Cambridge'd!

I've been a bit quiet recently .... partly because i was away over the last week - retreat to Malsanger and then a few days in France .... but also because after being battered by the hills around Bath i've been feeling pretty low about the trip ...

However 2 things have changed all of that! 

Firstly chatting to the organisers of our trip - who whilst we were sorting out the logistics reassured me that everyone will walk up some of the hills in Cornwall /Devon ... and not to worry .. just keep on training! 

And secondly .. yesterday i completed my longest ride yet - 64 miles from London to Cambridge! It was a fantastic day and even better .... i'm feeling good today and have already been back on the bike again! 

My friend Rachel and I did the cycle which was brilliantly organised by Bike Events who i have to say ran it perfectly, I couldn't fault a thing  - over 4000 cyclists kicked off from London,  the sun shone, thankfully there was a gentle breeze and we wended our way through country lanes up to Cambridge... there were some long long hills but i'm happy to say none of them defeated me (although i salute Rachel in her amazing hill prowess!) ... and we had a lovely lovely day. For much of the route there was no traffic (maybe they very wisely avoided hoardes of cyclists on narrow lanes!!) and the lanes were filled with cyclists pedalling along .... a really lovely experience. It's run every year in July - and if the weather's good I wholly recommend it! 

The start ..... cyclists had been leaving for 3 hours ... we were the last group... which was huge! Fair to say when we arrived and found ourselves surrounded by Wiggins'alikes we were slightly concerned!!! 

 The girls ready to start ....... 

 They had 4 refreshment stops en route ... brilliant! 

 We spent the day surrounded by bikes!!! 

 Glorious views from the top of hills... and the most glamourous cyclist i know! 

(NB there were some people who walked up hills... I felt slightly delighted I didn't join them!)

And then when we got to Cambridge... well this cycle should really be called 'London - Cambridge & then around Cambridge for miles' ... and eventually we got to the finish line! Which was well worth finding as they really made an event of it .... people wooping and cheering as we arrived... medals and certificates handed out ... 

There was even a bouncy castle!!! 

So after chatting with some lovely cyclists and getting fine advice about upcoming adventures we got back on our bikes and got the train back to london ... 

It was a really lovely day - and i'm feeling so relieved...  64 miles matches the longest day on LeJoG and whilst i know the  terrain may be tougher... well... i can do this thing! One day at a time i can do it! Apart from a slight issue with my new clippy shoes (toes going numb - apparently i had them done up too tight) all gear is working ... and for those of you that have warned me of 'chafe' issues... well this stuff  along with padded shorts seems to avoid the issue! Enough said! 

So ... now ... 6 weeks to go and many more miles to get under my belt!  Please keep on sponsoring me ... it really is spurring me on! 

Two wheels.... two rails....

Am loving getting around the country on train with bike ... but should really have panniers to make the luggage issue easier (have had a few hairy rides through london with overfilled rucksack threatening to topple me!) ... but am delighted that the train/bike combo is pain free! I have been surprised that usually my bike has been the only one on a train...  

Love this at Paddington .... bike parks for commuters! Not nearly enough yet - but good start! 

Whereas getting on at Bath ... it was just me... 

7 weeks to go! 

Less than 50 days on the countdown timer now... 

Getting close!!! 

Redhead pushes 2 wheels!!!!

Well ...well...well... I shan't be lamenting the weather in this post! 

Oh no - oh no - oh no indeed, there are far more important things on my mind!! Mainly the crashing dose of reality that came hit me full force yesterday when I went 'hill training' in and around Bath! 

Now I know that London is lacking in hills... And my cycle in the highlands showed me that cycling uphill for 3-4-5 miles will not be uncommon ... And I have no problem with taking a breather and then continuing the climb.... But I really didn't think that I'd be pushing my bike! 

After all ... I'm happy (well, tired & happy) cycling 40ish miles these days.. surely I can cope with a few hills?! 

Until yesterday... I combined 'hill training' with seeing dear dear friends who were full of encouragement as I headed off from their house in Bath towards Wells... As someone not known for her athleticism we were all having a good giggle .... And believe me it wasnt long before I was considering an early retreat!! My aim was to cover The 40 miles to Wells and back - with the promise of a photo of the Abbey to prove my arrival! Well it didnt take much before I realised that I'd only be taking a photo if I was planning a taxi home or a B&B!  Leaving Bath after 1pm I saw that I wasn't going to make Wells and be back for supper!! After 5 miles I was shocked at how tired I was.... Granted it was a long and very uphill 5 miles... But still - it was ONLY 5 miles!! Thankfully the views were stunning and everything about the ride (except the lack of engine!!) was beautiful.. But it was a sobering ride! Once I'd decided (after about 11 miles) that I was re-routing I left the main road and started dipping and climbing the country lanes in and out of the prettiest of Cotswolds villages. 

I spent an inordinate amount of time using the smallest gear-set and was shocked/gutted/defeated a couple of times when I 'escorted' my bike up the steepest part of the hills! 

 As luck would have it my new route bought me 'home' via Monkton Combe not far from my god-daughter's house so I sprung a surprise visit and had a lovely 'hello' and some cheery support ... Especially as we left together (Tuesday-ballet lessons!!!) with Anna-Banana yelling out of the car window 'Coyney you're going ##mph' ... Best cheer leader a girl could have!!! 

So my mind is focused... The old power/weight ratio is not all that it needs to be ... My head is not as positive as I need to be (when I see a long hills approaching a little devil in my head starts to tell me how 'there's no way' I'll manage it!!!!) ... And I have a LOT of work to do in the next 8 weeks. 

I knew it wasn't going to be easy .... Dad always said that the hills in Cornwall / Devon are tough... Yesterday it sank in and I had a vey big reality check! So time to up the ante on the training front ...and kick into a pretty severe diet ... The hills aren't going to get any flatter, but every lb that I don't have to drag up them will help!! 

As for the wretched devil in my head .... All ideas on how to shut it up / drown it out .. Much appreciated!!!!

A lot to catch up on ......

I see with shock that i haven't written since the end of May ... which means that i must rap myself on the knuckles... shoddy i say shoddy! All of which means that this will be a long catch up as i have been busy out on the bike! 

Indeed i can feel the progress - yay - i can indeed!!!! 

So.... the highlights .... 

At the end of May much of my cycling was in and around London and included ... whizzing around town to meet people for lunch .. breaking out my bluey white legs in lycra down at Horseguards for a cheeky lunch break with my dear Olympic torch-bearing friend .... I had hoped that the lovely weather would gradually transform them - instead they are being whipped with rain!! Much circling of Regents Park and around Hampstead ... a wonderful whizz through London on the morning of the Jubilee Pageant delighting in empty roads and feeling the atmosphere build as i got closer to London Bridge... and oh we were lucky enjoying the pageant amongst dear friends on a sheltered balcony - what a wonderful spectacle it was....  The cycle home was however wetter and windier.... 

I finished off my Jubilee celebrations by jumping on a train with my bike and heading North to Edinburgh ... i stayed in a wonderful wonderful flat for a few days on Gayfield Square and had a wonderful time re-visiting my old University haunts and catching up with a dear friend from long ago... i also discovered that cycling in and around London isn't cutting the mustard as far as training is concerned!!! 

During my trip i headed north to Loch Lochy (NW of Fort William) and cycled a circular route of 34 miles which will form part of Day 19 of my trip.... and i realised that hills can be 3 - 4 miles long!!! I had a wonderful (if cold and wet) day ... and it was so beautiful... but it hammered home that good old flat London with its stop-start cycling is not good enough for the trip... after 10 miles my legs felt as though i'd cycled 20.... but i made it the whole route and was particularly chuffed to complete the 3 mile long uphill stretch at the end .... 

 6 miles in ... soaking up the views.... 

 Pause for 'lunch' at Laggan Locks .... 

On the home stretch the weather was closing in .... 

Day 2 North of the Border and i was back in Edinburgh enjoying the amazing network of cycle routes that they have there. 27 Miles of coastal cycling heading West to the Forth Bridge (the engineer in me will forever get excited when i see it!) ... blowy weather and i was cycling head on into the wind all the way home....  had a real lesson in the power of the wind! 

Yep .... heading East from Leith ... it was dreich! 

Cut inland at Cramond ... beautiful! 

 Hmmmm..... Scottish idea of a cycle path?! Or maybe i've detoured off it!!!! 

 Heading home i found the most wonderful network of cycle paths running along what i later found out to be the old railway lines... all around edinburgh ... FANTASTIC! This is heading into town from Trinity. 

So two good days with decent mileage under my belt! Then on Friday before i got the train home i had fun exploring the city itself - cycling down memory lane as i visited lots of old haunts and favourite places.  Sadly the cold and the time pressure meant that i didn't stop and click too many photos but i had a wonderful spin around town.... 

View across to Arthur's seat from Carlton Hill.... 

Just love the Gardens in the heart of town.... looking up the Mound across the Galleries... scene of much Fringe fun and street theatre in the good old days! 

Since i've been back the stormy weather (i hate to admit) of the last week has sent me swimming more than cycling and i've only done a couple of 30+ rides... but it's all good and (when the weather's good) i am loving it! Hills hills hills are the focus of the next few months.... 

What have i learnt? 

• Buses don't always stop when they knock you off your bike!! 
• New mantra 'Hills aren't my enemy as they always come to an end.... Wind however.... ' 
• Layer up .... getting cold is exhausting.
• Dogs seem to love running at the wheels of a bike. 
• 60 miles a day is a long long way! 
• Stretch out... stretch out .... stretch out..... 
• Music is great for lifting the heart i have no doubt that this adventure will have me stretching my playlists! 

I'm not going to say too much and languish on the miserable weather we've been having over the last 4 weeks - but ... Oh - how i hope summer will appear soon.