Still Training

It has been hard work keeping up on things in the past few weeks since the last post, work has had to take a priority over writing on here, but don't worry we have been training very hard; lots of long rides in all sorts of weather from soaked to the bone to burned to a crisp, we have faced it all!

The focus has shifted a little and two weeks ago we started to training twice a week, by including a Monday evening session (which has so far concluded at the New Inn, Tickton, followed by a deserved Belgian beer :-) ) the past two times we have essentially ridden to near Hornsea and back to Beverely. It is amazing how somewhere so flat, can have so many hidden hills!

So the evening sessions have been more punchy shorter rides of around 20 to 25 miles, where the emphasis has been more about pace and cadence; keeping the legs moving and getting as many miles in as we can to a couple of hours.

Whereas the day sessions have still focussed on longer distances, more about the stamina and lots of hill climbs were included in the mix; we have been generally lucky in that we only got soaked the once. Some of our most challenging rides have hit the hills around Ripplingham and Newbald, which seem to be amongst the steepest in our immediate area (scary going down them too :) )

Anyway we are only a couple of weeks away now, gotta say we are up for it and raring to go!



View Loop to Trans Pennine Trail and Back on the 66 in a larger map

Catching Some Sun

Last weekend was unfortunately called off, so a fallow weekend with no training, so this bank holiday weekend we decided to set off out into the midday sun, well almost. It was more mid-afternoon, with another challenging route planned,  heading again in search of the Transpennine Trail, a reconnaissance mission if you will. Due to a late start there was to be no leisurely amble to a rural public house unfortunately, a much more testing pace was set (by our standards). We aimed to pick up the trail around Elloughton and investigate some of the particulars around Broomfleet; and were surprised to find a very sizeable hill running through Riplingham towards Elloughton, it just didn't seem to stop and was quite a bit scary considering how fast we were descending with the breaks on.

View Loop via Broomfleet, N Ferriby etc. in a larger map

It was certainly the first really good day we have had and so the sun lotion was applied liberally pre-ride; a light wind blew the whole way round but nothing like that which we have experienced in recent weeks. It almost felt like summer, just about right, something in the region of 16 degrees.

Still there were some decent ascents to challenge us this time at North Ferriby up towards Swanland and also on our way to Welton before that; we may have to try this route backwards some time as I feel that it will be much more challenging the other way round, finishing with hills is exactly what we need to prepare for as our second leg of the challenge will be rising to 400+ metres in the Pennines.

Separately, we have managed to organise the accommodation for the trip this weekend, some very helpful people are providing spaces for us on camp sites along the way; this proved to be very challenging in terms of identifying potential sites as there doesn't seem to be many along the trail and this was surprising.

So we are only 8 weeks away from the start line, it is starting to get a bit exciting as everything falls into place both in terms of planning and support; at the last check we were above 26% of our target with online donations and I am reliably informed that cash donations will take us over the 30% mark. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will be able to persuade local businesses to support us and lift that much closer to the target.

A

Trek Around the Wolds

It was a ride filled with challenge and rewarded with spectacular views and an afternoon in the pub! Eagerly, or perhaps not so much, we set-out on our weekend ride in the early am hours; surprisingly after Mark's session the previous afternoon come evening. Again we headed out into the wind, head-long for a much lengthy period of time as we aimed for Pocklington; no sooner had we turned the corner from the blowy stuff than we hit our first of many hills, in fact there were a few practice hills along the way, but they really started in earnest just North of Pocklington heading up towards Kilnwick Percy.

It seems that this particular section of the 164 is very popular, but the addition of a cycle event coinciding with a handful of leisure cyclists ensured the warm tarmac hummed with the rolling tyres. Somewhere in the region of 200m we peaked after climbing past Millington Wood and then there was a wonderful descent through Huggate, Tibthorpe and Kirkburn, very relaxing after pumping our legs for so long.

View Wolds Loop 1 in a larger map

The longest ride of the year so far weighed in at around 48 miles in total, and cost us a Mars bar and Snickers in energy (and the rest) so we were justified in spending the afternoon at the Goodmanham Arms for their annual beer festival. 

Not quite sure where next weekend will lead us, but I have a feeling we may opt for a flatter option for once, we have seen a few hills this past few weeks and can only feel confident that when we hit the Pennines we can do the business.

A

The Official Poster: Version 1

I almost forgot, here is the official poster, version 1 which is aimed at generating text donations; if you would like to support us by putting one up in your workplace or business please contact us through adamcorkett@googlemail.com  and we can provide an A3 or A4 full colour print.

Potential Issues with the Transpennine Trail

At last, we finally remembered to take the camera with us; this will be the official photo for press releases until we can get a better one done.

So the new tyres worked a treat, certainly could feel a difference when climbing hills as I didn't seem to struggle as much; I could perhaps have put my old ones back on the wrong way around, but never did check in the end, just hoping these ones allow me some respite from the puncture wars.

Still windy, but what's new? We again took the decision to ride out into the wind, for an easier (supposedly) ride back in. Taking a slightly different route, we had decided to aim for hitting a section of the Transpennine Trail near to us and get a look of the land, so we set off for North Ferriby and the Humber Bridge, via Walkington, Little Weighton, Skidby and Swanland. Whilst we weren't hitting any dizzying heights, this route certainly still felt testing with more frequent climbs and descents, virtually around every corner.

Upon hitting the section of the Transpennine Trail between North Ferriby and the Humber Bridge we were faced by a sign telling us the TPT was closed; just assuming this might be a seasonal thing we carried on, until it became very clear that the trail really was closed. It was passable on a mountain bike, a little bumpy in places, but there is a distinct lack of surface for around a few hundred metres and when we reached the sign at the Bridge end it became worryingly clear that the track is not intended to be fixed until mid-August, which is certainly no good to us!

So, we headed back with a new problem to solve, given that the main premise of the challenge is to complete the trail itself, it might prove a little difficult to stay completely true to the original plan without a small detour for that section.

Maybe a letter to the TPT board might get us special dispensation to cycle the section when the diggers are on there, or maybe they will just finish it nice and early before the start of the summer!

Adam

Two Chef's Reward

It has been a while now since the last update, and I fully intended to check in after last weekend's training ride, but just never found the time. I had mentioned that it was supposed to rain, and that was not the case in fact the sun shone nearly the whole time; but the wind did blow - making the first half of our trek (retracing steps from the previous week) very difficult indeed.

The first climb which starts in Beverley doesn't really stop until just outside of South Newbald, high-point is around 150m and so it is a steady climb, but quite difficult in the wind, which was almost directly in our faces for the first 10 miles. Taking the official photograph proved problematic, as I had forgotten my camera and only taken the phone, which apparently isn't to hot when on self-timer left on the floor on a gusty day... so we will need to revisit this at some point.

After which we seemed to conquer our nemesis of the week prior, the climb from just outside of North Newbald to the A1079 nr Kipplingcotes; all went well as we paced ourselves nicely, until at the top and then the tell tale hissing noise.
After fixing the puncture on my front tyre in record time, we set off on the return without a hitch and even added a few miles to stop in at the Pipe and Glass in South Dalton for a nice pint, very refreshing called Two Chefs.

I have since the last week purchased some new tyres, which will hopefully be on by tomorrow, if I find the time - Nobby Nics, which I am assured by the guy at my local cycle shop are the business! So we shall see, what I would really like to see is some kind of speed gain, my wheels seem to go backwards going downhill and this isn't funny when you are trying to reserve energy. Maybe fixing my buckles will add something, but they were never that fast before anyhow.

Last night the planning committee held a late night meeting, and we are currently trying to establish where to stay along the way - camping is the only option for us really and we were shocked to discover the cost of joining the caravan and camping club, in excess of forty English pounds; this just seems over the top when considering how much benefit this will buy us in a year of pitching a piece of canvas. Most years I think we only camp maybe two or three times, so there is no return for the investment so where is the incentive?

We did establish that Mark has produced a solid pint of Yorkshire Bitter, which has taken months to finally taste acceptable, but now we reap the rewards; so in that vain the next stage of planning is to establish which local breweries we might sample along the way in the summer!

Just under 12 weeks to go now! Excited or Scared?

Morning Cycle Regime

Out and about with my PT on our morning exercises. Still a bit on the windy side though and getting stronger!