So the Manly Steed and I are on holiday in Kent at the moment, and we decided to take advantage of a couple of weeks off to get some decent cycling done. Cleverly, I forgot my cycling shoes which meant for the first few days I had to relax, sleep in, and try to arrange accommodation for the impending Twycle southwards at the end of August.
I managed to get the shoes last Thursday, and we were ready to spring into action regardless of the rain (lots) and wind (lots and lots)!!
I have a theory which I would like to put to you, especially if you (like me) prefer to be a fair weather cyclist and only go out when the sun is shining.
My theory is this: if you can go out in all weathers, and get used to cycling into the teeth of a shrieking gale whilst nearly blinded by the horizontal lashing rain, then you can do just about anything. For me, I actually prefer to go out and do a few nasty rides in this sort of weather because it builds my confidence at being able to handle it when it comes upon me unexpectedly, and there is nothing worse than seeing the leading edge of rain approaching at high speed while you dig around for your waterproofs.
We have done two training rides thus far, and have every intention of trying another one tonight - still windy, but with some sunshine!! YAY!
The first thing I will say is that the back roads of Kent are hilly. VEEEERY hilly.
Our first outing was about 10.5 miles and I could hardly walk for the 20 minutes after finishing, and finished in 45 minutes or so. You can see it here: http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=128494
The second one was nearly 16 miles and took an hour and twenty minutes or so, and involved descending (at 37 mph) and then scaling (at 5.5 mph) Charing Hill, a behemoth of monstrous proportions and something which I had never before manage to climb without stopping.
This time I managed it in one go (Hakuna Matata playing away merrily in my head!) and then paused for a minute at the top for a breather before wending my way homewards.
You can see my route for this here: http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=128489
The thing to look at is the summary - it gives a rather exciting graphic chart of the elevation of the ride - coming up Charing Hill I climbed nearly 340 feet over the space of a mile. Now, follow this link for Day 1 Twycle http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=124391 and contrast a hideous hill in Kent with coming up Berriedale (after 45 miles or so) and just before Drumnadrochitt (after 125 miles) and you will see some significant climbing to be done.
The bit to focus on is at what height you start climbing: I came up Charing Hill starting at just over 300 feet and climbed to just under 650 feet over a mile or so and it nearly did for me (The Manly Steed was, of course, absolutely fine). In Scotland, we will be climbing from sea level to anything up to 1140 feet over the space of 8-10 miles, which is a long way cycling up hill.
What is the point of all this babbling, I hear you cry?
That all Twyclers need to find themselves some steep hills to practise on - because there is really very little in the Midlands & South of England which compares with what we are going to be facing on Day 1 and Day 2 of the Twycle.
It's not just a matter of training and toughening up, it's survival!! :)
(I have put some pleasant pics of Glencoe at the start of this posting to provide some reference to what I'm saying...)
