TRAINING PLAN BOOST FOLLOWING SNOW MELT

So the weather is making training on the bike a little difficult. I don’t have much spare time at the weekend so rely on the roads and lanes around my house to enable me to get straight on my bike and not use the car to travel somewhere.

The last few weekends have been hectic with birthdays and a wedding, so the first weekend I have free to get out and one day it’s covered in snow, slush and ice, the other day it’s flooded everywhere.

Maybe I’m a fair weather cyclist but my time constraints mean I need to make the most of being on the bike and not sacrificing that to scrape mud and dirt from all my clothes and the bike. Of course that will happen, just when I have a little more time to do so.

So the route has been planned for the C2C bike ride as the team plan what we hope to be a successful event, unlike last year and the floods!

We’ll start once again in Whitehaven before taking the roads, lanes and mountain tracks to Keswick and on to the first overnight stop in Troutbeck.

A shorter second day will see us pass Penrith before stopping for the night in Renwick. The third day sees us take on the biggest climb of the whole C2C ride and before resting and sleeping in Rookhope.

The final day will see an hour or so of climbing before the relatively easy, and mainly downhill, section to the finish in Tynemouth.

Whether we stay overnight in Tynemouth depends on if we have a support team following us and what time we get there.

At present we have the same three team members as 2012, myself, Neil and Pads, although there is the possibility of at least one new addition, plus a support person or persons.

Final details will be decided in the coming weeks, as we book the places we want to stay. Stay tuned for updates and training news.

NEW YEAR, NEW C2C ATTEMPT

First weekend of 2013 and I missed out on training due to the annual Frodsham Beer Festival and my first football game of the season.

While the Beer Festival wasn’t exercise, playing football the next day certainly shed the cobwebs and excesses of the alcohol.

This weekend I have a wedding which will be a full on day and night event, so my plan of a ride on Sunday may well be scuppered, not just by the celebrations, but also the weather.

Ice could well be a threat as most of the lanes around my house are still damp, so the frosty nights we’ve been promised could be a problem if daytime temperatures fail to melt the ice build-up.

January will be more of strategic planning as three weekends every year are taken up by birthday celebrations, with the only spare one this year being taken up by a wedding.

If the plan for the overnight stops, routes and back-up team are organised, then I’ll be happy. February will see the start of training properly for the C2C bike ride, with the odd long distance ride to build up stamina.

On a positive note I’m still playing football at least once a week and badminton is now becoming a weekly event, so fitness is being maintained at least.

This month will also give me feedback on my knee/hip problems, so keep your fingers crossed for some positive news.

In the meantime the team is showing signs of growing to almost double the size it was for the attempt last year. Hopefully this will be confirmed by the end of January, when the bookings for accommodation will need to be made.

2013, PLEASE LET 2012 KEEP ALL THE WET WEATHER

Goodbye 2012 and goodbye to all your wet weather, particularly the weather that meant the Coast 2 Coast bike ride I had planned for almost two years, had to be abandoned after just 40 miles.

The plan for the 2013 attempt is still being confirmed, but I hope to have things in place soon, once Neil, Pads and I agree on dates etc.

I’m also hoping for a support team including all our partners, who will go on to the lunch and evening destinations with food and overnight things.

The initial weather forecast for early 2013 is good, although I’m expecting snow and icy conditions to soon come around and prevent training, until then I’ll be out when I can on the bike getting ready.

I’m still struggling with my knee and hip, but it’s going to be a case of taking all the necessary precautions and treat my joints correctly, to ensure they can take me all the way.

This year’s adventure is something I’m looking forward to as I just want to complete it for the huge amount of donations that have been given for Cancer Research UK.

Whether I do another epic exercise event like this for charity is something I doubt, but I will be looking at another charity challenge, perhaps for 2014.

Training updates will be coming throughout January and beyond.