Great Manchester Cycle

There are few things that will get me out of bed at 5am on a Sunday morning, but the Great Manchester Cycle did it today.

This is the second event that Gillian and I have entered as part of our training for Cuba, the last one being the Tatton Cycletta back in October, so we were excited but a bit nervous.  We had entered the longest of the 3 events - 52 miles - and had set ourselves the optimistic target of finishing in 3.5 hours.  The course was fast and flat, so a perfect opportunity to test our fitness and push our speed.

We met up at The Etihad Stadium in Manchester city centre, along with several thousand other cyclists.  The atmosphere was fantastic, with music and welcoming commentary over the loudspeakers.  Very quickly, a snake of cyclists built up around the stadium as we waited for the start at 8am.

Pre-race strategy discussion!

It was a slow start due to the number of cyclists, and we were rather alarmed by the speed at which we were overtaken on both sides.  I just focussed on moving forwards at a steady speed, in a straight line, and hoped I wouldn't collide with anyone.  We soon got into it though, and built up a nice steady speed.

The roads had been closed for this event and it was fantastic cycling through the city centre, and along a section of the Mancunian Way, a 4 lane dual carriageway that runs through the heart of the city, with no traffic in sight.  All you could hear was the whirring of cycle wheels speeding along the tarmac.

The route took us from the Etihad, home of 'The Blues', to Old Trafford, home of 'The Reds' where a few sharp twists and turns took us back towards the looping point (we had 4 laps to complete).

By lap 3 we were starting to feel it, particularly along the elevated Mancuian Way sections where the wind had built up.  It seemed as though we were cycling into it which ever way we turned!

A quick pit-stop for some malt loaf and sports drink half way round lap 3 revitalised us, and we set off with renewed energy and only a lap and a half to go.

Me, Chris and Gillian going for it

It was particularly tough coming to the start of the final lap, and watching the faster cyclists who had lapped us, heading for the finishing lane!  One turned and said to me with a smile 'Only a mile to go!' and I couldn't bring myself to admit that I still had another lap to complete, so just smiled - I must have looked tired enough to be finishing!  It was a struggle into the wind for the first half of the last lap, but we gritted our teeth and dug in, encouraging each other and hoping that we could keep enough speed up to achieve our target time.

Gillian was counting down the miles and deducting a bit each time to make us feel better (not sure it worked!) but we mustered a final burst and even managed to overtake a few people, much more enjoyable than being overtaken!

We crossed the line together in 3:13:58 - over 15 minutes faster than our target time.  Our average speed was 16.17 miles per hour.  Really chuffed!  You can see our glorious finish here -

- bring on the London to Surrey 100 miler in 5 weeks time!

Proudly sporting our new Women v Cancer Cycle Cuba tops and finishers medals

A huge thank you to everyone involved in making this such an enjoyable event to take part in.  The organisation, route, support and marshalling were superb, as well as the entertainment at the finishing line.  I hope they run this again next year - if they do, I would definitely recommend giving it a go.

http://www.greatcycle.org/default.aspx

New wheels

Exciting news - after much deliberation, Gillian has invested in a shiny new bike.  I am now going to be chasing her back wheel when we hit the road on Thursday evening as she has been training on an old Giant bike until now, which was rescued from the back of the garage!  She will be off like a rocket on the new dream machine with fully functioning gears and lightweight frame. Exactly what is needed two weeks before the Manchester Great Cycle.  Bring on the speed.

Fundraising update

We are now into our last 2 months of fundraising, as all our funds have to be in by 9 August.  We can't thank everyone enough for their generosity in helping us get to the total below and achieve our target of £6,000; but as this is such a great cause, we have moved the goalposts and set a new target of £7,000.

If you would still like to support us, please take a moment to visit our Just Giving page - http://www.justgiving.com/CubanWheels where you can still make a donation.  Every penny donated will help in improving treatment; and more importantly, raising awareness of breast, cervical and ovarian cancers and their symptoms so that they can be caught and treated early - saving lives.

MANY THANKS!

One for dad

Today is Father's Day, so today's cycle was for dad.  He passed away in February, so our route today was to Altrincham Crematorium to visit the gardens where he was laid to rest.

Rather like the practice of dedicating your yoga practice to someone as a part of the meditative process, dedicating this cycle to dad felt almost as good as giving him an actual gift would have done.

We took a pleasant, undulating route out from Marple, via Poynton.  After skirting Alderley Edge we enjoyed the steep descent down from The Wizard Inn (I almost came off as I met a Landrover head on on a bend as I was up out of my seat flying down the hill - the back wheel skidded on the wet mud as there was no weight directly on it.  Fortunately, I had enough speed to stay vertical and made it to the bottom of the hill intact).

We were trying to push our speed today in preparation for the Great Manchester Cycle, which both Gillian and I have entered (partners in crime Chris and Ian are also cycling) - it is 2 weeks today, and the aim is to complete the 52 mile course in under 3.5 hours and avoid the dreaded Broom Wagon.  Target average speed is 15mph - decent.

http://www.greatcycle.org/default.aspx

The winding, but largely flat country roads of Ashley and Dunham were perfect for this, as was the weather - cool (bit breezy) but not cold, with some sunny spells.  After a tough hilly cycle last weekend to Buxton, which I struggled with, this felt terrific.  I could tell that I have improved - I am getting into higher gears to go at a steady pace, and enjoying cruising along.  I even passed a couple of other cyclists today for the first time.  Perhaps those stinking hills are paying off after all!

It was exactly 30 miles to The Crematorium and we did it in 2 hours - target pace!  We sat and ate a sandwich and oat bar and chatted to dad.  There were a lot of people there doing a similar thing and it was heart-warming to watch them coming and going.

The cycle home was tougher as there was a bit more uphill, and the increase in speed was taking its toll on our legs, but we kept it reasonably steady and made it back in 4:25 (average speed 13.5mph).  With a bit more work over the next 2 weeks, I am confident we can do it!  After all, the roads will be closed, so no stopping for junctions or traffic lights.

Rest day tomorrow, then it's back to spin class for more intervals!

Girls night out

Today it is summer.  A perfect clear blue sky and warm breeze, and I am out of work on the dot of 5 as Gillian and I are finally off on a cycle together.  We have struggled to co-ordinate our schedules over the last few weeks, so a ride together was long overdue.

We decided to meet in Cheadle Hulme as it is a pretty central point between Didsbury and Marple and easy to get to.  Gillian had worked out a loop which linked up to a couple of roads I recognised from my weekend cycles.

Despite training separately for the last few weeks it was great to discover that we are both at a similar level and we were comfortable cycling along at the same pace, just taking it steady enough to have a bit of a chat along the way.

We passed a lot of people who had had the same idea and were enjoying the evening sunshine - plenty of greetings of 'lovely evening' as they pedalled by with smiling faces.  Cyclists are a friendly bunch!

After just over an hour we separated and headed back home - a respectable 23.9 miles in the bank.  I was also pleased that it was not too painful getting back in the saddle after Sunday's 75 miler.  Tender, but not painful!

I think this may be a regular Tuesday date for us.  Hope so.

Clippin' Marvellous

My mission this weekend was to invest in some proper cycling shoes, as the running trainers I have been using so far are a bit too soft to cycle in for several hours over longer distances.  I decided that I would take the plunge and go for clip in pedals as well, as they have been recommended by a lot of my friends and work colleagues who cycle a lot.  They are much more efficient as you can push and pull the pedals.  They are also much more supportive with the shoes locked in to position.  Just have to get them out in time before you come to a stop!

We headed to the Evan's store at The Manchester Velodrome and were in there for about and hour and a half on Saturday morning.  I came out with shoes, pedals, a cycling top, 2 new pairs of shorts (buy 2 get one free on apparel!), grease, a weird tool that Chris picked up (I haven't developed much interest in the maintenance side of things yet, but must remedy that sometime soon), new inner tubes and a new water bottle.  There wasn't much left in the store!

Chris fitted the pedals and we spent a while with our bikes propped against the hall wall, practicing clipping in and out before advancing to the drive.  First test run was down the drive, finishing on the grass at the back, so that if I fell over it was a reasonably soft landing (not a fan of grazed elbows full of grit!).  All went well so we ventured round the block a couple of times with no mishaps.

It was agreed that we were good to go on our Sunday cycle.

Fast forward through a 75 mile ride (longest yet!) - same route as last week, but with an added section out to Jodrell Bank and Goostrey (stop off in Tatton for lunch as usual), and I am pleased to announce that the clip in pedals were a success.  :D  Only one minor mishap - I stopped when Chris wasn't expecting it, and he braked and ended up on the grass verge, but at least it was a soft landing - no lasting damage done!