Which way is it?

Miles cycled this year: 4485
In 274 Hours burning 155140 Kcal climbing 170490ft
Most miles in a week (so far) : 284 (eek!)
Weight: Daren't look, my am I eating!
 

So here is the d(r)aft schedule. Change may come from mechanical failure (the bike or me), weather (floods, hurricanes etc) and fields full of lovely plants (of interest to passing bees) causing delays. I'll be carrying sufficient sugary stuff for both of us.

 

Day             From to                                         Approx Miles

Sat 4th         Land's End to Lizard                    35

Sun              Lizard to Okehampton                  83

Mon            Okehampton to Bruton                  88

Tue             Bruton to Chinnor                           94
Wed           Chinnor to Great Green                 93
Thur           Great Green to Wymondham         85
Fri              Wymondham to Kings Lynn           38
Sat              Kings Lynn to Sandtoft                  93
Sun             Sandtoft to Hawes                         92
Mon           Hawes to Moffat                              97
Tue            Moffat to Dunnon                            92
Wed           Dunnon to Oban                             72
Thur          Oban to Fort William via                 79
                            Ardnamurchan

Fri             Fort William to Fort Augustas         30

Sat             Fort Augustas to Golspie               84

Sun            Golspie to John O'Groats              84

Route Briefing

Route Briefing for the Ned's

I have had to do a number of briefings so far. The first with my Dad in the pub on Thursday. We will be leaving early Saturday and heading to Land's End, I will then ride back to Lizard Point. It's too long for a prologue, so it will have to count as a road stage, or maybe as I'm on my own, it should be a time trial.

DaveGorman @Mr_1470 An early tweet to wish you good luck with the SEWN UP ride. Enjoy!

The Once Over

Miles cycled this year: 4343
In 266 Hours burning 150136 Kcal climbing 163310ft
Most miles in a week (so far) : 284
Weight 67.2Kg 17.5% fat (up a bit, choc biscuits!)

It’s T minus 14 until the off. I am a bit nervous and wish I was on my way now. The fact the people have been very generous in their sponsorship weighs on me, I’m going to have to do it now!

The bike has been checked over by a crack team and it now has new brakes, chain and I have another two gears.

The bike get checked over. How may Bees? There is a prize.

I have been a bit below par, tired and hungry. I finished the last of my block of 3 weeks of 200+ miles with a trip to Old Wardour Castle via Dorset and needed a rest, but I had arranged a car service which meant 45miles in the middle of the week. On the Friday night, rain was forecast on Saturday, and I hoped it was right. I realised that I needed rest so stayed in on Saturday. Sunday was a pitifully slow ride with Sarah, but it was really quite nice, just riding and chatting with no real purpose, just making it up as we went. I stayed off the bike until today, 6 days later, oh and I've been eating, my have I been eating!

Brakes!

On top of that I have an abcess on a front top tooth. It’s not the really painful sort of abcess, I had that 10 years or more ago on this tooth. It is crowned and has a post in it which split it. I sweated it out last time until the puss cracked my jaw and came out through the gum (Sorry were you eating your tea?) Anyway it's back, and is leaking out through the gum, but no pain this time, thankfully. I don’t know if this is effecting how I feel, but I have asked for and been given some antibiotics to have a go at the infection. I am not really sure how I got it, I haven’t had to bite the handlebars when climbing for a few years now.

Bees are not known for their
bike maintenance skills

So after an easier two weeks the plan for the next 14 days is to taper and recover. Today was hard, there was a strong headwind back from the café, and the big boys opened up as we left Bridgwater. My condition for this fast work is not there and my heart rate was near max and I felt mildly sick. I let go, but three of us continued hard back to Taunton. The sickly feeling took a while to subside, as we meet back up with some of the front group and rode back up and over the Quantocks, I then went part way round and climbed them again. 4 hours and 69 miles later I was home. This pace will not be repeated on my own!

Tomorrow I am off to Bickleigh in Devon to meet Denise for lunch. I aim to make it a 4 hour ride. I then plan to ride 2 hrs Tuesday and Thursday, with shortly rides of say 2/3hrs next weekend. Short rides Tuesday and Thursday, and then we’ll be off. Let the packing commence

MAMIL

Is this me, surely not?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10965608

Welcome to my world

Well hello. Welcome to my blog for the final part of the build up to and solo ride End to End in a kind of Z fashion up country.

Previously some of you lucky people were emailed the blog direct, which lacked the so carefully chosen pictures. So I am now going to get my blog to email you to tell you a new blog is here for you to see.

If you don’t want to receive notifications of the blog - which I hope will be witty and urbane, full of photos and fun as I and a fluffy bee cycle the length and breadth of the country - let me know and I will trouble you no more.

Otherwise suitable comments to encourage the bee and me are more than welcome.

3 Towers and Middle Earth

Miles cycled this year: 3982
In 243 Hours burning 138235 Kcal climbing 147500ft
Most miles in a week (so far) : 284
Weight 66.3Kg 16.5% fat ie no change (save you checking)

Well hello, I’ve been ignoring you, dear blog, I know, which is remiss so here is a brief update. If you have received this direct via email, that is because I thought you might like to see what I am up to, and maybe tempted to sponsor me via www.justgiving.com/gregs-cardinal-ride proceeds to the air ambulance. The blog is in full colour at http://gregcycle.blogspot.com/

The training is going fine. I’m riding over 200miles a week and feel ok on it. This consists of two 4hr rides on Saturday and Sunday, and riding part way to work and back on Tuesday and Thursday. It’s only partway as my body is not keen on 26miles at 7am in the morning, so I ride 15miles in, having parked the car part way in, and then do a longer loop on my way back. It’s quite fun, and I haven’t yet got wet. [This will be my fate in September I fear L ] Wednesday is a hour with Denise round local roads. It’s nice.

As part of the training I rode the Three Towers and Middle Earth Audax and rode to the start and back. It was 95miles in about 5h15m. Most of it was with Mike Waterjohns, a gifted hill climber, but we regrouped at the last checkpoint/cake stop and 6 of us finished together. These speeds will not be replicated in September when the aim will be to finish the day with enough condition to start the next day! The Three towers, they are visited on the route and are

Burrow Mump

Alfred's Tower

Glastonbury Tor

I can only assume the middle earth is the Somerset Moors we traversed on our way back into a headwind to North Petherton.

I also rode out and meet Chris Minors who I came across on Twitter and was riding Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) in aid of shelter box. I had planned on riding with him to Cheddar, but that didn’t work out, so I towards Chris as he came up from Exeter, rode with him for a few miles and then turned south again to meet Denise for a Pub Lunch.

What else: Well the Sponsorship is going better than I thought. I had low expectations I suppose, so I am somewhat overwhelmed by the generosity of my sponsors. Thank you.

The Bee has had a test ride, and clung on valiantly on 40mph+ descents. It appears that the vibration is not an issue, as buzzing produces much vibration, so he is genetically predisposed to it. He appears to be putting on weight, it’s the fame, it’s going to his head, so I am trying to keep and eye on it.

Over the next few weeks I intend to lift the mileage further, with it tapering off for a couple of weeks before to let my body fully rest before me and the bee are off. Next Sunday I am off to Old Wardour Castle as a picnic destination so I can get the miles in, and Denise can practice on the Sat Nav. Could be an interesting Blog!