Heading for the hills.

This was my first visit to Sheffield. I have been past it many time on ths M1, but never had a reason to go into the city until now. It was good to meet up with John again for only the second time since the unfortunate experience on the London to Paris ride two years ago. Despite not having ridden a bike a year, he was keen to arrange the route and join in for the first 40 miles.

And according to the BBC weather forecast, the day was set to be quite good. I wonder if John (Bollada) has a brother who is a weather forecaster (See the entry for 20th May). The promise of dry weather with just a shower at the end of the day quickly evapourated as the black clouds rolled across. There was also a stiff westerly breeze to fight against after the late morning break and at one time, there was what felt like small hailstones in the rain as well. Not quite the York proportions of last year, but still enough to make us shelter under a tree for a few minutes at one stage. The weather was about as dry as the Chilterns afternon ride was flat on 19th May.

John promised us HILLs and he didn't disappoint us. As you can see from the profile, there is nothing flat in this ride, You are either going up or down. The morning was a series of climbs with shorter downhills in between. In the afernoon, there was a good downhill before the 'Surprise' (which is what the locals call it) - about 800 ft of cimb in 3 miles. Not excessivley steep, but it just kept going. Just what the doctor ordered as preparation for the climbs on the last day of the ride in September. This was 60 miles - the profile made it 59, but the least any of us clocked was 60.5. So not as long as previous rides, but pretty testing, nonetheless.

When the rain did stop from time to time, we were reminded what a lovely part of the world this is. From the tops of the hills the views are first class. There is so much to see in these islands that we really don't need to go abroard. As long as we remember the waterproofs, we can be content with the wonderful creation in this part of the globe.

There were five of us this time - John (Bollada), Alex (characteristically eating), John (Bush), Clare and me. This was at the top of one of the hills taking in the view above. Notice the next lot of rain sweeping in from the west about to dump itself upon us.

The next big test is the Isle of Wight Ferry Epic on 7th July. 100 miles starting in Brockenhurst, to Lymington, round the Isle of Wight and then back. That is going to be even tougher.

This challenge is taking a lot of preparation and hard work. It is for a cause that is not so well known as other ones, but just as worthy. Click here to go to my JustGiving page.

A day at RHS Wisley

I'm not a gardener - Ruth will tell you that. But I did enjoy the visit to Wisley on Saturday. The plants were very nice of course and the pictures show that. If I hadn't forgotten that I had the camera with me, there would probably have been far more to choose from. But what made it special was meeting some of the people that I have been in touch with since starting to raise funds for MNDA. Four with MND were there together with carers and friends. And what struck me was that despite their difficulties, they spent most of the time laughing. Of course, there are times of frustration as abilities slowly deteriorate, but they are examples to those of us who complain at far lesser problems.

So who was there? First, there was Maria meeting her friend Jackie for the first time. Together they run the facbook page Motor Neurone Together We Stand. Maria has been diagnosed with MND for about a year. It is usual to talk in terms of diagnosed time rather then when the disease started becuase diagnosis takes so long. And very often, when the diagnosis comes through, the GP has not met MND before and doesn't know what to advise. This is why MNDA and the local branches are so important. They can give information and advice about what to expect, how to cope and where to find help. Maria was in her wheelchair. She and Terry are getting married in six weeks time.

Then there were Tina and Liam, both a bit younger than us and both at a stage where speaking is difficult although use of hands and arms is good. Liam runs a web site that is aimed at givng advice and help to other disabled people. Pauline was also there. She has a blog. With her, although speech is good, she is now unable to write very much.

MND affects different people in different ways and therefore presents different problems and challenges.

It is for people like this and those that care for them that I am aiming to raise as much as possible. There is more equipment available these days to help with the quality of life that they experience, but these devices can be expensive. Pauline is trying a new App that will open the front door and control the TV. It is difficult to imagine life without just being able walk to the frnt door and open it. A few months ago, I went to see Mike at the top of our road. It took him about 5 minutes to do just that.

I meant to take a photo of all four together - but forgot until it was too late. So I hope Maria/Jackie won't mind my using their picture ... If you haven't made a donation yet, please do. When you meet the people with MND, you will see why it is needed.

So no cycling yesterday, But a worthwhile day - plenty of hills next week planned in the Sheffield area.

I love my 12-27!

For some of you a 12-27 will have very little significance. I have to admit that it would not have meant much to me a couple of months ago because, although I enjoy riding a bike, I don't know the first thing about maintaining them. I think that Primera must love me. As soon as anything needs doing, they are only too willing to help me out - and charge vast sums of money. So for anyone in the dark, this is what a 12-27 looks like:

Impressed? I suspect that I might have to work a bit harder on some of you? This little beauty is the 'cassette' part of the gears on a bike. It consists of 9 (in this case) cogs, with the number of teeth gradually increasing from 12 on the smallest cog to 27 on the largest. And the point is that, before yesterday, I only had a 12-25. Still not impressed? What this means is that I now have one slightly lower gear than I had before. And that means those steep hills are just a little less hard to get up. I decided to make the change in view of some of the big hills that are on the agenda for the next 3 months or so.

And today, I had the first chance to try it out. I joined the CTC 'Saturday Sixty' ride. I hasten to add that the 'sixty' refers to miles, not age. This went from Wimborne to Compton Abbas airfield where there is a cafe to refuel the tanks, and then along the Chalke Valley. This road has amazing views from the top of the hills with some very pretty villages - here I cite Broad Chalke as an example (see photo). A short while after this village, there is a big hill, known to the CTC group as 'sleeping policemen hill' - it has speed humps in it. But it is quite a long hill and gets steep in parts. Hence the opportunity to try out the 27 for the first time. It works like a dream. I would have certainly made it on the 25, but the 27 felt really comfortable. So I am looking forward to the ride in Sheffield that John Bush has planned for us in two weeks time!

From there we crossed the Salisbury to Blandford Road and headed back to Fordingbridge. At this point 3 of us headed back to Wimborne via Verwood and the others continued down to Christchurch. Back at Wimborne, the mileage device read 60 miles exactly, at an average of 15.4 mph while moving.

A good morning's exercise to go with the 60 miles last Monday. Next Saturday I am expecting to meet up with a number of people I have been in touch with through the facebook page Motor Neurone Together We Stand so won't be able to get a ride. But the following week is the test in Sheffield which John says is going to sort us out.

Once again, thank you for all the support that you have given so far. Further support will be so much appreciated.Click here to go to my JustGiving page.

London buses hunt in pairs.

These posts are a bit like London buses - nothing for a long time and then several all at once.

What better way is there to spend a Bank Holiday morning than getting out into the New Forest on a bike? I know some people prefer the Purbeck hills (and I do enjoy going across thee myself), but you lose so much cycling time waiting for the ferry. The New Forest has hills, not as vicious as the Purbeck hills, but still some testing ones in unexpected places. And having had a couple of weeks of almost nothing due to other commitments, a morning in the forest was just what was needed.

The weather was nothing special - rather dull and overcast, in fact, but it stayed dry all the way. You had to feel sorry for the lady in the Ice Cream van at Whitefield moor. There were only about five cars there when I arrived at 11 o'clock and nobody seemed that interested in ice cream. There were a few ponies, but I'm not sure they were going to contribute much to the coffers either.

So onwards to Bolderwood. This is a very pretty ride up through the trees. If you are lucky, you might see a few deer. I was not lucky with the the deer, but I did see a Nuthatch flying up into a tree about halfway up. The hill is deceptive. It sarts off quite innocuously and then suddenly gets quite steep. It doesn't even look steep, but unless you spot it and get into a low gear, you can grind to a halt very quickly. This was the first time I had done this hill in a couple of years, so it was good to get to the top and not bee too out of breath.

So far it had been into the wind almost all the way - quite a stiff breeze. But now I could feel it slghtly from behind - very welcome. Then the decision at 34 miles - take in Fordingbridge or not. Decision made - turn north (bit more into the breeze) and a quick stop at the rec just off the bypass. Then back to Moyles Court school and the back road from Ringwood to Christchurch.

A very satisfying 60 miles. It was most encouraging that, with the low couple of weeks, I was still standing at the end of it. There are some long rides coming up, especially in July, so I need to be ready for them.

Thank you for all the support that you have given so far. Any support will be so much appreciated.Click here to go to my JustGiving page.

Paris to Geneva is 500,000 metres ..

Someone recently pointed out that Paris to Geneva is half a million metres. I was feeling OK about 330 miles, but 500,000 metres somehow puts it into context. Surley that is worth sponsorship?

This week has been very busy. The whole week has been taken up with meetings at the Gospel Hall (where we are members here in Bournemouth) and so there has been no time for riding. This has been a much needed time of refeshment following a particularly hectic time at work. We all need these times when life seems to be lived at such a fast pace. It has been good to have my Dad around for the week, as well.

I'm now looking forward to getting back down to training again. To break back in gently, there was an easy 32 miler today - the usual route to Sandbanks and then Hegistbury Head via Boscombe pier twice. Happily there are no ill effects despite trying to push it a bit. Well, if there is someone in front on the hill up from Sandbanks, you have to try to catch them, don't you? (And I did.) As long as the weather is reasonably kind, the plan is to get a longer one on Monday or Tuesday.

It is also time to start asking properly for sponsorship. Thank you for all the support that you have given so far. But I shall start chasing soon. On the facebook pages, there are more reports of tragic stories. I want to be able to raise as much as possible for research. MND is a horrible condition and if we can contribute to finding ways of preventing it, this has to be for the good.

Any support will be so much appreciated.Click here to go to my JustGiving page.

All hills are flat, but some are flatter than others.

We have decided to buy John a dictionary for Christmas. '90 miles', he said. 'The hills are all in the first part then it is flat.' He did later admit that flat was possibly a bit misleading, but we are definitely going to be in touch with the Advertising Standards Authority over this one.

The first 55 were miles were exactly what we expected. I remembered much of it from the long lost days of my youth. It was good to go to places that had been important in my life - they brought back memories. From Caddington, though Markyate and the back of Whipsnade zoo down to Eaton Bray - the scene of my one triumph as a flautist 40 years ago (before the disaster that followed in the second performance at Great Offley). It was good to stop in Berkhamsted for toasted teacakes (even if they were 3 flights of stairs up) and go past the end of Coombe Gardens where Ruth lived. And I was well prepared for what I knew was in store going to the top of Ivinghoe Beacon, the climb out of Aldbury and the slog up Bison Hill past the wallaby enclosure. The short sharp climb up Darrs Land in Northchurch was just as steep as I remembered it.

After finding the sandwich bar closed in Redbourn, we settled for soup and bread and watching the cricket on the green. Alex couldn't resist the steak sandwich ..

So we set off on the FLAT section. I suppose that were a couple of stretches you might call 'flat' bits, but most if it had some gradient attached to it. Some had a lot of gradient! The only saving grace was that the gradient didn't usually last more than about half a mile. Then the last quotation of the day 'one and a half more hills' also turned out to be a slight exaggeration. It was just after Slip End where a machete attack had take place in a pub a week earlier - so we didn't want to hang about. And John calmly announced that there was another steep uphill coming. Yes it was preceeded by a steep downhill and Yes, if you got you speed up to around 60mph on the downhill you didn't have to pedal on the uphill. But for those of us whose maximum has never exceed 42mph, there was still more pedalling at the death.

I think John would make an excellent tour leader for Classic Tours. Just enough truth to encourage you. Not enough to frighten you. 91 miles completed (93 if you believe some mileage devices) which for a hilly ride is very satisfying.

Don't forget to sponsor me!.

41 miles on the Purbeck hills

OK - so 41 miles doesn't sound all that long compared with previous rides. But what matters is more about how high it was. For the first time in 2 years, I ventured across the chain ferry to Studland and headed for the Purbeck hills. The driving factor in this is that I now have the route for next week’s 90 mile ride in the Chilterns and it has a LOT of hill. So I decided that I had better at least try some out before then.

On top of that, I did set out to go over this same route last year and turned back. So I needed to overcome the niggles I had about it and prove to myself that I could still make it. So 9:45 found me having conquered the Studland hill and riding along the front at Swanage. With certain amout of trepidation, I headed inland on the Wareham road and arrived all too soon at Langton Matravers.

So far so good. But this is where the hard work starts. There were signs for the route of the Wiggle sportive which happens tomorrow – reminded me that I have signed up for the IOW one in July. So low gear, keep the pedals turning and keep going. It helped that I saw someone some way in front of me – a target is always a challenge. And then I was at the top. And I caught the chap in front as well.

I don’t like the road from Corfe Castle back to Studland – there is a lot of traffic on it. So at Kingston, I made the decision to turn round and go back the same way. That gave me another chance to conquer the Studland hill the other way round.

A short stop in Swanage where it turned out there was Kayak fishing competition (why would anyone want to fish for Kayaks?) and then back over the hill to the chain ferry and back home.

So it was shorter than the previous ride, but exactly the length I wanted. Confidence is restored and I can look forward to next weekend knowing that I have done hills that are about as bad as the ones in store.

This has to be a regular route now. The Jura mountains don’t stop at 500 feet. So please sponsor me!.