Challenge Over - What to Do next?

Well here we are three days after Ride 100, still pleased with my performance, and OK with the funds raised for The EIKON Charity - would have been nice to done better on that front, but we raised ~£5,000 altogether.

Sunday morning me passing through West Byfleet

I've been to the gym, briefly, for a gentle workout and I generally feel good. Yes I've been back on the bike too, OK only a short two mile ride to the shops and back but it felt good the legs weren't protesting. 

I think this weekend I will take another ride out with my local Pure Motion team. 

I've already had suggestions from some about what to do next - polite and otherwise - like foreign cycle tours, other local events, etc. but as yet I'm undecided. 

However, certain I'm going to do something. I think its the challenge we need to drive us along, that mountain to climb, river to cross, call it what you will we all need a challenge.

As I said at the start, I'm still happy with my time for the 100, but I'm sure if it were not for the early season fall and injuries I could have put in a rather better time. Which is what I intend to do next year... Yes, I really think I'm going to do it again, cos' I thoroughly enjoyed it.

But for now back to the general cycling and maintaining fitness, which is where it all started.

Ride London-Surrey 100 - Complete

Well I completed the ride in Six hours twenty-nine minutes, without any mishaps or technical issues, so quite happy with that - though at the end my body was telling me otherwise!

Happy to collect the medal at the end.

About 16,400 people started the ride and the London Olympic Park, I'm not sure I've ever seen so much Carbon fibre and Lycra in one place....

Queueing to join 'Wave K' for my start

My 07:02 AM start time meant an early 04:30 start from home but we got there courtesy of Andy our 'Logistic Manager' for the day.

Have to say the event was very well organised and supported throughout he day - Big thanks to the team of people providing help, and doubtless cleaning up at the drinks stations after we'd all gone through.

In the start gate - Wave K [Blue] 07:02 off

The route as recorded on MapMyRide. Doesn't include the ~5 mile ride from the drop-off to the start point. It also doesn't show the great support we received all around the route from locals and charity support teams - big thank you to them for turning out.

Look forward to doing it again next year.... perhaps.

We raised several thousand pounds for EIKON, which I hope will enable them to continue doing such great work with our local youth. 

A final plug, it's not too late, if you've not sponsored me so far please go to my Virgin giving link on this blog site and donate now - thank you in advance.

London FreeCycle 2013 - Fun Day Out

Before my Ride London-Surrey 100 event on Sunday we thought it would be fun to take part in the FreeCycle event. 

So we, Tracie, Destiny & Verritty along with our friend Sally headed into London on the train with our bikes to join the thousands of other cyclists taking part. 

We had a really fun day out; cycling around London streets with no cars, taxi's buses, or lorries is just a delight - So much to see and, from a different perspective.

With a whole range of activities at Green Park, St Paul's and Tower Hill it was fun to ride stop, have lunch and continue.

 

Putting pedal power to good use - Fruit Smoothie, yes please!

Among the more serious cyclists there were some more unusual sights to see as well....

Been and got the t-shirt .....

Well I have my t-shirt, got my number, now just need to do the miles!

But before Sunday, tomorrow I'm going with my wife, our two girls and a friend, Sally, who works for Eikon to London for the FreeCycle event for a relaxed eight miles or so.

Seems a whole weekend of cycling ahead.

A Change of Scenery - Final Countdown

Last weekend we had the chance to head down to Dorset for a few days. So being keen to get in at least some amount of miles I duly strapped the bike to the back of the car - after filling it with all the other paraphernalia - and we headed off.

Of course its always difficult to fit everything in to a short weekend break, so I didn't get chance to do many miles ~26 in fact, but at least that along with several swimming sessions provided a fair degree of exercise.

I'd hoped to get in a couple of rides but the weather was less than predictable [and I'd not packed everything suitable for a long wet ride] so eventually I only did the one loop, below:

So now we are just three days from the event itself, the last few weeks seem to have gone quickly. I can only hope now that I've done sufficient over the past few months to make the ride itself as enjoyable as possible.

The sponsorship is still a rather less than I'd hoped for, but I do understand times are tough and there are so many charity events out there to support, but if your reading this and haven't already supported me and EIKON and feel so inclined, please do: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/NickCritchell

Right, the registration process opens today and I'm heading off to do that tonight, then check the bike over tomorrow before joining the RideLondon FreeCycle event on Saturday. Then the ride on Sunday - sounds like a busy few days ahead.

Hills on Sunday

One of the benefits of living in Surrey is that we have the hills made famous by the Olympic cyclists on our door step, the down-side just now is that everyone is trying to ride them in preparation for the Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100 and Classic events in two weeks time.

Still we gathered on Sunday morning at Pure Motion Cycles, and set off to tackle a few hills, with the aim of a half-way break at Peaslake.

Having figured that the Vachery Triathlon was taking place we had to make some minor last minute adjustments due to restricted roads  but our ride leader knew the area well enough that we soon had a route in mind and set off.

The weather was a little strange with the humidity rising and even a few drops of rain on some of the higher parts of the ride, but we made our stop in Peaslake, as planned. Despite the poor road conditions only suffered one puncture en-route and generally had an excellent ride out and back.

Father's Day Ride

A fine morning for a ride with a group (David, Justin, Simon, Vicky & Bijan) from Pure Motion Cycles heading out of West Byfleet to Box Hill and back. 

I'd not joined the group before, but was welcomed and appreciated their looking out for me as we rode - turned out to be a pretty fair test for me, having only recently got back to some distance, and I found the pace just a little quicker than my norm. But was thoroughly enjoyable.

According to MapMyRide+ http://mapmyride.com/workout/303809815 

• Total Distance: 44.33mi, 
• Time: 03:10:32, 
• Pace: 4:18min/mi, 
• Speed: 13.96mi/h.

All great practice and much needed training for the upcoming event [PruRideLondon-Surrey100/EIKON] and I look forward to getting out again soon.

Tyre choice - a personal thing

The OEM fitment tyres on my Jamis Zenith Pro Di2 were 700cx23 Vittorio Ribino Pro slicks which have various reviews; ranging from excellent, to some what lacking in grip on anything other than a straight line - My opinion falls in the latter camp, but that is a slightly jaded view, considering my fall earlier in the year.

There is no question that the Vittorio's roll very nicely, and as a result the Jamis certainly feels quick and accelerates very well, but right or wrong I decided to change them for a pair of 700xcx23 Continental Ultra Sports.

Again the reviews were mixed but on the whole the feedback is that they are grippy, reasonably durable and don't puncture any worse than anything else. 

Having now put a few hundred miles on them I would concur with the general opinion; Grippy yes, but I've just had my first puncture in the Ultra's, a thorn straight through the centre - thickest part - of the tread. 

While feeling grippy and giving confidence to the cornering, they also have a tendency to feel sticky on the road in a straight-line, to the extent that I'm considering switching back....

Still undecided, but will keep with them for now....

EIKON - The Worthy Cause?

At Eikon the aim is not just short-term success, but sustained positive outcomes over a long-term period.  Martin is now 22 years old, but was supported by Eikon some 10 years ago; he still stays in touch: 

• “In 1998 when I was 10yrs old my mother passed away due to breast cancer, and subsequently my father became an alcoholic. Consistent with a typical alcoholic, there was depression, drunk-driving, lying, irrational behaviour and increasingly having to go into hospital, so that my sister and I were often left on our own. As a result of this I found it difficult to concentrate in school, and my education and general wellbeing suffered. I first encountered Eikon on a residential trip to an outdoor activity centre in Devon. This was a great opportunity to meet people that had similar problems. 

• Eikon helped me get much needed counselling, and arranged socials that children like me didn’t get in their own families.  As of last year I have just graduated from University with an honours degree in Business Studies. I have since found a job, proposed to my fiancé, and we aim to buy a house together soon.  Having support through Eikon was a great help to my self-esteem and confidence. I think what is really important is that a child’s upbringing shapes the path of their future. If that path strays too far off course, it can affect the rest of their life with sometimes irreversible effects. I feel that Eikon can help change that”.

Thank-you so much for enabling us to support young people like Martin.  Every single penny we raise is important to us, and will help us reach out to even more young people who urgently need our help.

Our children are the future, so lets try to ensure they have as bright a future as possible by helping them through the tough times, when the world around them throws that 'curve ball' some one needs to be there to help. 

Challenge Part One - Finding time to train

As ever work seems to get in the way of leisure activities and finding time to train is a persistent challenge!

With family life and and the activities that go with it, it's hard to take several hours out of the weekend to work on those  hills, despite knowing  I need to all the practice I can get to catch up on lost training time from earlier in the year. So getting in a few short rides during the week has become a must.

When not traveling I frequently work from home so one might think it easy to slip off out for a ride and shirk the pile of emails and project deadlines, but it's often not that easy; conference calls and deadlines tend to have me at the desk for more hours not less - don't get me wrong there are times in the day or week when I take advantage of working from home, but overall it's hard to get a consistent training schedule.

That said, fortunately I live close to the Basingstoke Canal which runs from its junction with the Wey Navigation for about thirty-two miles through the Surrey and Hampshire countryside. So a quick ride, relatively speaking, along the canal towpath on a warm summer evening it's certainly worth getting out for, even if it's rather flat and the amount of other users of the path means it's a challenge to get a consistent pace.

The scenery is quite pleasant, for example the last couple of nights I've seen a pair of swans parading their new family of five good sized cygnets serenely along the water. I'm rather hoping that they'll stay safe and will see them mature over the coming weeks.

There are couples walking, families with their children learning to ride (the next generation of cyclists), dog walkers, youths messing - nothing untoward, just messing, and joggers looking at their watches to check; on their performance, or perhaps just to see if they might stop now without feeling guilty?

Its certainly not what the canal was built for but it appears its modern day use is a good one.

The Shape of Things to Come

We have known the route for some months now and for many we also broadly knew the terrain, so it will come as little surprise that the details released this week of the Ride-London-Surrey 100 route include some testing climbs along the way.

The new Participants Map provides a little  more information about facilities, some indication of the mile markers and the like, but still doesn't include the full road route.

But most obviously they seem to have omitted signs for any of the Pubs!

Oh well, perhaps they will have a bar open at the end of the Mall, for when we finish ;-)

Rolling countryside of Surrey and Berkshire

Bank Holiday weekend, so the weather was not fantastic, but I think we had the best of it this morning.

Myself, fellow RideLondon100 pedaller Nigel and friend Andy headed off on a blustery thirty odd mile ride through the rolling countryside of Surrey and Berkshire this morning.

While not sprinting along, and despite my severe lack of miles in recent months we kept a respectable pace throughout the morning. 

But as we were drawing toward the end the breeze increased to the extent that I actually had to pedal downhill a couple of times! 

One of the more notable things about the ride was the state of the roads; quite clearly Berkshire spend more on them than Surrey...

Return to the Saddle - Training Ride Accomplished!

Saturday morning eight-thirty and we are ready for a first ride since my disastrous outing in February, but it feels good to be back on the road.

Heading off feeling fine, it takes a little while to get back into the rhythm. Despite some sessions in the gym to keep a degree of fitness, riding a real bike on the road is different and the muscles really did feel like they've been neglected for too long!

My trusty stead was all checked over and ready to go, and having returned it all seems in order; only damage from the accident was a bent dérailleur hanger and some cosmetic scratches.

Well thirty Kilometres [~twenty miles] and the legs are saying enough; but it was a good start and with some determined effort in the next few weeks I very much hope to be back on track.

But as the Virgin Giving page counter says - only 72 days to go and  they will disappear very rapidly, I know I've a task ahead of me!

Fingers crossed for some decent weather over the next few weeks.

Back in the saddle .... Well Briefly!

Despite having bought myself a new bike [Jamis Xenitrh Pro Di2 at the end of the 2012 season, with the weather being what it was I'd not been out that much between December and February. But with the arrival of a few pleasant days in Feb, and my latest challenge afoot, I started my preparations and headed off on a couple of short rides.

Unfortunately, on the third of these early morning forays into the Surrey countryside I lost the front wheel on a corner, only about twenty minutes from home, and I'm still not sure now if that was ice or oil? But whichever the result was a call to my wife, once I'd collected myself from the road, asking her to come and get me - Not to go home, but off to A&E! It was more than apparent this was not just a bump!

Damaged, but it did the job!

And I was correct. The x-rays confirmed that for the first time in my fifty years that I'd broken a bone, well two actually; a fractured shoulder blade and fractured collarbone. 

Result; training placed on hold and eight-twelve weeks with my right arm in a sling, and some serious discomfort. But at least I'm glad to have been wearing the right gear. Even if it's now only fit for the bin, it did the job when I needed it... 

Well here we are now ten weeks into that recovery, getting better but fed up of the indoor cycling machine I've been using to try an maintain some level of fitness and about ready to get back on the road. 

And as if to encourage me back out on the road, my new event cycle jersey has just arrived sporting the EIKON logo.

With several of my like minded colleagues raring to go for training rides - I am, if with a little trepidation, feeling the time is right and about ready to go.

Stay tuned for updates!

RideLondon-Surrey 100 My Next Challenge

The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 is my next personal challenge. 

Following on from my successful fund raising last year [Sixty-five Miles, Funny Trousers] in support of Eikon. This year I wanted to extend myself and so decided I would up the stakes and duly signed up for the London-Surrey Ride 100 event taking place in August.

I will be riding it for the personal challenge and also with the aim of raising as much money as I can for a good cause. 

Once again I'm supporting The Eikon Charity  

The Route

Starting at the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, then following a 100-mile route on closed roads through the capital and out into Surrey’s stunning countryside. 

The route encompasses some leg-testing climbs through the Surrey hills along large parts of the route made famous by the world’s best cyclists last year.

But I'm already looking forward to the finish along The Mall in central London, shortly before the professional cyclists race in the inaugural Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic on a similar but even more demanding route.