And Another Thing

Not content with the Costwold Ride (50 miles) and the Norwich 50/100 plus the St Edmundbury Wheel (probably 50 or 100), AND the Dunwich Dynamo (120 miles overnight), we're also hoping for a long weekend ride this year. This might be Cornwall to Cotswolds or it could be Cotswolds to Norfolk or something similar.

But in case all that cycling seems like too much, I think I might have agreed to run a half marathon this year by way of a rest from the saddle.

But NEXT YEAR...

Next year we're hoping for another really big adventure. It could be the Pyrenees east to west or it could be the Jogle (Le Jog in reverse) which is John O'Groats to lands End. Or it might be something different altogether!

But it will be worth training for, of that I'm sure!

Roy

Another one for the Diary for the P2V Team!

As part of our preparation for the Dunwich Dynamo, the four of us will hopefully be taking part in the Cotswold Bike Ride, a hilly 50 miler on 20th May.

That should be good preparation for the Norwich and Bury rides and a nice start to the Paris to Venice team's season together. It looks like at least three of us will be doing the Dynamo at the end of June, which is great news.

We're also hoping to arrange at least one long weekend ride, maybe based in the Cotswolds and Wales, and we're starting to talk about a big ride for 2013... That will maintain the three-yearly cycle and suits me fine, as I'm hoping to fit at least two more of those in before I'm 60, which (yikes!) will be in 2016.

Roll on spring, summer and great times in the company of fine friends! 

Roy

No, I Didn't Hibernate

It might have seemed like a good idea, and motivation through the winter hasn't been easy, even while the weather stayed mild, but my lack of posts on here don't entirely reflect my level of exercise over the past four months.

Not exactly, anyway.

But today's brief dash into town (all of about ten minutes each way) was my first ride for a few weeks. That's why I thought I should post my plans for this year on here so that I will at least be accountable to you.

On 30th June, I plan to take part in the Dunwich Dynamo - an overnight ride from London to the Suffolk coastal town of Dunwich. I've never ridden overnight, so, although it's not a mammoth undertaking like Paris to Venice it will still be quite a stiff challenge. The distance is around 120 miles, which is near enough the same as my longest ever ride in one day, although that was over twenty years ago!

Hopefully, JR of the Paris to Venice team will join me. The ride is free to enter, by the way, and it should be possible to arrange transport back to London if you book as soon as the website is updated, so why not join us?

To prepare for the Dynamo I'll probably do the Norwich 50 or 100 and the St Edmundsbury Wheel. One is at the end of  May and the second is mid June. 

To prepare for the preparation I will have to do a bit more than ten minutes to the shops!

Roy

Staying Strong WITHOUT Cycling

One of the challenges I've had over the last few weeks has been staying motivated to keep fit even though I wouldn't, after all, be joining the rest of the Paris to Venice team on this years mini-adventure.

I had planned to be part of the foursome riding London to Paris this weekend, but circumstances intervened. Being pressed for time also meant I didn't always feel I could justify taking hours out for training rides when I had no real need to be in peak form.


But coincidentally, I've also noticed the trend towards shorter, more intensive training sessions that several fitness coaches have been advocating.

That has helped me in two ways:

Firstly, I concentrated on shorter training rides, mostly around an hour long, at a higher intensity to build strength rather than trying to improve endurance by doing loads of miles.

Secondly, I've added running to the mix. Running is more intensive anyway and I was a runner long before I was a regular cyclist. Getting back to it felt odd at first (in fact, I felt old and stiff!) but I'm back to more like the form I used to have, albeit I am a few years older. Shortish runs have meant I could mix in a few sprints at times as well. My knees seem to be holding up so far...

Psychologically, missing out on this weekend's adventure hasn't been pleasant, but knowing I'm doing something towards 'keeping up', fitness-wise, has made it easier to bear.

So, I have no need for regrets - just a heightened resolve to be better placed for the next opportunity that comes my way.

And that's next week, when the Tour of Britain visits Bury St Edmunds and local cyclists of all standards get a chance to join in the fun. More on that in a couple of days!

Roy

A Good Brisk Ride

Not having ridden with John for a while I expected yesterday's ride to be more testing than my recent solo efforts and I wasn't disappointed.

That said, it was a very enjoyable ride around some Norfolk lanes that were undiscovered country to me. Norfolk is one of England's flatter counties, but we still found a few gentle inclines, and a longish stretch into the breeze gave us a decent workout.

With John on his mountain bike as well, our speed wasn't quite as high as it might have been and I didn't spend too much of the 28 miles hanging on to his back wheel - for much of the time we were side by side down empty lanes and it was only when we hit more of a main road that I decided to stay behind for safety's sake for a spell.

It was on that stretch that another cyclist on a road bike had the temerity to overtake us. We weren't racing - until that point, anyway - but we had to try to chase him down... We let a gap open before we decided to give chase, so it was a fiull-on effort to get back in touch. John led the chase and I hung on as best I could.

In the end, I was dropped just before John closed the gap, which was just as we reached a right turn. Our opponent probably never knew he was in a race...

It was an excellent two hour ride, though, and dry until the last couple of miles when a heavy shower caught up with us. Overall, we averaged over 15 mph and according to my Garmin I consumed about 1300 Kilo Calories in the process. Here's how the route looks from the Garmin's log:

John will be riding London to Paris in two weeks' time, so for him Sunday's ride was part of his three-day training weekend. For me, it was a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours and keep my body in half-decent shape, ready for bigger tests to come - I hope!

Roy

Just Ticking Over

With no major rides planned, it hasn't been easy to motivate myself to train lately, but a warm afternoon and a bit of work-related stress made an hour on the bike seem a much more attractive proposition on Monday.

There's also the possibility I might get to ride with brother in law John at the weekend and it pays to be at least semi-fit for that!

So I did a fairly gentle 15 miles - I even stopped to pick and eat a few blackberries at halfway - and I remembered right away what I'd been missing. I have been running more in the last few weeks but my cycling legs hadn't completely deserted me!

I didn't even time myself for the outward half, although I had half an eye on my average speed. Fueled by those blackberries, I found the return amazingly smooth. Despite slightly soft tyres and not really 'digging in' I almost exactly matched my last ride on the route while feeling like I was just ticking over for most of it.

I think the running has helped me aerobically, but I expected to feel weaker on the climbs than I did. 

It's encouraging to know I haven't lost too much fitness in the three weeks since I last rode - and running has helped not hindered that - but a bit frustrating, if I dwell on it, to know that I won't be putting it to good use!

Roy

Revisiting the Dales

Although I didn't bring a bike with me, I have been revisiting the Dales this week and sharing some memories of the hills we climbed last year in the three weekends we spent in this stunning part of Yorkshire.

It's difficult to believe we actually climbed some of them, and nice to be able to reminisce and see the hills in all their spendour over the three days. Some stiff walks and scrambles and an even stiffer run one morning meant I didn't feel too guillty about spending a fair bit of time in the car.

The Yorkshire Dales are all different and all beautiful and each one is a great experience on a bike, while getting from one dale to another is always a test of strength and stamina.

It was in the Dales where we first tested our ability to carry camping kit and supplies in preparation for the Paris to Venice expedition. It was every bit as hard as I feared and I wasn't even fully loaded. In the event, the Alpine climbs were less severe, though much, much longer, but the Dales are an adventure in themselves, and well worth a visit in  their own right, on two wheels, four wheels or none at all.

Roy