Challenge complete!

After completing my 300 miles in 30 days challenge on Wednesday, I decided that my planned ride with Amy should be my victory ride.

Thursday dawned dull, grey and slightly damp but otherwise a good day for riding. Everest decided she was going to stay in one piece unlike last time I'd planned a ride with Amy.

I met Amy at the velodrome and as we neared Asda she advised that her GPS unit had decided we were a considerable distance away from the route (which began where we were)! Um, time for fast thinking as I hadn't looked at the planned route since I last rode it a few weeks ago and wasn't totally sure I remembered it all. To make matters worse the last time I rode the route I spent most of it chatting with a guy I was riding with, so wasn't paying full attention to where we were going anyway!

But we set off non-the-less. If we got lost we got lost.

I took Amy a different route to Chorlton Water Park so we didn't have to go on Princess Parkway and it'd get some more miles in the legs. Once near the park I told her that we'd be going on some trails rather than concrete/tarmac until we crossed the Mersey - that didn't quite go down too well as she'd not anticipated that, but the trails were nicely compacted and not too muddy, so all was well.

All was good so far until we were Tatton Park where I couldn't quite work out which road would take us out to the Knutsford exit, so we backtracked out onto Ashley Rd and followed the boundary walls round to Manchester Rd and through Knutsford. Once on Toft Rd my mind went a little blank and we had to wing it to find our way to The Frozen Mop in Mobberley, but find it we did. While here after mentioning how far we'd come already, Amy suggested I take part in the century a month challenge, after a few gulps of my lovely beer I decided to go ahead with it; especially seeing as I'd do pretty much all the mileage on this ride anyway.

Once out of the pub after a little nosh, I somehow remembered a section of the route so I could surprise Amy - the route to the lovely alpacas, who were greeted with squeals of glee!
After leaving the alpacas behind the route was forgotten again, so we continued to wing it through Wilmslow to find our way to Morley Green and everything began to look familiar again. A 'wrong' turn at a large roundabout took us onto a road that led up to the edge of the runway at Manchester Airport - if we'd followed this road all the way up, it would have taken us onto the orbital cycleway and one of the sections I'd planned. As it was, we got partway up it, saw the runway and thought better of it! Whoops!

Back down to the roundabout and we turned right where I surprised Amy again when I told her the huge tunnels we were going under were actually runways that went across the road, and if we're lucky we might get to see one taxiing across it. Annoyingly not one plane went across before we got into the tunnels...while we were in them, naturally and annoyingly, planes taxied across.

To extend the route a little more I took Amy through Hale Barns and down into Altrincham town centre before heading back along the 'normal' route to Wythenshawe Park. Along Altrincham Rd we both got down into the drops and were pedalling so intently and focusing on the road and traffic around us that we both missed the entrance to the park - thankfully not by much.

Once back at Chorlton Water Park we were going to have a little riverside ride but as the TPT trails were thick gloop due to overnight rain we had a loop of the lake instead before heading back to the velodrome.

A quick stop at Bike Docs for cleats for Amy and then I was having to think of extra bits to add onto the ride after leaving her at the velo so I could get my January century in. No worries there as I headed back towards Manchester City Centre than made my way past my flat and partially to Ashton before I got back home to find I'd covered the distance with a little overlap. Perfect.

So, my victory ride became the start of a new challenge and ended as a dual victory -
300 mile in 30 days challenge completed on 28.1.09 with 304.41 miles
Century (km) a month challenge (January) completed on 29.1.09 with 102km



Boring bits -
Dull, grey, windy (15mph), cool (6 degrees)
Maximum mph/kmh: 36 / 57.9
Average mph/kph:14.1 / 22.7
Distance (miles/km): 63.34 / 102
Climbed: 837ft

It's Amy's Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!!

Hope you have a great day
xxx

Poorly bike :o(

Well, the Everest has now gone to the bike hospital (Gerry Shields) for some much needed love and attention - he's been very kind and has said he'll do his best to get it done this week for me.

As my ribs are practically screaming at me every time I move recently though, I think it's fair to say the challenge is over for now.

I have planned to start it up again in January - what a way to start the year with a challenge!!

Between now and then, I'll be giving my poor body it's much needed rest and recuperation and trying to get some sleep (not doing well at the moment as I'm lucky if I catch 5hrs each night).

My new helmet has arrived and looks lovely - a Specialized S-works 2D Team Edition Helmet - a bargain at just 69 quid! All I need now is for Everest to make it home again safely and looking brand spanking new. She has made a few more admirers too - a few guys in Gerry Shields's shop were very appreciative of her looks and that she's an authentic Eddie McGrath hand built bike. She's had other admirers, usually on the sportives that I've ridden with Amy, but to know there are locals too, I'm sure she'll be happy about that!

Rainy ride

I met up with Amy for a ride out to Lavender Barn tea rooms - an enjoyable route that we did last week. We set off through quiet roads until we came to the junction of Barrington Rd and Manchester Rd in Altrincham where a queue of traffic and a few buses got the better of us - Amy stopped suddenly (too suddenly for me to be able to stop), I shouted for her to try and move to no avail; as I squished past her she fell onto a Clio - rather her fall onto that than me go under the oncoming bus! Sorry Amy!

As we pulled into the farmyard for the cafe it was evident that we wouldn't have the place to ourselves as we did last time, as there was a tandem in the barn and a little kids bike leaning against the wall. Once inside, we found ourselves with several other people who'd braved the rain.

Hot chocolate and teacake later, we stopped for a chat with two chaps who'd also braved the rain on their bikes before we took a little detour along a section of the Transpennine Trail - lovely and muddy.

We got onto the Floop by Sainsbury's in Fallowfield before I took a rather interesting tumble while riding at 18mph, ending up in a heap on the floor cussing the weather and coming off!

Somehow, my chain ended up getting off the chainrings and through the little gap between the rear derraileur and the rings...something that amazed both myself and Amy! Thanks to Amy for putting my bike back together for me.

It was a case of crawling back to where we split to head to our homes as every jolt was like sending shockwaves through my body, but we got there in the end; Amy was even offering to kick me in my good leg to take my mind off the pain everywhere else!

Boring bit -

Temperature: 13 degrees

Max speed: 24mph

Average speed: 14.2mph before crash, 11.5mph after

Miles: 35.61.

Challenge 61.29% complete with 116.12 miles left to go

MCC Hill Climb

Well, today is the Middleton CC Hill Climb up on Blackstone Edge above Littleborough. Unfortunately myself and Paul won't be there as we'll be doing what we do every year on this particular Sunday - laying flowers on the family graves, given that it's Remembrance Sunday. The Hill Climb usually doesn't fall on this day, but this year it has.

The ride starts at the Moorcock Inn on Halifax Rd and climbs 1.49 miles to the White House up by Mytholmroyd Reservoir on top of the stunning yet bleak moors. Usually this event is won by Bill Sutcliffe who is a bit of a speed and climbing demon, although last year it was won by Janet Crossley closely followed by her husband Steve. This year we're not entirely sure who'll be riding the event although Amy and Ali are hoping to get out there - if they do, then it'll be a closely fought contest between the two of them as they're both good on the hills (they both leave me behind, although that's not too hard at the moment!).

So, for all those taking part in this year's battle - good luck, may the best person win and enjoy the excellent food in the toasty warm pub when you get to the top!

300 mile challenge, 30% completed.

I had a bit of company on my 3rd ride of the challenge, with Amy tagging along so that she can also do more of her 30 in 30 challenge she's set herself and also as the last ride we did together was to Southport to watch the Tour of Britain, so it was about time we rode again. Amy rode over from Bolton to meet me at the Velodrome so she already had done her daily challenge by the time we set off for mine!

As my knee & shoulder were hurting after Tuesday's ride and given that it's base training season we decided to have a nice easy route and go to Dunham, and have lunch in the Lavender Barn tea rooms as Amy has never been there before.

I opted for the route we normally do (it only ever alters if I'm alone or with Paul) through Northenden and Didsbury, alongside Wythenshawe Park and onto Shaftesbury Avenue where there's still roadworks on the bridge over Brook Avenue - I'm sure those roadworks have been going on for a year or so!

I decided that we'd go and say hello to Paul at Maxatec as Amy hasn't seen him for a while, then it was back on the road through the lovely country lanes over the transpennine trail and under the Bridgewater Canal. I did warn Amy that we'd be hurtling past the gates to Dunham where we'd normally stop to eat, just in case she got concerned that she'd be missing out on chocolate cake in there; it didn't take long to get to Lavender Barn, so not too much to worry about.

After some very yummy food, and Amy's compulsory chocolate cake, I decided that I'd take her along some different lanes than she's been on before - she definitely liked them! I also took her on a different route off Washway Rd than she'd been on before, along Marsland Rd through Sale Moor until we got back to Palatine Rd by Wythenshawe Park and on into Fallowfield.

As Amy has never been on the Fallowfield Loop and I know she loves nice, quiet lanes, we made the choice to get on there and head towards Abbey Hey. As we cycled along I pointed out the main roads etc so that she knew where she was still. No furry Exocet missiles today, thankfully, although I do frequently have the odd race with a little Tufty running alongside on the grass!

All too soon we were on Abbey Hey Lane and close to the point where we'd be going our separate ways. I took her past the building site that was my old school - now long gone, with Lovell houses being built on the land, then we split at Edge Lane/Manchester Rd junction with Amy going north-west while I went east.

The info on the graph is the elevation of the route that Amy and I rode together, ditto the map.

It's definitely a ride we'll be doing again, hopefully sometime soon Amy!

Boring bits -

Temperature: 10 degrees

Average speed: 14.1mph

Max speed: 24.2mph

Miles: 36.00

Miles to go til I complete the challenge - 212.

Hurrah!

Phew, my internet connection has been returned after it'd been lost for several days due to an 'illegal' line set up by the telephone provider - it seems that our internal lines, which ran along the floor under carpets & under door frames, was highly wrong and shouldn't have been laid that way years ago. So nice Mr BT man had to come and fit brand new lines in the correct places where they couldn't get damaged easily.

I haven't really been up to much in my time away from here as the weather hasn't really been too great. Mapmyride have a 'my goals' section that I've been looking at and have decided to have a go at. Now, cycling 300 miles in one month may either seem hard to some, or relatively easy (Amy could possibly manage that in one week) but to me it is going to be a little challenge as I've not been doing too many miles recently - usually 20 miles or less on each ride, except for the CW ride!

So, my challenge has been set. I'll be doing it in November, so have 30 days in which to ride. Rather than riding 10 miles every day, I'll be riding a minimum of half the number of days and maintaining my usual distance of 20 miles, but will do many more so long as I'm feeling good. I'll have an MCC club ride at the end of the month to help, and may ride Chorlton Wanderers' next ride - both of those combined will cover approximately 60-70 miles in total together.

I'll be putting updates on here once I get started and also on mapmyride.

Rain, rain go away......

...and preferably don't come back for a while!

Ah, the season of raining water and leaves is well and truly upon us, making cycle rides much more fun and for Amy it makes her cyclo-cross miles more muddy and interesting!

I've been really good and not done any riding for a few days so that my knee should be ok for a lovely Cheshire ride tomorrow with the MCC club ride the week after. At this point in time, neither myself or my brother know where we'll be heading tomorrow, but it should be a fun day out with nobody pushing the pace hard; we've just got to hope for decent(ish) weather.

Now, if only I could remember how that sun dance went........