Here we will keep you up to date with all of the Bike to the Future preparations, both organisational and riders' training preparations. The update will be posted every Monday until and during the event itself.
Training Preparations
preparations after 24th Oct
week ending: 24/10
PVR treated us to another action packed episode amongst his 83 miles for the week. PVR's Sunday run consisted of "20 miles on road followed by some off road stuff around Wortley woods just north of Sheffield. This included a decent down a rather steep ravine where I dropped over a tree root, the back wheel lifted off. I managed to regain control hit a large rock and the back wheel this time decided to over take the front wheel - me on the deck in the mud. Dusted myself off straightened the handlebars and noticed as I set off that the front wheel was not quite as round as prior to the incident. Fortunately it wasn't bad enough to stop the ride. On the way home, I had to climb over the hill to next valley and I was overtaken (for the second time in my career) by posers on racing bikes. Not happy with this I gave chase down a 3 mile decent into Holmfirth and 'whipped their asses'. I arrived home after 4 hours in the saddle having completed 43 miles, cream crackered" PVR's assessment "More training required"!
Meanwhile, David is rapidly turning into the Mr Bonkers of the team, as the following illustrates "When I was tied to the house with Kathy in Paris, I did look into Andy's gadget for propping up the bike on a stand and cycling without moving, but thought that £140 was a bit steep for a bit of angle iron. So I wondered if I could rig anything up. After some thought, I managed to use an old deck chair and contacted the back wheel against Megan's bike turned upside down to provide the friction and away I went" (see picture). Smit was a bit worried that if the whole contraption collapsed, Davis would end up peddling at 30mph into the garage wall. Perhaps retreating to the garage kept David out of Kathy's way following his observation that when he went to a spinning class during Kathy's weekend away, there were "a few fit women there".
Smit, the 25 year old of the group has been trying to get hold of "10 beautiful women to give us individual massages at the stopping points", but has ended up with his mate Neil who is a qualified masseur. It appears that all of the e-mailing with the rest of the 44 year old team (45 if you are Francis - happy birthday for the 21st) means he has lost his touch with "the ladies", and has reduced him down to their level.
Les practised the final part of the ride with a trip to Hammersmith Hospital "Wembley may not be the most scenic place for cycling, but the good news is that a lot of it is downhill, which I think might be very welcome for our final 10 miles". And as the weather was particularly inclement, Les managed a whopping 43 miles in one go on his static (not the old deck chair variety). With a 30 mile ride out of Harrow on Sunday, Les managed to clock up his first >90 mile week. Les said "I'm not really fearing the distance any more, but I think the main challenges will be the elements, and making sure we keep up our hydration and energy levels". Simon meanwhile is steadily accumulating the miles as he now once again cycling to and from work (~12 miles) every day.
week ending: 17/10
Finally after weeks of inactivity, Andy has managed to shake off his illness and managed to get on his bike and get in some miles. In order to make up for lost time, he has bought himself a TACX Cycleforce Swing indoor cycle trainer so that "I can get in the cycling hours on my bike without having to venture out into the cold and dark nights".Set up on front of the telly to be able to catch up on sport as well as getting in the miles, Andy admits that although " the riding sensation is very realistic, there is obviously no headwind and you get very hot without a cooling breeze". In order to get that sensation Dave suggests that instead of lording it in front of the telly, he puts it outside and suffers like the rest of us. Joking aside, it's good to hear of Andy being back in the saddle, and he's already done 20 miles last week, and 80 miles this week (45 of which were done from his study). PVR continues to explore new horizons and this week saw the monumental decision to turn right instead of left at the bottom of the road. This meant a climb of 1200 ft in about 3 miles of road was feat which PVR has been contemplating for the past few weeks, and was achieved with relative ease. Not satisfied with this, he then headed off road across the Pennines to finish off a gruelling 30 miler - and a 3 point increase in 'enjoyment factor' to 11 out of 10. Francis continues to chug out the miles along the towpath, clocking up 82 miles, including some on the road, and is seriously thinking about getting rid of the knobblies. A ride on Les' mountain bike with slicks convinced him that it is a must do thing, as Francis showed that he had the miles in his legs by keeping up with 'Team Specialized' (Les and George - see photo) up and down dale - after which the towpath king added "I've cycled more hills in an hour and a half than I have all year".
David has been depressed by the Welsh national team's football performances, and has had limited opportunities for major riding as Kathy has been in Paris this weekend. He is hoping that the miles that he built up last weekend will stand him in good stead, and is pleased with his new comfy seat cover which had the effect of helping David not to "walk like a duck when I get off my bike".Smit has been a bit spooked by an article he read in the newspaper headed 'How a long cycle ride can put the brakes on loving'. It reported that 'one in 20 cyclists who ride long distance significantly increased their likelihood of impotence weeks afterwards'. It went on to say that 'Long-distance cyclists wishing to minimise the risk of erectile dysfunction should ride a road bicycle instead of a mountain bike and keep the handle bar height lower than the saddle height'. As such, Smit is off to collect his brother's road bike as quickly as possible. It's funny that Smit feels that the Bike to the Future team fall in the category of 'long distance cyclists' and that the news, even if it were to be true, would have a significant difference to the 'loving capability' of a bunch of 44 year olds. Still that youth for you!
Les seems to have had his usual eventful rides with punctures to riding partners Simon and George. Both were fixed ok, but George decided to snap the valve off his inner tube when blowing it up (see photo). With no spare inner tube (lesson to all), an emergency call was put in to Sue who as you can imagine was thrilled to receive a call for assistance at 0920 on Sunday morning! Despite this, the 'Harrow trio' managed some decent runs and mileage. Pete turned in an 85 mile week, which consisted of a return journey from Cardiff to Usk, which took in the Monmouthshire Hills and the Usk Valley. Hard, but "the views were sublime". Beware however as prior to this trip, Pete took a trip to the bike shop to buy some mudguards, after which "I got chatting with the bike shop man about seats and ended up spending another 25 notes on a gel seat with central cutout. Looks the bollox but still hurt after 25 miles". The moral of the tale "Don't let bike shop men talk you into buying expensive accessories which you've already got or don't really need". This does not apply to Andy as he probably has already bought them all anyway.
week ending: 10/10
Well Les decided to find out what all this falling off the bike was like, and came off on the A41 landing heavily on his left hand - the one that until 4 weeks ago was in plaster for a fractured hand bone. Fortunately, it proved only to be a badly bruised thumb (and ego), but that's what you get for trying to steer whilst looking back over your shoulder. He was out with Simon and John who had come down to Harrow for the weekend, and between them managed around 60 miles in the weekend, the only cycling of the week. Despite the fall Les said "it was good experience riding in a group and has given us some pointers as to how we need to organise during the ride itself". PVR managed only 20 miles, but is revelling in the "superb views of the local Pennine valleys", and has been asking technical questions about gear ratios. It sounds as if PVR is taking it much too seriously! George has been out in the dark, which he feels is "quite disorientating, especially on poorly lit roads", but is looking to simulate the types of conditions we might encounter in November. Pete (King of the Mountains), has again hit us with a "35 miler including a big climb up Caerphilly mountain" after which he treated himself to an Indian and a bottle of wine. Saturday consisted of "half a mile cycle to the tennis club, 3 sets of doubles, 3 pints and the footy, and half a mile cycle back".
It appears that an Indian and a beer and / or wine combination seems to be the preferred recovery methods for most of the Bike to the Future Team. Lance are you listening and learning....
Week ending: 03/10
Suddenly the beast awakens, and having waited in the wings for weeks whilst the 'young pretenders' brag on about their weekly mileage, John suddenly hits us with a 50 mile run through the undulating Staffordshire countryside. George and Les finally got their new bikes, and went out on Sunday morning around Harrow looking like 'Team Specialized'. At least George managed to avoid the traumas of the previous day - his first attached to SPD pedals. George tells the story "After about half a mile, I came to some traffic lights and could not get my shoes out of the binding. It must have looked like a scene from Laurel and Hardy as I ground to a halt and started to fall slowly to one side - thank god for road bollards. I managed to just about stay upright and sped on for another mile. I then decided to find something to lean on the see if I could remove the shoe from the binding (rather like ski bindings) so I found a tree and failed miserably again. In the end I had to undo the shoelaces and take the shoes off whilst still balancing on the bike - not easy. Eventually whilst standing in my wet socks I managed to wrench the shoes off - First lesson - if you have shoes that go into a binding make sure that you tighten them up properly otherwise they twist in the binding and you cannot get them out ! I went home for the mountain bike". Despite this, George finished the week with about 45 miles. Les' experiences on the bike were less dramatic, but getting used to the new bike will take time - Les finishing off the week with around 50 miles and a sore right knee as a result of being too cocky and riding in the wrong gear on the new charger.
The low mileage week seemed to be a common theme as (i) the novelty of the initial weeks of training have worn off and (ii) as the pressures of everyday life kick in and make long mileage on the bike a very difficult proposition.
Francis did his usual 35 mile thrash along the canal, but alas this was his only major contribution of the week - apart from the photo to show how muddy it was. Dave's accessorising continues and whilst contemplating a long run in a few weeks time, he bought a cover for his saddle "to bring me some comfort".
Smit and Pete continue to buck the trend with their consistent big mileage. Smit says that training is going "surprisingly well over the last couple of weeks, averaging 8-9 hours a week", and that's on his heavy duty mountain bike. His brother is supplying him with his road bike, so we will be expecting even greater things in the weeks to come. Pete has managed a "good long run - about 45 miles in 4 hours", and despite being shattered has now got some lights so as to crack out the miles during the week.
Week ending 26/09
Pete appears to be setting the pace in the team (and putting the willies up all other team members) - 85 miles during the week, including a very hilly 45 miler (three and a quarter hours), and is working to a very aggressive plan. Although lots of legburn on the climbs, Pete is happy that his recovery time is much quicker than a month ago. PVR meanwhile seems to be suffering from a spate of punctures, but has managed to get out most days to rack up 63 miles. Changing tyres to slicks and adjusting seat position has helped, but PVR was still disappointed when he was "beaten by some poser on a racing bike". George and Les away from home during the week, both managed 90 mins on a static trainer in one go, George finishing the week with a runny nose and Les finished the week with his best mileage to date - 83 miles. Both had got well and truly soaked during the Saturday afternoon storm which engulfed Harrow. Simon is still carrying his leg after the saddle explosion, but managed a few runs, and Andy is still suffering with some form of glandular flu / chest infection which will not go away. All he had managed to do in the last few weeks is to get his bike spotless and buy a bike computer and SPD pedals, and says "spending money on my bike makes me feel like I am making some progress although trip distance is still zero". David too is 'accessorising', and keeps on buying bits to wear or fit on my bike, so that "at least I can look as though I'm a regular cyclist". The miles are building up, as is the stamina as evidenced by David's observation on climbing a hill "I repeated a longish steep climb that I did 3 weeks ago, and on that occasion I spent 15 minutes at the summit telling myself that the view was worth admiring, but really trying to recover because I was knackered, but this time I sailed over the top looking for the next summit". 
Francis is the dark horse, and has sneaked in that over the week he has covered 109 miles all along tow paths as "I hate riding along the roads". Francis has been educating the team that a camera is now an essential part of his cycling kit as it has allowed him to indulge his new found passion for wildlife photography (see photo). He has also been musing on his cycling year and has worked out that he cycles around 2,500 miles/year, and burns about 70,000 calories/year, which allows him to "continue to stuff my face and drink like a fish and remain svelte and sylph-like". Smit is knocking out his long ride every 2 days, and John has gone all quiet - ominously quiet...
Week ending 19/09
This week, David raided Aldi to buy some cycling clothing and a speedometer, and despite Kathy thinking that he might be arrested for wearing a body hugging lycra suit, David has started to rack up the miles, culminating in a 32 miles run which "didn’t quite kill me but I couldn’t sit down comfortably for a week and I had many screaming muscles". Despite this David reports that he is enjoying cycling and seeing the sights around rural Cheshire. PVR on his new Giant, ventured onto the road for the first time, and straight up to the top of a Pennine hill. 8 / 10 for enjoyment factor (depite a driving headwind) bodes well for the future. Andy is still on the sick, and has still not been able to do any training, whilst Simon, still recovering from his fall, finally got out with Les for a 22 miler on Sunday. Les managed another 70 miles, as did George, and they await their new bikes which should be collected some time at the end of the month. Francis having come back from holiday suddenly realised that cycling on the road is quicker than cycling on a tow path - and that's before he's even put slicks on! The rest of the guys appear to still be cracking out the miles, and building up towards some 40 - 50 mile runs in the near future.
Week ending 12/09
Suddenly the penny has dropped for everyone, and the miles have started to build up - for everyone apart from PVR who has been building his new bike which was delivered to his front door in a box. Pete has been driving through the rain and gales which swept over South Wales, in an attempt to ensure he lands the 'King of the Mountains' title and despite thinking he is Miguel Indurain, he was more like Pete 'Intherain'. Les and George managed to do 80 and 70 miles respectively, but despite this, have both come to the conclusion that their bikes are not up for the job, especially if they have to battle against the elements as all had to this week. Les could well be considering himself a jinx as he has witnessed 2 cycle accidents whilst out cycling with people this week: Paul (our PR man) crashed into the back of a BMW which had pulled up at a roundabout - battered and bruised, but fortunately no serious damage, and Simon, who sheared the pin connecting his seat to his seat post, and nearly castrating himself in the process, ended up sprawled in the middle of the road with a sprained ankle. Andy has been laid low with some virus, and has been confined to bed, whilst Francis is currently on holiday without bike. And just when we thought we were doing reasonably well, Smit, the youngest member of the team (by about 20 years), hits us with the information that he is doing 2-3 hour runs every other day, with a longer one at the weekend, and asks the question to the others "do you think this is enough?" Well!
Week ending 05/09
The hangover of the summer holidays over, it has suddenly dawned on the team that there is only 3 months left before the start of the ride. The only team members with miles in their legs are John, who is still fresh from his Newcastle to Edinburgh holiday ride (230 miles in 3.5 days), and Francis who regularly goes out for a '40 mile thrash' along the canals in Hertfordshire every Sunday morning. PVR is hampered by the fact that he has not yet got a bike, whilst everyone else takes some first tentative rides to test out the pain factor, and to see if their bikes are up for the job. All report tender 'derrieres, but not many miles
Practical Preparations
