Training has been going really well, with harder & longer distances being tackled. Since my last post I did the 47 miles i mentioned with Sophie (my other training partner), really good challenge especially the Skipton to Harrogate leg which seems to be all up hill including a 4 mile climb! Me & Matt also went out the other week tackling Emsley & Holme Moss (the group ride Matt said i'd chickened out of) - nice challenging hills. I've got a few training runs of around 20 - 30 miles which i'm doing at least once per week in between longer rides. Karen (my wife) has also got back on the bike so hoping to get her out on a couple of 20-30 mile rides on times we have a sitter.
Yesterday I did the "Great Yorkshire Bike Ride" - 72 miles - Wetherby to Filey with Sophie & her dad Derek (his 9th time). A good ride with decent weather until the last hour, we found it not too difficult & reckon that some of our training rides have been harder! I'm really impressed with my energy levels, i'm comfortable sprinting after many miles & hours, in fact yesterday I decided to really push the last 12 miles and rode on the back of a bunch of club cyclists in a sort of peleton ... and I had no problem keeping up with them (although they seem to use less effort than me on the hills), felt fine today & could have done it again.
So we need to do more long runs. I'm off on hols soon so will no doubt be back with some loss of fitness after a week of excessing in the sun with the family. Holiday season is no doubt going to disrupt the training, I'm looking forward to trying out a bit of a Tour de France route on my other holiday in South of France in Aug, we are out there with some friends & one of them is a tri-athlete who competes for GB so we are hoping to do a couple of rides.!
Going to see if I can tempt the boys into a 2 day ride, 110 miles on a Friday/stay over night/110 miles back the next day ... which will give us a taste of what to expect..... with only 3 months to go, i'm getting excited already, i'm really enjoying the training & feel positive about my progress to date, the ipod is a godsend for those long lonely rides!
Going to send out my request for sponsors at the beginning of next month, i've had quite a few people asking how to give us money for the cause!
Sunday, 15 June 2008
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Jons latest post
I havent looked at the website for a while now. I have just noticed that we now have a photo website linked to ours showing our "looks" at various different stages of training.
Have you seen the one entitled "our first ride?" Who is that moron on the right hand side of the picture? Why didnt someone tell me to take off my hat when that photo was taken!!??!!
Training is going OK. I have now started cycling to work and have had to endure all of my work collegues laughing at my lycra!!
I must say that I have really enjoyed cycling to work, particularly when on earlies. At 0430 in a morning, there is nobody around and its really peaceful, that is until you are cycling around Normanton bypass, hear a rustling amongst the grass at the other side of the road, look over and discover a Pitbull bounding towards you with a look in its eye that said "KILL". The old guy that the dog was with was whistling at it like it was some sort of Poodle and was shouting some stupid name like "Mitzy" at it!! Matt was telling me the other day how tough it was cycling through Ilkley, but im sorry guys, until you have been chased by a Pitbull, you dont know what HARD CYCLING is!!!
Anyway, I managed to survive the Pitbull that morning, only to get to the bottom of Pineapple Hill, exhausted, only to hear a car coming up behind me. It passed, very slowly, and my ever so supportive collegue Libby drove past, laughing and pointing at me. Thanks!!! It was one of those looks that you would give when you see something very odd happening at the side of the road and follow it with your eyes and head from full right lock to full left lock!!
Have lots of rides coming up. Doing a shortish one this weekend with Matt, but I have planned that I am going to do 120 miles very very soon to Scarborough and back.
Cant wait!!
Have you seen the one entitled "our first ride?" Who is that moron on the right hand side of the picture? Why didnt someone tell me to take off my hat when that photo was taken!!??!!
Training is going OK. I have now started cycling to work and have had to endure all of my work collegues laughing at my lycra!!
I must say that I have really enjoyed cycling to work, particularly when on earlies. At 0430 in a morning, there is nobody around and its really peaceful, that is until you are cycling around Normanton bypass, hear a rustling amongst the grass at the other side of the road, look over and discover a Pitbull bounding towards you with a look in its eye that said "KILL". The old guy that the dog was with was whistling at it like it was some sort of Poodle and was shouting some stupid name like "Mitzy" at it!! Matt was telling me the other day how tough it was cycling through Ilkley, but im sorry guys, until you have been chased by a Pitbull, you dont know what HARD CYCLING is!!!
Anyway, I managed to survive the Pitbull that morning, only to get to the bottom of Pineapple Hill, exhausted, only to hear a car coming up behind me. It passed, very slowly, and my ever so supportive collegue Libby drove past, laughing and pointing at me. Thanks!!! It was one of those looks that you would give when you see something very odd happening at the side of the road and follow it with your eyes and head from full right lock to full left lock!!
Have lots of rides coming up. Doing a shortish one this weekend with Matt, but I have planned that I am going to do 120 miles very very soon to Scarborough and back.
Cant wait!!
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