Summary of Week 16

Well thing's have been on the up, as I got back to making the daily ride into work, although Saturdays ride wasn't so great, I put this down to the heavy weather & poor planning/preparation. Sunday certainly made up for my lack luster effort the previous day with an awesome 75 mile [125 km] combination ride around Shrewsbury & Telford' surrounding country side skirting the Shropshire Hills along the way. Cardio & aerobic fitness levels were excellent & I got home feeling really good & hungry for more.

What a Difference a Day Makes..

24 Little hours...In the immortal words of Ester Phillips - today was a fan-bloody-tastic day. Planned a combination route around Shrewsbury & Telford - 75 miles in all. Feeling really good compared to yesterday, I was on the road at 10.00 a.m. the early mist just being burnt off as the sun broke thru' . Much more in the legs today which makes a huge difference to the enjoyment as mile after mile rolled by. Stopped to take a couple of photo's along the route & enjoyed an ice cream in Ironbridge. Didn't tackle Coalport bank today but opted for the less severe cinder track climb up to Blists Hill [with the risk of a puncture].

4 hours 27 minutes total ride time - very pleased with today's result - fitness levels & recovery excellent - I think today was as good as it gets - it really was that good.

Looking forward to next weeks ride to Barmouth with my L2P cycling buddy Mike.

Sue is coming to Dinner

Great news, on Saturday 25th July the evening we arrive in Paris the whole L2P group will be having an evening dinner to celebrate our achievement & today we received confirmation today that Sue will be able to attend this "Grande Finale" dinner in Paris.

Point & Ride

Didn't feel too bright before todays ride, a little tired, maybe its the heavy, sticky weather. Anyway I set off with no clear idea of a route & just decided to point & ride, turning as & when I liked the look of what was in front of me. Did 28 miles & several climbs including the Coalport Rd [climb] past Blists Hill museum which is a little tough. Turned out that the 28 miles was a variation on my loops in & around Telford - guess I was on autopilot.

Things looking up...On two fronts

Improved mileage this week with 3 out of 5 days cycled to work - looking forward to the weekend, not sure of the route yet maybe a combination of Telford - Shrewsbury?

Some of my "pledged" sponsor money has started to roll in & as everyone at work gets paid next week, hopefully more will follow.

Road Kill

I forgot to mention on Sunday post & the weekly summary about the amount of road kill I observed on the route in & out of Shrewsbury, the most I have ever seen. I will try & recount the variety of wildlife that had met its maker, so in no particular order - Mouse, Rat, Hedgehog, Squirrel, Rabbit, Large Rabbit [probably a Hare] Ferret [not sure could have been a Weasel or Stout], Crow, Magpie, Pigeon, various other small birds, Pheasant, Partridge & a Fox - I think that was everything - good ride with a dark side.

Summary of Week 15

Sod it - another week dominated by work interrupting the training regime. Only managed the one day to work [very poor show]. But again made up for it again on Saturday & Sunday with 43 & 62 respectively. The new route in & out of Shrewsbury was a welcome change to the loop variations around Telford. You may have notice I have added ride route maps to the posting's - I will endeavor to add maps to all well ridden training routes I have done.

Something a bit Different

A new route today - In & Out of Shrewsbury - I said after yesterdays ride that the loop's I have been doing around Telford are wearing a bit thin, so I Googled a new route & despite missing the odd turn & having to back track a few times it was really enjoyable. Good roads, not too hilly & not too busy.

No stats for todays route as I some how managed to turn off the GPS when taking a photo? View is from Pontesbury Road - looking towards Shropshire Hills.

But the Google map shows it was 61.6 miles [not including the back tracking] & it took me 3 hrs 50 minutes [including the back tracking].

As Promised

As promised in yesterday post I was out on the bike doing 40+ miles today, I took it steady as I haven't been out all week, basically spinning the legs over the lumpy terrain chosen for today route. The weather wasn't as good as I expected, a bit chilly & breezy with the odd shower. All in all a good prep ride for Sunday's outing.

Ride Stats:

Distance 42.9 miles

Elapse time: 2.28.41

Avg Speed: 15.9 mph

Max Speed: 35.3 mph

Min Altitude: 358 ft

Max Altitude: 842 ft

"Tomorrow will be something different as the local loops are wearing a bit thin"

A Poor Week Again [sorry]

I really must try harder, this week I have only managed 1 day's ride to work & back - a miserable 14 miles. Work's mental stress has really been taking its toll & I haven't felt like getting out & about.

But wait a minute?...the weekend is here & the forecast is good. So tomorrow morning I will be "lubing' the chain & setting off to do 40+ followed by a 60+ on Sunday afternoon. This doesn't make up for missing the miles in the week but at least it will clear my head.

My order of Energy drink & Gels arrived today so I have no excuse?

Only 33 days to go!

Route Rides

As promised I have started to add maps of my training rides - these are being added to postings retrospectively - so look at the archive links for a history of my training rides - they are "wheelie" good - Ha Ha!

Summary of Week 14

Not much in the way of rides during the week as work takes over again but made up for it on Saturday & Sunday with 2 good outings. The sunshine returned & 43 miles on Saturday was followed by 63 on Sunday. Not long to go now!

Sunday's 65 [almost]

Had to do the gardening chores first thing so didn't ride until after lunch. Set off at 3.00 p.m. for my planned 65+ miler.

The heat had gone from the sun a little & it was excellent cycling weather, my legs & lungs were feeling good & donned in full castelli kit I was also looking good [he said with a snigger].

My route would be a variation to an earlier Telford loop with an added climb from Buildwas up to Much Wenlock & then continuing to climb up thru Benthall to Broseley [I'd forgotten how much of hill this was, so it was a bit of a shock].

The title suggests that I didn't do 65 miles...& that is correct, I had run out of fluids & was desperate for a drink so instead of the final loop around Roddington/Walcot, I cut straight thru Longden-on-tern to home.

Really enjoyed the ride & felt very good after a drink of water & recovery drink.

Ride stats:

Distance - 63.3 miles

Elapse Time - 3:54:00

Av Speed - 16.2 mph

Max Speed - 40.1 mph

Min Altitude - 291 ft

Max Altitude - 901 ft

The sun has got his hat on...again

The Sun is back & as promised - I am back in the saddle - the weekend miles start here, so I went out relatively early & cycled 43 miles. Great sunshine & feeling good for tomorrows 65+ ride.

I will shortly be adding route maps for all my training rides, so if anyone wants to know exactly were I have been doing my training rides they can follow in some well tested tyre tracks.

Its too damn quiet...

Only managed to cycle to work one day this week [Friday] as work has taken control again. I'm still waiting for the quiet spell [at work] that my manager keeps telling me about? Starting early & working late really disrupts the training schedule. Not getting enough miles in during the week so just have to ensure the miles are good at the weekend - Planning 40+ on Saturday & 65+ on Sunday.

Oh & there are only 39 days until we start the L2P.

Summary of Week 13

Cycled to work for the first time in three weeks [due to work & holiday] - the weather took a turn for the worse at the end of the week as the sun disappeared & the rain came down. Second joint ride with L2P buddy Mike on Sunday was "character building" as we cycled 60+ miles in the pouring rain - Telford - Wem -Ellesmere - Shrewsbury - Telford. we have got soaked to the skin but we enjoyed every minute.

We are officially mad?

Well, I said yesterday that Mike & I would be out cycling whether rain or shine...& boy did it rain. Don't get me wrong it didn't rain for the whole ride I think it actually stopped at one point. So heres the tale of events, we set off at 9.00 am in a light shower which progressed into a down pour at about the 5 mile point, this petered to a shower & then it actually stopped [false hope]. After a brief stop mid-point we turned for home & thats when the heavens opened, we cycled through a monsoon & floods across the road barely able to see at one point. As I led us into the beating rain I could hear Mike saying "this is bloody horrible" to which I replied "its character building" - half a mile later Mike whimpered "its not character building it bloody horrible" - my reply - "I think its brightening up" - we both burst into fits of laughter. And of course it never did brighten, up at least not until we had completed our 60 miles & got home - 'brilliant'.

By the way we never got our cup of tea at Ellesmere as we both forgot to take any money - D'oh!

One further thing I will add is that despite the appalling conditions we both loved every minute & if we can cycle through this then we are well on the way to meeting our targets for the L2P.

Planning for Sunday's 60

Well the weather has certainly taken a turn, it hasn't stopped raining all day, looks like today will be a wash out. Ideal opportunity to plan tomorrows 60+ mile ride with Mike. I think it will be from home to Hodnet, Wem & then Ellesmere [a short Tea break at the Mere cafe maybe in order] before heading off to Shrewsbury - down the old A5 to home. Lets hope the weather is a bit brighter.

I have just spoken to Mike & we are in agreement to ride no matter what the weather, as we cant decline when it comes to the L2P event. 

The Daily Grind

I didn't realise it but today was the first day I'd cycled to work for nearly 3-weeks due to work commitments & holidays, so the daily grind resumed. 

Just too much baggage

Back to work today after a weeks holiday, had too much stuff too take in to cycle so decided to do a ride after work. Went out about 7.00 p.m. and did 38.5 km - easy leg spin, weather was just cooling so it was nice. 

Summary of Week 12

Spring Bank Holiday week and what a week for the weather its been fantastic, just right to entice you out on the bike. 

It was back to the solo training regime this week and a bit lonely after such a good run last weekend with Mike. 

Out of the saddle, Sue & I went out for a few days before she starts her new job as a team leader at the new Tesco store in Madeley. 

Picked up on Friday thru' Sunday as the wheels on the bike go round & round, round & round, I have now done over 1000 miles in training, another landmark [1st]

Talking about landmarks Jack Allen has started his bike ride around Britain keep up to date at Jack Allen (AKA my Dad) Travel Blog