Twcyle Training - week 1

The Manly Steed and I embarked on our first weeks training in the week just gone, and bearing in mind our (my) current state of unfitness didn't have too bad a week before other pressing concerns (meetings, beer, sushi) got in the way!

Thursday : 12 miles

Saturday : 15 miles

Monday : 22 miles

So 49 miles in week 1 - not bad off 3 outings.

As I pedalled along, I was trying to think of how I deal with either a) the physical pain of a hellish long slog (Berridale Brae, anyone?) and b) the mental pain associated with a lot of time on the road (sometimes with 60 miles ahead and only 20 done it all gets a little daunting to me...!)

It's strange, and I have a confession to make.

I get odd little tunes stuck in my head which used to annoy the hell out of me, and I would spend ages muttering to myself about how repetitive they were and couldn't I please just think of something else, while getting more frustrated and therefore not enjoying my ride. What I have found is that they actually distract me from difficult situations (16.5 stone man cycles up a hill - there is a LOT of gravity pulling him down towards the bottom!) and so I actually now tee up the right songs for the right occasions.

The confession:

Childhood songs keep coming back to me at odd times, or possibly Disney ones. My current mantra for going up steep hills is Hakuna Matata from the Lion King. (cough) Coming down hills is an extract from Herbert the Hedgehog (search and you'll find him still...) If you Google it you'll see why this can still drive me a little insane after 3-4 days of it...

Don't judge me - you weren't there, you didn't see me weeping on the side of the road that time.

Also, in a weird way, I have to just find that still place inside me where nothing can get at me. I have said many times that for me, cycling is mostly mental and if your head isn't in it, it goes very slowly.

So when I'm coming to a difficult time, my legs are burning, my eyes are stinging from sweating so much and my lungs feel like they are literally about to explode out of my body, I try to just relax into it, accept it for what it is, and know that every revolution of the pedal gets me that little bit closer to the pub at the end of the rainbow...

The Manly Steed & I Join Twycle - We're Jogle'ing Again!!

Seeing as how the Manly Steed and I are both putting on weight (well, I am) and the weather has been pants all year, I despaired of ever having the motivation to actually get out on the road again.

No more, I cry, reminiscent of some lonely rebel without a clue fighting back against the establishment!!

We have joined with a fantastic group of people who are 'Twycling' the length of Britain from John O'G to Lands End. That which I swore never to do again (and there was a lot of swearing, believe me) I have gone into with at least my eyes open this time.

Right: a bit about Twycle.

First, the name.

Twycle is a cycle ride which has been set up and publicised on Twitter. Twitter / Cycle, Twycle. It took me a while to get it.

Twycle is the brainchild of Callum Fairhurst and Monty English, and is remarkable for the fact that Callum is 12 years old and is doing this to raise money for CLIC Sargent, a phenomenal charity which helps children with cancer. Sadly, Callum lost his 14 year old brother Liam Fairhurst to cancer last year, and is carrying on the fundraising torch for him after he raised £320,000 for charity.

We are joining a team of 8 core riders, including Monty English who some of you may recognise from Dickinson's Real Deal (Ah, the double D!!) who will be riding (apparently!) on an antique bicycle with no brakes. You can almost hear The Manly Steed laughing it's chainset off at the thought...

It will be a relay style affair, with a pair of riders doing a 2 hour stint on, and then passing over to another 2 who carry on with the aim of achieving approximately 150 miles per day, and roughly a week of cycling time.

The route has yet to be decided, and I am offering the occasional piece of advice from the memories seared onto my brain from last time, and because this is a relay I can hopefully avoid Berriedale this time. I have become something of 'hill specialist' since then - it is surprising how far I will go out of my way to avoid them!

So, the website is http://www.twyclebritain.co.uk/ and the Twitter page is www.twitter.com/twyclebritain and I am now tweeting (I think - it may be called twitting!) as OasisJamesRec.

Please sign up and spread the good word about this venture, and if you are able / inclined to then please feel free to donate at www.justgiving.com/twycle - the aim is to raise £20,000 and there are various celebrities getting involved, including Sir Chris Hoy and Sir Sterling Moss!

I'll be back and blogging about the longer training rides that we do, and then writing the whole thing up in my usual wordy style.

Many Thanks to Katherine C who got me involved in this by dangling it in front of me like some vicious tease... :)