Training

With the ride starting on May 25th it would seem like a good idea to get into shape beforehand. I start from a decent fitness base and don't need to worry too much about 'getting into shape'. Sam has been nuturing his belly for the past couple of years and now finds himself with an unwanted passenger that he has 3 months to shake off. On the plus side he seems to have got going on the training aspect a fair bit before me and seems to be taking it a lot more seriously.

Currently it is late February and quite cold. Such conditions do not make me hurry to get on my bike and charge 60 miles up the road. Fortunately it should get warmer and the days will get longer in the coming months so some mileage can be built up. I did very little training for my last LE to Jo'G and this time I intend to prepare better. Not that it was particularly difficult on my last trip, but the route was boring and lacking in decent hills. This time will be very different, gradients are to be sought out and conquered so a bit more stamina and strength wont go amiss.


This is Sam's local area. Hit those hills Sam!

Fat Boys
While Sam's belly issues have been well documented (by me!), my own weight has increased. I am now 11.5 stones, whereas on my last LE to JOG I was just under 10.5. I would be very surprised if this is a problem, but it does leave me wondering where exactly this weight has set up residence - as far as I am aware I am no less scrawny than before!

*I also managed to put on 4 pounds during the 18 days of my previous LE to JOG. I wonder if I am unique in that? Surely the norm must be to shift a few pounds.*


How to train
I'm not a big fan of slogging mile after mile down the road every other day in order to 'build up the miles'. That just gets boring, and is not strictly neccessary. This ride is not a race and I will set sensible targets for each day so I don't need to be super-fit. What is more important to me than a high mileage on my speedo is being able to climb. To anyone thinking about undertaking a long-distance bike ride this is the most important aspect of cycling. Anyone can plod along a flat piece of road, mile after mile, but put a few nasty gradients in and sweat begins to pour. If you are planning to traverse the country without climbing any hills then good luck, but you are missing out on the best bits if you achieve that. Build up those leg muscles so that you can climb any gradient and get fit by climbing them.


My Plan
Being blaise about such matters is my norm. I intend to up my mileage as the weather gets warmer, but can't see myself doing much more than normal. Fortunately 'normal' includes a large number of short rides, 5 to 25 miles, done at top speed, and the occassional 50+ mile ride undertaken at near to top speed with a stop at a pub halfway. There is a hill not far from my house on the outskirts of Oxford with a steep gradient and I will attack that on numerous occassions no doubt. In late April or early May I will travel down to Somerset to go for an overnight ride with Sam, around 150 miles, to test out our fitness and packing of equipment.

Sam's Plan
Lay off the burgers maybe. Sam lives on the edge of Exmoor so challenging rides are not far from his door. Porlock hill is just down the road and he asures me he will be tackling that 1in4 monster a few times! Good luck with that, but I would be taking the toll road up the side where the gradient is somewhat less aggressive.


Diary
April 6th: After a number of small rides but nothing particularly substantial we have now broken into some decent mileage. Well Sam has anyway. Cycling from Bridgewater to South Oxfordshire this weekend put 100 miles on the clock on the first day and he added another 100 to that total over the next two days. My own total during the bank holiday weekend was around 120 miles.

A Minehead to Plymouth trip is planned for some time soon.

May 4th: The Plymouth trip turned into a Exmoor ramble and ended with me breaking my finger, with help from a blind Land Rover Discovery driver. Two days turned to one day, and that day was only about 40 miles.

22nd May: Minehead to Silverton and back for Sam. My route involved a 15 mile ride to catch a train from Didcot, another 10 miles to meet Sam, then 10 miles to Silverton and the 40 or so miles to Minehead. My total was 75 miles, Sam managed 80 and had been to work in the morning! What a hero. We stopped at Silverton to visit our first brewery, Exe Valley, where we met the excellent owner, Guy Sheppard, and had an excellent pint. What wasn't quite so excellent was Sam falling off his bike at 1mph - it was more amusing. We also visited the excellent Spar shop in Silverton (it was actually excellent, full of local produce including pies and pasties which were........... I think you know). Sam finished the day pretty knackered and ludicrously declared that he wouldn't be drinking on the trip :)

I went back the next day and took the road up to Wheddon Cross, then along the b-road towards Taunton. A strange choice as I didn't have much time, in fact I had to average over 15mph to get there on time. I managed it but was absolutely shattered after the 33 miles and didn't want to get off the train to bike home. Silly boy, probably didn't help that I had no breakfast either.