France 2010

25th July: Lyon to Roybon (81.5Km)
26th July: Roybon to St Bonnet (50.2Km)
3rd Aug: St Bonnet to Bourdeaux (94.8Km)
4th Aug: Bourdeaux to Malaucène (73.9Km)
5th Aug: Malaucène to Alès (159Km including Mt Ventoux)
6th Aug: Alès to Meyrueis (98.8Km)
7th Aug: Meyrueis to Le Moulin (121Km)
8th Aug: Le Moulin to Cajarc (125Km)
9th Aug: Cajarc to Cancon (155Km)
10th Aug: Cancon to Villandraut (122Km)
11th Aug: Villandraut to Carcans (148Km)
12th Aug: Carcans to Soulac (63.4Km)
13th Aug: Soulac to Chateillon (125Km)
14th Aug: Chateillon to Challans (140Km)
15th Aug: Challans to River Vilian (131Km)
16th Aug: River Vilian to Plouharnel (83.5Km)
17th Aug: Plouharnal to Rohan (119Km)
18th Aug: Rohan to Plouguenast (97.3Km)
19th Aug: Plouguenast to St Malo (108Km)
20th Aug: St Malo to Mt St Michel (76.4Km)
21st Aug: Mt St Michel to Gouville (103Km)
22nd Aug: Gouville to Cherbourg (127Km)

Total distance: 2421.52Km

2008 Cat & Fiddle Cycle Challenge

Rain made this event not exactly ideal, but still I guess it added to the overall challenge, and it felt good to be in the Peak District again. The weather certainly made you feel that winter was around the corner, I’ll give it two weeks for it to reach London. Click here for the route.

Join the club!

Joined the Kingston Wheelers today for their club run. Have been meaning to for a few years but work has always got in the way. They meet every Sunday at 9am by the Thames in Surbiton and three groups head out to the country for a spin around the Surrey Hills. Today I tried the medium paced group, to “test the water” and see how things go but I think in future I may alternate with the training group to challenge the old legs!

London Duathlon 2008

Phew… completed the London Duathlon today. To be honest I was worried about the running as the training was put on hold due to the reoccurrence of crepitus in my left ankle, but with a few weeks rest it slowly recovered, to a reasonable level and I was able to compete.

The race began with a 10K run, and I pulled out the stops to record 39:47, which is great for me. Both transitions were far quicker thanks to the use of elastic shoe laces. As expected I blitzed the 20K bike section in 40:25, and recorded a modest 20:36 for the final 5K run. Finding out I made it into the top 200 made me smile.

Washington DC to Seattle

Bye everyone, I’m off to the States to cycle from Washington DC to Seattle. As you can imagine this trip is quite ambitious, so rather than clutter this one with the event I have created a separate blog to cover everything there. You will find it here

Isle of Wight Randonnee

With the weather forecast not looking too optimistic I packed a waterproof, map, sandwich, apple, chocolate bar and obligatory banana into the pannier and headed off to first check point on East Cowes.

On arrival I signed in and collected a check card (see above). This was my third IOW Randonnee and like the other two I just about managed to leave before midday. So it turned into a race as the day panned out.

Hills are a reoccurring theme on this 100Km route. The hills aren’t high, 165m max, but you do spend the vast part of the day shifting gears and spinning. At least the views are worth the effort.

There were six checkpoints in total, all were great places to chat and have a rest from the saddle. At Bembridge and Yarmouth you could grab a bite to eat and cup of tea, and regain some of the energy lost along the way.

In the end it took me just under 6 hours and I never once had to use the old raincoat!

Portrait Complete!

Competitor Number 2 looks back at the road taken, Oil on Canvas, 80×60, 2008, Pauline Little.

Inspired by Giovanni Battista’s II Cavaliere dal Piede Ferito, Pauline Little created a portrait of me in all my cycling glory and surrounded by the random items you stumble on whilst on tour; the bull made an appearance every so often whilst on the road to Almeria, the post (top left) belongs to a farmer in the Picos de Europas, and the monument above my left shoulder was one of many I came across on that same tour (Puerto de Palombera). The race number was from last years Jekyll & Hyde Duathlon and the medal worn was given on completion of the London Duathlon 2007.

Pauline Little is a London based Artist who specializes in creating paintings of athletes, she completed this portrait in four sessions (just over an hour each). For more details see her website.

2007 Cat & Fiddle Cycle Challenge

Today I was one of over 1,500 people who took part in the 2007 Cat & Fiddle Cycle Challenge in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. With a couple of friends I set off from Brian Rourke’s cycle shop in Stoke-on-Trent on a 55 mile cycle through Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and the beautiful Peak District National Park.

The ride included the infamous Cat and Fiddle climb (7 miles long), here we stopped off for a bacon and egg sandwich at the Cat & Fiddle Pub, and relaxed for a while before setting of back to Stoke-on-Trent. Along the way we passed Flash; the highest village in England, Leek, and encountered many a hill, but we took it in our stride and arrived safely.

For more info on the event, click here.

To download the route (.gpx), click here.

Morden to Hove and back (via Downs Link)

I had the inspiration to cycle down to the south coast today, and was surprised to find myself arriving in Hove before midday. The route took in mainly quiet lanes, there was the odd round-about, but on the whole I thought it was fairly safe. On the way back I used the Downs Link, which is a bridleway that stretches from the coast to Guildford. I highly recommend it as it is a real gem.

To download the route as .gpx, click here

Wimbledon to Rowlands Castle (and the Isle of Wight)

Today the weather forecast looked optimistic, so I decided to cycle down to the Isle of Wight to visit family. The route took in Morden, Epsom, Leatherhead, Ewehurst, The North and South Downs, and Rowlands Castle where I caught the train to Portsmouth Harbor – I didn’t fancy using Portsmouth’s hectic roads and crazy one way systems!

From the train it was a short walk to the fast ferry, which took me over the Solent to Ryde on the Isle of Wight. After a chat and a bite to eat I caught the train back home!

Click here to dowload the route (.gpx)