Weekend trials

4 weeks to go, so we had a group training weekend. One of the team is on holiday, but the remaining 7 of us set out for Brighton on Saturday morning, then headed along to Portsmouth, and then back to Guildford via Alresford and the A31. The pace when we set off was fast, and I had a feeling that I was unlikely to be able to maintain it all day - and I didn't!

Lunch came just in time on a hill overlooking Portsmouth. What a view that was. I was pretty done in by that point, and guess that the culprit was a combination of not having done all the miles, and not really getting the nutrition balance right. Maybe going out to dinner on Friday night didn't help either!

Anyway, the real excitement was on the way home along the A31 when I noticed that there was something awry with my tyre. I had been bumping along as though I was going over cracks in the road, but there were none. Upon inspection it appeared that there was a kink in the tyre. I knew that this was trouble, but thought we could press on anyway. After about 5 miles there was a loud bang, like a rifle shot, and the tyre burst. Thank goodness for mobile phones and the trusty wife to come and rexcue me.

So I ended up with 125 miles and the others managed 147 or so.

How very undignified

Just the way to get into the weekend - go for a ride on Friday (which was a pretty OK 95 miles) and then get into the bath and yell. I had worn a raw patch on my behind, and broken the skin - OUCH. I treated it nicely but it was uncomfortable walking, sitting and lying down.

When I got on the bike on Saturday, fully hoping to do the 150 miles, I found I really couldn't do it. It hurt sufficiently to worry me that maybe I could make it worse, which at this stage is not a good idea. So I wimped out of a training ride and went home. I did get to the gym for a while though.

So, I now have to treat it very carefully, because if you can't sit down, you can't ride a bike for 10 hours a day. I have some surgical spirit, which stings like you would not believe, but hopefully will prevent any nastiness and then toughen the skin a bit.

Let's hope this works, or I am in big trouble!!

West Country in the sun

Sunday 11th May, Ciaran and I headed down to Bath to ride with Henry. We set off by car at 6a.m. and were on the bikes by about 8:15. We did pretty much the same ride that Henry and I had done a few weeks ago when it was wet and VERY windy. Today though, it was sunny and warm, and hardly any wind.

I am still not fast up hills, but I do just keep going, and we made much better progress than last time. Although we did not have to contend with wind and rain, the temperature was something we have not really had to deal with yet this year. It was noticeable when going uphills in the sun, and with what little wind there was effectively disappearing. So hydration was very important. I had a mixture of dilute carb drink with a Zym tablet in it and that seemed to work in my 750ml bottles.

In addition, food - energy bars on the go are just not enough all by themselves and we stopped for sandwiches and a cold drink on the way into Bristol. It will be important to make sure that on the main event we stop for a proper break and something to eat. That will be 40 minutes or so (at a minimum) I reckon.

Henry suffered on the hill to the airport, as he was getting too hot and was hungry. This is another of the lessons we learn in training, which of course is why we do it.

We did a good 85 miles in average temperatures of 24C. My computer said that I used 2800 calories. I felt that it was not a bad ride, considering we had to get up so early and then travel by car. Had we left the house on bikes at 06:00 I think it would have been a different session. Anyway, thanks to Ciaran for joining us, and well done Henry.

Henry in the papers

Henry made it into the press! The Bath Chronicle has a piece about him this week together with a photo of him in his Zym cycling jersey. I hope his training is going well, and we shall see when we meet up for the 3 day event - a long weekend of cycle training in 2 weeks time.

Today I get my replacement bike. It was accepted that the fault in the 07 frame was a warranty job, so I go off to collect a brand new one later today - I hope this one has no problems! Still, good on Evans and Specialized to have got the whole thing sorted in only a few days.

Broken Bike

Oh dear, my beautiful new Specialized Roubaix Expert is broken! There is a crack in the frame where the cross bar joins the seat stays and the seat tube. How this happened I do not know, but for now the bike has had to go back to Specialized. I certainly hope that they will simply swap it for a new one, but as mine was an '07 model I doubt if they have any. Ho hum, maybe I will get an '08 model instead.

Thank goodness I have another bike to train on. My trusty Allez Elite will have to bear the brunt for a while now, although it is pretty mucky after a wet ride last week. I suppose I am lucky that it happened now and not on the main event. Still I am sorry that my pride & joy has to go to the knackers yard.

Weekend on 2 Wheels

Well, after my "weak as a kitten" ride last week, I spent a few hours on the turbo trainer since then to try to get some semblance of cycling back into my legs. It may be just me, but does time goes by more slowly on a turbo trainer than anywhere else?

Come Saturday morning, I was ready(ish) for a long weekend, and keen but apprehensive. I loaded my bottles with Zym and my pockets with bars and 4 of us headed out to Brighton on a wet and grey morning. It was just wet and grey everywhere, and within a short while I was wet through, from rain on the outside and sweat from the inside. I have yet to find a top that can keep rain out and let sweat out that will actually work for me - I think it might need a pump.

Entertainment came from the peculiar excretions of Paul's lycras. He was literally foaming from his rear!! Curry the night before? Snot wiped from his gloves? What could it be? I can only think that his shorts had not been rinsed sufficiently after washing, and the rain and exertion meant that the soap residue was foaming out. Hugely weird and a good topic for humour!

I am not a hill climber, being too heavy and not really succeeding in losing the extra weight, so Ditchling Beacon was a challenge in my mind. However, at a steady pace I made it up without reaching for the easiest gear. Then it was zoom into Brighton to see one of my sons, who at 10:30 on a Saturday was so fast asleep that he could not hear us pounding on the door and the window and ringing the bell! We never did get to see him!

On the way back home I was struggling and feeling nauseous. I think I have to watch out for what I put in my bottles, as I am obviously a bit sensitive to it. Ciaran gave me a carb drink which helped, but I really felt like stopping at Godalming, with arms and legs tingling, and getting light headed. Strangely after a few minutes (seemed like ages) it went, and although I was tired, I made it up the hills to home OK. We had managed some 108 miles in conditions that were not hugely conducive to cycling, but certainly could have been worse. I was totally soaked through.

Sunday was a 6am start! So I was up at 05:20 in time to have a bite to eat and make sure everything was ready for another long ride. This time I thought I would leave the waterproof at home, as it is great for visibility but I call it "boil in a bag" as even with zips open I still get wetter on the inside. So this time I took my A-Z top, which is great for cold days, but this was not to be a cold day! So I got wetter on the inside than the outside again.

Legs were tired, and I knew they would be, so today I put carb drink in my bottles. Oops again - this was too sweet and I got sick of it. At about half way, when Ciaran was doing up his bottle cage and Iain was tightening his loose handlebars (!!!) I mentioned bacon sandwiches. I could have murdered something savoury after carb drink and energy bars. Eventually we stopped in Slough at a Polish Delicatessen run by Indians (!!) and bought some plain water and some salty cashews. Aaah, nothing better on a Sunday morning than a bag of salty nuts.

After the fresh plain H2O and some savoury sustenance I felt a whole lot better, and the ride home showed that I need to take more care of what I put into myself, as although I clearly need energy and electrolytes, I need to regulate it more carefully. Perhaps I will go back to my previous ways of having flapjacks and trail mix. At least I am learning now and not on the main event.

By the way, I have to mention the long-suffering family, without whose support I would not be able to train for, let alone participate in, this challenge. They put up without having me around at weekends and will have to do so for the next couple of months. I know that they support what we are all doing, and I also know that at times they would prefer I was not on a bike somewhere, so THANK YOU.

Weak as a kitten

Well, after my ride with Henry in the wind and rain, I caught a cold, which was bad news as I had just booked a dive holiday in the Red Sea. So all the way to the airport I was wondering whether I should cancel the trip, as my ears were blocked. As it was, I missed the first few days diving because my ears would not equalize, and it was painful testing them!
The boat was fab (lived on it for a week) and we stayed on it whist we were moored off a tiny island in the middle of the Red Sea where there was nothing on the horizon for 360 degrees apart from a smaller island about a mile away. When I eventually could dive, the first thing I saw was a shark - yipee! There were 2 wrecks on this island, of which one was difficult to see as it was coral encrusted after about 100 years.
As a way to clear my ears, one of the guys suggested snorting salt water up my nose. OUCH. Anyway, it helped me dive, but I did get a bit worried when I saw blood in my mask! Think of the sharks!
It was a great time, but not best for cycle training, as there was little to do but dive, eat, sleep and read. I also think that the drugs I was taking to clear my head probably had the effect of suppressing the cold, and when I came home I felt lousy for a couple of days, and also had the after effects of too much fruit and tamarind juice!
So the net effect is that today I felt as weak as a kitten and then got a terrible headache to boot! It can only get better from now on in - can't it?

West Country training ride

Henry and I went for a ride (Saturday 29th March) in the windiest conditions I have ever been out in. We started from Bath and headed down toward Bridgwater via Radstock, Shepton Mallet and Glastonbury. It was horrible, with the wind so loud in my ears I could barely hear myself shouting at Henry to see how he was getting on. Once we hit the A38 we were going nicely, and at least it was flat. I don't much like hills anyway, but hills into a headwind - no thanks.

The A38 has been resurfaced recently so this bit should be quite nice when we do it on 29th June on our way from Lands End to Bristol.

We turned off towards Bath onto a road that was more like a rollercoaster, with more hills, and valleys funnelling the wind into directions I could barely believe. It seemed like a headwind again, and it was raining fairly continuously.

I got through about 4.5 litres of Zym Endurance and boy did I need endurance. We managed 80 miles and I have to say it was a bit of a struggle. Towards the end I had really had enough of trudging up hills against gravity, the wind and with the rain being blown horizontally at me. A shot of Power Gel helped, but I did not really enjoy the last few miles.

We didn't get a chance to do any exercises like the rest of the group did just before Easter, when we flew up and down the A31 in a group, chain ganging. That was a great ride.

Hopefully the weather will pick up and it will be more pleasant to get out on the bike. For now I need to do some maintenance and cleaning, and get the body used to being on the bike for hours. Eating is a major issue, and I need to practise what I preach, and eat more when riding. Liquid alone is not enough. Flapjacks and a bag of salted nuts and raisins was excellent for me before.

I should mention at this stage that the fundraising from individuals appears to be going well, so I should like to thank all my friends and contacts who have sponsored me so far, and hope that more people add to the list. A special thank you goes to my friend Richard who has been hugely generous and donated £1,000 - I bet no-one person beats that !!!

OK so I need to lose more weight!!!

Today we had our first group training ride. It was a beautiful day but jolly chilly. Ice on the roads was a serious threat, as it was -2 degrees when we left my house! At Iain and Jules' place the team was ready and waiting with their bottles of Zym and various other concoctions. I had my Zym and energy drink and also a Camelback with about 3 litres and all the spare tools and food (Malt loaf for Henry) and so on.

We carefully headed off to Christophers, the fantastic hospice for CHASE just outside Guildford where we had a guided tour from the lovely Bridget, ate flapjacks made by the entertainer (Jilly) and met with the Mayor of Guildford and Andrew Castle. Dave the chauffeur was also there of course, with his trusty camera to record all mayoral events.

We were 8 riders to start with, and then Ciaran had to go home to load the car for his ski trip. Everyone was quite fired up, and we headed down through Chiddingfold (where we left Ciaran) and headed off to Petworth. After that came Duncton Hill, which saw me getting left well behind (note to self - must get fitter and faster on hills - I think that means losing a lot more weight) but making it all the way without cheating.

Chichester beckoned and we sped up as we saw the cathedral on the skyline. The day was just fab though, with absolutely clear blue skies - Fraser must have good contacts!

I had forgotten just how many hills there are on the way home, via Haselmere, but by this time we had had a little pep talk on trying to ride more as a group. It sounded a bit like a whinge coming from me, definitely the weakest rider today. However, there was a point to it. We are doing this ride as a group event, and it will be really important that we work that way. I am willing to bet that everyone will have a less than perfect day between now and end of June, and also a few not so good hours on the big ride. We all need to support each other and maintain the group. There will be time for some lightheartedness at times, but ultimately we all want to get to the same place.

I had a near miss in Milford, when what I can only think was a blind woman seemed to try to drive into me. She was oblivious to our hand signals and then to my remonstrations for her being so utterly careless. Hey ho, I am sure there will be more of that.

Anyway, I did feel a bit of a fraud today, with my lovely lightweight carbon bike bringing up the rear. What I really need to to is shed some of my own weight and really hit the hills harder and with more aggression - it has always been a weakness, so I know I have to work on it.

Overall I was really impressed with the team. There is a lot of fitness there and at the moment only I need to worry. Henry (16) really impressed me too - for someone who only got a bike at Christmas he is doing really well, although he was a bit embarassed when he could not get his feet out of the cleats in time at a junction, and fell over!

Thanks once again to those whom we leave behind on long days like this, and for the Valentine's Day Champagne Marmite from my lover!! The families put up with a lot when we go out all day and return tired and sweaty, but they know that the cause is just and worth the sacrifice and can justify it on that basis.

Henry and I are off to the nutritionist on Thursday, and I will post some news after that. I understand it is quite an experience.

Nutrition Pt 3

There is much science on how much of what type of food athletes should eat, and it can get very confusing. However there are apparently some basic rules:

• during periods of heavy training consume 8-10 grams of carbs per kg of body weight per day, if training mot so hard then 5-6 grams should be enough. Whilst tapering before an event, maintain the higher amounts.
• consume about 1.5 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day
• meet the remainder of your calorie requirements with fats and/or carbs.

During long rides expect to burn at least 2,000 calories. Riders on the Tour de France have been shown to burn over 5,000 calories a day.

Eating and drinking whilst riding can be critical to riding long hours day after day. On the big ride in the summer we should all be well fed at meal times, but we need to remain hydrated and with energy tanks topped up on the bike too.

What follows has been culled from various sources:

For the most part energy production during a long-distance ride happens at a relatively low rate, and it comes mostly from carbohydrate and fat with just a small contribution from protein. As you now know, carbohydrate is the preferred fuel for working muscles and is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. If you have not packed your muscles with glycogen (by consuming carbohydrate) before a ride, and replaced it during the ride and at the end of each day of a multi-day ride, the lack of carbohydrate can be a limiting factor on a long-distance ride.

Fat is also used, to a lesser extent than carbohydrate, but does not need to be replenished, as, unfortunately, your body's capacity to store fat is not limited in the same way as storage of carbohydrate is. The involvement of protein in energy production is never more than 10% of total energy expenditure, but it does result in a significant amount of protein being used from your body's protein stores. Protein is used as an energy source during the latter stages of a ride - when your body's carbohydrate stores have been depleted. During long exercise duration, if exercise continues beyond a certain point, it is more likely for protein to be used as an energy source. When protein is used as an energy source, it can exacerbate dehydration, as urine production is stimulated to speed the excretion of the waste products from protein (amino acid) breakdown. I have used recovery drinks after a long ride, such as REGO from SIS. I make up a big bottle before I go out and leave it in the fridge for when I get home.

It is advisable to eat some form of protein (meat, fish, and vegetarian alternative) twice a day, with lunch and dinner to meet your protein requirements. You do not need huge amounts of protein, even if you are trying to put on muscle mass. During exercise your body will actually attempt to keep its muscle glycogen stores intact and use some fat instead of burning carbohydrate whenever possible. However, during a long-distance ride at a steady pace, you will not be able to continue at the same pace if your carbohydrate stores run low. Fortunately, with training you can delay the point at which this occurs. Most cycling is aerobic and it uses both glycogen and fat but, perhaps when climbing a steep hill, anaerobic energy provision may momentarily replace it when the aerobic energy production is not quick enough in providing the necessary fuel. Anaerobic activity uses just glycogen.

Importance of hydration. During a four hour ride it is easy for you to lose 4-8 litres of sweat, which if not replaced will have a huge detrimental effect on your cycling performance. You may also suffer from cramp, which can be excruciating - believe me! Isotonic sports drinks (i.e. those 'in balance' with your body fluids) will provide fluid faster than any other type of drink. If you do not like these then you could alternate between sips of water and sips of a higher energy drink but you will also need a source of salt from a snack to facilitate fluid absorption. Don't wait until you feel thirsty before having a drink, you will already be dehydrated by then. The Race For Chase riders are all supported by LambdaSports and we will provide ZYM to those who want it. Zym is a lemon/lime flavoured hydration product in tablet form. Just pop one in a bottle and watch it fizz. It has vitamins and minerals lost in sweating and has certainly made a difference to my riding comfort.

Balanced diet. Fat intake needs to be kept low for two reasons: (a) it is not necessary to replace fat stores between bouts of activity; and (b) less fat in the diet means that you are more likely to eat more carbohydrate foods and avoid unwanted weight gain.

Unless you are following a vegetarian or low-energy diet, it is more likely that you are eating too much, rather than too little, protein. It is important that you do not consume an excess of protein over a long period since the excess protein calories are stored as fat it can easily lead to unwanted weight gain.
Do eat plenty of carbohydrate rich foods
Avoid too much fat
Eat 'normal' amounts of protein, i.e. not large quantities of meat, eggs and milk.

Suggested food & drink for training/riding. During our long training rides and the main event you have a greater choice of foods, as you will be consuming a greater proportion of your energy consumption for the day on the bike. Suitable foods include banana, jam or other low-fat sandwiches, cereal bars, flapjack, malt loaf, scones, bagels, low-fat cake bars, low-fat biscuits, currant buns and teacakes. Energy bars and gels from the big producers, such as TORQ, SIS, GO-BAR, POWEBAR etc are all OK, and you will have to experiment to find what suits you. There are some energy gels with caffeine to give you a boost. Bear in mind that with a gel you must drink water too, and after a day of energy drink and bars your teeth will need a serious brushing!! I used to make my own flapjacks, with fruit, seeds and nuts, and these had less chemicals than the commercial ones!

Timing of eating. Aim to take on an average of 30-60g of carbohydrate per hour, to maintain your performance level. This is equivalent to 1-2 cereal bars, or 1-2 large bananas, or 500-1000ml of an isotonic sports drink.

'Carb loading' is an eating regime, which aims to pack muscle glycogen stores to the brim before exercise. This involves tapering training over the days leading up to an event, to cut down on muscle glycogen utilisation. At the same time the amount of carbohydrate in the diet is increased to supply the muscles with glycogen. However, athletes do report mixed reports on its effectiveness.

Foods to avoid. Be careful with the amount of high-energy drinks you consume. These drinks do not cause problems in small quantities, or when interspersed with water but too much can dehydrate you and upset your stomach. When I did LeJoG in 2005 the one rider who dropped out was struggling on day 1 and when he felt tired would just drink another energy product - I think he got sick from it.

You may also consider drinks which are lower in carbohydrate, like fruit squash or an isotonic drink. These will not only provide fluid quickly, but will also supply some carbohydrate. However, you may find that your palate or your stomach doesn't like a particular drink. It's worth trying out different brands on shorter rides before you embark on a long ride to decide which ones you can tolerate. I used to use High5 neutral flavour and add my own squash. There are many energy drinks with electrolytes and/or protein on the market. FuelCycling does sample packs which may be worth trying out.

Foods such as pasties, sausage rolls, pork pies and Scotch eggs are not good choices for snacks, as they are high in fat and do not provide any carbohydrate.

Ultimately you will all need to find what suits you personally, as we are all different. One chap I know hardly ever carried anything on training rides, and when one day he had a small bottle of water we all thought that this was going to be a really tough day. It is nice to go for a training ride and stop for lunch or tea, and have a pot of tea and a cake!

For the moment I am sticking to High5 Energy Source, Zym and probably malt loaf for solids. I made the mistake recently of not eating but relying on liquid, and that is not enough for me. If I feel my stomach is empty I get grumpy at the best of times!

Happy riding!

Nutrition Pt 2

So I said I would deal with Carbs - this is the most versatile supplier of ATP and supplies vertually every metabolic process in the body. Everything we do needs energy, even sleeping and thinking. Sugar is the most basic form, but there are various sugars (Glucose, Sucrose, Fructose) and combining carb molecules creates complex carbs such as bread and pasta.

The body can store carbohydrate as glycogen, which is formed through the combination of thousands of glucose molecules and whose primary store is the liver. So whenever the body needs carbohydrate liver glycogen is broken down into glucose and released into the bolldstream. Glycogen that is stored in muscles is only used in that particular muscle to fuel its needs.

The only carbohydrate that the body can metabloise for energy is glucose. Once carbs are absorbed from the intestine they are carried to the liver where conversion takes place. Different carbs areabsorbed in different ways from the intestine. So-called glucose carriers in the intestine wall attach to the glucose molecules on the inside of the intestine and carry them through to the outer wall where they get into the bloodstream. During this process the carrier molecule also carries a water molecule. This mechanism aids in water absorption and is an important factor in making sports drinks. There is no such carrier molecule for fructose which has to pass through the intestine passively.

Fats are made up from triglycerides which in turn are made from a glycerol molecule attached to 3 long carbon chains called fatty acids. In digestion the fatty acids are separated from the glycerol and absorbed as free fatty acids. They are taken to the liver where they combine with cholesterol and are re-released into the bloodstream for transport to storage - body fat.

Unlike carbs fats are digested and absorbed slowly. Fat metabolism is also much more complex than for carbs, meaning that fats do not provide such quick energy. Also fat burning requires more oxygen than carb burning, so fat is only used sparingly during high intensity exercise, when the body needs oxygen most. This is why medium intensity exercise is best for fat burning - long bike rides!

The advantage of fat is that it stores immense amounts of energy. When full to the brim, the body can store about 2,000 to 2,500 calories (what an average man uses in a day) as glycogen . In contrast, even the leanest cyclist has roughly 30,000 calories in his fat tissue (so I have a great deal more). 1 gram of carb provides 4 calories but 1 gram of fat provides 9. Similarly 1 molecule of carbohydrate can produce 36 ATP molecules, whereas 1 free fatty acid molecule can produce about 130 ATP molecules. Thus, although fat cannot fuel high intensity activities it can provide many of the calories needed during the long medium intensity effort of a long ride, leavind the limited carb stores for sprints. Remember Ranulph Fiennes and his loony Antarctic walking friends eat lumps of butter - because it contains the most energy. Yuk.

Protein is made up from amino acids. There are some, known as essential amino acids, which the body cannot make, but otherwise the body can deconstruct protein into other amino acids and make the specific proteins required. These substances perform a number of functions in the body including providing building blocks for muscle tissue.

Protein can provide the same calorific content as carbohydrate but honestly not much is known about the metabolism of protein during exercise, but afterwards, protein is needed to repair damaged muscle and to replace protein used as fuel.

Here endeth the lesson - for now!

Nutrition

I am off to see the nutritionist in a couple of weeks, and wonder what she will have to say about my diet. I am sure I will get grief for not eating breakfast.

It was interesting to see that Jules sent round details of FuelCycling. We used them last time, as they are based in Guildford and were prepared to give us a discount as a team. What is interesting though, is that it brought to mind just what a lot there is to learn for cyclists who have not done this sort of thing before. Managing nutrition on a long ride is really important. You don't want to "bonk" or "hit the wall" from not having taken on enough, and you don't want to get sick from taking on too much.

There are masses of websites and books and magazines that deal with the issues. I will now paraphrase one - in competition and heavy training you burn a lot of calories so you need to refuel. You also need to ensure that you take on a variety of nutrients.

Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are the 3 types of food that provide energy for working muscle. Carbs and protein provide about 4 Calories per gram and fat about 9 Calories per gram. These substances have to be metabolised to form ATP - adenosine triphosphate - which is the compound solely responsible for providing energy to the body. How your body converts food into ATP greatly affects performance.

The body can only store quite small amounts of ATP, so you have to top up the reservoir during exercise. There are various ways of creating ATP but for us the most important is by providing the right fuel.

I will deal with Carbohydrates in the next post ...

What I did last weekend

On Saturday I had to deliver a book to my parents in Twickenham, and as it was a nice day I thought I'd cycle. It is about 25 miles each way so no biggie really. However there was a nice wind pushing me there, which meant a not so nice headwind on the way home. Anyway, 50 miles in the little ring is quite enough at the moment.

I popped into Sigma Sports on the way home, to see how they were getting on selling Zym. It was apparently selling OK, but not as well as Nuun. Still, I know that the Nuun salesman tries so hard that some shops are fed up with him, and I also know that Nuun play dirty in their marketing, trying to keep us out of the way! Never mind.

The ride felt good, and the new bike flies. I will have to get used to the saddle though.

Then on Sunday, after a rather later than anticipated night, Iain and I rode over to near Windsor. This was pretty much all new roads for me, and when I saw the road called "Steep Hill" I thought it would be better to avoid it.

I really must remember to take food with me. Although I had all the liquid I needed, I had not eaten breakfast (it really does not suit me) and by the end of the ride was feeling rather weak. I also find that on unfamiliar roads, when you have no idea how far you are from home, it just gets harder.

I really think that Rich should not worry about his fitness, but as this was his first ride of the year, he may need to get used to long rides. It is all about getting the body used to hours in the saddle.

Iain is doing brilliantly and manages to stay cheerful too! Long may it last.

Long Suffering

I feel that it is appropriate to mention that whilst we who cycle madly suffer long miles and hours on the bike, there are also those who support us in the background, in what they do to help and in letting us go out for the long hours of training without too much complaint. When I mentioned to my wife and youngest son that I was going to do LeJog again they did groan a bit, but also realise that it is for a good cause and that I am a nicer person when I am cycling lots (must be something to do with the endorphins). In fact, the long suffering Mrs P was very generous in that she gave me a new bike for Christmas (and birthday and next Christmas ...). It is lovely, but I don't want to get it wet!!!

I think I mentioned previously that I got my last bike in the November before the last LeJog and before that I had not ridden a road bike since school days. My school bike was a lovely Holdsworth, and when that was stolen I bought a Roy Thame. These were lovely bikes then, with possibly 10 gears, Reynolds 531 double butted frame and so on. I was quite unprepared for how bikes had changed and was dead impressed with the weight of my aluminium Specialized Allez Elite. However, the Roubaix is all carbon and ridiculously light.

I will continue to train on the old Allez, as I like it and it is currently kitted out with winter tyres and mudguards. It is also heavier so good to train on. When the weather gets better I'll be out on the new red devil.

So I say thank you for the bike, and for all the joy its going to give, and the fact that it should ease the journey from Lands End to John O'Groats. Thanks to the family too, for putting up with the training.

Foul weather

The weather has been really horrible the last couple of days and the incentive to get out on the bike is just not there. So what do we do instead? Today I went to the gym to try the programme set for me to strengthen the legs, back and core. Gyms these days are like medieval torture dungeons, with apparatus to hurt every bit of you. The nice fellow who set the programme for me has a Masters degree in sports science and sadism. I have to get into these contorted positions first and then lift or push the weights.

After a nice warmup on the static bike it was off to the weight area. At least I am not lifting too much at the moment (not on the bar anyway!). Even so, it was pretty tough and by the end of the hour I felt I had done a reasonable first attempt. If nothing else it made me feel virtuous.

I then had a shower and a nice drink of Zym electrolyte replacement which made me feel a lot better about going back to work and trying to get more people to buy Zym !!! I know I push it a bit, but hey, someone has to!

Another way to keep on getting the hours on the bike when the weather is foul is to use the other torture machine, the turbo trainer. This really is a horrible invention. At least on a bike you get to see scenery, and there is sometimes scenery in the gym, but the turbo trainer is really tedious. An old coach of mine used to sit for hours on his TT with a fan blowing on him to keep cool, and he would watch cycling DVDs to motivate him.

Today's musings

Having done this event a few years ago, I have a degree of experience knowing what I need to do and what I need to have with me on the bike. We are all different in our physiologies and requirements for hydration and energy. Last time when I went out for long rides I had my big bottles of energy drink (usually unflavoured) and a Camelback with about 3 litres. I really needed it most of the time. I sweat a lot so need to replace fluids at quite a rate. I find that the Camelback is brilliant as the tube is always close at hand. The energy drinks are a very personal thing. Some people like flavoured drinks, but I find that it can get a bit sickly. Often I used neutral Hi5 and added some squash. I know that some people just use squash.

When I rode the Etape in 2006, I had bags of Hi5 powder (measured in advance) with added salt. That is great if you know that there will be water to add to the bottles, but that year there was a real problem with the provision of water, and at one point I had to buy Coke and Perrier!!! Not fun when you are at the top of a mountain because the gas gets pressurised as you descend - hence getting Coke squirted under pressure out through my nose!

Anyway, I found last year that just using an electrolyte drink, like Zym, was excellent. I had to eat, so use energy bars or malt loaf. Some people dont like to eat solids on the bike, and some dont like energy drinks, so it is important that everyone training finds their own optimum solution.

This is especially relevant this time, as my 16 year old son is planning to do the ride with us, and he has no experience of this sort of event. He may be fit and strong, but will he manage long hours in the saddle day after day? He has to get used to how his body deals with its needs on the rides. It is no good experimenting with stuff on the event - you have to get used to it in advance.

At the moment with the weather not being to hot (!) it is not obvious to everyone how much they need to keep hydrated. It keeps you going longer and helps prevent cramp. I have had cramps so bad that I had to get off the bike and kneel on the road and howl - not a nice feeling at all.

Hey ho, got to go and get dinner now - later!

Sunday 13th January

Today Ciaran, Iain and I went out and did a nice 40 mile circuit, although I must admit my legs were a bit tired from overdoing it yesterday. I had gone out with a friend who is a serious racer, and he is fit and I am not.
Anyway, it was not cold and was not raining, but was a bit blustery, so was a good ride. We went over to Bramley, then Hascombe (home of the White Horse pub) (as an aside here, getting out and about on the bike means you discover more places and good looking pubs, but since we are training, we just have to ride by ...). From there we headed over to Chiddingfold, where Ciaran's answering the call of nature was (possibly) observed by a lady running to church.
From there we headed over to Haslemere, up the long hills through Grayswood, and then to Hindhead up another long hill. From there it was almost all downhill to Elstead (past the former homes of 2 old girlfriends) and over to Puttenham. Then up to the Hogs Back and home to Guildford.
I had started out this morning with a bowl of ready brek, and drank my 2 750ml bottles of Zym electrolyte drink, and by the time I got home I was hungry.
It is always nice to get out and see the countryside with a couple of mates, so I really enjoyed it, but the last couple of days have shown me that there is a long way to go yet.

I think it is real

December 28th 2007 - we went for a bike ride and then talked about The Ride over lunch.

The Race for Chase is an event to raise money for the CHASE charity. Rather than labour the point, I suggest you look at www.RaceforChase.co.uk where all will be revealed.

I have a feeling I am the oldest rider this time, and my son Henry is the youngest entrant. I hopes that the training does not get in the way of his GCSEs and his rowing training!

I am hoping that I will win the race for losing the largest percentage of weight between 28th December and 28th June - I certainly have plenty to lose. I also have a lot of training to do. Last time I started in the Autumn, and rode properly in November when I got my bike. I have not really done a lot of miles for ages, so it will be interesting to see how long it takes before I feel half way fit.

Hopefully I can post more interesting stuff in the future, but I would say that I always ride with my bottle of Zym - see www.LambdaSports.com for more info!

Must go to bed now, as I have a ride at 08:30 tomorrow (Sunday).

In the beginning ...

Some years ago, on the way home from the pub, a friend mentioned to me that he was going to cycle from Lands End to John O'Groats in 5 days for charity. I thought he was nuts. He said that it was more of a psychological challenge than a physical one, and I fell for the bait. In 2004 I decided that I would join him on the event in summer 2005. I had a problem though - I only had a really heavy and old mountain bike. So I started riding that.



My friend told me I absolutely had to have Lycra shorts. Once again I thought he was nuts. Anyway, eventually I went out and bought some skin tight cycling shorts.



Then I had to go bike shopping. Eventually I spent much more than I had intended to, and bought a lovely Specialized Allez Elite, which I thought was the dog's wotsits.



The difference between my bikes was like going from driving a tank to a sports car. I was hooked.



At some time in December 2004 I did my first 100 mile ride. What an achievement that felt like. Anyway, apart from our main experienced rider betting his wife that we would never make it, we trained hard and had fun, and then did cycle about 975 miles in 5 days, raising a lot of money for charity.



Now I am doing it again.