Cleve's first post

......What have I got myself into?!?!? Back in October as I lay there the day after my knee op, I was thinking "......well that puts the running on the back-burner", I'd earlier in the year completed the Leeds 1/2 marathon although something click in my left knee at 11 miles .. ran until the end (hobbled)", I needed a new challenge or just let myself get older & unfit, which I didn't like the sound of.

Been speaking to Matt for a while about some sort of charity cycle event, when he told me about the Masia heritage fund I thought let's do something big .... well they don't come much bigger.

I'm still doing rehab for my knee so didn't get on a road bike until a couple of weeks ago, been hammering the static bike for a couple of months so feeling ok. So my training now starts in anger, going to mix up my training on 2 different bikes, not decided which bike to do the event on yet (road bike or my new Chris Boardman performance hybrid) - might do it on both.

So we're kitted out & preparing ourselves for 8 months of pounding the road (we're big lads, I think I'm the shortest at 6ft 1") before the biggest 8 day human body test of our lives, I must confess that when I was much younger (& fitter) I did the LEJOG ride, so I think I know what I've let myself in for, but as the years & the alcohol have taken there toll I don't think I'm at any advantage. I'm really looking forward to it, the training will be great, we'll be fit, lose weight, raise a superb amount of money for a brilliant cause & have some fun along the way, the event itself will have it's ups & downs, but we'll get there - for that I'm sure ..... unless my knee gives up, my physio says she has no concerns.

Looking to get our 1st joint training ride in come next weekend (just a nice 33 mile warm-up), so will update how that went & the rest next month.

Cleve

Jonathan's Post

19th Jan - Jonathan

I started training just before Christmas. Matt gave me a copy of the route and fitness plan and believe me it looked tough. From a leisurely 20 minute cycle twice a week to a five hour slog each weekend and 1 hour each night of the week, I cant say that I was relishing the prospect.

As it turns out, things are going quite well. My shifts at work are causing slight problems with the training plan, but I'm managing to get around things and although the diet initially took some getting used to, it too is now working out well. It seems that the world and his wife are dieting at the moment so whether it be at home with Alison's Rosemary Connolly diet or at work with Libby's "eat nothing but packet soup" diet, I'm managing to get all my dieting support that I need. (As well as giving some myself!!)

After a conversation with David, my brother in law, he convinced me that I probably needed a new bike. The one we have at home at the moment is one that Alison won in a raffle!!! Its a great bike, a Trek, but is built for off roading. To say its too small for me is a bit of an understatement. Its not that my knees are dragging on the floor, but at 6ft 3 I need a bike which is what you might call, full size!!

So this weekend I took a trip to a local bike shop and bought myself another bike. Its a hybrid and made by Trek. Because of the incessant rain this week, I haven't taken it out yet. I'm hoping that this weekend, when Matt brings his new Chris Boardman bike over, that we get chance to go out. I just cant bear the thought of taking it out in the rain at the moment!!

Well here it is....my first blog!!

Matt, 19th Jan

Before i start - for those that have seen the pictures or have seen me riding about i feel that i need to explain the pink crash-helmet! I am colour blind and my ever so kind brother told me in the shop that it was purple - an awful trick to play i feel - all i can say is watch yourself Jonathon and remember who is sorting out the riding gear!!!!!

Back in October i received confirmation from Memusi school that they had been granted by the region elders to build a new school and at that time i knew that something big had to be done to raise the money to build a new school. So 3 seriously unfit people (1 of which has just had a knee operation) opted to cycle the length of the country (and when i say unfit that is an understatement!!). On starting training something odd occured - why has it become so difficult to ride a bike? As a child things were miles easier than they are now!!! However, training has been going for 6 weeks now and things are really getting going!! At first i managed to spend 15 minutes on an excercise bike before collapsing on the floor in a heap! This week i managed a 23k ride in an hour on the same bike!!!

Both Jonathon and I have had a couple of rides on a weekend together as well and things are appearing much easier for both of us as well - although i am sure if we both admit it, we are still miles off. The stops are becoming less frequent and i havent thrown my bike to floor in temper for a couple of weeks now! The challenge for tomorrow is a 30 mile ride - just hoping that the rain holds off. However, i now have a new bike (Boardman) and i cant wait to give it a real go.

Although i can say that things have been going well, that isnt absolutely accurate. We have met a wild horse which charged us down, i have fallen off my bike, caught my leg in the chain and also lost my peddle half way down a hill. Last weekend i set off to ride over to my parents (25 miles) and got 5 miles before my chain snapped in the middle of the road. I walked home and in determination that i was going to make it over i got on Sallys (pink) bike and set off. It is about 15 sizes too small and i felt like Brandon from The Goonies!! I got the same distance and hit the snow and had to turn around. The worst part was passing the children coming out of the school as i walked past with my pink bike and pink crash-helmet. I managed 20 miles therefore but not all in the right direction!

Heres to another 8 months of hard work!