Progress Report Week 12

Come on! 7 weeks to go and loving the training - southerly wind all week so directly behind for initial part of every ride participated in this week. Only 1 wet morning, which endeared me to my work colleagues as the office smelt like someone had died with all the wet clothing hanging around!

So this weeks stats:

Mileage: 185 miles, making it 1520 year to date, leaving "only" 980miles to cover pre C2C.
Longest Ride: 36miles
Hours on Bike: lots!
Weight: 74.5Kg
BMI:24.36
Wii Fit Age:40

Muscles have felt a bit sore this week, but after 185miles in 5 consecutive days i guess that is to be expected - taking the weekend off and then back into it again next week. Back wheel making a bit of a graunchy noise which i guess is bearings so just might have to buy that pair of Mavic's after all!!!

Well done Bertie - first place in the tour of the Basque country (2nd year running).

On LanceWatch apparently he will be back for the Giro? Also the French have found a way of putting a spanner in the works for his return to the Tour as apparently he didn't fully comply at a recent dope test and so could be banned for the tour although I understand that Pat McQuaid has spoken out in favour of LA which must be a first - watch this space.

Here's to another good week of miles and maybe more sun?

Progress Report Week 11

EEEK!

8 weeks to go - creeps up on you doesn't it?

Stats for last week:

Mileage: 126 (no cycling for 3 days), so thats 1335 year to date, leaving 1165miles to cover pre C2C.
Longest Ride: 31miles
Hours on Bike: 7.4hrs
Weight: 74Kg
BMI: 24.2
Wii Fit Age:34
Wii Sports Age: 22

The buckle in my wheel, was merey that the whee nuts had worked loose so got them all tightened and now no lateral play in the rear wheel - brilliant! Did sustain a pouncture on Monday which is the first for 2 years, so i guess i was due one but am now quite happy not to have one for a further 2 years!!!!

Road kill has magnified in its numbers this week - rabbits, partridges, pheasants and even a fawn this week.

C2C plans are starting to firm up - still need some sponsors though Maybe Simon and I will manage to merge our diaries and even get a ride together in before the event!?

Tour of the Basque Country has kicked off so good luck to the Astana boys, also anticipating a good battle in Paris Roubaix this weekend.

Progress Report Week 10

So Spring lasted a week then? 1o weeks in and 9 to go, over half way and the mileage is keeping consistent.

149 miles covered this week, which makes 585 for the month and 1209 year to date, that leaves me 1241miles to cover pre C2C, at an average of 139 a week so could well eclipse the target?

Other Stats:
Longest Ride: 28.4miles
Hours on Bike: 8.8hrs
Weight: 72.8Kg
BMI: 23.71
Wii Fit Age:35
Wii Sports Age: 48 (must be a bad set of results?)

Think i may have developed a small buckle in the back wheel which is a bit of a pain, but easily solved. Weather forecast for this week is dry (hoorah) but still fairly cool temperature wise, but once you get the legs spinning you dont notice the cold.

Mixed set of results from the Track World Champs for the Brits, think the girls outdid the boys in the end, but Dave Brailsford remains philosophical and the Olympics are still 3 years away.
Congrats to Levi andAlberto for their 1-2 @ Castilla y Leon, and apparently Lance is back on a (stationary) bike - Twitter is a wonderful thing! Looking forward to the Tour of Flanders at the weekend too.

bye for now...

Progress Report Week 9

10 weeks to go - nearly half way in the regime and finally mileage is rising.

The stats are:
167.6 miles completed this week, which brings me up to 1060 for the year so far, so a mere 1,440 to go...
Longest Ride: 26miles
Hours on Bike: 9.7hrs
Weight: 73.25kg
BMI: 23.93
Wii Fit Age:36
Wii Sports Age: 33

As reported below, i have MY BIKE back! Trying to get used to the different (yet usual?) riding position and the apparent smallness of the bike but hey.

Congratulations to Mark Cavendish for his first classics win in Milan San Remo on Saturday - he really is the fastest man on 2 wheels in the finsl few metres of a race. also comiserations to Lance as he suffered a broken collar bone on Monday in stage 1 of the Vuelta Castilla y Leon - hurry back soon...

I love my Trek 1200...

Oh yes! I have my bike back!!!!

Rang bike shop yesterday all ready to go on the attack to hear that it was all done and so picked it up and cycled home on it last night - only 10 miles, but hey.

One slight drawback is getting used to riding it again after a three week break on something else, but that will come - it does feel like being reunited with an old friend though - my only feeling is that it feels small which is only a comparison i know but an adjustmnet i need to work through.

Fitted new pedals and corresponding cleats to my shoes last night and took it out again this morning - loving it.

Now for some serious mileage....

Progress Report Week 8

Eight weeks in, Eleven to go.

The Stats:
No of Carbon Fibre bikes ridden this week: 1
No of own bikes ridden this week:0
Frustration level: Code Red!
Mileage Covered:126miles (892 year to date, 1,608 to go = 146 per week!)
Longest Ride: 24 miles
Cumulative Hours on Bike: 7.5 Hrs
Weight: 73.5Kg
BMI: 24.03
Wii Fit Age: 39 (not so bad i guess as it is my real age!)

Fundraising Target limping along but now up to £210.

Have enjoyed the distinct lack of rain over the past week or so - long may it last - the legs could come out any day! Really want my own bike back now as i feel i will have to get used to riding it all over again which is annoying...

After a gallant assault on the jersey, Bertie finally relinquished Paris-Nice to Luis Sanchez but the grand tours are still to come and Lance takes on Milan-San Remo this weekend.

Progress Report Week 7

No self titled week 6 report as week 6 did not really happen anyhow life has been good on the Carbon Fibre bike, but boy do I want my own bike back now! - Latest estimate is sometime this week ho hum.

The stats:
Mileage covered: 142miles (766 year to date - 1734 to go!)
Hours on bike: 8+
Weight:74.75Kg
BMI: 24.39
Wii Fit Age: 25 (as at this morning although did hit 43 at one point this week!)
Wii Sports Age:28 (no change)

Fundraising Total up to £200 which is good.

Well done to "Bertie" for grabbing first place in the Paris-Nice prologue. Now down to Astana to control the race onwards south.
Chris Hoy to miss the World Champs which is a shame but probably sensible.

And finally the badger is still there too!

Every cloud has a carbon fibre lining?

So the saga of the bike continues - i decided to go into shop rather than ring up as I thought I might be able to apply some leverage? Bike was not ready, but without me uttering a word I was offered a Giant TCR C3 to ride in lieu whilst i was inconvenienced. I thought about it for all of about 3 seconds and accepted the kind gesture. Full Carbon Frame, Shimano 105 components - £1,500ish worth of bike - come on!

Having tried the TCR, liked the lightness of it all, but being a compact frame it is a totally different riding position which would take me some getting used to, but hey beggars can't be choosers can they?

Fitness Stats:
Weight - 76.5Kg.
BMI - 24.9
Wii Fit Age - 36.
Wii Sports Age - 28.

Other news:
Most interesting roadkill spotted this week so far - A badger!
Loved the new kit when wore it yesterday.
Tesco are selling Lucozade energy drink at 25% price.

Frustration!

Not sure that frustration truly describes the overall feeling at present, anyway since the broken chain incident, my bike has been at the bike shop and as reported below needed a new bottom bracket - so imagine my despair / annoyance / boiling anger (delete as applicable) when not only did they not have the correct size in stock they also managed to then order the wrong part in as well so here i am 5 days later still awaiting the return of my trusty steed.

Hopefully tonight I will regain posession and will be able to stretch my unexercised legs over the weekend. For purposes of statistics week 6 will be null and void and any scraped together accumulation of miles will be carried forward into the week 7 report.

As an additional carrot i have decided to do what i did for my London to Paris trip in 2007, that is set myself a target of miles to cover pre-event. Now 2 years ago i fell slightly short of my target to hit 4000 miles in the first 6 months of the year including the L2P trip. Indeed compared to then my current mileage since Xmas of 624 is some way adrift of the 903 i had covered in 2007. SO in an effort to balance a realistic target against a figure that is still a challenge i have plumped for 2500 miles to be completed inclusive by 29th May, which leaves me 1876 miles to doing 13 weeks which is 144.3 average per week. Further to my earlier post on all things euro you will be interested to note that i make 2500 miles roughly 4000 kms (see what i did there?)

Now based on work, family, weather and other issues my mileage will not be a constant 144.3 every week but will vary considerably but it gives me a personal challenge within my training to achieve. In amongst all this i will be varying my routes covered both in terms of length of time / distance / hills etc.

Finally on the basis I have almost certainly become something of a fat boy this week, I will be psoting my weekly weight and the net gain or loss thereof - as it's Lent I have also given up biscuits at least for the next 40 days or so which having checked with the official adjucating body excludes me eating cookies / rich teas / digestives et al but not energy type bars which will prevent me hitting the proverbial wall whilst on my bike.


On the upside - total funds raised so far are up to £180 and i have obtained some new Discovery Channel Kit (Shorts / Jersey) reminiscent of the 2007 TDF where they had a green kit rather than the traditional blue.


Thanks for meandering through this post with me? More next week

Progress Report Week 5

Mileage is up but due to a busted chain and logistical issues only checks in at 95 for the week. (although that was all in 3 1/2 days)

Mix of weather this week but on the whole warmer which is good. Have given bike (minus chain) a thorough clean too - even got the pressure washer out!

Bike is in for a new chain plus mini service - need new bottom bracket and bearings tightened in back wheel too. Wii Fit has taken a back seat to Mario Kart - completed two sections, now on third...

Astana boys have come good too - Levi wins ATOC and Bertie wins in Portugal - come on! - Lance is also confirmed for Tour of Ireland in August - might have to pop over?

Paris-Nice is next up I think - Bertie to win (again!)