Two Weeks on - and Only Seven to Go!

Two weeks after our Dales trip I've finally stolen a few minutes to report on its success!

Now the midge bites have stopped itching and my memories of that horrible couple of hours on Sunday morning have faded, the weekend seems like a great success.

Friday was baking hot - around 30 deg C - when I rode across to meet John just outside Newmarket. That probably took more out of me that I realised at the time, as Sunday morning would reveal.

We did over seventy miles on Saturday, in almost perfect conditions, found all the hills we intended to climb were every bit as steep as expected, and managed to add a few more surprise ones for good measure. One, quite near the end of the day was a real killer, but we all wound our way up it somehow, and reached the hostel sometime around 5.pm.

I borrowed JR's tent and he tested out his bivvy bag. I got the better deal...

We didn't expect quite so many midges in Yorkshire, but they obviously nipped down from Scotland as the headwind died away in the evening, because there were millions of the things that evening and overnight.

Next morning the wind was back to full strength again, rain was on the way and we were headed into both. I struggled, I have to confess. Being fully loaded and battling against that wind on a long climb southwards (actually three climbs before lunch) just about did me in.

Slow progress in the morning meant we decided to cut about ten miles off the planned route.

But it's amazing what some food and drink can do, and the afternoon was fantastic in contrast. There were still some tough climbs, and the final one into Haworth saw me looking very tired as I hit the strong headwind again, but I did it. I know I could have done another twenty miles after another refuel, but we had a long drive home ahead of us.

So we did almost 130 miles in the two days to add to the twenty or so I had done in the sweltering heat on Friday. Not a bad weekend workout!

Roy

How You Can Help

I'm cycling from Paris to Venice in September and raising money for two very deserving causes that each make a massive difference to the lives of the people they support.

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MS Society helps sufferers of MS and their families to cope with the desease as well as helping research into new treatments. Hopefully, they'll find a cure one day soon.

Make a Wish Foundation make dreams come true for hundreds of seriously ill children every year. Both these causes are dear to my heart. I hope they are to yours, too.

Just go to either of my JustGiving pages to donate to your preferred charity >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

PS. Quick update on training. I've covered about 85 miles over the last three days, experimenting a little with eating versus not eating before the ride. Of course, on a long ride we all need to refuel regularly, but the initial hour seems to go a lot better for not eating carbs in the hour or so beforehand. Anyway, training is going well at last, although my old bike has developed a few more creaks. This weekend we'll be tackling the Yorkshire Dales again.

Some More Miles Added

I just did a quick twenty miles yesterday, but it was a useful workout and it felt good to get my legs moving. A little stiffness at first was gone after a mile or two and from then on I felt pretty good.

Even my heavy old bike felt lively without the panniers and I felt stronger on the hills than I have for a while - stronger than after the last Yorkshire Dales trip - so things are going in the right direction.

I had a slight tailwind on the outward leg so I didn't get carried away but I climbed Hartest hill, which is usually a reliable test because it's quite sheltered, as well as I have for a long time.

The return ride, mainly against the wind, felt quite tough but I kept my speed up anyway, to average around 15 mph for both directions. The final hill, which usually feels harder than it looks, didn't drag as it so often does.

All in all, a very satisfying 100 minutes, and very different to Sunday's 100 miles!

Roy

PS. Remember, I'm doing this for charity - for two GREAT causes. You can sponsor me for either the MS Society or Make a Wish Foundation - or both - by clicking on the widgets on the right of this page.

Getting Quite Excited!

So, a couple of training weekends have now been lined up to help us prepare for the Paris to Venice trip; the Yorkshire Dales in April and the Cotswolds in May.

We'll also do some miles around East Anglia - you have to do some miles to find any hills! - and possibly another coast to coast in July or August. John mentioned camping on that one, just so we can carry loads of weight and get really fit, or possibly knackered.

Anyway, it all starts to feel very real now and we really are getting quite excited!

One of the ways we justify these trips to ourselves is by raising a bit of money for our favourite charities. To be honest, we would do the rides anyway (and of course we fund the trips ourselves) but I've already set up two Just Giving pages and added the widgets to this blog so you can easily donate as well.

And you can hardly miss the links to Evans Cycles and Wiggle! I'm donating half of all commissions from these two excellent online shops to the charities, too. Both stores offer excellent value online with massive discounts, especially when you include free delivery, too.

So, if you buy anything through these links, let me know which charity you'd prefer to support, otherwise I'll just split it equally between the two: Multiple Sclerosis Society and Make a Wish Foundation.

Thanks in advance, and excuse the excitement!

Roy