BikeBlog

New Project - watch this space!

2005-11-29T22:10:00.000Z

It seems that nobody has ever travelled the entire ‘Ruta del Vino’ before. It’s about 3,000 km as the crow flies, so I’ll probably cover nearer 7,000. Travelling by cycle will enable me to get a real insight into the areas I traverse as well as some great shots and anecdotes. I'll be writing about it, blogging it and probably podcasting too.

If you want to show your support, sponsor me on Just Giving and the procedes will go to MENCAP.

This blog is for fundraising and fun. It should be interesting... After all, I've not been cycling for that long...

Wow!

2005-06-05T20:15:00.000Z

OK, today was only a short one (about 10km in Sevilla and 27km to Carmona) but it's quite hot - depending on who you listen to somewhere between 35 and 42 degrees and no shade.. Mostly OK but the last bit to Carmona was uphill and was hard... 47 km tomorrow... I'm told it's mostly flat!

help......

2005-06-03T15:35:00.000Z

I've been in Seville a whole week and so busy working, learning Spanish and generally getting lost that I've not been able to cycle at all. This despite the fact that Eurobike generously arranged for me to pick up my bike from the hotel a week early.

I don't even know where the hotel is and I'm moving there tomorrow. It's going to be an interesting week, Seville to Malaga over the hills... and it's hot out there...

help!

Mission Accomplished .. and then some

2005-05-28T14:24:00.000Z

My mission today was to get as many businesses on the local high road to put up a poster asking the general public for donations. So first I made the poster.. It's a bit rough and ready because I've got no time, but it has the local paper's piece, what I'm doing, MENCAP's logo and how people can donate. I hope it'll work...

I shamelessly trapped Jenni (my next door neighbour) in her own garden and gave her a poster and packet of Smarties, then just managed to catch Bob at Wanstead Station. He was literally pulling down the shutters on his kiosk when I got there.

I don't know anyone at the local pub but luckily Steve (a coffee-mafia-friend) does, and he's going to try to get them to put a poster up. Monty (another coffee-mafia-friend) is putting one up in the shop where he works, the guys at the local post office will put up a poster, Sam at Wanstead Beauty Clinic says she will and so will Peter at the Green Grocers. Mary of Yves (she sells some gorgeous clothes) is putting one in the window, Wanstead Travel said they'd put it up straight away and although Kerry of Nice Croissant wouldn't take one she took my last three Smartie boxes. On the way up the high road I overheard two complete strangers talking about teaching so I stopped them and asked if they'd put up posters in their schools - and they will!

Then I popped in to Azzura (a shop whose beautiful shoes draw me in far too often). Sue; the proprietor says she'll put a poster up and even recognised my photo in the local paper!

I got home to find another challenge sorted. My brother and his partner have lent me their cycling shorts and a water bottle which is a real relief - I'm going to need that padding and the water for sure!

Not a bad day so far, and now it's time to write those begging letters..

momentum or spin?

2005-05-27T21:37:00.000Z

I was at my parents’ house when Dorothea; one of their friends, called to say she had seen me in the local paper. I take up nearly a whole page!! Dorothea has pledged some money and has generously agreed to take some Smarties to give to her friends.

I’ve been so busy in the run up to Andalusia (where I'll cycle my first mountains) that I forgot to look in the local paper! Got one now, I’ll scan it and put it somewhere later. There are several inaccuracies but it’s good for publicity and I’ll send copies out with my begging letters/ requests for donations / opportunities for sponsorship (grin)

Wanstead Beauty Clinic have said they’d put up a poster, the Joseph Clinic (who sort out my back on a regular basis) have agreed to do the Smarties thing and so did my dentist, Bill Meeson (although I've got to do it with those minty things because chocolates are bad for you). Bob at Station News is waiting for a poster too… And I’ve just one day to do this, all my work and packing..

Spinnnnnnnnnned

2005-05-25T21:03:00.000Z

Well, I’ve now had three whole spinning classes held by three different coaches to prepare for my first mountans. I’ve got one more to go (Saturday) before I go to Spain and then a whole week of flamenco and Spanish before the cycling begins. I did two classes today and my legs feel heavier than a sack of the world’s troubles. I hope that means they've made a difference.

Sandro, the Swiss Italian gave us an interval programme. He said it’s the most difficult type of programme to do. William gave us a crazy-but-fun kind of hill programme. He said his programme’s the most difficult type of programme to do (but only after throwing water at us), a baby-blue-eyed Irish coach gave us a hill programme where we stayed seated most of the time. He didn’t say his programme was difficult but the rest of the class warned me how hard it was even before he started.

I think the most difficult programme is climbing the stairs out of the gym after any spin class at all..

I’ve not plucked up the courage to cycle the 90 minutes to and from the spin classes yet, so watch this space. But don't hold your breath please, because it won't happen until I'm back from Spain.

Relief

2005-05-23T11:59:00.000Z

Just spoke to Pete Henshaw of the Wanstead and Woodford Guardian. I'll definitely be in the local paper this week. He says around page 10. I'm so relieved as I'm planning to send copies of the article out to all the local businesses along with a letter asking for sponsorship..

Working on Sunday

2005-05-23T10:57:00.000Z

Yes, really... there's not enough time in the day!
Yesterday I went to the first MENCAP meeting along with about 30 of the 80 people due to go in September. There are two other Caroles; which should be interesting, and I got talking to Clare who did something similar last year but said she rubbed the skin off her hands while cycling.... what have I let myself in for?

time rushing on..

2005-05-21T06:43:00.000Z

I'm getting quite worried. I don't think I've been doing enough training and I'm cycling the mountains of Andalusia in 2 weeks time.. Never done mountains before - there aren't many in Central London - and I don't want to slow down the rest of the group. I wasn't able to cycle at all for the last two days partly because of the quantity of work I have to finish but mainly because I've done my back in again and am so tired as a result.

Today I'm doing my first spin class. That's the closest I'm going to get to mountains - or even hills - on a really regular basis. After that is a meeting of the MENCAP cycle ride people. I thought about cycling to the gym to do the spin class and then on to the MENCAP meeting but since I've never actually done a spin class before I thought I'd better drive. I don't know how hard it will be and there's a possibility I won't be physically able to cycle home. Driving will also enable me to snatch another 30 or 40 minutes of work before I go..

Despite all this I’m really happy. Assuming I get the sponsorship it will be a privilege to visit the Grand Canyon, cycling it will be outrageous fun and I’m helping mentally handicapped people to boot!

oops

2005-05-20T06:49:00.000Z

I checked the local paper today and don't seem to be in it. I'm relying on this publicity and am planning to copy the piece for the different people who have said they'd help with the sponsorship. I've two really important deadlines today which are likely to take me till late at night. They're proposals for an organisation I've not dealt with before and are a brilliant opportunity. Once they're done I'll send the Acting Editor an email.

More great news

2005-05-20T04:15:00.000Z

Andy, the director of LoveAndFriends.com (an internet dating site where I've met some of my closest friends although, unfortunately, no potential partner) says that he'll be happy for me to post something to members on the Noticeboard Forum of the site and put in a link to this blog. Hopefully that will bring in a little more sponsorship...

He has even said he'd sponsor me with money from his own pocket to MENCAP - a lovely thing to do.

Brilliant News

2005-05-19T22:12:00.000Z

I've just got an email from Hayley Carter at MENCAP saying that a place has become available on this years bike ride! Everyone is meeting at the weekend to talk about it and I'll go too. I can even cycle there. Don't even need to worry about my bike getting stolen because I'll be able to keep my bike in the same room we're meeting.

So on Saturday I'll get to find out how badly behind my training is..

First bit of press

2005-05-11T20:08:00.000Z

I just spoke to Pete Henshaw, Acting Editor of the Wanstead and Woodford Guardian. He says he'll be happy to cover my preparation, and report on what I'm doing now, just before the ride and just after it. When I get interviewed I'll ask for them to mention this blog, so am pretty much obliged to write it regularly. I'm going to start looking at other ways to generate publicity too, so watch this space.

Bob

2005-05-04T20:09:00.000Z

Bob at Station News; the newspaper and sweetshop at my station has been brilliant. He's getting all his regular customers to sponsor me and has already got more than £100.00! There's still a long way to go, but he has said he'll take all the cash donations and write me a cheque to MENCAP whenever I ask, so my side of the admin will be much, much easier..

umm...

2005-04-08T20:04:00.000Z

I've just heard from MENCAP. The places for the bike ride are already full! I'm going to carry on regardless and hope that one turns up. The worst that will happen is that I'll end up doing the ride next year and that would give me enough time to get the sponsorship together next year and enough time to do all the work and preparation I have this year...

Wish me luck...

Fingers or Fitness

2005-03-06T21:03:00.000Z

Yesterday I decided I was going to get to one of the closer canals to where I live in East London, keep going straight until I couldn't any more, see where I was, maybe find a hot drink and come back. I thought it would be much more fun than knowing where I'm going or using a map. As far as it went I was right.

I left the trip until just after eleven, first joining my folks for the mandatory mother's day madness. I wasn't worried about getting cold - I've got my thick slinky black leggings, enough warm tops to make me look like the Michelin Man and some special flash cycling gloves I bought last winter. Enough to keep me comfortable while I enjoyed the exhilaration of self-made-speed, the normal canal obstacle course of people, dogs and litter and the really satisfying buzz of hard physical exercise.

My fingers started getting cold after about twenty minutes. But I was already nearly at the canal, don't want my bum getting bigger, don't like looking or feeling this unfit and I thought if I pushed myself I'd generate enough heat to warm them up again. It took quite a while to get along the canal to the Thames where; unsurprisingly, I couldn't go straight any more. Nowhere to have a drink and warm up without getting my bike stolen and probably getting mugged too, so I didn't stop. I could have gone home via Wapping and Canary Wharf but that's smelly and boring (mostly main road or motorway) so I decided to return along the same route. By the time I had come off the canal my fingers were hurting so much I was a little worried and spent quite some time cycling one- handed while rubbing them to stop the pain.

I like cycling Leytonstone High Road. It has interesting, slightly sordid shop-fronts, places serving food and drink from all over the world and a cycle lane that most drivers respect. It's still challenging (and therefore fun) because it's uphill, pedestrians view it as an extension of the pavement and busses ignore it completely. There's no need to hoard energy because it's not far from the flat and if I cycle hard enough I can beat any car going in my direction, which I love.
But this time I couldn't feel the handlebars, gears or brakes any more. I was getting a little worried about whether my fingers might suffer later. What price vanity? Today - frozen fingers! Or maybe I should say 'vanity - thy name is overconfidence' since I couldn't get back as quickly or generate as much heat as I thought, because I'm not as fit as I had assumed.

I nearly knocked over a neighbour in my rush to the front door and managed to get inside and remove gloves and jacket. But I had to wait several minutes before my fingers stopped hurting, a little more to unbuckle my helmet and even more before I could work the taps for a bath. Now I've bathed, made lunch and written some emails and my fingertips are still sending some interesting messages.

A salutary experience; tomorrow there'll be no choice between fingers and fitness. I'll wear my mountaineering gloves instead.

©, March 2005