was flying.

At the bottom she was in heaven, baby sheeps all the way along the track, I had to wait quite a while at the gate as she was busy talking to them. Along Healey Nab Lane and over to Rivington. I then said something like "Lets go up Wilderswood its the easiest way" which it obviously wasn't as we tried to ride up a vertical wall, or maybe it just felt like that to me!

All that was left then was to get home, Ali said no to the Belmont Descent (I was secretly pleased I didn't have to climb up Winter Hill), so it was home via Barrow Bridge. Not quite the 20miles for day 2 I wanted, but not far off and we had done a lot more on saturday evening than planned.

Time trialling again

Back in 2008 I rode two club 10's. I always meant to do some more but somehow it didn't happen. Anyway tonight I went over to Rainford again and had another go. I'm guessing 192miles at the weekend wasn't ideal preparation so I'm happy enough with my 28:30. Ali came to and beat me by 9seconds. Looking at my heart rate I can go faster an average of 175bpm is low for me. But that was as hard as my legs would go!

Poynton Plains 300

Yesterday I spent the day trying to rest and eat loads. The eating loads was easy but the resting was hard as it was a perfect day for cycling. But it was all for a good reason and after attaching lights, saddlebag, maps and garmin to my bike we packed the car and headed off to Poynton as I had entered the Poynton Plains 300. It was an ideal training ride for the 24solo, with it going to be my longest ride to date and riding through the night. As well as being a huge challenge in its own right! After getting the bike out and collecting my brevet card I was stood round chatting to Ali when someone said off you go then, opps I hadn't turned my garmin on. So on quickly and head off to hold on to the group. I got myself somewhere in the middle and was feeling comfortable all the way to the first control. Which seemed to come very fast. Still water and crisps purchased and the all important stamp and I was on my way. Onwards and through Nantwich where a closed level crossing meant carrying the bikes over a footbridge, I was glad of my light bike although the road shoes were not ideal! This time I ended up in a group of about eight and it was clear when we were getting close to Dinky's Dina as the pace went up and we caught up with two in front just before we got there. Turns out we were the first group there. A cheese and ham toastie was appreciated.

Onwards to Newtown and now it was raining. I was glad I had put my waterproof on. The group I started with soon split and I worked hard to hold onto the front group. As we dropped into Newtown it was Dawn and we went a little further to McDonalds instead of standing on a garage forecourt. Having not been to MacDonalds in years I was not sure what to expect at all. Turns out I had a nice bacon roll, hot chocolate and muffin. Since we all know McDonalds is high calorie food this was ideal. A big group left at the same time, but the first hill split us up. I was suprised to be amongst the strongest hill climbers - think the fixed riding is working. A missed turn just before Dinky's Dina meant chasing to arrive at the same time as the other four. Here I just got an orange juice as I was full and headed off quickly (well so I thought it was still a 30minute stop). I rode by myself for about 30minutes before meeting up with someone else. After an hour of riding we collected someone else and rode together to the next control. This was a lovely cafe at Radway Green Garden Centre. A chocolate eclair here and another orange juice and the three of us left just after the next group arrived. Only 42km left!

At first the hills seemed hard and I felt slow but soon I was hammering up the hills as the distance came down. I had text Ali to say that I would be there by 1:30pm (I had said 3pm the night before). The last stretch was on a main road and we all put our heads down and pushed on, wanting to get under 14 and a half hours. I got to the co-op at 1:25pm, Ali was there to get a picture of me and bubbles were bought to go with the celebration pizza later. Just as we drove out of the carpark the rain came, seems like I had timed that right!

All the stats are on Garmin connect above. But for the imperial amongst you the ride was 192miles and my average moving speed was 15.8mph!

Me at the finish.

Winter Hill

My rota this week seems to involve lots of miles so my only real day for a night ride was tonight. Odile was onboard and turned up to mine at 5pm. My grumbling about the rain in the morning worked and it turned into a lovely evening. I was still glad of my tights but the sun was out and the trails dry.

We went up Winter Hill, down past the quarry onto Georges Lane - really impressed I rode it. Back up Winter Hill and down the Belmont Descent. Which was in fantastic condition. My legs were sore buy the time I reached the gate though. Then it was an easy spin home, well that was what I thought but Odile put herself in big ring and stormed back leaving me spinning like a lunatic!

200km - fixed

I had it in my head that I wanted to do a 200km ride, it would be my furthest ride and its a nice round number. The weekend was the ideal time for it and I had a number of plans, then Ali suggested going to Cambridge and maybe I could ride down. It turns out I had plotted this route previously and at over 300km it was going to be a little long. Ali wanted me to spend some time with her and her mum once I got there. So I plotted another route which came out at 206km, ideal. We had planned to leave our house at 6am, instead we got up then. Something to do with me being out late the night before. So it was 9am before I started pedalling.

On my way and it seemed a little hillier than I was expecting, I was wondering if I had made the right choice to try and do my longest ride ever fixed. But the riding was lovely, little country lanes, hardly any traffic and hares in the fields beside me. Soon the layers were coming off as I warmed up. Through the centre of Newark and I knew it was all villages from here on, not that Newark had been that busy unless you count the huge club ride heading out in the opposite direction to me. Somewhere after the outskirts of Grantham I realised I was getting low on water but I thought it would be fine as one of the villages would have a shop. Before that point I had passed a few. But no this was when I started going through villages with no facilities except pubs that were shut. My next thought was to ask the next person I saw gardening, but no they had all disappeared as well. A look on the map and I decided to divert to Bourne as it looked a reasonable size on the map. Stocked up with water and headed back on my way, past an open pub, village shop and petrol station! So I would have been fine. Still on such a lovely day who minded an extra few miles?

At this point I was down to wearing my shorts and jersey, unheard of for me in April. I was amazed at how much stuff I actually got in my rear pockets! I was to find out later that when I put my suncream on I hadn't considered that I would actually take my knee-warmers off and so ended up burnt between my shorts and my knee on the right hand side. It seemed no time at all till I was in Cambridgeshire, fortunately I am all too aware how long a county this is so I didn't think I was nearly there.

I spent most of the time in my own bubble, waving at the odd cyclist who was taking advantage of the weather. Until just before Earith where two cyclists went past me. No one to not take advantage I got onto the rear wheel and stayed them. Some chatting about if I had come far, as soon as they heard they had lots of questions, some chatting about cross racing and that five miles flew by. I was feeling strong now so I decided to push a bit. I was hoping to do the 200km in 10 hours total time, I had my garmin on continuously so my average speed was the overall. Even with the extra distance I could see that 10hours was a possibility. Last stop and text was sent to Ali saying I should be there by 7pm and on I went. Pushing on through the villages I recognised from riding round here previously. Before I knew it I was pulling into Harwick and waving through the window. 15minutes before my 10 hour cut-off. 

Then it was time to go out for Pizza amazing I didn't feel that tired!

So total stats:

Distance: 217.31 km
Elevation Gain: 603 m
Moving Time: 09:01:07
Elapsed Time: 09:53:02
Avg Speed: 22.0 km/h
Avg Moving Speed: 24.1 km/h
Max Speed: 46.5 km/h
Avg HR: 124 bpm
Max HR: 172 bpm