Sunday 21 April 2013

Coffee and Cake on Route 68

We have discovered the SusTrans website http://www.sustrans.org.uk where you can see all the cycle routes in the UK, and narrow it down to your area - brilliant!


Chris and I decided to give Route 68 a try, which we can pick up at New Mills - a short cycle from Marple.  You can follow it all the way to Buxton - a round trip of 30 miles.




The forecast for today was fine in the morning with rain in the afternoon, so we were breakfasted and ready for the off at 8:30 to get the best of the weather, which was a pretty good effort, as those of you who know what a peach I am in the morning will appreciate!


Long Hill - aptly named - was more than a match for me!

We warmed up nicely on the rolling hills around New Mills - enjoying the crisp spring morning.  The air was cold and fresh, the sun just about warm, and the roads very quiet.  It wasn't long though before the hills started to get a bit steeper.  You had to be quick with the gear changes on some as you could turn a perfectly innocent looking corner to be faced with a hill that came from nowhere.  A couple of times I didn't make it and had to loop back to avoid horrific gear crunching as I shot through several gears at once.  My poor bike.


The effort we put in up the hills was rewarded though - the views were fantastic as we got out into the Derbyshire countryside, and for every uphill, there was the exhilarating rush downhill, with eyes streaming and face beaming!  I couldn't keep in a 'yee hah' as we descended a particularly long and steep road, drawing some odd looks from passing walkers.


View from the top before the descent in to Buxton

As we cycled across the top of the hills heading towards Buxton, we encountered virtually no traffic - in fact there were more walkers than cars.  We were glad that we had hybrid bikes rather than road bikes though, as the road was more of a trail in parts, with rocks and shale that were so slippery we had to walk a short section.  Hopefully we will pick up a few mounting biking techniques in Valencia that will help with that - stay tuned for an update in a couple of weeks.

Old Road - more trail than road.  The edge of Buxton is just visible in the background.

I couldn't help thinking as we whizzed down the hill into Buxton that we would shortly have to cycle back up that hill.  This was also the first thing Chris said when we stopped!  Luckily he had spotted a sign for coffee and cake, so we headed down to Pavilion Gardens where there was a cafe, and stopped for some refreshment.  Of course, I hadn't brought any money with me - it was a miracle that I got out of the house fully dressed, so money was a step too far.  Luckily Chris is more organised in the morning and had some cash, otherwise (he drily mentioned) this post would have been No Coffee and No Cake on Route 68!

Coffee and apple cake in the sunshine.

Fuelled with cake, we set off for the return to Marple.  To our great delight, there was much more downhill heading this way - it took us about 2 hours to get there, and 1:30 to get back.  The rain clouds were gathering as we returned, but luckily we made it back without getting wet and I am now recovering smugly in a nice warm, dry house, on a comfy chair, watching the rain come down.

This was our toughest ride yet, but also the most enjoyable.  My love for my new found sport just got a bit bigger.  Now that is worth celebrating.















Sunday 14 April 2013

Back in the saddle

Following my training low I decided that the best thing to do was to start a training log, which I can then use to give myself a regular pat on the back (as long as I have done the miles!).

It is now almost 6 months to go until we leave for Cuba - 30 weeks training to be precise; 19 weeks until the London-Surrey 100 that Gillian and I have got a place in; and 2 weeks till Chris and I embark on an 80km mountain bike ride in Valencia (I think it is supposed to be a holiday!).

Realising that I had 2 weeks to get myself fit enough to tackle 80km in the Valencian hills without having to get off and push was a very good motivator both to get to the gym, and to get out on the bike.  Last Sunday we clocked up 15.5 miles on our Lyme Park route and I actually enjoyed cycling outside for the first time since last year.

Hot and sweaty me - nice!


At the gym I have upped the spin challenge - my friend and work colleague Sarah and I have been slogging it out at spin classes this week and decided that we would round off the week with the double - 2 spin classes back to back with a 15 minute stretch break in between - total 1 hour 20 mins on the bike.  I got her to take a picture of me back in the changing room to document this effort.  Not a pretty sight.  The only thing that got me out of the hot shower was the thought of last night's cold pizza leftovers that I had got for lunch!



Today Chris and I hit the road again and headed for Timperley.  No roast dinner today though - just a quick stop off for a cuppa (2 cuppas), sandwich, kitkat and chit-chat before getting back in the saddle for the return leg.  A round trip of 32 miles.  A good effort I thought, particularly given that it was very windy.  Ever the professional, I took my recovery very seriously.....



Mileage is heading in the right direction though:

Gym miles - 43.5
Road miles - 32
Total for week - 75.5

Plan for next weekend is to try Marple to Buxton via cycle route 68 which we can pick up at New Mills.  Should be tougher in terms of hills, but looking forward to it.

Monday 1 April 2013

Downhill isn't always easier

Over the last month I have had 2 stinking colds, the second worse than the first.

The first one meant no training for a week.  When I ventured back to the gym I was rather disappointed to find I was struggling with my usual 40 minute spin class.  It took a week and a half of hard sessions to get back to where I was before cold no 1.

I am now just recovering from cold no 2 and again have been out of the gym for a week (10 days really if you count the weekends).  I am annoyed that I am going to have to go through the same uphill struggle again to get back to square one!  I managed a 3.5 mile run today to dust off the cobwebs, but it wasn't easy.

I think I have reached a training low point.  Need to dig up some strength of character and just crack on for a couple of weeks to get back on track.

A glass of sauv blanc will help with that.......