Training Blog 8
The Highs and Lows of cycling!
Since the last blog I have continued to get out on my bike and gradually increase my distance. I have experimented with various saddles and bib shorts, and indeed cream for those delicate areas! I was paying about £12 for a small tub of branded chamois cream, but have now started using aqueous cream at half the price.
I went out a few weeks ago on a crisp Sunday morning and decided to make it a long ride. I cycled out to Thetford where on route I was looking at something and drifted over towards the kerb and duly came off in a rather undignified way! I got straight back on, the bike undamaged and continued my ride. I took 2 bottles, 2 gels, and an energy bar. I also stopped at a garage and topped up with a lucozade sport. Unfortunately at about 62 miles I got severe cramp in my thighs, which was agony. This resulted in me having to call my wife to come and collect me! all in all I did 66 miles that day, and was rather deflated and starting to worry about the upcoming Wiggle Rut 100 !
The following week I spoke to my brother in law Mark, who is a very experienced cyclist about the cramp issues. He gave me some good advice about what to eat and drink on the Wiggle Rut 100. For the week leading up to the Rut 100 miler I did a couple of 20 milers and a shorter ride with some of the team the day before. To be honest its time that actually restricts how many miles you do. There never seems to be enough hours in the day, and as the nights close in for winter its going to get harder to get road time in.
The Wiggle Rut 100
The Wiggle Rut 100 was on Sunday 25th September and 6 of us from Team PFOA participated, 102 miles across the rolling hills of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire! On the Saturday Karl and Madhatter arrived at my place full of the joys of the world. We then went to Greenwheel Cycles to see Ben and Dan about some last minute bits and pieces. What is it about boys and their toys? Karl purchased some new pedals, cleats and shoes plus some gels, whilst I bought some handlebar gels and was loaned a Scott saddle to try out. On arrival back at PFOA HQ we then set about putting Karls new pedals on. Unfortunately as per normal my tool kit always falls someway short, and yet again I found myself between spanners. After a quick phone call to my mate Geoff up the road, and him bringing up his comprehensive spanner set (which yet again put mine to shame) we had the pedals on in no time. Later that afternoon we were joined by Richard and Tim, who had travelled down from Cumbria. This was the first time I had met them, and I have to say they are top blokes with a real team ethos about them. They are also very experienced cyclist and are used to hilly conditions! After a lovely pasta dinner prepared by 'Debbie' the blokes then retired to the hot tub (see photo).
I woke up at 0430hrs on the Sunday morning feeling somewhat nervous about the ordeal ahead. I was still very much a 100 mile virgin and knew it was going to be tough...at my age!
We set off having had a hearty breakfast of porridge and peanut butter toast! and arrived at the venue in Oakham at 0800hrs. We met up with Phil from Northants Police and all got kitted up. We were all wearing the new PFOA cycle kit which looked great. I had drank a 500ml bottle of hydration fluid, and had two bottles on the bike along with peanut butter sandwiches, one gel and two flapjacks made by my youngest daughter Rachel using Madhatters recipe! I popped a salt tablet and went to the start line. There were hundreds of riders, and the atmosphere was great. On the start line we had a picture taken (see below) Phils missing though!!
After about 5 miles and some lovely hills Phil had his first puncture and madhatter had an asthma attack! We cracked on, and I was feeling great, no prob with the hills having hired a bike and done some hill work whilst on holiday recently in Spain! Another 10 miles and Phil had another puncture! madhatter was suffering and Karl kept popping a gel and going hyper (more than usual!) Tim and Richard were awesome, helping out all of us lot and riding so smoothly. Phil had another puncture and by this time was losing his sense of humour. Karl fell off, madhatter was getting slower. I have to say I was still feeling great, and at the 34 mile feeding station was buzzing. Karl blagged a load more gels at the station, which meant he was carrying more weight then when he started! Phil was demoralised and had used all his tubes! madhatter collapsed on the grass!
Off we went again. The next checkpoint was 54 miles. We had split up from Madhatter and Phil as yet again Phil had another puncture! They decided to call it a day and cycled back to the finish - they completed 60 miles having had 4 punctures and an asthma attack between them! Strangely Phil was shown as having the fastest time of the day for the 102 miles as when he returned to the start he rode past the sensor which identifies you from a bar code so technically Team PFOA won the event!
The remaining four of us carried on and were making good progress until the dreaded cramp set in! Karl the Team Captain got it first and then yours truly - I was somewhat dismayed but not altogether suprised that when I lept of my bike in absolute agony with cramp in both thighs on a steep hill, Karl started laughing and wanted a camera to take a picture! Anyway we had stopped at the last feeding station at 75 miles, and new we only had 27 to go. Tim and Rich were still taking it in their stride and it was agreed eventually that they should go on together and leave myself and Karl to follow on. I can assure you neither of them wanted to leave us but we wanted them to enjoy their ride. Karl and myself were basically both suffering from cramp and on our chin straps! We had plenty of fluid and some gels, which we duly scoffed and drank.
Probably the worst point of the day was when our bike computers were showing 4 miles to go and a marshall said it was 7 miles - that really hurt mentally, but we kept going and actually spanked the last five miles getting up to 35mph!
