Well here we are, the last day of the challenge.
Mum and Kimberly finished their challenges on Friday as detailed in my last post but as you know I still had 0.5 miles left to do.
I played golf on Sunday morning and was going to be watching the Ryder Cup in the afternoon so the plan was to finish my last ride in between.
I had thought about doing just 0.5 miles (down the road and back) but that seemed pointless so I put my rucksack on and cycled to the garage to buy something for lunch and then home again. A total of just over 2.5 miles! By far my shortest ride but still long enough to take me over the planned 300 miles.
I know I keep saying it but I can't thank you enough for all your support and generous donations.
It's been emotional...
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Saturday, 29 September 2012
28th September
So it's getting towards midnight on Thursday night and Mum and Kimberly are planning on heading out very early to complete their challenges; Mum has 60 lengths to do, Kimberly has 3.09 miles to run, and I have 15.85 miles to cycle.
I suspect Kimberly will get up extra early to finish hers first despite insisting she will start at a time to make it competitive so I decide to employ underhand tactics for the win and go out now!
By the time I'm organised and ready It is 12:30am on Friday morning the 28th.
I set off and get down the road and round the corner before I realise I haven't got my helmet on and after a brief thought of carrying on anyway I decide not to and head back to get it.
As its the middle of the night I'm limited by where I can ride, I don't really fancy pitch black country roads so I have to stick to Yeovil. As this was to be my last ride I wanted to break my top speed of 33.8mph so I cycle down Bunford Hollow. As I'm heading down the unlit road with only a small front headlight I become aware and concerned about hitting a badger or pot hole that I can't see so I abort the speed attempt and proceed with caution. The first loop of Yeovil - along Preston road, back through town, and along Lysander road puts about 7 miles on the track, only about 11 more to go. Along the way I pass several staggering people on the way to or from pubs and clubs, one of which looks like he is stepping into the road towards me but who I manage to swerve around at speed.
As I pass a set of traffic lights my front light vibrates off its mounting and explodes into pieces as it hits the floor. I pick up the bits and it looks like the base has snapped so I stuff it in my saddle bag and proceed without a front light. Later inspection reveals that it hasn't actually broken but the vibration must have loosened the retaining screw.
The second loop of Yeovil is shorter as I don't go right down into town but still leaves me with 5 or so miles so I head for a third loop and victory. Somewhere along the ride I begin to get quite emotional thinking about why we are doing this challenge and the money we are raising for the very important cause. Winning seems to become less important than finishing and somehow having Mum and Kimberly wake up tomorrow to find that I have stolen the win seems to lose all its appeal. As I head home I hatch a plan to finish my ride just short of the 300 miles and leave the win to one of the others. I allow the GPS to register 15.35 miles - exactly 0.5 miles short of my 300th mile and stop the clock. I still have to cycle the last few hundred yards home but it was certainly less than the half a mile I needed.
I went to sleep but I set an alarm early enough so that I could get up and be at the swimming pool to meet Mum and Kimberly when they finish - Kimberly had agreed to finish her last 3 miles there as well. Dad came with me and we took a few balloons with the Royal Marsden cancer charity logo on them to celebrate the finish. When we got to the pool there was no sign of Mum in the water so she must have already finished and was getting changed. As we waited balloons in hand Kimberly ran to the finish line having run around in circles in the car park for the last few hundredths of a mile to get the exact distance she needed. We all went to the changing room and called out to Mum who came out of the cubicle wrapped in a towel to be greeted by the three of us with congratulations and balloons! It turned out that Mum had finished her last length at just after 7:45 am less than 10 minutes before Kimberly so to her delight she was the first person over the finishing line, closely followed by Kimberly. My last half a mile will be done on Sunday, the last day of the month and I'm yet to decide whether I will literally cycle just that half a mile or whether I will combine it with a normal length ride. One idea is to complete the same route as I did on the 1st of September which is about 12 miles I think. It will be interesting to see how much quicker I do it?
So apart from my last half mile, we've all but finished our challenges I set us at the start of the month and I am proud of each of us. Mum has done amazingly well to swim the equivalent of the English Channel - 21 miles - as she keeps pointing out, she's 68!!! One day saw her swim 64 lengths, get out for a coffee while the pool closed then get back in for another 60 lengths once they reopened. Considering her first swim many months ago was just 20 lengths she has come far - both figuratively and literally!
Kimberly also has done absolutely brilliantly, this whole challenge started after I was inspired by her own challenge to run 50 miles last month which she did so to do another 80 this month including one run of 10 miles is awesome.
I'm also very proud of my own achievement of 300 miles (well 299.5 so far) this month as the last time I was on a bike was a year ago and then all I did was three rides of 5, 6, and 10 miles. I know to a seasoned cyclist doing 300 miles in a month is easy but for my fitness level before I started this challenge it was adequate! All in all I've spent about 24 hours on the bike this month and I definitely feel better for it. My legs definitely feel stronger and my cardio fitness has definitely improved. Someone once told me, or I read a quote somewhere that "cycling doesn't get easier, you just get faster" which is so true. The hills at the end of the month still seem just as hard as the ones at the start of the month but my ability to climb them and the pace I ride is getting better. I hope to carry on cycling as I've got a good foundation to better fitness I just hope the weather allows it as we head towards winter. I also need a complete service on the bike, I think I shocked it this month doing 300 miles as its spent the last decade resting easy in the garage! In fact I think I've probably done more miles on it this month than all the miles it's ever done before - maybe not but it could be close! It's creaking a bit here and there and the crank click with every rotation so I think I'll send it to Tri-UK for a well deserved overhaul!
I can't finish this post without mentioning the absolutely mind blowing generosity of everyone who has sponsored us. At the time of writing we have raised £1,515 for the Royal Marsden and Smiler's Foundation which is amazing. We've still got a few people who have pledged their support so I'm sure that total will rise further and I can't thank everyone enough.
I'll post again when I finish my last ride on Sunday, I'm playing golf in the morning and watching the Ryder Cup in the afternoon but I have a window in between to get on the bike.
I suspect Kimberly will get up extra early to finish hers first despite insisting she will start at a time to make it competitive so I decide to employ underhand tactics for the win and go out now!
By the time I'm organised and ready It is 12:30am on Friday morning the 28th.
I set off and get down the road and round the corner before I realise I haven't got my helmet on and after a brief thought of carrying on anyway I decide not to and head back to get it.
As its the middle of the night I'm limited by where I can ride, I don't really fancy pitch black country roads so I have to stick to Yeovil. As this was to be my last ride I wanted to break my top speed of 33.8mph so I cycle down Bunford Hollow. As I'm heading down the unlit road with only a small front headlight I become aware and concerned about hitting a badger or pot hole that I can't see so I abort the speed attempt and proceed with caution. The first loop of Yeovil - along Preston road, back through town, and along Lysander road puts about 7 miles on the track, only about 11 more to go. Along the way I pass several staggering people on the way to or from pubs and clubs, one of which looks like he is stepping into the road towards me but who I manage to swerve around at speed.
As I pass a set of traffic lights my front light vibrates off its mounting and explodes into pieces as it hits the floor. I pick up the bits and it looks like the base has snapped so I stuff it in my saddle bag and proceed without a front light. Later inspection reveals that it hasn't actually broken but the vibration must have loosened the retaining screw.
The second loop of Yeovil is shorter as I don't go right down into town but still leaves me with 5 or so miles so I head for a third loop and victory. Somewhere along the ride I begin to get quite emotional thinking about why we are doing this challenge and the money we are raising for the very important cause. Winning seems to become less important than finishing and somehow having Mum and Kimberly wake up tomorrow to find that I have stolen the win seems to lose all its appeal. As I head home I hatch a plan to finish my ride just short of the 300 miles and leave the win to one of the others. I allow the GPS to register 15.35 miles - exactly 0.5 miles short of my 300th mile and stop the clock. I still have to cycle the last few hundred yards home but it was certainly less than the half a mile I needed.
I went to sleep but I set an alarm early enough so that I could get up and be at the swimming pool to meet Mum and Kimberly when they finish - Kimberly had agreed to finish her last 3 miles there as well. Dad came with me and we took a few balloons with the Royal Marsden cancer charity logo on them to celebrate the finish. When we got to the pool there was no sign of Mum in the water so she must have already finished and was getting changed. As we waited balloons in hand Kimberly ran to the finish line having run around in circles in the car park for the last few hundredths of a mile to get the exact distance she needed. We all went to the changing room and called out to Mum who came out of the cubicle wrapped in a towel to be greeted by the three of us with congratulations and balloons! It turned out that Mum had finished her last length at just after 7:45 am less than 10 minutes before Kimberly so to her delight she was the first person over the finishing line, closely followed by Kimberly. My last half a mile will be done on Sunday, the last day of the month and I'm yet to decide whether I will literally cycle just that half a mile or whether I will combine it with a normal length ride. One idea is to complete the same route as I did on the 1st of September which is about 12 miles I think. It will be interesting to see how much quicker I do it?
So apart from my last half mile, we've all but finished our challenges I set us at the start of the month and I am proud of each of us. Mum has done amazingly well to swim the equivalent of the English Channel - 21 miles - as she keeps pointing out, she's 68!!! One day saw her swim 64 lengths, get out for a coffee while the pool closed then get back in for another 60 lengths once they reopened. Considering her first swim many months ago was just 20 lengths she has come far - both figuratively and literally!
Kimberly also has done absolutely brilliantly, this whole challenge started after I was inspired by her own challenge to run 50 miles last month which she did so to do another 80 this month including one run of 10 miles is awesome.
I'm also very proud of my own achievement of 300 miles (well 299.5 so far) this month as the last time I was on a bike was a year ago and then all I did was three rides of 5, 6, and 10 miles. I know to a seasoned cyclist doing 300 miles in a month is easy but for my fitness level before I started this challenge it was adequate! All in all I've spent about 24 hours on the bike this month and I definitely feel better for it. My legs definitely feel stronger and my cardio fitness has definitely improved. Someone once told me, or I read a quote somewhere that "cycling doesn't get easier, you just get faster" which is so true. The hills at the end of the month still seem just as hard as the ones at the start of the month but my ability to climb them and the pace I ride is getting better. I hope to carry on cycling as I've got a good foundation to better fitness I just hope the weather allows it as we head towards winter. I also need a complete service on the bike, I think I shocked it this month doing 300 miles as its spent the last decade resting easy in the garage! In fact I think I've probably done more miles on it this month than all the miles it's ever done before - maybe not but it could be close! It's creaking a bit here and there and the crank click with every rotation so I think I'll send it to Tri-UK for a well deserved overhaul!
I can't finish this post without mentioning the absolutely mind blowing generosity of everyone who has sponsored us. At the time of writing we have raised £1,515 for the Royal Marsden and Smiler's Foundation which is amazing. We've still got a few people who have pledged their support so I'm sure that total will rise further and I can't thank everyone enough.
I'll post again when I finish my last ride on Sunday, I'm playing golf in the morning and watching the Ryder Cup in the afternoon but I have a window in between to get on the bike.
Friday, 28 September 2012
27th September
At the start of today I still had just over 35 miles left to complete my challenge. Mum was planning on finishing her final 60 lengths tomorrow morning so I decided to leave enough miles left so I could cycle whilst she swam and we finished more or less at the same time. I worked out that about 17 miles was about what I should leave so I set out to do my penultimate ride.
I did the East Coker/Dorchester Road loop (6 miles) then out to Odcombe and in to the coffee shop at the garden centre again to meet Mum (11 miles). I then cycled bits of the railway track and into town then home. I actually ended up doing just over 19 miles leaving myself 15.85 miles to the finish.
Kimberly went out for a run in the evening and was going to leave herself about 6 miles to finish which we thought she was doing on Sunday but she then let slip that she was plotting to do a long run this evening and get up extra early tomorrow and finish her challenge before Mum and I even started our final leg - sneaky! After some negotiation she agreed to leave enough miles to match the times of our final cycle/swim then the three of us would start at the same time and race to the finish line.
It turns out she ended up doing a Forrest Gump and just kept on running completing an amazing 10 miles leaving only 3.09 to do! I jokingly threatened to get on my bike there and then and do my final 16 miles and steal the victory but I didn't.
I sat at home waiting for Kimberly to post the GPS track of her ten mile run but the longer I waited the more convinced I was that she was out doing her last 3 miles! Eventually it appeared though and she hadn't been out again.
So there we were 60 lengths left for Mum, 3.09 miles left for Kimberly, and. 15.85 miles left for me. Even though Kimberly was adamant that she was going to start at a time which would match Mum and I in the morning I was sure she would get up and sneak the win and I'd never hear the end of it so I decided to employ my own sneaky tactics... Watch out for my next blog entry to find out what happened!
I did the East Coker/Dorchester Road loop (6 miles) then out to Odcombe and in to the coffee shop at the garden centre again to meet Mum (11 miles). I then cycled bits of the railway track and into town then home. I actually ended up doing just over 19 miles leaving myself 15.85 miles to the finish.
Kimberly went out for a run in the evening and was going to leave herself about 6 miles to finish which we thought she was doing on Sunday but she then let slip that she was plotting to do a long run this evening and get up extra early tomorrow and finish her challenge before Mum and I even started our final leg - sneaky! After some negotiation she agreed to leave enough miles to match the times of our final cycle/swim then the three of us would start at the same time and race to the finish line.
It turns out she ended up doing a Forrest Gump and just kept on running completing an amazing 10 miles leaving only 3.09 to do! I jokingly threatened to get on my bike there and then and do my final 16 miles and steal the victory but I didn't.
I sat at home waiting for Kimberly to post the GPS track of her ten mile run but the longer I waited the more convinced I was that she was out doing her last 3 miles! Eventually it appeared though and she hadn't been out again.
So there we were 60 lengths left for Mum, 3.09 miles left for Kimberly, and. 15.85 miles left for me. Even though Kimberly was adamant that she was going to start at a time which would match Mum and I in the morning I was sure she would get up and sneak the win and I'd never hear the end of it so I decided to employ my own sneaky tactics... Watch out for my next blog entry to find out what happened!
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
26th September
Having not been out on the bike since Monday and then for only 6.4 miles because of a puncture I knew I had to get some miles done today. Mum has been doing 60 lengths a day all week and now only has 60 left to complete her challenge!
I set off to do the East Coker, Dorchester Road loop which is about 6 miles then the plan was to cycle towards Ham Hill and down through Odcombe to meet Mum for a coffee at Palmers garden centre. That little jaunt took me to 11.4 miles today but starting the day with 57 miles left to do I knew I had to continue. I looped down Preston Road then back via the Westland cycle track then all the way across town to the golf club for a pit stop.
I headed for home in a heavy downpour and a couple of laps of the block later I'd put in 22.19 miles today leaving me with just over 35 miles left.
Mum had originally planned to have tomorrow off and do her final 60 lengths on Friday morning so my plan was to do about 22 again tomorrow then do my final 13 or so at the same time as Mum swims on Friday so we can call it a friendly draw!
However, reading the banter on Facebook it now looks like Mum is going for the win and isn't having the day off after all!
I've got a few options... I can either get up at a stupidly early time and attempt to cycle 35 miles before Mum can do an hour in the pool but as the pool opens at 6:30am Mum will be finished by 7:30am so I'd have to set off at 4:45am!
Another option is to go out for another 20 or so miles now in the dark and in the rain thus leaving around 15 miles or just over an hour of cycling for tomorrow morning. The problem is that I've just eaten a huge plate of hot chilli with rice, bread, and beer so I'm feeling a bit full!
The third option is to just forget it, finish in my own time, and let Mum take the win...
I'm going to let my chilli go down for an hour or so and then decide...
You're probably wondering how Kimberly is getting on? Well she ran a great 6 or so miles with the running club on Tuesday leaving just over 13 miles. Her plan is to split that between a run tomorrow, and a club run on Sunday. There is also the possibility that she has done a couple of runs in secret and is planning on victory tomorrow - even more reason to lunge for the finishing line myself!
I set off to do the East Coker, Dorchester Road loop which is about 6 miles then the plan was to cycle towards Ham Hill and down through Odcombe to meet Mum for a coffee at Palmers garden centre. That little jaunt took me to 11.4 miles today but starting the day with 57 miles left to do I knew I had to continue. I looped down Preston Road then back via the Westland cycle track then all the way across town to the golf club for a pit stop.
I headed for home in a heavy downpour and a couple of laps of the block later I'd put in 22.19 miles today leaving me with just over 35 miles left.
Mum had originally planned to have tomorrow off and do her final 60 lengths on Friday morning so my plan was to do about 22 again tomorrow then do my final 13 or so at the same time as Mum swims on Friday so we can call it a friendly draw!
However, reading the banter on Facebook it now looks like Mum is going for the win and isn't having the day off after all!
I've got a few options... I can either get up at a stupidly early time and attempt to cycle 35 miles before Mum can do an hour in the pool but as the pool opens at 6:30am Mum will be finished by 7:30am so I'd have to set off at 4:45am!
Another option is to go out for another 20 or so miles now in the dark and in the rain thus leaving around 15 miles or just over an hour of cycling for tomorrow morning. The problem is that I've just eaten a huge plate of hot chilli with rice, bread, and beer so I'm feeling a bit full!
The third option is to just forget it, finish in my own time, and let Mum take the win...
I'm going to let my chilli go down for an hour or so and then decide...
You're probably wondering how Kimberly is getting on? Well she ran a great 6 or so miles with the running club on Tuesday leaving just over 13 miles. Her plan is to split that between a run tomorrow, and a club run on Sunday. There is also the possibility that she has done a couple of runs in secret and is planning on victory tomorrow - even more reason to lunge for the finishing line myself!
Monday, 24 September 2012
24th September
I wasn't planning on a long rude today but I needed to go into town so I decided to go on my bike then pootle around afterwards cycling here and there to eat up a few miles. Initially I emptied my spanners and puncture repair kit from my saddle bag as I was not going to be far from home but something made me put it back in - thankfully!
I went into town and locked the bike up and had a coffee and a wrap then cycled down to the golf club to see if Dad had finished his game - no sign of him. I then planned on cycling the railway path all the way from the golf club to Lysander Road but just as I passed the swimming pool I got a puncture in my rear tyre! I took the wheel off and eventually found the hole and the sharp stone that was sticking through the tyre! The puncture repair patches I carry are self adhesive and are supposed to be great for roadside repairs. I roughed up the area and stuck the patch on then put the wheel back on and inflated the tyre. As I was close to Morrisons petrol station I cycled there with the intention of using the air line to put the correct pressure in but whilst waiting for someone to finish using it I felt the tyre and it was had gone down somewhat so the repair had obviously not taken! I pushed the bike to the supermarket car park and took the wheel off again and on inspection I realised that air was escaping from the edge of the patch. I think it is because the hole was right on the ridge of where the tube was moulded or maybe I just did it wrong?!? Anyway, I put a second and third patch overlapping the first one and reassembled everything. By the time I'd been in to the shop to wash my hands and got back to my bike the tyre was going down again so I walked home.
So in the end although I was right to put my spanners and repair kit back into my saddle bag it didn't make any difference as I still ended up walking home! I'm just about to drive down to Tri-UK to talk about how I fixed the puncture to see if I did anything wrong and to buy a new inner tube!
Thankfully this has happened on a day when I was less than a mile away from home and not when I was on one of my longer rides!
Just 6.4 miles done until I had to abort the ride but it all adds up in the end.
Mum completed 60 lengths this morning which leaves her with 180 left to do. Three more swims of 60 lengths and she will have reached France!!!
I went into town and locked the bike up and had a coffee and a wrap then cycled down to the golf club to see if Dad had finished his game - no sign of him. I then planned on cycling the railway path all the way from the golf club to Lysander Road but just as I passed the swimming pool I got a puncture in my rear tyre! I took the wheel off and eventually found the hole and the sharp stone that was sticking through the tyre! The puncture repair patches I carry are self adhesive and are supposed to be great for roadside repairs. I roughed up the area and stuck the patch on then put the wheel back on and inflated the tyre. As I was close to Morrisons petrol station I cycled there with the intention of using the air line to put the correct pressure in but whilst waiting for someone to finish using it I felt the tyre and it was had gone down somewhat so the repair had obviously not taken! I pushed the bike to the supermarket car park and took the wheel off again and on inspection I realised that air was escaping from the edge of the patch. I think it is because the hole was right on the ridge of where the tube was moulded or maybe I just did it wrong?!? Anyway, I put a second and third patch overlapping the first one and reassembled everything. By the time I'd been in to the shop to wash my hands and got back to my bike the tyre was going down again so I walked home.
So in the end although I was right to put my spanners and repair kit back into my saddle bag it didn't make any difference as I still ended up walking home! I'm just about to drive down to Tri-UK to talk about how I fixed the puncture to see if I did anything wrong and to buy a new inner tube!
Thankfully this has happened on a day when I was less than a mile away from home and not when I was on one of my longer rides!
Just 6.4 miles done until I had to abort the ride but it all adds up in the end.
Mum completed 60 lengths this morning which leaves her with 180 left to do. Three more swims of 60 lengths and she will have reached France!!!
Friday, 21 September 2012
21st September part two!
I needed to go to Tesco to buy a steak for tea so I went on the bike. I went the long (ish) way round by going down Bunford and along Lysander Road instead of straight down Hendford Hill like earlier.
I bought my shopping, loaded it into my rucksack then cycled home. Just over 4 miles in the bank...
I bought my shopping, loaded it into my rucksack then cycled home. Just over 4 miles in the bank...
21st September
I wasn't planning on riding the bike today but I needed to go into town so I thought I might as well cycle then at least I'd get another few miles done. That's the first time this month I've used the bike for a practical purpose rather than just for eating up miles! Is this what healthy people do?
I cycled down Hendford Hill achieving my fastest speed so far of 33.8mph - more than 10% greater than the speed limit - I could get a ticket for that!
I met Mum in town and had a coffee then cycled to Tri-Uk to enquire about new break pads for the bike. Mine have become increasingly squeaky over the month but the bloke in the shop said I didn't need new ones but could probably decrease the squeak with a bit of adjustment and roughing up with sand paper. My bike is due a service as its never done so many miles in this short a period before!
From Tri-Uk I cycled the railway path to nine springs country park then decided to do a bit of proper mountain (sic) biking and come home through the woods. It's so different cycling on mud and gravel and carrying the bike up and down steps than on the road. Very tiring but a lot of fun. The trouble is the average speed is much lower and so the miles don't tick over as quick. As this challenge is about distance rather than time on the bike I'll stick to the roads for the rest of the month I think!
Just over 6 miles done in my little town trip today but as Tesco says "every little helps"... That reminds me I need to go to Tesco to buy a steak for tea - perhaps I should go on my bike?!?
I'll let you know later if I did...
I cycled down Hendford Hill achieving my fastest speed so far of 33.8mph - more than 10% greater than the speed limit - I could get a ticket for that!
I met Mum in town and had a coffee then cycled to Tri-Uk to enquire about new break pads for the bike. Mine have become increasingly squeaky over the month but the bloke in the shop said I didn't need new ones but could probably decrease the squeak with a bit of adjustment and roughing up with sand paper. My bike is due a service as its never done so many miles in this short a period before!
From Tri-Uk I cycled the railway path to nine springs country park then decided to do a bit of proper mountain (sic) biking and come home through the woods. It's so different cycling on mud and gravel and carrying the bike up and down steps than on the road. Very tiring but a lot of fun. The trouble is the average speed is much lower and so the miles don't tick over as quick. As this challenge is about distance rather than time on the bike I'll stick to the roads for the rest of the month I think!
Just over 6 miles done in my little town trip today but as Tesco says "every little helps"... That reminds me I need to go to Tesco to buy a steak for tea - perhaps I should go on my bike?!?
I'll let you know later if I did...
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