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.