Not a great day

Did my usual training ride to Benson today.
53 miles, 3,000 feet climb, and today, very windy.
I was really looking forward to it. Geeta was away on her leadership program, so I had Daniele with me all week. After missing out on last weekends ride, I couldn't wait to get a few more miles under my belt.
I even managed to go to sleep early last night (well, by 11PM).
But I must have been really tired from the past week.
I woke up late (9.30 AM), then took even longer to get ready and have my breakfast.
Finally I realized I didn't have any juice to put in my water bottles, so had to take plain water with me.
By the time I left I could tell I was not in great shape.
Anyway, I got on with the ride, I even enabled the Virtual Partner option on my GPS to keep me motivated.
Unfortunately, I missed a turn due to traffic at a junction (one of the problems of leaving late is that you have to deal with more traffic), which meant my Virtual Partner was ahead of me by a quarter of a mile, and kept the advantage all the way to the top of Pishill.
If it can be of any consolation, this time I didn't feel as tired when I got to the top of Pishill: not the best performance in terms of time, but I managed to keep a steady pace all the way to the top, which in my opinion shows I am getting better at managing my energy reserves.
After Benson, I met another rider and I am please to say I was first to the top of the climb, although he then caught up with me when I slowed down in town to recover some energy. Did I mention I was not in my best shape today?
By this time I was ahead of my Virtual Partner by a quarter of a mile.
Anyway, he was a nice chap, so we rode together, me at the front, for a few miles: apparently we were both heading back to Wokingham, but he was going back the Henley way.
By this time the wind really picked up, and every downhill section was a struggle to get above 30 mph. Needless to say my Virtual Partner caught up with me and his advantage was just growing steadily...
I got back home after a total time of 2h 58m, 5 minutes later than my Virtual Partner. Hence the disappointment.

For future reference, the Pishill climb (from the sign at the bottom to the sign at the top of the ascent):
Time: 9m 36s
Distance: 1.96 miles
Av. speed: 12.2 mph
Max speed: 16.9 mph

This week I am resuming the regular commute to work, which should hopefully raise my fitness level back to where I left it a week ago.
Next weekend I will do two back-to-back rides to Benson, and I just can't wait!

140 miles in two days

This weekend I raised the bar a little higher.

On Sunday morning, I left home at 7 AM and arrived in Orpington 3 hours an 58 minutes later. That's 72 miles at an average of 18.1 mph.

I was well chuffed with myself, especially since I was able to pace myself and keep a pretty consistent average speed throughout the whole ride, and tackling all the climbs with vigor.

Only needed three Nutrigrain bars and drank 1.5 litres of fluids: a mix of water, fruit juice and a pinch of salt, which helped the fluids being absorbed more quickly.

The weather was hotter than I anticipated, I had my new waterproof overshoes and my compact waterproof jacket in my jersey's pockets, but fortunately I did not need them.

I then set up the paddling pool for Daniele's party in the in-laws back garden and spent the afternoon playing games and eating a lot of indian food!

I was so pleased with the morning's ride that I decided to cycle to work in Maidenhead from Orpington this morning.



I left at 6AM: 67 miles and 3 hours and 45 minutes later I was in the office's carpark, at an average speed of 18 mph.

To say that I was exceptionally pleased with the performance is an understatement.

I am now feeling quite tired and am heading off to bed for a well deserved rest.

Next time, I might even attempt a ton! (i.e. 100 miles)

Training resumed

After achieving the £1,000 fundraising milestone, and a well deserved two weeks holiday in sunny Spain, I am back for more!

I will resume my regular cycling commute this week, and for the weekend I have planned a long distance training ride.

At 72 miles, this route (see link below) will take me from Wokingham to Orpington in Kent, going through the North and South Downs. The highlight will be Box Hill in Dorking.
The total ascent will be 3,160 feet.



I aim to do it in just over 4 hours, leaving home before 6.00 AM to avoid Sunday morning traffic.

I will then have to be fit enough to play with my son all day: that will be the real test! :-)