LEJOG Day 12 John O'Groats

That's it then it's done!

This morning was an easy ride of only 30 miles in total. After breakfast we met up in town, the group was split between two hotels last night, and headed off. 

From the start it was fairly clear people were looking to get stuck in to the ride as we shot off, with the wind behind us, at speeds in the low 20's, must faster than usual. 

We first visited Dunnett Head where we didn't hang about as we could see a nasty rain storm heading towards us. 

From Dunnett Head we moved onto a pub a couple of hundred meters from John O'Groats where we grouped up for the big ride in. I managed to get in relatively untouched by the storm but Mark got caught behind some cows being herded along a road and got much wetter. 

The final few meters were riden as one big group and then we had the obligatory photos and bubbly. 

After a quick change we were onto a bus and off to Inverness and the celebration dinner. 

Phil was waiting for us at the hotel so we had couple of pints then went for a walk into town. 

Tonight's dinner was a pleasant affair, quite a few riders had already left but all of my group were there so we had a good meal followed by some brief speeches and were presented with a t-shirt and certificate. 

So that's it then, all done. We've had a great experience, very tough at times but always enjoyable. I would recommend Discover Adventure as a touring company, the staff were generous, helpfull people and the food, accomadation and support was first rate.

I've had a great time and Mark, once over the lurgy, has enjoyed his trip. We are both glad to be going home but I know that as far as I'm concerned this won't be my last cycle trip, hopefully some with Mrs C as well, I'm not so sure Mark will be so keen to go on another!!

Thanks to you all for your support during our adventure and a special thanks to Phil for coming all this way to pick us up. 

So for now it's Onwards and Southwards!!

 

LEJOG Day 11 Brora to Thurso

 Day 11 dawned grey and a little damp, so it was a fairly downbeat group this morning. The forecast was fairly good though so it was a case of just getting wrapped up and getting on with it. 

We started off along the A9 which runs along the coast. It's a beautiful view but the road is quite busy and when you throw in some wind and drizzle it's not much fun. 

After about 10 miles we turned off the main road at Helmsdale and headed inland and up onto the higher ground. About this time it started to brighten and the rain stopped which cheered us up a lot. 

The road soon narrowed to a single track and steadily climbed away from the coast into some beautiful countryside. 

We climbed, on and off, for about three hours with a break for lunch at the top followed by a steady ride into the wind all the way up to the valley head and popped out on the north coast west of Thurso. The scenery was beautiful, at times you could look in all directions and not see anything other than nature. 

Once back on the Coast Road we finally got the wind on our back and flew into Thurso and into the hotel for a nice early finish. I've been for hair cut and Mark and I have seen the sights of Thurso, which took about 10 mins and now we are rehydrating in the gay bar in town!!

So all we have left is 30 miles in the morning to Dunnett Head, the most Northerly point in mainland UK and then onto John O'Groats and theadventure is over. 

Today's stats. 65   860m climbing. 

Onwards and upwards !

LEJOG Day 10

Another good day in the saddle. 

Last nights accomadation was a bit basic, 6 of us in one room and the usual boy type stuff made for a bit of a laugh. Unfortunately one of the guys went for a loo break during the night and managed to pull over the bunk beds and trap himself. After a good laugh we helped him get free and went back to sleep but to be honest I don't think either of us got much sleep. 

Breakfast was ok, porridge, bacon and eggs with juice etc cooked by the staff and then we all pitched in to get the dishes done and the rooms cleaned up before we headed off. 

Today's ride was split into two parts.  Part one was stunning with rides along Loch Ness  and then we headed up a 1.5 mile climb of up to 20%. Once up on top of the moors the view was stunning and the smell of pine and heather beautiful. We shot along through some lovely country stopping for coffee in Beauly then on into the Muir of Ord and to Dingwall for lunch. For me it was the best bit of riding of the whole trip. 

After lunch we had a diversion 
due to roadworks and then headed to Tain and then unfortunately onto the A9  for 30 odd miles, which although reletively pretty was very busy. After a quick stop at the Glen Morangie distillery  we arrived in Brora and a nice posh hotel. 

Dinner was very pleasant and we have hit the sack early to try to catch up on sleep. Tomorrow is only 65 miles but we might get wet. 

Today's stats. 98miles. 166 climbing. 

Onwards and upwards!

LEJOG Day 9 Inveraray to Lagan

Another long but beautiful day 

Our morning dawned bright and calm with some beautiful views across the lochs and mountains. 

We left the hotel on time at 8 am and almost immediately we were into a steady climb out of the valley that went on for about 8 miles. We had a bit of an incident when some stupid idiot went to overtake our line of 4 and almost put an oncoming vehicle off the road. Horns blared and the offending driver got some abuse but no one was hurt. 

After the climb we had a long descent to Loch Awe and then on to Oban. 

After drinks we turned North East and headed along the shore of Loch Creren then back to the coast, heading towards Fort William. I was feeling it a bit in my legs at this point and was beginning to hang off the back off the group but they slowed a little and after a coffee stop I picked up a bit and we headed into a late lunch at 65 miles.  

The stunning scenery continued after lunch and with broken clouds the sun occasionaly managed to get on our backs a little and warm us up as well. 

We pulled over for another coffee break in Fort William and did a bit of people watching in the sun for half an hour and headed off to visit the Commando's memorial at Spean Bridge and then knocked off the last 10 miles or so along Loch Lochy to tonight's accommodation in a hostel. 

Tonight we are sleeping 8 to a room! With the staff cooking us a dinner. The hostel takes me back to my school days, having to make your own bed up etc, but it's clean and warm.  We have had a booze run so we should have a laugh tonight after the meal. 

Tomorrow we cycle alongside Loch Ness up towards Inverness. 

Today's stats 94 miles approx 6000ft climbing. 

Onwards and upwards!

LEJOG Day 8 Kilmarnock to Loch Fyne

What a beautiful day.

Although the promised sunshine didn't arrive and it stayed quite cool all day the weather certainly didn't ruin a great days cycling. 

We left Kilmarnock in good spirits and were soon bowling along good, flattish roads. It wasn't long before we were out in the countryside and heading towards Kilwinning and the coast road.  

From there we picked up a small but helpful tailwind and rode up the coast to Largs where we stopped at the famous Nardini's ice cream bar and got stuck in. 

After ice cream we blasted along the coast and caught the ferry across to Kirn and then onto lunch in a very beautiful botanic garden. 

After lunch we cycled along the shores of Loch Eck which was stunning and then after a short climb descended alongside Loch Fyne. 

The rest of the ride consisted of a circuit of Loch Fyne into Inveraray punctuated by a brief stop for oysters and Champagne (Mark passed on this and went straight to the hotel). 

Tomorrow is our longest day at 97 miles and starts with a 10 mile climb up "Heartbreak Hill" which is going to be an interesting challenge!

Today's stats. 83 miles. 650m climbing

Onwards and upwards!

LEJOG Day 7 Carlisle to Kilmarnock

Today was long and gruelling. We set off in cloudy conditions with the promise of sunny weather to come and into a gentle head wind.  Our route today was effectively due north from Carlisle to Kilmarnock with the odd bit of west thrown in, all of which meant we would be into a head/cross wind all day. What we weren't expecting was for the sun to stay in and the wind to strengthen during the day. 

Navigation wasn't a problem as we basically drove along the same road all day but unfortunately it was an A road so we've had some heavy traffic sections to deal with. 

Having said all of the above we were treated to some lovely rural scenery and some beautiful views across the coastal sand plains of the Solway Firth as we climbed and descended throughout the day. 

After about 10 miles we crossed into Scotland at Gretna Green. We all stopped for the obligatory photos and then got back on the road. 

Lunch was in a farmers barn and somewhat lacking in facilities but as the sun hadn't broken through all morning it had stayed quite chilly so the hot soup and pasta was very much appreciated. 

After lunch the scenery was just as pleasant but the road seemed to get a bit rougher so you had to concentrate to avoid some fairly big holes especially when the log trucks were passing you. 

After our afternoon drinks break the road began to descend toward Kilmarnock and quite a large group of us get really motoring along the now smoothe roads dropping into town at about 25/27 mph

Tonight's hotel is next to the Kilmarnock FC's ground and is very comfortable. I've had a long hot bath and we are now waiting to go for dinner. 

Tomorrow's route is a little shorter and involves a short ferry ride so that should be fun. 

Today's stats. 95 miles about 3000ft climbing. 

Onwards and upwards!!

LEJOG Day 6 Preston to Carlisle.

Today has been wonderful. We woke up to blue skies and a gentle S/Westerly wind which would help us northwards. 

We set off and headed along the A6 rolling along a very flat section of Lancashire passing through Lancaster and alongside Morcombe Bay.   We were taking things very easy as we knew that we had a big climb to tackle after 45 miles or so. 

After drinks in a beautiful lay-by we set off to tackle the famous Shap Climb. 

We passed through Kendal which was bedecked with flowers and then started to climb. 

Very much like Exmoor it was everyone for themself so we soon started to spread out. I was cycling with another rider and we quickly got into a good rhythm. We were chatting away and after about a mile or so of the 6/7 mile climb we began to wonder why we seemed to zipping along at 11mph and feared we would round a bend and face a wall but that never happened and despite all our fears we shot up the climb and after 50 mins we reached the summit.   

After the summit we got wrapped up for the 8 make descent to lunch and just shot down the hill topping 30mph for several miles.  

I met Mark at lunch and he had much the same view as I and didn't think it was too tough. However we were very lucky with the weather so I guess on another day it could be very difficult. 

After lunch was a scenic ride into Penrith where we passed the 500 mile/ half way point and then after a brief climb we shot wind assisted into Carlisle and to the hotel.

Today's Stats. 91 miles 

Tomorrow we enter Scotland

Onwards and upwards!!

LEJOG Day 5 Shrewsbury to Preston

At last we've had a dry days cycling (almost) and it looks like Sunday should be dry as well.

Breakfast was quite a quiet affair this morning, quite a few people, ourselves included, were feeling a little jaded after 4 days of riding over some very tough terrain in poor weather. I suppose it was beginning to dawn on us what a challenge this ride is, especially without any rest days to recuperate. 

My group had a bit of a huddle before we set off and agreed we would take it easy today and see if we could have a bit of an active rest day as we know tomorrow will involve a tough climb or two. 

Mark's group included a couple of, how shall I put it, "later finishers" which were going to need some chivvying along so he knew he was going to be going really steady. 

Today's ride was never going to be one of beauty as we had to get across the heavily populated areas of Warrington, Wigan and Preston. Never the less the first 30 or so miles were fairly pleasant as we rode up the A49 through the Shropshire and Cheshire countryside. The bonus was that other than the odd little climb the road was fairly flat so we were able to get a bit of a lick on without having to put too much effort in. 

After the morning drinks break we were soon onto busier roads with lots of traffic lights and roundabouts to negotiate all of which slowed us somewhat. 

Lunch was after 60 miles and up to its usual high standard and then we just had to find our way through Wigan and Preston to tonight's hotel, something made a bit easier for me as one of my group is a Preston resident. 

From the acrid smell that seems to be emanating from Mark's side of the room (his cycle shoes) it would appear he has arrived; unfortunately, because of some hold up with the late finishers and a bike shop visit, he was about 20 mins from the hotel when he got caught in a shower and got soaked, although he seems to have enjoyed his day. 

There are some rather posh health spa facilities on offer at the hotel but once we got onto our beds we found it difficult to move off again especially when we realised Sky Sports was on the TV in the room!

Today's stats 87 miles 938 m climbing. 

LEJOG day 4. Almost sunny..but!

Having spent a very luxurious night in our golf and health spa we awoke to grey but dry skies. After a group photo in the castle entrance we set off into the Wye Valley.

The good weather didn't last long as a drizzle moved in and we found ourselves having to negotiate some fast but slippy roads. We headed towards Monmouth passing Tintern Abbey and some spectacular views after an hour the drizzle stopped and we were able to shed the waterproofs. 

After a steady first couple of hours we got to Monmouth which was followed by a stiff climb and then seemed to spend ages just going up and down an undulating route. 

Lunch came after 60 miles and as is traditional now the heavens opened about 20 minutes before we arrived just to ensure we got damp. 

Having had lunch we thought it would be a simple matter of knocking off the remaining 30 odd miles and then hit the hotel early. How wrong we were, after about 20 mins one of our group punctured and having sorted that as we moved off another snapped his chain. After a bit of mobile signal roulette we managed to sort out the support to come and fix him, so we left him in the middle of nowhere and rode on. 

The next 20 miles seemed to go up and up punctuated by some sharp descents however the descents seemed to be on muddy, sloppy roads so we never made the progress we wanted to. 

After what seemed like an age we rolled into Shrewsbury and to our hotel where we were met by Cathy, Mark's wife, who had driven up to give us a mid trip massage. 

Tonight's hotel is very pleasant but the steak left Mark unimpressed. 

Tomorrow we are promised a flatter ride to Preston, but then they did say today would be a gentle rolling ride.!

Today's stats 94 miles 6100ft climbing

Onwards and upwards!

LEJOG day 3. Downhill to Wales

After a good nights sleep we awoke to some blue sky at last. Breakfast done we headed out hoping for the best but knowing there was a chance of a shower at some point during the day. 

Our bikes are absolutely filthy, we are struggling for washing facilities so all I could do today was apply Wd40 liberally and hope for the best. 

The first 20 or so miles were rolling and pretty much wind assisted so not too tasking. After drinks we dropped into the Somerset levels and got really motoring, knocking off 20 miles in about an hour. Then things got interesting as we approached Cheddar Gorge. 

The good news was we didn't have to pedal up Cheddar Gorge the bad news was that we had to go up the next gorge which was just as bad. As I was half way up this 15/20% climb, dreaming of lunch in 1 mile the heavens opened and I got absolutely soaked to the skin. I dripped into the lunch stop and did a quick change into some dry stuff stored in the van and then got stuck into lunch. 

Mark came in soon afterwards and although he'd enjoyed his morning he was feeling a bit rough and struggling get any food down. 

After lunch the weather brightened again and we had a really pleasant ride down off the higher ground cycling alongside the M5 into Gordano, where we had a drinks break, then on into Avonmouth via the Avon Bridge and then over the Severn Bridge. 

Once over the bridge we cycled into Chepstow and on to our hotel which tonight is a Golf and Country Club. I'm not saying it's posh but the wine is £7 a glass, so water tonight then!!

Supper tonight is another 3 course a la carte meal, tough but someone's got to eat it!

Today's stats 91 miles and 4000ft climbing. Tomorrow it a rolling route to Shrewbury where Cathy will meet us and that means we both get a massage!!!!!

Onwards and Upwards!

LEJOG Day 2 Exmoor strikes back

Day 2 dawned grey and full of mist and drizzle which although not a complete surprise was about 4 hours earlier than we had hoped, dashing any chances we had of getting over Exmoor dry. 

Although a short day in terms of mileage today was a big climbing day with something around 2000m expected. The profile was indicating a fairly gentle start  with a lump indicating Exmoor and then largely flat. Everybody was a little nervous about their legs lasting so we started nice and slowly only to discover that the profile was complete rubbish as we more or less straight away hit a series of short but sharp climbs. 

Most people get into their own rhythm when climbing so we got strung out a bit early on so we had a few stops to regroup and just kept ticking off the miles until the first drink stop which we knew was just before Exmoor at Tavistock

As we left Tavistock Exmoor emerged out of the clouds in front of us and the road went up for about 8/10 miles with the odd rolling road across the top. 

The wind and rain was lashing at us and visibility was really poor but we just managed to keep the wheels turning and crawled into lunch at 31 miles. At that point we were averaging about 8 mph!

Lunch was great, the normal hot soup and good food but the crew had got blankets for us to help us warmm up and dry out so we all had a fairly lengthy break and huge plates of food. 

After lunch Mark and I went on seperate groups as we are of differing pace. Mark has made friends with a group of Paisley Ladies who keep telling us the weather is nothing compared to "back home". 

The road soon started downwards punctuated by some nasty 16% and 20% climbs out of valleys here and there. 

The second drink stop was on the edge of Exeter after which we finally manage to  get better weather and a following wind and after another nasty little climb out of Exeter my group dropped me as they  zipped along the Exe valley. I just potted along with relative ease until we arrived at tonight's stop in a Best Western Hotel in Tiverton. 

Mark wasn't so lucky as he missed a turn and ended up doing an extra 6 miles and then couldn't find the hotel  

Dinner tonight is a carvery in the hotel restaurant. The time between now and then will be spent trying to dry kit!!

I can honestly say today was the hardest days cycling I have ever had. It even tops the Rockies or the Cabot Trail in Canada. Although a huge challenge I think both of us have actually enjoyed our day and are quite proud we managed to get up the hills without getting off!

 I think we will both sleep well tonight, tomorrow's route is much less challenging as we head towards the Severn Bridge and cross into Wales. 

Onwards and Upwards!!

LEJOG Day 1. A damp start

After a restless night we awoke to rainy skies. The forecast said it would improve but we knew that we were going to get wet for a couple of hours so that meant we had to dress for all weathers.

We were both somewhat nervous at breakfast so it was a very light affair following which we checked out and mustered across the road in the pub.  Once the majority of the group had arrived we were loaded onto a bus and driven the 10 or so miles to Lands End where we met the rest of the riders and support crew.

After a quick photo call and briefing the moment arrived and we rolled out of the car park into a heavy drizzle and headed East. 

Our day is split into 4 sections with two drinks breaks, morning and afternoon, and a lunch stop. The support crew  leapfrog to ensure the food and drinks are in the right places at the right time. 

Overall the day has been a fairly tough start. There isn't much flat in West Cornwall and although we only had a couple of significant climbs there has been a steady succession of rolling hills across some very dramatic scenery so we have spent a lot of time in our "Grany" gears. However the drinks stops and a hearty lunch of pastas, salads and soups has meant we have been looked after very well so there was no chance of us running out of gas. 

We pulled into Liskard after 5.30hrs riding,1400m climbing and 73 miles of the 999 completed. Tonight's hotel is a Premier Inn so we are comfy enough. As I write this we are waiting to go for dinner at 8 in the linked Pub next door. 

The group seems quite varied with some really strong cyclists and a few casual riders but Mark and I seem to have settled into a small group of about 6/7 who are about our standard and seem to like a laugh.

Tomorrow we hit Exmoor, not as long a day at 63 miles but twice as much climbing so it's going to be another tough day I think.

We are struggling for internet so photos will have to follow later.

Onwards and Upwards!!

Under starters orders

Well after a very pleasant trip  Mark and I, plus Zoë, arrived in Penzance on Sunday afternoon. As is traditional we arrived on a Bank Holliday weekend in the pouring rain and temperatures 10 degrees colder than last weekend but we made really good progress and hardly touched the brakes all the way down so I shouldn't moan. 

We booked into a lovely B&B,  across the road from our meeting point for the start of our ride, and then had a damp but pleasant wander around Penzance. The town is pretty typical for a UK Holliday town with a mixture of boutique style shops and restaurants and the usual more functional shops and cheap cafés. We had a quick pint in the Turks Head Pub, the oldest pub in town, then as it was full up had to move on to eat. We were very fortunate to walk into another nearby restaurant and get a table as we seemed to be the last to get one with loads of people being turned away. We had a lovely meal, largely fish based which was very fresh and then headed back to the B&B.

Monday dawned damp and grey.  By the time we has breakfasted it was raining cats and dogs so we went for a drive to Lands End to check out the start point of the ride. The view was a little restricted but we managed to see some lovely countryside. After a very brief stop we headed back into Penzance and spent the rest of the morning just milling about as it slowly brightened to a point where we has some nice views across the bay to Michaels Mount. 

After lunch we sorted my gear ready for tomorrow and tonight we meet up with others of the group at the pub across the road. 

Zoë has left us now, the weather has been pants so she has headed off to battle the BH traffic and an overnight visit with an old friend in Cullhampton, splitting the journey home. 

Tomorrow the adventure will begin. 

Nearly There

Another month seems to have flown by and we find ourselves moving into the last phase of our training prior to our late August Bank Holiday departure.

Over the last few weeks we have managed to get in at least 3 rides a week with one of them topping 60 or so miles as a minimum.  We have completed a couple of local sportive routes and tried some shorter, higher pace rides to test our legs a little.  

On a personal basis I have managed to sort out my riding kit so now I can dispense with the rear bike bag I used in Canada saving me loads of weight. 

I think we are both happy with our progress, we are much more comfortable over the longer distances, our average pace is slowly creeping up and we are recovering much more quickly after the longer rides. 

This week we received the GPS files for the trip. Suddenly it's all a bit more daunting when you can see the route together with daily distances and profiles. I have to say there are not really any easy days with most being over 90 miles long and those less than that tend to have a fair bit of climbing along the way. 

Having said that, providing we are sensible, most days will involve about 6 hours riding so when you add in a couple of tea breaks, a lunch break and a bit of sight seeing then we should be able to handle it quite well. The reality is we haven't got anything else to fit in so we can take as long as we want. The challenge will be doing it over and over again for 12 days without a break. 

This weekends highlight was the completion of our longest ride yet as we travelled east into the Fens to take part in the 133km Circuit of the Fens Sportive. 

I was on Granddad duties caravaning at Ferry Meadows Caravan site,  Peterborough so I had the difficult job of getting up, dressed, breakfasted and the dogs fed etc at 6.30am without waking our 8 year Granddaughter.  Having more or less achieved success (I was told later my silent dressing wasn't quite as silent as I thought!) I met Mark at the entrance to the site and he drove us to the start in Whitlesea where we met George and Paul. 

After the usual booking in and pre-event banter we set off at about 8.30am on what was destined to one of the hottest days of the year.  There was initially a cooling mist but after about 45 mins that cleared away and from that point on it was blue sky and sunshine. 

We set off at quite a pace as we knew that although it was going to be our longest ride most of it was across the Fens so very flat compared to out usual rides. 

The route was along quiet rural roads with some pleasant scenery and a gentle breeze broadly behind us for the first 20 miles or so. However the gentle breeze made quite an impact when you turned into it. In the Fens there is almost no protection from the wind so you have to just guts it out and rotate the lead to avoid burning out. Add into that the fact that whilst it's relatively easy not to be climbing hills all the time the reality is because it's flat there is no chance for you to freewheel. The upshot of that is that you have to pedal all day long. 

At one point early on I jumped onto the back of a passing group and was pootleing along at the back at about 23 mph. We zipped into a small town but I was getting a little concerned with one of the lead riders who was making a few dodgy decisions at junctions etc and then almost hit a car, resulting in another of the group giving him a well deserved bollocking, so I pulled off and waited for the others to catch up. 

A few miles later a couple of lads came past us and Mark and I tagged on behind them falling into a comfortable pace line, rotating the lead to take the wind without trying to go too fast.  

After about 30 miles we had our first feed stop. Stopping made you appreciate  just how hot it was getting as the heat radiated off the Tarmac.

We spent most of the rest of the ride with these two riders, joined for the second half by another 6 or so and had a very pleasant ride around Cambridgeshire and a little bit of Norfolk.  We had  a second food stop after 65 miles where I quaffed a few Cornish Pasties and mini sausages, the food of Champions!!

All was going to plan and we were knocking off the miles with relative ease when with about 4 miles left for some unknown reason the route turned off a perfectly smooth piece of road onto a very old and very bumpy bit. It knocked most of us off our stride and we had to slow down to an absolute crawl from which it was quite difficult to get going again for the 2 miles or so needed to get to the finish. 

Nevertheless we made it home in less than 5 hours at our fastest average pac e yet. We headed straight to the pub for a shandy, it was 29 degress at the finish. 

Mark then dropped me off back at caravan and I started my recovery with beer and BBQ!

With 4 weeks left we plan to continue to get out during the week for a couple of 40 mile rides.  We had planned to go to Cheltenham next weekend for a sportive but it's going to be a bit difficult to arrange so the plan will be to do a long one from home with some hills thrown in as a bit of a test before we think about tapering a little and getting the bikes serviced before we head off. 

Onwards and Upwards!!

L

Final Preparations

Well, we're nearly there! With only a week to go before we head south for our hotel in Penzance we have finished quite a busy couple of weeks with two long rides, bike issues and services completed.

Our first long ride was planned to allow us to break the Century barrier.  The Century is to cyclists what the Marathon is to runners, not only a physical challenge but also a psychological barrier and one that once you have passed seems to shorten every other ride you do, as you always seem to compare them to your Century rides.

Mark and I were joined by "Phil the Taxi", and set off well supplied with treats and in full LEJOG regalia as the weather forecast wasn't brilliant. We had planned quite a challenging ride in an effort to duplicate the type of long day we are expecting on our trip, with a couple of breaks planned in as well. It was adapted from a sportive based around the Woburn and Bedford area and included a few tough climbs up and over the downs. We just had to adapt it so that it started and finished at my house and it came in at 101miles, spot on.

We set off quite gently keeping our eyes on the clouds as there was a good chance we were going to get wet and we could see what looked like some nasty thunder storms seemingly tracking us as we rode. The route was mainly along quiet country roads and was initially gently rolling and slightly down hill overall although the first half was more or less into the wind so we had to work relatively hard.

Coffee Time

Our first stop was for coffee and cake in Woburn about 40 miles or so into the trip. We were quite happy as we had manged to avoid the rain and although I had managed to cheese off a motorist as we pulled into the Costa (My fault as I didn't signal properly before I turned into the car park.) the ride has been really pleasant.

Post coffee was somewhat more energetic! Almost immediately after leaving Woburn Sands we turned left towards Woburn Abbey and were met by a 12% hill that was about a mile long. Throw in the fact that it was a single lane road, damp, with the odd leafy bit and half way up there was a cement mixer parked in the middle of it and all in all it was challenging. It was a case of head down and "see you at the top boys" as you just have to climb at your own pace and regroup after.

Climb completed with relative success legs wise, we moved on into the wooded area that includes Woburn Golf Course and the beautiful Woburn Abbey Park. We had to dismount a couple of times to get around some huge cattle grids which are to keep the Lions and Tigers from escaping but other than that it was a stunning ride. It would be a waste of my money to play any of the Golf Courses as the fairways are so narrow and flanked by huge trees, it would cost me a fortune in balls.

Shortly after Woburn we came across another really steep climb. All was going well until Mark found he couldn't change down his gears and ended up in too big a gear to get up the hill. Rather than hit the tarmac he headed for the verge and gently flopped off to the side, that counts as a dismount rather than a fall in our language. It turned out that the gears wouldn't change because there was too much tension in the chain and as soon as the chain was less stressed all was fine and he carried on. I was just glad to get up it spinning away in my granny gear, I guess looking at the LEJOG route we will be spending a lot of time in our granny gears!

We continued south heading into a strengthening head wind and all the time seeing very black clouds building ahead of us. We had a fairly good idea that we were at some time going to get a bit wet but hoped for the best. After about 55 miles we finally turned and headed back north and had the wind on our backs. We really started to motor on and managed to out run a couple of massive looking thunder storms that slipped past behind us. After another couple of short but very sharp climbs, (more granny gear), we stopped just south of Bedford for a bite to eat after about 70 miles and all was well.

After a quick bite to eat and a 15 minute or so break we moved off and continued to make good speed with the wind helping but after about 80 miles our luck ran out and the rain arrived. I thought it was going to be torrential so to avoid getting too soaked  I stopped early and put my wet gear on. It was a good call as it absolutely threw it down for about 20 minutes.  However we weren't too unlucky as it cleared and the sun came came out again and we were able to ditch the tops after that.

We continued on and rode around Bedford  towards Kimbolten where my ride came to an annoying halt. I was riding along chatting to Mark when I heard a ping, almost like a stone hitting the bike, and I lost my pedal drive. I freewheeled to a halt and had a fiddle to try to fix things but couldn't. After a couple of fruitless minutes tinkering it was clear my ride was over for the day and Mark rang his wife to come and rescue me, and they rode on to complete the ride.

Cathy soon turned up and as we were putting my bike into the car the heavens opened! We drove back to my house overtaking Mark and Phil who were looking a bit like a couple of drowned rats. I got home a few minutes before them, as they arrived and stepped into the house they were literally dripping wet and had to towel themselves down. I guess every cloud has a silver lining!

So, after all of that Mark and Phil completed their first Century rides and I managed 89. Although a little disappointed myself, I was pleased the others broke the 100 mile mark and really pleased that we manged to get around a challenging course in relative comfort.

First thing Monday morning I took my bike to the local bike shop and they confirmed it wasn't user error, the freewheel hub had broken, so they sent the wheels away to be repaired and lent me a set to continue training on which actually cost more than my bike is worth!

The following week we completed a couple of shorter rides and then I went away for the weekend so we had a bit of a break from longer rides until this weekend.

Yesterday we were joined by Heather and Phil again on what was probably going to be our last long ride before we leave so we wanted to go out for about 80 miles or so.

I had my old wheels back and Mark had had his bike serviced so all was quiet as we set off. The weather was pleasant with what we thought was a gentle breeze on our backs as we headed east into the Fens. I was a little concerned when I realised we were jetting along at an average of 18 MPH with little or no effort as I knew for every mile east we went there was a mile west to return. Sure enough as we turned north we realised the gentle breeze was now a steady cross wind. We headed north and after getting a little lost south of Peterborough ( I blame Garmin!) stopped at a Morrisons on the outskirts for coffee.

We moved off after coffee and started to head west and yes the breeze was still there! We instantly dropped about 3 MPH on our average speed and found ourselves having to pedal down hill! The last 30 miles were almost completely into the headwind and were really sapping morale wise.

We arrived home tired but content that we had managed over 80 miles, half of which was really tough mentally, and that we had got through it with relative physical ease.

This week will be a bit 'suck it and see', Mark and I will try to get out for a couple of shortish rides or I might even do a turbo ride or two if the weather is poor. I need to clean my bike as its absolutely filthy and then start packing for next weekends departure.  We have had our final joining instructions and everything is going to plan. We leave on Sunday for Penzance, sightseeing on Monday and then meet up with the Support Crew early on Tuesday morning for 'Le Depart'.

I think we are both getting a little excited about the trip, personally I just want to get started, I know we are as fit as we wanted to be and that we should be able to enjoy a tough but enjoyable challenge.

Onwards and Upwards.

Dealing with damp whilst building endurance.

It's been a while since our last post and we have been busy during the month of June.

I suppose most notable is that we've had to pay up for the trip, so now we are officially committed and all our training efforts are focused on "Le Grand Depart" on Tuesday August 26th.

June has seen Mark and I upping the mileage a bit and since we got back from a week in Croatia we have really hit it hard with a couple of shorter rides plus a weekend Sportive of 70 miles.

The sportive was a good test of our mental stamina, in that although it was relatively forgiving in terms of terrain, we were subjected to a really heavy and sustained downpour about an hour into the 4 hour ride together with some nasty gusty winds. The forecast had been for sunshine so although I had my waterproof jacket which I keep in my saddle bag, my hands and feet got absolutely drenched. Mark was worse off than me as he hadn't packed his waterproof so he must have been freezing. However after about an hour the rain stopped and by the end of the ride we were almost dry again. 


The reality is that as a friend once put it "cycling is an outdoor sport so you are going to get wet at some point".

You could spend a huge amount of money on sophisticated waterproof tops and leggings but no matter how good they are they wont let the sweat escape so you end up wet from within anyway. I've found the best thing to do is to ensure you can stay warm and then although it might be a little uncomfortable it won't stop you moving.  In Canada I got into the habit of packing a small zipper bag with a shower hat (liberated from various hotels) a pair of latex search gloves to wear under my cycle gloves and my waterproof booties. I could carry this in my shirt pocket so that if we unexpectedly got caught in some rain I could put the shower cap over my helmet which would keep my head warm and the gloves and booties prevented wind chill on my fingers and toes. I don't care what the manufacturers say I have yet to find a pair of gloves that remain waterproof for more than a couple of hours and once they get wet they can get really cold. You would be surprised how much more comfortable you are with warm extremities. Add in a decent lightweight waterproof jacket you can roll up and stuff into your saddle bag or pocket and you will find you can just carry on going without too much trouble.

Despite the weather we both enjoyed the ride. It was billed as a 100km ride but turned into well over that, I clocked 70 miles and NO we didn't get lost!

It was quite good fun being back in a larger group of riders again and being able to practice pace lining, something Mark hasn't done before coming from the triathlon world. He soon realised the importance of finding some young guns to ride at the front of the group and do the hard work and how important it is to look a little old and knackered so that you are allowed to hang around about 5th in line with the occasional visit to the front just to show willing. We managed to zip along for about 20 very quick miles before the group split as people waited for mates etc, we then hopped from group to group for another 10 miles or so until the food stop. After that we were largely on our own, although we were joined at this point by Mark's daughter Jo, and we just rotated the lead when into the wind and relaxed when the wind was with us.

We both finished really strongly, it was quite entertaining to spend the last few miles catching and overtaking several riders that had blasted past us after about 30 miles or so, obviously running out of gas near the finish. Although it was relatively flat we averaged a couple of MPH faster than normal on our longer rides and we both felt we had more miles in our legs so we were happy with our days efforts. The key point for us was that we know we can knock out 70 miles or so in 4 hours so when you think we have all day to do 80-90 miles we are confident we can manage that and have time to enjoy the trip as we do so.

July looks like it's going to be a busy month too. We have provisionally planned to try to ride at least three times a week, hopefully a couple of  40 miles plus higher speed rides with a longer more relaxed weekend ride each week. We have planned in a couple of longer sportive events for late July and early August. The first is 133km around the Peterborough fens area so relatively flat but apparently it can be brutal in the fens if the wind is in the wrong direction and then a tougher 75 mile Wiggle event in Cheltenham on the first Saturday in August. That should certainly test the legs as there are several lengthy climbs up and around the Cotswolds. Add in a couple of back to back rides and we are fairly hopeful that we will be ready to go in time for late August.

Onwards and Upwards!

Upping the mileage

Since our last post Mark and I have been putting in some steady training both on and off the bike. 

We started out about 2 months ago with a fairly organised training plan but a combination of foul weather, work commitments and weddings has meant it's not been as structured as we'd hoped. Never the less with both of us being involved in the fitness business we have been able to do a fair amount of running, gym work and swimming to keep the flab off. 

Having said all of the above we have managed two fairly lengthy rides of 45 and 78 miles in the last two weeks. Ride no 1 was a re-run of the trip out to St Neots and back. The weather was kind to us and with only a light wind we had a fairly pleasant trip.  Mark was a little delicate after his daughter's wedding and he found it took him a while to clear his tubes and get back into his rhythm again.After a fairly steady ride out we stopped to get a bacon butty in St Neots surrounded by motorcyclists, then wound our way back to Raunds via Grafham Water. I think we could have gone further but time was against us as we were heading off go a post wedding BBQ so had to be back by mid-day. 

Our second ride of the fortnight was our longest and toughest ride so far. Planned for 80 miles it was nearly 25% longer than any of our previous rides. I found a sportive route that started and finished at Silverstone racing circuit, so with a little tweaking we rearranged it a bit and started at Towcester Police Station, making the parking a bit easier, and set off joined again by Phill and also Colin Newport. 

Now, at this point I must record that the sportive guide described the route as 'a gentle rolling ride through glorious rural Northants, Warks and Oxfordshire with a stiff test of the legs after about 50 miles as you turn for home.'

Well, they were absolutely correct, it was glorious rural countryside however "gently rolling" clearly has a number of possible interpretations with my own and the organisers clearly being somewhat different. 

I knew that the guys were "enjoying" the hills when after about 30 miles Mark coined the catchphrase "Oh turning left and going uphill again is it?".  Upon reflection he was right, we did seem to be doing more climbing than rolling than I had expected, but I was hoping the scenery was making up for it.

After about 40 miles we managed to finally find an open pub where we could grab a coffee and sandwich, I hadn't realised how rural the area was going to be, none of the villages had any coffee shops so we were more than ready for a little break.

We didn't fancy hanging around for long as we didn't want to stiffen up, Phill in particular was a bit peeved because one of the waitresses appeared to have eaten his chips somewhere between the kitchen and his table so we only stopped for about 20 minutes.

Profile for our weekend ride

Back on the road again we had a steady run into Warwickshire and then came across the small matter of Burton Dassett Country Park and the  "testing" little climb as it was described in the notes. I think Mark would use other words, it certainly was tough but thankfully not too long. 

After Burton Dassett we made steady progress back towards Brackley; we briefly lost Phill and Mark when they didn't see Colin and I turn down an alleyway, but after we regrouped we headed south to Stowe then back to Towcester via Silverstone.

Safe to say I think we all (well not so much Colin who is a much stronger rider than us) knew we'd done a few miles and climbed 1500m in the process when we got back to our cars, as you can see from the profile there wasn't much in the way of flat.

Overall I think we are both happy with where we are.  There is plenty of time left to build our fitness further and we know that we are already capable of the type of day we should expect on our LEJOG trip. What the long ride did was to remind me of the importance of almost continuous eating and drinking so you don't run out of energy. The support crew on our trip will provide regular drink and meal stops along the way so as long as we get used to sucking down gels etc every 20 miles or so all should be ok.

We plan to get out again during this week if the weather holds and start putting some back to back rides together over the next few weeks. 

Onwards and upwards. 

Holidays are over...and Whoops Sorry!

Whilst I was away sunning myself in paradise it would appear Mr Lee has been hard at it. This week we have managed to get out on two decent rides, making use of the great weather and in my case getting in some much needed miles and working off the American beer.

The week started with some retail therapy as I took my wheels into the local bike shop to see if I could sort out the pinging spokes. I could go into great detail about my thought processes, justifications and subsequent post retail guilt but to cut a long story short.... man goes to shop with choice of refurbishing old wheels or buy new ones...enough said... the new ones look very nice on my bike!

Thursday's ride was a very pleasant loop to Oundle and back with Mark and George. We stopped for coffee and cake in Oundle and watched the poor school kids waiting to go into their exams.  30 miles or so in the bag with no post holiday effects and it was clear Mark had recovered fully from his "one lung" issues of a few weeks ago.

My new wheels were fine but the rear gear mech is a slightly broader set up than my previous one, the indexing was messing about a little and I could still hear an annoying little click now and then but couldn't nail it down to any particular cause.

Friday was spent tweaking gears and removing everything I could from the bike in an attempt to idientify the clicking, I think its now either the front tube or main chain ring bearings but it's so inconsistent that its hard to nail down.

Saturday's ride was a beautiful one. Mark and I were joined by George, Heather and Mike, all local traithletes. The route was through some of our most beautiful Northamptonshire and Leicestershire countryside with some decent climbs along the way to test the legs a little. At 61 miles it was the longest so far for the pair of us, and although we both knew we'd been for a ride I think we were both happy with the improvement in our general fitness levels and our ability to ride comfortably for 4 hours or so. Mark also got to test out his Go-Pro camera, I think he's got about 2 hours of video to watch now to see if there is anything we can upload.


The ride wasn't without incident. I for one was somewhat surprised to come across two giraffes grazing in a North Northamptonhire village. Sadly, upon closer inspection they turned out to be statues but it took a few seconds for the penny to drop.

After about 25 miles my front derailleur started to mess me about. Now I have to admit it was probably down to user abuse of the tweaking variety as I had adjusted them earlier that week, so I wasn't too concerned that it was actually broken, but it did mean I was unable, intermittently, to get into my big front ring. As I said to Mark though, better that than being stuck in my big ring with the hills still to come.


 We pedaled on and arrived in the small market town of Uppingham where we stopped for a coffee and cake and then we headed off into the Welland Valley for a bit more hill work.

All was going swimmingly until we met up with Heather's husband Pete who was waiting at the side of the road at Nevil Holt. I started to slow down and without properly checking my shoulders started to turn around in the road, only to realise I had turned right into Mark's path, giving him no option but to ride into me and then, despite valiant efforts to retain his balance, fall over. Luckily it was all at very slow speed so no real damage was done but I was subjected to some serious mickey taking from the others.


The ride home from then was uneventful and I think we both finished feeling quite strong.

This week it is going to be a challenge to get our training in. Mark's daughter gets married next weekend so it's a busy week for him and on top of that the weather forecast is fairly poor so I think I might be back on the turbo.



Onwards and Upwards!