Training
Day Trip to Richmond
I decided that it was time to go for a real big day out, I have been building up my strength again after the injury and felt that I could handle a 7 hour day again.
My mum is staying in a cottage in a small villiage called Marske near Richmond, North Yorkshire. This is about 70 miles from Leeds so an out&back seemed ideal, especially as I’d get a free lunch out of it!
I finally dragged myself out of bed and was ready to leave by 10:30. The route took me up through Pool, up a big long hill to Ripon, then towards Richmond via Masham.
I left in shorts and a short jersey with just a windshell in my pocket, as it was forecast to be sunny, with cloud. It was very bright to begin with. And I was soon warmed up enough to be comfortable. One problem was the wind, it cooled me down a little too much on the descents and easy bits but this wasn’t the worst part. Every so often the clouds gathered and unleashed a load of water onto me, I must have stopped to put my jacket on and take it off at least 10 times!
The ride was uneventful for the first 50km or so, I felt pretty fresh and the roads were fine, even though I’d done plenty of climbs already. The problems started when I hit the wall, I didn’t really eat a proper breakfast, and the bonk got me on a steep climb coming out of Ripon. At this point the countryside opened up into Swaledale and the road was a lot more exposed, so the wind was right on my face and felt brutal.
The combination of wind and carb-deficiancy really hit me and cut my speed down to less than 25kph. I recovered a little with some energy gel, but the wind was unrelenting. I did eventually make it into Marske for a quick rest before walking up the rough track to the house.
I was immediately plied with food, and felt really good again within a short space of time. As I said, the intention was to cycle back to Leeds the same day, in time for a party at 8:00. However, my knee was complaining a bit on the last 5km and I’m very paranoid about any feeling in it after recovering from tendonitis that crippled me for 3 months so I stayed with the lovely group of very good cooks!
I thought I might ride back today, but the few steps I’ve taken so far haven’t been great. I’ll just continue to wear my mums clothes and hitch a ride home with her later on!
Oh, and Swaledale wins it for me in the Wensley/Swale run off!
Hauling Ass…
I’ve been thinking a lot about how best to prepare for the 72L of load I’ll be carrying on-board the already quite weighty Gina.
I think it could be quite a shock getting on the road with all the necessary gear after spending all summer training on my expensive super-light racer! Despite there being months and months between now and when I plan to leave, I might have to start to factor in the extra weight and subsequently the extra power I will need to transport all my kit and myself around the Continent.
The other thing that may affect my competence on Gina will be the geometry and feel of the bike. I’ve already almost come a cropper on my racer when jabbing on the brakes at a stop-light, where I attempted to headbutt the rear window of the car in front! Another slightly less obvious consequence of the differences between the bikes is the saddle sores I’ve developed this week due to perching on my ultra-thin racing saddle after a few days getting used to the very comfortable Sella Italia I was given with the new bike.
I think the best way to go now is to concentrate on my usual training for the next few months in order to get my right (screwed) leg back into shape. Then I will try and begin some more power/endurance work, and finally to begin riding exclusively with Gina as D-day gets nearer.
I’m sure a few weekenders/overnighters with full panniers will help too, but these will be primarily used to help iron out any creases in my packing and kit list.
Watch this space….