Achieve by Unity - 64 out and 64 back

Wow ......... awesome, superb, fantastic, unbelieveable, - in the last 24 hours since finishing the ride 'Backfromboro'  I have used each of these words many times. I can't get the thoughts of the last five days out of my mind and I keep re-living the events and the experience.

I would like to share a few things with you from my perspective of the 4 1/2 days cycle, but before I do,  I need you to know that you would only fully be able to feel, or fully understand what an achievement getting to the end has really been like, if you were actually there. I don't have the words to do it justice, but hopefully you will get some form of appreciation of the task that everybody undertook.

The drive down to Yeovil was a little quiet with a sense of nervousness and apprehension given that Sarah had not been riding for long and knew very few of our fellow riders, however we were committed and arrived in Yeovil keen to get going.

Bikes loaded, luggage loaded and all aboard the 'Ridlers' coach, but were there enough seats? good job 16 had flown up to Newcastle. Last on the bus and oh! the last seat, right at the back!

I couldn't have ended up in a better place! There I was sat amongst four others on the back seat, none of whom I knew but hey, I am sure we would get on. Well about 10 minutes in, it was " here mate have you got change for a tenner?" - that was Rob White, more of him later. Card games began, three card brag for at least an hour, a bit of banter and the laughs started.

Having progressed up the M5, I saw Rob bring out his iphone and a cable thinking he might listen to some music, oh no, he was going to sing! A speaker extension and an 'app' with Karaoke words and he was off - little did I know Rob is an Elvis impersonator - so a rendition of Love Me Tender was followed by a Michael Buble' song, great stuff and a nice break to the long journey. Rob was to entertain the rest of us throughout the week.

Various stops on the way and The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough appeared in front of us, having been there twice before for games, it seemed really quiet apart from the vans and trucks of our guides and minders, 'Events Crew' - yes our bikes had arrived and were all in good shape.

Dinner provided by Middlesborough FC and a mini tour of the stadium made me realise what a massive gulf there is between our ex-Premier League hosts and the Glovers - but the evening gave us chance to meet other riders, fans of YTFC, all here for a common cause.

The serious stuff began early Tuesday morning with a swift ride in the coach from our hotel to the Riverside and collect our bikes from their overnigh storage in the stadium concourse - great hospitality from MFC.

Team photo done and we are off - in our pre- determined groups we wound our way out of Middlesbrough and headed towards Leeds - excitement and adrenalin keeping us going for most of the day. I was placed in group one, the fast guys, quite how I don't know but I really enjoyed the ride, the speed was great, the guys were great and I was buzzing - until, burn out - climbing a hill in too high a gear and too quickly, my quad muscles burnt out, strained and in danger of tearing! Squating in the middle of the road to get relief from the pain was all I could do, more drink, more energy gel and gingerly we set off, some 7-8 miles an hour slower- thanks to group one for helping me through - but would I be able to continue the following day, I was concerned!

A Twitter message to Simon Baker back at YTFC for some recovery advice was  duly dispatched and greatfully responded to, thanks Simon - an Ice bath, leg elevation and stretching of muscles eased the problem, but I still had to consider what my muscles might feel like the following morning. 

Bike needed a rest too!

Eat, sleep, ride became the ritual each day. Wednesday morning and Leeds to Nottingham. I had to give in to the muscle pain and drop down two groups, no longer could I even consider the 20mph average of group one! So, group three were my new pals and off we went. One of those rides where we just couldn't get going. Traffic, roadworks, main roads, towns, and a general stop start morning - frustrating. Fortunately our group had no mechanical issues, but we passed others with punctures and broken chains, but on we went only stopping for a welcome lunch.

thursday saw another change of group, and this time I moved into group four. I assumed the role of 'rear gunner' - and this is where I was to stay for the next 250 miles. As the afternoon progressed and things started to get a bit wearing, inspiration appeared as we moved through a small town - yes the traffic was busy, the reason, school day end - but what this brought was children cheering and shouting encouragement. Four lads aged about 10 stood on the kerb 'high fiving' all 16 of us as we passed - where are you going? Somerset we shouted - "chuffing hell" said one - brightened my day.

So the edge of Leeds and Premier Inn were our hosts, I am confessing here, my legs were in bits!

Eat, sleep, ride and we were off again, our destination, Stratford-on- Avon and again my place at the back of the group - I really enjoyed my position. Helping, encouraging and motivating. A chance to chat on quieter roads, a chance to get to know people better - good people, people with a story, people with a goal, a purpose, a desire to achieve.

Ten miles in and rain, not just a shower, not drizzle, full on rain, we were wet, very wet, but on we went, there were miles to cover! But this was day three, issues started to surface, a lot of effort had gone in over the previous 150 miles and some were feeling it. For one it became a struggle, low energy levels, tiredness, loss of focus. Step forward Tony, a paramedic giving up his time to travel with us, very valuable, a must for such an event and now he had a serious role to play. Low sugar levels to blame, not enough calories the night before, not enough fluids, he was concerned! Two blood tests later and it wasn't good news, 'you need to stop' said Tony - a few tears later and a defiant "No" would only be accepted if the next blood test showed improvement - just about acceptable, but only just!

A slow steady afternoon in yet more pouring rain, another energy boost stop, this time for virtually pure glucose straight onto the gums and eventually Stratford Novotel and bed for the night.

Eat  sleep, ride - today was going to be huge - our destination Bath - and the Cotswolds awaited. For the first hour we were hosted by two club riders from Stratford who took us through the very picturesque part of Stratford and out into the country. Passing houses you may buy with Lottery winnings, chocolate box villages, this was high end property value territory, but hey, we had riding to do, and lots of it.

'Jones Day' - all wearing a Jones Building Group sponsored shirt.

Today I was going to need my energy levels to be high, we had hills to climb, big hills, long drags, sharp steep hills and those 'killer' hills, but this time they weren't going to burn me out, slow and steady was order of the day. But some couldn't conquer them all, and why should they, getting back to Yeovil was the challenge. Of the many hills that day, I probably rode 80% of them twice - I went back for the ones giving it their all but finding it tough. I wanted them to do it, I partnered them, coached them and rode up at walking speed, they all got back on, they all achieved, awesome!

Part way up one hill on the second climb, I came across Matty leaning on his bike, down but not out - "come on Matty, you can do it" came the shout from those struggling themslelves. Matty got back on, struggling to clip in his shoes, he tried again, and again, then off he went - he pushed himself, he rode hard, he dug in deep, he conquered the hill - I was humbled by the whole thing. 

A mid morning break and it became clear one of the guys in another team had a problem, a major problem, and seriously, he should of called it a day. With a knee injury like that, had he been a horse, they would have shot him! More about Dan later.

So 82 miles passed and we were in Bath, but where was team 5 - nicknamed 'Elvis and the Fat Boys' they were quite some distance behind. Having adopted Dan, nursing him along at a slower pace had taken it's toll. They had been on the road from 7:30 am and it was now approaching 5:00pm we all gathered at the front of the hotel to welcome them back and at 5:40pm they arrived to a massive round of applause - the 'Backfromboro' team spirit, camaradarie and good will had shown itself right there in appreciation for team 5.

A sports massage, a couple of glasses of red wine later and having eaten it was time to sleep, a really early morning was ahead. 

Lucie Spraggon - Sports Therapist

So, it was Saturday morning 4:30am alarm and 5:30 start - Dan and three support riders had set off at 5:00am - they needed the time to get to Yeovil in good time, we had people relying on us being there at an agreed time, and there was a football match  to take place.

Out of Bath and onto the old railway line - through the 'two tunnels' along the cycle track and out into the counrty. This was not a steady ride along level countryside, there were more hills, long drags, energy sapping climbs. Wonder how Dan and the others were getting along?

After 10 miles we re-set back into our previous groups and set off - Radstock, Shepton Mallet, Pilton, West Pennard, Keinton Mandeville and on to Ilchester where we were to re-group prior to heading on to Huish Park. It was Charlton Mackrell when we rounded a corner and in front of us was Dan, Nathan, 'Macum' and Claire - fantastic they had got that far Dans knee sporting massive amounts of strapping from Lucie the Sports Therapist back in Bath. They were joined at this point by Dan's dad Gary who up until this time had been in our group - he had to do it, I would have done the same, emotion was beginning to build.

Just before this, group one who had left Bath a whole hour behind us had overtaken and disappeared in to the distance, we pushed on, the excitement of being just a few miles from Huish Park, we all stopped in Ilchester square and celebrated the inevitable success, we could walk from here if we had to!

The epitomy of the 'Backfromboro' spirit was demonstrated when two of the group one riders didn't stop in Ilchester, they turned around and went back to look for Dan and the others, to support them on the final stretch - a few minutes later in they came. A massive cheer and a round of applause closely followed by group 5 but they weren't allowed to stop - we had a deadline to meet.

What followed was quite awe inspiring - the sight of 64 cyclists all adorned in their Green & White cycle shirts, sponsors names appropriately blazened across the front and back - all travelling along the Ilchester road in a line. Car horns hooting, cheers from drivers and a motorcyclist happy to ride as rear gunner and offer protection. We were even joined by one of last years riders who came to support us.

In to Chilthorne Domer and up through Thorne to be met at the top of the final energy sapping hill by Gary Johnson. It was here we gathered for the final time as a group of riders, we were back. We were buzzing, what could we expect 200 yards further down the road?

As we all know GJ brings a lot of humour to proceedings and he delivered on this occasion as he tucked his suit trousers into his socks and mounted a bike with the swing of a leg similar to mounting a horse, closely followed by a cry of "ouch". But the serious side of Gary was demonstared by a sincere handshake with every rider and a kiss for the girls, you could sense he had full respect for what had been achieved at this point.

So our new leader on his iron horse provided by Rock & Road led us into Huish Park, and what a welcome - hundreds of fans, family and well wishers lined the road with Tour de France style messages chalked into the tarmac - I say it again awesome, spine tingling and very, very humbling!

It was over, done, finished, we made it, generally unscathed. We were 64 leaving Huish Park by coach and we were 64 arriving back by bike - a fantastic welcome home and for me a brief moment of reflection before the demands of photographers, a can of Thatchers and the need for a shower!

The rest of the day moved on - a game of football had to be be played (no further mention of that) and a parade around the pitch at half time. It was great to be applauded by nearly 6,500 people, all standing in appreciation of our efforts. But as we approached the 'away' end, somehow I felt a sense of attachment to those guys, they knew how far they had travelled that morning to get to the game, we had done that by bike and they understood the enormity of the challenge. So much so, fans were handing out donations from the terraces, nice people, great support.

The final chapter was the after match event in the main stand, a speech by Ben Tupman, players came in to support us and a good crowd gathered to hear about our challenge. Some deserving awards, a song from 'Elvis', and some recognition for those behind the scenes that made this such a pleasure to take part in. In particular Marilyn Cottle, you are an absolute star, thank you!

Over to Terry Cotton, a YTFC legend turned Auctioneer and a numer of lots to sell, signed footballs (£55 each) Sam Foleys boots (£70) Luke Aylings shirt worn in the match (£200), Joe Edwards shirt, worn in the match (£150) an Everton shirt, a Manchester United shirt and a Middlesbrough shirt (£120+ each) and finally that bike - the one GJ rode 200 yards on. Paul from Rock & Road donated it to the charity - wow, an opening bid of £600 progressed to £1,000 and a very modest businessman who had committed to corporate sponsorship of the event and put his inexperienced cycling efforts into completing the challenge himself had delivered the final remarkable gesture of a remarkable week.

So, the bike has been cleaned, the kit washed and the spnsorship money collected. Three chariteis will benefit from over £40,000 - those less fortunate than ourselves will benefit from our efforts. It has always been about them - the reason why we all signed up for the challenge - a challenge that I would willingly do again tomorrow - fantastic, awesome, humbling - just ....... brilliant.

Ten Hours on a Spin Bike

As many of my Twitter followers and Facebook 'Friends' will know, I do a lot of my cycle training on a Spin Bike - usually four classes per week, with additional warm up time this amounts to approximately 4 hours per week. 

Recently, I devised a challenge for myself in order to raise funds for my sponsorship for the "backfromboro" ride - the challenge was to 'Spin' for a full 10 hours! - Not just to sit on the bike and pedal, but to actually 'Spin' as I would in a class session - non stop!

The objective was to get my fellow Gym members at The Hub in Portishead to join me, but they would need to make a donation if they were going to join in. Gym owners Andy & Claire let me have use of the Spin Studio for the day and I started right on time at 8:00am supported by my wife Sarah for the first couple of hours and then the other guys started to join in.

By 5:00pm, my collecting bucket was looking good and loads of people had kept me motivated but the legs were starting to 'hang' - the final hour until 6:00pm took the form of a normal Sunday evening Spin class for 45 minutes. A full class of fellow 'Spinners' helped me through with a full-on session and much to my delight, 9 of the crew stayed with me for the final 15 minutes - great encouragement!

At the end I was glad to have achieved the challenge I set myself - more so, I raised £500 which I was highly delighted with and I have been quite humbled by ever since - it just goes to show what can be achieved!

Having burnt 5,896 calories during the day, proper recovery was important of course, so on the following day, a normal full-on Monday Spin class seemed a good idea - my leg muscles didn't thank me though!

So, I am now hoping the weather improves and I can go out on the roads (pothole dodging) and get some serious miles in, the Spin bike is a substitute and a good one, but not quite the real thing.

If you need some power in your legs, give Spin a try, if you need to perfect your technique, give Spin a try, if you need to increase your cardio vascular fitness, definately give Spin a try - you will grow to love it!

Safe riding guys!

Steve

Bikes and Bits

Well the Autumn has arrived and recent strong winds have made cycling on the road challenging. 

Todays Blog is about the machinery and various components that make riding out enjoyable, pleasurable and safe. 

To start I would like to introduce you to a couple of guys whom I have become reliant upon and who deliver a fantastic service, Oli Beckingsale and Andy Wadsworth. These guys own BW Cycling in Bristol and have been a great help to me over the last few months, and I intend to engage them further in forthcoming weeks and months.

www.bwcycling.co.uk

tel: 01179 272947 

 

Oli and Andy have a huge amount of knowledge, expertise and experience in their field as they are both practictioners in Mountain biking, Cyclo Cross and Triatlon. 

Oli is a professional cyclist and has represented Great Britain at three Olympics and 17 World Championships, he is five times National Champion and currently is National series XC Champion.

Andy is 2002 Xterra Amateur World Champion, has a degree in Sports and Human Movement Science and has a world renowned reputation as a trainer and coach of elite athletes.

Together with their team of dedicated, knowledeable and focussed mechanics and support staff they have a really good business and are respected by many riders whether they be relatively new to cycling or elite Triathlon athletes.

Having now purchased three bikes from BW, a Scott CR1 Carbon for me, a Giant Avail for Sarah and a Giant Defy 2 for our son George, I could not ask for more commitment and better service from BW. They really know their stuff and are keenly interested in their customers.

   

My Scott CR1 Carbon

Sarahs Giant Avail

Prior to purchasing the CR1, I had a Scott Hybrid purchased from a local bike shop in 2011. Having covered about 2,000 miles of riding, I continued to get pains in my Patella Tendon on each knee. Subsequently I was recommended to BW Cycling by my Spin instructor and booked in for a 'Bike Fit' - a bespoke fitting service to ensure the bike actually fits you and you fit the bike.

  

How does this work, well a brief video of you pedalling on your own bike (on a turbo trainer) is taken and analysed by either Andy or Oli - angles are measured between knee and hip, hip and torso, shoulder and arms, and foot positioning on the pedals - the result for me was a few minor adjustments and I mean minor - saddle height up 5 millimeters and saddle forward 3 mm - since when, no pain!

In fact Oli and Andy state on their website, that they won't let you out of the shop having bought a bike without first having it fitted - again excellent service. For me it's about the people, I like dealing with people face to face, buiding a relationship and putting names to faces, and therefore I had no hesitation in taking Sarah and George to BW for their bikes, and of course the 'Bike Fit' - I couldn't recommend them highly enough - thanks guys.

Saddles:

Of course when you have your bike, you need to be comfortable, saddle soreness is something I just can't accept. Therefore I bought a new saddle last year, I consider this to be an investment. The Selle SMP Stratos sadlle is ergonomically designed to relieve pressure in 'that' place - and it does. Whilst the pictures below may make this look mighty uncomfortable, I can tell you it is the complete opposite - try it! Some stragically placed Vaseline and riding 'commando' ensures no friction but of course, you need the padded shorts! Some of the major blood vessels that supply your leg muscles run through your perinium area, therefore if you are sitting on them, the blood flow becomes restricted.

Helmet:

So, you are out on the road and staying safe is important - don't ever go out not wearing a cycle helmet! -I only ever used to wear one when I felt like it, until I had a 'lightbulb' moment - going down hill at 46 miles an hour, I felt completely exposed and at the mercy of every manhole cover, storm drain and pothole, all of which could of resulted in serious injury to legs, arms and worst still, my head - it matters!

An investment into a quality helmet was made, and now I NEVER go riding without wearing it - and it weighs just 250g.

Clothing:

The array of cycle clothing is both vast and mindblowing as well as expensive, however you should always buy the best you can afford, but it doesn't have to be branded and flash - it has to be practical and fit for purpose - I don't propose to go into detail here, but make sure you have sufficient warm, waterproof and visible clothing this time of year - layers are good, gloves of course, leggings/tights and shoe covers for those really cold days.

Lights:

Equally mind blowing is the number of different lights available, again really cheap to those costing mega money - I have seen lights at £585 for a set. Again buy the best you can afford and consider whether you just wantto be seen in traffic, or you are riding out in the country and need to see further ahead of you.

Bits and Pieces:

Finally for today, the essentials in the saddle bag - mine consists of two spare inner tubes, tyre levers, three gas bottles to inflate the tyres and a multi-tool. But don't forget to carry your mobile phone, some money or cash card, and as important as any of these things, a contact name and number just in case of accidents. I would also add to this, if you take medication, ensure you keep a note of that in your belongings.

Well, thanks for reading this, I hope you enjoy what exercise you can and stay safe.

Next time, looking after your body.

Steve

It takes effort and support

Over the next few weeks, my Blog will focus on the people and organisations who's services and facilities I utilise during my normal fitness and cycling endeavours. It really goes without saying that Sarah provides unrivalled support in many ways, but more on that in future Blogs.

Today I am bringing into focus the drive and support provided through my membership of The Fitness Hub Gym in Portishead - Everybody's Gym.

Privately owned by Andy and Claire Cleeves, the Gym provides a fantastic environment for all abilities and age groups to challenge themselves and develop as athletes, champions or to improve oneself any way in which each individaul is motivated.

Claire

Andy

We joined three years ago following a decision to alter our lifestyle and become more active. Having been a keen footballer, runner and cyclist in my younger days, too much food and wine had brought about an unfortunate after work lazy approach.

Initially we engaged in the normal Gym routines but soon advanced into classes and specific work-out routines. For me this involved a near obsession to the Spin bike, since when I haven't looked back and have now even got Sarah hooked.

Home for three hours per week!

Following Andy and Claires brave move to new premises with a massive financial outlay, the Gym has gone from strength to strength and we have embraced the new outlook, and we are fully committed to life at The hub. Our fitness regime now includes the normal Spin sessions ( three hours per week) together with two Bootcamps, and circuits for me with Sarah doing Spin and HIIT, Sculpt & Tone together with circuits and PT sessions.

The 'new' Hub

I am often asked "how do you find time to do all of that?" my response is "I don't find time, I make time to do it" - you have to build it into your day and not just add it on when you can! Having been 'poorly' for nearly two weeks now I am climbing the walls having not seen the inside of the gym for so long!

But The Hub isn't just about working-out and building muscle or cardio sessions. Andy & Claire are committed to those less fortunate and have over the last few years done many fund raising challenges, none more so than a 12 hour Spin challenge and most recently a team of 9 Gym members doing a 4,000 Burpees challenge in one hour it was awesome!

 For those of you less familiar with Burpees, it is only a proper Burpee with a press-up in the middle section! As Andy says, Prada burpees and not Primark burpees! Having stood and watched the hour challenge, I was in awe of the participants and their achievements, none more so than Andy himself who completed nearly 600, yes 600 in the hour - some achievement let me tell you.

There is nothing pretentious about The Hub, people can relax in their work-out and the girls have their own zone to feel comfortable in - all well thought out and appreciated. So it is The Hub and the staff, coupled with my fellow members that are responsible for getting me in shape, keeping me inspired to do more and supporting me in my quest.

Everybody needs good people around them, Andy and Claire have that, I have that and I am always grateful for the friendship and support I get.

Me and Andy at the end of a seven week Bootcamp

Next week, Bikes and bits - stay safe and stay fit.

"Back from Boro"

After last Aprils ride from Crewe to Yeovil, next April sees another challenge - Middlesbrough to Yeovil. So just 334 miles of cycling over 4 1/2 days - only this time my wife Sarah and son George are joining me!

For the last few weeks we have been adding to our resouces of cycling kit in preparation for the winter months of training, including new lights, jackets, tops, shoes and shorts together with the investment in two new bikes.

Scott CR1

For me a Scott CR1 carbon road bike and for Sarah a Giant Avail ladies road bike, Goerge however needs to buy his own and replace my10 year old Halfords 'special'. These purchases I see as investments - investments into a sport we have grown to love and one which at least Sarah and I can do together.

Initailly my concerns were that Sarah may be able to ride for a few miles but long distances are clearly something else - these concerns were soon eleviated last weekend when our first serious training ride took us to Chepstow and back- a total of nearly 44 miles - a great start even if it did hammer down with rain all the way back - Sarah cycled well with lots of leg strength maintaining over 20mph for several miles on the flat. Her initial nervousness on the road was soon overcome as confidence grew.

What is pleasing is that we both put a lot of effort into our gym work at The Fitness Hub in Portishead, and that clearly pays off when you need to dig deep into your energy resouces and power your way through the wind and rain! - Our weekly regime includes Bootcamps, Circuits, HIIT, Sculpt &Tone, PT sessions and of course 3 Spin sessions per week - all of this will help us meet our challenge and prepare well for the miles ahead.

The Fitness hub - everybodys Gym

But not everything goes to plan - for the last week I have been struck down by some mysterious digestive related issue, coupled with a bit of light headedness, tiredness and lack of motivation. May be the operative word here is 'tiredness' - perhaps over training and lack of appropriate rest for a 52 year old!

Still, hopefully on the mend soon and able to get back on the bike, back in the Spin studio and back to Bootcamps - I miss the buzz of it all.

Spin Studio - The Fitness Hub

So, our planning is well under way, the first few training miles have been done and we now need to focus on the next five months of hitting the tarmac - I guess 2,000 miles of training should be enough! - will keep you up to date with progress.

Whatever your challenge - good luck and go for it.

Targets, Objectives & Achievements

Well it's all over - the 210 miles have been ridden, the friendships formed, the photos taken and the bike cleaned and polished - so what next?

Before moving on I want to take time to reflect back on a tremendous few days, I met some great people and really enjoyed their company, both on and off the bike.

Some highlights for me include - the sheer determination of all involved to complete the challenge - the sight of Nick Dawson flying over his handlebars and landing relatively softly on Minchinhampton Common, only to escape injury free - the conquering of four lung busting hills between Worcester and Bath - and the sight of the beautiful English countryside passing by.

The only low point was the sight of Chris Sweet at the point he was told after just 50 miles, that he could ride no more and would take no further part in the event - we were all gutted along with him - I could sense his absolute disappointment.

All the effort, all the training, the sponsorship, the planning, the excitement and the expectation, all dashed on the word of a paramedic. Chris had the desire and wish to achieve - not to be thwarted, he mounted his bike 100 yards from the finish line and rode home with the rest of us - obviously in agony he ended the ride in the company of those he started with - good on ya Chris.

So how does all of this fit in with my topic for this blog? well some might say the target was to get from Crewe to Yeovil over 2 1/2 days of riding - I believe a target is something that others wish you to aim for.

I prefer to work to objectives - to me these are personal, something I would take ownership of - on this occasion, my objective was to get from Crewe to Yeovil - I had to do it, not just to raise money for the respective charities, but for me - I needed to push myself, I needed to have something to work towards, I needed to finish the task.

Hours and hours, mile and miles - wind, rain, freezing temperatures, road bike and spin bike they all played their part in the planning and preparation for me to achieve my objectives. Most of it I did solo, single minded, determined effort - I didn't want to let myself down or anybody else associated with the event.

When it came to the ride, I placed myself out in front of the group, I needed to work at my pace, focussed with the end in mind.

I achieved my objectives, literally have been there and got the T shirt - I have a huge sense of satisfaction and am grateful to those that encouraged me and shared the experience with me.

I hope all my fellow riders had personal objectives and that these were achieved - I also hope that you will set yourself an objective, when you have done so, work towards achieving it and don't waiver - believe me the personal rewards are fantastic - good luck.

The Journey Begins

So, here we are - something strange about travelling north for 200 miles by coach only for me to face the return journey on two wheels over the next few days.

Having been a supporter of Yeovil Town FC for forty years, I have spent the last 10seasons or more travelling tens of thousands of miles to away games, predominantly "up north" - the ritual would normally be to arrive in time to "hero worship" as the team bus arrives at the intended destination, usually about an hour and half before kick off.

Today I have found myself in the somewhat sureal position of having spent four hours travelling in the very coach that the players (my heroes) travel to away games in - an insight into part of the life of a footballer - who's seat was I sat in? - what would they do to pass the time on the long journeys?

Being picked up at Gordano services, I joined the rest of the gang - guys and girls that will hopefully become new friends - people who share a common cause and have the desire to help those less fortunate than ourselves. After the exchange of a few 'how are you's', it's settle into my leather seat, watch Sky sports, read the paper, listen to some music and have a chat with a few guys - all very civilised - wow! four hours have gone and the town of Crewe is ahead.

What has just dawned on me, is the sheer scale of the task ahead - if it takes the coach 5 hours travelling at 60 miles an hour........ oh dear, what have I let myself in for?

Forget all of that - a positive approach to the task ahead will see the hours and miles disappear before me - why put myself through such a challenge? well exactly that, the challenge, and for that reason I will make it back to Yeovil in one piece.

On the end of my journey is the achievement of beating the challenge - on the end of the challenge is the knowledge that somebody somewhere will benefit from the fact that a group of people - football supporters - Yeovil Town supporters, will generate a sum of money donated by kind friends, families and associates - This money, however much it may be, is more than they had before we started - let's not forget, it's not about me or us - it's about them.

Let the challenge begin!

More from me tomorrow as I intend to keep you engaged with progress - Worcester here we come!

Crewe to Yeovil on a Bike

Hi all, you may know that I have committed to a 200 mile cycle ride from Crewe to Yeovil - well that is what all the training has been about and the set off date is getting nearer.

I thought that I would try and give a bit of a boost to the organizations involved and provide some links to their respective websites.

Firstly, the event is being organized by the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust and they have Twitter feeds @ytfccycle2013 and @YTCST and a Facebook page YTFC Get Pedalling 2013. A donations page can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/ytfccycle2013/

Through the YTCST we are raising money for St Margarets Hospice in Somerset and Prostate Cancer as well as the Community Trust itself. Their respective websites as follows:

http://www.somerset-hospice.org.uk/

http://prostatecanceruk.org/?ui=pc

Support from friends and family is vitally important when undertaking a challenge of this nature. Your family have to put up with the amount of time you spend training, making sure you are fed well and of course ensuring all the kit is clean and dry - thanks to Sarah for her patience.

Friends also step forward and apart from providing sponsorship in financial terms, others provide material support, Andy Cleeves from The Fitness Hub in Portishead has provided some gear for me which I appreciate very much. Further to this his staff have provided moral support and encouragement during all the hours in the spin bike saddle.

Andy is close to opening a new gym in Portishead which will give members bigger and better facilities and I am more than happy to promote such a great place to train and meet like minded people.

Take a look at Andy's website http://thefitnesshubportishead.co.uk/ and indeed all of those mentioned above.

One person I must mention who has kept me going, is Lucie Spraggon who has managed to keep the old legs turning by massaging away the lactic acid and general fatigue of the training miles. Lucie has a Twitter feed @LSSportsmassage and a webpage at http://www.lssportsmassagetherapy.co.uk/ would recommend her to anybody.

Well, here goes, only a few days til the off - I plan to send daily blogs as updates of our daily challenges - any feedback or support would be welcome.

Learning Curve

My last blog was over two weeks ago, since when I have spent over nearly 12 hours out on my bike and over 10 hours on the Spin bike. In total I reckon on around 320 miles and burnt about 30,000 calories.

Being somebody who learns from their mistakes, I would like to share with you some of my 'learns' in the last couple of weeks.

My mind is willing but the body not always able - I seem to be trying to do the same things at the age of nearly 52 that I used to do when I was in my thirties! Somehow I need more time and to do it slower - whatever "it" is. I don't have to compete, but I like to - I know my limits better now.

I need to feed and hydrate my body - having discovered energy bars, energy gels and hyrdration drinks, I wonder how I managed before! Each hour cycling and I burn around 1,000 calories - now I eat more and refuel.

Proper recovery is important - having suffered from leg muscles that ache beyond belief, I was told by my sports therapist that I have over trained - so, giving exercise a miss (apart from a 2 hour spin session) this week I now appreciate the need to rest up and let my body recover sufficiently - legs feel okay now.

Proper planning and preparation prevents poor performance - earlier this week I made a 252 mile round trip to visit some new clients - they were out when I got there! - Having phoned the previous day and left a message to confirm my visit, I assumed all was in order - for all of my forthcoming appointments with new clients, I will speak with them and pre-qualify the reasons for our meeting plus clarify everybodies expectations.

Losing focus is easy and keeping focus on the right things is difficult - having tried to keep my various 'plates' spinning such as the Charity Bike Ride, business, gym, family, friends - I think a few of them have dropped off and I need to get them back up again - my learn here is that all of the important things impact upon each other and indeed they all need focus, but different amounts at different times - travel light mentally and physically.

So, I am more aware of how to look after myself, where my limits are and what is important to me - not forgetting though, health and happiness mean everything!

Strrreeeeetttcccchhh

What could this possibly be about I hear you say - well, recently I engaged a Sports Therapist to look after my legs while I am doing all this cycling - an hour after lying face down with my calves, hamstrings and glutes being poked, prodded and kneaded to within an inch of my pain threshold, I was questioned over my stretching regime post exercise.

My reply was something along the lines of "I know that I should but I don't really do much" - so, I am here to say, you need to do it.

Having benefitted from an excellent deep muscle massage, Lucie showed me how to stretch off my quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes, quite simple instructions - basic stuff really - but must be done regularly.

The work these people do is amazing, I asked Lucie to have a look at my dodgy knee, when I explained the problem, she said 'that's nothing to do with your knee' - once again my perceived injuries are linked to the old problem of tight hamstrings but also a really tight Iliotibial Tract (attaches to outside of knee and runs down from Gultimus Maximus).

Next up was some additional work on my Calves - having torn both Calf muscles last year (the Soleus muscle) my ongoing concerns have been around scar tissue and the potential for weakness and more damage. The solution for prevention rather than cure is an amazing Elastic Therapeutic Taping support system known as Kinesio - strategically applied to target the muscle requiring support, I can tell you it is brilliant and will stay on for several days.

So - more stretching after exercise is a must - after todays 42 mile ride over to Chepstow and back, I spent over 20 minutes doing exactly that - I am sure tomorrow I will benefit and am planning another training ride in Somerset.

Good stretching everyone.

On the road again

Having set off from home mid morning, I had only a vague idea of where I would cycle today, yes I usually make it up as I go along. As always, the first mile is down hill at quite a speed, this may appear fine however on the end of a long ride, I have to go back up!

So within a few minutes I have decided, up onto the Mendips it is - the challenge of the hill known as Burrington Coombe was going to be my main objective, I will get up there - seated!

Earlier in the morning I adjusted my saddle slightly and dropped the seat height slightly - this seemed a good move as I felt just a touch more comfortable. Without boring you, the first 15 miles were fairly uneventful but this brought me to the aforementioned Burrington Coombe.

Feeling just a touch short of power I decided to call into the bike shop at the bottom and invest in some energy bars and energy gel sachets - a good move really as later in the ride I was glad of the boost these gave me.

So, up we go a steepish climb with several bends. Between the rocks of the gorge I was protected somewhat from the stiff breeze and made reasonable progress, or so I thought. Seated and pulling about 7mph, I was passed by a female rider who politely said 'good morning' as she seemed to power past, although she soon faltered and the gap between us didn't grow much.

Only a matter of minutes later a deep voiced 'morning' came from a guy who did really power past me and soon powered past the lady in front - I wish that I could have the same amount of muscle strength! 

Anyway, onwards and upwards and on to the relatively level Mendips - going quite well for about 5 miles until - a hail storm! Suddenly the sweaty climb up the gorge had turned into a shiver as I start to descend towards Cheddar Gorge. A fairly dangerous descent really as the bends are quite tight in places and I guess a safe speed was about 25mph although as always, some car drivers have no idea!

By now I had covered 25 miles and had targetted myself with making 50 miles - so heading back towards home now with the wind in my back, progress was made as I seemed to pick up a good pace averaging 20+mph on the level. It was my turn to overtake somebody, a couple moving well but well within my range, my turn to say 'good morning' even if it was with something of a laboured breath.

As per the journey out, the return was reasonably simple, however In the end I was keen to get back as my feet had gone numb and shoulders starting to ache a bit. The final challenge then, the mile hill climb back to the house - Had to take this one a bit easy but got up no trouble.

There we are, 50.30 miles covered and finished in reasonable nick - keen to extend my distance over the next couple of weeks ready for the 'big one' - more on that next time.