Day 4 - The Finish Line

Another early start, and perhaps the most ridiculous of the lot, as we had a 5am coach from one Premier Inn in Ashford to the other for a 5.30am breakfast. Maybe the early start had got to the coach driver, or he thought he was still in France as attempted to go round the first roundabout of the day the wrong way.

No harm done, 1/2 hour for breakfast & it was back on the bus for the first muster point of the day at Halfords and a 7am start for the 100km roll back to London. Kent Lanes, a few hills, of which Vigo was the lung busting worst, and then a great 15km charge from eight of our group down from the North Downs all the way to lunch at Dartford Skoda. We regrouped there, but the London traffic is never conducive to formation riding, so we arrived at the last muster point, the Woolwich ferry somewhat in dribs & drabs. Not a problem, as we were to cross as one, rolling, or should I say bumping given the state of London's roads, through the last 10km to Westfield Stratford, and a enthusiastic welcome from a crowd that was about 400 strong, including my wife with a few bottles of bubbly, my parents with some Welsh cakes, and my in-laws. Thanks one & all.

A job well done, a hugely enjoyable week, great people, new friends, a few beers, lots of champagne, early mornings, food to be forgotten, great fun, and £1.8m raised for charity so far.

Would I do it all again - YES!

Day 3 - Roubaix - cobbles & velodrome

With a train to catch later that day, it was another 7am start in St Quentin. Problem was nobody had told Freddie, who ambled up a good few minutes late & then had to do a little spiel for the media. As ever the first dozen or so km were at a slow pace, but we soon wound it up & got the group peloton working very well, continually pushing the average speed up.

The rest stop was taken around 65km, aided by a couple of bottles of bubbles to celebrate Malcolm's birthday. This appeared to inspire the group as once we were back on the road, we really started to rattle along on quality flat roads & finally achieve speeds we were more than capable of delivering, this time without the call to ease off. Talk turned to a race to the finish at the velodrome in Roubaix, but I didn't expect Steve & Andy to make a break 10km from home. Given that I was at the back of the group at the time, paired up with the team leader David, I was unable to go with them. Probably for the best, as the stretch of cobbles we rode over was bone jarring to say the least & probably something you would not want to take chances on.

A few km later, we arrived at Roubaix's famous velodrome and were lucky enough to be able to have a couple of laps (keep your speed up), use the iconic showers & have a drink in the bar. A cracking experience.

After that, it was a bus to Lille, where Terry, Andy & I headed off for some steak, frites & vin rouge (proper food to eradicate the horror of the lasagne the night before), before a short hop to Ashford, and an evening at Pizza Express, ahead of a few hours sleep and the final push to London.

Day 2 - another 156km in the bag

Better weather and more signs of life as we rolled across France.

Following a superb evening at Maison Bollinger on Tues, we dropped in again yesterday, but alas no more fizz. Probably for the best!

Ride was 156km & today it's due north to Roubaix, a couple of laps of the velodrome and then off to Ashford. 125km awaits.

Day 1 done - 167km

An early start this morning - breakfast at 5.30am, bikes ready from 6am & the off at 7am. Actually it's going to be like that every day, but not every day will be 167km.

I was in a group led by none other than Mr Freddie Flintoff, together with tweet buddies and training partners El Tel, Andy, Paul, Simon, Jolyon & a whole host others, and the boss, aka core rider David Butler. The first hour was slightly downhill & we made good progress, something we kept up until the first snack stop, 66km in. The rain had kept away, and the wind wasn't bad, so we were hopeful that the forecast was wrong. A quick stop, a little work from the physio on the left knee, and soon we were back on the road, only for Terry's puncture curse to strike again. Well, he's getting good at changing them, and we were soon back in our stride in the 50km middle section. Terry set his stall out very clearly in that section; he wants the polka dot jersey, as every time he saw a hill he was off.

A quick stop at 112km, and a final section of 55km. Easy it was not, as the wind had whipped up (yes, it was a headwind), the rain had started to come down, and the pace had started to drop. Freddie broke a spoke, and as his wheel buckled, the support car was summoned for a replacement (very TdF), but after 7.25 in the saddle & 167km, we arrived in Chalons-en-Champagne.

A quick bit of work from the physios (thanks guys), a little rest, and then it is off to Les Caves Bollinger for a little bit of sampling. Should be fun.

We roll out at 7am

An early start today & an equally early one tomorrow as we depart Nancy at 7am, which means a 5.30am breakfast. Ouch!! Briefing is done, route map (pictured) handed out & bike all ready. Currently without a tracking device as some have not been returned from the previous stage, but maybe it will arrive in the morning. Well, it's fingers crossed that the headwind does not materialise, and roll on champagne!

Training over, next stop Nancy

The forecasts were wrong & I woke to bright sunshine this morning. Just as well, as I was intent on squeezing in one last cycle before handing my bike in on Wednesday. I was cycling with a friend who had just purchased his first road bike & who would be cycling in cleats for the first time. My brief was a short (approx two hours), and a reasonably flattish ride. Keen to see what Vigo Hill, seemingly the steepest part of stage 5, was like, I devised a 30 mile round trip from Eynsford in Kent that would take in the aforementioned about half way round.

Map My Ride suggested that the climbing would be c320m in total & I figured that would be largely the two hills on the route, with Vigo Hill accounting for the lion's share. I, well Map My Ride, was wrong, as the route turned out to be anything but flat (635m of climbing), much to my friend's dismay. Vigo Hill was a 1:6 gradient, and clearly will be a tough ask 30 miles shy of the finish on the Slam, but at least there is an isotonic refreshment stop stop at the summit, which I am sure will do a roaring trade!

So that's it, the training is done. Bike goes on Wednesday & we follow on on Monday. Can't wait!

Brighton in the cold & wet

When the bike being dropped off on Wednesday for transportation to Nancy, this weekend gave me the last opportunity to get some more miles and my belt. I was tipped off by Shaun Randell, a fellow stage 5 rider about his cycle club's annual Brighton ride. The club is the Big Foot CC based in Hayes, and after a short email to the organiser, I was in.

Another early start, as the briefing was at 8am in Hayes, some 11 miles from home. Heading out a little before 7am on a cold and damp morning, I was in Hayes 45 minutes later. On arrival I introduced myself to somebody with a clipboard and asked what speed his group would be riding at. He told me that the plan of action was to take about seven hours to get to Brighton. Oh dear! Fortunately somebody interrupted and suggested that I went to the other side of the street, where the normal club rides would follow the Brighton route. Shaun and his friend Jon, another stage 5 rider popped over to say hi, but they had opted for the slower ride.

A very impressive turnout of about 90 riders, who were divided into groups based on speed. Big Foot have seven different speed groups, the fastest of which today was what they term level 2/3. Having looked at their website, I felt that I was probably a level 3/4 rider, but as the other option was a level 4/5 ride, I pitched for the level 2/3 group. Our group was a little short of 20 strong, and we heading out and up onto the North Downs. Normal club rules had been abandoned for the day given the cold and wet weather, and when one of the group punctured at Woldingham, the group split. I was in two minds whether to stop, but decided I would carry on. However, the riders in front of me had now disappeared, so I had to chase them down, something that was going to be a little taste of things to come. I caught them up, and soon we were at the first refreshment stop about 20 miles in.

Coffee, cake and a few jelly babies later we were back on the bikes, and heading south. I was in the middle of the pack when we reached the top of Turners Hill, but unfortunately the lead rider decided to go straight on, the usual route to Brighton, but not the route we were taking today. The necessity to turn around saw me drop off the back once again, and this time it was a much longer game of catch up, something only achieved when I got to the next refreshment stop. Freezing cold it may have been, but there was some good entertainment in the form of the passing London to Brighton vintage commercial vehicle rally.

A quick stop, and with 19 miles to go, we soon set off on the final leg. One guy punctured, and I got dropped towards the bottom of the Devils Dyke climb, only to have the guy that punctured pass me just short of the summit. I could see the bunch on the horizon, but I only caught them up about a mile or so from the finish line. It did, however, mean that we all arrived at the same time, the first of the club's groups to do so. A quick coffee on the seafront, and then I and one other took the train back to London, leaving nine hardy souls to commence the return trip.

A big thank you to the guys at Big Foot for allowing me to join them, and in total 65 miles and over 1200m of climbing. If the weather is not too inclement tomorrow, a final 30 miles in the saddle, and then that's the training done. It's almost France here I come!

The wheels keep on turning

The first day of Stage 5 of the Slam is 103 miles, so proving that great minds think alike, Terry Burwell, Andy Neill (both stage 5), and myself decided that a 100 mile ride needed to be done. With Terry based in Newbury, Andy in Dorset, and myself in London, The New Forest seemed the logical place to ride.

I hopped on an early morning train to Winchester, teamed up with Terry and we set off into the countryside for a rendezvous with Andy. As ever nothing is easy, the Garmin was up to its usual tricks, we met a bit of localised flooding in the form of a two foot deep ford, and Terry picked up a puncture. As a consequence we were a little late for the meet with Andy, but soon we were all on our way into The New Forest and our lunch stop at Terry's sister-in-law in Bransgore. She must have been very pleased to have three drowned rats in her kitchen, but the food and hospitality was excellent, and the Christmas cake equally so.

The post lunch ride took us down to the coast, and a beautiful view of the Isle of Wight and The Needles. Terry picked up another puncture (I certainly know where to turn if I get one on the Slam), but in Formula One style he is getting very good at changing an inner tube.

Into Brockenhurst, where as ever the animals roam freely through the streets. A close shave for me with some long horn cattle, and an even closer shave for Terry with a somewhat indignant old lady, and then back out onto the moors. After almost 80 miles it was au revoir to Andy, and another 25 miles later, most of which were into the wind, Terry and myself made it back to Winchester.

101.5 miles done, I bade farewell to Terry and hopped on the London train. An entertaining journey as far as Basingstoke as there were a number of delirious Southampton fans who had clearly been celebrating their teams returning to the Premier league. A few interesting ditties, one of the more polite being we're going on the p***, the p***, the p*** with Matt Le Tiss, Le Tiss, Le Tiss!

If I had thought that the New Forest weather was somewhat inclement, it was nothing like London where the rain was torrential. Mrs Y picked me up, and safely back home, it was time for a nice steak and a drop of vin rouge to reflect upon a highly successful day.

Big big thanks to Andy and Terry. Wonderful company, very enjoyable ride, and I'm looking forward to riding with you both on the slam.

London to Shefford via Hurley

With a christening to attend (friend of Mrs Y) in Great Shefford, a deal needed to de done. Probably a little tricky to get the 70 miles knocked off in time to get to Shefford, get changed & get to the church on time, so I split the trip in two. 45 miles out to Hurley on Sat, an overnight stop & 35 miles on Sun.

Sat's ride was very uneventful & I beat the rain & Mrs Y to The Olde Bell in Hurley, and was able to relax in the beer garden with some iron replacement before the sky clouded over & put an end to that. The Olde Bell was pleasant enough, although a little random, and what hotel shuts it bar at 11pm on a Sat night!! A post dinner scrabble victory brought the day to a close & it was fingers crossed that the weather would hold for Sun.

Bright sun greeted me in the morn & with a short ride to do, I didn't bother rushing to get going. Leaving Hurley, then Henley behind, my cross-country route was going well until I turned into Dog Lane. Firstly it was pothole hell, which I managed to navigate (good practice for the cobbles), and then a quagmire. I took a view I would push on, but it became impossible & I had to trudge through the mud for almost a mile. Not exactly what I had planned. Back on track, I descended into Goring, crossed the Thames into Streatley, gained some company from two guys at the lights & we hauled ourselves up Streatley Hill (gradient 8.7%, max 16%, painful), and then cycled together for a while. It turned out that one of them is mates with Simon Marriott (stage 2). Proof that the cycle top is a talking point! The rest of the ride was less eventful & I managed to make it to the church on time.

Next week 103 miles with Andy Neill & El Tel Burwell.

Slam kit has arrived

Kit for the Slam has arrived. Looking forward to wearing it on this weekend's training ride. Watch out for me in Surrey/Berkshire.

Training goes continental

The weekend saw my training regime go continental, with a weekend in Majorca. Getting up early on Friday morning after the farewell party the night before was no easy task, but at 7 o'clock we took off from City airport en route to the sunshine island of Majorca. Unfortunately the sun was not coming out to play on Friday, but a short taxi ride later, we made it to the well appointed luxury of Reads hotel and met fellow slammer Malcolm (stage 4), whose family owns the hotel. He set us up with two road bikes, and very soon we were on our way for an 80km jaunt across the island. Annoyingly the Garmin was up to its usual tricks and the first few kilometres could only be described as a bit of unplanned offroad action. A new plan was called for, and before long we were enjoying the quiet country lanes of the island. I had promised Jill a flat ride, but to her dismay what we got was the best part of 800m of climbing. The rain held off and before we knew it, we were back at the hotel enjoying a generous slice of almond cake and a well earned beer. The evening meal was excellent, and there were some wonderful wines at very attractive prices to wash it all down.

Saturday morning came, and it was the day of the big ride for the weekend. I had planned a 110km route and this time we set off in the right direction. Nothing, however, is easy and on leaving Santa Maria to cross the motorway we were confronted by two members of the local constabulary who requested that we stop. A little bit of arm waving and it soon became apparent that there had been an accident, and the road ahead was covered in glass. A detour was called for, but we managed to accomplish this without any drama, and soon we were winding our way through very quiet country lanes en route to Alcudia. Turning inland from the coast we headed to Pollenca, we we stopped for a pizza, but the weather was starting to turn and against a headwind and in the rain we made our way back to the hotel. Job done, and after her sterling efforts over the last couple of weekends, Jill is showing good form for cycleslam 2014!

Sunday was always intended to be a rest day, but I was getting interested by the possibility of attempting a climb over the Coll de Soller. Unfortunately Sunday brought rain, and lots of it, and deciding that I did not wished to get drenched, or indeed negotiate what undoubtingly would be a treacherous descent down to the coast,  I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and opted for a long lunch and the Sunday Times on the iPad!

Never mind, I achieved what I set out to do that weekend, and that was another two days of back to back distance riding, and to enjoy some different countryside. For those of you who are looking for somewhere to put in a bit of winter/spring training, I can thoroughly recommend the location and the package offered by Malcolm and the team at Reads.

Not long to go now, and next weekend will see a ride out west into Berkshire, with a ride down to Brighton with the Bigfoot cycle club from Bromley on the bank holiday weekend. However, if anybody has any interest in joining me on a training ride between now and when I drop my bike off on May 9, please get in touch

Mini slam weekend - 4 days, 200 miles

With the double bank holiday, I decided to set myself the challenge of a mini slam weekend. 4 days, 200 miles, come rain or shine, and under slam conditions, so good food & a couple of beers each night!

Things began well on Thursday evening with a good fill with Mrs Y at the excellent Union Bistro in Clapham. Their cottage pie is just what you need when you are facing a good few hours in the saddle the next day.

Bright sunshine greeted me on Friday morning and I was joined by Dan (Stages 2 & 5) and Rob (Stages 1 & 5) for a ride out of Clapham to Windsor and back, via Kingston, Chertsey, Virginia Water, Windsor Park, Staines, Walton, Hampton Court and Wimbledon. With a top notch service from Mr Croker's mechanic (Ben & Cycleworx in Southfields) and a few new components, the bike felt great, as was the banter with the boys. A little under four hours and 60 miles in the bag. A great start to the challenge.

A large helping of Mrs Y's home made lasagne washed down by an excellent bottle of Vergegelen V and a relaxing Friday evening watching The Masters set me up nicely for Saturday. The weather was nowhere as convivial as Friday, but at least it wasn't raining. I followed the same route out of town to Virginia Water, before heading back via Chobham and Addlestone to the in-laws in Weybridge. Another 40 miles in the bag, knocked off in 2:20, and halfway to the 200 mile target for the weekend.

Saturday night and a substantial helping of pork belly washed down by a drop of Bordeaux, and day 3 of The Masters, before an early start on Sunday to get down to the New Forest in time to put a big shift in. Parked up at The Pig in Brockenhurst, our home for the night, by 9.30am, Mrs Y & I set off on a 68 mile round trip (provided by fellow slammer Andy Neill) through the highways and byways of the New Forest. An excellent route, reasonably flat, some great scenery, too many cattle grids, and all manner of wildlife. Having dropped into an excellent chocolate chocolate shop in Beaulieu to reserve an Easter egg for collection later, it was non stop to ensure that we were back in time for the healing hands of The Pig's resident masseur, Karen, and an hour's worth of work on those aching limbs, followed by the restorative properties of a couple of bottles of Little Willy from the Dorset Piddle brewery. 168 miles down and 32 miles to go.

Unfortunately, Monday's weather was very unfriendly. The heavens had opened, and the wind was blowing in off The Solent. The ride into Lymington was somewhat of a struggle, and the cobbles down at the quayside equally treacherous. Anyway, after two hours in the saddle, and soaking wet, I hit the 200 mile target for the weekend, and made it back to the hotel to dry off, and reflect on a some solid progress in the training regime. With only £100 to go to hit the £3k fundraising target, it feels like it is all coming together. Four weekends of training left, and then it's France here I come!

Sponsorship over £2800 - hope to hit target by Easter

The first big group ride of the training regime. 60-70 of us descended upon Halfords in Mitcham on Saturday morning & set off on a 64 mile loop into the Surrey Hills. The early part followed the route known well to those who have done the London to Brighton ride, before we headed through Banstead & up to Epsom Downs. Joining the Olympic road race course, we went up Box Hill the easy way, before bumping our way down over those annoying speed bumps. What goes down, has to go back up, and the climb up to Ranmore Common was the first of three challenging climbs (not my forte!). A brief lunch in Ewhurst, followed by two climbs (the second was the worst), and then we rolled into town. Guess we still need to get our group riding in order so that we can max the benefits, but great to ride with you Merv, Andrew, Terry & Richard. All told, 74 miles miles when I got home & over 1,300m of climbing.

Needless to say, I just wanted miles under the belt on Sunday & I persuaded Mrs Y to join me on reasonably flat 34 miles in the Surrey countryside around Lingfield. Quiet roads, early evening sunshine & yes the Garmin did its usual trick on rides that crossover.

Best news, however, is that I am less than £200 from the £3k target. Here's hoping that I can get there by Easter.

Back to back rides now the norm

A great sunny day, but only five slammers in Richmond Park. Never mind, and with a consensus that we wanted something different than the usual Box Hill route, trust was placed in my Garmin & a route to Windsor & back courtesy of the Kingston Wheelers website. All was going swimmingly well (apart from Richard's puncture) until we passed Hampton & the Garmin decided to start directing us back to Kingston (have discovered that Garmins can't cope very well with rides that have a loop that crosses over!!). Trusting good old fashion common sense, we got back on track & soon we were feet up at the Fox & Hounds in Englefield Green for a well earned coffee. Back on the road, we were back in Richmond pretty quickly & by the time I got home, the ride was 64 miles.

After an hour's less sleep with the clocks going forward, I scraped myself out of bed for what has to be the norm from now on in, consecutive days of riding. A short one at 34 miles, but 700m of climbing so good practice nonetheless.

A Slam weekend!!

Down to Cardiff on Saturday to watch Wales win the Grand Slam, back in time for a fantastic cottage pie at Bistro Union, and then out on the bike on Sunday morning. Only one other Slam rider in Richmond Park (Adil from Maidenhead), so we headed out to Box Hill, and then used the Garmin to guide us back to Richmond via Epsom Downs. Very enjoyable 61 miles.

Disjointed ride, another Welsh win

A somewhat disjointed ride today. Seemingly we lost a few people in Richmond Park (exactly how, who knows), and while three of us stopped in Cobham, the others whizzed past, necessitating a chase across Surrey. Caught the group up, but it appears that group riding was not the order of the day, and I knocked it on the head just short of Ranmore Common & retraced my steps. All in all, about 57 miles, so worked out ok in the end. Home well before ko in the rugby, and yet another Welsh victory. Bring on the French!!

Fitness of a different kind...

...no cycling this weekend as it was off to Gstaad for a resurrection of the annual ski weekend after an absence of two years. Great weather, snow good if on north facing slopes, and great food/wine, though in typical Swiss fashion, not cheap. Guess I can count it as leg strengthening, even if it did little for above the waist!!

We beat the English!!

A sunny Sat. Only six people on the ride but a wholly enjoyable trundle out into the Surrey countryside, a ride up Box Hill and all in all, 58 miles. Back home in time for the Six Nations. Not the best performance from the Welsh, but who cares, we won!

Off skiing next weekend, so guess I need to spend some time on the turbo trainer in the week, but at least skiing is exercise!

Better weather & good luck Wales

The weather is a little more pleasant & I am hoping for a big day tomorrow. A morning in the saddle, followed by a dash back home for step 3 in the Grand Slam dream. Fingers crossed we put England to the sword! I have offered Lawrence £50 on the result with the loser contributing to the victor's Slam fundraising efforts, but he is yet to take me up on it. Maybe running scared!

Daffodils, turbo training and off to the velodrome

The bad weather curtailed last week's training on Sat morning & I then headed down to Wales to watch step two in the Grand Slam dream. Even Mrs Y got into the spirit of things with the latest addition to her wardrobe.

The turbo trainer is now up & running and it got its first usage last night with a 30 minute pedal.

Off to the Olympic Velodrome this evening for the track world cup. Looking forward to it.

Oh deer, a cold Sat morning

The Slam training ride was cancelled, but I decided to go anyway. Surprise, surprise, there was nobody in Richmond, but I headed off towards Surrey. Scenery in Richmond Park was stunning and the deer appeared to be enjoying the relative peace & quiet. Made it as far as Esher when the cold got the better of me & I headed off to Kingston to go to Sigma Sport to buy some handwarmers. Bizarrely they don't stock them, but a warm shop & a cup of coffee did the trick, and after two hours in the saddle & 30 miles, I was back home.

With the snowfall on Saturday night, there was no riding on Sunday, so I got to lie-in and prepare myself for the roller coaster of watching Wales play rugby. Ireland dispatched, bring on Scotland!!

Wishing I had the bike

A biz trip has taken me away, but with a clear sky, am wishing I had the bike to put a few miles in!

Box Hill & back

Better weather than last week & a ride out into Surrey & the Box Hill climb. All in 57 miles door to door. Best news, however, is that we will have an evening at Maison Bollinger on the Slam. Wonder if champagne bottles fit into my bottle holder? Missing Slam party on Tues, but Mrs Y going along to see what's what.

Back to the gym

Sam is back from her Cuban break, so it was back to the gym for an hour's workout under her direction. Wasn't too bad & hope it makes me go faster on Sat. Waiting to hear the route & see how many hills we have to deal with. At least it looks like it will be warmer!!

Garmin Gizmo

Garmin gizmo has arrived. Seemingly Nomura is a satellite black spot, but got it up & running on way home. Now all I have to do is attach to the bike. Think I might miss my good old Cateye though.

Getting a Garmin Edge 800 - hopefully no more wrong turns in the English countryside....

Back on the bike

First ride of the year & a meet with fellow slammers in Richmond. A number of lessons learnt.

1. Do not leave house without a helmet, get half way across Clapham Common & have to turn back!

2. When it is freezing, don't forget your overshoes...

3. ...or your lining gloves...

4. ...and get a hat

Big thanks to Dan who lent me a hat, so at least my head was warm.

As for feet & hands, that was a different matter. Richmond Park stunning under a coating of frost, and a ride out to Cobham where we took over a greasy spoon before heading back to town. All in 43 miles so a good start to what needs to be done over the next few weeks.

Pic below at end of ride, slightly warmer, but still cold...