RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY!

When I saw the recent weather forecasts that talked about storms and the lowest pressure weather system to hit the UK in September since 1981, I did wonder if I’d subconsciously booked to do the Coast 2 Coast again.

The amount of rain that has deluged northern England reminds me of when Pads, Neil and I tried to ride the Coast 2 Coast in June, only to be subsequently stranded after 40 miles on Kendal due to flooding.

It makes me think that plans to go back and complete the ride should now be firmly put back until spring as the weather will inevitably beat us if we try again this year.

We need to do a lot more training to get ourselves back to the levels we were in June, albeit with me needed a little bit more training then my fellow cyclists.

Ideally I’d like to put together a training regime that covers the winter to make sure we’re ready for when a weather window opens for us to cycle without swimming at the same time.

I suspect swimming will be key as that can help train many muscle groups, without the need to go outside during the dark autumn and winter mornings and evenings.

Being a parent means any training will come second to looking after my daughter, although my partner and I are always sharing responsibilities so we can both do as much sport and exercise as possible.

So let’s look forward to a winter of exercise and positive training for a successful Coast 2 Coast in early 2013, along with helping my daughter participate and learn about as many sports as possible.

CYCLING PHENOMENON

I’ve been speaking to friends and family recently and the consensus has been clear – the Olympics has led to a huge increase of people getting on their bikes!

It’s great to see the sporting prowess of the Olympics cyclists having such a positive effect on people and also boosting the fitness levels of the country.

The huge spike in interest in cycling does make me wonder how packed the Coast 2 Coast trail will be when we take on the challenge again.

There’s still no confirmed date for us to continue where we left off last time, but I suspect it’ll be March or April in 2013.

I’m not giving up hope of doing it before then, but the recent dip in temperature is indicating to me that it might be a little difficult, something I think we had enough of last time out!

The latest weather forecast reminds me of the weekend in June that Neil, Pads and I attempted the Coast 2 Coast, while trying to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Heavy rain, strong winds and weather warnings in place; the only difference is that you expect it in September, not June.

Due to holidays, weddings and birthdays I haven’t had much chance to get out on my bike, but I’m hoping that will change this weekend.

With almost ten days holiday still due I’ll make use of a couple of those days to take some long, leisurely trips around the Cheshire countryside.

I’ll endeavour to take some images and include them in future blog posts, fingers crossed I pick days with decent weather!

 

WHY DOES SUMMER COME NOW?

This is the sort of weather we need for the Coast to Coast bike ride! Lovely days with only light winds, followed by cool nights to ensure we want to cycle and warm up.

It has made me think that perhaps the best time to restart the ride would be March or April, when the weather doesn’t get too hot, but provides enough light in the morning and evening to reach each destination.

I think the plan will be to book a weekend close to the time when the weather forecast is good and it’ll mean we avoid the same situation as earlier this year.

To be honest I think we’d have been very lucky to pick the weekend to carry out the ride, raising money for Cancer Research UK, which gave us the weather we wanted.

I’d have been happy with rain showers, not flash floods, cold wind and being trapped for a night by flooding.

My bike has had a rest, while I’ve been running and playing football again, so my fitness levels only increase before the next time we attempt the ride.

Watching the cyclist, and all athletes, competing in the Paralympics makes me even more determined to complete the ride next time.

They deserve so much credit for what they achieve and the way they are all acting as inspiration to all of us.

It’s all about sacrificing things to achieve long term goals.

My sporting long term goal is to ride the Coast 2 Coast and I’ll be making sure that every effort is made to do it and show that the money donated by everyone so kindly, is done because of the way Pads, Neil and I have stretched our bodies to do so.