StevenB Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Yes, I'm at it too! Some say mid-life crisis, some say lycra fetish, I'm not entirely sure what's going on, but what I do know is that on Sunday I'm taking part in a 100 mile bike ride, and raising a little bit of money for the British Heart Foundation as I go. The purpose of this post is not to seek sponsorship - I set a target of £50 & have got to £90 so far, so it's mission accomplished on that front. I think it's just a case of showing how small changes can make a big difference. On my 40th last year, over a fine full English breakfast, I said I'd take part in the Norwich 100 this year. At that point I was just on 16 stone, and if I was having a bad day with my asthma I could get out of breath walking upstairs. Fast forward a year, I bought a road bike last autumn (£400 in a sale, no need to go crazy spending thousands on a carbon fibre bike!), and started to ride to work on it (an undulating 10 mile route) once a week or so. Frost & ice permitting - I only slid off once..., I kept this going through the winter then started to increase the mileage as spring arrived. I've done around 800 miles in total, nearly 300 of which have been over the last month, and I'm ready to go, 2 stone lighter & generally a lot healthier. So far, the longest single ride I've done is 60 miles, so it will be quite a big step to add another 40 to make the 100, but I'm ready for it, confident & all set to have a good day. What I'm definitely not is some kind of fitness obsessive - I now see that I've burned 1000 calories riding to & from work & can therefore justify having a flapjack with my coffee! Wish me luck, I'll be off at around 7ish on Sunday morning, hoping to complete the course in around 8 hours, fingers crossed the wind isn't too strong! grahamparker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 I have been following your status updates on Facebook Steven & I wish you the very best of luck on Sunday, make sure you pack some tubes & a pump as its the only thing that can stop you. You've done the training you'll breeze through the 70/80/90/100 mile markers. Take something to eat as well. it will take a lot of energy to ride the extra 40 miles over current high mile ride. I look forward to reading all about it next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simes Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 By March this year I had lost 4 stone in weight over the previous 12 months. All through calorie control as I'm rubbish at sport/exercise etc. Now I've got the flab off I'm looking to increase my exercise so I can stop eating like a sparrow and start getting properly fit. Energy levels and stamina are pretty low, but I reckon if I do more exercise that will improve. On Saturday I did my first outing on the bike for about 18 months and did 10 miles. My bike is rubbish though so thinking of buying a new one. Don't know a lot about bikes so recommendation would be appreciated. ...And well done StevenB. All the best with your 100 miler! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Your body adapts pretty quickly to exercise & that old heart will quickly strengthen & your stamina will come with it. the most important thing is starting in the first place & not over doing it & ending up aching, injured & demorolised. Your bike choice will very much depend on what you see yourself doing. Steady, slow road rides... Wooded trail rides... Long hours in the saddle hammering yourself to bits (me) decide what you want to do before buying the wrong bike. but there is always that equation B+1 where B=bike you can always +1. StevenB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike at Vauxhall Posted May 28, 2015 Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 Good luck, good cause. StevenB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted May 29, 2015 Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Since we are talking about going for a bike ride. I am now going for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simes Posted May 29, 2015 Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Another one up with the birds! Lee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenB Posted June 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 I'm sure nobody is too bothered, but I'll tell you how it went anyway! I'd spent all day Saturday drinking water, which I never normally do, along with my regular coffee, so that I was properly hydrated ahead of the event. Alarms set for 5.30 & 5.32 (just in case I slept through the first one), I went to bed relatively early & got a reasonable night's sleep. Obviously I woke at 4, needing a wee after drinking all that water, but went back to bed, safe in the knowledge that I never sleep through an alarm. It turns out that I failed to spot the tiny AM/PM markers on my watch when setting the alarm, so sleeping through the alarms that didn't go off & waking at 5.50 was not quite the start that I was after. I managed a hearty bowl of porridge, but had to miss out on the planned scrambled egg on toast as there was no time before the scheduled departure at 6.15. Anyway, I just about made it to the rendezvous point by 7am, met the other 5 people that I was going to ride with, and we rode the couple of miles from there into Norwich city centre for the start. It was pouring with rain at this point, and even by the time we assembled on the start line we were pretty wet, but it wasn't cold & we were in good spirits, ready for what was to come. (To be continued...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted June 5, 2015 Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 Looking forward to the continuation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenB Posted June 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 After a short, and frankly unnecessary speech by the Lady Mayor of Norwich on the start line, we set off at around 7.30, in a group of around 50 riders or so I guess. Our group of 6 immediately got separated, and split by a set of traffic lights after no more than a mile. This was the last that my brother Ian & I would see of the others for quite a while. Both of us were doing this for the first time, so we stuck together, and after around 10 miles, I called out that I'd be looking out for the next available field entrance to stop for a wee. Shortly thereafter we pulled up, Ian was nearest the verge, so I said I'd hold his bike for him. I unclipped my left foot as we pulled to a halt, started to reach out for his bike & had a tiny wobble, quickly tried to unclip my left foot, but having fitted a new set of cleats a couple of weeks earlier which are that bit harder to undo, I just couldn't do it in time & toppled over onto my left hand side. I landed on a combination of shoulder, elbow & knee, it was one of those roads that had been resurfaced with tar & loose chippings, so it was pretty rough & I cut my knee on the landing, but didn't think too much of it at that stage. Call of nature answered, we then carried on our way, it was around another 5-10 miles I guess to the first official rest & refreshment stop in Reepham. As we pulled in, intending just a quick pit stop to refill bottles, I looked down & had blood running down my leg, nearly to my ankle by this stage, so seeing a St John Ambulance, we decided I probably ought to get it cleaned up properly. They seemed surprised to have a casualty so early in the ride, but sat me down & sorted me out. Took a couple of goes to find a dressing big enough, but soon enough I was sorted and ready to be on my way. It was not to be though, at least not until the paperwork had been completed... 2 sides of A4, all my contact details, questions on my medical history and more, any conditions I had (apparently the 'mild embarrassment' that I described didn't count), and eventually it was all done. Quite why details to the level of the serial number of the specific plaster used needed to be recorded I'm not sure, but I guess it's all about arse covering? Eventually our extended pit stop was completed & we were ready to be on our way again, heading through lovely rolling countryside & heading up towards the coast. Don't let anyone tell you Norfolk is flat, it just isn't, especially so the nearer the coast that you get! Due to the length of time we'd been held up in Reepham, we had missed the rest of the team, I think they were there when we arrived, but didn't see us & gave up waiting.the next stage of the ride was fairly uneventful, it was just a case of letting the miles roll by & heading for the next stop at Holkham hall. We were managing to pace ourselves quite well so far, although neither of us had done a big ride like this before, we'd been out together 2 or 3 times on training rides, so had got used to settling into a reasonable pace together. I'd heard people talk about trying to keep up with faster riders, going out too aggressively, too early in the ride & burning out half way round, and was determined this wouldn't happen to me. It was quite funny how you always seemed to be overtaking the same people, particularly the lady on a mountain bike, with a radio hanging off the handlebars... Heading up a hill. In the middle of nowhere, I suddenly spotted 2 of our team at the roadside & pulled up to check they were okay. It turned out one of them had had his chain snap, and they were just phoning for assistance. We did the decent thing, wished them well & carried on our way. Not that much further on, and within sight of the park gates at Holkham, I punctured, so we pulled over to swap the inner tube. I was extra careful, I'd never had a puncture out on the road before, and the last time I'd used tyre levers was in the shop, my hand had slipped & I'd skinned my knuckle. Never bled so much in all my life..., anyway, it didn't happen this time, I got the new tube fitted & we were off again. (To be continued...again) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petercoulson Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Quite why details to the level of the serial number of the specific plaster used needed to be recorded I'm not sure, but I guess it's all about arse covering? Unfortunately yes. StevenB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Note to self...... if you need medical attention in your next race, wait till the finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenB Posted June 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 A couple of miles further & we were at the 40 mile point where there were toilets, water bottle filling & food facilities. After a quick comfort break we continued on our way, as the rain started to come down harder again. Up to this point, the route had taken us pretty much in a northerly direction from Norwich, but having arrived at the coast, it was time to turn east. The wind (and rain), which up to this point had been behind us, was now blowing from right to left, and the first few miles along the coast road were pretty bleak. Our aim at this stage was solely focussed on getting to the half way point at Sheringham where we could get a hot drink & another comfort break. The road to get there is best described as 'undulating', we're hardly talking the Alps here, but by the standards of what we're used to, the short, sharp climbs really sapped the energy & slowed the pace, but we weren't to be beaten, and as we passed an old boy riding a penny farthing towards the top of one of the climbs, we were immensely grateful for all the technology & light weight in the bikes we were riding! Rested, warmed & refuelled at Sheringham, the final 30 miles of coast road were notable only for the 2 massive storms we rode through. In one of them I remember going over a crest where we should have opened up a wide view of the flat section to come, with a village laid out in front of us, industrial area, and then The Broads heading off into the distance, but all you could see was a huge grey storm. Heading into the village, the bus shelters were stuffed with cyclists sheltering from the rain! As we pulled into what turned out to be our final stop as the route turned away from the coast, the rain was lashing down, hail mixed into it & we gratefully dived into the marquee for another coffee & short break. During this break, word reached us that another of our team had crashed coming down the hill into Cromer, badly damaging his bike and forcing him to retire. Thankfully he wasn't seriously injured & was only around half a mile from home at the time, so he abandoned & went off for a hot bath. Later on he drove to Norwich to join us at the finish & see how we all got on. Physically, we were well into new territory by this point, up to around 70 miles ridden, the most either of us had done in training was 60, but, all things considered, we were feeling fine. Being the first time doing anything like this, nutrition for the ride was a bit of a new area to get to grips with. I'd read widely on the subject & was happy that I could sustain myself with a couple of croissants, stuffed with honey for the first 20 odd miles, then following on with flapjack, pre-cut into segments to eat every 20-30 minutes. A few energy gels thrown in for good measure & I thought I was all sorted. I kept having a nagging doubt that eating nothing but sweet stuff for 8 hours might leave me craving something savoury, so I looked into it & found a recipe of boiled new potatoes coated with a combination of olive oil & parmesan cheese which was described as rocket fuel. I trialled the recipe a couple of days before, it was edible, so I decided to make some up to have with me, in the small bag on my handlebars. I made it the night before, carefully packed it in foil as described so it was easy to open & eat on the move & I thought all was set. The flapjack was also packed in portions on top, and a few other bits were stored in the bag, as it was waterproof (mobile phone, route card etc). What I didn't plan for was the foil splitting in the bottom of the bag, olive oil leaking, and as the day went on, it just seemed that everything got coated in olive oil. I even wiped the rain off my glasses at one point, smeared oil across them & just had to abandon them for the rest of the ride! As we left the final rest stop, we turned back inland, with around 30 miles to go to the finish & for the first time we were then riding into the wind. Thankfully the route was mostly on country roads, the hedges provided us with a decent amount of protection from the worst of the wind, and it was basically a case of counting down the miles to the finish. We managed not to fall off, or have any more problems, even the rain had eased off by this stage, so we just kept the wheels turning & before we knew it we were 5 miles from the finish, heading back into the outskirts of Norwich. During the final couple of miles, we had already completed 100, due to riding down to the start line, so it was a great feeling to have achieved the goal, and it felt brilliant riding in to the finish line. My wife & 2 boys were there to greet us, cheer & take photos as we crossed the line, and that was it - we'd made it! 9 months earlier, I'd struggled to ride 10 miles & here I was, 100 miles completed in a total time of 8¼ hours, of which around an hour was stops, both scheduled & unscheduled! Physically, I felt surprisingly good, apart from aching in my shoulder & neck, but I think this was a result of the fall earlier in the ride. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Am I now going to join Lee's super-fit ironman team? No. The 10 mile commute to work will definitely continue to be part of my day to day life now, having lost a couple of stone it's done my health a power of good! Sorry for going on a bit, I've never been able to use 10 words when 100 will do... grahamparker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted June 9, 2015 Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 an awesome result very well done. fancy Land's End to John O'Groats???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted June 9, 2015 Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 I hear Richard Knut just broke the world record for the most miles covered in a week!. Over 250 miles every day, but little coverage due to Wiggins breaking the record for the most distance covered in one hour! Doesn't seem right to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simes Posted June 17, 2015 Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 Picking up my new ride on Friday Should suit what I need it for. Genesis Croix de Fer 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 very nice too. what do you need it for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Swimming grahamparker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petercoulson Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Need? Surely with toys there isn't a need just a desire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenB Posted June 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 fancy Land's End to John O'Groats???? Well... never say never!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simes Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Day trips, then perhaps longer distances. Maybe coast to coast or similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 He said its perfect for what he needs. Thats why I asked. There are horses for courses especially in the bike world. im adding a new bike to our familys collection this week. When its finished ill show you all Simes 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 Well done Steve... great achievement... keep it going, it's adictive!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Muppet Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 I found some time to go for a ride last night, I've not really been on a bike much for the last 15 years, so my butt is feeling it today. Not a great result - 8 miles up and down hill in 50 mins. I'll try the same again in 45 mins and try to improve from there and then up the distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 The Great Shakespeare ride is next month... 40-60 or 100 mile. beautiful scenery and lots of ups and downs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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