Still haven't managed to crack getting up and out early enough. It's not the getting up, its the time taken for breakfast, packing up the panniers etc.. I guess we will just get more efficient as time goes on. Pleased that my sore knee had gone this morning. Today I had decided that it would be easy because we were homeward bound and after 20 or so miles I would be in familiar terrain. But that was a bit of a mistake as really it was only just over an hour shorter than day 1 and there are hills everywhere! The climb up from Alsager up a rollercoaster lane to Talke then up Red Street to Chesterton I found hard - but that was just the mind playing tricks. I just granny geared them when it got tough. We stopped at Trentham for a coffee and tea cake then climbed up to Rough Close via Barlaston. Returned through Hilderstone up a steep hill to Morrilow Green that Martin had sneaked in without mentioning! That was hard but I almost enjoyed it - almost! Can't say I'll ever go and find a steep hill to cycle up just for the thrill. (Maybe I should wouldn't batt an eyelid at planning hill reps when running.)
Returned home just in time for the Tottenham match. 164 miles in 3 days. not bad!
What did I learn for Lejog? I don't feel quite so worried about the hills or churning out the mileage day after day. We perfected a technique for washing and drying shorts in time for the next morning. - involved wrapping them in a towel on the floor and treading grapes- highly effective. Getting out early is a must. I think I should carry some of the panniers. I had none, Martin three! Need to train the brain as well as the body - it can be very counter-productive. And most importantly it's going to be an adventure - there is lots of beautiful countryside and spectacular views in this county of ours. Hard and challenging - yep. But that makes achieving it all the more worthwhile.
Julia
Welcome to our blog as we try to get from Lands End to John O'Groats by bicycle in just 13 1/2 days!
Hello, cybermonkeys, this blog has been set up to principally record our (hopefully successful) attempt to traverse the length of the entire United Kingdom by Bicycle! We are Martin and Julia Bailey and this is our journey from one end of the country to the other.............
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Day 3 - "Show me the way to go home"
The rain lashing down at 4:00 am wasn't a good sign, the young kids jumping up and down upstairs at 6:00 am wasn't a good sign and when the restaurant serving breakfast wasn't open at 8:00 am that wasn't a good sign either - but things got better :-)
We set of from a dull Sandiway just after 9:30 and made good progress through Northwich, Winsford, Middlewich, Sandbach and Alsager. Before long we were in Alsager, despite a few false emergency phone calls from Julia's Mums mobile and calls between us, London and Dresden! we carried on.....
There was a fairly steady drag up to Red Street but then the next few miles were lovely and flat or downhill for what seemed like ages all the way to Trentham Gardens, where we rewarded our great progress with a coffee and Toasted Teacake ;-)
The rain had so far held off, with just a few spots now and again. The wind was pretty blustery but nothing too bad - except when it whipped off the Rack Pack Cover! As I glanced behind I saw it being blown across the road being chased by Julia!
We headed out through Barlaston and climbed up to Rough Close. From there we new were were nearly home and the pace picked up quite considerably! We had one last drag up past Hilderstone Hall then it was virtually downhill all the way home :-o
We arrived home and unloaded the bikes, panniers and put the washing on! Rock n Roll!!!!
Stats:
Milage 46.4 miles
Ascent 2910ft
Ave Moving Speed 11.0 mph
Max Speed 31.1 mph
Moving time 4:14
Total Time 5:37
Summary:
Total Milage 164 miles
So what have I learnt from this trip?
We set of from a dull Sandiway just after 9:30 and made good progress through Northwich, Winsford, Middlewich, Sandbach and Alsager. Before long we were in Alsager, despite a few false emergency phone calls from Julia's Mums mobile and calls between us, London and Dresden! we carried on.....
There was a fairly steady drag up to Red Street but then the next few miles were lovely and flat or downhill for what seemed like ages all the way to Trentham Gardens, where we rewarded our great progress with a coffee and Toasted Teacake ;-)
The rain had so far held off, with just a few spots now and again. The wind was pretty blustery but nothing too bad - except when it whipped off the Rack Pack Cover! As I glanced behind I saw it being blown across the road being chased by Julia!
We headed out through Barlaston and climbed up to Rough Close. From there we new were were nearly home and the pace picked up quite considerably! We had one last drag up past Hilderstone Hall then it was virtually downhill all the way home :-o
We arrived home and unloaded the bikes, panniers and put the washing on! Rock n Roll!!!!
Stats:
Milage 46.4 miles
Ascent 2910ft
Ave Moving Speed 11.0 mph
Max Speed 31.1 mph
Moving time 4:14
Total Time 5:37
Summary:
Total Milage 164 miles
So what have I learnt from this trip?
- We don't get ready to go very quickly of a morning
- We can both cover a long/hard distance repeatedly
- We are both fit enough to complete LEJOG now and any extra fitness gained in the next 10 weeks will make the trip more enjoyable?
- My butt will be fine - Hooray....
- I have probably the heaviest bike/panniers known to man (15.6kg bike + 13.8kg of panniers = 29.4 kg gulp!)
- A cooked breakfast is not the ideal pre ride meal - but I can eat as much cake as I like without feeling guilty :-)
Martin
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Day 2 Oswestry to Northwich
What a long day it turned out to be 8 and half hours in the saddle! Knees ache, assos shorts still doing their job!
Porridge and toast in the Little Chef Oswestry - note to self get out earlier for Lejog 9.30 by time we left. Already panicking over the Horseshoe Pass. Knew we had three climbs the Horseshoe Pass being the last. 20 miles in done and dusted.
The first major climb unto Selatyn hard but ok. the downhill down a steep and potholed track was a bit hold on to the brakes for grim death - couldn't enjoy it at all. There's something discouraging about losing all the altitude you've just gained.
The second hill unto Llanffrodog turned out to be the worst hill of the day Horseshoe Pass was easy in comparison. From the pitying looks of the car drivers we passed I knew we were in for it. It had me beat from the start. Definitely harder then "Jelly-Baby" Hill from the BHF Peak District Ride. The down-hill the other side turned out to be a bit White knucke as well! A retrospective look at the course profile should have enlightened us. It looked like a stalagmite.
Llangollen - stopped for a coffee and a muffin to steady the nerves. What a nice town. Can't recall being there before. By now I was in full blown panic mode - convinced that the Horseshoe Pass must be worse than the second climb
Horseshoe Pass. I can't thank my wonderful husband enough for coaxing me up that pass. Ever encouraging and happy for me to stop for a quick minute to recover. It turned out to be a gradual drag in granny gear - my legs were shot after the first two climbs. the worst bit was the drag up to the Horseshoe. I had a minor panic over a steep camber on a left bend the right cambers were less steep. As we climbed higher the views were spectacular The horseshoe itself wasn't as bad as I thought. Really enjoyable would like to do it again - with fresher legs. Soon I was punching the air and humming the theme tune to Bonanza as we whizzed down to The Ponderosa cafe (you have to be my age to get the joke!) We shared the cafe with about 50bikers. The only downside was it was 2.30 pm by the time we left and we had only covered 19miles.
Down to Northwich. Hmm! For some reason I had got it into my head that the next 39 miles would be one glorious coast down to Northwich. Not quite! Lots of downhill but hard work, including one drag right at the end out of Chester along the A54. Haribo power and a determination that I'd got up Horseshoe Pass so I wasn't going to be beaten by an insignificant dual carriageway.
58 miles, 6.10pm and the Premier Inn Sandiway with adjoining restaurant 10 steps from the door. Bliss. Dodgy mobile phone signal mind you - but you can't have everything
Julia
Porridge and toast in the Little Chef Oswestry - note to self get out earlier for Lejog 9.30 by time we left. Already panicking over the Horseshoe Pass. Knew we had three climbs the Horseshoe Pass being the last. 20 miles in done and dusted.
The first major climb unto Selatyn hard but ok. the downhill down a steep and potholed track was a bit hold on to the brakes for grim death - couldn't enjoy it at all. There's something discouraging about losing all the altitude you've just gained.
The second hill unto Llanffrodog turned out to be the worst hill of the day Horseshoe Pass was easy in comparison. From the pitying looks of the car drivers we passed I knew we were in for it. It had me beat from the start. Definitely harder then "Jelly-Baby" Hill from the BHF Peak District Ride. The down-hill the other side turned out to be a bit White knucke as well! A retrospective look at the course profile should have enlightened us. It looked like a stalagmite.
Llangollen - stopped for a coffee and a muffin to steady the nerves. What a nice town. Can't recall being there before. By now I was in full blown panic mode - convinced that the Horseshoe Pass must be worse than the second climb
Horseshoe Pass. I can't thank my wonderful husband enough for coaxing me up that pass. Ever encouraging and happy for me to stop for a quick minute to recover. It turned out to be a gradual drag in granny gear - my legs were shot after the first two climbs. the worst bit was the drag up to the Horseshoe. I had a minor panic over a steep camber on a left bend the right cambers were less steep. As we climbed higher the views were spectacular The horseshoe itself wasn't as bad as I thought. Really enjoyable would like to do it again - with fresher legs. Soon I was punching the air and humming the theme tune to Bonanza as we whizzed down to The Ponderosa cafe (you have to be my age to get the joke!) We shared the cafe with about 50bikers. The only downside was it was 2.30 pm by the time we left and we had only covered 19miles.
Down to Northwich. Hmm! For some reason I had got it into my head that the next 39 miles would be one glorious coast down to Northwich. Not quite! Lots of downhill but hard work, including one drag right at the end out of Chester along the A54. Haribo power and a determination that I'd got up Horseshoe Pass so I wasn't going to be beaten by an insignificant dual carriageway.
58 miles, 6.10pm and the Premier Inn Sandiway with adjoining restaurant 10 steps from the door. Bliss. Dodgy mobile phone signal mind you - but you can't have everything
Julia
Day 2 - Ascent of the Horseshoe Pass (to the tune of Bonanza!)
Well where do I begin?
Well probably first with an apology - SORRY Julia! The route I planned for today was shorter than yesterday (by 2 miles - well it all counts doesn't it?) And we climbed for 4486ft of ascent - gulp, and the horseshoe pass which you were worried about was nowhere near the hardest climb of the day! And the following 20 miles downhill err.. wasn't! And the Satmap gps ran out of power 10 miles from the end....
BUT... It was sunny (mostly) and tomorrow is almost certainly shorter and easier, probably ...... ;-)
We set off from Oswestry Travelodge after breakfast at the little chef next door at 9:30 - again not really early enough, but that won't matter will it... there were 3 main climbs on today's route all within the first 20 miles. That 20 miles took us until 1:45 - gulp! We had stopped a couple of times, including a costa stop in Llangollen :-) but the second major hill of the day was a bu$$er! Put it like this, it makes Leigh bank look suitable for a game of football. Anyway we cruised up the horseshoe pass and stopped for some late lunch at the Ponderosa Cafe - a popular hangout for bikers but only two other idiots had cycled up there
The downhill after there was disappointing because the road was to rough to go above 30mph (and besides Julia was being a wimp on the brakes!) There was gentle ups and downs through Mold and a nice flat bit through Chester which was a nice change. We were just out through the other side of Chester when the Satmap ran out of juice. Luckily we nipped into the next garage and had a sneaky peek at the road map :-o Just 2 roads to remember and we would reach Northwich. We pulled out of the garage just behind a tractor - race on? I decided that it probably wasn't wise to go past the tractor, especially as he could go uphill at the same speed - and we couldn't!!!
One final climb up the busy A54 dual raceway and we coasted into Sandiway and the welcome site of the Premier Travel Inn - arrival time 6:10 - PHEW! A long day...
Well probably first with an apology - SORRY Julia! The route I planned for today was shorter than yesterday (by 2 miles - well it all counts doesn't it?) And we climbed for 4486ft of ascent - gulp, and the horseshoe pass which you were worried about was nowhere near the hardest climb of the day! And the following 20 miles downhill err.. wasn't! And the Satmap gps ran out of power 10 miles from the end....
BUT... It was sunny (mostly) and tomorrow is almost certainly shorter and easier, probably ...... ;-)
We set off from Oswestry Travelodge after breakfast at the little chef next door at 9:30 - again not really early enough, but that won't matter will it... there were 3 main climbs on today's route all within the first 20 miles. That 20 miles took us until 1:45 - gulp! We had stopped a couple of times, including a costa stop in Llangollen :-) but the second major hill of the day was a bu$$er! Put it like this, it makes Leigh bank look suitable for a game of football. Anyway we cruised up the horseshoe pass and stopped for some late lunch at the Ponderosa Cafe - a popular hangout for bikers but only two other idiots had cycled up there
The downhill after there was disappointing because the road was to rough to go above 30mph (and besides Julia was being a wimp on the brakes!) There was gentle ups and downs through Mold and a nice flat bit through Chester which was a nice change. We were just out through the other side of Chester when the Satmap ran out of juice. Luckily we nipped into the next garage and had a sneaky peek at the road map :-o Just 2 roads to remember and we would reach Northwich. We pulled out of the garage just behind a tractor - race on? I decided that it probably wasn't wise to go past the tractor, especially as he could go uphill at the same speed - and we couldn't!!!
One final climb up the busy A54 dual raceway and we coasted into Sandiway and the welcome site of the Premier Travel Inn - arrival time 6:10 - PHEW! A long day...
Martin
Ps. Thanks for reading yesterday, please leave a comment ;-) and yes Laura my butt is still sore!
Friday, 20 May 2011
3 day practice for Lejog. Day1 Home to Oswestry
Set off for a three day practice for Lejog, packing panniers etc... Well Martin had three panniers! I was wearing my excess baggage. We managed to set off an hour later than planned. My fault. I woke up turned the alarm off then fell asleep again. When we finally set off discovered we had left the water bottles at home. Best laid plans of mice and men etc... Then 10 miles into the ride B&Q decided to deliver two pallets of bricks that should have turned up over a month ago. We spent over half an hour on the phone at the side of the road giving directions to the lost delivery driver!
On the positive side. What a lovely ride. 60 miles to Oswestry. After the BHF ride around the Peak District I kept waiting for the big hills. Very windy, headwind all the way bit tough at times. Just very pleased that did the distance without much problem. Sit-bones in great condition! I bit the bullet and bought a pair of Assos shorts. Can't recommend them enough worth every penny. Currently holed up at Oswestry Travelodge On the A5 - Costa, Burger King and Little Chef on site - all the essential food groups catered for! Hoping to enjoy the Horseshoe Pass as much tomorrow. Slightly apprehensive.
Julia
On the positive side. What a lovely ride. 60 miles to Oswestry. After the BHF ride around the Peak District I kept waiting for the big hills. Very windy, headwind all the way bit tough at times. Just very pleased that did the distance without much problem. Sit-bones in great condition! I bit the bullet and bought a pair of Assos shorts. Can't recommend them enough worth every penny. Currently holed up at Oswestry Travelodge On the A5 - Costa, Burger King and Little Chef on site - all the essential food groups catered for! Hoping to enjoy the Horseshoe Pass as much tomorrow. Slightly apprehensive.
Julia
3 day test ride - "The long and winding road"
Friday 20/5/11
Loaded up the panniers and the rack bag last night and up at 8:30. Set off from home eventually at 10:00! Must be more organised!!! I had planned a route from home, through Sandon, Stone, Eccleshall, And Wem to get to Oswestry ~ 60 miles. Tough first few miles with some sharp climbs (especially with all that weight on the back!) Stopped for a cyclists lunch at Tern (2 cups of coffee and a bacon bap ;-) found the next 10 miles tough going against the strong headwind. Coasted down to the edge of Oswestry to clock up 59.6 miles and 2516ft of ascent in 5:22 moving time. So far so good! now fed and watered so happy and legs don't feel bad at all - however after tomorrow my butt might be a different story!!!!
Loaded up the panniers and the rack bag last night and up at 8:30. Set off from home eventually at 10:00! Must be more organised!!! I had planned a route from home, through Sandon, Stone, Eccleshall, And Wem to get to Oswestry ~ 60 miles. Tough first few miles with some sharp climbs (especially with all that weight on the back!) Stopped for a cyclists lunch at Tern (2 cups of coffee and a bacon bap ;-) found the next 10 miles tough going against the strong headwind. Coasted down to the edge of Oswestry to clock up 59.6 miles and 2516ft of ascent in 5:22 moving time. So far so good! now fed and watered so happy and legs don't feel bad at all - however after tomorrow my butt might be a different story!!!!
Martin
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Sunday 8th May 2011 - BHF Peak District Bike Ride (40 Miles)
We set out early on Sunday morning with the bikes loaded onto the back of the car for the drive to Darley Dale (just outside Matlock) to take part in the Ride. I had entered us on Wednesday having picked up a flyer when in Derby that day - nothing like good forward planning! The route was described as "Challenging" and there was a choice of 20 or 40 mile options. With me being in charge of entering us I put us down for the biggie! We arrived all of 20 minutes before the first riders set off and I unloaded the bikes and Julia went and registered us (picked up the nice red t-shirts). Now I had seen the course profile before this point and er.... Julia had not! There were 3 Grade 5 climbs, 1 Grade 4 climb and 1 Grade 3 climb and the rest of it was either up or down as well :-) and we were to meet the hardest one first after just 2.5 miles!
 |
Oh what fun!!! |
The organisers had said there would be drinks and sweets at the top of the first hill and it was only after we thought we had climbed it we realised we hadn't got to the top yet!
There was a (welcome) rest stop at Middleton where the 20 milers went back towards the finish and the 40 milers turned left and out on a further lap. Immediately we started off again we hit yet another 20% hill. Oh what fun...... The rest of that loop wasn't too bad and it was on one great downhill section I reached 39.7 mph - before I chickened out and braked!
There was a (welcome) rest stop at Middleton where the 20 milers went back towards the finish and the 40 milers turned left and out on a further lap. Immediately we started off again we hit yet another 20% hill. Oh what fun...... The rest of that loop wasn't too bad and it was on one great downhill section I reached 39.7 mph - before I chickened out and braked!
We then got back to the Middleton stop for another quick drink and biscuit before setting out for the run back to Darley Dale. It was on this section where we came to Stanton in the Peak. Now I don't know about you but as far as I'm concerned any place name with 'Peak' it it means trouble and this was no exception, the only relief being we didn't go right to the top!
We rolled back into the finish having covered 40.4 (bloody hilly) miles at an average moving speed of 9.5 mph! in 4:15 hrs of moving. We had climbed 4117ft in 40 miles - the good? news is on our LEJOG we only climb more than that on one day (day 2, St Austell to Whiddon Down) and thats over 63 miles so should be gentler???????
Overall it was a really nice ride out over some tough climbs which will (fingers well and truly crossed) hold us in good stead 12 weeks from now!
Martin
Big hills, Red T-shirt, red medal, red face but on a positive note not a red backside! Glad I didn't look at the course profile before. I thought we had reached the top of the first hill (not too bad I thought) It turned out to be the little blip at the start of the profile picture BEFORE the hill - all 6km of it. It was a very tough ride but I really enjoyed it. It turned out to be a glorious sunny but windy day- we expected rain. Just a bit puzzled - how come when you cycle a loop you can cycle into the wind both ways?! It was a very well organised ride, well marshalled, good signposts and tea-stops. I was pleased that I managed the mileage with only a two or three quick stops. We cycled past the half way tea point without stopping!
Am hoping that this will be good practice for Devon and Cornwall. Hoping that some of the training we do will be harder than what we will meet on day two.
Julia
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