4/5/12 LEJOG days 4-7

As I type this Michiel should be enjoying a beer in Tintern having crossed the Severn Bridge today!
Tomorro I'm driving to Shrewsbury & will cycle south to rendezvous with his party at the top of Hope Valley (so long as I get my timing right!!)
The descent down hope valley for me back in Sept 2009 was the best descent of the whole LEJOG trip, as the car behind backed off & I had all the road to use. Ther surface was perfect & descent exhillarating..I hope it's the same tomorrow.
Then I an joining the group to Preston on Saturday, on to Carlisle on Sunday (over Shap again) and into Gretna on Monday morning. From there I will head back to carlisle station and home.
I am really looking forward to following in my own footsteps for a few days...
...more info when I can log in somewhere....
follow Michiel:-

http://www.wheelygreat.blogspot.co.uk/

and some vets on the ride too! Seem to knackered to write much!
http://www.ccvetscycleride.blogspot.co.uk/

22/4/12 Peterborough 100 (well 50 that is)

Met up with Michiel at Elton at 0700 & we parted at the bottom of Uppingham Hill.
He carried on to do the complete 100 miles whilst I headed back covering 51 miles.
Quite cold & a nasty N wind.

15th April THE QUATTRO!

In the past couple of week the weather has turned pretty foul, but I met up with Michiel at the start in Cogenhow on a bright but chilly morning. We set off with the first group at 0800, and due to some local nicking the MEDIUM/LONG route arrow we came back round to the start again after 10 miles!! There was a loop later we could omit & set off again completing the 59 miles in 3h51m @ 15.4 mph.
One more ride next week in the peterborough 100 before Michiel's LEJOG
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1141443/edit

1st April SOLO ride to Peterborough & back

Was a lovely April fools day so I thought I'd get up early in the warm spring sunshine & knock off another ride.
I headed out pasth Fotheringhay, briefly pausing at the castle ruins, remembering Mary Queen of Scot's horrific execution there... Then on past Elton & through Ferry Meadows to the Rowing lake. I paused to watch a few crew training & remembered some fanatical coaches yelling their heads off in my younger rowing days!
The trip back picked p the helping wind & I was soon home after a lovely 61 miles.
Only a month till Michiel starts his LEJOG & I am planning to join him for two days...

25th March THE CHESHIRE CAT...AT LAST!!

This has been on my radar for a couple of years - Michiel & I had been keen to tackle the Mow Cop KILLER MILE. With the clocks going forward & an early start I decided to drive up in Ruby the night before. Strangley (!) Crewe doesn't have many campsites so I snuck into a quiet corner of the station Car Park - pulled the curtains round and fell to sleep (easy as I'd done the Friday night shift zzzZZZZZ!!!
Woke to a beautful morning as fellow cyclists arrived & unpacked their bikes. When Michiel arived I had tea bacon & sausages ready. Once registered (at Crewe Alex. FC) we even had time to return to Ruby for a cuppa before the off.
What a fantastic day - cool & bright without a cloud in the sky & light breeze only...perfect cycling weather!!
We sped out of Crewe and within 15miles the Mow Cop Folly castle came into view. I'd heard about the killer mile with it's leg sapping climb leading to the viscious 25% section past the pub. I kept as much reserve as I could & Michiel sped on ahead. With 2/3 of the riders stopping to walk I gritted my teeth and with much gurning wheezing panting gasping & groaning I MADE IT!! For a minute or two I just couldn't get enoug air in my lungs but I recovered quickly & soon we were over thge top and whizzing down the other side. My rear brake was closing but not opening so I kept the speed down as we zoomed over genarally crappy roads with rough surfaces & lethal pot holes galore. There were 3 more hills to climb so at the 37m halfway point we had climbed 3600ft. The second half was a magnificent fast journy back around to Crewe and a welcome cup of tea - and the MOW COP MEDAL!
77.1m 5h27m @14.1mph 4995ft 483m for 2012
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/564684

18th march 'no excuses' wiggle series ride

The opening wiggle event is free to enter, but if a no show then £25 goes to Charity
I got there early & being Mothers day put my foot down a bit getting back by 11 & home by 12!
Was grey dull cold and slightly drizzly - but it's a good route & one I'll do again..
44.2m 2h45m @ 16mph 2690ft climb

18th Feb 2012 after the big freeze - THE SNOWDROP

(spot the product placement!!!!!) click picture to enlarge...

Late Jan early Feb some crazy low temperatures kept me off the road and into the Gym...(deadly boring+++).
Club run 22/1/12 up into the Welland Valley on a mild if cloudy day.
30.2m 2h02m @14.8mph 1475ft climb

Then a drive over to Harbury to meet up with the lads for the, now, annual Snowdrop AUDAX, including the, now, annual 'Doc short cut'!
We set off in fine weather with rain forecast and headed down aver familiar roads past Droitwich and as the others (TTT, tractor, Ron, Chris, Sarah (not TTT's Sarah!) & Andy) headed off to the Upton cake stop I headed off to Evesham, suprising the first of the clockwise group who looked puzzled about the wheezing old fella who seemed to be ahead of all the anti-clockwise group!!
Getting to the cafe at 1140 I sat down for peacefull beans o toast and tea. The first group came in 15mins after me - a great effort as they'd done 12 miles more than me.
Around 1230 the others arrived looking rather miserable and wet as the heavens had opened!
I set off for the 30 miles home, in the heavy cold rain, trying to stay ahead of TTT & Tractor but thet caught me with a few miles to go. My toes had 'died' in the cold but overall it's a lovely ride.
Will do again in 2013 (Michiel unable to ride today due to a pesky ureteric calculus...) Note to self....short cut good idea...65 miles enough to start the season off...
64.9m 4h53m @ 13.4mph 2731ft climb