Acclimatisation

I mentioned it was a silly day to go cycling, yes that was because I learnt the hard way. Just back from Thailand I'm still acclimatising to the British weather and stupidly thought shorts and fingerless gloves are still appropriate.

Yesterday was my first outing on my bike for a month, a little chilly and damp but I rediscovered my love of cycling. I did my best to keep my refurbished bike looking sparkly. I had only dropped it in to the shop to sort out a "noisy" wheel yet when I picked it up a month later it had new wheels, handlebar tape and even a pump.

I was not going to be disheartened by today's abysmal forecast, so when it turned out to be only fog and drizzle I was delighted. Just incase, I did put on my overshoes to ensure my feet didn't get damp.  

I am not a particular competent cyclist, even after six months, so rarely cycle alone. Left with no choice today I set off onto Dartmoor for a touch of peace and quiet. It certainly was quiet, I think everyone else had sensibly listened to the weather man.

Soon the rain came lashing down, the wind picked up and the fog remained. It was just as I realised my overshoes were no longer functioning and I had no idea where I was that I hit a pot hole, it is those few seconds later that you pray you've got away with it, I hadn't.

I am not very experienced with punctures so my first reaction was unwrap my phone from its plastic bag and call someone. Not quite sure who or why but a lift was appealing and if that failed at least instructions on what to do next. I was somewhere near the highest village on Dartmoor, a great tourist spot in the summer but so remote there is no such thing as phone signal.

Next step is to let out a few frustrated/self pitying tears.

I then reassessed the situation and nothing was going to change, I had no option but to see what I could do myself. I always carry a spare inner tube but purely for the purpose of someone else to "help" me - not that it has ever been used.

About thirty minutes later and very chuffed, I had self taught myself to change my inner tube. It so happened that some luck was on my side, this is the first ride I've ever carried my own pump. I must admit that I've never pumped up my own tyres and was therefore slightly unsure as to how the pump fixes, I pumped away for about ten minutes (well it felt like that long) to no avail.

Unsure whether it was my pumping technique or another puncture I had run out of ideas so the only option was to sit down and let out another few girlie tears.  

By this stage I was chilly (check out the goosebumps), soaked through, phone-less and basically bike-less and lost. It was then a toss up but I decided to walk back the way I'd come. Luckily the first house I tried had a very helpful occupant who kindly invited the muddy dripping mess that I was into his house.

I discovered where I was and that my father happened to be at home. I then had to grovel and walk (barefoot - saving my brand new cleats) about a mile through what was now torrential rain with intermittent hail.

So tomorrows ride...yes I've not been deterred just yet but I am definitely finding company or otherwise I'll just be doing laps of my house.

JOGLE day 9

I can not believe it is all over, I reached the final destination of Lands End nine days after leaving John O'Groates. It has taken me a couple to days to collect my thoughts and recover, but it's already starting to become a distant memory. With a few days left to go we were reminded to enjoy every day and cherish the moment; even when the legs were on fire, battling into a headwind, with the rain stinging your face. Thankfully I took this on board and as a result appreciated every pedal stroke, okay maybe my memory is already playing tricks on me.

The final few days were tough, the Westcountry threw everything it could find at us, there were hills after hills, a consistent strong headwind and what felt like relentless rain. We spent our last night at base camp celebrating how far we had come and basically presuming we had made it, I think it was partly this complacency that was to blame for Sunday being one of the toughest days. With "only" 93 miles to pedal - yes it is funny how my perception of distance has changed after eight days of 105 miles plus - I presumed the final push down through cornwall would be the equivalent of the victory leg on the Tour de France. For the first time on the trip I was cold and almost miserable, conversations had started to dry up and we were finding ourselves actually discussing what is happening in the "real" world. Yes the physical conditions on the final day were tough but it is now I realise what actually made it so challenging for me; I did not want to leave the bubble I had lived in for the last nine days. In a strange way I was grateful for the poor weather we were greeted with at the finish line, it made the emotions and goodbyes slightly easier to deal with.

This has been a trip of a lifetime and made even more worthwhile by raising money for the Bath Rugby Community Foundation. If you have enjoyed reading my blog then please feel free to click on the link below and help me raise as many £'s as I cycled in miles:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/fundraiserPortalHome.action

JOGLE day 8

We are in Cornwall, how on earth did that happen. It was a strange day for me passing through my home county of Devon, admittedly I didn't know all of the route but I had a good idea of what hills lay around each corner. I think I might have annoyed my group slightly when pointing out various landmarks in which they blatantly had no interest, although I was a little disappointed that the route did not show off our wonderful coastlines or moorland. It was another tough one for most with climb after climb and a constant southwesterly "breeze" accompanied by torrential showers. The fact the route was considerably shorter than yesterday was soon balanced out by the terrain and it became a little too much for some who had come so far but could not quite finish the penultimate day.

The combination of my excitement from being so close to home with knowing all the sites already gave me a perfect opportunity to push out of my comfort zone and ride with the fast boys. I soon learnt that this is a very different style of riding to what I've become accustomed to; talking was not encouraged, pit stops were very brief and there were no let ups in the pace. All of that aside I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the biggest bonus was arriving in camp two hours earlier than normal; this meant only one thing, more time to appreciate the exceptional food on offer.

I have mentioned the slight competitive nature I display every now and again, today I demonstrated this perfectly when scoring a hat-rick and moving to the top of the leader board. This time I think I might have taken it too far though as I am now winning for the greatest number of falls. Yes I hit the deck for a third time on this ride and was saved from a forth by a lovely yet unsuspecting fellow cyclist who's coat luckily didn't rip when I grabbed on for balance. After eight days of cycling I have got stronger but not so sure my skills have improved that significantly.

JOGLE day 7

I can not believe we are back in the Westcountry already, only four days ago we were still cycling through Scotland. Due to the huge distance and climbs we had to complete today combined with the nasty weather forecast it meant a 5am alarm call. These early starts and routes in excess of one hundred miles have almost become normal now but only a month ago I was still complaining about the Sunday group training rides starting too early at 9am and I even thought forty miles was a big challenge.

Today on paper was definitely the hardest challenge of the whole route, it was equal distance to my furthest ride with about double the amount of climbing, so it is a little odd that this has been my favourite so far. The fact we were all prepared for the worst probably helped, expectations were not high and we therefore hit the road in good time and started out at a decent pace. After the last few days of plodding through various urban areas it was delightful to reach the countryside again and for me the highlight has been passing places I recognise, although I was glad I didn't know the exact hills ahead of us as ignorance can be bliss.

I think I am actually adapting to cycling, I feel stronger now than when I started. I'm doing my best to keep this quiet as I think I'm one of only a handful of the six hundred riders not to be sporting an injury or illness (touch wood), I just hope that my enjoyment whilst out on the bike is passed onto my team mates. It was exactly this time last week that I was sat in my tent in John O'Groates nervously waiting for the challenge to start and just hoping to get that first ride ticked off. Seven days later and today I was actually disappointed when I saw the finish line, I was happy to do another twenty miles.

JOGLE day 6

It is rather difficult to reflect on today right now as we are fresh out of the briefing for tomorrows ride. It's only 9pm and most people are already in bed, that is how horrendous the route has been made to sound. Today was a walk in the park compared to what is ahead, we covered 108 miles and just over 3000ft of climbing on the journey from Aintree to Ludlow. Spirits were high once we got out of Liverpool and left the busy city and majority of rain behind us. I found myself in an efficient group and we were in at camp before 3pm which was a pleasant surprise, I used this time wisely, most of it has been spent refuelling!

Now at the end of day six I am starting to regret letting my competitive spirit override my self preservation. I have been approaching this cycle trip as a holiday but when I am challenged there is no choice but to accept. Two days ago I found myself in a breakaway, the only option was to take it on, then yesterday I thought I'd spice things up a little with suggesting some sprint stages. All of this was before I bumped into fellow cyclist Olympic Heptathlete Kelly Sotherton leaving the final pit stop just as I was entering, she announced rather loudly that her plan was to beat me to base camp with the threat of a boasting tweet. The race was on much to the disapproval of my slightly jaded group and after much persuasion I got the pace moving, we started to chase Kelly's pack. Any fatigue I might still be suffering was certainly worth the "win".

JOGLE day 5

It was a breakthrough day, we passed the half way mark in time and more importantly in mileage, it is hard to believe as it seems we've only just left Scotland. After today's enormous 121 miles we are now actually closer to Lands End than John O'Groates, maybe spending over eight hours in the saddle was worth it after all. This was a tough day for all the riders, the wind was again not on our side and the rain "showers" seemed pretty constant at times, however the route was a little more scenic (when we could see it through the fog) and the roads seemed as smooth as a peach compared to Scotland. This is our second night at a race course, tonight we're in Aintree and I must admit the home of the Grand National makes doubles as an impressive campsite.

Having been riding with the boys for five days now the conversations are becoming more relaxed and we are all being a little more honest, a few times today that maybe went a touch too far. I have no one to blame but myself and my vocal opinion on a few clothing issues I've witnessed over the last few days. There really should be a ban on the sale of any white Lycra, especially when it covers the more private areas. This might not be such a talking point if it wasn't for a certain cycling rule, apparently cycling shorts are designed to be worn "sans" underwear, I have unfortunately, whilst cycling in a chain, had first hand confirmation that men abide by these rules. Being new to this sport I am still learning these rules and personally do not see the reason for not wearing underwear. This hasn't been an issue until today when I suddenly got a little paranoid that maybe my shorts, even though black, might be a little thin when wet. Having no girl to ask for an honest opinion the boys convinced me I was safe, that was until the chaperone loudly asked why I was not following this unwritten cycle rule, I could have died with embarrassment, especially after my earlier criticisms.

JOGLE day 4

Day four and I'm going to be brief. Not only was today quite uneventful I'm also exhausted, I think we were all a little complacent when thinking that it would be a doddle compared to yesterday. The route was about ten miles shorter and a little flatter, this however did not take into consideration the bone shaking road surface, constant head wind, damp weather and the not so delightful views as we pretty much followed the M74 out of Scotland and all the way to Carlisle.

On a separate note I promised to share some other details with you today. I personally have never been tempted to let silicone go any where near my body but am aware that many ladies enjoy its effects when implanted in certain areas. A more common body area for such silicone enhancements in the Asian population is its use to enhance the shape of the derrière, this is one part of my body that certainly has never needed any help, that was until a few days ago. I have been warned by many cycling friends that my bottom is going to bear the brunt of this challenge, all the same I did not know what to expect and just hoped that my natural padding would be sufficient; unfortunately it seems not. Before beginning this ride we were given a first aid list with various creams and lotions that I was not even aware of, however one item with which I was familiar was the blister miracle plaster that is made of a silicone type gel. Knowing that my shoes fit well I did not feel it necessary to stock up on this, I certainly did not think outside of the box. Now I won't disturb you with any details but let's just say I never expected silicone to be anywhere near my derrière.