Sunday 29 September 2013

Doubling up

As we are getting closer and closer to our 5 day challenge, I decided that my next training move should be to double up on weekend cycles.  My original plan to cycle Friday evening after work, rest Saturday and then do a longer cycle Sunday was scuppered by a late night at work on Friday.

Determined not to be thwarted, I prised myself out of bed at 7am on Saturday morning.  This was made a lot easier by the fact that the sun was out and it was a glorious autumn day.  It wasn't long before I was on my way in the fresh morning air, and loving it!

The roads were quiet and I could keep a good steady pace.  I had devised a 9 mile loop from our house with a 5 mile section that could be repeated as many times as you like.  Perfect for shorter cycles.

A couple of gentle climbs added interest and ensured that I arrived home 14 miles later well exercised, and feeling rather smug at the wholesome start to my weekend.  On a call to Gillian I couldn't help but gloat about my early cycle, only to discover that she was at the top of Alderley Edge, enjoying a toasted tea cake half way round her cycle - totally trumped!

Still, this was good motivation to get up and out again on Sunday - I was in training deficit!

Chris and I were doing the same route as last weekend, but trying to get a better time.  It was another glorious morning with clear blue skies and a fresh breeze.  We set off out of Marple through the woods along Middlewood Road, and we hadn't gone very far before Chris shouted me to stop half way up a hill.  I did, and bemused, followed his instructions to go back down the hill a bit (thinking to myself that it had better be good if I had to cycle back up the hill again!).

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this fellow happily chilling out on a gate, watching the word go by



We didn't want to get too close and disturb him, but Chris managed to get a couple of pictures on his phone.  We have consulted our bird book and think it was a Tawny Owl.  Amazing.

He must have had a positive influence on us as we managed to beat last week's time by an almighty 20 seconds (including the time we stopped to admire our feathered friend)!



It's All in the (L)egs

Last weekend we decided to reduce our mileage a bit but devise a route that incorporated 2 decent climbs to keep it challenging - a 33 mile loop incorporating Artist's Lane in Alderley Edge, and Pott Shrigley, although I still haven't made it all the way to the top of PS (yet).


The whole route is fairly undulating as you can see from the elevation chart, so it is a decent work out for a shorter ride.

I tried to keep a good pace going, so was starting to feel it in my legs on the way back, and my mind wandered on to the thought of what I would have to eat when I got back.  This keeps me going!

I had a craving for scrambled eggs!  I decided to share this with Chris as we were cycling along, and he promptly told me that we only had 2 eggs, which was not going to cut the mustard with 2 hungry cyclists.  Luckily, I remembered that there was a farm stall that we passed on the route back, and even better - Chris had brought his wallet (I cycle like the queen - no cash).


Fresh eggs en route!
Gillian and I had passed this little cart several times on our evening training route and she always wanted to stop and buy eggs, but we never did.  Today, I was not going past without picking up half a dozen.

The climb up Pott Shrigley was then fuelled by the thought of the brunch I was going to make, which was getting bigger and bigger by the mile!

Scrambled eggs, wholemeal toast, veggie sausage, grilled tomatoes (home grown) and beans.  Cup of tea  - aah

It took about 20 minutes to prepare, and 5 minutes to reduce to:


Comfy chair anyone?!!



Sunday 15 September 2013

The final countdown

The final countdown has begun - 5 weeks tomorrow our Cuban cycling challenge begins!  After over a year and a half of build up, fundraising and training I can't believe it's so close now.

We have two 100 mile cycle events under our belt and are feeling confident about the 400km that lie in wait for us in Cuba.

Last weekend Gillian and I took very different approaches to getting back to training after our final cycle event before Cuba - I decided on a break from the bike and went for a run along the canal in glorious Sunday morning sunshine (more of a slow steady plod than a run) and really enjoyed the change - taking in the sunlit scenery at a much slower pace.

Gillian opted for pretty much the opposite and took on The Cat and Fiddle climb on her bike!   I refer to Wikipedia:

The Cat and Fiddle is a road in England between BuxtonDerbyshire and MacclesfieldCheshire, named after the public house at its summit......it is famous for its scenic views across the Greater Manchester conurbation, the Peak District National Park and the Cheshire Plain and for its many bends. It is extremely popular with motorcyclists, and is often classed as the most dangerous road in the UK....

....it climbs in a series of sharp bends onto the flat moorland of Goyt’s Moss, where it runs as the A537 in a fairly straight line until reaching the Cat and Fiddle Inn at an altitude of 1,690 feet (520 m).[1] From the Cat and Fiddle Inn it descends to Macclesfield via a continuous series of sharp, and often blind, bends.

Awesome effort!

This goodness needs to be balanced with some naughtiness, so we have decided to have a 'We are off to Cuba' drinks night in a couple of weeks - bring on the rum!

Sunday 8 September 2013

Manchester 100

Last Sunday when the alarm went of at 6am, I was not feeling the love for cycling.  In fact I could have easily turned it off and gone back to sleep.  I didn't though - instead I got up, put on the padded pink shorts and headed out for the Cheshire lanes (100 miles of them to be precise).

We congregated in Wythenshawe park under leaden grey skies for the start.  Gillian and Ian were ahead of us in the start queue - so we wished each other a good ride over the phone and they set off ahead of us.  We planned to catch up with them at a rest stop.

It was a slow start as this sportive is not on closed roads, so we had to wait for traffic lights to get going along Altrincham road, but it wasn't long before we were through Timperley and Hale, and out onto the country lanes.

This is an event for cycling lovers - by that I mean that, unlike the London 100, there is little to distract you from the job in hand - namely cycling a long way - other than lovely rolling hills and Cheshire farmland.  There were no nasty inclines to negotiate, so it was a steady cycle.  The windy weather provided an additional challenge, but we just kept going, counting down the miles.

The first 30 miles were surprisingly difficult.  We were all a bit tired and I wasn't sure I was going to get to the end, but after a quick stop for a sandwich, I felt much better and Chris and I started to pick up a bit.  We caught up with Gillian and Ian for a few miles around the half way mark but Gillian was going strong and I was struggling to keep up.  We took a rest stop and Chris and I set off first to get a head start - I didn't think it would be long before she caught up with us.

I was surprised not to see them again until the last few miles, but she had lost her chain and had to stop to get it sorted - v annoying.   Still we managed to finish together with smiles of relief as we were all shattered.  Our aim of coming in under 8 hours was not quite achieved, but we were just glad to get round.

That target still stands for the next 100 miler!