Very surprised to be nominated for The Local Hero Award, an annual awards event sponsored by the Uxbridge Gazette and Uxbridge College.
Invited to the presentation evening which was very professionally organised and was even more surprised when I was awarded the Local Hero Award for fundraising.
As well as the trophy I was also given a cheque for £250. I have decided to spend £120 on my six grandchildren and donate the remaining £130 to The Royal Marsden Hospital.
Many thanks to the Uxbridge Gazette and Uxbridge College for organising such a great event and making all the participants feel very special. More thanks to Ian Dobie from St George for nominating me and to all my many sponsors who without their wonderful support I would not have even been considered for the award.
The Big Day - Saturday July 5th 2008
Updated September 25th 2008 (At foot of post)
An early start with Betty cooking my porridge at 5:30am. The village was in a lively mood from 6:00am onwards. The band was playing as 8,000 cyclists lined up in the narrow streets waiting for the 7:00am start. It was a festive occasion for the many onlookers and made me realise how special the event was, although I was feeling very apprehensive about what lay ahead.
We were soon off, the first 6 miles were flat and there was a big group of cyclists travelling down the traffic free road, cheered on by many spectators at speeds approaching 30 miles per hour, if only the whole event could be that easy!
The real cycling effort soon began as we started the 15 mile ascent of the Col de Clandon, I had decided to ride the event at my pace and not join in with the younger faster riders. I found myself in a steady group and we all climbed the mountain together at a consistent pace and I was pleased to reach the top just after 9:00am. A stop at the feeding station, taking aboard some food and drink and filling up my feeding bottles. The descent was fast but quite tricky too so I made sure I took care while other riders were whizzing by me at speeds of over 40 mph. The miles in the valley were steady but the heat was building up as we approached the Col de Telegraph. I took the climb at my speed, initially being passed by most riders but as I approached the final few kilometres I started to overtake many of the riders who had passed me earlier. A quick descent and into the foothills of the Col de Galibier and very soon another feeding station. I had now travelled over half the distance in under 4 hours, I was feeling good. A feed and more drink and I was off again to tackle the 8,600 feet summit of the mountain.
I was travelling well feeling very comfortable when suddenly I got cramp in my inside thigh muscles. I stopped a couple of times, did some stretching then continued. Then suddenly an even more violent attack and all I could do was to fall over into the side of the road just as one of the many ambulances following the route passed by. Before I knew it I had been strapped onto a stretcher and put into the ambulance with a Doctor looking over me. He seemed convinced I was having an heart attack, my french could not explain the situation but luckily the ambulance driver Helene had a good knowledge of English. I explained my cramps and as the Doctor was looking at my legs my mobile received a text. Helene found the mobile in my pocket and read the text for me. It was from Jean (Betty's friend) hoping the ride was going well. Helene obviously had learned the English sense of humour too as she offered to send a text back saying I was currently in an ambulance as she thought Jean was my wife.
The doctor advised me not to continue as cycling was not possible and offered to take me to the top of the mountain and make arrangements for me to be transported to the finish. No way would I agree, I explained my sponsorship and my personal determination to succeed and said I would have to walk the remaining 5 miles to the top. He gave me some water and off I went for over a 2 hour walk to the top with thousands of cyclists passing me by. At the top I rested for a while although it was very cold and windy. The descent from the top was difficult due to the wind and cold.
It was now a 25 mile descent on a good road to the foot of Alpe d'Huez, we were going at a fast speed even though I was still getting painful twinges in my thighs, I was feeling very apprehensive about the 9 mile climb of Alpe d'Huez. I stopped at the feeding station at the foot of the climb, had plenty to eat and drink including 3 glasses of Coke, something I never normally drink.
I got back on my bike wondering what lay ahead, I was so deeply engrossed that I failed to recognise Alan and Joan who were standing at the roadside cheering me on. The climb started, initially at a 10% gradient, I pushed hard on my pedals, I was overtaking riders and before I had reached the halfway point to the first bend I knew I was going to succeed, for a brief moment emotion took over; it's a good job no photographer was there to capture the scene. Around bend 21, soon it was bend 17 and the really steep part was over. I kept my legs going reciting the names of my grand children (sometimes out loud) "Lexie, Jack, Edward, Jess, Ben and Libby". If that got a bit monotonous then I would say the names in a different order. All the way up I was catching other riders, I kept looking up to the top and counting down the bends. Bend 3 was in sight, then 2 and finally 1, almost there, the final climb through the village through a wall of noise and encouragement under the bridge, a right turn and it was downhill to the finish. The first thing I noticed as I approached the finish was a very relieved Betty standing on the corner.
I did it, I achieved my challenge, it was much harder than I ever imagined but it was over. I did not care much about the time it had taken me and was very pleased to find later that I had achieved the Silver Standard.
A great day and made even better by the wonderful support I have received from so many people. You have all made a difference both to me and the Royal Marsden Hospital.
Sunday July 6th
Just checked the computer and some more donations, this time from former work colleague and friend Alan Molloy, Tony from Bike Eye and my cycling colleague and friend Alan and his wife Joan; many thanks to you all.
I have just about reached my target of £20 per kilometre but I am sure the Royal Marsden would welcome and put to good use as much as possible.
My next task is to check out on the pictures taken during the ride and I will post then here later,
Again, my thanks to everyone who has supported me and made my ride possible,
Monday July 7th
A long journey home but I am still feeling elated after my ride and the miles just flew by.
It was great to receive so many messages of congratulation from many of my sponsors and also 3 further donations which have taken my total to over £3,500. Dave and Cynthia Green, my former work colleagues of the 1950's have generously doubled their previous donation while Ceri from my club and Mr A Ohry of The Cycle Store Friern Barnet have also kindly contributed. Even though the ride is over it's still a great feeling to receive a donation and I am sure that if I make it to the circuit in the morning I will be full of enthusiasm because of all the support I have received.
Tuesday July 8th
I made a late appearence at the circuit and put in 40 very easy miles. Only Jim was there, the rest of the riders are in France watching the Tour although Chris Denmam did turn up later and join us for a few laps. I did not join in any of the sprints up the hill, my legs were too tired. It's good that donations are still being received, this time from another former IAL work colleague Jenny Crowe, many thanks Jenny.
Wednesday July 9th
Too wet for cycling today, I played around with my blog and worked out how best to display the pictures from France. I now need to purchase some of the official photos taken during the ride.
More donations too from James Poole, a fellow club member and La Marmotte competitor, Rose and Ed Riches, more of Betty's friends from the Gym and another donation from Jean. It is a great feeling to be supported by so many people, my thanks to you all.
Friday July 11th
Managed to get to the circuit and joined Alan, Jim and 4 others for 30 miles or so. I competed in a few of the sprints up the hill but I think I could classify my ride as steady.
But, more donations received which has brought my total much closer to £4,000. Another of Betty's friends Shirley Mossman and two old colleagues from my former company IAL. Many thanks to George Dunford, a real stalwart who worked his way up from being an Air Traffic Controller to MD, quite an achievement. The other colleague to remember me was Mary Gosden, Mary worked in the accounts department in the Basingstoke office and set me many a brain teaser trying to sort out the problems with the Finance Computer System. Many thanks to you all.
Saturday July 12th
Spent the morning watching my grandson Ben play football, tidying up the garden in the afternoon but I did receive another donation from my neighbour Jean. Many thanks Jean.
Monday July 21st
My sponsorship has now exceeded the £4,000 mark thanks to the generosity of my club mates Peter Manley, Paul Buckland and Roy Barugh. Roy raised a considerable sum on my behalf by getting sponsorship for a ride he did on his mountain bike from Uxbridge to Dorset.
Thursday July 24th
The day after the Tour de France rode a similar course to the La Marmotte except they went round the loop in the opposite direction but still finished with the climb of Alpe d'Huez. I sure appreciated the efforts made by the leading cyclists but further down the field there were a considerable number that were not that much quicker than me.
A good day for donations too, another of Andrea's university friends, Jane Hartshorne, Andy Godley who I worked with when I was doing voluntary work for Victim Support and from two of Betty's colleagues at the Trust where she is a Trustee, Betty O'Rourke and Carol Austin. A big thankyou to you all, is is still a very motivating feeling to receive a donation and with the total now at £4.291 I have good expectations to raise £4,500.
The other highlight of today was the Welcome Home Reception organised by St George. Once again St George were fantastic hosts and all of our friends who attended had a very enjoyable time. The Mayor was there to congratulate me, I have lived in the area for the majority of my life and had never met the Mayor before, now I have met him twice in a few weeks. A big thankyou to everyone who supported me and especially to St George.
Saturday July 26th
Another good day for donations which has now taken my total to almose £4,600, an amount I am very pleased with but I guess it would be even better if I could reach a round number like £5,000! Many thanks to the Hobbs family, Nick and Lindsey and their two boys John and Jamie. Betty has known the family for many years as the two boys attended her school, they are all now keen cyclists and will no doubt be tackling the French Cols very soon. The other donation was from neighbour John Clarke, John lost his wife Eve to cancer a year ago and like him we do miss Eve a lot, she was the real character of our small close.
Monday July 28th
More publicity on the internet, this time from Simon O'Hagan who I met on a recent Audax ride. Simon writes a blog for the Independent Newspaper and you can read his article here:- http://blogs.independent.co.uk/independent/2008/07/hats-off-john.html Thankyou Simon for the article and it has already contributed a donation from Angus Urquhart, thankyou Angus.
Tuesday July 29th
Betty's birthday today so we had a day in London and finished off by seeing the musical Spamalot which is really worth seeing if you still have a Monty Python sense of humour. A good day for donations, thankyou to Scotty who I presume read the Independent blog and to an old friend Peter Ryerson. I also received another donation from my mother in law, this time it was in memory of her long time friend Myna Thick who recently died at the age of 94. The total is slowly creeping upwards and I am hoping I will finally raise £5,000, a nice round number.
Friday August 1st
Two more donations today, the first a further contribution from Lance who is a cycling colleague at the Hillingdon Circuit and the second from a former work colleague at both IAL and BT, Alan Underwood. Many thanks to you both and I have now raised over £4,700. Only £264 to go.
Wednesday August 13th
A very good day for donations, three received raising my total to over £4,800. Thankyou to the riders at the Tuesday Night Racing at the circuit for your contributions, R. M. Starkey and Mark Taylor. You sure brightened up my day and got me even closer to my target of £5,000.
Friday August 13th
Andrea's university friends have supported me well and today I received another donation from one of her housemates Helen. I also found out that Mark Taylor who donated earlier this week is also a friend from university. Many thanks to you all.
Sunday September 7th
Very pleased tonight, thanks to donations from John Piggin, a schoolfriend from the 1950's, Peter White who was my Boss for a few years when I worked at IAL, cycling colleagues Rocco Richardson and Liz Creese and another Old Actonian Allan Lawrence I have made my target of £5,000. I am sure smiling right now and all the effort expounded in the training and the riding of La Marmotte was sure worthwhile. Rocco made an interesting comment on the event, he reckons the cycling part was easy and in fact I raised £1,000 for every mile I walked up the Col de Galibier!
Monday September 15th
Donations from former Uxbridge Wheelers clubmates, Mick and Rose Mahon and Barry Eastwood plus one from our neighbour Edna Hodgson has made my final total £5,091, a total I could never have imagined when I started on this challenge over 11 months ago. My thanks to you all, it sure has been a wonderful experience for me to achieve one of my dreams in riding up the French Cols made even more memorable by your generosity.
Thursday September 25th
More support from former Uxbridge Wheelers, many thanks to Dave and Stephanie Horton for your generosity. Also many thanks to another of Betty's Gym colleagues Indra Big and added to a couple of anonymous donations has raised my total to over £5,200.
Today I plan to send all the cheques to The Royal Marsden and so close the challenge.
An early start with Betty cooking my porridge at 5:30am. The village was in a lively mood from 6:00am onwards. The band was playing as 8,000 cyclists lined up in the narrow streets waiting for the 7:00am start. It was a festive occasion for the many onlookers and made me realise how special the event was, although I was feeling very apprehensive about what lay ahead.
We were soon off, the first 6 miles were flat and there was a big group of cyclists travelling down the traffic free road, cheered on by many spectators at speeds approaching 30 miles per hour, if only the whole event could be that easy!
The real cycling effort soon began as we started the 15 mile ascent of the Col de Clandon, I had decided to ride the event at my pace and not join in with the younger faster riders. I found myself in a steady group and we all climbed the mountain together at a consistent pace and I was pleased to reach the top just after 9:00am. A stop at the feeding station, taking aboard some food and drink and filling up my feeding bottles. The descent was fast but quite tricky too so I made sure I took care while other riders were whizzing by me at speeds of over 40 mph. The miles in the valley were steady but the heat was building up as we approached the Col de Telegraph. I took the climb at my speed, initially being passed by most riders but as I approached the final few kilometres I started to overtake many of the riders who had passed me earlier. A quick descent and into the foothills of the Col de Galibier and very soon another feeding station. I had now travelled over half the distance in under 4 hours, I was feeling good. A feed and more drink and I was off again to tackle the 8,600 feet summit of the mountain.
I was travelling well feeling very comfortable when suddenly I got cramp in my inside thigh muscles. I stopped a couple of times, did some stretching then continued. Then suddenly an even more violent attack and all I could do was to fall over into the side of the road just as one of the many ambulances following the route passed by. Before I knew it I had been strapped onto a stretcher and put into the ambulance with a Doctor looking over me. He seemed convinced I was having an heart attack, my french could not explain the situation but luckily the ambulance driver Helene had a good knowledge of English. I explained my cramps and as the Doctor was looking at my legs my mobile received a text. Helene found the mobile in my pocket and read the text for me. It was from Jean (Betty's friend) hoping the ride was going well. Helene obviously had learned the English sense of humour too as she offered to send a text back saying I was currently in an ambulance as she thought Jean was my wife.
The doctor advised me not to continue as cycling was not possible and offered to take me to the top of the mountain and make arrangements for me to be transported to the finish. No way would I agree, I explained my sponsorship and my personal determination to succeed and said I would have to walk the remaining 5 miles to the top. He gave me some water and off I went for over a 2 hour walk to the top with thousands of cyclists passing me by. At the top I rested for a while although it was very cold and windy. The descent from the top was difficult due to the wind and cold.
It was now a 25 mile descent on a good road to the foot of Alpe d'Huez, we were going at a fast speed even though I was still getting painful twinges in my thighs, I was feeling very apprehensive about the 9 mile climb of Alpe d'Huez. I stopped at the feeding station at the foot of the climb, had plenty to eat and drink including 3 glasses of Coke, something I never normally drink.
I got back on my bike wondering what lay ahead, I was so deeply engrossed that I failed to recognise Alan and Joan who were standing at the roadside cheering me on. The climb started, initially at a 10% gradient, I pushed hard on my pedals, I was overtaking riders and before I had reached the halfway point to the first bend I knew I was going to succeed, for a brief moment emotion took over; it's a good job no photographer was there to capture the scene. Around bend 21, soon it was bend 17 and the really steep part was over. I kept my legs going reciting the names of my grand children (sometimes out loud) "Lexie, Jack, Edward, Jess, Ben and Libby". If that got a bit monotonous then I would say the names in a different order. All the way up I was catching other riders, I kept looking up to the top and counting down the bends. Bend 3 was in sight, then 2 and finally 1, almost there, the final climb through the village through a wall of noise and encouragement under the bridge, a right turn and it was downhill to the finish. The first thing I noticed as I approached the finish was a very relieved Betty standing on the corner.
I did it, I achieved my challenge, it was much harder than I ever imagined but it was over. I did not care much about the time it had taken me and was very pleased to find later that I had achieved the Silver Standard.
A great day and made even better by the wonderful support I have received from so many people. You have all made a difference both to me and the Royal Marsden Hospital.
Sunday July 6th
Just checked the computer and some more donations, this time from former work colleague and friend Alan Molloy, Tony from Bike Eye and my cycling colleague and friend Alan and his wife Joan; many thanks to you all.
I have just about reached my target of £20 per kilometre but I am sure the Royal Marsden would welcome and put to good use as much as possible.
My next task is to check out on the pictures taken during the ride and I will post then here later,
Again, my thanks to everyone who has supported me and made my ride possible,
Monday July 7th
A long journey home but I am still feeling elated after my ride and the miles just flew by.
It was great to receive so many messages of congratulation from many of my sponsors and also 3 further donations which have taken my total to over £3,500. Dave and Cynthia Green, my former work colleagues of the 1950's have generously doubled their previous donation while Ceri from my club and Mr A Ohry of The Cycle Store Friern Barnet have also kindly contributed. Even though the ride is over it's still a great feeling to receive a donation and I am sure that if I make it to the circuit in the morning I will be full of enthusiasm because of all the support I have received.
Tuesday July 8th
I made a late appearence at the circuit and put in 40 very easy miles. Only Jim was there, the rest of the riders are in France watching the Tour although Chris Denmam did turn up later and join us for a few laps. I did not join in any of the sprints up the hill, my legs were too tired. It's good that donations are still being received, this time from another former IAL work colleague Jenny Crowe, many thanks Jenny.
Wednesday July 9th
Too wet for cycling today, I played around with my blog and worked out how best to display the pictures from France. I now need to purchase some of the official photos taken during the ride.
More donations too from James Poole, a fellow club member and La Marmotte competitor, Rose and Ed Riches, more of Betty's friends from the Gym and another donation from Jean. It is a great feeling to be supported by so many people, my thanks to you all.
Friday July 11th
Managed to get to the circuit and joined Alan, Jim and 4 others for 30 miles or so. I competed in a few of the sprints up the hill but I think I could classify my ride as steady.
But, more donations received which has brought my total much closer to £4,000. Another of Betty's friends Shirley Mossman and two old colleagues from my former company IAL. Many thanks to George Dunford, a real stalwart who worked his way up from being an Air Traffic Controller to MD, quite an achievement. The other colleague to remember me was Mary Gosden, Mary worked in the accounts department in the Basingstoke office and set me many a brain teaser trying to sort out the problems with the Finance Computer System. Many thanks to you all.
Saturday July 12th
Spent the morning watching my grandson Ben play football, tidying up the garden in the afternoon but I did receive another donation from my neighbour Jean. Many thanks Jean.
Monday July 21st
My sponsorship has now exceeded the £4,000 mark thanks to the generosity of my club mates Peter Manley, Paul Buckland and Roy Barugh. Roy raised a considerable sum on my behalf by getting sponsorship for a ride he did on his mountain bike from Uxbridge to Dorset.
Thursday July 24th
The day after the Tour de France rode a similar course to the La Marmotte except they went round the loop in the opposite direction but still finished with the climb of Alpe d'Huez. I sure appreciated the efforts made by the leading cyclists but further down the field there were a considerable number that were not that much quicker than me.
A good day for donations too, another of Andrea's university friends, Jane Hartshorne, Andy Godley who I worked with when I was doing voluntary work for Victim Support and from two of Betty's colleagues at the Trust where she is a Trustee, Betty O'Rourke and Carol Austin. A big thankyou to you all, is is still a very motivating feeling to receive a donation and with the total now at £4.291 I have good expectations to raise £4,500.
The other highlight of today was the Welcome Home Reception organised by St George. Once again St George were fantastic hosts and all of our friends who attended had a very enjoyable time. The Mayor was there to congratulate me, I have lived in the area for the majority of my life and had never met the Mayor before, now I have met him twice in a few weeks. A big thankyou to everyone who supported me and especially to St George.
Saturday July 26th
Another good day for donations which has now taken my total to almose £4,600, an amount I am very pleased with but I guess it would be even better if I could reach a round number like £5,000! Many thanks to the Hobbs family, Nick and Lindsey and their two boys John and Jamie. Betty has known the family for many years as the two boys attended her school, they are all now keen cyclists and will no doubt be tackling the French Cols very soon. The other donation was from neighbour John Clarke, John lost his wife Eve to cancer a year ago and like him we do miss Eve a lot, she was the real character of our small close.
Monday July 28th
More publicity on the internet, this time from Simon O'Hagan who I met on a recent Audax ride. Simon writes a blog for the Independent Newspaper and you can read his article here:- http://blogs.independent.co.uk/independent/2008/07/hats-off-john.html Thankyou Simon for the article and it has already contributed a donation from Angus Urquhart, thankyou Angus.
Tuesday July 29th
Betty's birthday today so we had a day in London and finished off by seeing the musical Spamalot which is really worth seeing if you still have a Monty Python sense of humour. A good day for donations, thankyou to Scotty who I presume read the Independent blog and to an old friend Peter Ryerson. I also received another donation from my mother in law, this time it was in memory of her long time friend Myna Thick who recently died at the age of 94. The total is slowly creeping upwards and I am hoping I will finally raise £5,000, a nice round number.
Friday August 1st
Two more donations today, the first a further contribution from Lance who is a cycling colleague at the Hillingdon Circuit and the second from a former work colleague at both IAL and BT, Alan Underwood. Many thanks to you both and I have now raised over £4,700. Only £264 to go.
Wednesday August 13th
A very good day for donations, three received raising my total to over £4,800. Thankyou to the riders at the Tuesday Night Racing at the circuit for your contributions, R. M. Starkey and Mark Taylor. You sure brightened up my day and got me even closer to my target of £5,000.
Friday August 13th
Andrea's university friends have supported me well and today I received another donation from one of her housemates Helen. I also found out that Mark Taylor who donated earlier this week is also a friend from university. Many thanks to you all.
Sunday September 7th
Very pleased tonight, thanks to donations from John Piggin, a schoolfriend from the 1950's, Peter White who was my Boss for a few years when I worked at IAL, cycling colleagues Rocco Richardson and Liz Creese and another Old Actonian Allan Lawrence I have made my target of £5,000. I am sure smiling right now and all the effort expounded in the training and the riding of La Marmotte was sure worthwhile. Rocco made an interesting comment on the event, he reckons the cycling part was easy and in fact I raised £1,000 for every mile I walked up the Col de Galibier!
Monday September 15th
Donations from former Uxbridge Wheelers clubmates, Mick and Rose Mahon and Barry Eastwood plus one from our neighbour Edna Hodgson has made my final total £5,091, a total I could never have imagined when I started on this challenge over 11 months ago. My thanks to you all, it sure has been a wonderful experience for me to achieve one of my dreams in riding up the French Cols made even more memorable by your generosity.
Thursday September 25th
More support from former Uxbridge Wheelers, many thanks to Dave and Stephanie Horton for your generosity. Also many thanks to another of Betty's Gym colleagues Indra Big and added to a couple of anonymous donations has raised my total to over £5,200.
Today I plan to send all the cheques to The Royal Marsden and so close the challenge.
The final countdown!
Week Ending - July 5th 2008 ........................................................................... Miles to date:- 6034
The week started well with donations from former work colleagues from IAL and BT raising the total amount sponsored to over £3,000. A big thank you to Catherine, Mike, Fionuala and Chris.
The bike riding did not go too well, Alan took me on one of his favourite rides and I struggled up the 17 mile long hill! Alan flew up it and he soon disappeared into the distance. I enjoyed the descent but Alan was not so lucky as he made contact with the road after another rider cut him up. The only plus side was that his bike and kit were not damaged and the grazes will soon mend.
An update on Alan, he was cut up by a van not a cyclist, grazes are mending but his thumb is still swollen.
A 26 mile ride in the mountains today, still not feeling my best but I am hoping my form will improve by Saturday, Many thanks to Si and Andrea for some more dontions, the amount is rising fast, The weather is still very hot, Betty and I went to Grenoble this afternoon and the heat was unbearable.
Wednesday and I went out for a gentle 29 mile ride in the mountains with Philip. We went the back way up to turn 6 of Alpe d'huez and then descended rather than clmb to the top. Now it's no more difficult rides until the event on Sunday. The other high spot apart from Alpe d'Huez is that I have achieved 6,000 training miles.
More great news on the donation front, they are so inspiring to receive, thankyou to clubmates Adrian and Phil (Gandalf), ex BT work colleague Ian Lovelock and to my son Ian, daughter in law Kirstie and grandchildren Jess, Ben and Libby. I have no option but to succeed on Saturday!
Two final rides on Thursday and Friday just before the big day, both 21 miles and no real exertions, saving all my energy for the Cols! Have signed on, got my number and transponder and ready to go, a special treat today too, Betty cleaned my bike for me. I wonder if that is now to be a regular occurence. Another donation too, this time from Mrs Frewin and family who have known me since I was 11 years old. Thank you very much your sponsorship is really appreciated.
Well that's it, a good meal tonight, some sleep and up early for a 7:00 am start of the ordeal.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- Time:- hrs mins secs
The week started well with donations from former work colleagues from IAL and BT raising the total amount sponsored to over £3,000. A big thank you to Catherine, Mike, Fionuala and Chris.
The bike riding did not go too well, Alan took me on one of his favourite rides and I struggled up the 17 mile long hill! Alan flew up it and he soon disappeared into the distance. I enjoyed the descent but Alan was not so lucky as he made contact with the road after another rider cut him up. The only plus side was that his bike and kit were not damaged and the grazes will soon mend.
An update on Alan, he was cut up by a van not a cyclist, grazes are mending but his thumb is still swollen.
A 26 mile ride in the mountains today, still not feeling my best but I am hoping my form will improve by Saturday, Many thanks to Si and Andrea for some more dontions, the amount is rising fast, The weather is still very hot, Betty and I went to Grenoble this afternoon and the heat was unbearable.
Wednesday and I went out for a gentle 29 mile ride in the mountains with Philip. We went the back way up to turn 6 of Alpe d'huez and then descended rather than clmb to the top. Now it's no more difficult rides until the event on Sunday. The other high spot apart from Alpe d'Huez is that I have achieved 6,000 training miles.
More great news on the donation front, they are so inspiring to receive, thankyou to clubmates Adrian and Phil (Gandalf), ex BT work colleague Ian Lovelock and to my son Ian, daughter in law Kirstie and grandchildren Jess, Ben and Libby. I have no option but to succeed on Saturday!
Two final rides on Thursday and Friday just before the big day, both 21 miles and no real exertions, saving all my energy for the Cols! Have signed on, got my number and transponder and ready to go, a special treat today too, Betty cleaned my bike for me. I wonder if that is now to be a regular occurence. Another donation too, this time from Mrs Frewin and family who have known me since I was 11 years old. Thank you very much your sponsorship is really appreciated.
Well that's it, a good meal tonight, some sleep and up early for a 7:00 am start of the ordeal.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- Time:- hrs mins secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Huez - 1 week to go
Week Ending - June 29th 2008 ........................................................................... Miles to date:- 5915
Just 3 days to go before we leave for France. A warm Monday morning so I tackled my hilly Great Missenden Circuit for the final time before La Marmotte and managed to record my quickest time of the year so far. 51 miles ridden towards my target of 6,000 miles before La Marmotte. Spent the afternoon checking my bike over, put on a new chain and got together all the tools I hope I do not need whilst in France.
Monday night is clubnight and I received the good wishes of all my clubmates and spent a lot of time discussing the event with Chris and James who are also competing and no doubt I will see them on the course. They have later starting times than me and with their youth no doubt they will soon be passing me by. I was very pleased to receive a substantial donation from clubmate Colin Smith which has made my target of £3,480 seem very reachable. Cheers Colin.
A warm and sunny Tuesday and there were 10 riders at the circuit, a strong pace was maintained and we all made our legs ache on the hill. A good 47 mile work out. I was very pleased to receive a donation from Ian Campbell, Ian has just retired and is new to cycling and is spending a lot of time at the circuit so he can improve his fitness. We can all see the improvements he has made and no doubt he will soon be upgrading his bike and joining in our sessions. Ian's contribution has now raised my total to over £2,800. The day ended well with another donation, this time from Russ our club's newest member.
Wednesday, my last ride before France, went around an extended Cookham circuit covering 101 km (sounds a lot farther than 63.4 miles). Hard going into the wind but an easy ride homewards. Postman delivered another donation which I was very pleased to receive from Danuta Tinn, a fellow cyclist I met on the Cookham circuit earlier this year. Danuta has had a very good season so far time trialling and has donated some of her prize money to my challenge. One of the events Danuta won was the Cis Webster Memorial 25, I remember Cis from club runs when I was 16 years old, she was a fantastic cyclist, one of the best in the country and so friendly and helpful too. It was a sad day when she died at a young age from breast cancer. In the middle of packing to get ready for the journey and a donation received from our friends Sue and Ken. Many thanks to you both. This donation was quickly followed by another from two more friends, Peter and Gill so we are doing well before we leave and I have now raised over £2,900, not far to go to reach my target. Many thanks Peter and Gill.
A good drive to France and we arrived safely in the early evening.
Friday morning I met Alan as planned and after a 6 mile warm up we tackled Alpe d'Huez it was much harder than I expected but we made it to the top. The ride down was much more fun.
Saturday morning we drove the 30 miles to the top of the Col de Galibier, the weather was just about perfect at the top, sunny and not too cold. I practised the descent I will be doing in the La Marmotte and then cycled the 6 miles back to the top. It was again quite hard especially the last mile which was the steepest and the 8,660 feet altitude also made breathing difficult. Cycling is now completed for this week.
Just checked my email and very pleased to receive a donation from Catherine Bell.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 198 Time:- hrs mins secs
Just 3 days to go before we leave for France. A warm Monday morning so I tackled my hilly Great Missenden Circuit for the final time before La Marmotte and managed to record my quickest time of the year so far. 51 miles ridden towards my target of 6,000 miles before La Marmotte. Spent the afternoon checking my bike over, put on a new chain and got together all the tools I hope I do not need whilst in France.
Monday night is clubnight and I received the good wishes of all my clubmates and spent a lot of time discussing the event with Chris and James who are also competing and no doubt I will see them on the course. They have later starting times than me and with their youth no doubt they will soon be passing me by. I was very pleased to receive a substantial donation from clubmate Colin Smith which has made my target of £3,480 seem very reachable. Cheers Colin.
A warm and sunny Tuesday and there were 10 riders at the circuit, a strong pace was maintained and we all made our legs ache on the hill. A good 47 mile work out. I was very pleased to receive a donation from Ian Campbell, Ian has just retired and is new to cycling and is spending a lot of time at the circuit so he can improve his fitness. We can all see the improvements he has made and no doubt he will soon be upgrading his bike and joining in our sessions. Ian's contribution has now raised my total to over £2,800. The day ended well with another donation, this time from Russ our club's newest member.
Wednesday, my last ride before France, went around an extended Cookham circuit covering 101 km (sounds a lot farther than 63.4 miles). Hard going into the wind but an easy ride homewards. Postman delivered another donation which I was very pleased to receive from Danuta Tinn, a fellow cyclist I met on the Cookham circuit earlier this year. Danuta has had a very good season so far time trialling and has donated some of her prize money to my challenge. One of the events Danuta won was the Cis Webster Memorial 25, I remember Cis from club runs when I was 16 years old, she was a fantastic cyclist, one of the best in the country and so friendly and helpful too. It was a sad day when she died at a young age from breast cancer. In the middle of packing to get ready for the journey and a donation received from our friends Sue and Ken. Many thanks to you both. This donation was quickly followed by another from two more friends, Peter and Gill so we are doing well before we leave and I have now raised over £2,900, not far to go to reach my target. Many thanks Peter and Gill.
A good drive to France and we arrived safely in the early evening.
Friday morning I met Alan as planned and after a 6 mile warm up we tackled Alpe d'Huez it was much harder than I expected but we made it to the top. The ride down was much more fun.
Saturday morning we drove the 30 miles to the top of the Col de Galibier, the weather was just about perfect at the top, sunny and not too cold. I practised the descent I will be doing in the La Marmotte and then cycled the 6 miles back to the top. It was again quite hard especially the last mile which was the steepest and the 8,660 feet altitude also made breathing difficult. Cycling is now completed for this week.
Just checked my email and very pleased to receive a donation from Catherine Bell.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 198 Time:- hrs mins secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Huez - 2 weeks to go
Week Ending - June 22nd 2008 ........................................................................... Miles to date:- 5717
My intention on Monday morning was to do an easy ride after my exertions in the hills over the weekend but the pep talk from Norman Curtis was still ringing in my ears so I decided on an aggressive 50 mile ride around my Cookham Circuit. At the end of the ride my aching legs were rewarded with my fastest ride so far. Good news on the donation front too. The first from Simon O'Hagan whom I met on last week's Audax and who himself is training for a similar ride in the French Pyrenees the day after my ride. Thank you Simon and I sure hope your ride goes well. The second donation was from David Varley, I have known David since our daughters became schoolfriends some 29 years ago. David was instrumental in inviting me to talk at the Rotary Club lunch last week and is also at the forefront of ensuring Uxbridge retains it's heritage. Thank you David.
Tuesday and another warm day with a nagging wind. Eight of us at the circuit at one time including Russ, quite a youngster, 40ish I guess and the newest member of our club. West Drayton Mountain Bike Club now has record membership of over 100 active members, all of them racing or taking part in the club's social rides. Jim was in good form today, kept wanting to sprint up the hill, I did manage to beat him a couple of times but he was King of the Mountains today. Quite satisfied with my 46 miles, a couple of rest days now, I have been out on my bike the previous 9 days. We are off to York to celebrate my youngest grandson's 1st birthday. I just need another 329 miles to reach my target of 6,000 training miles.
Bob Spencer who organises the Tuesday Night races at the circuit suggested running a collection in support of the Royal Marsden. St George supplied some excellent posters and Royal Marsden some collection boxes so I hope all the riders will support me over the coming weeks.
Thursday morning was sunny in York but windy, I decided and a gentle 46 mile spin around my Howardian Hills circuit but it sure was not that gentle in parts due to the wind. One good bit though, did 3 miles wind assisted at 30 mph and my heart rate stayed below 100 beats per minute, it sure would be fun if cycling was always that easy. Had a good afternoon with the grandchildren and I enjoyed Edward's first birthday party.
Friday was another rest day, the grand children took precedence. Good news on the donation front, a donation from Jackie Roberts who is the proprietor of Beyond Mountain Bikes our club's main sponsor. I am sure you have noticed the Beyond Logo on my racing vest. Thank you Jackie.
No more cycling this week but a good end with more donations raising the sponsorship total to date to over £2,500. My grand children presented me with a home made card plus a sizable sum, they cashed in all the copper coins they were collecting whilst their Mum and Dad, Andrea and Ian sponsored me £1 for every mile of the challenge. In the post when we arrived home was a very much appreciated donation from a former work colleague at King and Hutchings some 50 years ago, Jim Batten. Thankyou Jim.
Pictures:- Top left, Lexie, Jack and Edward presenting me with their card. Top right, Training with Lexie and Jack!
Bottom:- My card from Lexie, Jack and Edward.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 142.6 Time:- 8 hrs 24 mins 42 secs
My intention on Monday morning was to do an easy ride after my exertions in the hills over the weekend but the pep talk from Norman Curtis was still ringing in my ears so I decided on an aggressive 50 mile ride around my Cookham Circuit. At the end of the ride my aching legs were rewarded with my fastest ride so far. Good news on the donation front too. The first from Simon O'Hagan whom I met on last week's Audax and who himself is training for a similar ride in the French Pyrenees the day after my ride. Thank you Simon and I sure hope your ride goes well. The second donation was from David Varley, I have known David since our daughters became schoolfriends some 29 years ago. David was instrumental in inviting me to talk at the Rotary Club lunch last week and is also at the forefront of ensuring Uxbridge retains it's heritage. Thank you David.
Tuesday and another warm day with a nagging wind. Eight of us at the circuit at one time including Russ, quite a youngster, 40ish I guess and the newest member of our club. West Drayton Mountain Bike Club now has record membership of over 100 active members, all of them racing or taking part in the club's social rides. Jim was in good form today, kept wanting to sprint up the hill, I did manage to beat him a couple of times but he was King of the Mountains today. Quite satisfied with my 46 miles, a couple of rest days now, I have been out on my bike the previous 9 days. We are off to York to celebrate my youngest grandson's 1st birthday. I just need another 329 miles to reach my target of 6,000 training miles.
Bob Spencer who organises the Tuesday Night races at the circuit suggested running a collection in support of the Royal Marsden. St George supplied some excellent posters and Royal Marsden some collection boxes so I hope all the riders will support me over the coming weeks.
Thursday morning was sunny in York but windy, I decided and a gentle 46 mile spin around my Howardian Hills circuit but it sure was not that gentle in parts due to the wind. One good bit though, did 3 miles wind assisted at 30 mph and my heart rate stayed below 100 beats per minute, it sure would be fun if cycling was always that easy. Had a good afternoon with the grandchildren and I enjoyed Edward's first birthday party.
Friday was another rest day, the grand children took precedence. Good news on the donation front, a donation from Jackie Roberts who is the proprietor of Beyond Mountain Bikes our club's main sponsor. I am sure you have noticed the Beyond Logo on my racing vest. Thank you Jackie.
No more cycling this week but a good end with more donations raising the sponsorship total to date to over £2,500. My grand children presented me with a home made card plus a sizable sum, they cashed in all the copper coins they were collecting whilst their Mum and Dad, Andrea and Ian sponsored me £1 for every mile of the challenge. In the post when we arrived home was a very much appreciated donation from a former work colleague at King and Hutchings some 50 years ago, Jim Batten. Thankyou Jim.Pictures:- Top left, Lexie, Jack and Edward presenting me with their card. Top right, Training with Lexie and Jack!
Bottom:- My card from Lexie, Jack and Edward.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 142.6 Time:- 8 hrs 24 mins 42 secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Huez - 3 weeks to go
Week Ending - June 15th 2008 ........................................................................... Miles to date:- 5575
A hot and sunny Monday morning so I decided to ride the 51 miles of my hilly circuit to Great Missenden. Kept up a good pace throughout and was pleased with my efforts. Another donation from one of Betty's colleagues at the gym, thankyou Liliane. Liliane is also a cyclist and has recently recovered from a broken ankle sustained when attempting to ride through a ford.
A warm Tuesday morning certainly brought the best out of all the riders at the circuit, it was our fastest session this year by far. Charlie Bell, the newest member of my cycling club was the star, he certainly gave Jim and me a very hard time when we were leading the group with him. To curb his youthful exuberance we encouraged him to try and lap us, it sure worked for at the end of the session it was a little easier for us at least. Another 51 miles in my legs plus donations from some of the local British Cycling officials. Thankyou Stuart, Colin, Trevor and Bob. I also received a donation from one of my local councillors, David Routledge thanks once again to Betty's influence.
Wednesday was another one of Rocco's Audax rides, this time 122 km through the Chilterns to Waddesdon and back. Luckily the route through the Chilterns was not too arduous although the outward journey was hard due to the strong headwind. I kept with the lead group which included Jim and Brian Moon regulars at our circuit rides and two 50 year old's Simon and Philip. We managed a good pace for the final few miles covering the last 20 in just over the hour, by the time I had ridden home I had clocked up another 82 miles. More action on the donation front too, this time from Kathy Stephens who works for the Trust where Betty is a Trustee. Thankyou Kathy, your contribution has raised my total to over £1,900.
Made a fundamental mistake on Thursday morning of not checking up on the weather forecast as I only intended going for a 20 mile ride to loosen my legs after yesterday's efforts. It was miserable, got caught in a torrential downpour while at Burnham Beeches and had a wet and cold ride back home.
But the day improved, St George's arranged a going away reception for me at their Park West Development and the event was well supported by many of our friends. The Mayor and Mayoress of Hillingdon both attended to wish me well for my challenge and we all enjoyed each other's company plus ample supplies of food and drink. St George did me proud.
More donations too, Ian Dobie, the MD of St George made a personal donation plus another from Alan Blann who was my cycling colleague in the 50's and 60's and also our best man and Charlie has obviously forgiven me for making him work hard at the circuit this Tuesday as he has also donated. A big thank you to you all. I have now broken the £2,000 mark and was told that as the event is in France I should be gaining sponsorship by the kilometre and so have raised my target to £3,480, thats £20 per kilometre.
I was also very pleased with the posters that St George produced for me. They are to be displayed at the Hillingdon Circuit to tempt the many riders who compete there to contibute towards my challenge.
Pictures from left to right. Row 1:- Ian Dobie MD St George, Me and Mayor of Hillingdon; Mayor and Me; Colleagues from the 50's Alan Blann, Me, Cynthia and Dave Green, Jean Ralph, Mrs Frewin and Betty.
Row 2:- Hillingdon Circuit colleagues and their better halves Liz and Rocco, Joan and Alan, Jim and Cica, Me and Betty; Three of my grand children Jessica, Libby and Ben; Betty's colleagues from the gym Jean, Parveen, Me, Betty, Dave, Shirley and Roger. (Double click of the pictures to see a larger image).
Friday was an early start at the circuit as I was giving a presentation to the local Rotary Club weekly lunch. The six of us who ventured out managed a good pace throughout and I covered 435 miles by the time I arrived home. The presentation at the Rotary Club went well and then it was packing up the car for a weekend in Wales, I hope to climb some longish hills.
A great day for donations too, now over £2,200. Very pleased to receive a donation from an ex BT colleague and fellow Royal Marsden patient Malcolm Lane and I really do hope his treatment goes well. Christine Tiernan from St George also contributed as did Jill Rhodes from the Rotary Club and Iris Bright from Betty's gym. Thank you all for your support.
Betty suggested a weekend in Wales so I could practice on some long hills so we booked in to a very pleasant B&B Cefn Colwyn, near Llanidloes Mid Wales. On Saturday I ventured out along the Aberystwyth Road, climbing Eisteddfa Gurig then descending, turning round and cycling back the way I came. Sunday a similar ride but this time up the Elan Valley, down the other side then back to my starting point. In total 85 miles which took my weekly total to its best so far, 339 miles. Gained some more donations too, this time from Joan Williams, the proprietor of the B&B and Jean Davidson, a guest who was visiting the area from her home in Northumberland.
To cap off a very good week, on the way home we stopped off to visit Norman Curtis, Norman was the person who guided me through my early cycling career and gave me endless support for which I always will be grateful. It was good to see him looking so well and to see his sense of humour has survived the years too. Nowadays Norman keeps himself active playing bowls and I am sure he still is as competitive as he was in his cycling days.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 339.8 Time:- 21 hrs 06 mins 59 secs
A hot and sunny Monday morning so I decided to ride the 51 miles of my hilly circuit to Great Missenden. Kept up a good pace throughout and was pleased with my efforts. Another donation from one of Betty's colleagues at the gym, thankyou Liliane. Liliane is also a cyclist and has recently recovered from a broken ankle sustained when attempting to ride through a ford.
A warm Tuesday morning certainly brought the best out of all the riders at the circuit, it was our fastest session this year by far. Charlie Bell, the newest member of my cycling club was the star, he certainly gave Jim and me a very hard time when we were leading the group with him. To curb his youthful exuberance we encouraged him to try and lap us, it sure worked for at the end of the session it was a little easier for us at least. Another 51 miles in my legs plus donations from some of the local British Cycling officials. Thankyou Stuart, Colin, Trevor and Bob. I also received a donation from one of my local councillors, David Routledge thanks once again to Betty's influence.
Wednesday was another one of Rocco's Audax rides, this time 122 km through the Chilterns to Waddesdon and back. Luckily the route through the Chilterns was not too arduous although the outward journey was hard due to the strong headwind. I kept with the lead group which included Jim and Brian Moon regulars at our circuit rides and two 50 year old's Simon and Philip. We managed a good pace for the final few miles covering the last 20 in just over the hour, by the time I had ridden home I had clocked up another 82 miles. More action on the donation front too, this time from Kathy Stephens who works for the Trust where Betty is a Trustee. Thankyou Kathy, your contribution has raised my total to over £1,900.
Made a fundamental mistake on Thursday morning of not checking up on the weather forecast as I only intended going for a 20 mile ride to loosen my legs after yesterday's efforts. It was miserable, got caught in a torrential downpour while at Burnham Beeches and had a wet and cold ride back home.
But the day improved, St George's arranged a going away reception for me at their Park West Development and the event was well supported by many of our friends. The Mayor and Mayoress of Hillingdon both attended to wish me well for my challenge and we all enjoyed each other's company plus ample supplies of food and drink. St George did me proud.
More donations too, Ian Dobie, the MD of St George made a personal donation plus another from Alan Blann who was my cycling colleague in the 50's and 60's and also our best man and Charlie has obviously forgiven me for making him work hard at the circuit this Tuesday as he has also donated. A big thank you to you all. I have now broken the £2,000 mark and was told that as the event is in France I should be gaining sponsorship by the kilometre and so have raised my target to £3,480, thats £20 per kilometre. I was also very pleased with the posters that St George produced for me. They are to be displayed at the Hillingdon Circuit to tempt the many riders who compete there to contibute towards my challenge.
Pictures from left to right. Row 1:- Ian Dobie MD St George, Me and Mayor of Hillingdon; Mayor and Me; Colleagues from the 50's Alan Blann, Me, Cynthia and Dave Green, Jean Ralph, Mrs Frewin and Betty.
Row 2:- Hillingdon Circuit colleagues and their better halves Liz and Rocco, Joan and Alan, Jim and Cica, Me and Betty; Three of my grand children Jessica, Libby and Ben; Betty's colleagues from the gym Jean, Parveen, Me, Betty, Dave, Shirley and Roger. (Double click of the pictures to see a larger image).
Friday was an early start at the circuit as I was giving a presentation to the local Rotary Club weekly lunch. The six of us who ventured out managed a good pace throughout and I covered 435 miles by the time I arrived home. The presentation at the Rotary Club went well and then it was packing up the car for a weekend in Wales, I hope to climb some longish hills.
A great day for donations too, now over £2,200. Very pleased to receive a donation from an ex BT colleague and fellow Royal Marsden patient Malcolm Lane and I really do hope his treatment goes well. Christine Tiernan from St George also contributed as did Jill Rhodes from the Rotary Club and Iris Bright from Betty's gym. Thank you all for your support.
Betty suggested a weekend in Wales so I could practice on some long hills so we booked in to a very pleasant B&B Cefn Colwyn, near Llanidloes Mid Wales. On Saturday I ventured out along the Aberystwyth Road, climbing Eisteddfa Gurig then descending, turning round and cycling back the way I came. Sunday a similar ride but this time up the Elan Valley, down the other side then back to my starting point. In total 85 miles which took my weekly total to its best so far, 339 miles. Gained some more donations too, this time from Joan Williams, the proprietor of the B&B and Jean Davidson, a guest who was visiting the area from her home in Northumberland.
To cap off a very good week, on the way home we stopped off to visit Norman Curtis, Norman was the person who guided me through my early cycling career and gave me endless support for which I always will be grateful. It was good to see him looking so well and to see his sense of humour has survived the years too. Nowadays Norman keeps himself active playing bowls and I am sure he still is as competitive as he was in his cycling days.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 339.8 Time:- 21 hrs 06 mins 59 secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Huez - 4 weeks to go
Week Ending - June 8th 2008 ........................................................................... Miles to date:- 5235
A very disappointing Monday, the weather was damp and windy, my back was aching and riding my bike was the last thing I wanted to do. I did manage a 44 mile ride in the hills but sure was pleased to get back to the Hotel and into a hot bath.
No riding on Tuesday but that was due to the weather and Wednesday was another day off the bike as we travelled back home. I sure need to get some miles in as there are only four training weeks left.
But good news on the sponsorship front, Dilwyn Morgan an ex BT colleague sponsored me through my blog, while my cousin and family who live in Mexico sent a cheque. I sure was surprised to receive a cheque from Teeny, Mauricio, Laura and Claudia. But that was not all, we did a Pilates class in the evening and Paula our teacher also sponsored me. I sure will have to make some efforts on my bike tomorrow.
A sunny and warm Thursday morning so it was a 50 mile ride around my Cookham Circuit which went very well. Met Danuta Tinn and stopped for a brief chat, Danuta is having a good season and I hope she does well in this Sunday's 25 mile National Championship time trial.
A warm Thursday evening so I went to the circuit to join in the training session. Was in a very steady group which maintained a good steady pace throughout averaging 23 mph and with my warm up and warm down covered 36 miles making the day's total 86.
Warm again on Friday and it was more laps of the circuit with 10 of us there at one time. Rocco was in good form today as was Jim and we reeled off quite a few laps at a brisk pace. Another 55 miles added to my total. More good news, a donation from Jerry Stockbridge, Jerry was my boss at BT and was the person who introduced me to skiing. I can lay claim to introducing Jerry to computers and he is now quite an expert.
Saturday was enjoyed in the company of two of our grand children, Ben and Libby while on Sunday we were marshalling and assisting with the administration of my club's mountain bike races in Black Park. Managed to increase my sponsorship thanks to the generosity of the riders who donated the £1 deposit on their race numbers to my appeal.
Displaying the St George flag at our club's mountain bike races on Sunday.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 184.4 Time:- 11 hrs 11 mins 36 secs
A very disappointing Monday, the weather was damp and windy, my back was aching and riding my bike was the last thing I wanted to do. I did manage a 44 mile ride in the hills but sure was pleased to get back to the Hotel and into a hot bath.
No riding on Tuesday but that was due to the weather and Wednesday was another day off the bike as we travelled back home. I sure need to get some miles in as there are only four training weeks left.
But good news on the sponsorship front, Dilwyn Morgan an ex BT colleague sponsored me through my blog, while my cousin and family who live in Mexico sent a cheque. I sure was surprised to receive a cheque from Teeny, Mauricio, Laura and Claudia. But that was not all, we did a Pilates class in the evening and Paula our teacher also sponsored me. I sure will have to make some efforts on my bike tomorrow.
A sunny and warm Thursday morning so it was a 50 mile ride around my Cookham Circuit which went very well. Met Danuta Tinn and stopped for a brief chat, Danuta is having a good season and I hope she does well in this Sunday's 25 mile National Championship time trial.
A warm Thursday evening so I went to the circuit to join in the training session. Was in a very steady group which maintained a good steady pace throughout averaging 23 mph and with my warm up and warm down covered 36 miles making the day's total 86.
Warm again on Friday and it was more laps of the circuit with 10 of us there at one time. Rocco was in good form today as was Jim and we reeled off quite a few laps at a brisk pace. Another 55 miles added to my total. More good news, a donation from Jerry Stockbridge, Jerry was my boss at BT and was the person who introduced me to skiing. I can lay claim to introducing Jerry to computers and he is now quite an expert.
Saturday was enjoyed in the company of two of our grand children, Ben and Libby while on Sunday we were marshalling and assisting with the administration of my club's mountain bike races in Black Park. Managed to increase my sponsorship thanks to the generosity of the riders who donated the £1 deposit on their race numbers to my appeal.
Displaying the St George flag at our club's mountain bike races on Sunday.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 184.4 Time:- 11 hrs 11 mins 36 secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Huez - 5 weeks to go
Week Ending - June 1st 2008 ......................................... Miles to date:- 5050 A bad start to the week, no cycling on either Monday or Tuesday due to the weather, wet, windy and cold. Had a good day on Monday with the grand children visiting The Deep Aquarium in Hull, so Hull has more than just a Premier League football team.
A reminder of Saturday's ride here I am on the easiest part of the course, descending The Stang at 40 mph after just 20 miles on the road.
A wet Wednesday so four consectutive days off my bike but luckily the weather had improved on Thursday and I did a 45 mile ride on my Cookham circuit. I did not try too hard as if the weather holds I will be training at the Hillingdon Circuit in the evening.
The rain made sure there was no Thursday night session but Friday was dry but pretty dull. Just the four regulars at the circuit Jim, Alan and Rocco and we enjoyed a steady ride which accounted for 55 miles by the time I arrived home.
Another donation today from more of Betty's colleagues at her Gym, thank you very much Jerry and Muriel. Have now exceeded £1,600 and have set my target to £2,180 which works out at £20 for every mile of La Marmotte.
On Saturday I travelled to Weymouth with some of the residents of the local Almshouses. Betty is a Trustee there and I went along to give some moral support. Managed a brief ride in the afternoon, just 18 miles but the highlight of the ride was being stopped by Daphne Pool and family. Following the sad loss of Ian the whole family had travelled to Dorset for a break and noticed me struggling up some hill. It sure was a one in a million chance of meeting up.
Sunday I ventured for a 53 mile ride into the hills of South Dorset, it was an enjoyable ride but the hills were sure hard. The most significant part of the day was topping 5,000 training miles.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 172.0 Time:- 10 hrs 24 mins 16 secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Huez - 6 weeks to go
Week Ending - May 25th 2008 ........................................................................... Miles to date:- 4878
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 0 pounds ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 48
A good start to the week, I felt good and I had received some more donations from my neighbours, thankyou Helene and Bob Jessop, Mr and Mrs Murray and Mrs Malik. I decided on a longish ride in the Chilterns to get myself ready for my 100 mile ride in the Yorkshire Dales this Saturday. I chose a hilly route and found I was climbing quite strongly and managed all the hills without too much difficulty, only on one did my pulse rate shoot up. The only downside to the 78 mile ride was the weather, although sunny it was also very cold and I wish I had worn my gloves. Arrived home for a late lunch and was pleased to receive two more donations, more thanks, this time to Shirley and Tony from Betty's gym and neighbour Ted Mason. Ted has lived in his house since it was built in 1957, he was telling me today that it cost £2,500 then, worth 100 plus times that now.
Not much change in the weather on Tuesday, still cold and sunny with the wind slightly stronger. A steady 52 mile ride at the circuit, 8 of us were getting the miles in. Did a few quickish laps with Bob but he had to leave early for a lunch appointment, then played racers with Alan and Jim sprinting up the hill and in the back straight. Jim won the Green Jersey for his sprints and I the King of the Mountains one!
A great end to the day, just sent out two more letters to local businesses, so far sent out almost 100 letters but only had one response and that was negative but I am hoping for better results from these two! But the good news was a donation from Bernard Haugh which has raised my total sponsorship past the £1,500 barrier, thank you Bernard.
Slightly warmer on Wednesday and an easy 52 mile ride around the lanes of Berkshire with a couple of laps of Windsor Great Park. Arrived home and was pleased to receive a donation from John and Sybil Denman. They are the parents of our club chairman Chris and are always on hand to help out in the running and organisation of our club's events, their efforts are sure appreciated by all.
I also received an email from Philip Bouscarle who is also riding the La Marmotte, Philip is raising sponsorship for a local hospice, it sure would be interesting to know how much the British riders in La Marmotte will raise for charity. Philip lives fairly close to me and trains on the same roads in the Chilterns so we are going to try and meet up one day and share our experiences.
I will not be riding my bike the next two days, resting in preparation for my 100 mile ride in the Richmond CC 5 Dales 100 mile event. The course is very hilly and I am hoping my good form will hold and the weather will be favourable too.
The weather was not kind on Saturday, cold, dull, damp with a gale force North Easterly blowing. In fact we met on the journey a group of walkers who had cut short their day because of the wind but the cyclists struggled on! I was not feeling in top form and struggled right from the first hill out of Richmond. Only one hill was similar to the French Cols, the 7 mile ascent of Tan Hill to the highest Pub in England and I managed that climb well which pleased me. I found the two long 1 in 3 climbs late in the day, one after 60 miles, the other after 70 miles impossible as they were into the wind so I walked along with a lot of other riders. My cycling time was just over 7 hours for the 100 miles and I finished in the top 100 out of over 300 entries. Was the second quickest in the over 60 age group, just pipped by 2 minutes by a 62 year old but I was the fastest over 65 year old so at the end of the day I was quite pleased with my performance.
The wind was still blowing hard in York on Sunday so I decided to have a rest day and leave my bike untouched. The day finished on a good note, a donation from Jim, my training partner at the circuit. Thanks Jim.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 282 Time:- 18 hrs 3 mins 47 secs
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 0 pounds ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 48
A good start to the week, I felt good and I had received some more donations from my neighbours, thankyou Helene and Bob Jessop, Mr and Mrs Murray and Mrs Malik. I decided on a longish ride in the Chilterns to get myself ready for my 100 mile ride in the Yorkshire Dales this Saturday. I chose a hilly route and found I was climbing quite strongly and managed all the hills without too much difficulty, only on one did my pulse rate shoot up. The only downside to the 78 mile ride was the weather, although sunny it was also very cold and I wish I had worn my gloves. Arrived home for a late lunch and was pleased to receive two more donations, more thanks, this time to Shirley and Tony from Betty's gym and neighbour Ted Mason. Ted has lived in his house since it was built in 1957, he was telling me today that it cost £2,500 then, worth 100 plus times that now.
Not much change in the weather on Tuesday, still cold and sunny with the wind slightly stronger. A steady 52 mile ride at the circuit, 8 of us were getting the miles in. Did a few quickish laps with Bob but he had to leave early for a lunch appointment, then played racers with Alan and Jim sprinting up the hill and in the back straight. Jim won the Green Jersey for his sprints and I the King of the Mountains one!
A great end to the day, just sent out two more letters to local businesses, so far sent out almost 100 letters but only had one response and that was negative but I am hoping for better results from these two! But the good news was a donation from Bernard Haugh which has raised my total sponsorship past the £1,500 barrier, thank you Bernard.
Slightly warmer on Wednesday and an easy 52 mile ride around the lanes of Berkshire with a couple of laps of Windsor Great Park. Arrived home and was pleased to receive a donation from John and Sybil Denman. They are the parents of our club chairman Chris and are always on hand to help out in the running and organisation of our club's events, their efforts are sure appreciated by all.
I also received an email from Philip Bouscarle who is also riding the La Marmotte, Philip is raising sponsorship for a local hospice, it sure would be interesting to know how much the British riders in La Marmotte will raise for charity. Philip lives fairly close to me and trains on the same roads in the Chilterns so we are going to try and meet up one day and share our experiences.
I will not be riding my bike the next two days, resting in preparation for my 100 mile ride in the Richmond CC 5 Dales 100 mile event. The course is very hilly and I am hoping my good form will hold and the weather will be favourable too.
The weather was not kind on Saturday, cold, dull, damp with a gale force North Easterly blowing. In fact we met on the journey a group of walkers who had cut short their day because of the wind but the cyclists struggled on! I was not feeling in top form and struggled right from the first hill out of Richmond. Only one hill was similar to the French Cols, the 7 mile ascent of Tan Hill to the highest Pub in England and I managed that climb well which pleased me. I found the two long 1 in 3 climbs late in the day, one after 60 miles, the other after 70 miles impossible as they were into the wind so I walked along with a lot of other riders. My cycling time was just over 7 hours for the 100 miles and I finished in the top 100 out of over 300 entries. Was the second quickest in the over 60 age group, just pipped by 2 minutes by a 62 year old but I was the fastest over 65 year old so at the end of the day I was quite pleased with my performance.
The wind was still blowing hard in York on Sunday so I decided to have a rest day and leave my bike untouched. The day finished on a good note, a donation from Jim, my training partner at the circuit. Thanks Jim.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 282 Time:- 18 hrs 3 mins 47 secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Huez - 7 weeks to go
Week Ending - May 18th 2008 ........................................................................... Miles to date:- 4596
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 0 pounds ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 52
A hot sunny morning but after yesterday's exertions on my mountain bike and a higher than normal pulse rate I decided to do a recovery ride which proved to be a leisurely and very enjoyable 52 mile saunter through the Bucks and Berks countryside.
Tuesday was a rest day as I went to Ian Pool's funeral. It was very well attended and 7 members of our old cycling club Uxbridge Wheelers managed to get there. Ian's wife Daphne displayed some photos of us taken over 47 years ago, yes we have all changed a bit but are still recognisable. A sad day but many pleasant memories were exchanged.
A cool and windy Wednesday so I decided on an easy ride through the Chilterns, went up quite a few hills but never over exerted myself. It was good coming home with a strong tailwind and I covered 52 miles in total. Had a very good write up in this week's edition of the Uxbridge Gazette, I sure look good in my picture. I will have to get a copy and publish on here. Wednesday evening I went out on the social mountain bike ride with my clubmates. We had a 22 mile ride to Black Park and back, off road most of the time and we also did 2 circuits of the course for the mountain bike races being held on June 8th. It was a pleasant change.
A disappointing Thursday, went to the circuit for the training session but soon punctured, the circuit was covered in grit after today's rain. Decided to call it a day after 10 miles and went home and fitted a compact chainset on my bike in readiness for the mountains. It will also be useful for the ride I am doing on May 24th, the 5 Dales 100 mile Challenge which has two 1 in 3 hills in the last 40 miles.
A surprisingly cold Friday morning so I had to dig out some of my winter kit that I had put away. Just six of us made it to the circuit, Brian Tad, Brian Moon, Jim, John and a lady. We did quite a lot of quick laps but towards the end Brian Moon and I bored John a little (he is a youngster, just in his forties) with our reminiscing about time trialing in the 1960's! By the time I arrived home I had managed another 55 miles. In the evening I started to distribute my flyers and a short note to my neighbours in the hope of increasing my sponsorship. Only managed 3 houses so far, there was a lot to chat about and Inna made an instant donation. Thankyou Inna.
Another donation on Saturday, this time from my neighbours David and Margaret. There are only 12 houses in our close, we have lived there for 37 years but 4 others have lived there longer. David and Margaret are one of those couples. David is keen on cycling, he was a member of the Uxbridge Wheelers before me but ill health has prevented him getting in as many miles as he hoped after retirement. Their generosity is appreciated.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 192.0 Time:- 12 hrs 15 mins 10 secs
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 0 pounds ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 52
A hot sunny morning but after yesterday's exertions on my mountain bike and a higher than normal pulse rate I decided to do a recovery ride which proved to be a leisurely and very enjoyable 52 mile saunter through the Bucks and Berks countryside.
Tuesday was a rest day as I went to Ian Pool's funeral. It was very well attended and 7 members of our old cycling club Uxbridge Wheelers managed to get there. Ian's wife Daphne displayed some photos of us taken over 47 years ago, yes we have all changed a bit but are still recognisable. A sad day but many pleasant memories were exchanged.
A cool and windy Wednesday so I decided on an easy ride through the Chilterns, went up quite a few hills but never over exerted myself. It was good coming home with a strong tailwind and I covered 52 miles in total. Had a very good write up in this week's edition of the Uxbridge Gazette, I sure look good in my picture. I will have to get a copy and publish on here. Wednesday evening I went out on the social mountain bike ride with my clubmates. We had a 22 mile ride to Black Park and back, off road most of the time and we also did 2 circuits of the course for the mountain bike races being held on June 8th. It was a pleasant change.
A disappointing Thursday, went to the circuit for the training session but soon punctured, the circuit was covered in grit after today's rain. Decided to call it a day after 10 miles and went home and fitted a compact chainset on my bike in readiness for the mountains. It will also be useful for the ride I am doing on May 24th, the 5 Dales 100 mile Challenge which has two 1 in 3 hills in the last 40 miles.
A surprisingly cold Friday morning so I had to dig out some of my winter kit that I had put away. Just six of us made it to the circuit, Brian Tad, Brian Moon, Jim, John and a lady. We did quite a lot of quick laps but towards the end Brian Moon and I bored John a little (he is a youngster, just in his forties) with our reminiscing about time trialing in the 1960's! By the time I arrived home I had managed another 55 miles. In the evening I started to distribute my flyers and a short note to my neighbours in the hope of increasing my sponsorship. Only managed 3 houses so far, there was a lot to chat about and Inna made an instant donation. Thankyou Inna.
Another donation on Saturday, this time from my neighbours David and Margaret. There are only 12 houses in our close, we have lived there for 37 years but 4 others have lived there longer. David and Margaret are one of those couples. David is keen on cycling, he was a member of the Uxbridge Wheelers before me but ill health has prevented him getting in as many miles as he hoped after retirement. Their generosity is appreciated.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 192.0 Time:- 12 hrs 15 mins 10 secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Huez - 8 weeks to go
Week Ending - May 11th 2008 ........................................................................... Miles to date:- 4404
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 2 pounds ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 48
It looked like Monday was going to be a good, it was warm and dry and Chris Denman our Club Chairman had made a donation. I noticed I had gained some weight and put it down to snacking at the weekend while marshalling and the lack of miles last week.
I set out to do a 60 mile plus ride in the Chilterns but the polite expression is I was feeling very lethargic and every mile was a struggle. (My cycling friends have a more more explicit term for this condition).
In the end I managed just 58 miles and I did cut out a few of the hills I had planned to ascend. The only bright parts were that I stopped and helped a guy with his puncture, (I do not understand why tyre manufacturers make it so difficult to get your tyre back on the rim) and while climbing the rise out of Dunsmore I was overtaken by a Wallaby. Yes it was a shock to me too but a passing motorist assured me I had not been hallucinating.
A sunny and warm Tuesday and for the first time this year it was apt to don a short sleeved top and shorts. A good turnout at the circuit, 12 riders in total and a brisk pace was set throughout. Lance was aggressive at one point, no doubt still celebrating his fast 25 mile time on Sunday. I felt much better than yesterday and managed to hold my own throughout the 51 miles. Bob looked the business in his pink Plowman Craven cap!
Jim informed me there was an article about my challenge in The Hillingdon Times, I will have to get a copy and see whats been said.
Tuesday evening and I am feeling really good, just received a £100 donation from Norman Curtis, Norman is a few years older than me and when I first started cycling he gave me the benefit of his experience. He sure helped me so much in those days. Thank you Norman, your generosity is appreciated and will make a difference to the Royal Marsden Hospital.
A hot Wednesday morning but my start was delayed by a mechanical problem. As I am riding the 100k Bucks Off Road Classic on Sunday I decided on an easy 45 mile ride to Twyford and back via Cookham and Windsor.
Thursday was a busy day, the morning was spent doing some essential gardening and recovering my summer bike from hibernation, a visit to the St George Development in the afternoon for some press photos and 37 miles training at the circuit in the evening.
A very mixed day today, a warm and wet start at the circuit with just Alan and Mike Clarke for company although Tad turned up later and Lance was doing fast laps on his Time Trial machine. Once again I punctured, I have lost count of the number I have suffered the past 6 months.
But tragically I learned that Ian Pool who was a member of my cycling club the Uxbridge Wheelers in the 1950's and 60's has died from cancer. Although I knew Ian was suffering from cancer it was a big shock that the end came so soon. Ian was one of the younger club members being 3 years younger than me but always had plenty to say and did a lot of work for the club being instrumental in running the club's annual road race. He sure will be missed by all his family and friends and I know that all who knew him will be thinking of his wife Daphne, his son and daughter and two grand children. Rest in Peace Ian, you were a good guy.
The news about Ian did cast a big shadow on my day and took the gloss off me breaking through the £1,000 barrier, in fact I have now raised £1,220. My initial thoughts were to try and raise £1,090, which equates to £10 for every mile I have to ride in La Marmotte. I am now targetting raising £1,730 which will be £10 raised for every kilometer, after that who knows what the target will be. I received donations today from Frances and John and Roger and Sheila from Betty's gym, plus Matt and Gill from my cycling club and I also made a contribution in memory of Ian Pool.
Most of Saturday was spent helping mark out the course for my cycling club's Bucks Classic which is a 100k off road event through the Chilterns. Sunday I rode the event while Betty and Jean Ralph manned the second feeding station. I was pleased with my first ride on my mountain bike for over 6 months and I got around the course which was very challenging in a reasonable time without over exerting myself. What surprised me most was not getting a puncture! Another good day for donations, £120 contributed, thankyou my neighbour Paul Hyland and family, club member Dave Eckersley, Club Chairman (again) Chris Denman and Lydia Gould a lady I met during the ride today. I wish I could go as quick as her although following her is a distraction with "EAT ME" written on the back of her shorts. What some people will wear for sponsorship!
I found time at the feed station to pose for a picture with our good friend Jean. Jean's husband was the late John Ralph, a British International Track rider in the 1950's and 60's.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 303.2 Time:- 20 hrs 32 mins 09 secs
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 2 pounds ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 48
It looked like Monday was going to be a good, it was warm and dry and Chris Denman our Club Chairman had made a donation. I noticed I had gained some weight and put it down to snacking at the weekend while marshalling and the lack of miles last week.
I set out to do a 60 mile plus ride in the Chilterns but the polite expression is I was feeling very lethargic and every mile was a struggle. (My cycling friends have a more more explicit term for this condition).
In the end I managed just 58 miles and I did cut out a few of the hills I had planned to ascend. The only bright parts were that I stopped and helped a guy with his puncture, (I do not understand why tyre manufacturers make it so difficult to get your tyre back on the rim) and while climbing the rise out of Dunsmore I was overtaken by a Wallaby. Yes it was a shock to me too but a passing motorist assured me I had not been hallucinating.
A sunny and warm Tuesday and for the first time this year it was apt to don a short sleeved top and shorts. A good turnout at the circuit, 12 riders in total and a brisk pace was set throughout. Lance was aggressive at one point, no doubt still celebrating his fast 25 mile time on Sunday. I felt much better than yesterday and managed to hold my own throughout the 51 miles. Bob looked the business in his pink Plowman Craven cap!
Jim informed me there was an article about my challenge in The Hillingdon Times, I will have to get a copy and see whats been said.
Tuesday evening and I am feeling really good, just received a £100 donation from Norman Curtis, Norman is a few years older than me and when I first started cycling he gave me the benefit of his experience. He sure helped me so much in those days. Thank you Norman, your generosity is appreciated and will make a difference to the Royal Marsden Hospital.
A hot Wednesday morning but my start was delayed by a mechanical problem. As I am riding the 100k Bucks Off Road Classic on Sunday I decided on an easy 45 mile ride to Twyford and back via Cookham and Windsor.
Thursday was a busy day, the morning was spent doing some essential gardening and recovering my summer bike from hibernation, a visit to the St George Development in the afternoon for some press photos and 37 miles training at the circuit in the evening.
A very mixed day today, a warm and wet start at the circuit with just Alan and Mike Clarke for company although Tad turned up later and Lance was doing fast laps on his Time Trial machine. Once again I punctured, I have lost count of the number I have suffered the past 6 months.
But tragically I learned that Ian Pool who was a member of my cycling club the Uxbridge Wheelers in the 1950's and 60's has died from cancer. Although I knew Ian was suffering from cancer it was a big shock that the end came so soon. Ian was one of the younger club members being 3 years younger than me but always had plenty to say and did a lot of work for the club being instrumental in running the club's annual road race. He sure will be missed by all his family and friends and I know that all who knew him will be thinking of his wife Daphne, his son and daughter and two grand children. Rest in Peace Ian, you were a good guy.
The news about Ian did cast a big shadow on my day and took the gloss off me breaking through the £1,000 barrier, in fact I have now raised £1,220. My initial thoughts were to try and raise £1,090, which equates to £10 for every mile I have to ride in La Marmotte. I am now targetting raising £1,730 which will be £10 raised for every kilometer, after that who knows what the target will be. I received donations today from Frances and John and Roger and Sheila from Betty's gym, plus Matt and Gill from my cycling club and I also made a contribution in memory of Ian Pool.
Most of Saturday was spent helping mark out the course for my cycling club's Bucks Classic which is a 100k off road event through the Chilterns. Sunday I rode the event while Betty and Jean Ralph manned the second feeding station. I was pleased with my first ride on my mountain bike for over 6 months and I got around the course which was very challenging in a reasonable time without over exerting myself. What surprised me most was not getting a puncture! Another good day for donations, £120 contributed, thankyou my neighbour Paul Hyland and family, club member Dave Eckersley, Club Chairman (again) Chris Denman and Lydia Gould a lady I met during the ride today. I wish I could go as quick as her although following her is a distraction with "EAT ME" written on the back of her shorts. What some people will wear for sponsorship!
I found time at the feed station to pose for a picture with our good friend Jean. Jean's husband was the late John Ralph, a British International Track rider in the 1950's and 60's.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 303.2 Time:- 20 hrs 32 mins 09 secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Heuz - 9 weeks to go
Week Ending - May 4th 2008 ........................................................................... Miles to date:- 4101
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 0 pounds ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 48
A bad start to the week, raining hard on Monday morning in York, cleared up a little at lunch time but by the time I had got ready to go out the heavens opened again so no miles were recorded.
A planned 50 mile ride for Tuesday but with rain delaying my start and also cutting short the ride it turned out to be just 42 miles. The inclement weather sure put off a lot of riders today as only Jim and Lance braved the conditions and both were recovering from colds. One good sign today, there were a few snails on a suicide mission to cross the circuit, when it's warmer there are hundreds so summer must be on it's way.
A very wet Wednesday morning so it was spent watching Ronnie O'Sullivan playing snooker. The forecast was for a drier afternoon so I was out at 12:30 pm but there was a lot of rain in the air. Decided to go around my Black Park circuit, the rain slowly increased and by the time I had covered 30 miles I decided to call it a day. It proved to be the correct decision for when I had completed the 6 mile ride home I was very wet and cold.
But some good news, I have finally exceeded 4,000 training miles and another of Betty's friends from the Gym has given me a donation. Thank you Alice for cheering me up.
Just found this link on the internet, a press release from the Royal Marsden about me. You can read it in the Interesting Web Sites section.
Thursday and again my plans ruined by the weather. I had intended doing a fast training session at the circuit in the evening so I went for a leisurely 31 mile ride in the Chilterns in the afternoon and managed to dodge the showers. Got myself down to the circuit in plenty of time but then there was a deluge which soon put that plan to bed.
Some good news, Chris the Chairman of my cycling club put details of my ride on the club website (www.westdraytonmbc.co.uk) and I soon had a generous donation from Theo and Frances with a more promises from other club members. Such support is certainly well appreciated.
Made an early start at the circuit on Friday but again my ride was cut short by the rain showers and also a puncture. A good turnout considering the weather, eight of us out including two new faces Ian Birch from the Willesden CC and John Beer from the Kingston Phoenix. John O'Sullivan was also there on his Trek Time Trial machine, John got under the hour for a 25 last weekend (that was always my ambition many years ago) and is looking for a fast 10 mile time this weekend.
A great end to Friday, a generous donation from my West Drayton MBC clubmate Peter Manley.
That is the end of my riding this week, a disappointing week mainly due to the weather. On Saturday and Sunday Betty and I enjoyed our marshalling duties at the Plowman Craven sponsored Chas Messenger 2 Day Cycle Race for Elite Riders.
It was disturbing to see the behaviour of some motorists and we had a very difficult time on one lap with a motor cyclist and motorist being relectant to stop at the same time as we were trying to cope with a horse rearing up on it's rear legs. Luckily no damage was done and the riders whizzed past at over 40 mph untroubled.
Russell Downing of the Pinarello Racing Team was the dominant rider and the Team Manager Phil Griffiths celebrated by making me a donation so I was very pleased too! The local team Plowman Craven also put up a good performance winning the Sprint, King of the Mountains and Team competitions.
I managed to style two caps over the weekend, Pink on Saturday and Blue on Sunday
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 159.5 Time:- 9 hrs 41 mins 1 secs
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 0 pounds ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 48
A bad start to the week, raining hard on Monday morning in York, cleared up a little at lunch time but by the time I had got ready to go out the heavens opened again so no miles were recorded.
A planned 50 mile ride for Tuesday but with rain delaying my start and also cutting short the ride it turned out to be just 42 miles. The inclement weather sure put off a lot of riders today as only Jim and Lance braved the conditions and both were recovering from colds. One good sign today, there were a few snails on a suicide mission to cross the circuit, when it's warmer there are hundreds so summer must be on it's way.
A very wet Wednesday morning so it was spent watching Ronnie O'Sullivan playing snooker. The forecast was for a drier afternoon so I was out at 12:30 pm but there was a lot of rain in the air. Decided to go around my Black Park circuit, the rain slowly increased and by the time I had covered 30 miles I decided to call it a day. It proved to be the correct decision for when I had completed the 6 mile ride home I was very wet and cold.
But some good news, I have finally exceeded 4,000 training miles and another of Betty's friends from the Gym has given me a donation. Thank you Alice for cheering me up.
Just found this link on the internet, a press release from the Royal Marsden about me. You can read it in the Interesting Web Sites section.
Thursday and again my plans ruined by the weather. I had intended doing a fast training session at the circuit in the evening so I went for a leisurely 31 mile ride in the Chilterns in the afternoon and managed to dodge the showers. Got myself down to the circuit in plenty of time but then there was a deluge which soon put that plan to bed.
Some good news, Chris the Chairman of my cycling club put details of my ride on the club website (www.westdraytonmbc.co.uk) and I soon had a generous donation from Theo and Frances with a more promises from other club members. Such support is certainly well appreciated.
Made an early start at the circuit on Friday but again my ride was cut short by the rain showers and also a puncture. A good turnout considering the weather, eight of us out including two new faces Ian Birch from the Willesden CC and John Beer from the Kingston Phoenix. John O'Sullivan was also there on his Trek Time Trial machine, John got under the hour for a 25 last weekend (that was always my ambition many years ago) and is looking for a fast 10 mile time this weekend.
A great end to Friday, a generous donation from my West Drayton MBC clubmate Peter Manley.
That is the end of my riding this week, a disappointing week mainly due to the weather. On Saturday and Sunday Betty and I enjoyed our marshalling duties at the Plowman Craven sponsored Chas Messenger 2 Day Cycle Race for Elite Riders.
It was disturbing to see the behaviour of some motorists and we had a very difficult time on one lap with a motor cyclist and motorist being relectant to stop at the same time as we were trying to cope with a horse rearing up on it's rear legs. Luckily no damage was done and the riders whizzed past at over 40 mph untroubled.Russell Downing of the Pinarello Racing Team was the dominant rider and the Team Manager Phil Griffiths celebrated by making me a donation so I was very pleased too! The local team Plowman Craven also put up a good performance winning the Sprint, King of the Mountains and Team competitions.
I managed to style two caps over the weekend, Pink on Saturday and Blue on Sunday
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 159.5 Time:- 9 hrs 41 mins 1 secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Heuz - 10 weeks to go
Week Ending - April 27th 2008 ........................................................................... Miles to date:- 3942
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 1 pound ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 48
My target milage for this week is 210 to bring my total to date up to 4,000 but as we are going to York on Thursday it may prove difficult. Managed a good ride round my 51 mile Great Missenden hilly circuit on a dull damp and windy Monday morning, I felt quite strong but did not go as fast as I wanted, my target time is 2 hours 55 mins, I need to find 10 minutes from somewhere!
Betty is proving to be my best fund raiser thanks to the generosity of her colleagues at the Gym, today Parveen added to my total.
A good morning at the circuit, I managed to set a good pace throughout and got 50 miles in. Only 6 of us there today, Rocco looking much faster on his summer bike, Alan, Jim, Keith and Richard Wall. Richard has only just joined us and he travels a good 15 miles down the North Circular to get there, he deserves a medal for making that journey even if it is in his car. Jim was also introducing his daughter Dannii to the joys of cycling. Dannii looked very good on Jim's winter bike, if she keeps it up Jim will be having to buy her a new bike and then we all will be struggling to keep up with her.
Up early on Wednesday hoping to get a long ride in and be back early as I have a hospital appointment in the afternoon. However my plans were thwarted by the rain so I did a one hour ride on the turbo in an effort to simulate the climb of Alpe d'Heuz. It was a hard 10 miles and very hot too as I set the turbo up indoors but I am sure the real thing is going to be much harder and much hotter too. The news from the hospital was disappointing, my PSA is still rising and if the test planned for July shows a further rise then the consultant advised me to have a radical prostectomy.
I managed a 40 mile ride in the Howardian Hills in Yorkshire on Friday morning, I found the hills a lot easier so my fitness must be improving but the 15 mile ride back to York into a headwind was a killer.
I never managed another ride over the weekend mainly due to the weather so I failed to clock up 4,000 training miles.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 151.7 Time:- 9 hrs 26 mins 26 secs
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 1 pound ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 48
My target milage for this week is 210 to bring my total to date up to 4,000 but as we are going to York on Thursday it may prove difficult. Managed a good ride round my 51 mile Great Missenden hilly circuit on a dull damp and windy Monday morning, I felt quite strong but did not go as fast as I wanted, my target time is 2 hours 55 mins, I need to find 10 minutes from somewhere!
Betty is proving to be my best fund raiser thanks to the generosity of her colleagues at the Gym, today Parveen added to my total.
A good morning at the circuit, I managed to set a good pace throughout and got 50 miles in. Only 6 of us there today, Rocco looking much faster on his summer bike, Alan, Jim, Keith and Richard Wall. Richard has only just joined us and he travels a good 15 miles down the North Circular to get there, he deserves a medal for making that journey even if it is in his car. Jim was also introducing his daughter Dannii to the joys of cycling. Dannii looked very good on Jim's winter bike, if she keeps it up Jim will be having to buy her a new bike and then we all will be struggling to keep up with her.
Up early on Wednesday hoping to get a long ride in and be back early as I have a hospital appointment in the afternoon. However my plans were thwarted by the rain so I did a one hour ride on the turbo in an effort to simulate the climb of Alpe d'Heuz. It was a hard 10 miles and very hot too as I set the turbo up indoors but I am sure the real thing is going to be much harder and much hotter too. The news from the hospital was disappointing, my PSA is still rising and if the test planned for July shows a further rise then the consultant advised me to have a radical prostectomy.
I managed a 40 mile ride in the Howardian Hills in Yorkshire on Friday morning, I found the hills a lot easier so my fitness must be improving but the 15 mile ride back to York into a headwind was a killer.
I never managed another ride over the weekend mainly due to the weather so I failed to clock up 4,000 training miles.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 151.7 Time:- 9 hrs 26 mins 26 secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Heuz - 11 weeks to go
Week Ending - April 20th 2008 ........................................................................... Miles to date:- 3790
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 2 pounds ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 48
Not a good start to being 68, 2 punctures in the first 3 miles put paid to a decent training session. So it was a return journey home to repair my punctures and get my bike ready for tomorrow. I lost a lot of weight during last week and so ate a lot over the weekend, probably too much as this morning my weight was 2 pounds heavier than a week ago!
A good Tuesday morning at the circuit, I felt strong and kept up a good pace throughout. Seven riders there today although Brian Tadman was struggling a lot, he needs to get back on his diet.
Very pleased to get two donations today, clubmate Terry Forrest who currently is suffering from poorly knees and Paul Crowe who now lives in Sydney. Paul worked for me as a temp and in 1992 I took him out to Australia and he liked it so much he decided to settle down there. He has a lovely Aussie wife Vanessa and two great children. We will have to visit him there soon. The sponsorship total reached £300 today, another landmark. So being 68 years old feels a lot better today!
My first Audax event of the season run by Rocco. A hilly 105k course through the Chilterns but even more difficult for me as my drinks bottle escaped from it's cage after 3 miles and it took a lot of finding. A hard chase to try and catch my group, I went off course and finally caught them at the lunch stop at 40 miles, I had covered 46 miles by then. No more mishaps and taking into account the ride from home to Ruislip and back I covered 81 miles.
Another donation, this time from Dave and Cynthia Green, they were work colleagues at King and Hutchings way back in the 1950's and 60's. I remember spotting them out together in West Wycombe while out on my bike one Sunday afternoon. At that time they were trying to keep their courting secret but before 9:00am on Monday morning all the company knew! Well it was Hot News and we were a newspaper publisher!
A very pleasant ride in the sunshine this afternoon with my 13 year old grand daughter Jess. She was very good company and we cycled over 10 miles, a record for her. I have not included these miles in my total but I did get to the training session at the circuit in the evening. It was very windy but our group moved well throughout and I got in another 30 miles.
A very windy Friday morning and the circuit is windy even on still days so it was very hard work. Just five of us, Rocco, Brian Tad, Bob and Brian Moon, but Bob was the one who did not seem to notice the wind, he sure made us all suffer especially up the hill into the teeth of the gale! Just about managed 40 miles by the time I arrived home.
More good news my sponsorship has now reached £500, a big thankyou to my Mother in Law, Betty's colleagues at her Gym:- Derek, Pat, Anne, Robert and Paul and Simon Ginsburg my contact at my supporters St George PLC.
Saturday I ventured out with the Denham Nurseries riders but only three others turned up in the windy and damp conditions. I started up front with a very fast Paul Crook and struggled to keep up abreast of him on the flat and was roared off on the slight hill up to Beaconsfield. I managed to keep the group in sight for the next 10 miles but I got caught by the traffic lights at Cookham Bridge and that was the last I saw of them. I completed the circuit although the ride home was into the wind and very hard. Finally recorded another 43 miles.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 242.7 Time:- 14 hrs 19 mins 20 secs
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 2 pounds ................................................. Resting Heart Rate 48
Not a good start to being 68, 2 punctures in the first 3 miles put paid to a decent training session. So it was a return journey home to repair my punctures and get my bike ready for tomorrow. I lost a lot of weight during last week and so ate a lot over the weekend, probably too much as this morning my weight was 2 pounds heavier than a week ago!
A good Tuesday morning at the circuit, I felt strong and kept up a good pace throughout. Seven riders there today although Brian Tadman was struggling a lot, he needs to get back on his diet.
Very pleased to get two donations today, clubmate Terry Forrest who currently is suffering from poorly knees and Paul Crowe who now lives in Sydney. Paul worked for me as a temp and in 1992 I took him out to Australia and he liked it so much he decided to settle down there. He has a lovely Aussie wife Vanessa and two great children. We will have to visit him there soon. The sponsorship total reached £300 today, another landmark. So being 68 years old feels a lot better today!
My first Audax event of the season run by Rocco. A hilly 105k course through the Chilterns but even more difficult for me as my drinks bottle escaped from it's cage after 3 miles and it took a lot of finding. A hard chase to try and catch my group, I went off course and finally caught them at the lunch stop at 40 miles, I had covered 46 miles by then. No more mishaps and taking into account the ride from home to Ruislip and back I covered 81 miles.
Another donation, this time from Dave and Cynthia Green, they were work colleagues at King and Hutchings way back in the 1950's and 60's. I remember spotting them out together in West Wycombe while out on my bike one Sunday afternoon. At that time they were trying to keep their courting secret but before 9:00am on Monday morning all the company knew! Well it was Hot News and we were a newspaper publisher!
A very pleasant ride in the sunshine this afternoon with my 13 year old grand daughter Jess. She was very good company and we cycled over 10 miles, a record for her. I have not included these miles in my total but I did get to the training session at the circuit in the evening. It was very windy but our group moved well throughout and I got in another 30 miles.
A very windy Friday morning and the circuit is windy even on still days so it was very hard work. Just five of us, Rocco, Brian Tad, Bob and Brian Moon, but Bob was the one who did not seem to notice the wind, he sure made us all suffer especially up the hill into the teeth of the gale! Just about managed 40 miles by the time I arrived home.
More good news my sponsorship has now reached £500, a big thankyou to my Mother in Law, Betty's colleagues at her Gym:- Derek, Pat, Anne, Robert and Paul and Simon Ginsburg my contact at my supporters St George PLC.
Saturday I ventured out with the Denham Nurseries riders but only three others turned up in the windy and damp conditions. I started up front with a very fast Paul Crook and struggled to keep up abreast of him on the flat and was roared off on the slight hill up to Beaconsfield. I managed to keep the group in sight for the next 10 miles but I got caught by the traffic lights at Cookham Bridge and that was the last I saw of them. I completed the circuit although the ride home was into the wind and very hard. Finally recorded another 43 miles.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 242.7 Time:- 14 hrs 19 mins 20 secs
Countdown to Alpe d'Heuz - 12 weeks to go
Week Ending - April 13th 2008 .................................................................... Miles to date:- 3547
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 0 pounds ...................................... Resting Heart Rate 52
After 18 days off my bike I did not know what my form would be like for my first ride back. I had hoped to go for a short spin on Sunday but the snow and Arctic weather conditions soon put paid to that idea.
Monday morning and we had not fully recovered from jet lag, for although waking up at 7:00am as normal, both Betty and I went back to sleep and did not finally get up until after 9:00am! So it was a late start and in view of the uncertain weather conditions I decided to ride around my Black Park circuit. I was pleased with my form. I managed a very good tempo throughout my 42 mile ride although my heart rate was a lot higher than normal. I will have a better test tomorrow at the circuit as I am sure Jim, Alan, Brian, Lance, Bob and the rest will make sure I have a good workout.
A good turnout at the circuit, 12 riders at one point and a good pace was set with Jim impressively doing most of the work up front. I had a few turns up front but tried to spend as much time as possible sheltered from the wind. A 46 mile ride by the time I got back home.
The article about my ride in BT Today was quite impressive and so far has yielded one donation, thank you Bernard Goodman, I hope this is the first of many for as well as improving my fitness I need to concentrate my efforts on raising as much money as possible for The Royal Marsden Hospital.
A bright sunny Wednesday and I decided on my 50 mile Flackwell Heath/Marlow circuit up the steep hill Jim has christened the wall. No problems with the "wall", in fact I was going very well but after 35 miles I began to suffer. Good job the last few miles were relatively flat with some wind assistance, otherwise I would have been calling for an emergency vehicle to get me home!
Another commercial supporter, "Bike Eye" have donated me two cycling mirrors, one for my training bike and one for my racing bike. I will be fitting one this afternoon and giving it a try. Thank you Tony from Bike-Eye.
A further donation today, this time from Lance who is a Training Colleague at the circuit sessions. Thank you Lance.
Thursday night and I went to coaching session at the Hayes Circuit. We soon settled into a compact and efficient group of 6 and maintained a good average speed throughout, in fact we were not caught by either the two "faster" groups, a good achievement by all concerned. By the time I had completed a warm up and a warm down 30 miles had been clocked up. My legs ache a bit now, the inner thigh muscles for some reason.
A very windy Friday morning at the circuit. We went around in the opposite direction to get some respite from the wind but it was still a struggle. 45 miles today. I fitted by Bike Eye mirror this morning and it is very effective and a much safer way of viewing the traffic behind you.
A non cycling weekend, Saturday morning I was busy installing a new dishwasher and washing machine. Then a very enjoyable afternoon watching my football team Brentford play. I was the guest of St George, who are supporting my effort, and I was impressed by all the people I met in the boardroom. Thankyou Brentford, it was a good feeling to be entertained in the boardroom after first standing on the terraces over 60 years ago. A special thanks too to all the people who sponsored me, just a pity we did not win but it was a very good game.
I also picked up my flyers which were kindly produced on my behalf by St George. I must say they are very impressive and I hope they are the catalyst in my fund raising efforts.
Sunday, 68th birthday and we celebrated the day by taking out two of our grandchildren. However, we did not get completely away from cycling as we met the Willesden CC on their clubrun which included Jim, Alan and Melanie. I hope the April showers did not catch them too often.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 215.3 Time:- 12 hrs 25 mins 43 secs
Monday Morning Stats:- Weight 11 stone 0 pounds ...................................... Resting Heart Rate 52
After 18 days off my bike I did not know what my form would be like for my first ride back. I had hoped to go for a short spin on Sunday but the snow and Arctic weather conditions soon put paid to that idea.
Monday morning and we had not fully recovered from jet lag, for although waking up at 7:00am as normal, both Betty and I went back to sleep and did not finally get up until after 9:00am! So it was a late start and in view of the uncertain weather conditions I decided to ride around my Black Park circuit. I was pleased with my form. I managed a very good tempo throughout my 42 mile ride although my heart rate was a lot higher than normal. I will have a better test tomorrow at the circuit as I am sure Jim, Alan, Brian, Lance, Bob and the rest will make sure I have a good workout.
A good turnout at the circuit, 12 riders at one point and a good pace was set with Jim impressively doing most of the work up front. I had a few turns up front but tried to spend as much time as possible sheltered from the wind. A 46 mile ride by the time I got back home.
The article about my ride in BT Today was quite impressive and so far has yielded one donation, thank you Bernard Goodman, I hope this is the first of many for as well as improving my fitness I need to concentrate my efforts on raising as much money as possible for The Royal Marsden Hospital.
A bright sunny Wednesday and I decided on my 50 mile Flackwell Heath/Marlow circuit up the steep hill Jim has christened the wall. No problems with the "wall", in fact I was going very well but after 35 miles I began to suffer. Good job the last few miles were relatively flat with some wind assistance, otherwise I would have been calling for an emergency vehicle to get me home!
Another commercial supporter, "Bike Eye" have donated me two cycling mirrors, one for my training bike and one for my racing bike. I will be fitting one this afternoon and giving it a try. Thank you Tony from Bike-Eye.
A further donation today, this time from Lance who is a Training Colleague at the circuit sessions. Thank you Lance.
Thursday night and I went to coaching session at the Hayes Circuit. We soon settled into a compact and efficient group of 6 and maintained a good average speed throughout, in fact we were not caught by either the two "faster" groups, a good achievement by all concerned. By the time I had completed a warm up and a warm down 30 miles had been clocked up. My legs ache a bit now, the inner thigh muscles for some reason.
A very windy Friday morning at the circuit. We went around in the opposite direction to get some respite from the wind but it was still a struggle. 45 miles today. I fitted by Bike Eye mirror this morning and it is very effective and a much safer way of viewing the traffic behind you.
A non cycling weekend, Saturday morning I was busy installing a new dishwasher and washing machine. Then a very enjoyable afternoon watching my football team Brentford play. I was the guest of St George, who are supporting my effort, and I was impressed by all the people I met in the boardroom. Thankyou Brentford, it was a good feeling to be entertained in the boardroom after first standing on the terraces over 60 years ago. A special thanks too to all the people who sponsored me, just a pity we did not win but it was a very good game.
I also picked up my flyers which were kindly produced on my behalf by St George. I must say they are very impressive and I hope they are the catalyst in my fund raising efforts.
Sunday, 68th birthday and we celebrated the day by taking out two of our grandchildren. However, we did not get completely away from cycling as we met the Willesden CC on their clubrun which included Jim, Alan and Melanie. I hope the April showers did not catch them too often.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 215.3 Time:- 12 hrs 25 mins 43 secs
Skiing Holiday
Thursday 20th March to Friday 4th April
A complete break from cycling as we journeyed to Mammoth Mountain in California for our annual skiing holiday. As always the holiday was arranged by my daughter Andrea and we had great fun with the three grandchildren. The skiing was good although we lost two days due to the weather, the first day because of high winds and the second snow. I had a scare on the last run of the holiday when I lost one of my skis when skiing quite fast just 100 yards from the end of the run. Luckily I managed to make a quick stop without tumbling down the mountain but in doing so strained the thigh muscles in my right leg. Walking for a few days was very painful and I was worried for a time that it might affect my cycling but the problem soon cleared up. We ended the break with three nights in Los Angeles and we all had a great time exploring Disneyland.
A complete break from cycling as we journeyed to Mammoth Mountain in California for our annual skiing holiday. As always the holiday was arranged by my daughter Andrea and we had great fun with the three grandchildren. The skiing was good although we lost two days due to the weather, the first day because of high winds and the second snow. I had a scare on the last run of the holiday when I lost one of my skis when skiing quite fast just 100 yards from the end of the run. Luckily I managed to make a quick stop without tumbling down the mountain but in doing so strained the thigh muscles in my right leg. Walking for a few days was very painful and I was worried for a time that it might affect my cycling but the problem soon cleared up. We ended the break with three nights in Los Angeles and we all had a great time exploring Disneyland.
Winter Training - Week 19
Week Ending - March 23rd 2008 ............................................................. Miles to date:- 3332
The last week of my winter training programme as we are off on our annual skiing holiday on Thursday to Mammoth Mountain, California and when we get back Spring should really be here and I will be getting my summer bike out again.
A bright Monday morning with according to the Weather Forecaster, a brisk North Easterly wind. Rode my hilly Great Missenden circuit and the wind did make the first 25 miles much harder than normal. Overall a good 51 mile ride.
Tuesday was cold with the North East Wind still blowing strongly. A group of 10 of us at the Hayes Circuit and a very good pace was set thoughout the session even though it was a struggle up the hill against the wind. Recorded another 52 miles.
For my last winter training session I went out with Paul Crook, Scott and Luke Merrilees, some of the racers of our club. Class soon told, keeping up on the hills was hard but their acceleration from a stop was impossible to match, it was like a tank trying to keep up with an F1 racer! So most of the ride was alone and I did manage 66 miles.
We are off tomorrow to California and then when back home, I start a more concentrated training programme in final preparation for my challenge.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 168.8 Time:- 10 hrs 9 mins 50 secs
The last week of my winter training programme as we are off on our annual skiing holiday on Thursday to Mammoth Mountain, California and when we get back Spring should really be here and I will be getting my summer bike out again.
A bright Monday morning with according to the Weather Forecaster, a brisk North Easterly wind. Rode my hilly Great Missenden circuit and the wind did make the first 25 miles much harder than normal. Overall a good 51 mile ride.
Tuesday was cold with the North East Wind still blowing strongly. A group of 10 of us at the Hayes Circuit and a very good pace was set thoughout the session even though it was a struggle up the hill against the wind. Recorded another 52 miles.
For my last winter training session I went out with Paul Crook, Scott and Luke Merrilees, some of the racers of our club. Class soon told, keeping up on the hills was hard but their acceleration from a stop was impossible to match, it was like a tank trying to keep up with an F1 racer! So most of the ride was alone and I did manage 66 miles.
We are off tomorrow to California and then when back home, I start a more concentrated training programme in final preparation for my challenge.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 168.8 Time:- 10 hrs 9 mins 50 secs
Winter Training - Week 18
Week Ending - March 16th 2008 ............................................................. Miles to date:- 3163
No cycling on Monday still suffering the effects from the bug. Luckily I felt a little better during the afternoon and was fit enough to drive home in the evening. A pleasant surprise when I arrived home, the latest edition of BT Today was waiting for me and I was impressed with the article they produced on my challenge. I just hope a lot of former colleagues read it and decide I deserve some sponsorship.
I felt a lot better on Tuesday morning and decided to go down to the Hayes Circuit. I weighed myself before leaving and found myself to be at the weight I was aiming for when I do my ride, 10 stone 8 pounds, a 8 pound loss of weight since last week, but this was due to the bug and I sure need to put some of that weight back on as I felt quite weak at times during the ride. In spite of the wind and rain showers did get another 55 miles under my belt.
An unplanned rest day on Wednesday, it was blowing a gale and my stomach was not feeling too good after a very uncomfortable night. Thursday is our weekly do something together day and we went to the British Museum to see the First Emperor Exhibition, it is very impressive but what is more remarkable is the vision of the First Emperor who forcibly united all of China's regions and planned such an elaborate burial chamber to safeguard him in the afterlife. Considering he became Emperor at the age of 14 and died when he was 44 it sure was a fantastic achievement in such a short time.
The forecast rain kept away Friday morning and it was another 55 mile ride at the Hayes Circuit.
On Saturday Betty and I were helping out at our club's road race being held at the Hayes Circuit and the plans I had for riding on Sunday were thwarted by the heavy rain so only 111 were miles covered this week, a very disappointing total. But it was not all bad news, I did manage to complete decorating the extension after we had had a new ceiling fitted so Betty at least was happy.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 111.4 Time:- 6 hrs 32 mins 10 secs
No cycling on Monday still suffering the effects from the bug. Luckily I felt a little better during the afternoon and was fit enough to drive home in the evening. A pleasant surprise when I arrived home, the latest edition of BT Today was waiting for me and I was impressed with the article they produced on my challenge. I just hope a lot of former colleagues read it and decide I deserve some sponsorship.
I felt a lot better on Tuesday morning and decided to go down to the Hayes Circuit. I weighed myself before leaving and found myself to be at the weight I was aiming for when I do my ride, 10 stone 8 pounds, a 8 pound loss of weight since last week, but this was due to the bug and I sure need to put some of that weight back on as I felt quite weak at times during the ride. In spite of the wind and rain showers did get another 55 miles under my belt.
An unplanned rest day on Wednesday, it was blowing a gale and my stomach was not feeling too good after a very uncomfortable night. Thursday is our weekly do something together day and we went to the British Museum to see the First Emperor Exhibition, it is very impressive but what is more remarkable is the vision of the First Emperor who forcibly united all of China's regions and planned such an elaborate burial chamber to safeguard him in the afterlife. Considering he became Emperor at the age of 14 and died when he was 44 it sure was a fantastic achievement in such a short time.
The forecast rain kept away Friday morning and it was another 55 mile ride at the Hayes Circuit.
On Saturday Betty and I were helping out at our club's road race being held at the Hayes Circuit and the plans I had for riding on Sunday were thwarted by the heavy rain so only 111 were miles covered this week, a very disappointing total. But it was not all bad news, I did manage to complete decorating the extension after we had had a new ceiling fitted so Betty at least was happy.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 111.4 Time:- 6 hrs 32 mins 10 secs
Winter Training - Week 17
Week Ending - March 9th 2008 ............................................................. Miles to date:- 3052
A very windy, cold and sunny Monday morning and I decided to do another 100 mile ride, out through the Chilterns, a 45 mile loop through the Vale of Oxford and then home taking in 5 hard climbs. The wind made the first 60 miles very hard and by the time I had a tailwind I was too tired to take full advantage. I completed the ride in under 6½ hours but with more favourable conditions think I can improve that time by at least 30 minutes.
I was quite surprised on Tuesday morning that I felt no adverse effects after yesterday's efforts. There was a brisk northerly wind blowing and the climb up the hill on the circuit was sure hard work for all eight of us who had ventured out. I managed 50 miles which brought my mileage total up to 3,000.
I had a very early start to Wednesday morning but it was to pick my son up from Heathrow Airport and take him home. It sure was a cold at 6:00am but by the time I got out on my bike at 9:45 the sun was shining brightly, the frost and ice had gone although there was still a nagging westerly wind. Decided to ride around the Black Park circuit and did 52 miles at a good tempo.
Visited my daughters in York again, Friday was busy buying bits from IKEA but I had planned a ride on Sunday. However, went down with the Sickness/Diarrhoea bug so that plan was scuppered.
Some good news, a donation from Jean Ralph, her late husband John was a well renowned Track cyclist, he represented England in the 1958 Commonwealth Games and was a great guy. I first met Jean 50 years ago when she was secretary of the Slough Track League, yes there was a velodrome in Slough those days! Actually it was a bumpy concrete track around a football pitch, but it always was a well supported and enjoyable Sunday afternoon.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 203.5 Time:- 12 hrs 27 mins 18 secs
A very windy, cold and sunny Monday morning and I decided to do another 100 mile ride, out through the Chilterns, a 45 mile loop through the Vale of Oxford and then home taking in 5 hard climbs. The wind made the first 60 miles very hard and by the time I had a tailwind I was too tired to take full advantage. I completed the ride in under 6½ hours but with more favourable conditions think I can improve that time by at least 30 minutes.
I was quite surprised on Tuesday morning that I felt no adverse effects after yesterday's efforts. There was a brisk northerly wind blowing and the climb up the hill on the circuit was sure hard work for all eight of us who had ventured out. I managed 50 miles which brought my mileage total up to 3,000.
I had a very early start to Wednesday morning but it was to pick my son up from Heathrow Airport and take him home. It sure was a cold at 6:00am but by the time I got out on my bike at 9:45 the sun was shining brightly, the frost and ice had gone although there was still a nagging westerly wind. Decided to ride around the Black Park circuit and did 52 miles at a good tempo.
Visited my daughters in York again, Friday was busy buying bits from IKEA but I had planned a ride on Sunday. However, went down with the Sickness/Diarrhoea bug so that plan was scuppered.
Some good news, a donation from Jean Ralph, her late husband John was a well renowned Track cyclist, he represented England in the 1958 Commonwealth Games and was a great guy. I first met Jean 50 years ago when she was secretary of the Slough Track League, yes there was a velodrome in Slough those days! Actually it was a bumpy concrete track around a football pitch, but it always was a well supported and enjoyable Sunday afternoon.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 203.5 Time:- 12 hrs 27 mins 18 secs
Winter Training - Week 16
Week Ending - March 2nd 2008 ............................................................. Miles to date:- 2848
A bright, sunny and cold Monday morning and as I was attending a funeral in the afternoon decided to stay close to home and rode 51 miles around the Black Park 10 mile Time Trial course. Very pleased right now, just received a £10 donation from my 7 year old grandson Ben.
A sunny but very windy Tuesday morning and my intention was another 100 mile ride at the circuit. However, my legs were feeling pretty tired after the past two days exertions and riding against the wind was very hard. I was just re accessing the situation when Bob invited me out to lunch with the local British Cycling officials. So I could stop riding with a clear conscience! A nice lunch and I have been asked to produce a blog for the Tuesday Night circuit races, that should be no problem. The lunch was also celebrating Chas Messenger's 95th birthday, Chas was a prolific promoter of cycle races, including the Tour of Britain and still to this day can remember and relate stories of all the events he has promoted. So it was just another 50 miles to my total.
A bright sunny and not too windy Wednesday morning and I went out for a 57 mile road ride with Jim. We maintained a good tempo throughout but I am afraid it will take Jim a long time to forgive me for taking him up the narrow lane to Flackwell Heath, it sure was a shock to his system!
A cold, dull and windy Friday morning at the circuit and 6 of us rode steady laps with Jim impressively doing most of the work on the front. Alan instigated a few sprints up the hill at the end of the session which made us sweat a little. We were all impressed by the speed of John O'Sullivan roaring around the circuit on his time trial machine in final training for his first time trial of the season this Sunday. By the time I arrived home I had riden 56 miles.
A bright Saturday morning so I ventured out with the fast group from Denham Nurseries. A lot of the racers were not there as they are racing at the Hayes Circuit later today but the group maintained a fast pace throughout. Was pleased that I managed to lead the second group up the climb of Winter Hill, normally I am the last rider over and I stayed with the group for all the ride. 50 more miles added to my total.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 264.9 Time:- 15 hrs 22 mins 21 secs
A bright, sunny and cold Monday morning and as I was attending a funeral in the afternoon decided to stay close to home and rode 51 miles around the Black Park 10 mile Time Trial course. Very pleased right now, just received a £10 donation from my 7 year old grandson Ben.
A sunny but very windy Tuesday morning and my intention was another 100 mile ride at the circuit. However, my legs were feeling pretty tired after the past two days exertions and riding against the wind was very hard. I was just re accessing the situation when Bob invited me out to lunch with the local British Cycling officials. So I could stop riding with a clear conscience! A nice lunch and I have been asked to produce a blog for the Tuesday Night circuit races, that should be no problem. The lunch was also celebrating Chas Messenger's 95th birthday, Chas was a prolific promoter of cycle races, including the Tour of Britain and still to this day can remember and relate stories of all the events he has promoted. So it was just another 50 miles to my total.
A bright sunny and not too windy Wednesday morning and I went out for a 57 mile road ride with Jim. We maintained a good tempo throughout but I am afraid it will take Jim a long time to forgive me for taking him up the narrow lane to Flackwell Heath, it sure was a shock to his system!
A cold, dull and windy Friday morning at the circuit and 6 of us rode steady laps with Jim impressively doing most of the work on the front. Alan instigated a few sprints up the hill at the end of the session which made us sweat a little. We were all impressed by the speed of John O'Sullivan roaring around the circuit on his time trial machine in final training for his first time trial of the season this Sunday. By the time I arrived home I had riden 56 miles.
A bright Saturday morning so I ventured out with the fast group from Denham Nurseries. A lot of the racers were not there as they are racing at the Hayes Circuit later today but the group maintained a fast pace throughout. Was pleased that I managed to lead the second group up the climb of Winter Hill, normally I am the last rider over and I stayed with the group for all the ride. 50 more miles added to my total.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 264.9 Time:- 15 hrs 22 mins 21 secs
Winter Training - Week 15
Week Ending - February 24th 2008 ............................................................. Miles to date:- 2583
A very cold and icy Monday morning in York, so I waited until the afternoon and went for a 43 mile ride in the Howardian Hills to the north of York. Quite a lot of steep short hills which sure take your breathe away but overall a good traffic free ride.
Tuesday at the circuit for a 40 mile ride. Again a few fast laps in the middle started off by Brian and today we were joined by two more riders Lance Woodman, whom I found out that when living in Worcester spent a lot of time riding with my ex clubmate from the Uxbridge Wheelers Mick Mahon, and Mike Clark, a racer of some renown a few years ago. Bob looked resplendent in his Sports Tours International kit, he is off to Majorca soon to lead training groups.
A foggy Wednesday morning so it was a 10:00am start. Went on the ride I did prior to the Quest Reliability Trial, up the steep hills to Flackwell Heath and Handy Cross then down to Marlow, up Winters Hill and the normal way home, 52 miles in total and nearly 20 minutes faster than last time so my fitness must be improving.
Thursday was enjoyed with my other three grandchildren who live in Wargrave, we all had fun and we also bought two of them new bikes. I guess that's an important role of grandparents!
I also had some great news from St George PLC, a property developer who are engaged in a big development in West Drayton, a few hundred yards from where I was brought up. They are going to produce a "flyer" to publicise the ride and also provide public relations expertise, its a good feeling to learn that big businesses do find time to support worthy causes. So a big thank you to St George PLC for being my first commercial supporter.
A windy and dull Friday morning but no rain, the riding at the circuit was not well organised as all the riders seemed to want to ride at different speeds. Brian was suffering from a trapped nerve and found taking wheel from the two ladies from Beyond, Gill and Francis, just to his liking! John O'Sullivan sure impressed me, he was out on his Trek Time Trial Bike and he really flew round a few laps. If only I could be that quick and be able to justify buying such a wonderful machine. I rode quite a few fastish laps and by the time I arrived home had clocked up another 50 miles.
Sunday saw me riding in the Willesden CC 100k Reliability Trial. I started off in the medium group but they sure set a fast pace and I was dropped on the climb out of Chorleywood after about 10 miles. I managed to get in a small group after a few lonely miles but was dropped again on the climb to Bledlow Ridge, I can get up the climbs OK but it has to be at my pace, otherwise my heart rate goes well into the red. I then had a few additional miles off course, I missed a turning and I am afraid my speed suffered too. With about 20 miles to go I got into another group and we stayed together and made good progress to the finish. The last 10 miles of the ride were my quickest, (my cycling computer is set to record my time every 10 miles), which pleased me a lot as I did the bulk of the pacing for the group. By the time I had riden home another 79 miles were added to my bank.
Nearing the summit of Bledlow Ridge
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 264.8 Time:- 16 hrs 02 mins 53 secs
A very cold and icy Monday morning in York, so I waited until the afternoon and went for a 43 mile ride in the Howardian Hills to the north of York. Quite a lot of steep short hills which sure take your breathe away but overall a good traffic free ride.
Tuesday at the circuit for a 40 mile ride. Again a few fast laps in the middle started off by Brian and today we were joined by two more riders Lance Woodman, whom I found out that when living in Worcester spent a lot of time riding with my ex clubmate from the Uxbridge Wheelers Mick Mahon, and Mike Clark, a racer of some renown a few years ago. Bob looked resplendent in his Sports Tours International kit, he is off to Majorca soon to lead training groups.
A foggy Wednesday morning so it was a 10:00am start. Went on the ride I did prior to the Quest Reliability Trial, up the steep hills to Flackwell Heath and Handy Cross then down to Marlow, up Winters Hill and the normal way home, 52 miles in total and nearly 20 minutes faster than last time so my fitness must be improving.
Thursday was enjoyed with my other three grandchildren who live in Wargrave, we all had fun and we also bought two of them new bikes. I guess that's an important role of grandparents!
I also had some great news from St George PLC, a property developer who are engaged in a big development in West Drayton, a few hundred yards from where I was brought up. They are going to produce a "flyer" to publicise the ride and also provide public relations expertise, its a good feeling to learn that big businesses do find time to support worthy causes. So a big thank you to St George PLC for being my first commercial supporter.
A windy and dull Friday morning but no rain, the riding at the circuit was not well organised as all the riders seemed to want to ride at different speeds. Brian was suffering from a trapped nerve and found taking wheel from the two ladies from Beyond, Gill and Francis, just to his liking! John O'Sullivan sure impressed me, he was out on his Trek Time Trial Bike and he really flew round a few laps. If only I could be that quick and be able to justify buying such a wonderful machine. I rode quite a few fastish laps and by the time I arrived home had clocked up another 50 miles.
Sunday saw me riding in the Willesden CC 100k Reliability Trial. I started off in the medium group but they sure set a fast pace and I was dropped on the climb out of Chorleywood after about 10 miles. I managed to get in a small group after a few lonely miles but was dropped again on the climb to Bledlow Ridge, I can get up the climbs OK but it has to be at my pace, otherwise my heart rate goes well into the red. I then had a few additional miles off course, I missed a turning and I am afraid my speed suffered too. With about 20 miles to go I got into another group and we stayed together and made good progress to the finish. The last 10 miles of the ride were my quickest, (my cycling computer is set to record my time every 10 miles), which pleased me a lot as I did the bulk of the pacing for the group. By the time I had riden home another 79 miles were added to my bank.
Nearing the summit of Bledlow Ridge
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 264.8 Time:- 16 hrs 02 mins 53 secs
Winter Training - Week 14
Week Ending - February 17th 2008 ............................................................. Miles to date:- 2319
This will be regarded as a rest week as I have a hospital check up on my prostate on Wednesday then we are off to York to spend the rest of the half term holiday with three of our grandchildren.
Monday was sunny and bright and I did a steady ride around my Cookham circuit and tried myself once again on the steep climb up Honey Lane which I struggled up on Sunday. Managed the climb but I was going at my own pace and was not being pushed by other riders. 51 miles added to my total.
Tuesday was bright at home but by the time I have travelled 2 miles towards the Hayes Circuit, it was thick fog and the fog persisted for the first 33 miles. As it was my last serious training session this week, decided to ride 100 miles, which I did, 5 miles to the circuit and 95 miles on the circuit, 102 laps, and I easily beat my target time of 6 hours. Luckily I felt stronger as the ride progressed and the last 30 miles were the quickest so I never felt like quitting every time I passed the entrance. In my younger days I never felt serious training had started until I had ridden a few 100 mile rides and I am pleased to have achieved my first of the season today.
The consultant was a little worried about the 50% rise in my PSA reading, so he has planned I have monthly tests for the next two months to see what is happening. I just hope it was one of those blips you get from time to time.
A good time in York playing with the grand children although I did manage a 30 mile ride on Saturday around my normal circuit to the east of York.
Had some different kind of exercise on Sunday, spent 2 hours on the indoor ski slope (real snow) at Castleford in training for our forthcoming skiing holiday in Mammoth USA.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 186.9 Time:- 11 hrs 21 mins 28 secs
This will be regarded as a rest week as I have a hospital check up on my prostate on Wednesday then we are off to York to spend the rest of the half term holiday with three of our grandchildren.
Monday was sunny and bright and I did a steady ride around my Cookham circuit and tried myself once again on the steep climb up Honey Lane which I struggled up on Sunday. Managed the climb but I was going at my own pace and was not being pushed by other riders. 51 miles added to my total.
Tuesday was bright at home but by the time I have travelled 2 miles towards the Hayes Circuit, it was thick fog and the fog persisted for the first 33 miles. As it was my last serious training session this week, decided to ride 100 miles, which I did, 5 miles to the circuit and 95 miles on the circuit, 102 laps, and I easily beat my target time of 6 hours. Luckily I felt stronger as the ride progressed and the last 30 miles were the quickest so I never felt like quitting every time I passed the entrance. In my younger days I never felt serious training had started until I had ridden a few 100 mile rides and I am pleased to have achieved my first of the season today.
The consultant was a little worried about the 50% rise in my PSA reading, so he has planned I have monthly tests for the next two months to see what is happening. I just hope it was one of those blips you get from time to time.
A good time in York playing with the grand children although I did manage a 30 mile ride on Saturday around my normal circuit to the east of York.
Had some different kind of exercise on Sunday, spent 2 hours on the indoor ski slope (real snow) at Castleford in training for our forthcoming skiing holiday in Mammoth USA.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 186.9 Time:- 11 hrs 21 mins 28 secs
Winter Training - Week 13
Week Ending - February 10th 2008 ............................................................. Miles to date:- 2131
A sunny and bright and less windy Monday morning and I was surprised there were no lingering effects of yesterday's efforts. Decided on my "Flat" Great Missenden loop and went very well enjoying a 50 mile ride. Some more good news, my second sponsor, Keith Shorten from the Westerly Road Club, many thanks Keith.
Another frustrating Tuesday at the circuit plagued by 3 punctures. No idea what is happening, I have new wheels, new tyres and new inner tubes. Decided to change my wheels in an effort to stem the flow of punctures. Just 34 miles added to my total.
A bright but windy Wednesday morning. It was a hard outward 30 miles up a few hills and against the wind, just averaging over 15 mph, flew home the last 20 miles in just about an hour, it was flat with a strong tailwind. Another milestone passed, I have now cycled over 2,000 miles as training for this challenge.
Friday morning was sunny but still windy. Felt really strong and enjoyed riding around the Hayes Circuit, did about 20 fast miles on the front with John O'Sullivan, Middlesex Road Club, John is a youngster, still in his 40's and he made me work hard. Also joined today by three lady riders who all look very fit. Rocco Richardson, another stalwart of the West London Cycling scene for 50 plus years is also back riding after his eye operation and we all enjoyed his company. 67 miles added to my total, I just hope the weather and my good form will last until Sunday when I am riding the Edgware Road Club Reliability Trial.
On Saturday evening I attended the Hillingdon CC Club Dinner and was formally presented with the trophy for winning the Old Crocks 10. I am on the far right of all the other prize winners.
The course for the Edgware Reliability Trial was shortened to 53 miles due to road closures and it was a good fast ride in sunny conditions. I did struggle up the steep hill but soon recovered to finish strongly.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 261.4 Time:- 15 hrs 36 mins 02 secs
A sunny and bright and less windy Monday morning and I was surprised there were no lingering effects of yesterday's efforts. Decided on my "Flat" Great Missenden loop and went very well enjoying a 50 mile ride. Some more good news, my second sponsor, Keith Shorten from the Westerly Road Club, many thanks Keith.
Another frustrating Tuesday at the circuit plagued by 3 punctures. No idea what is happening, I have new wheels, new tyres and new inner tubes. Decided to change my wheels in an effort to stem the flow of punctures. Just 34 miles added to my total.
A bright but windy Wednesday morning. It was a hard outward 30 miles up a few hills and against the wind, just averaging over 15 mph, flew home the last 20 miles in just about an hour, it was flat with a strong tailwind. Another milestone passed, I have now cycled over 2,000 miles as training for this challenge.
Friday morning was sunny but still windy. Felt really strong and enjoyed riding around the Hayes Circuit, did about 20 fast miles on the front with John O'Sullivan, Middlesex Road Club, John is a youngster, still in his 40's and he made me work hard. Also joined today by three lady riders who all look very fit. Rocco Richardson, another stalwart of the West London Cycling scene for 50 plus years is also back riding after his eye operation and we all enjoyed his company. 67 miles added to my total, I just hope the weather and my good form will last until Sunday when I am riding the Edgware Road Club Reliability Trial.
On Saturday evening I attended the Hillingdon CC Club Dinner and was formally presented with the trophy for winning the Old Crocks 10. I am on the far right of all the other prize winners.
The course for the Edgware Reliability Trial was shortened to 53 miles due to road closures and it was a good fast ride in sunny conditions. I did struggle up the steep hill but soon recovered to finish strongly.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 261.4 Time:- 15 hrs 36 mins 02 secs
Winter Training - Week 12
Week Ending - February 3rd 2008 ............................................................. Miles to date:- 1870
A misty, damp and cold Monday morning greeted me but it did not deter me riding my Great Missenden loop. Had a good 50 mile plus ride, felt a lot stronger on all the early hills, struggled up the last few but managed to beat my previous best time so far by 8 minutes. One downside, another pinch puncture caused by riding over a pothole. The roads are in a terrible state after all the recent rains.
Good weather on Tuesday and I was realy feeling strong while riding at the circuit. But just before the normal fast laps I suffered two punctures in quick succession so as Betty was picking me up at 12 o'clock, the ride was a lot shorter than planned, just 34 miles. The circuit sure is getting popular as there were over a dozen riders out. Not to be deterred I set up my new turbo in the afternoon and rode another 16 miles to make the day's total 50. It sure was hard work on the turbo, I will need to attend a training course to understand all the settings!
Perfect weather for cycling on Wednesday morning, sunny, not too windy or cold. I am planning to ride a 100km reliability trial on Sunday so I decided to test out some of the climbs from Loudwater to Marlow via Flackwell Heath. They were quite hard and I am sure going to struggle up them on Sunday. No punctures today but my cycle computer went wrong, if I went over 19 mph it would go into pause mode. I am sure I covered a minimum of 50 miles. When my computer is better I will have to do the ride again to check the distance.
An important day too, I receive my first donation from clubmate Paul Williams who is also riding La Marmotte but I know he will be well refreshed by the time I finish. Many thanks Paul. I also did an interview with BT, my former employer, who are going to feature the ride in their Employees Newspaper. Lets hope more sponsorship arrives too!
Friday was another good day, a few fast laps at the circuit but most of the time pretty steady riding. Another 57 miles covered.
Weather was good on Sunday so I rode the Quest 100km reliability trial which took in some very tough climbs through the Chilterns. Could not keep up with the fast group, but I did get in a small group along with clubmate Dave Eckersley, but I punctured with about 28 miles to go and rode most of that alone into a strong wind. Managed to cover the distance which was about 106KM in well under 4 hours. An impressive weeks riding, just need to improve a bit more next week.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 281.0 Time:- 17 hrs 34 mins 37 secs
A misty, damp and cold Monday morning greeted me but it did not deter me riding my Great Missenden loop. Had a good 50 mile plus ride, felt a lot stronger on all the early hills, struggled up the last few but managed to beat my previous best time so far by 8 minutes. One downside, another pinch puncture caused by riding over a pothole. The roads are in a terrible state after all the recent rains.
Good weather on Tuesday and I was realy feeling strong while riding at the circuit. But just before the normal fast laps I suffered two punctures in quick succession so as Betty was picking me up at 12 o'clock, the ride was a lot shorter than planned, just 34 miles. The circuit sure is getting popular as there were over a dozen riders out. Not to be deterred I set up my new turbo in the afternoon and rode another 16 miles to make the day's total 50. It sure was hard work on the turbo, I will need to attend a training course to understand all the settings!
Perfect weather for cycling on Wednesday morning, sunny, not too windy or cold. I am planning to ride a 100km reliability trial on Sunday so I decided to test out some of the climbs from Loudwater to Marlow via Flackwell Heath. They were quite hard and I am sure going to struggle up them on Sunday. No punctures today but my cycle computer went wrong, if I went over 19 mph it would go into pause mode. I am sure I covered a minimum of 50 miles. When my computer is better I will have to do the ride again to check the distance.
An important day too, I receive my first donation from clubmate Paul Williams who is also riding La Marmotte but I know he will be well refreshed by the time I finish. Many thanks Paul. I also did an interview with BT, my former employer, who are going to feature the ride in their Employees Newspaper. Lets hope more sponsorship arrives too!
Friday was another good day, a few fast laps at the circuit but most of the time pretty steady riding. Another 57 miles covered.
Weather was good on Sunday so I rode the Quest 100km reliability trial which took in some very tough climbs through the Chilterns. Could not keep up with the fast group, but I did get in a small group along with clubmate Dave Eckersley, but I punctured with about 28 miles to go and rode most of that alone into a strong wind. Managed to cover the distance which was about 106KM in well under 4 hours. An impressive weeks riding, just need to improve a bit more next week.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 281.0 Time:- 17 hrs 34 mins 37 secs
Winter Training - Week 11
Week Ending - January 27th 2008 ............................................................. Miles to date:- 1589
A dull and very windy Monday morning with the forecast of rain to come. Decided to ride laps of the Black Park 10 mile time trial circuit as it would not be too exposed to the wind and not far from home in case the heavens opened. After just over 30 miles I punctured and while fixing it the rain started. Made a dash for home but did ride over 37 miles.
It was like being on holiday when I woke this Tuesday morning, a blue sky and the sun shining. A pleasant change after the recent weather. It was down to Hayes Circuit with the usual group of 5, during a quiet moment in today's ride I worked out our total age, it was 339 years, Jim being the baby of the bunch at 62 and Bob the Daddy at 72! As normal some quick laps in the middle and Brian's diet is improving his fitness as his laps were the quickest. I carried on after everyone had left as I wanted to ride 100kms today and achieved this by the time I arrived home. My legs feel tired right now, I am hoping there will still be some life in them for tomorrow's ride.
A dull, warm and still windy Wednesday. My legs were feeling OK after yesterday's efforts and I managed a good ride of over 50 miles at a steady tempo, delayed a little by my second puncture of the week when just a couple of miles from home. Highlight of the ride was meeting Danuta Tinn, a member of the Maidenhead CC, after 23 miles and enjoying 10 hard miles in her company.
Friday at Hayes Circuit as normal but feeling a little lethargic so no big efforts today. Rode 45 miles.
Saturday morning started out with the fast group from Denham Nurseries but a big embarrassment when after 4 miles I touched the back wheel of the rider in front and fell off. No serious damage to me or my bike, just a few adjustments needed to the mudguard. Completed the ride alone and added another 43 miles to my weeks total of 238.8 miles, the highest weekly total to date.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 238.8 Time:- 14 hrs 03 mins 20 secs
A dull and very windy Monday morning with the forecast of rain to come. Decided to ride laps of the Black Park 10 mile time trial circuit as it would not be too exposed to the wind and not far from home in case the heavens opened. After just over 30 miles I punctured and while fixing it the rain started. Made a dash for home but did ride over 37 miles.
It was like being on holiday when I woke this Tuesday morning, a blue sky and the sun shining. A pleasant change after the recent weather. It was down to Hayes Circuit with the usual group of 5, during a quiet moment in today's ride I worked out our total age, it was 339 years, Jim being the baby of the bunch at 62 and Bob the Daddy at 72! As normal some quick laps in the middle and Brian's diet is improving his fitness as his laps were the quickest. I carried on after everyone had left as I wanted to ride 100kms today and achieved this by the time I arrived home. My legs feel tired right now, I am hoping there will still be some life in them for tomorrow's ride.
A dull, warm and still windy Wednesday. My legs were feeling OK after yesterday's efforts and I managed a good ride of over 50 miles at a steady tempo, delayed a little by my second puncture of the week when just a couple of miles from home. Highlight of the ride was meeting Danuta Tinn, a member of the Maidenhead CC, after 23 miles and enjoying 10 hard miles in her company.
Friday at Hayes Circuit as normal but feeling a little lethargic so no big efforts today. Rode 45 miles.
Saturday morning started out with the fast group from Denham Nurseries but a big embarrassment when after 4 miles I touched the back wheel of the rider in front and fell off. No serious damage to me or my bike, just a few adjustments needed to the mudguard. Completed the ride alone and added another 43 miles to my weeks total of 238.8 miles, the highest weekly total to date.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 238.8 Time:- 14 hrs 03 mins 20 secs
Winter Training - Week 10
Week Ending - January 20th 2008 ............................................................. Miles to date:- 1350
Another wet and windy start to the week with no riding on Monday and Tuesday. Spent a lot of time trying to obtain the missing cable from my new turbo trainer but sorting out problems is not a strength of the company concerned.
What a shock, a sunny and wind free Wednesday morning. First thoughts were to tackle the Great Missenden circuit but the amount of surface water on the local roads put paid to that idea so I ventured over to the Hayes Circuit. Great minds think alike as the normal crew were also there. Rode at a good tempo throughout spiced up by Brian's fast laps, we did 10 today. A 50 mile round trip, at last some miles in this week.
Friday was wet and windy so no ride was possible and I am still waiting for my Turbo Cable.
A dull and wet Saturday but decided to go out with the Denham Nurseries bunch, only 2 other riders turned up in the wet and windy conditions. A good ride, I was hanging on the wheel for a lot of the way but managed 42 miles by the time I arrived home.
A bonus ride on Sunday, taking two grandchildren out for the day so I rode out to Wargrave while Betty drove. A hard ride against a strong wind but another 28 miles in the bank. An improvement on recent weeks, 120 miles ridden but still below my target which is now 200 miles per week.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 120.8 Time:- 7 hrs 05 mins 54 secs
Another wet and windy start to the week with no riding on Monday and Tuesday. Spent a lot of time trying to obtain the missing cable from my new turbo trainer but sorting out problems is not a strength of the company concerned.
What a shock, a sunny and wind free Wednesday morning. First thoughts were to tackle the Great Missenden circuit but the amount of surface water on the local roads put paid to that idea so I ventured over to the Hayes Circuit. Great minds think alike as the normal crew were also there. Rode at a good tempo throughout spiced up by Brian's fast laps, we did 10 today. A 50 mile round trip, at last some miles in this week.
Friday was wet and windy so no ride was possible and I am still waiting for my Turbo Cable.
A dull and wet Saturday but decided to go out with the Denham Nurseries bunch, only 2 other riders turned up in the wet and windy conditions. A good ride, I was hanging on the wheel for a lot of the way but managed 42 miles by the time I arrived home.
A bonus ride on Sunday, taking two grandchildren out for the day so I rode out to Wargrave while Betty drove. A hard ride against a strong wind but another 28 miles in the bank. An improvement on recent weeks, 120 miles ridden but still below my target which is now 200 miles per week.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 120.8 Time:- 7 hrs 05 mins 54 secs
Winter Training - Week 9
Week Ending - January 13th 2008 ............................................................. Miles to date:- 1230
Was planning my 50 mile Great Missenden ride for Monday morning but the strong winds with 50mph plus gusts forecast I decided it would be too dangerous to go out on the roads. Plan B was to ride 40 to 50 miles on my aged Turbo Trainer but even that was not possible as the resistance on the turbo had locked on. Struggled to ride for an hour with a strong resistance, guess it was a taste of what was to come up Alpe d'Huez.
A wet and windy Tuesday, so no cycling, what a bad start to the New Year. Decided I will need to be able to train when the weather is bad so have ordered myself a new turbo trainer.
A much brighter morning on Wednesday but still a strong south westerly wind blowing. Did a hilly and hard 52 mile ride in the Chilterns above Henley and Marlow and due to the ride finishing at my son's house in Wargrave I did not get the pleasure of being blown home by the strong tailwind.
Another wet Friday morning so the bike will not be going out for a ride! Turbo arrived but cannot use it as a cable was missing.
A total change in the weather on Saturday, bright and sunny. Went out on the Denham ride, a fast pace was set from the start and I got dropped on the climb of Winter Hill. Never made it back to the group but finished the circuit riding at a good tempo so I was pleased with my efforts.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 107.1 Time:- 6 hrs 48 mins 39 secs
Was planning my 50 mile Great Missenden ride for Monday morning but the strong winds with 50mph plus gusts forecast I decided it would be too dangerous to go out on the roads. Plan B was to ride 40 to 50 miles on my aged Turbo Trainer but even that was not possible as the resistance on the turbo had locked on. Struggled to ride for an hour with a strong resistance, guess it was a taste of what was to come up Alpe d'Huez.
A wet and windy Tuesday, so no cycling, what a bad start to the New Year. Decided I will need to be able to train when the weather is bad so have ordered myself a new turbo trainer.
A much brighter morning on Wednesday but still a strong south westerly wind blowing. Did a hilly and hard 52 mile ride in the Chilterns above Henley and Marlow and due to the ride finishing at my son's house in Wargrave I did not get the pleasure of being blown home by the strong tailwind.
Another wet Friday morning so the bike will not be going out for a ride! Turbo arrived but cannot use it as a cable was missing.
A total change in the weather on Saturday, bright and sunny. Went out on the Denham ride, a fast pace was set from the start and I got dropped on the climb of Winter Hill. Never made it back to the group but finished the circuit riding at a good tempo so I was pleased with my efforts.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 107.1 Time:- 6 hrs 48 mins 39 secs
Winter Training - Week 8
Week Ending - January 6th 2008
The weather was brighter on New Years Eve so I did manage a 30 mile ride around my York circuit, feeling the effects of a week off my bike and struggled a bit to maintain a decent speed.
A bleak start to to New Year, weather was very wet on Tuesday and then I was struck down by another cold, my third in quick succession so I did not ride on the Wednesday or Thursday.
Finally started the year off on Friday with a session at the Hayes Circuit along with the regular riders. Once again Brian instigated a few quicker laps in the middle of the session.
Greeted by good weather on Saturday morning so went out with the fast group from Denham Nurseries, about 20 riders out and a very steady pace set throughout the ride. Got dropped climbing Winter Hill but managed to get back with the group and stayed on the wheel for the complete ride of 40 miles. It was good to ride in a biggish group as I will need to get used to being close to lots of riders ready for La Marmotte which will have over 6,000 starters.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 115.1 Time:- 6 hrs 44 mins 28 secs ...................... Miles to date:- 1123
The weather was brighter on New Years Eve so I did manage a 30 mile ride around my York circuit, feeling the effects of a week off my bike and struggled a bit to maintain a decent speed.
A bleak start to to New Year, weather was very wet on Tuesday and then I was struck down by another cold, my third in quick succession so I did not ride on the Wednesday or Thursday.
Finally started the year off on Friday with a session at the Hayes Circuit along with the regular riders. Once again Brian instigated a few quicker laps in the middle of the session.
Greeted by good weather on Saturday morning so went out with the fast group from Denham Nurseries, about 20 riders out and a very steady pace set throughout the ride. Got dropped climbing Winter Hill but managed to get back with the group and stayed on the wheel for the complete ride of 40 miles. It was good to ride in a biggish group as I will need to get used to being close to lots of riders ready for La Marmotte which will have over 6,000 starters.
Weekly Totals:- Miles:- 115.1 Time:- 6 hrs 44 mins 28 secs ...................... Miles to date:- 1123
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