Burning Heart (and lungs, and arms, and neck and legs…..)

Disclaimer: If easily offended, stop reading now (its not that bad really, the underlying message is one of amazement and joy, and anyone who's cycled will realise fruitier bits reflect reality!).  If you still want to read about unbelievable experience, strap yourselves in and I’ll begin…. 

Thursday 16 July – Travel Day 

The day started at delightful 4am to catch a flight to Heathrow then onwards to Geneva. 

Knowing I’d be milling around in Geneva for a good few hours before the train to the Alps, I decided to purchase a book to pass the time.  A little known fact about me is that apart from my ATT and CTA tax books, the only books I’ve read since school are the A Song of Ice and Fire series (aka Game of Thrones to the uneducated amongst you).  Tax and Game of Thrones, the two things I love most in the world. 

Hoping for some inspiration, I purchased Chris Froome’s autobiography “The Climb” for a bargain £4.  Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on which way you look at it, I only read up to when he was 16 years old…….i.e I hadn’t got to the bits when he was cycling in the yellow jersey in the Alps during the Tour de France. 

The descent into Geneva was beautiful, coming in over the lake, the imposing Alps and Mont Blanc on the horizon, the excitement was building. However, the heat in Geneva was ridiculous.  I had received reports from the fellow riders returning from the TDF that the heat was bordering on dangerous.  Maybe my Ali G skullcap wouldn’t be enough after all.  It’s fair to say, at this point, I was bricking it. 

The train journey from Geneva to Saint Jean de Maurienne was uncomfortable in the heat but the scenery was amazing.  I was getting very excited now.  This however was soon curtailed not long after I stepped off the train.  I hadn’t even managed to get 100m down the road and the pull handle of my suitcase snapped off.  Arriving at the hotel sweating my t*ts off after humping the suitcase across town didn’t bode well for two days cycling up mountains.  But at least the sweat helped me blend in with the riders who were arriving back at the hotel after what was one of the hottest and hardest days of the tour so far. 

“So how’s Jonathan getting on?” 

“He’s had a really rough day, after yesterday, he was exhausted and he’s in the van” 

“Oh…” 

It’s fair to say, at this point, I was double bricking it (note – Michael was ok, I had seen him roll in looking fresh as a daisy, haha). 

I sat down for my first meal, met the fellow riders and a few lads who were doing my stages.  And then Jonathan arrived back.  He was totally gone.  Like he had seen a ghost.  He had given everything in the Alps the day before and heroically managed 90 miles in the heat today before sensibly calling it a day. 

It’s fair to say, at this point, I was f*****g s*****g myself.

Friday 17th July – Stage 18 Saint Jean de Maurienne to La Toussuire 

A reasonable start time of 8am, it was warm, I had filled up at breakfast but I had still had no idea what to expect.

As we turned off the main rode after 5 mins of riding and the incline gradually increased I knew there was no going back, this was the Col du Chaussy, at Cat 1 climb, 15.5km at 6.3%.  No messing around, I was in at the deep end.

The Chaussy itself was quite a nice climb, not too hard, not too steep, I chugged my way up at a decent-ish pace, I wasn’t at the back (this was to change, see below) and had a chat with one of the TDF staff which really settled me down.  One stop for a pic, 2 hours later I had made it to the top to be welcomed by some French guys stopping for a slash next to the summit sign.  Lovely stuff.  Wafting away the remnants of their toilet break, I got a pic, jumped on the bike and descended down to the first feed station.

It was getting seriously hot now, fortunately I had lathered myself in factor 50, but the heat was immense. Me and my new mate Adam from London span along the valley, only the Col du Glandon/Croix de la Fer next we thought, just the 23km at 6.9%......

To paraphrase Michael, there is only one word to describe this ascent of the Glandon….brutal.

In the Alps, those helpful Tour de France organisers have kindly put markers at the roadside counting down the km to the top.  These markers also tell you the average gradient for the next km.  Now, this is all well and good when it says 5%.  However, when you’ve just done 5km at 6% and you see 8% or higher, suddenly these signs don’t seem so helpful after all.

It’s at this point I think I should address the gradients on the mountains.  In the UK you get short, steep hills that take about 15 mins to get over.  Hartside Pass at 5% for 5 miles is quite literally a piece of p*** in comparison.

So, cycling in the Alps.  They say it’s not the steepness that kills you, it’s the length of the climbs, the relentlessness, the roads that just keep on going up as far as the eye can see. 

Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, it’s also utter b******s.  Here’s a little table I’ve devised to explain how the gradients work (credit to Jonathan Carr for his input): 

0% - 4%: Flat, easy, get a bit of freewheeling in to recover 

5%: Enjoyable 

6%: Hello cheeky, best put some effort in here like 

7%: Yeah, this is tougher now 

8%: F**k 

9%: F**k me, please end soon 

10%: F*****g hell, make it stop 

11%: Just f**off 

12%+:  There are no words to articulate the pain.....

I’ve already sent this to the UCI; they have agreed that this is now the official Gradient Table for three grand tours and will be included on the website for the Vuelta in late August. 

Anyway, back to the Glandon.  We stopped off at a café after about 12km for a coke and a magnum.  The heat was unbelievable, keeping hydrated was essential and we had made slow progress so far.  There were a bunch of hardy souls from the TDF doing the same and we all rolled out together to take on the next 10km.

As the trees stripped back, the heat increased, the sound of cowbells rang in our ears and the wind was nowhere to be seen.  And the gradient went up.  8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Progress was painfully slow, my legs and lower back screamed in pain.

In the mountains, it’s every man for himself.  Adam stopped about 2km from the stop at the steepest section and I ploughed on.  Riding every last millimetre, I made it to the top within seconds of my target time of 4.5 hours …….(!)

As I rolled into the second feed station, it dawned on me that Adam and I were the last on the road.  Some people had sacked it off early doors on the Glandon and the sweeper van was picking up the signs.

We descended from the Croix de la Fer down tomorrows’ route and encountered what people would call a “punchy” Cat 2 climb, the Col du Mollard, 5.7km long at 6.8%.  I knew as soon as I hit this climb it would be my last for the day.  My legs were aching, my back was killing, and I knew by the time I got to the last feed it would be too late to do La Toussuire.

What doesn’t help is the stalking from the sweeper van!! Lovely guys doing a sterling job but when you look back down the mountain and see a white transit trying to hide behind a tree so as to appear inconspicuous, it’s a bit demoralising.

So as I rolled into the feed station I knew my day was done.  A few guys decided to give the 6.1%, 18km La Toussuire a bash, including a heroic Adam with help from Phil Deaker.  But I climbed into the van and as we ascended, I knew I had made the right decision.  I lived to fight another day, Alpe D’Huez tomorrow.  All cycling buffs know it’s not the best or the hardest climb in the world, but it’s something that has to be done, and it’s something I had come out to do.

Last word for Adam – he came in as it got dark, totally done in.  Great effort considering his predicament on the Glandon.

Saturday – Stage 20 Modane to Alpe D’Huez

A 8.30 start this time, which I’m told was a luxury on the tour.  The first 25km passed incredibly quickly, probably something to do with the fact I really needed to visit the little boys room for a number 2.

No toilets at the feed station so it was onwards we go onto the climb up the 29km 5.2% Croix de la Fer.

Mercifully, there was a public restroom after 15km of climbing.  Hearing stories from other riders about their toilet troubles on the road, mine seemed trivial in comparison; I was fortunate enough to be cycling within reach of actual civilisation rather than the middle of nowhere, but still, it wasn't a very comfortable morning.  Anyway, I must’ve dropped at least a stone after my toilet stop as my climbing pace picked up and we chugged on towards the second feed.

Once again the stalker van was upon us; it appeared that as it was the last day, everyone else was feeling good and going way quicker than Adam and I (apart from the legend that is Bill…more on him soon).

Progress up the final 6km of the climb was hard, steep and hot.  But the Glandon yesterday had given us inspiration/experience and we managed to get up there in a steady 4 hours.

As we climbed, we had our first on the road encounter with scouser Bill.  An absolute hero lifer, who had kept plugging away for three weeks.

“Alright Bill?  I thought you were ahead of us?”

“Nah mate, I stopped for a f*****g pizza.  No way I was cycling up there on a f*****g empty stomach”

Wise words.

The descent off the Croix de la Fer was simply awesome, reaching speeds of 70km/h I was overtaking caravans and slow French drivers.  The roads were long and sweeping, rather than the technical hairpins of yesterday and you could sit back and enjoy.  I managed to get some amazing photos of the Alpine lakes and some precious recovery for the final push.

As I rode through the town of Bourg d’Oisans looking for the final feed, I see a tall lyrca glad figure sticking out his arm with an ice cream in his hand……Bill was fully immersing himself in the local produce today like!  I got off and enjoyed a coke and ice cream with Bill which really perked me up after the long drag along the valley floor.  I met Adam at the last feed and we set out to tackle Alpe D’huez.

Being so frequently used in the Tour de France, the hairpins, the epic battles of years gone by, it is one of the most famous climbs in the world.  The cycling purists may turn their noses up, but to the man in the street, the general punter, it’s the one they know.  13.8km at 8.1%, 21 hairpins all numbered and daubed with the names of famous winners, I felt fresh and ready to embrace the challenge.

The first 2km are over 10% and the heat was like putting your head in an oven.  Unbelievably tough we battled onto hairpin 20 for a rest.  Adam was struggling at this point and I was helping all I could.  Again progress was slow and we were joined by a random guy, fittingly called Guy.  He had made a habit of selectively choosing which parts of each stage to do, and he had saved himself for the Alpe.  He offered some light relief, stories of his detours, his singing and what he was going to do to his wife later kept our minds off the relentless gradients.

After about 45 mins, the clouds closed in and the heavens opened.  Full on thunder and lightening, water cascading down the roads, we were soaked, knackered but absolutely loving it.  You couldn’t make it up.

As I ploughed on with more energy in my legs, I was getting into a rhythm until I took an inside line on a corner approx 0.5km from the infamous “Dutch Corner”.  Puncture.  I couldn’t believe it.  First one ever.  On the last climb, of the last stage.  In the p*****g rain.  Just my luck.

But being the backmarkers has its advantages……..the stalker van had now been replaced by effectively our own team car.  In the biblical weather, it seemed fitting that my saviour was a mechanic named Gideon.  He jumped out, changed the inner like a pro and I was away again within 10 minutes.

Fuelled with determination and with the Rocky IV soundtrack running through my head, I absolutely nailed the next 4km. I had let Adam go up the road, the lad was suffering but chugging along.  I caught him just as we came to the barriered section and we rolled up the final 3km together.  Getting cheers from the TDF riders in the bars as we went past was nice, but I’ll admit I was jealous, I wanted to be there getting slaughtered too!!

And then it was done.  Over.  We had made it.  We got some pics, shared a manly embrace and rolled back down to hotel.  Absolutely amazing.  The morbidly obese lad from Dunston had just cycled up the Alpe D’Huez.  Who’da thunk it?

There was a final ride into Paris which was something of an anti climax for me after the Alps.  But whilst I might not have appeared to enjoy it at the time, it was great to see all the Leathers riders, friends and family there waiting for us.

I’ll leave details of the night out in Paris off the blog, but let’s just say when a dubious looking middle aged Frenchman who you meet in a bar at 4am says he knows where else is open, you know its time to go home, especially when the bar is apparently for transsexuals only……

Things I’ve Learned

• Cycling up mountains is hard
• Cycling in the heat is hard
• Cycling is hard
• My a*** hurts
• My left hand is mangled
• I’m tired
• Cycling the full route (Michael) is a superhuman effort

I’m very humbled and honoured to be given the opportunity to do something so memorable and worthwhile.  If you ever get the same opportunity, say yes, you’ll not regret it, you might even enjoy it so much you’re already looking towards next year………...

Lots of love – The Dunston Chris Froome

A glorious day in the Alps

"After a much needed break and rehydrate, the final day in the Alps was glorious.

The stage consisted of hill climbs of Croix de Fer and Alpe d'Huez and they were both really enjoyable - as was the descent off Croix de Fer.

The real difference today was the heat. It was much cooler for most of the day and I felt a lot more comfortable. I also managed the day better making sure I was hydrated and kept myself as cool as possible. I think I would have struggled again though if it had been hotter.

It was hot in the valley bottom and at the start of Alpe d'Huez - close to 40°C - and it was really draining. It did cool off though as I was going up Alpe d'Huez and I started to feel good again.

Overall it was a fantastic day which wasn't even dampened by a surprise thunderstorm at the top of Alpe d'Huez."

It was.........

Michael Leather

Saint Jean de Maurianne to La Tousairre- it was brutal.

Jonathan 1 Alps 1

Jonathan Carr

"Second day was not great. Really suffered with the heat and probably dehydration and I felt ill for most of the day. Can't really remember much I was that gone.

Chugged away for 80+ miles but was completely wiped going up the Glandon and reluctantly called it a day.

After not quite recovering over dinner, I decided it was best to skip the next stage to recover properly rather than make myself more ill.

Disappointed I had to cut a stage short and skip another but the Alps have been tougher than I thought they would be.

Not really for people who have just bought there first bike."

Day 1 in the bag

Jonathan Carr

First day over and my first Alps stage is completed  

It was absolutely fantastic cycling in the Alps but the heat was an issue.

The heat just makes everything tougher and I felt massively drained for the last 30 miles.

Apparently you get more used to the heat by the second day so hopefully tomorrow will be even more fun than the first.

Death Row

Death Row

"It's like this and like that and like this and uh, it's like that and like this and like that and uh"

Never a truer word has been spoken by my home boy Dr Dre.....hearing all the stories of the heroes who've returned from the trenches of the TDF is both inspiring and frustrating in equal measure. Then this happened, then that happened, then this happened etc etc etc......I just want to get out there and do it myself! Likening the wait to being on death row is perhaps a bit extreme but being the last rider to go is not ideal.....(£20 to anyone who gets the tedious link btw).

So, turning to my training.  Since being declared morbidly obese by Dr Death....sorry Dr Palmer...... all those weeks ago......training increased significantly.....weight has (not) decreased significantly. I'm tremendously proud of all the riders who've embraced the challenge and stepped up. I completed the Virgin Cyclone a few weeks back, 106 miles, finished relatively comfortably. Physically tough, but mentally, cycling over 100 miles by yourself, your mind goes to strange places. Enough to turn some people to booze....

Speaking of which, I've managed to squeeze in two stag dos and a wedding in the last 2 months....let's just hope me going to cycle in the Alps isn't the funeral!

Last minute preparations are now being undertaken, I've purchased an Ali G style skull cap to protect my bonce from me old mucker The Sun. Me and The Sun go way back.....one time, at Plate Day I stood under what I thought was a cloudy sky.....only to be smashed in the face 8 hours later by severe sunstroke and a forehead that resembled Commander Worf. The burn was so bad I had to wear my golf cap for work on the Monday, some of the looks I was getting on the bus were priceless, "he's one of us, another bus dweller".

Anyway, I digress. The anticipation and the venture into the unknown is daunting, but if I can get up and over the mountains, it'll all be worth it.

Kudos to everyone who's ridden so far, Michael especially. The Dunston Chris Froome is coming to France! 

All done!

James Swiers

All done!

After a fantastic few days we're on the way home.

The cycling has been fantastic and I've met some great people.

Thank you to the Tour de Force for organising such a fantastic event and thanks to Michael and Catherine for giving me the opportunity.

One final point to note... I have a bike for sale if anyone's interested 

Exhausting but breathtaking

Becky Scott Today was simply amazing.... If I had wrote this 4 hours ago it might have been a different story so I'm pleased I've had time to reflect (and eat and drink and peel myself off the hotel room floor) Starting off with a 16km climb literally from the hotel was hard but the morning sun hadn't broke out just yet, I rode along an inspirational man Bill, who is in his 60s, a lifer and by no means a 'trained' cyclist!! This meant I managed to go on to climb a cat 4 climb chatting about the world of accountancy.... Who would have known that would have got me up the hill Onto the most spectacular descent you could imagine .....it was breathtaking! And then the final climb of the day, the heat is a killer but reaching the top is like no other feeling you could imagine! Thanks to Karen and Clive (Ryan's parents) who were waiting at the top with full fat coke!!! I loved every minute (apart from the last 5k) It's hard, but we worked as a team, I even played my role( all be it tiny) in a mini peloton for the last 37k rather than holding on at the back, I lead the front for 1km with 4 burley (yes Ryan and James can be classified as that) on the back! Chamois cream bought ....I'm ready to see what tomorrow holds

Two down... One to go

James Swiers

Much better day on the saddle compared with yesterday, most likely to a conscious effort to drink as much as possible, and the addition at a Tour de Force cap!

Another cat 2 done, into a fairly strong headwind, which actually made it easier...

Onto the last day which (we've just been told) is the hardest of them all, the temperatures down so that should help.

I've loved every minute, the whole event organisation is unbelievable, everything runs like clockwork.

Massive kudos to all the lifers, I don't think I could do much more then the 3 days!

A tough first day

Ryan Harrison

My summary of the day.....

Hotter than home.

Hard.

Massively impressed with Becky.

Thought I was going to collapse up the last hill then the bloke in front of me basically did.

My feet hurt but that's because I burnt them on the first day

Wearing Pink is Simply Magic!

Becky Scott!1
To say you can't imagine what it's like until you have done it is a MASSIVE understatement!
To say the North East weather doesn't help acclimatise you in the slightest is also a MASSIVE understatement.
I loved the whole thing, well up to 92 miles.
The 'boys' have been amazing, the team spirit is great and wearing pink is simply magic!!!!!
I also got awarded the certificate. Each night of the tour there is an award presented for that day's stage.
The last 25 miles were gruelling in the heat finished off by cycling passed our hotel to start a 3.5km climb to then cycle back down to the hotel. The option loomed to sack that part off but I didn't.
Helped along by the most amazing encouragement I got to the top; and how proud of all; of Ryan, James and myself for completing that!

Saturday is a new day...

Michael Leather

Every day the Tour tells a story; we have had three days of the Pyrenees... Which deservedly were a huge mental focus.... And I am not saying complacency steps in....
But certainly today which I think is mooted as a sprinters stage had an air of gentleness about it...

A Cat 3, 2 cat 4's and a distinct bonus climb.... But not obvious was the long draggy 6% climb into a hot headwind... The slightly sapping tarmac and the roads that didn't quite roll....

The sunflowers were resplendent in the morning sun, the dappled arcades of trees, the flowing decent into the Gorge of the Tarn and the ascent......

But tonight I was tired.......

But there's another day tomorrow....

Someone told me it's Saturday tomorrow can someone can confirm that.....

Mad Mike

Michael Leather

Pau to Cauterets.... We woke this morning to slightly unexpected rain... And I mean rain... Lots of it!!

Rain in Pau, could mean anything on the top of the Tourmalet; and the roll out didn't help to lift my spirits.... A dark hour where ironically my arms were hurting; whilst my legs were going around.... The consequence of pulling on the bars as I climbed up to the ski station yesterday- I have had moments where I have wondered how apt my Twitter tag is (@madmike123)!!

So on the menu three categorised bumps followed by the Aspin (completely shrouded in mist and rain); a lovely descent with a brief espresso stop... And down the valley and a left turn onto the Tourmalet; to say I loved the climb up to Mongie... Is a mixed statement.... But such stunning beauty, you really have to see it.... And this was in rain and mist....

The sun made a brief appearance at over 2000m... Then a quick-ish descent, through the gorges- who knew streams were that colour... With a cheeky climb past the waterfalls to Cauterets- it will be a Stunning tour finish....

It's raining again (Supertramp)..... But imagine a peaceful tranquil village and double it.....

Another early start.... Today was 10.5 hours including stops (one was longer than planned but necessary for the sake of another lifer).... Tomorrow has the potential to be longer..... The weather is... What it is ...

Rest Day

An opportunity to sleep longer today or Breakfast at c6.30..... I was early into breakfast before being joined by a crowd of people and before I know it I am at the Launderette in Tarbes.....

... Mind my freshly washed clothes smell lovely and were definitely sun-kissed dry when I removed them from the wire fencing around the Hotel.....

Then change a front tyre which was looking distinctly worn.... Wash my bike etc....

Lunch in a local French working persons cafe; they were fab, the food was lovely and with four fellow lifers we had a good time.....

Feet up.... The Tour stage 3... In French of course.... Not sure they were that much faster than us... But they were too quick to be completely sure.... Then a solo spin out on the roads to check I still know how to ride a bike.... Dinner in a few minutes and bed!!!

It is the Pyrenees tomorrow........

A quiet relaxing day......

Cherries and Cheers

It is Saturday night; there is a distinctly relaxed atmosphere as we prepare for the Time trial stage and the transfer to the Pyrenees; so relaxed I have just been out scrumping for cherries......

Today was a difficult and rewarding day (at the same time)- difficult as I was ill yesterday afternoon and much of the day today- I will spare you the details (and yes I feel absolutely fine): rewarding because any discomfort is nothing when you factor it in against the huge efforts others put in- and somehow the challenge has it's own life and you dig far deeper and keep digging to get every bit of effort you can find....and it was a stage of the tour that deserved the effort- another day another challenge.

The day was rolling climbs, beautiful countryside, a headwind frequently and a fun climb to finish.... C950 miles under the belt.... Off to the Pyrenees  

It has been amazing sharing the last few days with Neil and Chris; but riding with Jonathan has been particularly great- and he has garnered a huge amount of respect for his efforts..... 

Geordie tan

Jonathan Leather

Today was a tough day again in the heat, with numerous hills meaning it was a grind throughout.

The Geordie tan is now in full effect and I can't say it is the best look. Despite this the fact I was actually feeling stronger by the end of the day than at times near the start was a good thing to know for my final stage and the mur de Bretagne.

Playing out

Michael Leather

Well in the main I had an amazing day today; I hadn't looked at the Stage profile of Livarot- Fougeres until this mornings transfer and hadn't realised until then that it might be a relatively quick day.....

Tour Tarmac, shortish punchy climbs and a gentle tailwind in many of the right places meant that I could go out and play... I did and it was fun

I also realised where MOAM got the name of their sweets from- "Man On A Mission" and that was the story of the day- it is truly scary what I think about when out on the road..... Well maybe not scary....

It was good to see Chris and Jonathan out on the road. The story of the stage was beautiful French farming country; the shock of the stage was that we are one week in and I don't know how that happened.... The tour stage is on the 10th- I spent most of the day thinking they had got the date wrong.... Oops!

The other thing that is both fantastic and amazing is where these blogs are being read..... We had TT3 people join us today.... They knew who Jonathan and I were through the blogs and were asking after Neil- Social media and the Internet can be divisive but their power and reach can be amazing

Special mention to the 'OLD MAN'

Well today went so much better than yesterday. Managed to actually complete the ride. A combination of drugs (doctor prescribed) and English like weather meant I had a great day of riding. Thunderstorms and heavy rain at times meant it was just like a training ride with the occasional coastal view. It is good to feel stronger again and hopefully I can get through these final couple of days!! Special mention to the old man who dragged me along a lot of the day. He will fly through the whole thing, no doubt!! So keep donating while he and everyone else join him in this great challenge.

Exhaustion versus the cyclist

Well yesterday was the longest and hottest ride I have ever been on. 148 miles over cobbles and in scorching heat was something I will never forget. The fact I managed it after the Huy day was something I seriously questioned at times. My fingers still feel like they are shaking after the cobbles. Everything felt battered but it was a great day overall and despite the heat and distance it's amazing what the human body can achieve at times. However, today was one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had. After 10km I was feeling faint and nearly toppling off the bike. Apparently 148 miles and 37 degree heat don't agree with me , who knew eh?? It was a day where I felt like I let everyone down but I don't think I could of managed to cycle the whole 120 miles the hottest temperature in the region since the 1940s. So today I had to bow out and yes I got a lift from the great staff at the TDF. Still currently feeling a little woozy but hoping a good nights sleep will have me cycling again tomorrow. 

Final Blog

Today was the day of the longest stage of the TDF and was going to be 137 miles long (?) including 8 miles over cobbles. The day started nice and easy with some easy riding through the very scenic valley from Seraing towards Namur. At Namur we climbed up the weaving street cobbles to the castle at the top of the hill for some breathtaking views down the valley. These cobbles were easy and nothing to worry about and it lulled us in to a false sense of security. On we trundled with Jonny and I being joined by Michael after the second food stop (or was it third?). Michael lead us forward - I had to get that in as I've no doubt he will mention that he did all the hard work! The temperature was getting ever hotter and the fluid intake increased quite substantially.
We eventually arrived at the first cobbled stage - 1.6km of them. Were they agricultural or what! To say they were rough was an understatement - no smooth Roker Pier cobbles were these. Anyway, first section of cobbles done and we realised that it was going to be a painful last sector after the 4th food stop.
Onwards and upwards we went and at the second set of cobbles I tucked in behind another of the riders who had joined us. Unfortunately, the rider took a nasty tumble on these cobbles and managed to badly graze his elbow. Anyway, some very basic first aid was administered - wet wipes to clean it up - and off we went.
We eventually finished the cobbles including one section of 3.6km, and arrived at the hotel extremely weary after 9.5 hours in the saddle and 147 miles from the start. A very long day but I was happy that I could now relax and have a few beers - only 3 as I was absolutely shattered.
I'm heading home now after my short adventure which has been absolutely amazing. Good luck to the rest of the team and to Jonny and Michael for the rest of their time on the road.

Hardest cycling yet

Jonathan Leather

 Well I managed the first test of my taster getting up the Mur de Huy!! It was a tough day with Neil trying to knock me off my bike at one point fortunately we both managed to stay upright.

The last 50km was probably the hardest cycling I have done with 2 big climbs followed by the wall at huy!! Eventually I got up after some loud swearing and feel really pleased to have achieved finishing this stage.

Hopefully I can manage the rest of the nexts five days but tomorow I will attempt to get through the cobbles......

Well and truly underway......

Utrecht decided to celebrate the Tour with it's own bike event; it was without doubt an unknown unknown.... But with roads closed.... It had a knock on effect late into the day. The TDFcycling team still smiled, remained calm and we pedalled on albeit slightly slower than planned.... To arrive on the finishing straight at Zeeland was just to get a taste not just of the sea air, but the massive sprint to the line.... In a week's time....... Tomorrow sees us leaving Holland and heading to the Wall!! Mur de Huy is calling.......

Good to get started

So Day 1 and they're off- a Prologue (short stage) around Utrecht around the cycle ways sounds fantastic (and it was!!)- it's great to be underway.... But the cycle ways are more complex than negotiating the roads around Central Station and when in the UK does a bike have priority over a car.

There are now moments when I wonder what I have started; not with regret, but with curiosity and excitement- what will this adventure unfurl; will it be a fair wind..... Random concepts on a quiet day..... Possibly fed by the almost trivial fact I was 54 today....... It seemed serendipitous 8 months ago...... Now there are elements of "whatever".....

...... I was also presented the "chapeau" award.... Partly because it was my birthday but more for everyone else's fantastic efforts in raising the £32,000 we have raised to date.... The Charity is a huge part in this and I will wear the award with pride.... I get to nominate someone tomorrow.... Should be interesting...... In more ways than one!!!

Day 1

Neil Matthews Well we've eventually started after some 7 months of preparation the Grand Depart took place today. My morning started very early - with a cock crowing at 5.20am and continuing until 6am when it decided it had had enough! Fortunately I managed to have a bit more sleep before I was rudely awoken by a text from Michael at 7.20am to say he was going down for breakfast. I eventually made it down for 8am and after a leisurely breakfast myself, Michael and four other lifers decided to have a walk into the centre to see some sights and to have a coffee by the canal. We returned to the hotel for the noon briefing and lunch - which was very good and we agreed to join the 4.30pm group for the very tough 8 mile cycle of the Grand Depart! The time of our scheduled departure arrived and some 20 of us set off to cycle around Utrecht. The ride was very leisurely around the cycle tracks, the only downside being we had to stop at numerous traffic lights and had to unclip & then clip back in to our cleats. We finished the ride in the centre of Utrecht some 50 minutes later and we were just so pleased to have started. This evening we've had the first main briefing for the long day tomorrow & a very healthy dinner. It'll be an early night as it will be a 6am rise in the morning and we're setting off at 8am. Watch this space for tomorrow's update.

The Final Training Ride...

Chris Smith

My training had been going pretty well up until the beginning of June, but unfortunately I’ve been struck down with man-flu and have missed a couple of weeks of training 

I’m now back up to full strength and completed my final ‘long’ ride last weekend -   106 mile ride from Durham to Whitby and back, via the North Yorkshire Moors and the film set of the ‘Heartbeat’ TV series. Overall a good ride and with plenty left in the tank when I finished.

It’s now less than a week before I head out to France, but despite being ill, I’m quietly confident that I’ll be fine!

And so it begins...

Michael, Neil and Jonathan have arrived safely in Utrecht and after an afternoon of soaking up the atmosphere, and a few light refreshments, they are ready for the task ahead.

Together we have raised a staggering £31,000 before the guys even start to cycle so let’s see if during the next few weeks we can push them along with new donations and help to reach the target set of £50,000.  http://www.bmycharity.com/leatherstourdeforce.

Don’t forget to check our Facebook and Twitter pages to follow their progress. The below link will allow you to follow their cycle route live.

https://www.mapmytracks.com/events/tour-de-force-2015/race/tdf-2014---stage-1---sat-27th-june

Check in tomorrow for an update of how they got on with the Stage 1 Time Trial.

And so it begins ……..

Progress and More Happenings

The last month or so has been…interesting. There has been a bit of a surge in training but it has also been broken up by a bit more variety.

The first key event in the last month was getting the first ton in a bag. I was pretty sure I had a ton in my legs but actually going out and doing it for the first time was a great feeling. My confidence is growing but I'm not really under the illusion that because I can do a 100 mile ride means I'm ready for back to back Alps stages.

I've also taken on my first couple of local sportives which were great fun and I really enjoyed the novelty of the feed stations to keep you going. They were a bit contrasting though. The first sportive I took on was in Richmond (just 87 miles). It was a fantastically sunny day and it was really enjoyable. The second sportive I took on was just last Saturday in Haydon Bridge and it was 60 miles of ridiculously high winds. The last 20 miles were especially bad with being buffeted constantly by winds of over 30mph and gusts over 50mph. It was just tough and mentally tiring from the effort required to not get blown off my bike.

Also, I've unfortunately added to my crash count (currently 4) with two crashes in two weeks. The first was kind of my fault. The problem was my brakes weren't in the best condition for the Richmond sportive (they needed a bit of a service and adjusting) and I couldn't stop myself on a descent when flying towards a junction and, when taking avoiding action, I went flying into a farm gate. This also resulted in an expensive repair job. The second crash however wasn't my fault. Plain and simply, I got taken out by a schoolgirl running out from behind a parked car. She was thankfully fine but I got a couple new additions to my bruise collection.

All in all, I'm feeling like a proper cyclist. This partially due to getting my first ton, partially for doing my first sportives but mainly due to a new found annoyance for pedestrians.

Almost upon us...

Thursday 14 May

The forecast for the day was go so I headed in to the office first thing for the normal 9.6 mile ride in the rush hour.  The ride was pretty uneventful but one day I’m determined to risk the traffic lights on Wrekenton bank being green when I get to them and I’m going to go flat out to see what speed I get to.

The intention was to venture out straight after lunch for a 4 or 5 hour blast. Alas, this didn’t happen due to work overload and I had to make do with a short ride of 20 miles leaving the office after 4pm.  Did a 20 mile leisurely ride – a bit boring as it was on the C2C towards Stanley and back.

Sunday 17 May – Maiden century

Today was the day that I wanted to break the ton barrier for the first time and I’m pleased to say I managed it without too many problems. The route I took from Washington was North to Newcastle, along the riverside to Newburn before venturing up to Ogle, Whalton, Stamfordham, Stocksfield and then returning to Newcastle. I then decided to venture along the riverside towards Wallsend before doing a u-turn, crossing the river at the Millenium Bridge, and then heading along the South side of the river towards South Shields. I managed to venture through some pretty interesting parts of Jarrow, Hebburn and South Shields before arriving at the coast where I felt a lot safer! It was then along to Sunderland before heading home to Washington and a few laps around the block at Washington to get me over the 100 mile mark. It was a good work out and I felt no after affects the next day which will hopefully be the same when I eventually get over to the continent.

Bank Holiday Weekend Double

This was the big weekend - not for cycling, but the end of the Premier League season and the day that the Magpies were probably going to be relegated! I decided that I was going to do 2 days of riding, which had to be the Sunday and Monday due to cricketing commitments, and, due to the match being televised on Sunday, I wanted to get back to put myself through the pain of watching the whole game. I therefore did a short 50 mile Sunday stroll down to the coast, along to South Shields and Seaham before returning for the suffering. A nice easy day and to round things off the boys performed well for a change and we now have another Premier League season to look forward to.

An early start the following day and I headed West towards Burnhope and Wolsingham. I refrained from dropping down to Wolsingham and instead climbed back up to Tow Law before heading down to Willington, Durham, Chester le Street and then home. This 69 mile ride included some new roads and a few testing climbs. I also had my first incident with the chain coming off as I was heading up hill at Tow Law but I managed to stop pedalling before it got wedged between the frame and cogs and successfully unclipped my cleats before I fell off.

A total of 130 miles in 2 days which I was quite chuffed with. The issue I’ve got is can I do 137 miles in 1 day – time will tell!

Sunday 6 June

The next weekend ended up being rest days with cricket on Saturday and bad weather on Sunday but it was back in the saddle on Sunday 6th June despite the relatively strong winds. I  decided to try and get some shelter from the winds so headed East to West on the C2C towards Waskerley Moor. This seemed like a good idea at the time but it was a very hard slog all the way until I stopped at the busy café on the moor for a well-earned coffee. Kate Bush and Wuthering Heights came to mind given the windy moors but it was very scenic and worth the effort. The good news was that it was all downhill coming back and with the wind behind me I managed to achieve some pretty decent speeds – just a bit unfortunate that there were a number of gates to go through which stopped the fun.

There were a couple of near misses on the way up. One where a lamb ran right in front of me – it wasn’t too dangerous for me as I wasn’t going too fast but the guy cycling downhill with the wind behind him nearly had a heart attack. The other was when some cyclists wedged open one of the gates and I continued cycling to go through it only to find the gate closing quickly. A rapid unclipping of the cleats and some sudden braking averted a disaster!

I was quite pleased with the ride even though it was only 53 miles. After two weeks of reduced activity and no road cycling I felt good and strong and I now think I have got the fitness to do what I have signed up for – or hopefully I have.

Less than 3 weeks to go now and its creeping up on us very very quickly!

A Busy Month.....

It’s been a while since I last updated my blog, but that’s not to say I haven’t been out riding!

Over the last month I’ve slowly started to increase my mileages and have taken part in my first two organised Sportive events – both were really good fun, and the food stations really helped me to get to the end!

Rides have included:

a)An 80 mile circular from Durham up to Hexham, Northumberland and then returning via the pennines

b)A very long and tiresome climb right the way up the Wear valley to Alston, and a return back to Durham via Teesdale

c)A 107 mile sportive around the Scottish borders, with a lot of headwind.

d)A 118 mile sportive around the Yorkshire Dales

e)A lot of mid-week ‘endurance’ rides to keep the legs spinning!

I’m now starting to get a very worried about the real thing – only a month to go – but if I’m not prepared by now I don’t think I ever will be.

I’ve got a couple of back to back rides lined up between now and July, and then I’m setting off for France :) 

Less than a month.... arggghh!!!

So we are under the 4 week marker and everyone is getting a little nervous and feeling tired.

The last month has been a tough one for me with two falls and a broken bike.

The first fall saw me end up in a bush after I managed to somehow break the rear derailleur. Luckily I was out with James and Neil at the time so we all saw the humorous side. Although they still think I did it on purpose so I could miss the Peth bank climb out of Lanchester. This mishap left me with no bike for a week which was a bit of a nightmare after the fitness test with Garry Palmer.

Fortunately, the fitness test showed substantial improvement from my first one in January. This made me feel a lot better about where I was for the tour so it wasn’t too bad.

The second crash was a bit more of a nightmare. I was already struggling that day having chosen a tough route to ride. The mental challenge is going to be a major factor for me on this trip with doing 8 days of continuous cycling. Hopefully I can manage this but it’s going to be the hardest challenge I have ever done. The one thing that will help is that won’t be alone on this Tour whereas when you’re out riding near Derwent Resevoir on your own and already questioning your sanity and then fall off, it can almost break you. Luckily, a lift was on hand after about an hour and a half but that was the toughest day I have had riding my bike. I’m still showing some of the effects on my hands from where I fell.

It’s now getting very close and the nerves are hitting. Questions of can I manage this feat pop into my head regularly? Don’t worry though we will all get through it and hopefully we can manage to reach are donation target as well.

Now to the really serious stuff….. What to pack for a cycling jaunt in France.

Sportive riding

It’s been a while since my last update so I’ll start with the important bits…

• Fleet Moss is hard
• Cycling into the wind in north Northumberland is hard
• The Wooler Wheel was an incredibly well organised event
• Energy gels make bad smells

The training’s stepped up a bit (in terms of distances). In the past few weekend’s I’ve completed two sportives, (107 miles and 118 miles) which also happened to by my first and second century.  Great rides but very challenging:

1. 16th May – Wooler Wheel Borderlands.  107 miles in north Northumberland, nothing too exciting to report, other than excellent food stops…

1. 23rd May – Richmond Cycle Club TDF.  118 miles and c.11,000 feet of climbing resulted in a serious amount of pain.  Fleet Moss was particularly un-enjoyable but the weather was fantastic.

Since we had the fitness tests (and dietary talks) I’ve been concentrating on making sure I take on enough energy during the longer rides.  The best way to do this involves a cocktail of energy drinks, bars and gels, all of which brings a massive improvement to performance, the downside being the smells that follow in the evening… I feel sorry for my roommate in France already.

It’s less than 6 weeks till stage 14 begins and I can’t wait!

Punctures, Punctures and More Punctures!!

Wed 15th April

My day started with the 9 mile run into the office, which takes about the same length of time as doing the journey in in the car!!!

This was the day of our first Wednesday team ride with six of us venturing out for a leisurely afternoon doing a few miles, climbing a few hills and generally having a good time. As is normal with anything we tend to organise, it’s a nightmare trying to get us all out but we eventually managed it only to then take 10 minutes deciding which route we should go to get along Scotswood Road!

Anyway, off we went along the riverside up towards Ponteland, along towards Matfen, dropping down to Corbridge before the long slog up to Slaley. It wasn’t an easy ride but one that James and I had done the previous week and we had warned the team that it would have a few testing climbs but should be manageable given the stage our training was at. However, one of the team, who shall remain nameless, was having a bad day and we experienced the first tantrum by a team member with his bike getting thrown to the ground and then kicked – don’t worry Barry we’ve all been there!

From Slaley it was a nice easy ride back down to Newcastle before we split up and headed off towards our own homes. It was a great day out, 67miles in total, until, yes, I got the obligatory puncture just over the South side of the Redheugh bridge. Anyway, I was abandoned by James and Ryan who continued on their journey home as I struggled to replace my inner tube (only joking boys).

Sat 18th April

I’d arranged to meet up with James to do another epic ride and managed to get to Portobello Industrial Estate before I got my first puncture. Quick text to James to tell him to head off without me, as I replaced yet another inner tube. Once repaired I set off to see if I could get to James’s house before he left only to get another puncture – there was obviously something still in the tyre.

A hasty call to home for the rescue party to collect me again and straight to Halfords to buy a new tyre as I didn’t want to waste the day.

I eventually got out in the afternoon and managed 45 miles from Washington to Newcastle along the Quayside and back to Washington for a trip along the Coast to Coast route up towards Stanley.

Not the ride that I had hoped for but at least I got out and got more practice at changing inner tubes!

Tuesday 21st April

The day started with another ride into the office first thing and in the afternoon I went from the office, back down to Birtley before venturing up to Burnhope, down (fortunately not up!) into Lanchester before heading along to Durham, Chester le Street and back to Washington. A 40 mile ride and with no punctures.

Sunday 26th April

A good day out with James and Jonathan L until Jonathan decided to break his bike. This ride started with the reverse route of our first team ride. This time we continued the journey to Blanchland, on to Edmondbuyers and then up onto the moors towards Stanhope. The ride up onto the moors was one of the longest climbs that I had done but it was also the most memorable – why you’re asking? Well, as James led Jonathan and I up the hill a lamb decided that James was its mother and chased him for about half a mile bleating as it went. At one point it ran past James as he was struggling up the hill and I’m sure it was at this point that it turned, looked at James and thought – that ugly thing isn’t my mother and then the stark reality hit it that it was lost and needed to find its way back to its real mother. Was so funny that Jonathan and I nearly fell off our bikes with laughter.

Anyway, the ride continued back towards Castleside when suddenly Jonathan’s chain came off as he was going up a hill. I went past him and said we’d wait at the top for him but after 10 minutes there was no sign of him so James volunteered to go back and see what had happened to him. Several minutes later back they came carrying Jonathan’s bike which could not be repaired. I’m sure he deliberately broke the bike as he didn’t want to climb up Peth Bank in Lanchester! Fortunately for Jonathan, there was a bench at the top of the hill for him to sit on as he waited for his rescue party to arrive.

James and I continued the ride, up Peth Bank, on to Burnhope before dropping back down towards home. Another 75 miles covered with some tough climbs included.

Bank Holiday Monday

I wanted to try and have two relatively long rides over the Bank Holiday weekend but with cricket on Saturday and foul weather on Sunday I was left with only Monday to get out for a ride.

I decided that I would cycle up to Stanhope to attempt the climb up Crawleyside as I was determined to beat it this time and so I did. Once at the top I dropped down to Edmondbuyers, along the A68 before heading back along the riverside to Newcastle and then home. A good hard 73 miles with 5,000 feet of climbing and conquered Crawleyside which I think is not as hard as Peth Bank.

Sunday 10th May

The weather forecast looked good for the day so I got ready to venture out for 8.45am and was just about to set off when it started raining. Fortunately it didn’t rain for long and so I departed towards Sunderland for what I planned to be a long but relatively easy ride.

10 miles in I got a puncture which resulted in a new inner tube being inserted after taking out the metal pin from the tyre. I continued on towards Sunderland, along to South Shields before doing the return and then on to Seaham and Dalton Park. Roadworks had the traffic backed up at Dalton Park so I decided to turn around and head back to Sunderland and then towards home with a few detours around Washington to add some miles to the ride.

I had hoped to hit my maiden century today but the wind was far stronger than I was expecting and with my puncture I wanted to get back early to change my tyres – I should have done that yesterday but never mind. Nevertheless I managed 73 miles with a reasonable average speed.

I have now changed my tyres so hopefully the punctures will stop from here on in.

In With The New

A change is in the air and we’re not talking a political one. I’ve now got a new bike! Not just any bike this is a thing of beauty as underlined in the photo displayed above.

The last couple of weeks have been hard. The Old Pendle (the new winter road bike) felt like it was on its last legs and so did my body after Gary Palmer’s fitness test. In fact I’d actually argue that turning 30 is the main reason for feeling the effects of the increased exercise regime. Someone in the office once told me you immediately wake up the morning of your 30th with a beer belly and grey hair, although I’ve noticed a few greys (silver fox here I come) the belly seems the same.

It was an absolute pleasure to get out on the new bike for the first time on May Day. On the ride from Penrith to Newcastle we followed a similar route to our previous escapades on the C2C in March except this time the weather was glorious and we didn’t tremble at the thought of climbing up Crawleyside.

In the coming weeks I’ve planned to do a few sportives which should hopefully help with mental preparation for the big days. It may also assist in reaching my target of 11% body fat!

Finally, I’ve learnt quite a few things since my last blog so I’ve prepared a little summary below:

1. Haribo are not an acceptable training supplement although Jelly Babies are.
2. Carling is not an acceptable recovery drink although chocolate milk is.
3. Camelbaks should not be worn by road cyclists although, surprising, underwear is optional.
4. Long training rides on Wednesday afternoon are important although not more important than hospital appointments.
5. Indian takeaway does have some carbohydrate benefits although cycling behind me the next day doesn’t.

Cycling History

I said to a friend in a recent e-mail that the links between the media and cycling were no where more evident than in Europe with at least two of Belgium's leading newspapers being key sponsors of the "Classics".... the highlight of the last month in cycling terms has to be the week I have just spent in the Ardennes... and the opportunity to do both the Fleche Wallone Sportive and Liege Bastogne Liege- the long route as ridden by the pros.... but within that week not only did I get to ride three of the climbs that I will do on the Anvers-Huy stage of the Tour de Force... including the famous climb of Mur (the wall) de Huy I also got to watch both the pro-ladies and men race up the Huy.... and as I stood on the Huy (I am just the next person on Eurosport.. ie I knew I was there but you can't see me) having wandered slowly down the Hill some 25 minutes before the start of the action.... I stood there and soaked in the atmosphere... grandmothers and grandfathers, school parties, parents with children, drunken revellers I realised that this link with the media was probably as deep if not deeper within the psyche as the reporting of any football game within the North East.... in fact somehow the media reflects the needs of the people... I don't think we'd get away with painting the roads or defacing the roads just to write a footballer's name there....

And perhaps I came away with the sense of History, Henri Desgrange the Editor of L'Auto now L'Equipe was credited with starting the Tour de France... yet another media link... so where am I going with this....

In about 8 weeks time, we will line up on the start line in Utrecht; we as a team will line up in Utrecht and beyond and make our own history... our own news in a line of tradition that goes beyond us... and touches people we never thought to touch.... for myself it is tremendously sobering but also uplifting....

Just over a week ago we held a charity sportsmen's dinner to raise funds for www.wwmt.org.uk and I have both to thank the team behind organising the dinner and the c200 guests who were there but also I realised that something which I had simply thought was something that people just do (ie The Tour) had reached in to people's consciousness in a way I hadn't fully appreciated.... and I still haven't fully grasped the messages of support/ dis-belief (but in a fantastic way)/ and commendation for myself and the team.... this is Epic!!

So what of my training.... I am within touching distance of the elusive 1000 mile month... so tempting just to go to ride to smash it... but that was due to an amazing day on the bike last Saturday when I rode the 273km Liege Bastogne Liege... I have to say the weather was a complete pig... and the climbs when they came were absolutely demanding.... in fact the weather so bad and the roads so filthy that my bike has had to be stripped down to be cleaned and brought back to life.... there are picture of me on the internet... I know I am suffering but others have kindly said I look in control......

Otherwise it was a month of routine, endurance rides with Threshold efforts... it would be nice if the weather turned for the better but there is no guarantees what we will face in France or Belgium or Holland...... the clock is ticking.

As a postscript I actually had half a bottle of wine post LBL.... with a litre and a half of water! I live an exciting life :)

Time to Push on

March was not a great month. It was a month where I generally felt a bit ill and the weather (especially the wind) made it not really that enjoyable to get out on the bike. As a result I really didn't do as much training as I would have liked.

This month has been a lot better. The weather has been so much better and I have really been able to start winding up the mileage. It's the little things which have helped. It has been great to get rid of the bib tights, winter jersey, thick gloves and overshoes and start using the summer gear. Also, as I've mentioned before, with the wind dropping off, riding has been far less tough and exhausting and just more enjoyable.

Main targets now are to really push on. I need to up the mileage and I need to up the climbing. Bit behind on both so I do have work to do.

As a side point, it took a while but I have finally ended up with my first puncture and I did have to be shown how to fix it. I had all the tools and the spare inner tube in my saddle bag but not the slightest clue what to do. Luckily I didn't get caught out on the road with the puncture as I'm not sure what I would have done. I've also found out the hard way that I'm quite proficient at taking the back wheel off but pretty useless at getting it back on. This lead to the quite awkward moment of taking the back wheel off then having to call someone to show me how to get it back on. I'm not great / absolutely useless at the maintenance side of cycling but I'd like to think I can only get better. I can’t get worse.

F.E.A.R

The fear factor has well and truly set in now… I’ve been researching the stages I’m cycling but there seems to be very little information available other than describing them as ‘mid-mountain stages’ and warning riders ‘not to underestimate the accumulated climbing’… Joy.

Since my last post the trainings been going well, I think I’m getting a little addicted to cycling and luckily my girlfriend “loves” hearing all about my training rides including the detailed in-depth analysis of every hill I climbed along the way (this can sometimes take hours).  She also “loves” me telling her ‘I’ve cycled up here’ every time we drive somewhere that has previously appeared on a training ride.

My recent rides have involved trips up the North Pennines – in sunshine it’s spectacular – in rain, not so much but it’s always a good pull to get up there, and the descents are superb!

Recent rides have also included an 80 mile push with Neil in hurricane strength winds with a combination of climbs mixed in, we almost got involved in the Tour of Derwent Reservoir time trial, but luckily the police held us back...

The countdown timer keeps ticking on the website and there’s still a lot of Haribo / flapjack fuelled training to go – I’m hoping to increase the mileage over the next few weeks so watch this space!

De-generation X

These training diaries are always more interesting if something out of the ordinary has happened (eg nearly dying on hartside, doing a del boy onto the tarmac…..) but I suppose it’s a sign that people are getting into some serious training if I’ve got nothing much to say!

Things I’ve learned since the last post:

i)Fuel up before you go out (especially if going from the office)

ii)Cycling computers and heart monitors definitely help

iii)Cycling in groups is an essential skill

iv)Wind makes me want to cry

v)Cycling up hills is hard

First up, I’d like to talk about the delivery company DX.  Let’s just say, they’re absolutely shocking.  So, it was my 21st birthday on Good Friday, and I decided to get myself something nice (Happy Birthday Barry, love from Barry xxx).  I ordered a Garmin 500 Edge with Heart Rate Monitor and Cadence Sensor so that it would be delivered before the Easter weekend and I’d have it for all the cycling I’d be doing. 

How wrong I was.  The delivery bloke apparently couldn’t deliver it as there was no-one in the office.  I didn’t get a text, email or card.  I had to track the parcel, to be led to a telephone number to call to rearrange delivery with the most unhelpful operator ever (and they weren’t deliberately being unhelpful, I think its just that they were tired after their appearance in Jeremy Kyle that morning).

Moral of the story – don’t use DX.  But I got the Garmin in the end and it’s mint.

In terms of training, I’ve been stepping up the turbo trainer sessions (which are much more palatable if you’ve got a garmin) and done quite a few 50+ milers with a few hills in.  Managed to get out and see the beautiful Northumberland and Weardale countryside.  See the photo I took at the top of Crawleyside bank (yeah, that says 17%, I’m rock solid).

Word of warning though, make sure you fuel up properly before a long ride.  Last Wednesday I brought my bike into the office so I could go straight from work with a couple of mates.  60 miles later I felt like I was going to keel over.  When I got home my parents were pretty shocked as I did my best impression of the Hound and ate all the chicken in the house (a couple of c-bombs were thrown in as I was that hungry).

The Quest to Become the Dunston Chris Froome continues…….

Bank Holiday Trip to Scarborough

This week I decided to take advantage of the long weekend, and took a 1 night holiday in Scarborough, staying with some friends who were testing out their new camper van & tent – the only catch was that I had to cycle there and back!

The ride down across the North Yorkshire Moors turned out to be a nightmare and by the time I arrived at the campsite, I was thoroughly soaked and shivering with cold – it never stopped raining all the way!

I soon warmed up in the bar with a few pints and two meals (Burger & Chips plus Fish & Chips J)...followed by a few more beers! Fortunately I woke up fresh after a good night’s sleep, and was ready to hit the road early on Saturday morning for my return ride home.

In total I covered a total 256km in two days and am starting to feel like i’m making some progress (i’m almost 2 stone lighter now!)

A trip abroad

As I write, I know there is only 12 weeks and three days until Utrecht.... on the other hand it's at least three months away.... on the other hand....

So what did March bring.... approx 925 miles in training ( the 1000 mile month still seems to escape me), 59000 feet of climbing (sounds better than c18000m) and another cold weather training camp in a place that was supposed to be warm.

So what did I learn:

1 Mud lines look similar to tan lines, but they do wash off.

2 On the odd random day of brilliant sunshine (in Spain) I burn easily.

3 I'm still carrying too much weight for some of these long climbs.

4 Long Climbs and weight are all about Arithmetic ( I was admonished by a member of the team for saying it was all about Maths- Maths I am told is a whole other topic).

The highlight of my month had to be my training week in Spain with Sportstest/TraininSpain, the range of roads and conditions are fantastic... and highlights included the Cumbres des Sol climb which will feature in this years Vuelta- there was no fantastic view for us as we did it in thick fog! and the ride on our rest day with what seemed like an inch of water on the roads was so horrendous it was comical.

But I think the most important thing I took from my training camp was a tremendous sense of camaraderie, and the way that the other riders who are head and feet better than me..... if I age apportioned it I felt a bit better..... engaged with the challenge that the Tour de Force will bring and gave me their insights to help me cope better in the event.

And I think 'camaraderie' will be key to a successful conquest of the Tour de Force.... I am in no doubt there will be the odd day or 21 days that I suffer.... as snippets of the route emerge... we, as a team, know that the flat rolling day is neither flat nor rolling... the odd 10% 4km climb, the short sharp cobbled climb... the suffering brings a sense of togetherness (or not) and unwittingly the whole exercise has/is proving to be the ultimate team building exercise.

Some completely random thoughts:

1 I haven't been drunk- I seem to be in the ridiculous situation of buying a bottle of wine to prevent the overwhelming urge to drink it- go figure!!

2 I have bought a pair of blue shoes- non cycling (this is solely designed to get me hits when posted on Facebook- a social media thing that I must simply be too old to understand).

3 Spanish hotel maintenance staff have a completely different approach to maintenance than their English counterparts- or not:

Imagine the scene.... not hot but sweaty cyclist returns from ride to find hard plastic lying in his hotel doorway, scratch marks in the door jamb/door, plastic akin to a credit card stuck in the lock... oh no... an attempted burglary.... why me.... heated discussion ensues with Hotel management... who then say are you the gentleman in Room 5? Yes says I. Oh says management it was us trying to break in terribly sorry we just wanted to clean the room... and you have the only key... I and others think... why not do it the other way round and ask for the key instead of trying to break in..... I'll hang on to the only key says me!!!

Friday... 160km ride... +2500m climbing etc... hot... last day..... key started the day with my phone... back pocket.... 

Hot and Sweaty cyclist returns.... oh $%&£@£$... no key... maintenance spend two hours trying to break in to the room... Credit to them rooms are really secure... until I think to myself it is Spain; I wonder if they locked this window... they hadn't so I broke in myself- crawled through the window... and management upgraded the lock and keys in the plural.....

I make light of it; I was stressed on the Thursday and felt a bit silly on the Friday but it also made me realise that there is far more than physical strain going to be a part of the Tour......

Random Update

I’ve taken some recent criticism off certain family members for not writing about actual cycling in my blog this is probably fair criticism if I’m honest.

My recent cycling escapades have been pretty limited which is also good reason for criticism. I’ve still had chance to capture the Pendle in all its beauty whilst out riding in the Dales (see photo above).

I have, however, became talented at fixing punctures after I learnt that leaving high pressure tyres next to a radiator is both dangerous and a quick way to destroy a good inner-tube.

With the limited cycling I have done in the past two weeks I’ve also learnt that I can’t go out without having a tea and cake stop. I’ve got high expectations for the fuel stops on the TDF! I’m not a big fan of the gels and energy bars though, keep it simple with Marathons and Boosts I say.

I hope to fill the blog with some interesting rides in the next few weeks – good intentions and all that. Starting with a 50 mile ride this weekend out to Hexham no doubt with a stop for cake and tea.

Finally, I’ve noticed recently in the office that there’s been some positive weight loss so I’m delighted to report that since beginning the training I’ve lost 1kg, of course I’m extremely proud of this achievement and hope to lose another c1kg prior to the ride #biggestloser 

Turbo Man

I’m assuming everyone has seen Jingle All the Way, yeah?  Well, that’s where that reference comes from, I’ll give you that one for free.

Laboured introduction over with……..yes, I’ve bought a turbo trainer.  Seeing the tangible benefits it’s had for Neil, I thought I’d invest in one myself.  There was a bit of bargaining to be done though, to make room, I’ve had to put the trusty mountain bike into retirement (storage).  But let’s face it, who wants to go back to straddling a fat old mare of a mountain bike after you’ve been riding a svelte young filly of a carbon road bike for the last few months…..

So, things I’ve learned since the last post:

i)Wind makes you want to cry

ii)Hills make you want to cry

iii)The turbo trainer makes you want to cry

I have been out on the actual roads after my near death experience up Hartside….managed to get a few decent rides with Dave.  Got on the Shields ferry for the first time, which was nice.

Nothing much else to report.  Now the lights are getting lighter and the weather is improving, I think we’ll all be ramping it up.

Short and sweet.  The Quest to Become the Dunston Chris Froome continues…..

A Two Part Instalment of Becky's Blog

As it has been a while since my most recent blog update, and in order to allay you all of your fears that I have done no training for some time, I have decided to cover two momentous (ok…. slight exaggeration) weeks in my training calendar.

Part one:

A Woman’s sense of direction ………..

So after finding my new found ‘love’ for cycling over the Valentine’s Day weekend, I began my birthday week all ‘pumped’ up, cold free, and on a positive high in terms of cycling.

Being a great fan of running, although a little out of practice, I decided to squeeze in some early week training by doing two five mile runs, feeling positive with how I felt after a week on the sofa struck down by the common cold in the previous week, I was confident my ‘training plan’ was back on track.

Wednesday morning saw my mid-week cycle with my brother, a mere 23 miles through Chester le street onto Beamish and back before a quick shower a slice of cake and back to the office for an afternoon of work.

Thursday morning saw the start of my birthday, although being 26 means birthdays have now lost their appeal, I did receive (as requested) a turbo trainer, no new shoes or handbags in sight!!

Friday I decided to take the day off work, not to nurse a post birthday night out hangover but rather to go out on the bike. I planned my route and I wanted some relatively good (I use the term loosely) climbs, so set off down Durham road and back up through Penshaw, long but steady, Chester le street then into Durham along to Gilesgate where we met my mam for a coffee ... Got chatting to a guy who was very interested in what we are doing. He did however then proceed to tell me a delightful story about a friend of his who was, in his words, ‘wiped out by a lorry whilst out cycling one day’, to say he was Job’s comforter may be a slight understatement.

All sounds really pleasant right?! A little bit blue in the face from the cold, but 17.5 miles into the ride and I was really quite enjoying it.

So post coffee  we set off again on the second leg of the ride. ‘Let's go through Hetton and Houghton’ my brother said, ‘It'll be ok’ he said…..Tootling along I reach the bottom of what I can only describe as a massive hill. Top of said hill I was literally out of my seat, only pride and my cleats kept me on my bike. Now the benefit of reaching a large incline is cycling down the other side,  .... to yet another hill

I almost jumped off and tossed my bike to the ground in an absolute rage, my brother had lied, but as I repeated myself I needed to do these climbs to stand a fraction of a chance in France.

Bottom of the second hill I looked behind to see I had left my brother behind ... ‘it'll be ok I know my way home it's only 5 miles’ I thought to myself and set off…….

I ended up 7 miles later in Murton ... Yes Murton .... Phone nearly dead I know was faced with a choice …. I could either tap into Becky's immense skills of direction and continue the now 8 miles home or admit defeat and call Judey (she’s my mam), unfortunately and ashamedly you can see by my finish point on strava what I did.

After spending 24 of my 26 year living in Sunderland, it was evident I still didn’t know my way home.

Part two:

Realising I ‘spoke’ too soon…………..

With a little bit of a lull in my training plan due to a birthday weekend away in York, which was very nice I must admit, the planned team ride doing the C2C was upon us.

I however had no part in any of the planning or logistics of the ride, very wise I hear you all say based on episode one.

So that week in preparation, and not to disappoint any of my avid followers who sit in anticipation of my latest cycling purchase tales, I bought myself some padded bib tights and a new cycling jersey all set for the ride, along with some more practical items such as spare inner tubes and lights, but who is interested in those!!

The atmosphere on the ride up to the coast was great, a fantastic sense of Team Leathers was really evident and to be honest I was beginning to look forward to it. That was until we stepped off the minibus and I struggled to stand up right in the, what felt like, million mile per hour winds.

And here it began, watched by disbelieving onlookers parked up in their nice warm cars.

As Jonny found out on an unexpected fall relatively early on in the ride, the hardest part about riding a bike…. Is in fact the pavement.

I won’t go into too much detail about the ride, I am sure everyone else has covered just how easy they found it, and just how hard I did, but post almost dying (slight exaggeration again) in the cold and fog waiting to be rescued by Tim the treasurer, I was only too pleased to realise my 5 foot 2” body wasn’t going to be big enough for Barry to use my ‘scooped’ out torso to keep shelter in and I made it to the village hall alive.

Again the team spirit was great, not dampened in the slightest by the miles that we had cycled we sat down to eat together before retiring to bed ready for the next day.

I have got to admit I may have realised that I spoke too soon in terms of how much I was enjoying this cycling and I found the ride exceptionally hard and it taught me a lot!! And despite being told on numerous occasions that my height and weight would make it proportionally easier for me to ‘fly’ up the climbs, I discovered this was not the case!!! Becky simply does not have the strength nor the stamina to keep up with 6 very competitive red blooded males without A LOT more training!!

Frustration Over!

Four weeks after persevering on the turbo trainer and sitting looking out of the window at the 30mph plus winds on Saturday and feeling a lot of guilt at not participating on the C2C I decided the time had come to try my arm out on a ride on Sunday as the weather forecast looked reasonable. So Sunday came and I put the new shoes and cleats on and set off in trepidation given the tales I’d heard about falling off when getting used to cleats.  I decided to do a short run in the morning to see how it went and some 7 miles later after a very easy ride I returned home with no falls and satisfied that I was confident enough to make a longer trip out in the afternoon. So Sunday afternoon I had a 14 mile trip to visit my parents with a few little climbs and no falls and, a first for me, NO PUNCTURES!!!!! There’s no doubt the cleats make life a lot easier, except when stupid drivers pull out in front of you and you have to try and unclip quickly which did happen! Anyway, faster times were recorded and average speed up to around the 15mph level so it gave me a lot more confidence that I am up to the challenge ahead.

Monday in the office was a bit of an eye opener to hear of the major challenges that the rest of the team had had doing the C2C. Very impressed with all of the teams efforts although I think it’s given a few members a bit of a reality check for what lies ahead. I’m sure everyone will have benefitted from it and it also did even more for the team building which is awesome to see – I’ve never been part of a team who are so committed as a team and who are encouraging each other in everything that we are doing and I’m sure that will continue going forward. I can’t wait for the end of Tour party!

Tuesday the weather was superb, or so it seemed, so I decided to take the afternoon off and do the Washington-Sunderland-Seaham-Washington round trip of some 30 miles. Had a very enjoyable ride although the 1.1 miles along Roker Pier and back gave me more concern for the cobbles section I shall be doing on the Tour. I only did 10mph on this section as I thought my arms were going to fall off so I’ve still a lot of concern as to whether I’ll survive that section of the Tour. The ride from Seaham to Houghton on the “flat” section was tough with a head wind but I took great pleasure in blasting past a fellow cyclist on one of the inclines – not sure he was impressed. Arrived back safely with numerous personal bests, average speed approaching 15mph, a new top speed, no falls and NO PUNCTURES!

After my fall of 4 weeks ago I am now back on track and looking forward to the next trip out. The challenge for the rest of the team now is to beat my fastest speed of 49.7mph!!!!!

Cycling is a £$%^!!

It has been a while since I made any entries as to how my training has been going. This has mostly been due to having a few weeks with limited training as I have had studying to do for an exam. I managed to pass the exam which is the good news so another one out the way. 

Although I did manage to get a ride in on the 02/03/15 doing 44miles in 3 hours with an average speed of 15mph. This made me feel a lot better about how my training had been going as previously I was proper struggling after only 25 miles. I thought this put me in a good place for the Coast to Coast. How wrong I was……

Coast to Coast – 07/03/15

The weekend arrived with constant weather updates from the C2C coordinator Ryan ‘bat on’ Harrison. The winds were apparently going to be 40mph all of the Saturday when we were cycling from Workington to Garrigill. I took all this with a pinch of salt but maybe I should have listened more closely. 10 miles into the 60 miles we were doing in the day I was leading us towards Whinlatter Pass when suddenly I was flung off my bike from the wind. All the wind that day seemed to have been funnelled into one area in the whole of the Lake District, which I happened to be going through. I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt but after dusting myself off, a David Beckham esque 1998 kick of my bike and a few choice words we were back under way.

The first day was a struggle no doubt and none of it was to do with the cycling more just the weather. I don’t think it likely that I will ever cycle in conditions like that again. There was numerous times when I thought the wind would have me off the bike again. Eventually we got to Hartside pass and it was not much fun. Fog and heavy winds made it extremely difficult and like a scene from a police reconstruction- ‘Have you seen these cyclists?’ Cycling down the other side was even worse I can’t describe the fog, hail, wind and sleet in enough detail to replicate how eerie it was. I genuinely questioned what I was doing with my life at one point. The warm village hall and the cup of tea when I arrived in Garrigill was literally the best thing ever!! The night’s sleep could have been better mind as I was unable to lie on one side due to the pain from my crash and for some weird reason I was having constant dreams about flying off my bike.

The next day I was aching like mad and still had 60 miles to cycle. The first two climbs from Garrigill were a disgusting start to the day but that feeling reaching the top was amazing. There were times I wanted to stop but kept thinking of ridiculous quotes ‘it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. ‘

After that the cycling down to Stanhope was fantastic in the sun despite nearly being hit by a car that decided to drive on the wrong side of the road. After a brief lunch and getting to Wolsingham, I finally found that my fall was more damaging than I thought as I had broken the rear derailleur on my bike. A temporary fix later and several steep climbs we managed to finally get to the end.

A Chinese, a bath and some proper sleep were definitely well deserved.

Some lessons learned:

1. Cycling Hurts!!
2. Nature can be bit of a pain!!
3. Never give Ryan map responsibilities.
4. We are all a bit stupid for agreeing to this mammoth challenge!!
5. Chris is a good chef!!
6. More training is required.
7. Most of all though despite the pain, I think it will be possible to do this challenge!!

Outriding the Young Guns

I returned to the UK, having spent a few days training in Mallorca, to receive an e-mail asking how my warm weather camp had been....

Well once you dismiss the torrential rain, wacky wind speeds, and the odd snowy outbreak... it was lovely and warm- not.

I could tell the cold had got to me, as I rode around... I kept thinking I could take a picture of an espresso, a pair of cycling shoes and find a carrier bag.... then I could talk about some shopping trip or other..... I might even get reads on Facebook or Twitter...... clearly an essential part of my training.... the alternative was either head down into the wind or more crazily leaning at 45 degrees into the wind just to stay upright. The 45 degree trick was riding around the bay to Puerto Pollensa- and at that point (though I have never seen them in real life) i imagined the sand dunes to Zeeland... thinking the actual TdeF that day could be utter carnage.....

Anyway six days back to back riding... several mountain climbs later, Sa Calobra, Cap Formentor, and Lluc in both directions gives you a feel for the eat, cycle, sleep regime which is less than 18 weeks away..... I am in no doubt now that this trip will be a team effort!

I love being in Mallorca, just nice to be there, I don't think I have ever seen the island look so green, it was almost like being at home... then you see the orange and lemon trees and the artichokes, the almond trees in blossom... my favourite moment had to be riding off my back wheel a german wunderkind (about a third off my age) who seemed to think the very elderly (!!) gentleman was going to slow up Lluc..... old maybe, gentleman- some would debate. I did nod at him when he arrived at the top!

Sadly I didn't get a cheeky 18 holes of golf in, I didn't shop, and even better no punctures- which I was relieved about given some of the weather..... the low point had to be finishing a ride and sitting literally in a pool of water drinking an espresso- actually on reflection... quite fun.

Cycling is the new golf....

Things I’ve learned this week:

i) Cycling up hills is hard

ii) Cycling into the wind is hard

iii) Cycling with a mate can make it easier and harder

iv) To paraphrase Brian Potter – Energy gels.  They’re the future, I’ve tasted them

A few years ago, after watching Tiger Woods seal what has turned out to be his last major golfing victory at the 2008 US open, I decided I would become the white Tiger Woods.  A young lad from the mean streets of Dunston, who would not only conquer the world of golf but change sport as we know it.  So the next day, I bought a full set of clubs (bag and everything) from a bloke in the Dun Cow for £50 and set out to meet my golfing destiny.

Those £50 clubs served me well, however, once I was established on the European Tour, I felt like I needed to upgrade……and so began the long and unrelenting process of club upgrades and unnecessary golfing purchases.

Following my rise to the top of the golf world rankings, culminating in my majestic win at the 2014 Open Championship at Hoylake, my quest was complete and I needed something else to fill the void.

Enter cycling. Not only have I purchased a brand new carbon fibre bike.  I’ve bought pedals, shoes, bibs shorts, tools, bottles etc etc etc.  Basically, instead of going to sleep thinking about the next driver I’m going to buy which will increase my length off the tee from 375 to 400 yards, I’m thinking about the next piece of cycling equipment I’m going to buy which will prevent me from dying on Alpe d’huez.

Cycling most certainly is the new golf for Barry.

Wednesday

I have a mate called Dave.  Dave has just recently agreed to do an Ironman Triathlon in Barcelona in October.  Dave used last year’s Great North Run as a warm up for a marathon a couple of weeks later.  Dave has been to Afghanistan.  Dave is smaller than me.  Dave is lighter than me.  Dave has a better bike than me.  Turns out Dave is better a climbing hills than me.  Who’da thunk it eh?

Dave and I did a cheeky little 30 miles around Beamish/Burnopfield etc.  I say cheeky.  What I really meant was ****** hard 30 miles.  Lots of short but steep climbs had my legs in pieces.

At the time it was awful but it was definitely good training.  Having a riding partner is a big help but I need to make sure I eat and hydrate properly.

Also, discovering Pedalling Squares in Swalwell made my day.  Highly recommended bike café/workshop near Blaydon Rugby club at the start of the Derwent Walk.  Stop by if you’re in the vicinity, cool place, friendly staff, it’s a must-visit place for cycling hipsters like me.

Saturday

I planned a 55 mile route out on Strava and set off towards Matfen Hall with Dave early doors on Saturday morning.

I made sure I had a decent breakfast and actually felt really good in comparison to Wednesday.  Very stiff headwind all the way up to Matfen though.

Deciding to take a break, we stopped off at the golf club shop (see picture above).  Seeing as we had our clubs with us……..we had a quick 9 holes……I shot a 6 under par 30 just for the crack….…and we jumped back on the bikes.

I’ve read about the ‘Ryals’ on various blogs/forums.  I had no idea we were going that way though, I was following my route…….Jesus, they were steep!  Fortunately we were going down them into a headwind but unfortunately, I’m going to have to pencil them in for a future training ride.

It’s fair to say both Dave and I suffered on Saturday.  If it wasn’t for Dave’s energy gels I’m not sure we’d have been home before dark.  What a revelation they are.  They’re so good they should be illegal.  No wonder Lance Armstrong turned to the roids.

Anyway, we managed 55 miles and got home safely, plenty of time to soothe my Graham in the bath before getting my party clothes on and heading out for the match.  The thought of Mike Williamson lining up against Sergio Aguero was something I had been looking forward to all week.

The Quest to Become the Dunston Lance Armstrong (without the drugs) continues……

Diary Post 2: New Bike!

After a bit of persuasion, and getting stranded 20 miles from home with a mechanical breakdown (I had to be rescued by my Dad!), I finally decided it was time to replace my trusty old £150 second hand road bike with something a bit newer and more reliable!!

After taking delivery of my new Wilier carbon fibre road bike, I therefore decided to put it through it’s paces with an 80km test run. The bike was noticeably faster and lighter than what I’ve been used to so I’m hoping this will give me a little bit of a helping hand when I come to do the TDF – although I’m still nowhere near as fit enough as I’d like to be and still far too heavy - despite a lot of cycling, running and dieting…

It’s amazing how much faster you can go though when you’re getting chased by a stray Staffordshire Bull Terrier through Ferryhill…I thought I was going to get mauled at first, but it turned out to be friendly enough and at one point I was worried it was going to follow me all the way home!!

A Love for Cycling

I began my outdoor training several weeks ago, shiny new bike, new shoes, new outfit…. I certainly looked the part ….and managed (what I thought) an impressive 24 miles from Sunderland to South Shields and back …..in the snow!! As you can see my mam wasn’t the best person to ask to capture the moment of my first ride, successfully managing to cut my head off in the photograph.

Being lucky enough to have a designated Wednesday morning out of the office for time to train I returned to work in the afternoon post ride only to find I was the only member of Team Leathers to brave the ‘extreme weather’. Excuses from the boys consisted of ‘It was too cold’, ‘The roads were too icy’, ‘The car wouldn’t start’, and ‘I didn’t want to break a nail’…….

So I spent the afternoon feeling rather smug, if not a little tired.

The following weekend I passed up a group training ride with several of the team, which I hear was most eventful, for a shopping trip and lunch with the girls (there seems to be an underlying theme to all of my posts) with the view that the following week I would manage to fit in at least two outdoor rides and several hours running.

However, as I was yet to discover, Karma at my earlier smugness was about to rear her head and I was ‘struck down’ with a cold. I am just thankful it didn’t progress to that dreadful condition ‘man flu’ as my 5 days out of training may have been prolonged to a month of complete bed rest.

To say I was a little annoyed that my sniffles stopped me training is a slight understatement, but after a week of vitamin C overload and a share in Kleenex I was ready to venture out again.

So back to full health, Saturday morning I decided to go out cycling accompanied by my brother, leaving from Sunderland we ventured along the coast to Seaham on what turned out to be quite a nice morning stopping at a nice little coffee shop half way to appreciate the views …… and cake. After all, factoring in the cake stops that we will be having on the TDF is an essential part of the training, right?

I soon learnt the benefit of my much lighter road bike in comparison to my brother’s mountain bike. Despite his experience of long rides and love for cycling, he was more accustomed to the slog of lugging his mountain bike up the inclines at a rather slow and steady pace. Arriving back home a good 15 minutes before him I now fully appreciated my purchase of the shiny Cube and it was then that cupid struck me with his arrow and I truly fell in love with my new bike.

After an intense but enjoyable ride I spent Saturday evening on the sofa, re-fuelling with carbs and chocolate, it’s what I hear all of the pros eat, planning my training for the week ahead. 

A Week of Excitement

A mixed two weeks of training including a superb Sunday ride through the North Yorkshire Dales, up to Masham, Lofthouse, Pateley Bridge and a fantastic spring day for riding...... this adds to another exciting week for a whole host of reasons:

a) The charity we nominated and are working with in the North East has had its grant approved by the William Wates Memorial Trust.

The riders have had an initial meeting with the charity; and will be doing a day’s work experience with the Teenagers that we are aiming to help.

   Genuine excitement!!

b) We are within a whisker of achieving the charitable target set by the Tour de Force but still a way to go for our target of £50,000.

   Genuine excitement!!

Diary Post 2: Jumpstart to the Tour De Force

I’ve finally retrieved my bike. Not without difficulty though. The plans were laid on 1 February when I returned to my parents’ home to collect both the bike and an appropriate vehicle for transportation (an MG TF isn’t really made for carrying people let alone bikes!).

What I believed would be a thirty minute turnaround to load the bike and drive away resulted in a two hour episode that required my uncle to help start the twenty year old Land Rover Discovery with a spare car battery. On the road again to move the bike and Discovery to Ripponden where I was staying for the weekend. The initial plan, of driving two vehicles back to the north east, quickly disappeared on Sunday when the weather took a turn for the worse and an unnamed cohabitant wasn’t overly keen on driving the TF up the A1 in icy conditions.   Plan B was triggered. A train return train journey back down to West Yorkshire on a cold damp Tuesday to collect both Discovery and Bike…

Return journey commenced smoothly enough with no problems on the train journey and a free meal on the Tuesday night. Wednesday morning I woke up early with the intention of driving back with enough time to have a quick ride out to stretch the legs, what a surprise the Land Rover didn’t start. This time however I had no uncle to assist and a family asleep in the house who I didn’t feel it appropriate to wake. After numerous attempts and call to a farm and Land Rover expert (James Swiers) the only option was a jumpstart. Enter stage right local neighbour on way to work who kindly supplied the jump leads and disappeared to work. This left me with a predicament – is it possible to jump start a Discovery with a flat battery from a Hyundai i10  with no mechanical experience and an iPhone to talk me through the steps, I hooked up the two vehicles and turned the keys! BOOM, the Discovery started and black poof of smoke separated the morning mist.

Quickly onto the road and I was back to work for 12 lunch – the rest of the office oblivious to my morning adventures.  

For the avoidance of doubt, photo evidence is supplied above.  

A tale of two halves…..

Things I’ve learned this week:

i) Riding up hills when your bike is not setup correctly is hard

ii) Riding up hills in cleats is hard

iii) Riding along what Neil called “a flat run into Houghton” is actually a 5 mile hill, and is hard

iv) Riding up hills is hard

First Half – Reality Check

The first ride of the week took place on a frosty Tuesday morning.  Thinking I could just lash it round local roads between the hours of 8.30am and 9.30am was perhaps a bit naïve…….but the next person who beeps me in their Qashqai whilst taking their ugly children to school is going to get knocked clean out…..

Anyway, I went straight in at the deep end, trying to cycle up what is quite a steep hill from Dunston to Whickham…..I soon realised my saddle was too low, too far back and the front bars were not in the correct position.  Got halfway up, nearly chundered, made some adjustments and continued on my merry way.

Managed about 18 miles in total, most of the ride was getting used to the bike, the cleats, making small adjustments to my riding position as I went along.

Even though I managed to smash the 30mph speed limit on my way back down from Sunniside (the speed trap on the side of the road said so), I was a still bit demoralised, I thought I could jump on the bike and dance up the hills like they do on the telly – how wrong I was!

Second Half – Light at the End of the Tunnel

How many accountants does it take to change a puncture?  One, plus two tax advisers and an insolvency practitioner…..

Ryan ‘Late’ Harrison picked me up early(ish) doors on Saturday morning in Clive’s magnificent Land Rover and we met James in Birtley.  A few tweaks to the bikes, a bit of jealously from Ryan that his Pendle was double the weight of our Cubes, and we were cheesing it down to Picktree Lane to meet Neil ‘The Chugger’ Matthews.

The animal that he is, Neil had already done about 13kms before we met him (because Ryan was late).  Neil then proceeded to take us on the coast to coast route to Roker.  Not being in cleats, Neil blazed his own trail at the front, treating junctions and roundabouts as if they didn’t exist, whilst the three Bambi’s behind tripped over each other.

The cycling gods got their own back on The Chugger though, a tack on the cycle path stopping him in his tracks.  Took about 40 mins to sort but we managed to get to Roker in once piece (see above, great day for it).

A quick stop, a blast down the coast through Sunderland city centre (what a lovely place, I’m just pleased I don’t bear a resemblance to anyone’s sister……) to Seaham, where we stopped in what Neil affectionately called ‘The Dogging Car Park’.

From there, a 5 mile drag back up to Houghton.  Its flat he said…..flat? Was it ****!  Good training though.

Neil then departed and we (eventually) made it back to James’, but I still had time for a fall on the way.  Suppose it had to happen sometime, but seeing as I’m proper solid like, totally had no effect.

38.3 miles later, I was back home, soaking my aching valley in the bath, hope restored that I might actually make it up those mountains in the Alps in July.

The Quest to Become the Dunston Lance Armstrong (without the drugs) continues…..

Diary Post 3: January Changes

"I am motivated above all by that little voice inside that urges me on to fulfil my potential. Everyone has that same voice in there somewhere, but many are too scared to listen to it, too scared to try, too scared of failure. That fear is immobilising, but it is also our own personal construct and therefore doesn't exist in reality. NEVER imagine anything is impossible” (emphasis  mine) ...... A Life without Limits: Chrissie Wellington- for those that don’t know Chrissie is a four time Ironman Champion.

I have read Chrissie's book previously (I am currently re-reading it) it is thought provoking, uplifting, informative and most of all, makes it absolutely clear that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it....and above all else gives a strong indication of the mind set to take on the current challenge of the Tour de Force..... I didn't get my mental target mileage in January, a combination of poor weather, variations in my training and day to day life conspired but sitting here on 1 February, yes, there is more I could of done, but probably not sensibly!

The hardest issue to resolve in any January for an accountancy firm specialising in tax is dealing with the absolute pressure of 31 January tax return deadlines...... the team are brilliant and deserve praise for the work they put in (and some of them are busy finding their training legs).... but it creates additional pressures and the pressures in the mind can be just as hard as the pressure on the training.... so an absolute lesson has been knowing when to rest and when to walk away from the bike... I had to do so in the last week of January (total mileage for the last six days in three sessions-34 miles!! And two of those sessions I should have stopped sooner!) Walking away was harder than actually doing the training session....seriously!!

So my January training block started on 26 December (no, I didn't ride Christmas day) and included a Sportstest re-test on 30 December (power up, weight down) but in January itself I have ridden on 22 days out of 31; on some of those days, twice a day and covered 752 miles....actually KM sounds better..1210km. a combination of Zone 2 (ie endurance sessions), threshold sessions... (short sharp sprints) and unstructured rides... in coaching terms, we are building, refining the engine and mentally i am building the ability to ride at an endurance pace for longer and longer each ride -a little bit, I know I can ride at this intensity for X Hours a day so riding in a group, using drafting (and working as well) I can ride X+1 or 2 hours. A lot of the work has been done on the flat, but gradually we are introducing hill work, short and long efforts as there isn’t really any such thing as a flat stage at the Tour! But I still within all this did a weekend of two rides 80km/112km- one flat/one super (25%) hilly (though i prefer the shorter 50m/70m).

Another big change is that I have finally bought in to a structured diet- the weight loss is noticeable but not ridiculous... butter is now an occasional treat, and porridge, honey, bananas, dark fruits (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries), avocados and eggs, fish, noodles, pasta, cereal, rice amongst my daily staples- there are days I am hungry and days I feel like I have had too much.... my training load is spread across my basic requirements during a week.... so it is the same daily fuel.... friends, family and work contacts are getting used to me pulling out my phone and entering data into MyFitnessPal... but are also supportive of the benefits.

The more you do, the more you realise there is to do....and sadly with insane wind speeds outside I am going to have to go and make the decision about today's training- inside or outside. In the end I did both- but wished I had stayed inside!

Diary Post 1: The New Cyclist

Like a few of us taking part, I am very new to cycling. Of course one of the minor stumbling blocks when I wanted to get started was I didn't actually have a bike. This is a problem I have since solved with a proper carbon fibre road bike which I hope will do the business.

Having not owned a road bike before, I could not believe the difference compared to a mountain bike - it feels great. Though, I must admit, I am currently a big fan of flat roads and am not quite seeking out the big climbs - not ideal as I have signed up for the Alps stages. I'm sure that will change as I get a few more miles in my legs.

In terms of cycling firsts, I have so far been lucky enough not to have had a puncture - I'm not sure I would know how to repair one - and the closest I have got to a cycling repair is to put the chain back on. I have though had the experience of not properly unclipping at a junction and just very casually falling over. I just see it as an inevitable experience and part of beginning to cycle but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

I’m sure better and more proactive times are ahead.

Diary Post 1: No Bike

Still haven’t got a bike. I really should sort this. I went for a run at the weekend wearing cycling clothes, that’s the closest I’ve been to doing a proper training ride. I also bought a bike pump and waterproof jacket which made me feel a bit more proactive.

Hopefully next time I write a blog I’ll have a bike.

Above: A nice picture of the derelict rock pool in Tynemouth taken this weekend

Diary Post 1: Questioning My Sanity

Today was the first time I have ever been out cycling on the road. It’s definitely not the same as being on a turbo trainer as you don’t realise how roads are not completely flat at all. I can’t say it was the best weather conditions with ice and sleet all part of the experience.

Completing 24.9 miles has really put my task in to perspective and it has seriously made me question my sanity in choosing to do such a mammoth Tour taster. There is no backing out, so a lot more work is going to be needed before I am ready for the start of the TDF.

Tweet to follow to our progess.

Diary Post 2: Riding With Team Sky

One week on nothing particularly sensational and finally my ride miles are greater than the distance I'll ride in the Tour de Force. So time to reset the clock and see if I can hit my January target.

It hasn't been the best week for cycling with some of the miles on Rollers in the house; and the weather with strong winds, ice and snow isn"t very cycling friendly- the highlights of the week include a Ride with Team Sky (see my twitter feed for the Youtube video) around Mallorca!! Well they were there, I just watched whilst on the Rollers!

Two other things to say about this week:

1 #JeSuisCharlie the impact on France of the events of the last week will be felt for some time.

2 To see absolute cycling dedication, visit www.oneyeartimetrial.org.uk, as Steven Abraham tries to break the amazing record set by Tommy Godwin, already in the first 14 days of January, Steven has cycled 2,538 miles, and it puts in a completely different context; the 2100 miles in the summer. Chapeau!