TRAINING CYCLE #2

"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H.G Wells

I finally had the pleasure to meet one of the other cyclists who will be tackling the London to Paris event in July (or, as we call it, the L2P *makes gangsta hands*). Dorota suggested meeting up for a training ride, and so we began our Sunday mornings bright and early from Putney. There wasn't really a plan per se; our agenda was simply to head along the river towards Richmond, and tackle some hills in Richmond Park. This we did, in the end, but only after some navigational confusion (ie Claire doesn't know where she's going) which saw us lost in Barnes township at one point. Another time we got trapped behind some tennis courts, and after asking some very friendly people for directions we found ourselves at a dead end. In a golf course.

However, this is merely practice for navigating ourselves across France... right?

The fabulous Dorota

I'm only into my second week of cycling and Dorota was well ahead in the fitness stakes, yet very kindly put me at ease as I wheezed my way up some rather NASTY HILLS. (Is there any other kind?) For the record, I didn't walk the bike up any hills today, and that was an achievement in itself. So I am holding onto that much. 

We did a circuit of Richmond Park, and I even saw my first Richmond deer - standing there, unmoving and nonchalent and probably wondering what the deal was with all these people on wheely things.

Deer 1: "Why is everyone in SUCH A HURRY?"

Deer 2: "Human race."

Dorota also introduced me to the beautiful and frankly, quite magical Isabella Plantation - a woodland garden hidden within the park. We saw ducklings, trees in blossom, and even had little sit down. Ahhh.

We were prepared for a forecast of heavy rain, which we didn't really get - thankfully. However we did get some RIDICULOUSLY strong winds, which we were cycling into for most of the day. There were times when I actually felt my bike wobble under the force of the wind. It also slowed down the joyous delight that is coasting downhill. Mean. I have a serious dislike for wind.

A lot of the day was spent cycling alongside the participants of the Thames Bridges cycle event, for The Stroke Association. Often this meant being mistaken as competitors and being cheered on by marshals in fluoro vests. We didn't correct anyone. We liked the cheering. We also tried to take a run at the finishing line (oh the cheering we got then!) but had to put the brakes on before we were asked to show our race number. So close.

It was a fun day out on the bike, although I found this so much harder than last weekend. That first ride was 24 miles on the flat, and I felt I could've happily continued. Today I completed 32 miles with some hills thrown in, and it wrecked me. I can only put it down to the strong winds and the hills.. certainly a combination of the two was a challenge. Of course, I'm optimistic that all will go well with my training, although naturally a little anxious about the fact that in 9 weeks' time I have to be able to do 95 miles in one ten-hour day! Which means I have just two months to improve my speed, my fitness and yes... probably my map-reading skills as well.

PROJECT AURA: BIKE LIGHTS

Is this the coolest cycle safety-lighting system ever? HELLS YES!


Project Aura: Bicycle Safety Lighting System from Project AURA on Vimeo.

TRAINING CYCLE #1

"The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit." ~ Morihei Ueshiba

I rarely feel kindly towards the alarm clock; less so at 7.30am on a Sunday. But today I was due to put in some decent miles on the first of my long training rides. I was accompanied by my mate Ben - on foot, as he is training for several ultra-races over the summer (and is clearly a little out of his mind - probably a good motivator, I thought).

There's something magic about cycling through London when the majority of the population is in bed asleep. The streets and roads are devoid of crowds, and at that time of the morning the air even seems cleaner. I had plenty of space to ride my way along the South Bank, past the National Gallery, the Tate Modern, and pass under the London Eye. (Also, six years in London and I still get a thrill every time I pass Westminster...) 

Travelling under Westminster Bridge brings you through to "stage two" of the river route, following the Thames Path most of the way through to Battersea Park; only once or twice having to deal with roads (and once having to carry my bicycle down some steps). Love the wide green spaces in Battersea Park - I could cycle around there all day. From Battersea all the way through to Wandsworth Park, where some chaps were playing cricket, and this seemed like a good place to stop for an energy bar.

Did I bring my camera? Yes of course I did. Did I bring the battery for said camera? No.
So thanks to Ben for some iphone snaps.

Pushed on a little further to reach Putney then carried on along the river, past the rowing club, and crossed onto the wooded dirt path which follows the Thames all the way to Richmond. Even at this time of the morning there were a lot of walkers out. (Must only be the city folk who sleep in.)

Trundled past the gorgeous pubs and enticing icecream vans at Richmond, and eventually reached the edge of Kew Gardens, where I had to stop and rescue a family whose double-baby pram (complete with two gurgling babies) had a flat tire. Does pay to carry a pump. "All in a day's work, m'aam!" Everything aching, I pushed on further and eventually reached Teddington, where I parked my bicycle on the train for the return to Waterloo station.

I had cycled for 3.5 hours, and covered a total of 21.5 miles, plus the final stretch from Waterloo to home, which brings me to 24 miles all up! The last time I covered that kind of distance was when I did a cycling trip across the Czech Republic - and that was three years ago! So this was a big jump for me. By the time I had finished my legs hurt. My arms hurt. My derriere hurt. Yet if I'd had to carry on, I think I actually could have.

For me, the most important goal is not necessarily the distance covered, but the amount of time spent in the saddle, so to speak. I know I can cycle the distance to Paris, but can I spend 10 hours sitting on my bicycle? In my first day of training I have managed a third of the saddle time my first day of the London-Paris cycle will require, so baby, that's progress.

TEST DRIVE

"It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels." ~ Heinz Stucke

Time to try out the new wheels! After several short affairs with rickety old second-hand bikes (my last one was so rusty the handlebars kept sliding from side to side) and many a weighty commute on ye olde Boris Bikes (that's the London rental bike scheme to you out-of-towners), I am OVERJOYED with this. I finally have a set of wheels which make cycling a delight. Seriously. You can see the delight on my face right here:

It's true that I'm not the most confident of cyclists; London roads scare the bejesus out of me, and even those Boris Bike commutes were a white-knuckled challenge to make it home alive. (I wish I were just being dramatic, but seriously, those roads are MEAN.)
Of course, it helps to have a decent vehicle, and compared to this little beauty, riding a Boris Bike is like driving a forklift. So, can these wheels get me all the way to Paris? You BETCHA. 

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Note to crims: If you're a bike thief and you even think of looking in my direction, think again - I have tracking and if you tried to take my wheels I would hunt you down and STEAL YOUR SCALP.

THE BICYCLE

"Get a bicycle.  You will not regret it... if you live."  ~Mark Twain

My bicycle has arrived! A brand new, virgin, outta-the-box bicycle. Not a second-hand, orphaned rust bucket with squeaky brakes, but a new bike, from a shop.  I was in love from the moment it arrived, even flatpacked and in pieces.

It had no instructions, I had no experience. Oh god, this was less IKEA and more MENSA. However, I decided if I couldn't work out how to construct a bicycle I probably shouldn't be allowed to ride the bloody thing to Paris. This in mind, I happened to build the entire bike in less than an hour. BY MYSELF!

So there you have it! I have successfully built a bicycle, which means I can now ride to France. And by doing so I've become familiar with all parts of le velo, and that is going to make my life easier should it ever decide to collapse in protest halfway across France. (Please don't please don't please don't please don't....)

BUT WHY??

I'm cycling from London to Paris this summer, as part of an organised charity event. I'll be riding alongside about 80 other people (none of whom I've ever met) and it should take us about four days to reach the Eiffel Tower. Yes, I know, I am sure this all sounds like a bit of a jolly. I bet you're already picturing baguettes sticking out of the basket on the front of my bicycle, and floral-skirted jaunts through vineyards in the Loire.

Well stop it.
First of all, my bike doesn't have a basket. (And we're not going anywhere near the bloody Loire.) Also, my attire is going to consist mainly of terribly UN-sexy padded lycra shorts... at the end of the day I am willing to forgo any sense of style just as long as there is sufficient padding on my derriere.

(I would like to take a moment to thank the French for derriere, which is so much more sophisticated than "bum" or "arse".)

Anyway, it will be a grand adventure, one I'm really looking forward to - but then I can say that because I'm currently sitting on the sofa. The first day of this ride will be 95 miles of saddle-suffering undulations (that's cycle-speak for HILLS THAT WILL HURT MY DERRIERE), and if I make it through that, I will have three more to follow.

The challenge and the excitement will be worthwhile alone, but in truth, that's not solely what drives me. Earlier this year New Zealand - yep, my homeland - was hit by a massive earthquake, and having seen the good work that aid relief charities such as the Red Cross have done, I wanted to give something back. There are many crisis-hit countries right now, and funds for resources are so valuable. Specifically I'm raising money for the British Red Cross, and to date I've collected £1100. Over half of this has been donated by the incredible people who follow me on Twitter, and the other half by those fabulous people who know me outside the interweb. To everyone who has sponsored me and offered support, I want to say THANK YOU. I guess this blog is my way of offering something in return. It will follow my training progress, cycling learning curves and then the event itself.

If you would like to sponsor me (but of COURSE you would!) CLICK HERE and follow the simple steps. It should go without saying that I wouldn’t put my dignity or my derriere through this if I didn’t think it was worth it.

x Claire