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.