My cunning plan

I took this picture of my bike last week when the temperature was 19 degrees C. In the background is the rapeseed on the fields by the English Channel along the Military Road. I was about 4 miles from home at this point and swealtering hot.The next day it was down to 6 degrees and I haven't seen the sun since. Hopefully it should be warming up later today.
(Don't my water bottles look rubbish. Kit deficiency.)
Anyway, blogreader nmcgann has pointed out that I should be doing longer mileage endurance sessions, and I absolutely agree with him. I wish I was! The problem is....I just can't fit it all in. I'm sure I'm no different from many other people who have busy lives and family commitments. 2 children, a wife and a job.
There are two other factors for myself; football and avoiding getting injured.
Firstly I play club football which basically is a saturday afternoon match and training on Thursday evening. This means I need a rest day on Friday, and Sunday is recovery day. Football is an impact game. I also have to take my son to his football match on sunday which keeps me busy until early afternoon. Then, even if I was feeling OK and not still aching I couldn't really disappear again for the rest of the day...can I? So, on a Monday I might try and cycle to work instead of drive (25 miles). But, last week I was injured, and this week I have work commitments until 7pm. Tuesday is hopefully my 'big' ride of the week.....meaning that I need to recover on Wednesday, or perhaps cycle to work again....except I've had to go to parents' evening last week, and son's footy match the week before that. So, it's difficult. When the football season finishes in the next week or so, I'll obviously free up a lot more time and not be carrying soft tissue injuries. (Bearing in mind that the footy fitness is almost certainly a good thing, and gives me more strength and power).

I'm also deliberatley holding back a little in these early weeks. Remember I've gone from zero to 50 miles in three or four weeks. I'm 47. There is no doubt that the heart and lungs are stronger than the tendons and ligaments and I know only too well how middle aged sportsman tend to get overuse injuries and chronic annoying tendinitis.

Finally, I've also got other hobbies. Kitesurfing for one, fishing another. My motorbike. And I play guitar in a regularly gigging band. I'm prepared to make sacrifices for L'Etape but on a windy sunny day, I'm going to go kitesurfing. And when the bass start running, I'm going fishing.

So, the plan. I've built up to 50 miles with another 15 weeks to go. I aim to have a weekly long ride, increasing the distance by between 5 to 10 mile increments. Within a week or two the football will be over and that will enable me to get out early on a saturday and put in a long one. Also, I won't need to worry about resting before a game and recuperating after one. I'll be doing a bit of kitesurfing, and this will be good for strength and suppleness. I've got at least a couple of weeks annual leave between now and L'Etape and that will let me have a week-long-blitz and really go for it. I may go to France or Spain to really try and get acclimatised to proper hills and the heat.

I'm also planning to have three organised events:-
The IOW Randonnee is 100km on May 6th. That should be fun, cycling aroung the Island with hundreds of other people.
May 20th is the Hampshire Hilly 100. Sounds tough.
June 17th is the Circuit of the Cotwolds. Probably very very hard.

In between the big ride, with football out of the way, I'll do shorter hard speed sessions. I strongly believe there is a lot of benefit to be gained by mixing it up, and training at different speeds is vital. These marathon rides can be a bit boring, can't they?
That's it. I told you it was cunning.
By the way, my wife has totally banned me from shaving my legs.Final word.

Helen, Sister in X-Ray, has been personally tending to my wounded leg.

I do apologise for posting another photo of my wound, but pathetically it has been troubling me all week.
I work as a Radiologist in an X-Ray department and we have Sister O'Kell keeping an eye on everyones' minor ailments, cuts and bruises. Helen has taken responsibility for dressing my wound after I exhibited typical male doctor ignorance. Anyway, the 'treatment' has been to clean it, and then cover it with a film of Opsite....which is similair to high-tech cling film. Hopefully you can see that a goopy golden exudate has been collecting under the Opsite. This is good, apparently, and it lets the wound heal without scabbing over and avoids scarring. It certainly seems to be working. I would think that all cyclists must have fallen at some time. It's not really practical to carry a first aid kit.

Which brings me nicely onto the subject of shaving your legs. Now Simon Jackson has suggested that I should shave mine, perhaps for charity. Strangely, it seems that the practice of shaving your legs amongst keen cyclists is widely known by the general public. But can we clear up some confusion? Is it to facilitate streamlining/diminish wind resistance or is it because cyclists are so prone to falling off their bikes that they want to make administration and removal of the copious amounts of Elastoplast easier, less painful and more hygienic? Surely it is the latter. And am I supposed to oil my legs too? I am planning to use sunblock in the summer and that's pretty greasy. Will that suffice?
But isn't this a slightly pessimistic indictment of the sport. I mean, we all know motorcycling racing is a seriously dangerous sport, but do those boys get their blood cross-matched before a race? No. It suggests that falling off your bike is practically the norm, and in view of the pain which I have endured after my relatively trifling 'off' last week, I salute all those professional or amateur racing cyclists for your bravery and committment.
I fell on my wounded right hip at footy training last night and it chuffing hurt. But I've got to play against Sandown tomorrow (for Ryde Saints reserves) so it will have to do. Then we've got a gig at The Anchor, Cowes saturday evening and then sunday will be relative rest day. If I'm not too knackered and the weather warms up a bit, I'll probably go for a 20-miler in the evening.
Thanks to everyone who is reading my blog, and the comments are very much appreciated.

Foix to Loudenvielle - Distance 196 km
Km 27 Col de Port Ascent of 11,4 km at a 5,3% gradient
Km 98 Col de Portet d’Aspet Ascent of 5,7 km at a 6,9% gradient
Km 114 Col de Menté Ascent of 7 km at a 8,1% gradient
Km 159 Port de Balès Ascent of 19,2 km at a 6,2% gradient
Km 184 Col de Peyresourde Ascent of 9,7 km at a 7,8% gradient

I've copied out the profile of the route with the 5 major ascents. It's very difficult to imagine just how bad these climbs are going to be. I wish I knew how steep the climbs are on the Island. We've got some pretty nasty roads within 5 miles of my house, so I might spend a few hours just going up and down. I've certainly spent a few years grinding up horribly muddly forest trails with the rear wheel spinning under load. But the mountain bike has 27 gears and a tiny granny ring.
Presumably a 6% gradient means you rise 6 metres for every 100 metres along the road? Can anyone out there confirm? But I bet the ascent isn't steady. For sure there will be flat sections interspersed with horrendous steep bits. I think the climb up Brading Down is 14% so that is way worse than any of these Cols. The trouble is, the climbs on the Island last for a couple of km at most, not for 10 to 20.
I've been footy training tonight and I've got a league match on Saturday so I don't think I'll get out on the bike until Sunday evening.
Clearly,there is no substitute for hours in the saddle, building stamina, improving technique and developing mental resilience. Easy.

Fifty miles today.. my first half century

50 miles today, exactly. Average speed 16.7 mph. I'm pleased.
I enjoyed it, except I was freezing at the start and boiling by the end. I had one really bad patch on a long climb with very rough broken tarmac. My lower back started to really hurt, so I think there is something wrong with my posture. I stopped at the top of the climb to answer my phone (landlord of The Anchor, Cowes, offering us a gig this coming saturday) and I felt Ok when I restarted.
My backside was fine, so maybe I'm getting used to the saddle and I've got it adjusted properly.
My bike is a pleasure to use. It runs silently. Everything works as it should. I haven't fallen off again. I did 'the' roundabout once more at 25 mph, the difference being that it was warm and dry today.
Early night required.

Let's take stock so far.

Ok. 3 weeks of training under my belt. 16 to go. where do I stand?

I'm not going to mention my fall and injuries again, except that my leg bloody hurts and I will not do any more dickhead descending. (Well not on my road bike). Steve Peat can relax.

I'm quite pleased with my mileage. My max ride so far is 48 miles, and if I increase that by 5 to 8 miles per week I should theoretically get up to 130-ish. However, it's pretty easy to type that phrase, but it's something else to actually do it. There is the big problem of maintaining enthusiasm and actually making the time to spend a whole working day on a training ride. BUT...the terrifying prospect of the final two Etape climbs after a 100 or so miles in the saddle is the ultimate motivation. I'm a little scared , not of the pain or suffering on the ride, but of having to drop out or get caught by the broom wagon. Not an option.

I've also realised that virtually everyone else is way ahead of me. I've found a couple of excellent blogs, and these guys are so much in front.....And I'm an old git. 47 years old. Nevermind, I'm going to do my best.

I'm pleasantly surprised how much enjoyment I'm experiencing from getting in the saddle, spinning the pedals and just zipping around the Island roads. I love my bike. It's fast, responsive and a pleasure to use. I love it when a bit of kit is beautifully designed and built for a specific purpose.

I don't like the cars and lorries. F****** c**p drivers. I get cyclists' road rage. Why can't they slow down a little instead of squeezing past? Prats. I'm used to being off road, on the trails through the forests or riding on the chalk down paths. 20 years ago I used to commute when I lived in Liverpool, and I was a bit of a grumpy biking renegade. When cars used to cut me up, or brush against me with their wing mirrors, I would chase them down, and slam my fists on their roofs and bend their wing mirrors back. And what about those pillocks who still insist on using their handheld mobiles while they're driving? Grrrrr. I feel better now.

I'm still not confident that my compact crank (50-36) and rear cassette (12-27) are going to give me low enough gearing. There are quite a few steep hills around here, and I'm happy to grind up them at the moment. Trouble is, can I do it with 100 miles under my belt, in the raging heat? Hopefully my legs will get stronger and my technique improve.

More kit needed. I need a helmet, gloves, leg warmers, a gilet, a long sleeve jersey, arm warmers, foot cover things. I'm really suffering with cold feet, although the temperature has gone up by at least 5 degrees today so maybe it'll be Ok from now on. Spare inner tubes, a pump, a bike bag, energy bars and drinks.

My mucker Simon Jackson is going to help me out on the equipment front. He and Steve Atkinson are responsible for me doing this ride. They were in Majorca a couple of weeks ago and clocked up about 6000 hilly miles in a week, average speed 25 mph, or something like that, the bastards.

Right, time for an early night, aiming for 50 miles tomorrow. The missus has loaded my Ipod shuffle with one of her playlists, so it might be purgatory.

Nursing my injuries

It's three days since my big 'off' and I've got to admit I've been a wimp, and haven't ridden since. My hip where I lost the skin is agony and I've been struggling to sleep. It's difficult to keep a dressing over the open flesh and my trousers and boxers just rub the raw exposed bit every time I move. It's effectively like a second degree burn because I've lost the covering skin and some dermis. I couldn't play football yesterday.

Also, lots of other bits of my body are now hurting, particularly my shoulder and thigh. I'm so glad I was wearing a good pair of gloves which also have windstopper material, as these have saved my hands and fingers. I learned the importance of always wearing gloves many years ago through falling off my mountain bike on numerous occasions. I used to do a lot of manic trail riding through the local forests, and falling off was a regular occurrence.

The picture above is from the Paris-Roubaix. The pro riders seem to crash all the time in their races and just have to get on with it. Broken bones are common. I'm reading a fantastic book at the moment by Graeme Fife called Inside The Peloton. He describes how Paul Sherwen fell off 9 times during the Roubaix in the old days before modern pedal cleats. After his final fall he lay in the cold, wet, grime, tangled in the bike, feet still strapped to the pedals and decided to quit. 'Bugger this, I'm not getting up again' he thought, only to find a group of bystanders bodily lifting him up and sending him on his way. He finished 15th. Awesome.

One of the things I preach to medical students is to ensure that they learn from their mistakes, and only make them once. At this point I'm hoping my wife won't start laughing and use words like 'hypocrite' and 'do as I say, not as I do'. So, I'm going to be more wary of adverse road conditions, and just take it easier on the corners until I've got a few more hundred miles of experience on this road bike. Mental note...this is a bicycle , not a motorbike.

I mentioned that my rear derailleur was knocked out of alignment by the crash. I was worried that the mechanism itself had been damaged, but on inspection it seemed to be OK. Therefore I decided that there must be a subtle crease in the hanger. After all, it is presumably engineered to be a deliberate weak link to prevent much more expensive damage to the derailleur or the carbon frame. I detached the hanger and on close scrutiny confirmed that it was very subtly bent. I but it in my bench vice and using my plumbers wrench tweaked it back. I've reassembled everything and it all looks to be as new, and the gear change is slick and as it should be. I'm not taking any chances, so I've ordered a new one from Wiggle. If I fall on the big day, I don't want the weakened original hanger to snap off completely.

Finally, the buckle on my shoes had been dragged across the road and mangled. It doesn't quite work properly. It has one of those ratchet type mechanisms that you get on ski boots for tightening the strap. I need a new one from somewhere but haven't found a supplier yet. I can make do in the meantime.

So, Sunday afternoon. British Summer Time is here, the sun is shining and I'm going to go for a nice relaxing ride of 30 miles or so. Rest day tomorrow, then I'm going to do 50 miles on Tuesday after work.

Anatomy of a 30 mph crash

I'm pointing at a scrap of matted hair and skin on the inside of my leggings which I've just peeled off. I've just got home after throwing myself down the road. It's hurting (a lot).
I suppose I should have known better.

With the evenings drawing out, there was time for a 90 minute ride before dark. It was cold and a little misty as I set off, but I was pleased to see that the road was mostly dry. I planned a nice route of about 25 miles along the coast road at the end of my road (the Military Road) with a big nasty hill at either end. Perfect.

I normally would have been football training on a Thursday evening but I have a couple of nagging injuries which need rest, so a good cycling aerobic workout is the perfect non-weight-bearing substitute exercise.
I had done the hard work, final climb finished, and was only 8 miles from home. I was giving it the berries, descending from St Catherines into Chale. The hill is steep, a double S bend, with a roundabout half way along. It's tricky I admit, but I've been down here loads of time at speed on my Fireblade. This is a knee-down corner. I know the perfect line, and I know that the camber is adverse as you hit the roundabout. I was flying. I glanced down at my speedo which read in the mid-30's, and dabbed the brakes a little. I had a conscious zing of excitement at the prospect of a slightly dangerous corner. Time to test the limits of the tyres. I set up for the bend, perfect entry, shift my weight, gently ease from left to right, a touch of opposite lock then BANG. I went down in an instant onto my right side. I hit really hard on my upper thigh and elbow. My momentum carried me across the road for 5 seconds or so and I careened into the kerb. My right leg folded under me and an agonising pain shot through my calf. For a moment I thought I had broken my leg, but it was only cramp. Luckily the roads were deserted and I was able to scrabble off the tarmac quickly and collapse on the verge, before a boy racer totalled me. For some reason, I quickly looked around to see if anyone had seen me fall. Noone, of course.
Naturally, my first thought was for my bike. Any damage? Well, the front brake was jammed on, the brake levers had twisted around, and the rear mech, right pedal and right side of the saddle had scraped along the road. Apart from that, almost nothing else. The carbon is undamaged. The brakes were easily sorted, I tweaked the levers back and I nearly felt lucky to have escaped so relatively unscathed.
By now, I was feeling very nauseous from the pain and shock, but I jumped back on the bike, and scooted home as fast as I could. The rear mech was chattering and obviously had been knocked out of alignment, but I still managed a 27 mile ride at an average speed of 16.9 mph. Adrenaline is a great thing.
In the kitchen my long suffering wife made sympathetic noises, camera at the ready, as I gingerly peeled off my tights. A scabby bit of hairy mangled skin tore off to leave a raw gravel rash. Nice. Amazingly there was no hole in my expensive Assoss leggings. I had 3 layers on my arms so I only had a small graze and big swollen bruise on the right elbow. Gloves had saved my hands. Calf muscle not good, and I needed a pot of tea (and a flapjack).
Now, I can't believe I had been so reckless. What a stupid thing to do. What if I'd cracked the frame? Or my head? I know this is a notoriously tricky corner. The temperature was dropping as dusk approached and the atmosphere was getting wetter. The tyres would have been cold. There is always oil and rubber residue on roundabouts like these, and here I was on ridiculously skinny racing tyres at 120 psi. This is not the first time I've had a bad fall off a bicycle. The last 'stupid boy' episode was a broken clavicle sustained during the warm-up for a downhill mountain bike race. That's right...the warm-up. Ambulance. Hospital. Operation. Pain.
This evening, I'm sore and achey. I've been over the bike and confirmed that the only problem is a bent hanger. I've ordered a new one, and have muscled the original back in line. It'll do for now. My lovely shoes are scuffed and the ratchet buckle on the strap is a bit kerplunked. I'll replace that in due course.
As Simon said, the 40 miler is back on for tomorrow!

Brass Monkey Weather and 48 miles.

The weather has turned really cold again this week, and even the Island hasn't escaped the bitterly cold wind and flurries of snow. So, at 8am yesterday, I would have rather been wrapping up warm and cosy on the settee with the newspapers, a pot of fresh tea, and a couple of rounds of thickly buttered toast and marmalade. Instead I was venturing out on the bike for this week's 'long' ride. That is dedication. It was 3 degrees C, with a very blustery Force 6 wind from the north. At least it wasn't raining.

Last week I froze my nuts off, so today I was determined to try and keep warm.My legs really suffered so I put on thin Musto thermals under my Assoss long-legged trousers. The latter have wind break material in front of the knees and lower abdomen, with thin fleecy material lining the insides but they're not designed for these sort of temperatures. Two thin breathable running shirts on top and my fleecy cheapo cycling jacket from Decathlon in Le Havre. Two pairs of socks and my Specialized Pro BG shoes.I think I need some overshoes. Finally my wooly hat and thin gloves, plus of course the obligatory I-Pod with ear-bud headphones. (No..I don't wear a helmet).

Last week I did a 41 miler so I planned a route for 45 today despite the strong wind. I also took some Allen keys with me so that I could tinker with the saddle position.... fore-and-aft and angle. I think I've got the height sorted. Needless to say, once I started thinking about the saddle angle I had to keep stopping and change it a fraction until after about 90 minutes I was happy.

The ride itself went really well. My legs are definitely stronger and I'm fairly cruising up some of the hills. About two thirds of the way round I hit a bad patch as the wind was absolutely head on and I was hurting all over. My feet were completely numb and freezing. So, I resorted to tough guy mentality and imagined what Lance or Eddy would have done on a day like today. Dig in hard and waste the opposition. A bit of fantasy cycling and I was bursting up some Pyrenean col to the finish line with the peloton eating my dust. Arms outspread I cross the line to pull on the jaune jersey.

Ultimately, I've got to believe that every mile on the saddle is 'money in the bank' and cycling in horrible conditions is all part of the training. I used to wind and kitesurf in all weathers, so at least I'm not actually having to immerse myself in freezing water. In any case,my 11 year old daughter gets up at 5 am three mornings a week to go ice skating in a freezing (literally) cold rink, so if she and her pals can do it, so can I!

Anyway, I turned for home with slight wind assistance and really creamed the final few miles. Head down, watch the shiny crank turning and the mesmeric whirring of the chain and rear cassette. Weezer and Rancid on the playlist.I even put in an extra detour over the downs fron Freshwater Bay to Compton which lifted me over the intended 45 mark.One final hill before freewheeling into my drive.

Total 48 miles at average speed of 16.1 mph. I'm not experienced enough to know if that's any good, but it'll have to do for now.

And now for the best bit.....I staggered into the house and up the stairs like an old man. I ran the hottest bath this century, collapsed in it with copy of Classic Rock and the missus brought me up a nice mug of tea as I soaked for an hour.8 weetabix, two bowls of Grapenuts, 4 more mugs of tea.

Bring it on.

Smooth surfaces, slipping seat posts and saddle sore.

End of the second week of training.

I've formulated a training diary on an Excel spreadsheet, and was aiming to do a 35 mile ride this week.The intention is to start sensibly and build up by 5 miles a week. Sort of.I'm reasonably confident that I have decent fitness at the moment. I'm not too overweight. The problem with old blokes like me is that the heart and lungs are stronger than the tendons and ligaments, and it's easy to get injured.

Another factor is the complication that it's still the footy season. I play on a saturday and train on thursday, so although I believe this is good for my aerobic fitness and strength, it also puts limitations on the amount of cycling that I can get in at the moment.

I've done a 41 mile ride this week around the Island. Average speed just under 15.9 mph. Is that any good? I made sure this included some pretty nasty hills and I wasn't completely dead at the end.. so that's OK.

3 observations.

The Island roads are so rough. It's like riding on knobbly off-road tyres all the time. Every now and then you hit a smooth section and it's absolute bliss. Hopefully this is going to stand me in good stead for the Etape because I can't imagine that the french mountain roads are going to all be in good condition.

Secondly.... half way round my route I became aware that my seat post was gradually slipping into the tube. I hadn't tightened the bolt enough. On the other hand, this is a carbon frame and a carbon seat post so I was frightened of crushing the fibres. But this was stupid. I should have at least been carrying a few tools for running repairs.I won't make that mistake again. I sorted it eventually by calling in at the workshop at Dave Death's motorbike shop and borrowed an Allen key.

Simon Jackson, biking guru, tells me to turn the seatpost collar through 180 degrees so that it nips up against the groove in the tube. And , when I'm happy witht he height, to try hairspray on the tube to stick it up a little.

Finally, I have sore bumcheeks. I hope I can grow some callus on my ischial tuberosities, because 125 miles is going to hurt bigtime. I need to do a bit of saddle adjustment because I'm sure that I haven't got the position correct. I'm hunting around the house and garage trying to find my spiritlevel, so that I can accurately check the horizontal set of the saddle. It's hard to eyeball it with the sloping top tube.

Sail or Kite? Surely we've all got a few obsessional hobbies?

We all need to keep busy.
I used to be addicted to windsurfing. I started in the early 80's on Crosby Marina in Liverpool. Within a few years I was a 'wavehead' and spent as many weekends as possible in Rhosneigr, Angelsey. We used to stay at the best guest house in the world, The Bungalow, ran by the amazing Voula. Greek hospitality,friendship,mugs of tea, cake and enormous breakfasts (and endless chatter). The sailing was fantastic. Sadly, I've never been back since I left Liverpool in 1993.
The conditions can be pretty good on the IOW, but it's not as windy down here. Too many windless summer weekends disillusioned me, and I got bored of windsurfing. I suppose I needed a new challenge, and a new adrenaline rush.I was in Biscarosse, SW France in 1998 when I met a kitesurfing pioneer, with his tales of this incredible new sport.
When I got into kiting, it was such a buzz. There was nobody to show us how to do it, no videos, no one to copy and no shops.Tim West and myself got hold of some of the first Naish kiting equipment to be imported by Naish UK/Solent Sailboards.
We struggled to get upwind, the equipment was crude, and we were in constant danger of dying every time we went out. We were using two line kites with no ability to depower and no chickenloop. Scary.
The jumping element was totally exhilarating, and we were often out of control. The local beach is small, rock strewn and lies underneath a 30 foot cliff. Not a good idea. Now, we kite when it's sunny and the waves are up.

In the early days it was about surviving. We progressed to manic jumping, and then looping, flipping and rotating.

Now..... it's gone full circle and it's all about waveriding again. The kites have evolved to allow much quicker changes of direction with the ability to depower on the wave face. Bottom turns, off the lips and rollercoasters are back, and the twin tips have been replaced by fish-style surfboards with footstraps.

Week 1....football, wind and the new bike. Wolves beat the Baggies.

Let's cut to the chase. It's Sunday evening, as I write.

The first proper week of training is over and I haven't quite achieved the mileage that I wanted. But, I'm more than content. I cycled to work and back on Wednesday, and then went footy training on Thursday. Friday was a rest day (achey patellar tendon), and then I played a full 90 minutes of footy yesterday for the first team against Vics Vets. We had ten men after our skipper was sent off on 20 mins, so it was very tiring. The VV's are a very hard tackling team; brutal at times, and I was well kicked. I think they deserved the win, but it would have been a better game if we'd taken our (slim) chances and had a full compliment on the field.

Anyway, despite the bruised and swollen ankle, I decided to take the road bike out this afternoon, so went for a blast down the Milly Road and back. That's a 20-odd mile route. Out of my gate, down the hill and turn left and I'm on the famous Military Road . Then it was head down and pump hard to St Caths, up the big hill, and then into Niton, around the one-way system and then back. I'm going to use this route as a benchmark and see how fast I can do it as my training progresses. On the way out it was really hard into a strong headwind. The wind makes a huge difference when your on the bike, particularly if you're on your own. I know racers slipstream each other in the peloton, so that you can effectively get a tow from the guys at the front. I've had experience of this in the past. When I was a kid, my mate Ali Roe and myself used to do a fair bit of cycling as it was a convenient way to get to the pub, and enabled us to get well and truly pissed and not have to worry about being breathalysed on the way home. We also used to do a lot of miles cycling to various lakes and rivers in order to go fishing. We learnt how to tuck in behind the leaders back wheel , and take it in turn at the front every mile or so.

Anyway, back to today's ride and the strong headwind.I really struggled to get a comfortable cadence. I also felt slightly nauseous and generally not happy. Once I had turned I felt much better with the wind behind me, and there is always that psychological boost of knowing that you're on the way back.

The bike.. light, so responsive, but I had backache. I'm going to attribute that to yesterday's football. I also had a problem with the front derailleur. It is moving the chain too far as I change from the small to big cog, so the chain kept falling off...very annoying. I'm going to tweak it before I go to bed, because I'm planning to cycle to work tomorrow.

One other thing.. WOLVES: 1 WEST BROM 0. Are we going up? I'm not expecting anything. Remember, it's the hope that gets you.

Eating on the go, glycogen and bonking.

When I was a nipper, bonking was what we dreamed of. Now, I dread the bonk. I have bonked twice. Once on the bike about three weeks ago. Once during the Mersey Marathon in 1983.

One of the major problems which I anticipate with this Etape thing, is how do I get enough food on-board during the ride?

I'm anticipating 8 or 9 hours in the saddle. How many calories will I be burning per hour? I don't know, but there is no doubt that I will exhaust my liver and muscle glycogen stores. Therefore I will need to eat plenty of energy rich food on the go. My plan is to start experimenting with homemade flapjacks and commercially available cereal bars. I'm worried that these will make me feel nauseous. I've seen those powdery energy things in a bike shop. They look horrendous, but are presumably tried and tested? We'll have to try some.

The other worry is I believe we have a ridiculously early wake-up call in order to be in on the start line in time for the big off. I'm assuming that I'm not going to be able to have my usual cornflakes , toast and three mugs of tea, relaxing over the newspaper. I know I'm not going to feel hungry at 5am, and yet a good breakfast must be one of the most important factors for an endurance event like the Etape. Perhaps I can take some porridge with me and get the hotel to cook it.

One final worry. Will the gastro-colic reflex work at 5am? In my experience it doesn't. I suppose the best plan is to acclimatise myself to early morning training as July gets nearer, and simply get used to climbing on that hard unforgiving saddle at 7am.

Wet weather, mud and commuting

It's beautiful on the Isle of Wight, but the roads are generally in poor condition, bumpy and often wet and muddy. I'm lucky to live in the rural west Wight with access to endless off-road trails literally from my gate. I've never had a road bike before and I don't like being passed by vehicles on the narrow roads. So, I've got to get used to road riding on my new super-machine.There is no way that I'm going to use my luverly new Specialized superbike in the wet, so until the roads dry up, it's got to be my mountain bike. I'm planning to start commuting to work as often as possible. Realistically twice a week will do nicely. It will be a 22-mile round trip, and once I get into the routine of an earlier start than normal, I can throw in as many off-road detours as I like, in order to increase the difficulty quotient and mileage.

For many years my dog walking routine before breakfast was to throw the bike in the back of my car with the dogs and drive half a mile or so to the local forest trails. The dogs would leap out when I opened the tailgate and I would jump on the bike and chase them up the hills. It was hard work, but I know it has kept me fit.

19 weeks to go..it may as well be Everest

The business end of my new bike. Not a spot of dirt. Shimano Dura Ace 12-27 cassette. The three biggest rings are made of titanium. Roval wheels. Titanium quick release. Drool.

It's a terrible cliche, but I've literally got a mountain (or five) to climb. I going to need all the help I can get and that means I need to minimise the amount of weight which I've got to pedal up the mountains. I'm not going to turn up in Foix with my Raleigh Chopper.So, I've just taken delivery of a new bike and enthusiasts amongst you will be pleased to learn that I haven't scimped. The golden rule with road bikes is 'the more you pay, the less you get'. I stole that quotation from Simon Jackson.

My new set of wheels is a Specialised S-Works Roubaix. Carbon fibre throughout, built for speed over long distance. She (for she is obviously feminine) is in my lounge, pristine, unblemished.Dura Ace groupset, Bontrager carbon compact crank,Bontrager bars and Roval wheels. I've also bought a computer, Assoss bib trousers and Specialised Pro Carbon shoes.

I've spent 2 or 3 hours fiddling with the seat position, up and down, fore and aft, with countless short test rides on the local roads. Then the clips had to be screwed on the shoes, and finally I needed to measure the front wheel circumference to calibrate the computer. Now all I need is a dry day this coming weekend so that I can give her a good thrashing. Obviously there's no way I'm going to get her wet or muddy. The Island roads are in a terrible state after the recent bad weather, and there are countless rivers of waste run-off water all over the place. Am I alone... do other cyclists try and keep their bikes clean and dry?

TRAINING..The plan is to build up my distance over the next 19 weeks. There will be no substitute for hours in the saddle, building up the stamina and mental toughness. The IOW is pretty hilly too, and I live in the rural West Wight where we have loads of trails through the forests and over the downs. I have a 3-pronged strategy. Once a week (at least) I'll be putting in a long road ride, gradually increasing the distance by 5 miles

Read on..it might change a life!

Hello.

This is my first post.

What is this blog about?

Mainly.. me, L'Etape and cycling..

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For starters, let's get the personal stuff out of the way.

I'm 47, I live on the Isle of Wight, near England.

I'm married to the lovely Mrs C who puts up with an awful lot.

We have two children, 2 cats, a dog.

We've lived here for 14 years after moving from Liverpool.

I am a Consultant Radiologist at St Mary's Hospital here on the Island.

I've got loads of things in my life to keep me busy...... I play guitar in a band called Riptide (yes, I know, crap name.... but you try and come up with a better one). I still play football despite my antiquity, for Ryde Saints FC. I kitesurf, well I did until the wind died. What else. I've dabbled with a mountain bike for many years. I ride a motorbike. I help with my son's football team. I have a boat and use it to fish and wakeboard. I go to work. I look after the children sometimes. The usual sort of family stuff.

When this started I didn't even own a road bike. Now, I'm cycling for hours, over a 120 miles every week. I need to get super-fit, quickly.

Back to L'Etape..what's it all about? The story goes like this.

I received an email in March from two blokes who I have known for a couple of years, initially through work, Simon and Steve. They are keen cyclists and are involved with a team called F P Mailing. I would now consider them to be friends, although we live miles apart and hardly ever meet! Anyway, the email was pretty simple. ' Did I want to join them and do the Etape this July?' My answer,'Yes'. Then I clicked on google and did some research about this event. Scary.

What is the Etape?

It's an endurance cycling event in France which is staged every year by the organisers of the Tour de France. The pros have a rest day, so while they've got their feet up, they let 8500 amateurs have a go at one of the stages. They choose a different one every year, and have tended to make it more and more difficult so that the riders get a real sense of achievement if they can complete the route. To make it more difficult, they impose a time limit, and have a 'broom wagon' drive along at a certain speed behind the last riders. If it catches you up, you're forced to give up, they strip you of your transponder and number, and have to suffer the ignominy of being slowly driven along in the lorry to the finish.

This year the route is horrendous. It's 125 miles long, in the Pyrenees, and there are 5 mountains to climb. That's over 4000 m of vertical height to get up. The weather can be either blazing hot and windless, or cold, misty, raining, sleeting etc. You just have to deal with it.

The problem is my utter inexperience. This ride is going to take at least 9 hours.The longest I've ever ridden is about 90 minutes. I've got 19 weeks to go to get my strength and stamina together, and learn how to take on board food and fluids on the road. I bought a road bike this weekend (I've already had a mountain bike for many years) . I've got a long long way to go.

One more thing. I'm raising money for Prostate Cancer. A lot of money. A £1000 at least.

So, please enjoy my blog, and 'join' me on my ride.