Head For The Hills

Just 163 miles this week but that is because the bike is currently in dry dock having a new chain fitted because I made an arse of it and I hurt my left knee, so I have ended up having 3 days off when I had just planned 1. The best day was Monday when I decided to have a crack at Northern Rock's Cyclone 'B' route. This is 65 miles and almost 4000' of climbing so I wasn't sure if I could manage it. I drove to Ponteland to avoid the boring flat bit and set out to Ogle, Whalton and up to Netherwitton and Forestburn Gate. There was a very strong NorthEasterly which slowed me down and caused the temperature to be a bit low as well. I was surprised to get to Forestburn Gate and find I had actually averaged over 8mph (it was that windy, not to say hilly). I had to get off at one particularly steep bit which I reckon was a good 20% gradient. I had the wind at my back for a bit and successfully made it up a 12% gradient, albeit at 3mph. The hills continued and every nice downhiller had a long climb back up again. As I turned for Ryal I knew there were 2 stinkers of hills to negotiate. I had to get off for 50 yards up the first but managed the second which I was pleased with. The sheep in the fields gave me some very odd looks as I was shouting encouragement at myself not to give up. Fortunately, it was mostly downhill and flat after that and I was overjoyed to find a coffee shop in Matfen for a well deserved cuppa. My overall average was 9.6 mph in the end and I was actually pretty pleased with that. I checked my rider kit for the trip and there are only 7 days out of 45 where the climbing is greater than I did on that day. The pushing up the hills slowly caused the pulled muscle in my left thigh so I have replaced the front 48 tooth chainring with a 42 which should make pedalling uphill a bit easier and help me maintain some sort of rythym. I get the bike back tomorrow so am looking forward to getting back in the saddle. I am doing a few days work from Sunday to Thursday and will probably be working late so it will be mainly gym work. Boring!!!

A Decent Week

My last update was slightly late so this one is back on schedule. 207 miles cycled since last Thursday including a gardening day on Saturday and golf yesterday (back 9, 2 over par which is definitely classified as 'No Bad'. This included a monster drive on the 18th of close to 290 yards which is substantially better than 'No Bad' and could possibly be classified as 'Jings, Crivvens, Help m'Boab, My Goodness Me'). I have also lost 8-9 lbs in weight which seems to be coming off my stomach. There has been quite a bit of wind about (The weather mainly!) so my average speed has dropped a bit. I did 59 miles on Monday in very windy conditions so was pleased to average 11mph. Today I set off along the Hadrian Cycleway which runs along the Tyne River. By the time I got to Ovington it had begun to rain. This was coming from the West and looked like getting worse so I exited North and climbed from Wylam to Harlow Hill without going lower than 3rd gear which pleased me a lot. Just the 37 miles which now feels just like a morning stroll. How times have changed! As the weight comes off the hill climbing should get easier. I really regret not getting an exercise cycle for the winter as there are 7 weeks to go. I received the final 'Joining Instructions' from America By Bicycle this week and began to feel some fear and trepidation. Anyway, loins have been suitably girded and I need to be doing 250-350 miles per week from now on in. Fortunately, it is light till gone 8pm now so no excuses, I must cycle 6 days a week or 8 out of every 9 days.

Continued Improvement

196 miles this week so very much on schedule. I was particularly pleased with last Sunday's 50 mile run as I averaged 12mph for the first time. In fairness, it was a calm day which seems to make all the difference as no matter how much psychological benefit I get from the wind being with me, when it is against me, it slows me down much more than I gain the other way. I had a bit of a scare on Wednesday as I pulled my lower back whilst playing golf. (Yes, a day off cycling means playing golf, can't be bad!!!). I came in after 9 holes, took a couple of Ibuprofen tabs and read a book. I had a couple of twinges the next day (62 mile run) but found if I stopped and had a couple of minutes rest, the feeling went away and all seems well now. Long may it continue.

Three Week's Worth

The first week following my last post was a non-event. I was at a Royal Doulton fair in Stafford over the weekend which included the obligatory Sunday morning dehydration!!!, then the rest of the week's weather was hellish so I did a grand total of 0 miles. The following week involved 4 days work at Harrogate so I managed 85 mostly very hilly miles. Last week was much better with a total of 162. This would have been much more as I set off to cycle to Beadnell and back on Thursday morning which would have been a round trip of 112 miles all by itself. It was so cold, mainly due to a North wind, that I did 16 miles and couldn't stand it any longer. by that time my knees were purple and I couldn't feel my feet which kind of took the fun out of it a little. This morning I got up intending to use up quite a bit of tread and found I had a puncture in my back tyre. This surprised me a little as my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres (as used by that chap from my home town who cycled round the world then North to South America) are fairly indestructible. I found the pin prick, repaired it and checked the inside of the tyre, finding nothing sharp. I replaced the tube and promptly had another puncture. This time I found the offending sharp bit, a tiny nail which had gone right through the thick protection underneath the tread. Anyway, I am hoping the weather keeps up so I can breach the 200 barrier again this week. It's Friday night so time for a beer!

Getting Stronger

Week 3 of my schedule was interfered with by 4 days work so I only managed 100 miles. I made up for it this week though by breaching the 200 mile barrier even with 2 rest days. Most pleasing was an increase in average speed of 11.6 mph over 56 miles on Tuesday. I definitely feel stronger and although I can feel it in my legs when walking up stairs, once I am on the bike this seems to disappear. I actually got blown off the bike on a particularly windy day. Fortunately, I was going up a hill, cycling partially into a southerly breeze when there was a gap in the hedge that was giving me some shelter. A gust of wind took my wheels from under me and luckily, I managed to get one cleat out of the pedal before going down. It was a quiet country road so no-one saw me and no injuries. Phew!!
Anyway, my plan is 2500 more miles before I go so I hope the weather is ok tomorrow.
Saturday and Sunday are enforcd non-cycling days as I am off to Stafford for a Royal Doulton fair.
Total mileage so far = 605.
http://www.justgiving.com/Ian-Peden

An interesting week

Well, I had 86 miles under my belt over the weekend and on Monday decided to explore some of the 'Cyclone' route (by car with bike in the back). Oh dear, the first hill that actually had a sign telling me how steep it was said 20%. That is almost vertical! I came upon several similar offerings and eventually stopped at a tiny hamlet called Netherwitton. I got the bike out and by the time I had done a couple of miles I had to get off and push the bike up a shortish but incredibly steep hill. By the time I had done 4 miles, I came upon a very long steep downhill section that I knew I could not cycle back up so I turned around, having taken 30 minutes to get there. I got back in a mere 16 minutes including clocking 34mph down the section I had to push the bike up! I was working on Tuesday so on Wednesday I drove to Amble and did the 44 mile return trip to Beadnell at an average speed of 11mph though at least I stayed on the bike all the way!. That makes 140 for the week so I am a little below target caused by the Netherwitton adventure. I stayed off today as it was too wet and will make up for it over Saturday and Sunday both of which have a better forecast and higher temperatures. I am working at Harrogate next week so will be confined to the gym until next weekend.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy

To echo the words of the late John Denver.
Several days of sunny but cold weather has accelerated the training and I have completed 156 miles in the past week over 5 cycling days, so mission accomplished. Mrs P has made me buy some Man Moisturising Cream in case my face gets covered in broken veins by the exposure to our climate. (Personally, I thought it was the exposure to Talisker or indeed any other Malt that was responsible but what do I know?). For all you metrosexuals out there, I have purchased Lacura from Aldi (surprise surprise) for a wallet shattering £1.99. If i start to look younger I will let you know. I have been having a look at the route of the Northern Rock Cyclone cycling event. It seems suitably hilly and once I have several hundred more miles in my legs, I will give it a go. Fingers crossed for continued good weather. I was going to have a day off tomorrow but sunshine is again forecast so it would be a shame not to go out. I haven't had to resort to the udder cream as yet so clearly Mr Brooks's leather saddle is doing a fine job. I think I will give it a try without the padding (but not too far, just in case). I am going to indulge in some self punishment this evening by watching Scotland's friendly with the Czech republic. I fear the worst but, being a Scot, hope springs eternal.