Monday, 28 February 2011
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Off we go then
Miles cycled this year: 635
In 40 Hours burning 24016 Kcal climbing 24910 ft
Most miles in a week (so far) : 161
Weight 67.7Kg 18.0% fat
Hi
So how are we all in the new year. Rested, bright, bushy tailed and ready for the challenges ahead? No? Me neither.
The year started somewhat cold and icy. I don’t mind cold, I can dress against that, but I really don’t like icy. I am not keen on ice, lulls me into a false sense of security, then takes me down. The white fluffy hoar frost is ride able, it’s the shiny slidey type hiding in the shadows ready to take me off that I am not keen on.
Curious thing is that cold doesn’t equal ice. Dry roads remain ice free however cold. Earlier this month a couple of us rode to Glastonbury and back, and my water bottle turned into a slush puppy, well it was -2C. Roads were fine.
Gritting makes the roads interesting. When they are icy, it is great, but depending on the type of weather expected they add stuff to the treatment which is black, covers the bike, seizes the rear brake and is hard to wash off clothes. I am told it is molasses to stop water washing the grit off the road. Whatever, it makes the road greasy and slippery. Meanwhile the ungritted back roads remain dry, clean and grippy. Guess where I ride?
Still over 600 miles so far this year, but quite slow. Too much going on in my no cycling life weighs me down. I've been out with the local cycling club to take it leisurely, and still getting the miles in. I’ve started increasing the hours up to 8hrs week, just got to stay well.
The only definite for event the year is the Dartmoor Classic in late June and likely are the British Heart Foundation Ride in early June, both of which I did last year. New for this year will be the D&S Air Ambulance ride in June. It is planned for mid June and I hear it likely to 54miles. It is the week before Dartmoor Classic, so I will have to ride easy. We’ll see.
I am also looking at the White Horse Challenge, which I missed last year, but is an easy going ride in late April. I may back this up with a the Cotswold Classic the day after. Nice plan? Maybe. I’ll enter one and see how the other goes. Oh and I plan a long ride on the day of the royal wedding. I have no problem with it, but I’d rather be cycling, and I am hoping for traffic free roads.
Next event is the Dunkery Dash: a hard ride with hills, head winds and cool. Lovely, can't wait (I tell myself).
Looks like a gale on Saturday, accuweather suggests winds that could cause local damage, maybe a day of rest then.
Oh if you want to know where the rain is right now have a look at http://www.raintoday.co.uk/ which is very much like the rainy days app.
In 40 Hours burning 24016 Kcal climbing 24910 ft
Most miles in a week (so far) : 161
Weight 67.7Kg 18.0% fat
Hi
So how are we all in the new year. Rested, bright, bushy tailed and ready for the challenges ahead? No? Me neither.
The year started somewhat cold and icy. I don’t mind cold, I can dress against that, but I really don’t like icy. I am not keen on ice, lulls me into a false sense of security, then takes me down. The white fluffy hoar frost is ride able, it’s the shiny slidey type hiding in the shadows ready to take me off that I am not keen on.
Curious thing is that cold doesn’t equal ice. Dry roads remain ice free however cold. Earlier this month a couple of us rode to Glastonbury and back, and my water bottle turned into a slush puppy, well it was -2C. Roads were fine.
Gritting makes the roads interesting. When they are icy, it is great, but depending on the type of weather expected they add stuff to the treatment which is black, covers the bike, seizes the rear brake and is hard to wash off clothes. I am told it is molasses to stop water washing the grit off the road. Whatever, it makes the road greasy and slippery. Meanwhile the ungritted back roads remain dry, clean and grippy. Guess where I ride?
Still over 600 miles so far this year, but quite slow. Too much going on in my no cycling life weighs me down. I've been out with the local cycling club to take it leisurely, and still getting the miles in. I’ve started increasing the hours up to 8hrs week, just got to stay well.
The only definite for event the year is the Dartmoor Classic in late June and likely are the British Heart Foundation Ride in early June, both of which I did last year. New for this year will be the D&S Air Ambulance ride in June. It is planned for mid June and I hear it likely to 54miles. It is the week before Dartmoor Classic, so I will have to ride easy. We’ll see.
I am also looking at the White Horse Challenge, which I missed last year, but is an easy going ride in late April. I may back this up with a the Cotswold Classic the day after. Nice plan? Maybe. I’ll enter one and see how the other goes. Oh and I plan a long ride on the day of the royal wedding. I have no problem with it, but I’d rather be cycling, and I am hoping for traffic free roads.
Next event is the Dunkery Dash: a hard ride with hills, head winds and cool. Lovely, can't wait (I tell myself).
Looks like a gale on Saturday, accuweather suggests winds that could cause local damage, maybe a day of rest then.
Oh if you want to know where the rain is right now have a look at http://www.raintoday.co.uk/ which is very much like the rainy days app.
Monday, 17 January 2011
Monday, 27 December 2010
Index to the LEJOG
Miles For Year 6910
In 431 hrs burning 234364 Kcal Climbing 263463ft
I am aware a number of people are coming to this site to have a look at my blog of my LeJog, and blogs being blogs, it is in reverse order and not too easy to find your way around so I thought I would do a index to the ride, then we can all move on!
The bee came about as it is the mascot of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. I decided to take one with me and take his picture in part prove I had been to places, and to spur me on when I needed it. I named him LE Bee as our family member who was killed in a road accident was called Elliot. I should say that I intended to do this ride anyway, it just happened to be right to raise money for the Air Ambulance.
I rode for 16 days, 13 full days and 3 half days. It was 1353 miles in total. I planned the route by drawing straight lines between the points, taking into account crossing points of rivers etc, and then planned a route of B and back roads. A route map can be found via a link on each day, and here following each day in the list.
In 431 hrs burning 234364 Kcal Climbing 263463ft
I am aware a number of people are coming to this site to have a look at my blog of my LeJog, and blogs being blogs, it is in reverse order and not too easy to find your way around so I thought I would do a index to the ride, then we can all move on!
The bee came about as it is the mascot of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. I decided to take one with me and take his picture in part prove I had been to places, and to spur me on when I needed it. I named him LE Bee as our family member who was killed in a road accident was called Elliot. I should say that I intended to do this ride anyway, it just happened to be right to raise money for the Air Ambulance.
I rode for 16 days, 13 full days and 3 half days. It was 1353 miles in total. I planned the route by drawing straight lines between the points, taking into account crossing points of rivers etc, and then planned a route of B and back roads. A route map can be found via a link on each day, and here following each day in the list.
Mr L E Bee's adventure Click here
Which way is it? Click here
Packed and ready for the off Click here
The Trip:
Land's End - Lizard Click here Route Map http://bit.ly/fbwhlf
Lizard - Okehampton Click here Route Map http://bit.ly/dVnsrT
Okehampton - Bruton Click here Route Map http://bit.ly/gUklUC
Bruton - Princes Risborough Click here Route Map bit.ly/ihsAln
Lowestoft Click here
Princes Risborough - Lawshall Click here
Lawshall - Lowestoft - Wymondham Click here
Wymondham - King's Lynn Click here
King's Lynn - Sandtoft Click here
Sandtoft - Hawes Click here
Scotland Click here
Hawes - Moffat Click here
Moffat - Dunoon Click here
Dunnon - Oban Click here
Ardnamurchan Click here
Oban - Ardnamurchan - Fort William Click here
Fort William - Fort Augustas Click here
Fort Augustas - Brora Click here
If you would be happy to give advice or answer any questions you may have about my ride, or if I can help you with your plans and would like to contact me please leave a comment below or message me via twitter Mr_1470
Thanks for reading.
Greg
Thanks for reading.
Greg
Sunday, 3 October 2010
Epilogue
Miles For Year 6039
In 378 hrs burning 203548 Kcal Climbing 236463ft
I have had a few questions since I got back, so here are answers to commonly asked questions.
How’s the bee? Well he’s fine. He’s decided he likes cycling, but only on sunny days, otherwise he prefers to watch it.
How much money did you raise? That remains a moving (upward) target. So far I have collected and have promised a total of £1470. This truly amazes me, especially given my Twitter name. I thought a couple of hundred, maybe £500 with a following wind. Just before I left I dared to believe £700 would be nice at 50p a mile. So I am very happy, grateful, and somewhat in shock at the nice things people have said. In truth I did have a new target of £1353, ie a pound a mile, but totalling it this morning shows I have exceeded even that! Goodness me (to be polite)
I have very much enjoyed doing the blog, and I hope you have enjoyed reading it, even just a little bit. I don’t think it will finish here, but I promise to stop prodding most of you to read it. Just pop by when you have a spare moment and see what this man, a bike and a bee have been up to.
DaveGorman @Mr_1470 Missed the fact that you'd finished. Well done. Seriously good effort. Hope you enjoyed it.
In 378 hrs burning 203548 Kcal Climbing 236463ft
Hello and Welcome, or Welcome back, to my blog for my ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats via the four extremities of the British Mainland.
If you haven’t been here before a brief explanation of the Bee in the pictures. Whilst this was my holiday and I intended to do this ride for myself, it also seemed appropriate to see if I could raise some money for a local charity. For personal reasons I choose the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. The Bee is the mascot for the Air Ambulance, and one or two came with me. See here
I have had a few questions since I got back, so here are answers to commonly asked questions.
Recovered yet? Well yes and no. I feel fine, never really felt bad overall. Yes some days I dug deep, and was tired, but I recovered much better than I thought I would. I did become fatigued, and that runs deeper than being tired. I have been out on my bike since I finished and my heart rates have now, after two weeks recovered back to normality.
 |
| Relaxing on the way home |
How’s your bum? Well that’s fine, thanks. The nappy rash cream did help a great deal after the first three days of soaking. I did have to remember to ease my position for both my sit bones and soles of my feet on the flatter days. My knees were sore for a bit towards the end, but I had pushed on one day, and they weren’t keen. The only injury seems to be what Denise reckons was sun burn to the top of my ears, I am not certain about this, but they did blister.
Any punctures? No. Michelin Krylion 23mm. Amazing really given the rain and grit on the road/cycle path/tow path. I was pleased as the tyres are tight on the rim, and I really wasn’t looking forward to fighting them to get them off in the wet by the road. The bike stood up well to the abuse. All I did to it was lubricate the chain after each wet day. The noises and creaks from it changed on a daily basis, as it dried out, and I did have to replace one set of brake pads.
Did you really eat that much cake? Well cake covers a big spectrum. I ate a lot of iced buns, and some cakes. I also ate a lot of Frusli bars and had a couple of energy gels a day. Both drinks bottles had quite strong concentrations of PSP in them.
So would I advise you to do it? Yes, Yes and Yes. Ask yourself “Are you a real cyclist unless you have broken your collar bone and done the End to End?”. Clearly one is more elective than the other, but if you have the time then go. I know I didn’t do it properly as some would have it (ie carrying my clothes, tent, kitchen sink etc) but I did that when I was 18, and I am now 44 you know! I would say it isn’t easy, it is a mind and body thing. The body will do it, but you mind has to be there leading and in support of your body. Break it down into days, and parts of days, don’t over face yourself with the whole trip, and congratulate yourself on your daily/hourly success, for climbing that climb, for getting to that town/turning. You will do it, I know you will. Even if you can’t contemplate something of this length, just fix yourself a target, whatever it is, and go do it. I’m up for it, let me know, and I’ll see that you do it. Ok?
I have very much enjoyed doing the blog, and I hope you have enjoyed reading it, even just a little bit. I don’t think it will finish here, but I promise to stop prodding most of you to read it. Just pop by when you have a spare moment and see what this man, a bike and a bee have been up to.
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