Just a little survival kit from the nurses. Bless 'em. Apparently the sash is compulsory!

Liquid Refreshments

A big thank you to Kingsley who today dropped off enough Lucozade sport powder to keep us all going on the trip - much appreciated!!

Gulp

Well I think the butterflies in my stomach are now reaching pterodactyl-like proportons. Oddly I am most concerned about getting the bike to Paddington on packed commuter trains.

Bring it on rain....

Well, I'm now waterproof from head to toe. Theres no way I'm getting wet (or ran over!)

The Kent (ups and) Downs

So we managed to cover over 100 miles again this weekend but split into a shorter run on Saturday and then 70 miles on Sunday down to Tonbridge. The route involved some well needed hill training and a downpour towards the end of Sunday's ride meant we got to really put our raingear to the test. I'm definitely feeling the difference having had a few weeks off training while my wrist recovers but I'm hoping my stubborn streak will count for something on those hills. Bring it on!

Soggy

Well I finally got a day off. So I went out his morning and did 20 miles. The weather was absolutely foul and I got thoroughly soaked. So I have decided to forego the £35 or so for mud guards as I seemed to get wet enough top to bottom rather than from spray from the wheels. I did find that my vermillion coloured lenses in my shooting glasses were a great help though. Transformed the light from dull grey to go visibility. The knee stood up fine but I think I should have bought a second pair of leggings. I had thought 3 pairs of shorts and 1 set of longies would be sufficient. Oh well it can only get as far as your skin as they sound round here!
I have also been rescued by a friend on the phone front. I have been lent a phone which will be facebook capable.

Tell me why, I dont like cycling....

So with only ten days to go the panic is well and truly here. The usual combination of why didnt i start training earlier & why am i doing this?

But undeterred i set out yesterday in what must have been the worst weather i've seen in Kent in my 5 years here. Gale force winds (well i hope so anyway..... if they were only light winds god help us!) and driving rain made for a very miserable 20 miles. Although i thought i had very good waterproof kit, even Gore wear couldn't withstand this rain. At least where we're going it never rains, does it?

Today was slightly better. Another 20 miles and only some strong winds. I spent about 5 miles of that doing loops around Bob Geldofs house which has some steep hills around it. So Sir Bob, if you're reading this and saw me today, put a few pennies my way please.

Bad Timing

Sunday was going reasonably well. Did 53 miles in just under 5 hours and felt really good. However in my haste to get up and out I kind of neglected to eat breakfast. Then sort of forgot lunch.

I popped to the local working mens club to wind down with some friends and have a game of cards. But after being sat down at the table for a while and having had a couple of drinkypoos, when it came to getting on the bike to come home I managed approximately 3 metres before I was off.

Right knee now a little swollen but settling down. The main problem I have is that my assistant is on holiday until next week and because of a swap in the rota I am also working on Sunday now. No time for cycling! I will just have to try and do a longish ride on Monday and keep ticking over for the rest of the week.

A long but pleasant cycle to Surrey

So our plan at the weekend was to do a nice long 60-70 mile cycle on Sunday with a 30 miler on Monday. The idea being to see how we fare on the second day and to test out the new cycling gear. We have a friend who's just moved to a village in Surrey which just so happens to be 37 miles away, perfect. Somehow we managed to take a long cut on the way there though and arrived at our destination for lunch having cycled an extra 20-30 miles (the range is due to a disagreement between Paolo's bike computer and my phone). The good news is that we felt great, ate as much as we could cram in at lunch and set off on the direct road back to London. Apart from a light drizzle for half an hour, our journey home was uneventful and it was only in the last 10 miles that my body (and particularly the injured wrist) started to complain. We decided not to do the extra 30 miles on Monday, having already cycled more than we're scheduled to do in one day. We'll have another go at doing a 70 mile and 30 mile cycle one after the other next weekend but after that we'll just have to take it as it comes.

Crash!

Did 40 miles on Sunday and considering the rain/cold/fog was feeling just about OK until about 1/4 mile from home and my back wheel touched the white lines on the road, which were wet and bang! Back wheel slipped out from under me and I hit the road, pretty quickly. With your feet in cleats the only option is to put your hand out - luckily I had gloves on - and wait to hit the deck. The top edge of my thigh was first to hit. The top of my leg now resembles something from the elephant man - swollen and a nice shade of purple.



My hand, whilst initially more painful is thankfully back to normal.

Lesson learnt though, avoid white lines at all costs!

Hamstrung!

The last minute cramming training plan is not going well! On thursday i played my first football match in years and played in a Arsenal- West Ham 6 a side. Well i say played. A more accurate description would be: i ran around for 4 minutes, looked busy and then went to clear the ball.........pop goes the hamstring!

That was the end of that then! (to rub salt in the wound the guy who took my shirt scored 2 goals.... never getting back into the team now!)

So on Friday i tried a cycle as i really have no choice now. 25 miles ok and surprisingly cycling is good for your hamstring. I then managed 40 miles on a wet and miserable sunday with some tough hills as well so looking a bit more positive

My only worry is the amount i should have done already. I've never done more than 40 miles and while on Sunday i felt like i could cycle longer; i still havent done it yet!

Panic

Right I'm getting really nervous now. Good Friday at work was mental day. 1 caesarian and a cat with a ruptured diaphragm mean my nurse and I did not stop all day. Saturday not much better so by the time Sunday off rolled around the last thing I wanted to do was go out cycling in the pouring rain. So I had a day off.
Today the weather is also awful. So I took the dogs for a 10 mile walk instead. Still 2 and a half hours of good legzercise though.
However my assistant is now on holiday for 2 weeks so I'm on my own with 7pm finishes for a fortnight. I think I'm just going to have to grab gym sessions where I can but I'm worried about getting enough in. Having said that I have done several 50+ mile rides and the 60 miler so hoping I'm up to it. The odometer on W.I.T.T says nearly 1000 miles done since I got the bike too.
he other thing that should help now is the local watering hole is closed from tomowrrow for 6 weeks for a refurb. So should get rid of a smidge more weight before we go.

21 days....eeek!

Reptilian Cushings??

OK I'm not the world's greatest reptilian vet so I'm wondering if reptiles get cushings. Why am I pondering this point? Well since the mighty gator skins have been on the bike over the last 2-3 weeks I have had a wheel off 4 times repaired 4 punctures and thrown away 1 slime tube and 2 conventional ones. The last being this morning when I got a flat 100 yards from Mr B's steam and sauna emporium.
This put me way behind schedule and gave me a poultry 20 minutes steaming. So it seems the skin on the underbelly of my gators is somewhat thinner than expected. I am now starting to think that I will spend more of my time on the actual ride fixing punctures than riding!
I'm also getting really nervous about the whole thing.