On Sunday Simon and I rode the route that we’d had planned for a while. It was a somewhat shorter but all the nasty bits (well most of them) of the Fred Whitton Challenge that we’ll be doing in May.

After an early (like, dark) start in Manchester it was off to Ambleside after a rendezvous in Darwen. We were on the road just after 9 and immediately set the pace that we were to maintain throughout the day. The route included the Whinlatter Pass, Fangs, Swarth Fell, Cold Fell, Irton Pike, the Hardknott Pass and the Wrynose Pass.

The weather was brilliant – chilly with sunshine. Perfect, in fact. Everything was going well, no mechanicals, plenty of food and water, great weather throughout and we were belting along.

The road from Ennerdale Bridge to Calder Bridge towards the coast, sun beating down and Sellafield in the distance was one of those “memorable” cycling experiences that if you describe it to someone it sounds like “we were riding fast along a deserted road on a nice day” – however the combination of the sunshine, scenery, speed and tailwind just kind of gave it that “this is why I ride bikes” feeling that I don’t think there’s a name for. Apart from the usual adjectives such as “awesome” and “f**king brilliant”.

The climb up the Harknott Pass was immense. How people clean this all the way up is incredible really. Perhaps they’re using triple chainsets and not doubles (like we were). Perhaps they’re on drugs. Perhaps they’re stronger than me. My gearing was a bit more sensible than Simon’s but we were both off and pushing for portions of the climb, the air thick with the stench of burning car brakes and clutches. On the approach from Eskdale, the Harknott looks pretty much vertical. That’s because it is pretty much vertical.

The Wrynose was massive too, but a bit more rideable than the last one. Not much more though. There’s still some pushing to do.

The drops off the other side of both were terrifying…on the brakes all the way down and trying to maintain control on the poor road surface. Add to that the cars on their way up in the opposite direction, with drivers of varying amounts of bad attitude, you’ve got a recipe for potential disaster.

75 miles in just under 5 hours, and about three thousand metres of climbing. I’ve no doubt at all that I’ll be able to do the Fred and feel positive now that the training is starting to pay off.

Here’s me and Senor Sparkle (clearly having a sneaky kip) at the summit of Wrynose, not getting into our pose fast enough for the camera’s timer.

Great fun last night. I did the Liver Hill race oop in Rawtenstall. Simon was there and my little sis had a go too. She’d apparently started nattering to some bloke on the way back down off the moor and I suspect that might have cost her a few places….hmmm. Still, I enjoyed the change and I’m definately feeling better on the climby bits. I lost my bottle a bit on the descent, especially the bit that was like running through a builder’s skip.

Simon did very well as usual. I’ll catch him one day. 😉

Following Simon’s mileage total for last week, I’m going to start my own running total. That’ll be fun. Up to now I’ve done one ride this week (if we’re starting on Monday). That ride was ONE MILE LONG because my chain snapped. A KMC BMX chain too. Bastard. I’ve got a few bikes as my loyal readers know, but I was too gutted to get another out of the stable and sulked instead.

After I’ve painted my downstairs loo in a bit I’m doing an intervals session on the turbo. That’s gotta be worth 20 miles at least! So that’s 21 miles by Wednesday. I’ll get a couple more rides in this week before THE BIG ONE on Sunday. Me and Simon are doing a recce of the Fred Whitton route. Well, we’re doing most of it including the hardest bits. My mapping software reckons it’s a total of 84 miles with 3500 metres of vertical. Gulp. That’s gonna hurt. The bit I’m most worried about is descending on a drop-barred bike down a 1 in 3 hill with a ditch at either side. I’m shitting it to be honest. 

I’d planned a route over to Deb’s mums house “the long way round”. I rode it yesterday once I’d put the slick race tyres on the ‘cross bike. Middleton/Oldham/Ashton/Stalybridge (bloody big hill)/Glossop/Hayfield (even bloody bigger hill)/New Mills/Kettleshulme (ridiculously bloody big hill)/Bollington/Prestbury. 70-odd k’s altogether with 1300 metres of climbing. There was a headwind for the most part but the sun came out and it was just a nice ride (even the urban early bits). I made it to Kath’s in just over 3 hours including a stop for a ‘nana in Hayfield which wasn’t too bad I ‘spose.

It’s Rachael’s first birthday today. She’s celebrating it by opening loads of presents, having Dad take a day off work and take her to the swings and eating chocolate biscuits. Time really does fly, blink and you’ll miss the best bits.

The house is like a bombsite at the moment. We’ve got a joiner in who’s replacing all the doors and doing some other stuff that if I attempted them the place would look like a scene from a Vietnam film. John the joiner seems like a good bloke though – he’s doing all the bits normal folk wouldn’t think of, like making the edges of the door slightly rounded and actually making stuff look like it’s been done with the appropiate tools instead of my usual approach that involves mostly smacking stuff with a half brick.

Not much riding this week really. I’m supposed to be having a rest week next week but I’m cancelling it and I’m going to push hard instead.

Also this week I helped Budge spend a wedge of cash on an Inbred. He’ll have fun wid dat fo’ sho’. It’s a secondhand one, but looks like its in mint condition. New bikes are great.

Ok, so I’m late posting an entry about my exploits in the last week, but I’m busy innit. In the last week…blah blah blah, I’ve ripped a tyre! Yep, RIPPED IT. I’ve never done that before. I’ve repaired it too (I hope). I went out on the ‘cross bike for a road ride, got back and noticed a half-inch slash in the tyre. Presumably caused by a piece of glass.

Anyway, I superglued a piece of innertube to the inside of the tyre (a Maxxis Locust, trivia fans) and filled the hole on the outside with some more glue.

Hopefully it’ll hold.

I still can’t get over how much fun this bike is though. Riding on the road, even using knobbly tyres is soooo fast and soooo much fun. I’m using my 35 watt halogens on it too so cars actually stop to let me through, rather than aiming for my ass.

Later last week I went for a ride with Budge and Phil on the singlespeed. Oh what fun it was trying to catch them on the downhills and flat bits on a bike with one gear and no suspension. Left them on the climbs, mind 😉

Work’s really busy at the moment too, and late last week I was given an unhealthy dose of office politics. Nothing too serious but it did my nut in all weekend. By Sunday night I was like a coiled spring and decided the only thing that could save me now was a ride. I was getting right on Deb’s wick too. So…off I went in the wind and snow. The snow wasn’t too bad when I set off but by the time I’d reached Hurst Wood is was a proper blizzard. A HID lamp isn’t very good in snow either ‘cos all it does is turn each flake into a eye hazard. The contrast of pitch darkness and 60 watts of white straight down the optic nerve starts to take it’s toll, especially when one is trying to ride roots. Soon, the trail itself was starting to disappear under the winter blanket and the wind was really picking up.

By the time I’d got home though, my internal turmoil had turned into a dogged determinedness to get things sorted in the morning. Which I did, after a good night’s sleep.

Where would I be without cycling eh?

Fat And Depressed Camp, that’s where.