Why the name change?

Well it's been a long 5 months since my last posting and a few things have changed and I don't just mean the title.

So why has the title changed? Basically as far as I am concerned LEJOG is in the past now and you have to live looking towards the future so the use of LEJOG in the title wasn't really apt. I was discussing what I'd call my autobiography and this came up as a possible title. The wrong gear not only refers to being in the wrong gear but also making the wrong choices in life.

I've also completed my first sportive which I enjoyed but I struggled on the hills with feeling really sick more of which in a bit.

After the sportive I came down with a bout of flu which I thought explained the sickness. Two weeks after the flu I had a second bout and a chest and sinus infection and then suspected glandular fever so I've been off the bike for two months.

Now I'm waiting to get Christmas out of the way and start with my 2012 goals which I'll post up about soon.

Back in the not so blazing saddle.

Well after a week off work enjoying far too much food and booze I've landed back on planet Earth today - back counting calories and back training.

With not really riding much at all for over a month I'm easing back into things with a proper training plan and have just completed my first ride of the week.

Tonight's ride was an hour and a half at training level 2 on flat terrain.

What is level 2 you may be asking - for me level 2 training rides mean maintaining a heart rate of around 70% of my maximum heart rate - 119 to 128 beats per minute in my case. Now this may sound easy as it's a really low level of effort but herein lies the problem - accelerate from traffic lights and you're out of that training zone it really is hard to hold back from going harder. The other thing is you get over taken by commuting cyclist in suits, kids on BMX bikes, snails etc.

Tonight I had my bike computer just showing me the time of day, time taken for the ride and my training level so that had no indication of my speed or distance and I have to admit that after what felt like walking pace (with a high RPM) I was surprised to have covered 20 miles.

Tomorrow is a rest day (yes really) and then back on the bike on Wednesday.

The aftermath

Well it's three weeks since we finished the ride and life is slowly returning to normality so I thought I'd blog about  the aftermath of the ride.

The evening we finished was a cracking night with a meal and plenty of booze which considering I was out of drinking practice I'm pretty pleased that I didn't fall asleep in the toilets (unlike someone I could mention).

Monday morning was 9am start from the hotel in Thurso and back on the tour bus - to be honest it was on the bus and into bed for a few hours for me. We stopped north of Edinburgh and I decamped from the bus said my goodbyes and got in the van with Billy as I was getting dropped off in Carnforth rather than going all the way to Warrington.

It was great seeing Julie again and after saying farewell to Billy it was off to the pub for tea. According to Julie I was in the pub with her but my eyes were somewhere else. After the pub it was time to go home and start life without Hugh. Opening the back door it was horrible not to have him waiting for us and the house seemed really empty and big without him - looking back I think the house seemed big and empty after living on a bus with 15 people. One other thing that was a bit strange was not having to hold on whilst making a brew.

Going back to work wasn't fun either and it's taken two weeks for me to get back into the swing of things properly but now life has returned to some sort of normality even though some things still set me off getting upset about the dog.

As for the cycling - well I hate to say it but I lost all interest for it. I think I was more tired than I thought but now we have hit July I'm about to get back into the groove and start a training plan going back to basics with my endurance. My wife has also ordered a bike through CycleScheme so it will be good to out together.

I have no immediate plans for anything else really this year apart from some time trials but I really want to do a nice LEJOG ride for my 40th in 2013 so I need to keep up the work. I neglected my calorie counting for a couple of months before the ride so I'm going to get back onto that as I feel I could be a reasonable climbing if I lose the weight.

Finally I've decided to keep on going with the blog as it will motivate me to keep on training.

Day 5 - Alness to John O'Groats

Up with the lark this morning as we had a 6am start.

We woke up to stunning morning, grabbed our bikes and got ready to set off whilst everyone else slept snuggly on the bus.

With staying at the camp site we had a few more miles to ride until we hit the A9 but when we did the view over the Cromarty Firth was out of this world with the mist rolling off the land and making the rigs that were in for repair look like ghosts.

We had a fairly laid back ride as we just took in the countryside on our journey to just north of Dornoch - the bridge over Dornoch Firth was another stunning bridge ride. We passed over the baton (it was actually a pebble from Lands End) to team B and we got in the minibus and headed to Helmsdale a cracking little harbour village and a good phone signal meant a chance to phone and check on things at home.

After piling on the tour bus we drove into Wick for a final 'dump' stop before John O'Groats. About 10 miles out from JOG we all got on our bikes and started the final ride.

After a final hill we swept down into John O'Groats to finish our ride.

After hand shakes and hugs all round it was time for the end of ride photos.

So there you go - 874 miles with us spending 59 hours 50 minutes in the saddle knocking an amazing 20 hours off our target and raising £46,000 in the process but the most amazing statistic of all is the number of punctures - none!

There is one group of people without whom none of this would have been possible - they were up and out from 6am and didn't finish their day until all the riders had finished - our amazing drivers.

(L-R)Colin (tour bus driver), Alan, Simon, Beccy, Billy.

Quite how the guys (and girl) can cope driving a van at cycling speeds without getting fed up of the traffic queuing up behind them I don't know. Add to that the fantastic banter and the willingness to put up with no end of abuse from us cyclists and always come back smiling and cheery.

As for Colin - the phrase 'Cool as f**k' was made for him. Mirrored aviator shades, laid back attitude and a job driving fuel into Vietnam during the war this guy is class.

So that's it - 6 months of preparation for under 60 hours work and it's been bloody ace.

Day 4 - Abington to Alness

We woke up to a chilly but gloriously sunny morning and after breakfast piled into the minibus to head to the change over point at which we would take over from team D.

Our leg was fairly uneventful starting off in stunning scenery before heading into the industrial outskirts of Edinburgh then over the Forth Road bridge. The ride over the bridge was spectacular - we stopped off for some photos (need to get them off Wayne) and the amount the bridge shakes with the traffic is very impressive. I'm not sure how high up above the water the road deck is but the contents of my nasal passages took 14 seconds to hit the water so any one with a mathematical mind can work out the height I'm sure. Tony also had the worlds longest wee on the bridge so if the southern pier starts to corrode first you know why.

Upon getting back to the minibus and handing over to team B at the summit of a lengthy hill I had a number of missed calls and texts off my wife saying our dog was quite poorly. After a brief and emotional call Hugh was booked in for the vets for two hours time and in my heart I knew he wouldn't be there to greet me when I get home.

There was also another worry for the whole team - the bust was poorly sick with a huge hole in the exhaust so Colin had found a MAN service centre for it to be looked at. Teams A and D found a Frankie and Benny's which was doing two breakfasts for £10 so second serving of haggis of the trip was promptly scoffed with the dog constantly being in my mind. After stuffing our faces we went to the service centre to pick up the bus and were greeted by the sight below.

Seeing 18 tonnes of bus in the air was very, very impressive. The MAN guys were great and didn't charge for the repair and wanted to know everything about our trip so a big thank you to them.

Once back on the bus I went to my bunk to await the phone call from my wife. Hugh had aged in the past six months but he was 16 so it wasn't surprising he was slowing down but I was still hoping it would be something small wrong with him and he'd be there when I got home but it wasn't to be. At half twelve I got the call from Julie and she gently said 'he's gone' - I was gutted. Gutted that I hadn't been able to say goodbye, gutted I wasn't there with him at the end and gutted for Julie having to look after things on her own. After a few minutes of talking we said goodbye and I stayed in my bunk and had a good cry - to be perfectly honest I just wanted to be at home but I still had an appointment with the A9 that afternoon so I just had to get on with things (in hindsight it's probably been better being on the ride and Julie had it harder than me).

We again took over from team D on the A9 to ride to the outskirts of Aviemore. This was the worst bit of road on the trip so far - the scenery was stunning but the road was just so boring and the traffic heavy but the support van did a fantastic job of keeping the traffic off our backs to a certain extent.By this time we'd also realised that drivers were hooting their horns at us in support at us rather that in anger at us so we had stopped giving the drivers the finger. One section of dual carriageway on the A9 was down to one land and it was very narrow so we did about 3 miles with a huge queue of traffic behind us. Again we rode a bit further than scheduled but this did mean hot showers at McDonald hotel in Aviemore bus it was mildly amusing that the name on our pass said War Trade and not WaterAid. After a few beers we set off for the overnight stop at a truckstop just outside Alness.

The truckstop was supposed to have a bar, a restaurant and a hook up for the tour bus. When we arrived it was shut up - there was a woman in there but she wouldn't open the door so Sam phoned her and she said we should have been there at 7, they we shut and we couldn't have a hook up - what's happened to the legendary Scottish hospitality?

Luckily for the whole team Tim was meeting a mate at the truckstop so they went off to find somewhere else for the bus for the night. About half an hour later we got a call they'd found a campsite that would take us. What a campsite it was - if anyone wants a campsite up that way I can really recommend Black Rock camping and caravan site as its beautiful and has fantastic facilities.

Everyone decided they were going to go to the pub but I didn't feel like it so after a pot noodle it's off to bed.

Day 3 - Stone to Abington

Well today has been a great day - it's not every day you get to ride with a double Olympic medalist, ride into work to cheers and applause from your colleagues and ride into a new country.

After waking up early for a call of nature and seeing Flash & Dash getting ready for the early stint I went back to bed and was woken by the gentle rocking of the bus as it headed towards Warrington where we would all get onto our bikes and ride to the United Utilities head office to see our colleagues and do a bit of press and publicity. A brief stop for the first two teams to meet up with Olympic silver rowing and individual pursuit gold medalist Rebecca Romero was the only interlude on the journey to Dawson House.

At Dawson house we all decamped from the vehicles and had a photo taken of the whole team with Rebecca in front of the bus.

We then had individual photos taken and I have to admit to suffering from a bit of hero awe.

Then it was time for a quick 1.4 mile blast round to Lingley Mere to see our colleagues. It was great sweeping around the business park as one group and I couldn't believe how many people had come out to see us - it was a real lump in throat moment for me.

After chatting with the local press we had another photo taken of us all and Rebecca for the Warrington Guardian.

After that we got back on the minibus and headed to Standish where we were to start our leg. Up to now the weather had been fantastic (for my team anyway) with shorts and short sleeve jersey being the order of the day but the weather was starting to close in when we took over from team D. Within a couple of miles the arm warmers were on and a few miles later the gilet made an appearance too.

The leg was fairly uneventful with riding through Preston being a bit of a chore but Simon's family cheering us on through Garstang being a highlight.

On arrival at Forton we had the choice of of greasy spoon van or the chippy down the road which I'd ridden past numerous times and was recommended by Simon - chippy it was!

After a lunch of steak and kidney pudding, chips and curry it was back on the bus for the trip up to Todhills services from where we would take over for the journey across the border into Scotland.

At Todhills we realised that from the services we could cut through the bushes to the B road we would be cycling along. The temperature had by now dropped so the kit for the ride had extended to bib knickers and windproof jacket.

The profile of the ride wasn't too bad but my legs refused to work - heart rate was fine, breathing was fine but my legs just wouldn't spin the pedals. On the few little rises on the route I was plummeting down the gears and was getting dropped by Tony and Wayne with alarming regularity.

Eventually the leg was over and we piled into the minibus for the short drive to the tour bus with me feeling very embarrassed over my poor performance. Home for the night was in the bus parked up next to the Abington Hotel in Lanarkshire. After a dinner of chicken and haggis it was off to bed as tomorrow we have an earlier start as we are second team out with a ride over the Forth road bridge.

Day 2 - Okehampton to Stone

So much for the lie in - up at 5am and making drinks for Tom and Pete who were first off at 6am.

After a nice hot shower in the campsite shower block and a breakfast of porridge and banana (much healthier that Pete banana, Red Bull and Haribo sours breakfast) we set off in the bus to Taunton where we would switch into the mini bus for the start of our leg in the village of Star south of Bristol.

Today's start point for us was in the Star Inn car park.

This start point led into a gentle climb from the off so it was into  formation and on with the journey.

Soon we came upon a massive climb that meant bottom gear for a few miles - it was one of those climbs that you think is easing then you go round the corner and it continues to climb.

Of course the bonus of a climb is a sweeping descent down into Bristol.

Once in Bristol things started to go wrong for the first time. We were meant to cut up a steep hill from under the Clifton Suspension bridge but it was shut throwing out our route plan. Never mind if we follow the diversion signs we'll be fine won't we - erm not if there aren't any!!!

Before we started this leg Mike from team D killed the GPS unit so we couldn't see how far off the route we were going. We saw a sign that said A4(A38) and as we were going onto the A38 we followed that but after 5 miles and us getting very near Avonmouth docks we threw in the towel and asked Simon and Beccy in the support van to navigate us back on route. Simon came up with a route that took us through the hilliest council estates in Bristol complete with sofas and beer fridges in the front gardens. Eventually after a slight altercation with a bell end in a Toyota we were back on track and had great support from my bro in law Richard and his work mates from Orange and even managed to high 5 him on what was on his 40th birthday. On arriving at the bus for the change over with team B we'd covered and extra 7 miles.

Back on the bus we had a lunch fit for a king - cheese, onion and tomato batches before chilling out and resting for the final leg of the day which was the Wolverhampton to Stone leg and to our stop for the night the Stone House Hotel (again we were staying in the bus in the car park but had a room booked for us to shower in).

As the night leg was fairly flat we'd decided to go hell for leather so after a quick pee in Wickes car park in Wolverhampton we were ready for the off.

The previous night Team D had cycled to the hotel, 5 miles short of their allocated distance but team B had added that to their distance. It had been agreed with team C who first off from Stone that we would ride to the hotel and they would do the extra miles the next morning.

We set a hard pace and sat on the limit from the start and Beccy was offering us vocal encouragement from on the van and in what seemed no time at all we arrived at the hotel. At the hotel we rode round looking for the bus and then got a call from the bar saying the bus had gone for fuel and that we hadn't finished and had to ride the extra four miles to the end of the leg. A brief conversation on the phone was ended when we decided that it was too cold to argue and set off to finish the leg but missing my pedal resulted in an intimate moment with the nose of my saddle. We did the extra mileage at a slower rate but still averaged 18.9mph for the whole leg.

When we got to the hotel the bus was back parked behind the kitchens and plugged into the mains (it only has power when the engine is running) and we just chilled out over the disagreement. The leisure centre at the hotel was available so we used the facilities and had a shower before retiring to the TV lounge for burger and chips and bread and butter pudding and custard (pudding highlight of the week). A couple of bottles of lager and then time for bed as tomorrow is a big day with Rebecca Romero (Olympic silver rowing medalist and gold cycling medalist) riding with us, a ride into our head office in Warrington and the ride into Scotland.

Day 1 - Warrington to Lands End to Okehampton

Well it was a 5am departure from sunny Bolton le Sands to head down to Warrington to meet the rest of the team and the support vehicles (big orange tour bus, minibus and the van).

After packing our kit (or repacking the van with the bikes in it numerous times) we were finally ready to set off at around 7am. The journey flew by and we were soon at Taunton services for our first stop and the first disappointed people when no one famous appeared off the bus.

It had become apparent that Colin the bus driver was going to run out of driving hours so the plan was changed to get us dropped off as near to Lands End as possible so that we could move into the minibus and van for the final part of the journey so that Colin could get the bus to the overnight stop in Okehampton.

Arriving at Lands End was fairly uneventful with the exception of Billy very nearly knocking a motorbike over with the van.

After paying the man with the none digital camera to put Blazing Saddles in the sign we had our photos taken as a group and then in the individual teams.

So that's Tony, Wayne and me ready to start as we were the team charged with completing the first session.

With a load of people clapping and cheering us on we all set off for the first 9 hours of riding with everyone except my team getting on the minibus after 5 miles leaving us to the joys of the A30.

The section was pretty uneventful for us apart from a French coach driver moaning at us for taking up too much of the road and the A30 wasn't as bad with a few of you cycling rather than being a solo rider although having the van behind made people well aware of what was ahead of them.

After 20 miles we got over taken by a tractor so slip streamed it for 5 miles before the van over took us with Tim saying we had five miles left so it was a shock when we suddenly saw the minibus and the next team ready to ride.

Tom and Pete then took over whilst the rest of us went in Redruth looking for somewhere for the last two teams out to get some food as the first few teams could eat in the pub where the tour bus was parked up for the night.

A brisk drive followed to pick up team B and passing them on a traditional Cornish hill Pete was hear to utter the quote of the day 'f***ing hell'. After a windy change over on the A30 Pete showed off his bad case of helmet hair.

As team C took over the mini bus raced along to drop teams A & B at Betty Cottles Inn which is where the tour bus was so we could shower and get dinner.

The bus was parked up in the campsite in a glorious location and the three young girls running in out of the bus made us realise that Colin the driver hadn't been joking when he said he lived in Okehampton.

A nice tea of New York chicken washed down with a couple of pints of Doom Bar was very enjoyable and the arrival on team D in the light meant that we had completed our target mileage in 5 hours as opposed to 9 hours - hopefully we've not burnt out on day 1.

The day finished with a number 2 - a few of us are getting a bit obsessed but not being able to poop on the bus is a bit of a pain.

Overall the day that started at around 4am finished at around 11pm with me climbing into my 3ft x 6ft x 2ft bunk. Team A aren't out until 11:30am tomorrow so get a lie in before we ride the Bristol leg and the Wolverhampton to Stone leg.

Home for the challenge

So where do 14 people (10 riders and 4 drivers) sleep on a challenge like this?

Well the answer is bright orange and weighs 18 tonnes.

The downstairs lounge and kitchen area

Upstairs lounge

The bunks

Plenty of HD TVs, playstations and blueray players to keep us amused in the off the bike times. The kitchen has a sink, kettle, microwave and a thing that we can't decide if it's a dishwasher or a breadmaker but its actually an ice making machine.

A final scare

Well at 5pm tonight we found out the engine on the tour bus had gone bang so it wasn't looking good for somewhere to chill and kip when off the bikes.

Various scenarios were worked through before a replacement bus was sorted out. Basically it's the same as the other bus but without a shower - it's going to smell!!!!!

I'll try and keep this blog updated regularly updated but as I'm running on the mobile phone network for connectivity I can promise how regular it will be.

Next stop Lands End!!!!!!!

Final Preparations

Well the bike is all sorted, 11-26 cassette replaced with an 11-28 one.

The Omega rims laced to Shimano hubs with 32 plain gauge spokes have been replaced with a set of Mavic Cosmic Elites.

I've also been a cheapskate and made my own handle bar mount for my Garmin Forerunner out of an old inner tube, bit of pipe lagging and some electrical tape.

Just about to start packing starting with a first aid kit.

Final Weekend of preparation

After the ride seeming like ages away we're now down to five days until we set off and whilst the training is all sorted I seem to have a whole heap of stuff to sort out this weekend.

1) A couple of gentle rides of low effort and low mileage.

2) Final check over of the bike - need to remember to put the low ratio cassette back on.

3) Another bit of GPS fettling.

4) Wash, check and pack all the cycling kit.

5) Pack the rest of my clothes for off the bike time.

6) Pick up a stack of books that should be at the library for me to help the off bike hours pass.

7) Sort out the walking gear for the wife who is off walking with her friends the Saturday I'm away.

8) Cut the grass and tidy the garden.

9) Have some chill out time.

10) Probably end up in the bike shop buying something too no doubt.

Live Tracking

This is the live tracking that we'll be using to monitor the locations of all the riders and support vehicles during the challenge.

This map will only show my location.

GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

The ride schedule

As everybody has been asking where we'll be riding each day I thought I'd better post our schedule up so here goes.

Wednesday 8th June (3pm start)- Lands End to Okehampton.

Thursday 9th June - Okehampton to Stone.

Friday 10th June - Stone to Abington (north of Moffat)

Saturday 11th June - Abington to Alness (north of Inverness)

Sunday 12th June - Alness to John O'Groats (3pm finish)

Final 'offical' training session

Well tonight has been the last scheduled traing session with me and Tony tackling the Warrington loop for the final time.

The first time we rode it we took 1 hour 43 minutes but tonight we took 1 hour 12 minutes - it was one of those zen like experiences for me where the legs are powering through the pedal stroke but you feel no pain or effort.

The next ride with anyone else from the team will be when we leave Lands End.

Publicity Poster

This is a photo of our publicity poster showing all our amazing sponsors.

Still fighting the technology

Following on from my previous post I'm still not much further on with the GPS navigation.

Found some software called OsmAnd which lets you use you own .gpx files to navigate with but whilst it does give you turn by turn instructions it is quite clunky and has a really annoying 'radar' shadow that shows your direction. The other fun thing is it appears to be Russian.

I have a meeting with Vodafone and RIM about what devices they can offer us which may meet our needs so will report back on what they suggest but obviously it has to be very, very bike friendly.

Two weeks to go

Well this time in two weeks we'll be 43 minutes into our advanture and I'll be cycling somewhere between Lands End and Cambourne which is my teams first leg.

Training is progressing well with another visit to the Kirkstone Pass scheduled in for the weekend and a final Tuesday night ride next week before tapering right down.

We all know the schedule for our ride and know which days we have a 6am start and which days have a midnight finish - I've not quite worked out which one of those has the potential to be the worst yet.

We've also had a couple of corporate sponsors come along and offer us their support so thanks to Cable & Wireless and InfoSys.

I'm currently busy sorting out the GPS side of things. We have live GPS tracking sorted out for each team of cyclists and the support vehicles but the main issue now is navigation for the cycling teams - despite the claim of  'you can get an app for that' we haven't found anything yet that will let us use our GXP files of the route and give us turn by turn directions on an Android device.

Answers on a postcode please.

The Blazing Saddles Team (-1)

So this is the team that will be riding LEJOG in under 80 hours.
From L to R Pete Rogers, Tim Stanley, Tom Carberry, Me, Sam Dale, Wayne Flanagan, Mike Naden, Tony Sweeney and Gary Barlow.
Paul Smith is the only one missing as he is recovering after trying to eat a large chunk of the Lake District.

Why do I worry so much?

Well this weekend has seen all of the Blazing Saddles team except one up the Lakes for two rides and a night of mainly male bonding.

We were based in one of United Utilities offices in Thirlmere all sleeping on the floor but it was a great laugh.

Friday night was a 20 miler so should have been really enjoyable but the hammer went down from the off with no warm up whatsoever. The descent into Keswick was a bit exciting as I ran out of road and someone else tried to bunny hop onto the pavement when the road ran out but didn't get their rear wheel up quick enough so knocked it out of true. Eventually the threatened rain came with a vengeance soaking us the core before having chance to don our waterproofs. I struggled with the ride all the way and it was noticed.

After a quick shower we hit the pub for food and beer (except me who is off the booze and was therefore the driver) before retiring lately to bed only to be entertained by Pete trying to pump his airbed up for ages - turns out the electric pumps work much better in blow rather than suck mode!!!!!

Saturday morning came far to soon along with the feeling of doom and failure of knowing I had to drag my 17 stone frame up the Kirkstone Pass. This time we set out at a sensible pace and the climb up Dunmail Raise was quite enjoyable although my legs didn't feel great. A brief stop in Ambleside to argue about buying butties was the last rest before hitting the 1500 climb to the top of Kirkstone. In short it wasn't as bad as I thought - yes I struggled to get a rhythm going and the first 500ft took an age but the other 1000ft flew by in a shower of sweat. After a wait at the top we descended but a heavy headwind kept the speeds down to the low 40mph region before a break in Glenridding. We then had another 1000ft of climbing from the shore of Ullswater to the Penrith to Keswick road but this was much more my kind of climb - one steady gradient before we were back to the Old Sawmill.

24 hours on my legs ache but not as bad as they have done before and I feel incredibly smug as nothing LEJOG can through at me can stop me now.

Out of interest my average heart rate for Fridays ride was 148bpm and for the Kirkstone Pass ride it was 133bpm - shows how crazy Fridays pace was.

Good training and bad luck

Last Sunday the team had a nice four and a half training ride with a few steep hills thrown in for good measure.

I really seem to be on top of the fuelling too now - god bless fig rolls and peanut butter sandwiches but still trying to work out the best way of carrying more than two bottles as hydration seems to be my weak point.

On Tuesday I did another hilly ride around north Lancashire  but started to experience pain in my left thumb. Over the next couple of days the pain got worse so I ended up at the hospital. I've torn the ulnar collateral ligament in my thumb so have to try and rest it which is easier said than done so yesterday it was the static bike in the gym for a 31:30 10 mile time trial and today going to see how much the rollers hurt.

Next weekend we have a training camp in the Lake District which will include a trip up the Kirkstone Pass which should be fun - I'm a little concerned about my thumb as currently can't hold the hoods so it'll be seated climbing for me.

We're still looking for a nutrition partner for LEJOG but hope to have an announcement soon.

Dolan Mythos

I now have my challenge bike which is a Dolan Mythos and I really love it.

It's a 12K carbon frame and fork with the new SRAM Apex groupset.

So what do I think?

Good points:

• Shifting is very slick and considering it's a lower groupset than on the Fuji I think this is down to the cable routing.
• Braking performance is fantastic - it slows 17 stone of me from 50 mph very well.
• It is fast - it seems to shoot forwards with the slightest pedal inputs and is very good in headwinds too.

Bad Points:

• The saddle - that's the only thing I've had an issue with. After the first 36 mile ride I was a bit tender but half way through a 60 miler I was in agony and ended up with a sore on each buttock. Measuring the saddle compared to the one on the Fuji showed it was 15mm narrower than the Fuji saddle so the Fuji saddle is now on it. After LEJOG I'll be looking for a matching pair of saddles for both bikes.

End of April progress report.

Well it has been a while since my last post so got a fair bit to mention so this may be a long post so bear with me.

Firstly the fantastic news is that I've made the cycling team for Blazing Saddles Challenge - the only person who really seems to be shocked by this is me so I suppose the main thing is that I need to work on my self belief as much as anything else.

We retuned from our two week holiday in Cornwall to discover that the village had become the place that time forgot as the internet and a number of phone lines were down and BT didn't have anyone with the right skills to fix it (honestly). After nearly four weeks things got repaired on Wednesday this week so this is the reason for the long post (and the poor connectivity in our Cornish cottage).

Cornwall was great as my legs came back to me after the first less than inspiring ride down there. I did a number of long rides with nice 15% gradients being the norm on most of them. I think I have now discovered the best way for me to climb and that is by using my HR monitor to make sure I don't go into the red too soon and burn out half way up the climb. I also used Cornwall to work on my feeding for the long rides and have discovered that along with SIS Electrolyte fig rolls and peanut butter sandwiches work well for me. I was taking SIS Go Bars and gels with me but only used these when I really felt like I was on the edge of bonking.

I did a fair amount of walking in Cornwall and discovered that my legs are now very attuned to cycling as after 6 or so miles I'd suffer from soreness but I really enjoyed the coastal paths and the stunning views. I came home 6lbs heavier than when I went but I did my fair share of eating and drinking and have now lost the excess weight.

I've now had two rides back with the Twenty Club in from Lancaster and have noticed amazing improvements with my climbing. Two climbs that I'd really fancied doing but had thought too difficult have been completed over the past two weeks - I won't say they were easy but I didn't have to dig too deep into my arsenal of mind tricks to get through them so I'm really happy and it's been great for the self belief.

I'll do a separate post about the new arrival of my new bike.

Cornwall internet and leg woes.

Well I'm currently down in Cornwall on holiday (and missing 5 LEJOG training rides) and the internet is pretty hit and miss on a 3G signal so not many updates for the next fortnight.

I tried to go out and do 40 miles the day after we arrived and struggled to do 13 miles - my legs felt awful after the 7 hour drive. I've rested the legs but done a fair bit of walking the past few days but have done a roller session this morning so will see how tomorrow goes as really need to get the miles in asap.

Some birthday thoughts.

As I turned 38 on Wednesday it struck me how much has changed in the past two years.

On my 36th birthday I had no desire to lose weight or ride a bike or improve my health in anyway. We went for a curry with poppadoms, starter, main course, rice, two sides and a naan nicely washed down with four pints.

For my 38th birthday I did a 50 mile ride up to and around Kendal, then had a nice beef stew and some cheese cake and birthday cake. My main treat was some red wine - my first booze since boxing day.

Here's to an even healthier next two years.

Climbing is still going well.

Well on today's training ride I expected to be dropped on the climbs as the groups poorest climber wasn't out with us, so I'm really chuffed I was second or first over most of the climbs and today we had a couple of leg testing climbs compared to the 'climb' we have done the past two weeks.

I think my weight work, diet (and associated weight loss) and roller work have all had in impact on my climbing. Yes I still sound like some grunting out of breath freak but the legs don't hurt as much - then again maybe I am riding slower than I do when I'm out on my own.

My details for the ride from my Garmin can be found here.

A mental week

Sundays training ride went really well again. I was first over Cleves Hill again - it's not much of a climb but it's nice to get one over on the whippets. This week my policy was balls out up it and at he summit my legs were burning but recovery was swift.

I was asked my opinion this week on the two bikes we have been offered for the ride from Cannondale and Dolan so my bike geekness is now out in the open so I expect I'll be ribbed over this on Sunday.

With regards to the Blazing Saddles challenge (LEJOG in 80 hours) I've been tasked with coming up with the spares list and a list of bike shops on the route - all good fun and the kind of planning I love (told you I was a geek).

Training wise during the week it hasn't been great if I'm honest. My dog hasn't been well and should have had an operation but they found issues with his liver so I've faltered somewhat but hopefully he next training ride on Sunday will sort my head out. This weekend will be my last ride with the team until 19th April as supporting the wife next weekend as she runs the Liverpool half marathon then got two weeks in Cornwall so hopefully will get a ride in every other day while I'm down there.

This weeks training run is below - a few more lumps this week but nothing more than I have on my runs around home from what I can see.

I'm a hill climbing God!

Well the first training ride has been and gone and I really enjoyed it.

A very leisurely 21 mile ride through some nice lanes and one 'hill' that I was first over the top of - tells you how small it was really.

To be honest the ride has done me the world of good as I have self belief now that I'm not heading for a spanking, yes the hills are going to be hard but if I lose more weight then they'll hurt less and I'm as good as anyone else on the flat and probably up there on the downhill side of things.

In other news I've got some new socks thanks to the guys at Prendas who never let me down on the 24 hour turn around from order to delivery.

I've also just got the route in for this Sundays ride which is a 25 route like last weekends with an extra loop added to it.

Must update more often

Well February was a bit of a washout if I am honest. I struggled with motivation, food cravings and the weather but back out the other side and almost back on target.

I failed to lose a stone in February - in fact I put a pound on but got into the roller and Sufferfest sessions so it isn't all bad. I still haven't done a ride under 30 miles which I'm chuffed with and after screwing up my food and drink on a 55 miler I was really happy that my ride to friends in Preston went well apart from the torrential rain.

Got the first training/selection ride for LEJOG tomorrow - it doesn't look to strenuous and they hope we'll do the 20 miles in around two hours - I'm keeping quiet but I should think we'll done in an hour and a half.

Pie and chips - the morning after.

Well after getting my training dates and putting 3lbs on I had our and chips for my tea. In the old days I'd have scoffed the lot but now I can't finish them off.

Anyway stepping onto the scaled today I thought I'd have to take a hit but no change in my weight.

Frosty morning today and currently sat waiting for the car to defrost. Hopefully out for an hour or so on the bike tonight.

Training ride details have arrived!!!!

Well I've got my training dates through for the selection process for LEJOG and I'm a bit gutted that I'll be missing 5 sessions as I'll be training on my own down in Cornwall.

First training session is on 6th March with a nice 2 hour ride pencilled in - hopefully I'll be well on the way to longer rides than that by then.

Also now know that there will be 9/10 riders and we'll be riding continuously and living on a tour bus (not so great).

We need to keep and average of 15mph to complete the ride on time and we'll be doing the ride from 8th - 13th June this year (2011).

One real plus side is the original list of 21 is down to 17 but they are all whippets so hopefully they'll be after someone with a fat arse to shelter them all day long.

Weightloss Update

Well I've cracked the 17.5 stone mark and have to say I was a bit shocked when I saw myself on this photo - bloody good for my ego though.

Introducing my bike

Well this is my bike of choice.

It's a 2010 Fuji Cross Pro cyclocross bike - I went for a cyclocross bike as at the time I was the wrong side of 20 stone and thought that the wider tyres would be better than an out and out road bike.

It's a double butted aluminum frame with carbon fork with aluminium crown.

It's running on a SRAM Rival groupset with an FSA Gossamer Cross MegaExo chainset running 46 & 36 teeth chainrings. Wheels are Alex ALX-320 and were originally shod with Ritchey SpeedMax Cross tyres.

There are few changes to the bike compared the picture.

Firstly a crack appeared in the forks so I now have a pair of plain carbon forks fitted (still the same type though).
Tyres have changed to Continental Ultra Gatorskins as I wore the Ritchey's out in 800 miles - they've made a massive difference on the ride of the bike as it rolls along faster and there is much more grip when cranked over in the corners.
I also have a Specialized Pave seat post fitted with a Zertz insert that absorbs road vibration. I didn't fit this for that reason but because when I bought the bike the shop had scratched the supplied seatpost so fitted it as  a replacement.
I've also fitted a pair of Time ATAC MTB pedals as theses been I can walk in the shoes with looking like a duck.

The background to my blog

Well I thought it would probably be best by starting off this blog with a little information about me.

My name is Andy and I'm 37 years old (38 is approaching though) and I live on the Lanacashire Cumbria border.

I used to do a far bit of cycling (mainly mountain biking) until 1998 when I had an accident practicing for a downhill race and damaged the meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament in my left knee.

11 years later and after a suffering from depression, stress and high blood pressure my weight had ballooned to 23 stone. After moving from the Wirral to my current house my head was finally in the right place to get my life and health back on track.

The first step was buying a wii fit and then the shock of finding out that actually I wasn't 17/18 stone but 23 stone - I have to be honest I was pretty upset with myself but at the same time I realised that the only person responsible for the state I was in was me and no one else.

My wife also decided to lose some weight as she had put a few pounds on over 10 years so along with the wii fit she decided to take up running (why do you never see a smiling runner?).

After a month or two of using wii fit and seeing my weight come down I decided to get my wife's mountain bike out of the garage and go for a ride - my god that first half mile ride completely killed me.

Gradually I built up the mileage until I could ride 5 miles, then 10, then 15 then 20 - 20 miles was a point I was aiming for to go on a ride with cycling mad brother in law in Dorset. After two weeks in Dorset I had got up to riding a 32 mile ride.

After returning from Dorset in September 2009 I joined a gym and on my first session with my trainer I fainted from the effort and came round on the floor with everyone staring at me - it was so embarrassing.

In May 2010 I progressed from the wife's bike and bought myself a cyclocross bike figuring I was still too big for a road bike. My first couple of trips out on it were really painful afterwards as the muscles used were different to those on the mountain bike and also the cyclocross bike fitted me.

My main aim for 2010 was to get up to a 50 mile ride at a decent pace and I reached this target and started going out with a group of like minded cyclists once a week for a good ride.

My one mistake was not watching what I was eating and falling foul of the 'I've worked out and am hungry so will eat' mentality with the result being that I didn't lose much weight at all.

In September 2010 I put my name down to ride Lands End to John O'Groats with a group of people to raise money for Water Aid. This means I have a real goal to aim for and at the end of November I started watching my calorie intake and am now down to 17 stone 13 pounds.

This blog is the story of my attempt to get on the team for the Lands End to John O'Groats challenge which has been named "Blazing Saddles".