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I've just realised i still don't know what a nipple tool is....
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Cycling by the loch
Thankfully the clouds cleared at the end of the day, giving us some amazing views as we cycled by the Loch. There were lots of trees to avoid, as they had all been blown over by the previous day's wind (the same wind which tried but failed to stop 7 hardy cyclists reaching Glasgow).
Some sensible people got off their bikes and walked round them. Others tried to ride through them, which was more fun :o)
Some sensible people got off their bikes and walked round them. Others tried to ride through them, which was more fun :o)
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Day 11 - Crawford to Inverbeg
Short entry for today as I'm rather tired - but want to keep up my record of blogging at least once a day!
Also no google maps link as the hotel wifi here seems to have a problem with the site I use to generate the link - rubbish!
But we made it as far as Loch Lomond today, and are staying in a rather lovely hotel - again not the place we had originally booked, which had no power still after the storms yesterday. The thought of staying somewhere where I couldn't charge my iPhone was too awful to entertain. Oh - and no showers would be bad too!
As well as a lovely hotel, we also had the pleasure of meeting up with Caroline and Simon, with the added surprise bonus of Cat, who had driven over 2 hours from St Andrews to see us!
Was a lovely end to what was another tiring day - so thanks to you all for making the trip across :-)
I'll hopefully write more tomorrow when I'm less tired.... although we have another long slog ahead of us I believe.... but almost there now!!
(final quick photo showing what we had to deal with across some of the cycle paths today in the aftermath of yesterdays high winds!)
Also no google maps link as the hotel wifi here seems to have a problem with the site I use to generate the link - rubbish!
But we made it as far as Loch Lomond today, and are staying in a rather lovely hotel - again not the place we had originally booked, which had no power still after the storms yesterday. The thought of staying somewhere where I couldn't charge my iPhone was too awful to entertain. Oh - and no showers would be bad too!
As well as a lovely hotel, we also had the pleasure of meeting up with Caroline and Simon, with the added surprise bonus of Cat, who had driven over 2 hours from St Andrews to see us!
Was a lovely end to what was another tiring day - so thanks to you all for making the trip across :-)
I'll hopefully write more tomorrow when I'm less tired.... although we have another long slog ahead of us I believe.... but almost there now!!
(final quick photo showing what we had to deal with across some of the cycle paths today in the aftermath of yesterdays high winds!)
Location:Loch Lomond
Eye of the Tiger
Woke up this morning to the Rocky soundtrack. Feel really pumped up... in the mood for bashing chunks of meat, running up and down steps, and chasing chickens!
Thanks James, let's ride!
Monday, 23 May 2011
Days nine and ten
Double update because I fell asleep writing day nine, and we don't have any reception at our day ten hotel.
Day nine...
Yuck.
Much of today's events already covered. This morning was awful, simply not safe. We were heading west and the wind was coming up from the south, straight off the Irish Sea, where ferry crossings had been cancelled. So, it was hitting us perpendicularly. My neck was aching from forcing it to my left, just to keep my head upright. I felt like I was turning a hard left the whole time just to keep in a straight line. Every now and then the wind would just pick you up and dump you in the middle of the road. With the rain as well it was just a stupid time to be out on a bike. Just wind or just rain, and it would have been manageable, but both at the same time, to that extreme, was not good.
When we stopped I was all for plan B, a train to Ayr. But some bright spark, who happened to be celebrating his birthday, devised plan C...
We wanted to wait for the rain to stop, so this allowed for a quick bike shop visit. Tom and I went and whilst we were there I overheard Tom chatting to the guy about how to get to the new destination. All I really heard was "highest village in Scotland" and "category one climb" (cat one being the second hardest type of climb you find in a pro cycling race). These words concerned me slightly, but fortunately they never materialised. I guess he was telling us which routes to avoid.
The route here was actually really quiet... running parallel to a motorway. A never ending road with dull grey concrete stretched out in from of office, traffic was light, almost non existent. There wasn't much to do except get the head down and pedal hard. The wind was fierce, but often when its behind you it's not noticeable. At one point, I was a couple of hundred metres ahead of the pack, and approaching a roundabout. Thought I would do some laps to let the others catch up (you can often find me racing round and round in circles). As I got halfway round, I was at 90 degrees to the wind and just could not turn anymore. The invisible power of the wind was immense. I had to straighten up and just carry on...
Day ten takes us through Glasgow and up to Loch Lomond. Hopefully with the wind behind us...
Day ten...
A really tough day.
As I was thrashing Bianca down the main road on the west side of Loch Lomond, I couldn't help but laugh to myself. I was chasing the bunch after a navigation error. I'd spent the whole day either driving hard into the wind, chasing people at flat out speed, or chasing people at flat out speed, whilst cycling directly into the wind! My legs were feeling it, my thighs seem to be ripping themselves apart with every turn.
An extra 30 minutes in a Glasgow bike shop had already left Yorky and I with plenty of ground to make up. We rode hard on the main road west out of Glasgow, along the Clyde to catch the other guys. Frustrated by the amount of traffic lights. We knew the rest would be slower through the traffic... eventually we caught them before the Erskine Bridge, which is where tbe road starts to turn a wind friendly North up towards the Loch.
The morning was equally tough. We left our truckers hotel, continuing on the same quiet road that brought us there. Up hills and straight into the wind, our speed was sub 10mph. The road took us into the suburbs of Glasgow... a couple of punctures delaying us further.
In other news:
James is now winning the race to take the most painkillers. A change of strategy by Tom has put him on 'long lasting effect' tablets, whereas James is still eating them like Wine Gums.
Yorky managed two days without going shopping.
The cake count is sky high (i just had one for breakfast)
The weather is not looking good for the rest of the week, and a couple of heads are dropping as a result. I am insisting on wearing my shorts which almost certainly guarantees sunshine. And James is defiant. "we can do this guys, F### the weather!" he proclaimed at breakfast... turning a few heads from the other diners.
Today takes us to Fort William... according to all the guides, one of the most picturesque days of cycling...
700 miles down, 300 to go.
Day 10 - Gretna to Crawford
The best laid plans....
Google Maps Link
So this evening we were meant to be staying in Ayr. However, the weather has been against us somewhat, so instead of following our planned route we are now in a small town called Crawford.
The day started early - breakfast at 6am, leaving before 7am. The weather was horrendous! Heavy rain, and already strong winds. Not at all pleasant. Still, we ploughed on, with a planned 85 miles to cover.
However, after most of us had the unpleasant experience of being blown into the middle of the road, it became clear that it was simply too dangerous to continue. So after 25 miles covered, we hunkered down in a Little Chef to come up with a cunning plan!
I must admit that the option of taking a train to Ayr was discussed. But we soon dismissed that thought, and instead found some alternative accommodation a more manageable 35 miles away (as opposed to 60 miles away!)
3.5 hrs (and a Little Chef breakfast, lunch and lots of tea) later, we headed off again to brave the elements. It had finally stopped raining, so we only had the wind to deal with.
As it happened, the route we ended up taking was between two large hills, so we were somewhat sheltered from the worst of the wind. For short stints, we even had it behind us - which was an awesome boost for tired legs! We got to our alternative lodgings at a relatively early 3pm - phew!
We still have some strong winds (and more rain!) forecast for tomorrow, but hopefully we're through the worst of it. And having just seen on BBC News that the winds of up to 100mph here have sadly claimed someones life today, I feel very relieved that we're all heading to bed in one piece this evening.
Google Maps Link
So this evening we were meant to be staying in Ayr. However, the weather has been against us somewhat, so instead of following our planned route we are now in a small town called Crawford.
The day started early - breakfast at 6am, leaving before 7am. The weather was horrendous! Heavy rain, and already strong winds. Not at all pleasant. Still, we ploughed on, with a planned 85 miles to cover.
However, after most of us had the unpleasant experience of being blown into the middle of the road, it became clear that it was simply too dangerous to continue. So after 25 miles covered, we hunkered down in a Little Chef to come up with a cunning plan!
I must admit that the option of taking a train to Ayr was discussed. But we soon dismissed that thought, and instead found some alternative accommodation a more manageable 35 miles away (as opposed to 60 miles away!)
3.5 hrs (and a Little Chef breakfast, lunch and lots of tea) later, we headed off again to brave the elements. It had finally stopped raining, so we only had the wind to deal with.
As it happened, the route we ended up taking was between two large hills, so we were somewhat sheltered from the worst of the wind. For short stints, we even had it behind us - which was an awesome boost for tired legs! We got to our alternative lodgings at a relatively early 3pm - phew!
We still have some strong winds (and more rain!) forecast for tomorrow, but hopefully we're through the worst of it. And having just seen on BBC News that the winds of up to 100mph here have sadly claimed someones life today, I feel very relieved that we're all heading to bed in one piece this evening.
Location:Carlisle Rd,,United Kingdom
Blown off course
We set off this morning at 6:40 hoping to get to Ayr from Gretna Green however we've ended up somewhere completely different!
Within the first 10 mins of riding we were all completely drenched and were being blown all over the road by the howling winds. It really was bitter, i found myslef singing the hit classic 'American Pie' over and over again whilst riding in order to keep the internal spirits high. Thankfully no one heard as the wind drowned out any musical tunes!
We continued for a brave 25 miles Then we decided to head for shelter in the Little Chef. After ringing out our clothes and drying our socks via the hand dryer in the disabled toilets we decided to replan our travel arrangements over a few cups of tea. We were now going to head to Crawford, 40 miles south of Glasgow thanks to some useful iphone work by Chris. This way we would not be fighting the wind as much.
We arrived in Crawford a few hours later. I can only describe it as a local town for local people, so looking forward to heading north tomorrow!
Starting to count down the days now : ) !
P.s it's navigator Tom's birthday today, so happy birthday to him!!!
Within the first 10 mins of riding we were all completely drenched and were being blown all over the road by the howling winds. It really was bitter, i found myslef singing the hit classic 'American Pie' over and over again whilst riding in order to keep the internal spirits high. Thankfully no one heard as the wind drowned out any musical tunes!
We continued for a brave 25 miles Then we decided to head for shelter in the Little Chef. After ringing out our clothes and drying our socks via the hand dryer in the disabled toilets we decided to replan our travel arrangements over a few cups of tea. We were now going to head to Crawford, 40 miles south of Glasgow thanks to some useful iphone work by Chris. This way we would not be fighting the wind as much.
We arrived in Crawford a few hours later. I can only describe it as a local town for local people, so looking forward to heading north tomorrow!
Starting to count down the days now : ) !
P.s it's navigator Tom's birthday today, so happy birthday to him!!!
Ride like the wind
Thanks to those of you sending messages of concern. The rain has stopped so we are pushing forwards. Our new destination has put the wind directly behind us.
Now then, the guy in the bike shop said something about a category one climb.... must be coming up here somewhere..
Weather woes
The weather is abysmal. Typical Scotland.
We've cycled 25 miles west to Dumfries. It's the worst weather I've ever been in out on a bike.
We needed a plan B so we pulled up in a Little Chef (why do they always smell of pi$$?) and debated several plans. Right now its just not safe outside. Treacherous conditions.
We've considered trains planes and automobiles, but everyone is determined to cycle the whole way, so the answer is still the bike.
We've rejigged our accommodation and will wait for the rain to die down. Then its direct North to Crawford, just south of Abington. In 40mph winds... at least, that's the plan....
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Day 9 - Kirkby Lonsdale to Gretna
We made it to Scotland!!!
Google Maps Link
The day started off horribly. During breakfast, there was a large hail storm, and I don't think anyone was particularly looking forward to getting back in the saddle. We waited till the hail ended and the rain eased off, then set off. And about 2 mins later the rain started again!
It wasn't long before we were drenched, cycling into cold rain which then turned back to hail. Ouch! Not at all pleasant.
But we kept on pedaling, and made it to Penrith for lunch. And as it happened, the place we stopped at had free wifi so I could watch the last 20 laps of the Spanish GP whilst I ate! Just a shame Hamilton couldn't make it past Vettel for the win.
Back on the road, and the rain started again. Bah! But there were blue skies ahead! The two photos below were taken at exactly the same spot to try to demonstrate this.... the first, looking backwards:
The second, looking forwards:
However, whilst the rain stopped, the wind got progressively worse. Despite this, we powered along a very straight Roman road into Carlisle, tiring out Deano and Yorky in the process....
Within spitting distance of Scotland, we ploughed on until we saw the welcome sign we had all been waiting for!
(we took this using a very cool iPhone app called PhotoSynth, from Microsoft, which allowed us to use some trickery to get us all in one shot. Very cool!)
Not far into Gretna, we found our accommodation for the night - but I plodded on just a little further to find the place where my little sis got married not so long ago....
Very early start tomorrow to try to avoid the 70mph winds which are forecast. Yuck. Will also be raining again. Bah! And worst of all.... due to the early start, we're all going to be missing out on our cooked breakfasts :-( The sacrifices we make.....!
Google Maps Link
The day started off horribly. During breakfast, there was a large hail storm, and I don't think anyone was particularly looking forward to getting back in the saddle. We waited till the hail ended and the rain eased off, then set off. And about 2 mins later the rain started again!
It wasn't long before we were drenched, cycling into cold rain which then turned back to hail. Ouch! Not at all pleasant.
But we kept on pedaling, and made it to Penrith for lunch. And as it happened, the place we stopped at had free wifi so I could watch the last 20 laps of the Spanish GP whilst I ate! Just a shame Hamilton couldn't make it past Vettel for the win.
Back on the road, and the rain started again. Bah! But there were blue skies ahead! The two photos below were taken at exactly the same spot to try to demonstrate this.... the first, looking backwards:
The second, looking forwards:
However, whilst the rain stopped, the wind got progressively worse. Despite this, we powered along a very straight Roman road into Carlisle, tiring out Deano and Yorky in the process....
Within spitting distance of Scotland, we ploughed on until we saw the welcome sign we had all been waiting for!
(we took this using a very cool iPhone app called PhotoSynth, from Microsoft, which allowed us to use some trickery to get us all in one shot. Very cool!)
Not far into Gretna, we found our accommodation for the night - but I plodded on just a little further to find the place where my little sis got married not so long ago....
Very early start tomorrow to try to avoid the 70mph winds which are forecast. Yuck. Will also be raining again. Bah! And worst of all.... due to the early start, we're all going to be missing out on our cooked breakfasts :-( The sacrifices we make.....!
Location:Sarkside,Gretna,United Kingdom
Day eight
Into the land of the enemy.
Things are starting to get a little spicy, and not just because of last night's curry. Over breakfast we watched hail hit the fields outside. As we departed the rain started to fall and persisted in doing so until lunch time. The wind grew fiercer the further North we travelled.
Our morning was spent threading through twisty, treacherous lanes. Wind, rain and sometimes hail stinging our faces. Eventually we climbed up over Shap, a long slow incline to the summit. With the low grey clouds everything looked bleak and miserable. Two of the riders had walked coast to coast last year, 192 miles in total. This was about the point where their west-east walk and south-north ride crossed.
Despite the relentless weather, all 7 riders where determined to press on. Not one complaint from anyone.
Lunch was delightful. A chance for me to change my rather sodden socks and dry the shoes a little. On my table of three we had five cakes between us. As we departed the sun started to peek out at us, and indeed, by the end of the day, skies were blue and clothes were drying in the sunshine. The route from lunch led us straight into a 100 metre climb. Normally not a problem, but not ideal with lunch still sitting in the stomach!
After the climb, some nice easy downhills and long open flat sections brightened up the day. Bianca was able to open up for ten miles or so, despite a tricky side wind. Running comfortably at about 22mph for twenty minutes or so seemed so unlikely in the morning.
The road led us all the way into Scotland, and Gretna. We spent about ten minutes looking for a "welcome to Scotland" sign, only to find it was 50 metres further down the road.
Tomorrow could be hellish. Amber weather warnings. 70 mph gusts of winds. More rain. We've plumped for an early start, trying to beat the wind. I could be running on gels tomorrow because I don't think I'll have time to eat.
So... time to sleep.
I've cycled to Scotland... can't believe it :)
Pictures, for blogs sake
Had a morning of washing, shopping (for one is a lot easier & cheaper than for 8!), getting a temporary fix 3 hours after reporting a dead phone line, doing a Blue Peter job on my rear view mirror and getting a call from Andrew who was cycling down a hill and couldn't talk but just wanted to thank me for the top i found for him. Couldn't keep away from driving and headed to Crystal Palace. They only offered roasts so after a wander round the bric-a-brac shops (no shakes or bike related items) we turned around and went to Dulwich for a fish pie jacket potato. As odd as it sounds!
My blogging after today would be repetitive and boring but thought i'd add some pictures:
The riders headed as far west as possible from the lands end sign.
Andrew started the week looking happy on a hill
My favourite picture from day 1
Cake munching on Dartmoor
Wild horses on Dartmoor
Hilly Dartmoor riding
Nige didn't realise when he asked for chicken he needed to specify it should be dead
View from the highest waterfall in England
Needed to turn round in Crediton - very randomly was in this road
Yorky finds a new way of riding for the day
The boys get ready to spend a night in Paradise
Superlambananas in Liverpool
View from the rest day cottage
Mary arrives!
Cross dressing
A miserable morning, started with us watching a hail storm through the window whilst eating breakfast. We had to set off through some very persistent rain.
Just as you think it could not get worse we take a puncture, on Andrew's Trek bike. As he takes the wheel of to check the tyre he has a startling realisation that its not his tyre and its not even his wheel. For the first 25 miles of the morning he'd been running Lizzie's back wheel... crazy! Normally wouldn't make much difference but they have different rear cassettes. No wonder both of them were complaining that their gears were mashing up a fair bit.
A quick change and we're off again, thankfully into some rare sunshine.
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Rest Day
Rest and recouperation mean different things to different people.
Chris spent the day relaxing, a short walk and some time being creative on the iPhone.
James spent the day either in the pharmacy or icing his knee.
Tom ran some errands and spent a few hours tinkering with bikes.
Lizzie did about 13 loads of washing for us all (muchas gracias), ferried people to and from train stations, and cooked curry for 8.
Andrew dozed for the morning, frazzled Bacon for lunch (mmmm) and made some essential weight saving changes to his bike. He's currently fiddling with an unusual looking lump on the side of his knee.
Yorky ran 17 miles.
I rode down to Lancaster, the heavens opening as I departed. I bought a sausage roll and a muffin. I fell off my bike. I walked into a bike shop looking like a drowning cat washed up on the beach and asked "do you sell waterproofs?" "Not really," they said. "Oh... drat." I zoomed back, gave Bianca a clean and washed all my cycling gear. Then I put my feet up and battered a pack of digestives.
There was another significant event today, the ceremonious passing of the car keys from Kim to new-comer Mary. Kim has supported us for the first week with exceptional patience, now Mary picks up the baton till John O'Groats. Hopefully she'll be able to put up with us. We seem to be getting more demanding as the days go by. Mary already had a new tyre express delivered to her place in London which she had to bring with her. "8 pairs of brake pads, please", "we need more milk than you can imagine", "I need smokey Bacon crisps" and "we need cream for the strudel" are some of the other requests being thrown up.
Without Kim and Mary, this ride would be a million times harder, and a million times less fun, so we thank them both.
The other job for today was to get the final days mapped out. Routemaster Tom got to work on Google Maps and plotted the final 495 miles up to the North East of Scotland. He then got to work with the ice bag on his own knee, with James in the foreground, in a rather bizarre Yoga inspired stretch/knee icing position.
Tomorrow will see us cross the border, with a 75 mile jaunt to Gretna. We'll be skirting around the East side of the Lake District but some of the hills are unavoidable.
Time to sleep, then let's get riding.
Week One - Video
Whilst the others were outside fixing up our bikes in the rain, I put together this little video summary of our first week...
Alternative Link
Alternative Link
Location:Kirkby Lonsdale
It's right grim oop north
Third time lucky with writing n uploading...
As everyone else got such an early start I headed to Liverpool for a few hours. switched to City Radio & was easy to reach Albert Docks as unlike London there's plenty of helpful signage. Had a failed (got either blank looks or complicated 'do you know where xxx is' directions) wander round the shops, via the Superlambbananas, in search of shakes to boost the dwindling supplies of some of the riders headed back to the pier for the ferry 'cross the Mersey trip. You can get off on the other side and do interesting u-boat tours but I just had time for the round trip with commentary - started with the song!
Can't decide whether I like the accent or not but 30 kids running around shouting wasn't ideal. Spent my time on the first leg walking to whatever bit of the ferry they'd just left! Aside from that and the wind was good and had lovely views of the skyline, even taking in New Brighton (no pier) on the other side.
Apart from Bootle, Liverpool is a lot nicer than expected and didnt see a single shellsuit!
Made the decision to take a slower route than the M6 and drove through Southport before stopping in Preston for lunch. The city centre is a thoroughly depressing place so ate quickly before heading for the motorway and the cottage. Almost went to Kendal for mint cake but decided against it in the end.
Switched to Lakeland Radio in Cumbria- no mention of kitchenware.
The view from the road was pretty good but even better on the hill to the cottage and kept stopping on the narrow lane for pictures.
Once I'd worked out the right cottage (next doors springer spaniel probably not included in the price) I waited for Yorky to arrive and his feet to thaw before we headed for mammoth shop. Got a free tussauds ticket but if you have to spend over £200 (still forgot a couple of things) for 1 ticket to Thorpe Park is that not a rip-off?!?? Unless prices have risen recently?
Considering it's a rest day a lot of exercise has happened - Yorky's run, Nige giving Bianca her daily exercise & me dragging Andrew out for a short walk! Afternoon mostly consisted of Mary arriving, route plotting, icing sore knees and bike cleaning in the rain.
Not sure what Lancaster has to offer but the station isn't the best or warmest place to spend an hour!
Have definitely enjoyed driving up the country and getting a taste of places I'd like to see more of (Cornwall, Wales amongst others) and some I'd rather forget (Runcorn & Preston stand out). Impressed myself with not really managing to get lost apart from when trying to find Penzance station - who needs satnav?! Took a mere (for me) 700 photos and the unedited selection is a slideshow waiting to happen on Tom's laptop!
Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed (for a few days anyway til sussex based camping) and getting some exercise after a week of mostly sitting. Not much looking forward to first 5 day working week in a while... Semi expecting a phonecall from someone who's cycling down a hill and can't talk other than a mileage/ time guesstimate)
Hoping that the rest of the trip goes well and the weatherman was wrong about windy Monday!
As Jerry Springer would say - take care of yourselves, and each other. And watch the bananas!!
The Transporter
As everyone else got such an early start I headed to Liverpool for a few hours. switched to City Radio & was easy to reach Albert Docks as unlike London there's plenty of helpful signage. Had a failed (got either blank looks or complicated 'do you know where xxx is' directions) wander round the shops, via the Superlambbananas, in search of shakes to boost the dwindling supplies of some of the riders headed back to the pier for the ferry 'cross the Mersey trip. You can get off on the other side and do interesting u-boat tours but I just had time for the round trip with commentary - started with the song!
Can't decide whether I like the accent or not but 30 kids running around shouting wasn't ideal. Spent my time on the first leg walking to whatever bit of the ferry they'd just left! Aside from that and the wind was good and had lovely views of the skyline, even taking in New Brighton (no pier) on the other side.
Apart from Bootle, Liverpool is a lot nicer than expected and didnt see a single shellsuit!
Made the decision to take a slower route than the M6 and drove through Southport before stopping in Preston for lunch. The city centre is a thoroughly depressing place so ate quickly before heading for the motorway and the cottage. Almost went to Kendal for mint cake but decided against it in the end.
Switched to Lakeland Radio in Cumbria- no mention of kitchenware.
The view from the road was pretty good but even better on the hill to the cottage and kept stopping on the narrow lane for pictures.
Once I'd worked out the right cottage (next doors springer spaniel probably not included in the price) I waited for Yorky to arrive and his feet to thaw before we headed for mammoth shop. Got a free tussauds ticket but if you have to spend over £200 (still forgot a couple of things) for 1 ticket to Thorpe Park is that not a rip-off?!?? Unless prices have risen recently?
Considering it's a rest day a lot of exercise has happened - Yorky's run, Nige giving Bianca her daily exercise & me dragging Andrew out for a short walk! Afternoon mostly consisted of Mary arriving, route plotting, icing sore knees and bike cleaning in the rain.
Not sure what Lancaster has to offer but the station isn't the best or warmest place to spend an hour!
Have definitely enjoyed driving up the country and getting a taste of places I'd like to see more of (Cornwall, Wales amongst others) and some I'd rather forget (Runcorn & Preston stand out). Impressed myself with not really managing to get lost apart from when trying to find Penzance station - who needs satnav?! Took a mere (for me) 700 photos and the unedited selection is a slideshow waiting to happen on Tom's laptop!
Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed (for a few days anyway til sussex based camping) and getting some exercise after a week of mostly sitting. Not much looking forward to first 5 day working week in a while... Semi expecting a phonecall from someone who's cycling down a hill and can't talk other than a mileage/ time guesstimate)
Hoping that the rest of the trip goes well and the weatherman was wrong about windy Monday!
As Jerry Springer would say - take care of yourselves, and each other. And watch the bananas!!
The Transporter
Location:Speedin towards London town
Favorite Place Names
To keep us amused on our long days of riding, we have taken to keeping an eye out for amusing or bizarre place names.
Until yesterday, my favourite had been somewhere we had seen early on (day 2, I believe). A place called Boconnoc, in Cornwall.
However, this was surpassed by the fabulously named hamlet of Top O' Th' Lane, nr Brindle, Lancashire. I think I like it for the way it is spelt as it no doubt sounds in the local dialect, and that it perfectly (if unimaginatively) describes where it is located! I only wish I'd stopped to get a photo of the sign post.
Let's see if Scotland can produce a place name which can top this one.....
Until yesterday, my favourite had been somewhere we had seen early on (day 2, I believe). A place called Boconnoc, in Cornwall.
However, this was surpassed by the fabulously named hamlet of Top O' Th' Lane, nr Brindle, Lancashire. I think I like it for the way it is spelt as it no doubt sounds in the local dialect, and that it perfectly (if unimaginatively) describes where it is located! I only wish I'd stopped to get a photo of the sign post.
Let's see if Scotland can produce a place name which can top this one.....
Location:Kirkby Lonsdale
Facts and Stats
A few facts and stats from halfway through our ride, from leaving my house in London last Friday....
Total distance: 514 miles
Total time: 52 hrs, 19 mins
Total ascent: 22,530 feet
Total calories: 23,625
I'm not sure how accurate the calories figure is, but given how much I've eaten on this rest day alone I wouldn't be surprised if my calorie intake isn't far off this amount!
To put the total ascent figure into perspective, it is about 6.4 Snowdons. And as the height of Mt Everest is about 29,000 feet, we can expect by the end of this little jaunt to have exceeded this in total ascent.
Total distance: 514 miles
Total time: 52 hrs, 19 mins
Total ascent: 22,530 feet
Total calories: 23,625
I'm not sure how accurate the calories figure is, but given how much I've eaten on this rest day alone I wouldn't be surprised if my calorie intake isn't far off this amount!
To put the total ascent figure into perspective, it is about 6.4 Snowdons. And as the height of Mt Everest is about 29,000 feet, we can expect by the end of this little jaunt to have exceeded this in total ascent.
Location:Kirkby Lonsdale
Hard Days Riding
Man that was tough! With the Wimbleball 70.3 race fast approaching, and with Sunday being a rest day, day 7 was going to have to be a hard solo training day!
After a 20 mile warmup followed by a good breakfast, I said goodbye to the others and set off on my own. 62 miles and 2000m of climb through Lancashire hills awaited. I wasn't expecting the bitter headwinds though!
The first big hill was fine. Very wet, but ok. The rain carried on, and there was a closed road which added some more miles, and then the next hills into a howling headwind! Hills in Lancashire aren't especially tall, just a few hundred metres. They just go up, then down, then up, then down again, slowly sapping the strength out of your legs.
When the wind is pushing you down hill as you try to climb up, and you aren't stopping for any rests, it gets Hard! It was bitterly cold too, and after a while I couldn't feel my toes! All the dirt on the wet roads was getting washed up into my chain, which had started making a nasty grinding sound.
The views were amazing though. Once the rain cleared, the rolling hills gave a fantastic view of the Lancashire and Cumbria countryside. After dropping down into the last valley and avoiding a few stray sheep, I climbed the last hill to the cottage. Looking forward to a good rest day!
After a 20 mile warmup followed by a good breakfast, I said goodbye to the others and set off on my own. 62 miles and 2000m of climb through Lancashire hills awaited. I wasn't expecting the bitter headwinds though!
The first big hill was fine. Very wet, but ok. The rain carried on, and there was a closed road which added some more miles, and then the next hills into a howling headwind! Hills in Lancashire aren't especially tall, just a few hundred metres. They just go up, then down, then up, then down again, slowly sapping the strength out of your legs.
When the wind is pushing you down hill as you try to climb up, and you aren't stopping for any rests, it gets Hard! It was bitterly cold too, and after a while I couldn't feel my toes! All the dirt on the wet roads was getting washed up into my chain, which had started making a nasty grinding sound.
The views were amazing though. Once the rain cleared, the rolling hills gave a fantastic view of the Lancashire and Cumbria countryside. After dropping down into the last valley and avoiding a few stray sheep, I climbed the last hill to the cottage. Looking forward to a good rest day!
Location:Sealford Ln,,United Kingdom
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