Heatwave!

The hottest day of the year so far. 28 degrees, no wind and a blazing sun. Perfect weather to punish myself with a 50 mile training ride! I got my two bottles full of water, my double Snickers tucked away somewhere cool (Ha!) and my very skimpy favourite 'Fox' cycling jersey on. Today's training ride challenge was to cross into all four counties of Yorkshire. I started off where I live in West Yorkshire heading south towards Sheffield. That's South Yorkshire sorted... then across, heading east towards Doncaster before going north toward Selby and East Yorkshire.

I took a break at the 20 mile mark and licked the melted Snickers bar from the wrapper and downed 500ml of my water in about 3 gulps. Break over, time to go west and cross the border for a few minutes just outside Womersley into North Yorkshire. Phew! Pontefract was only 3 miles away before heading home through Ackworth.

50 Miles , just under 3000 calories and an average speed of 15.7mph. Perfect!

Meeting Mark Beaumont.

On Wednesday 28th April I was lucky enough to go and meet one of my hero's. Mark Beaumont cycled the world, over 18,000 miles in 194 days, 17 hours. Beating the existing record by a massive 81 days! Then, just a few months ago, he cycled over 13,000 miles from Alaska to Southern Argentina in 268 days. The entire length of the Americas, including climbing the two highest mountains on each continent (Mount McKinly & Mount Aconcagua).

I've been following Mark's adventures since he began in 2007 and although he doesn't agree, he really is a hero to me! Such an inspiring man and a legend in my eyes.

When I met Mark I was surprised how tall he was to start with. People always look taller on TV so I don't know how that happened! Anyway, he is a really nice guy and after handing me a signed copy of his book I got some fantastic advice on how to stay motivated. "Just keep the wheels turning. Keep the wheels turning and you'll soon be a little closer to your goal. The worst thing you can do in your darkest moments is to pause to gather your thoughts. real momentum is built during those moments when despite everything, and against all odds, you keep the wheels moving. Each turn of that wheel is taking you a step closer to your goal."

Fantastic! To find out more about Mark Beaumont, click this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzhPZjWgLt4

Possible Dates For LEJOG.

I've given my knee three months of serious hammer in order to make sure it will be OK for my Land's End to John O' Groats ride. At last! I'm happy with my knee, with the bike and I've more or less got the route figured out. This evening I've pencilled in a few possible dates for the ride, all are subject to weather forecasts and some important events already booked that I can't miss.
Shaun and I are going to see the Pet Shop Boys twice in July so I am limited for days to start the ride. At the moment the dates I have in mind are the period of 10th till 20th June, 1st till 12th July, 24th July till end of August. Vague I know, but I wanted to record these early dates on here so that I want to see how it ends up!

Hot Hot HOT!!!

Don't let the picture fool you. I chose this one on purpose. The Cusworth Cycle Trail takes in some breathtaking scenery of South Yorkshire, including the Dearne Valley. It winds its way through many fields, woods and quiet villages and makes for a perfect bike ride. I use various parts of the 15 mile route as part of my training. Cycling at speed through on narrow tracks through the woods is great for building co-ordination and balance. There are some great hills as you follow the valley up and down, great for hill training with the heavy mountain bike! The woods are the best place for training in the current mini-heatwave we're experiencing. Nice and cool, out of the sun but full of insects. I must have eaten literally hundreds of flies and other flying thingys!!! Oh well, it's protein I suppose. I'm getting my new cycle shoes in the morning so hopefully I can push myself and get a hard days cycling in the heat out on the busy roads.

Breaking In The New Bike

I've been waiting for the weather to warm up just a bit so that I can take the new bike for it's maiden trip. It was great to get my old gear back on and despite the threatening shower clouds I set out to break the bike in gently. A steady 30 mile round trip later and I'm really impressed with it. The picture is of a village called Barnburgh, near Doncaster. Very hilly and a chance to get just over 40mph out of the bike. It's always a bit nervy getting the bike up to such speeds when it's new. What if one of the wheels isn't fastened on tight enough? What if the frame is faulty and the bike breaks up at 40mph? Anyway, it's all fine. I need to make some adjustments to saddle and handlebar height and I need to replace my pedals but apart from that it's fab! After the adjustments I'll start proper outdoor training with some 100 mile runs.

Time Trail

I do various types of training five times a week to keep my cycling fitness up to scratch. Once a week I do a time trial. This is where I cycle over a ten mile route and time myself. This week I've managed my fastest so far at just 24 minutes 15 seconds, an average of just under 25mph over the ten mile course.

During other days I do hill training, interval training and other weights and cardio exercises to strengthen my core and keep my cycle-essential muscles at their peak. With only a few weeks to go before the LEJOG event I need to increase the amount of training and change my priorities slightly. More of my training time is now spent on the bike I'll be using. Getting used to the saddle and riding position especially! I'll be making some tweaks to the bike and changing a few things to make sure I get the most out of it.

New Bike For The Next Challenge!

So after a few weeks of research, lots of shopping around and reading countless reviews, and I mean thousands! I've decided on my bike to cycle from Land's End to John O' Groats. My budget is quite limited but I've ordered a Hybrid bike, a Specialized Sirrus 2010 Sport.

I've chosen this particular bike for a few reasons. First of all, I wanted a Hybrid rather than a Road bike. I find Hybrids a lot more comfortable, especially on my wrists and back, due to the slightly different seating position. Secondly, the ride quality is really nice. Very smooth and the gears feel a lot more expensive than they are! The wheels are standard Road bike size and the bike only weighs in at just over 10kg, so speed should be just as good as my Road bike.
Finally, the reviews for this model really outshined all the other Hybrids. I couldn't find a genuine bad review (apart from the odd guy who hates Specialized).

So, I pick up the bike next week and after a final check between whether I take a Medium or Large size, I'll be out on the roads wearing it in and getting used to it. It'll get at least three months wearing in before the event. Plenty of time to strip it down and rebuild for experience, change the tyres and tubes for puncture resistant ones and maybe change the saddle.

Now I can start looking for new accessories!

Back In Training!

So I started my serious training this time last week. I'm doing about 100 miles a week in the gym and about 60 miles out on the road. That'll change over the next few weeks as I re-adapt back to my outdoor bike. It takes some getting used to after the winter break and the saddle sores can cause problems if I do to much too soon on the outdoor bike, as I learned last summer!

Slight difference in training this year. Last year I spent 100% of my time building my stamina and endurance by doing cardio exercise such as running and of course bike training. This year I'm spending about 30% of my training time on weights exercises, specifically suited to my biking needs. This includes building my back, shoulders, arms and especially my quads and hamstrings in my legs for pedal power!

I have noticed a difference already. I've been weight training since late last year, just as the outdoor season was coming to an end. Already, my core strength and balance have improved dramatically and I feel more steady on the bike. Don't get me wrong, I'm not building muscle in the 'meat head' sense. Just toning and conditioning to maximise my endurance and capability on the bike.

I'm now searching for the perfect bike to do the next event, the Land's End to John O' Groats in August. I'm definitely using a Hybrid type bike, mostly for riding comfort. It will be a fast model, a sports type version with road bike wheels and as light as possible too.

Change Of Plan!

Two years ago, I planned to cycle from Land's End to John O' Groats. After 3 months of training I had to cancel the event due to a knee injury. Last year I completed a return trip of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, setting a record of just over 22 and a half hours. I was planning to try and beat that record this year but I've changed the challenge!
After a lot of training and investigations into what caused my knee injury, I am now really confident that I can complete the 1000 mile ride. One of the main reasons my knee reacted so badly was to do with the type of bike I was training on. I've always been ok with mountain bikes but not with road bikes (racing type bikes). I've decided to use a Hybrid bike for the event. This has the streamlined wheels and design of a road bike but the handlebars are designed more like a mountain bike and is more comfortable to ride. The leg distance for pedalling is also shorter, which means my knees won't get so sore.
I'm hoping to do the ride in July or August depending on my training and weather conditions. So check back for regular progress reports on the planning and training.

Thank You!

Thanks to everyone who has contacted me with messages of support since my story was in the Yorkshire Post last week. I didn't manage to see the article but apparently it was quite good. If anybody has a copy of the paper (Thursday 4th March), I'd love to see it.
Some people have asked if I would be interested in taking part in a group ride or maybe joining me for one way of the ride between Leeds & Liverpool. I haven't thought about it much but if you are confident that you can complete the challenge I would be interested in hearing from you. I still haven't decided on a date for this year's challenge but it will probably be in late June or July, maybe August, depending on the weather.
Now that the weather is very slowly warming up again I'm hoping to start outdoor training soon. The gym bike is OK but I always prefer to use my own bike to train.
Thanks again for the support guys!