les3velos-blog

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Dreaming spires - eating is not cheating

Now Rob and I are back into the swing of things with training, we have quickly settled back into the groove of using the weekends to rack up the miles in the legs before the big day. Last Saturday was exactly two weeks until the re-scheduled departure date, so it presented us with the last real opportunity to put in a big distance (I can’t wait until I no longer have to think like this).

We briefly considered attempting our previous nemesis, London-Dover-London again (see previous blogs for the soul-destroying details), but even the memory of this made us break out into cold sweats, so we opted instead to re-do one of our more successful rides, London-Oxford-London. At around 140 miles total distance with a handful of noticeable hills thrown in it is a good challenge.

On Saturday morning we set out from London in an alarmingly efficient fashion, leaving Rob’s house a mere 20 minutes later than our agreed set off time – an L3V record!! Now, I’m not trying to make excuses at this early stage of the day, but I had done a lot of leg work in the gym in the week leading up to the weekend to try and return to the level I was at in July; and as we flashed through Richmond park I realised I could have given them a bit more recovery time before an all-day ride….

As you may remember Saturday was HOT! With the mercury threatening 30⁰C, it was certainly on the warmer side of comfortable for a big-boy distance, but with sensible hydration the high temperatures can be coped with.

The only word to describe our first leg of the day to the pretty Buckinghamshire town of Marlow was ‘ruthless’. We set a fast pace and settled into the rhythm, leaving the weekend warriors in our dust as we powered through Staines, Windsor and Maidenhead. The second leg of the morning took in the picturesque Chiltern hills, L3V’s favourite parish churches and the long road from Watlington into Oxford - all completed with no fuss.

Having reached Oxford around 12:30, we stopped for lunch in a park on the Cowley road. As we were refuelling, Rob asked me how many energy supplements I had left for the return leg – did I think I’d be ok for the trip back? I rather blithely replied that I probably had enough, and to placate him I actually bought another carbohydrate/fructose drink from the nearby bike shop. Thank goodness I did that!

We undertook the return leg of the trip when the temperature was at its highest and we also had a rather nasty headwind to battle. But with teeth gritted we kept the pace a touch above what we will need to average to Paris.

It was around Staines that it hit me, the dreaded bonk. The sudden realisation that from nowhere your legs have nothing left in them but you have no choice but to keep going. I made a quick mental calculation and realised that I had woefully underestimated the amount of energy I would need for the return leg. Strangely enough it was at almost the exact same point that Rob had struggled the first time we did the ride but he had learnt from his mistake!

To be honest I spent the rest of the ride just trying to stay close to Rob’s back wheel and not be sick as he brought us back into London. I felt we had gone from ‘The Blair Witch Project’ last week to ‘The Longest Journey’ this week.

It shows that even at this late stage we still have things to learn that will make the difference between making it on the 5th September, or having to catch the dreaded Sweeper Bus to the Champs Élysées.

Eating is definitely not cheating!

HT-A

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Dark side of the road: Reigate night ride

You might be wondering where we’ve disappeared to, or if we’ve simply just given up all together! But it’s not over quite yet and with three weeks left to go until the big day take 2, Henry and I broke our cycle fast and headed out into the dark for our first ever night ride.

After the disappointment of the ride being cancelled, I’ll be the first to admit that we took our foot off the training pedal. Various social commitments meant that we hadn’t managed a joint ride for weeks. With the postponed ride confirmed for 5th September, it suddenly dawned on us that we’d never ridden in the dark. Now it might seem a little obvious but cycling home from work in the winter months is rather different to rural northern France at 2am. Rather than simply being seen we have to be able to see the road, the corners and, quite crucially, potholes.

Earlier in the summer, Henry and I split some of the pre-ride responsibilities. I was tasked with finding matching jerseys; Henry was responsible for the important job of lights. Neither of us were keen on spending £80+ on a front light so, following a swift perusal of Amazon, settled on some ridiculously cheap LED torches, straight out of sunny China. What could possibly go wrong?!

As newly formed sensible, well-prepared cyclists, we’d decided to take a familiar route for our first night cycle; it’s hard enough map reading on an iPhone during the day. During the weeks training apart, Henry had established a regular route out towards, and around, Reigate. A good mix of fast flat roads through sub-urban London, quiet country lanes, and a few hills for good measure. In true Les3Velos fashion we’d prepared our bodies well by consuming vast quantities of wine and cheese the night before…oh and prosecco, vodka…and sherry. I mean we’re not really sure if we can ride not-hungover?! Thankfully night riding meant we had a whole day to recover. 7pm, Streatham, we were off.

Following a week of heavy rain we were relieved that the roads were dry and the weather warm enough not to require a jacket. Riding out through Mitcham, the pace was good and we quickly slipped back into the old rhythm. As the sun began to set it dawned on me that it was about to get cold…and I didn’t have any layers. The whole point of the ride was to discover what it’s like to ride at night, what we need to think about and if we are adequately prepared both mentally, and in terms of kit. As we left the warmth of suburbia and the street lights were no longer illuminating the way, I was getting cold.

We turned off the main roads for the start of Henry’s well established loop and quickly found ourselves in, what can only be described as, the darkest wood i’v ever experienced. With our new lights set to bright we powered on along rough country roads. It was at this point that we discovered a small issue with our new high-grade lights…they had a mind of their own. One moment the beam was bright and steady, the next minute we were careering down a pot-hole ridden country lane lit by a bright strobing effect or a bizzare SOS mode. The picturesque, if dark, countryside woodland quickly turned into a scene from the blair witch project, all in strobed slow motion. 

I knew that the issue would either be a flimsy switch or the battery was moving around inside the torch. The bumps were causing breaks in the current which the torch is interpreting as a change of setting. Before we’d even set off I’d insisted on taking bluetac with us to stop the incessant rattling from the cheaply made lights - the ideal temporary solution to stop the battery moving. Bluetac in place we continued. Miraculously it had done the job (sort of) and, having lambasted the lights a few minutes earlier, we were both actually quite impressed with how bright they were.

The miles rolled on and the darkness continued as we headed towards the small village of Charlwood, a few miles west of Gatwick airport. Henry had spent the past few miles regaling me with descriptions of how nice this part of the world is. One small problem, it was dark. Nevertheless, having been riding for a few hours we decided on a short break at Henry’s favourite roadside bench. So, at 9:30pm on an August Saturday night, two lycra clad cyclists enjoyed a refreshing corner shop flapjack in complete darkness, at the side of a road, somewhere near Reigate. As the cars past by we wondered quite what they must have been thinking.

Before we could mark the ride as a success, there was one more task to be completed. In stark contrast to our usual style of preparation we’d decided to do an inner tube change under darkness to simulate what it might be like on the day. So, in a driveway on a country road just outside the M25 we set about replacing my front tube. After much cursing at tyre levers the swap was made and we were back on the road. Mission complete.

An hour or so later I left Henry in Streatham to head home. Energy levels were still high and I felt buoyed by our achievements. We’d certainly learned a lot on our brief ride: It can get cold at night so layering is going to take some thought, and fully functional lights are pretty crucial, so we need to find a way to stop them becoming possessed at will. With less than three weeks to go until we will roll out of London to (hopefully) finally do this thing, two more rides and a whole heap of carb loading stand between us and London to Paris glory! 

RC

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Dark side of the road: Reigate night ride

You might be wondering where we’ve disappeared to, or if we’ve simply just given up all together! But it’s not over quite yet and with three weeks left to go until the big day take 2, Henry and I broke our cycle fast and headed out into the dark for our first ever night ride.

After the disappointment of the ride being cancelled, I’ll be the first to admit that we took our foot off the training pedal. Various social commitments meant that we hadn’t managed a joint ride for weeks. With the postponed ride confirmed for 5th September, it suddenly dawned on us that we’d never ridden in the dark. Now it might seem a little obvious but cycling home from work in the winter months is rather different to rural northern France at 2am. Rather than simply being seen we have to be able to see the road, the corners and, quite crucially, potholes.

Earlier in the summer, Henry and I split some of the pre-ride responsibilities. I was tasked with finding matching jerseys; Henry was responsible for the important job of lights. Neither of us were keen on spending £80+ on a front light so, following a swift perusal of Amazon, settled on some ridiculously cheap LED torches, straight out of sunny China. What could possibly go wrong?!

As newly formed sensible, well-prepared cyclists, we’d decided to take a familiar route for our first night cycle; it’s hard enough map reading on an iPhone during the day. During the weeks training apart, Henry had established a regular route out towards, and around, Reigate. A good mix of fast flat roads through sub-urban London, quiet country lanes, and a few hills for good measure. In true Les3Velos fashion we’d prepared our bodies well by consuming vast quantities of wine and cheese the night before...oh and prosecco, vodka...and sherry. I mean we’re not really sure if we can ride not-hungover?! Thankfully night riding meant we had a whole day to recover. 7pm, Streatham, we were off.

Following a week of heavy rain we were relieved that the roads were dry and the weather warm enough not to require a jacket. Riding out through Mitcham, the pace was good and we quickly slipped back into the old rhythm. As the sun began to set it dawned on me that it was about to get cold...and I didn’t have any layers. The whole point of the ride was to discover what it’s like to ride at night, what we need to think about and if we are adequately prepared both mentally, and in terms of kit. As we left the warmth of suburbia and the street lights were no longer illuminating the way, I was getting cold.

We turned off the main roads for the start of Henry’s well established loop and quickly found ourselves in, what can only be described as, the darkest wood i’v ever experienced. With our new lights set to bright we powered on along rough country roads. It was at this point that we discovered a small issue with our new high-grade lights...they had a mind of their own. One moment the beam was bright and steady, the next minute we were careering down a pot-hole ridden country lane lit by a bright strobing effect or a bizzare SOS mode. The picturesque, if dark, countryside woodland quickly turned into a scene from the blair witch project, all in glorious strobed slow motion. It was essentially, lethal.

I knew that the issue would either be a flimsy switch or the battery was moving around inside the torch. The bumps were causing breaks in the current which the torch is interpreting as a change of setting. Before we’d even set off I’d insisted on taking bluetac with us to stop the incessant rattling from the cheaply made lights - the ideal temporary solution to stop the battery moving. Bluetac in place we continued. Miraculously it had done the job (sort of) and, having lambasted the lights a few minutes earlier, we were both actually quite impressed with how bright they were.

The miles rolled on and the darkness continued as we headed towards the small village of Charlwood, a few miles west of Gatwick airport. Henry had spent the past few miles regaling me with descriptions of how nice this part of the world is. One small problem, it was dark. Nevertheless, having been riding for a few hours we decided on a short break at Henry’s favourite roadside bench. So, at 9:30pm on an August Saturday night, two lycra clad cyclists enjoyed a refreshing corner shop flapjack in complete darkness, at the side of a road, somewhere near Reigate. As the cars past by we wondered quite what they must have been thinking.

Before we could mark the ride as a success, there was one more task to be completed. In stark contrast to our usual style of preparation we’d decided to do an inner tube change under darkness to simulate what it might be like on the day. So, in a driveway on a country road just outside the M25 we set about replacing my front tube. After much cursing at tyre levers the swap was made and we were back on the road. Mission complete.

An hour or so later I left Henry in Streatham to head home. Energy levels were still high and I felt buoyed by our achievements. We’d certainly learned a lot on our brief ride: It can get cold at night so layering is going to take some thought, and fully functional lights are pretty crucial, so we need to find a way to stop them becoming possessed at will. With less than three weeks to go until we will roll out of London to (hopefully) finally do this thing, two more rides and a whole heap of carb loading stand between us and London to Paris glory! 

RC

Thank you to all your amazingly generous donations! Our total now sits at just under £4k with Gift Aid.

[les3velos-blog]

L2P24 postponed

Posted: 03/07/15

To everyone who has been kind enough to sponsor Les 3 Velos,

Unfortunately last night we received the sad news that due to the French ferry workers’ strike, the 24 hour race to Paris attempt tomorrow has been cancelled. With the congestion and backlog around Dover as it is, the event organisers could not guarantee that they would be able to provide the vital backup that we would need to complete the challenge. It is obviously disappointing and we're gutted that the call has been made so late in the day, but we fully understand and support the event organisers’ decision.

The plan at present is they will try to rearrange the race for a date in early September. If this happens we will obviously be at the front of the peloton for the new date! If for any reason the race cannot be rearranged, then we have pledged to attempt the ride ourselves - unsupported. A bigger challenge than we signed up for but we think we can manage it if required!!

We cannot thank you all enough for the wonderful support we have received over the past year and hope you can continue to bear with us boring you with tales of training ride woes and hill climbs for a few months more.

Until September!

Henry and Rob

Scope Action Challenge ‪#‎l2p24‬

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The final countdown - 200 mile weekender

It’s been 6 weeks since our last attempt at a training ride which, as you’ll know from our previous blog, ended in disaster in a soggy wood outside Sevenoaks. Rob is entirely to blame (for the break in training at least) having been away “finding himself” in South East Asia. Again. In his absence, I’ve been spending my time keeping the legs warm with a few weekend circuits in the Surrey hills. But with nothing more challenging than the odd 70 mile loop around Gatwick and back, we both realised that something special was needed to get training back on track. It also had to act as our last big training push before the event, now only 3 weeks away. Gulp!

My parents live almost exactly 100 miles from South London, so the plan was to cycle there on the Saturday and back again on the Sunday. Simple really. As this was the dress rehearsal for the main event we made solemn promises to each other to treat it properly, eat correctly and not to have any beers on the Friday night, which I kept to. On the whole…..

Saturday was a pretty grey, muggy day and the ride out of London was uneventful, powering through Richmond park and out through Thorpe and Virginia Water. I’ve always found the Ascot/Sunningdale part of the world rather a strange place and it proved to be again, as we approached a junction that looked rather familiar to one we'd gone through earlier that day. It turned out we'd managed to do a rather spectacular loop, ending up heading straight back towards London. A stop, map check and about-turn later and we were back on track, skirting Bracknell and hitting our lunch stop just outside Swallowfield. I’m not sure if a Parma ham and black olive tapenade Ciabatta sandwich is popular amongst the likes of Wiggins, Cavendish, Frome et al. but it certainly went down a treat and meant we went into the afternoon in good spirits.

The afternoon proved the most enjoyable riding of the day with the Berkshire/Wiltshire lanes providing a calm backdrop, and allowing us to get some fast, uninterrupted sections in. All was going well until we hit what can only be described as a vertical climb outside the village of Ham, about 90 miles in. Quite how we dragged ourselves up it I don’t know, but despite the fact it is only a few miles from my house I'd never seen it before in my life and if I had I can assure you we would have taken a very different route to avoid it! Needless to say we were very relieved to arrive at our destination, greeted by all manner of nutritional supplements to aid recovery, as well as an enormous homemade steak & kidney pie to set us up for the return leg – thanks Mum!

We awoke on Sunday to brighter skies and again it was the Berkshire/Wiltshire section that was the most enjoyable part of the ride; once the legs had been nursed back into life. With the sun on our backs it didn’t take us long to find our rhythm, and before we knew it we'd made great progress through the North Wessex Downs and onto the flatter section of the ride. Despite a few run-ins with Range Rovers (why are they consistently the worst drivers on the road?) we repeated our efforts from the preceding day and with fewer navigational mishaps reached Wandsworth at around 17:00. Pushing up Battersea Rise, we were about to start congratulating ourselves on what was quite a mammoth effort, when “Snap…..Clatter…..Crunch.” Rob’s chain completely snapped, leaving him stranded in the middle of the road.

To his credit Rob is far better at sorting these things out than I am, so I simply stood by and kept out of the way trying to remain cheery while he fiddled with the joiner-tool-thing for what seemed like an age. Impressively he did fix it and, after dropping him off at Clapham Common, I made it home to complete the mission.

Overall, as a dress rehearsal, it actually went pretty well with moving times for both days around the 6hr mark and an average pace of 16.5mph - a speed that would see us arriving in Paris in under the 24hour limit.  We know that to keep this up for the whole time will be tough but it has given us both a lot more confidence, which is exactly what we’re looking for at this stage.

Due to upcoming stag dos and prior events, there is now no more time for us to train together before the big day, so now it’s all eyes on the 4th of July.….pray for sun and a tailwind please!

HT-A

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The Sevenoaks Saga - Kiss From A Rose

This is a cycling blog, right?! Don’t worry we’ll come to that, but first I’d ask you kindly to don your headphones and release the dulcet tones of Seal into your Auditory Cortex. All will become clear.

It’s 07:00am on Sunday May 3rd and the plan, as always, was simple - ride from London to Dover and back, tackling 180 miles of South East England with 7,500+ft of elevation gain. Quite unlike any previous ride we’d discussed nutrition, planned breaks and how we should probably take this ride seriously if we had any chance of making the distance. Electrolyte drinks, protein intake per hour, gels, bars and what we’d eat for lunch. It was an epic challenge but confidence was high.

07:02am and my phone rings, it’s my flatmate at the front door coming in from a night out and I had his keys. Three hours earlier I’d realised that, in an inebriated stupor, I’d mislaid my keys....and my inhaler....and quite possibly a portion of my dignity. The sleep I’d had counted for nothing and the hangover hadn’t even kicked in yet. I was in need of a good breakfast and a pep talk from my partner in crime....here’s the PG summary of our conversation:

09:30am, Oval station. With weary legs, deep voice and heavy head we set off for Dover. Riding out through Camberwell and New Cross towards Lewisham and Orpington, we were on the way. It’s a fairly flat and fast route out of London and, although I was already struggling, I had no doubt that we’d at least make it to Dover. After a couple of hours we arrived in Sevenoaks for a quick stop to pick up some food supplies and look at the map.

11:30am, somewhere outside Sevenoaks. We were finally off the main roads, enjoying a peaceful cruise through a lovely area of woodland. Having reached the brow of the hill the speed picked up and we enjoyed a well-earned section of downhill. Suddenly from behind me the sound of air forcing its way out of a tyre broke the tranquillity...Pssssshhht - Henry’s front had an explosive puncture. No problem, we know the drill, replace the inner tube and we’ll be on our way. “You know I don’t have a pump...or levers?!” I said to Henry with a straight face.

In the midst of the morning melee, neither of us had managed to discuss who would be carrying the all-important repair gear. In my defence Henry has recently purchased a portable pump so that I don’t have to carry a bag. In Henry’s defence I said I was taking a bag, as I wanted to carry waterproofs, so he presumed I’d be taking my pump. We were in the middle of a forest, near the small village of Seal, without a pump...or tyre levers.

Now at this point you might be thinking we’d be a little bit cross. Instead, we both burst out with laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. The reality however quickly became clear - I would have to leave Henry in the middle of nowhere in search of a bike shop, open on a Sunday, to buy a pump and some levers. It’s at moments like this that you realise just how reliant we are on smartphones. For some reason, and luckily for us, Vodafone have focused their 4G coverage on woodland outside Seal rather than in Clapham...where it’s rubbish. The nearest bike shop found, I was on my way, riding solo, in search of emergency supplies.

The shop was closed, obviously. Smartphone out and the next stop found - Halfords. Apparently there are two Halfords in Sevenoaks and the first was closed. At this point the thought of Henry walking back was running through my head. Thankfully the second was very much open and, with a new pump, tyre levers and a new inner tube purchased, I was back on the road to Seal.

Back in the woods I found a shivering Henry waiting patiently for assistance. While I’d been gone it turned out he’d made friends not only with the local Squirrel, but a man called Kevin who’d given him his number, presumably in case he needed a rub down or a hot meal if I failed to return. At this point we both thought it would be a fairly straightforward job to change the inner tube. 21st century packaging had other ideas - we had no scissors and the pump had been zip tied incredibly tightly to the packaging. Having hacked our way in the pumping commenced...it wasn’t working; air was coming straight out again. Had we really managed to buy a broken pump? After much perseverance, the tyre was inflated. Lord knows what the passers-by were thinking when they came across two men in lycra facing one another, pumping furiously at an unknown object.

12:45pm, heading towards Seal. At this point we’d decided that our attempt to cycle to Dover and back was well and truly ruined, and we would take a scenic route back to London via a country pub and a well-earned pint. However...we’d cycled approximately 50ft when Henry decided to check his brakes were working. Suddenly from behind me the sound of air forcing its way out of a tyre broke the tranquillity...Pssssshhht - Henry’s front had an explosive puncture. This sounds awfully familiar! 

It turned out that the brakes on Henry’s bike had been rubbing on the sidewall of the tyre and that was causing it to puncture. Having already purchased all the gear we thought, no problem, we know the drill, replace the inner tube and we’ll be on our way. At this point I thought it would be a good idea to check the tyres and brakes a bit more carefully. There was a hole in the sidewall and, having replaced yet another inner tube; it was coming through the side of the tyre. [Insert expletive][Insert another expletive][And another expletive]

I was back on the road again, on my own...again, riding back towards Sevenoaks....again. On the upside my first, sorry second, visit or the day meant that I knew the place pretty well. After a quick visit to Halfords (the open one this time) I was back on the road to Seal...again, complete with two bike tyres around my neck and cautiously optimistic that I wouldn’t be setting foot in Halfords again that day. Thankfully Henry had walked half the distance back towards Sevenoaks and, in the driveway of someone I guess we will never meet, we set about replacing two tyres and two inner tubes so that we could finally leave Sevenoaks and return to London.

“Kiss from a Rose” - Could a song ever be more appropriate? Outside a small village called Seal in the middle of the Kent countryside we learned the thorny side of reality: Communication and planning before a big ride is vital, even if you’ve only had 3 hours sleep!  

RC

On 4th July we’ll be attempting to ride from London to Paris in 24 hours to raise money for Scope. If you can spare a few quid, please donate at www.les3velos.com Thank you!

[les3velos-blog]

75 miles | Making Hay..wards

I had been trying all week to find a cycling companion to accompany me on Saturday’s ride as Rob had a family engagement during the day and all of my other cycling cronies we similarly busy. Despite my best efforts of persuasion, as Friday night approached it looked like I would have to button up for my first big solo ride of the year. Following on from the mammoth ride last week, I wasn’t quite as keen to try and go for a record ride in terms of length, so instead opted for a medium-length ride through the Surrey hills to Haywards Heath and back, aiming to stretch the legs out across the London-Brighton pilgrimage most cyclists are familiar with.

On the Friday night before the ride I had arranged to meet some friends for a few pre-ride pints (carb-loading!) when who should turn up but Rob, who informed me that his family get together had been postponed until the Saturday evening! Never one to pass up on an opportunity to drag others into my rides, I instantly set about buying him as many drinks as I could until he finally agreed to join with a sincere handshake and a drunken promise to see me the next morning at 11:00 by Mitcham Junction.

The head next morning was rather sore to say the least, however true to his word, Rob had manfully trekked across London with his hangover from Clapham to Wimbledon to collect his bike and we met with rather bloodshot eyes next to the train station, neither of us hugely enthused for the ride ahead. Fortunately, the morning breeze quickly blew away the cobwebs and we motored into the Surrey countryside enjoying the unexpected sunshine.

It quickly became apparent that I could have picked a flatter route out of London……something that Rob immediately pointed out to me. Ignoring Rob’s grumbles about the topography, I chose to surge ahead thinking that he wouldn’t have breath left to complain if we set PB’s on all the segments to Haywards Heath. In hindsight this wasn’t one of my brighter ideas, and was similar to the immature approach to rides that we thought we had abandoned early on in our training.

Having reaching Haywards Health in record time, we grabbed a quick sandwich in the village of Lindfield and embarked on the return leg of the journey. We were under a bit of pressure from the clock to get back in time for Rob to catch a train but my earlier mindless pace had taken a bit of a toll, with the return hills seeming taller and steeper than we remembered from the way out. We kept our minds off the burning thighs by discussing (between gasps for air) the next bikes we would buy and the merits of getting a tailored bike fit to ease the discomfort to our more delicate areas on these longer distance rides.

Despite a small lapse in concentration causing a detour through Croydon on the final leg of the journey, we finished the route with slightly aching legs but the satisfaction that comes with a job well done and a further step completed towards the big day in July.

HT-A

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152 miles | Le Tour de Radley

How do you train for a 293 mile, 24 hour bike ride? The only way we know how...pick a place on the map and see if we can do it!

This weekend was no exception and having “conquered” the dizzy heights of Southend-on-sea last weekend we knew we could go a little further. By a little further I think we both thought 120 would be a pretty epic achievement but, after ‘browsing’ the map as we have become accustomed to, the thought of heading back to school popped into my head. The next step for planning any ride is to head over to Strava and let it map out the best/most popular route. After a bit of fiddling to get the mileage down a little we were looking straight in the face of 140 miles. “Game on” was the reply from Henry.

Following a few fairly heavy evenings on some less-than-isotonic sauce, including a 4am house party, we set off from Streatham completely unaware of the task ahead. Having only ridden half the route before, the hills between Marlow and Watlington were entirely unknown. The pace was good as we cruised through Hampton Court and on towards Staines, even seeing off a chasing pack of Sunday riders - so that’s what it feels like to be in the breakaway! 2.5 hours later and we stopped for a quick break in Marlow to re-fuel and checkout the map for the next stage of the ‘tour’. Busy Marlow gave way to peaceful, rolling countryside as we headed towards Fingest and Christmas Common. We even managed to squeeze in some church architecture chat with some entirely incorrect facts about the history of church spires...mostly on my part...

The miles rolled on and having reached the top of Christmas common it was down and flat towards Stadhampton and on towards Radley. One thing that makes a huge difference on a ride such as this is the road surface - pothole-ridden single track may sound appealing for a weekend cruise but we’d take silky smooth tarmac on a faster A or B road any day. The other thing that makes a huge difference is the speed of the cars going past. If you’re pedalling hard for miles along a fast road being overtaken by cars all the time it really affects you mentally as you don’t feel like you’re covering as much ground. Not what you need when you approach the 60 mile mark, hungry and ready to stop.

Alas we reached Radley in good time. Riding up the main drive towards mem arch was a slightly surreal experience. I think I’d done more exercise by that point on that day than I’d done in the entire five years at school...oh how things have changed. Inevitably there aren’t a lot of people left who would remember us - especially two ORs clad in lycra and maybe a little more wrinkled than we’d been at Gaudy back in July 2006. It was however really nice to go back and soak in the atmosphere of the place, including a stop to see our names set in stone outside, what was then, the new theatre. Following a quick visit to the new, and frankly ridiculous, coffee shop now on campus we headed for the pub. I never thought I’d witness a load of Shells hanging out on a Sunday afternoon in a Starbucks-esq cafe by Clock Tower. Apparently free on the bill now includes a contactless payment card, even for the vending machines! I’m not sure St Peter would approve.

It was getting late and the trip down memory lane meant our lunchtime food stop was now 3pm. Following a slap up meal at the pub in Sandford it was time to attempt the return leg. Cold, a little stiff and full of hearty burger and chips we returned to the saddle and back on the road towards Nuneham Courtney. Having left the main road we were back on the fairly straight route back towards Watlington with a rather big hill firmly in the front of our minds. It was quickly becoming apparent that the return journey was going to be pretty darn hard, not helped by the fact that we could see the hill approaching for about 20 miles. The grind commenced, slow and measured turns as we climbed back up to Christmas common. “Only one more hill to go and we’re home” Henry optimistically piped up.

The back roads towards Marlow are great for a peaceful Sunday afternoon ride and we made good progress. Although I’d tried to tell the old boy, there are a number of small hills along the way, but nothing that we can’t take in our stride at this point in the training. Following a quick break in Marlow, on the same bench in the park, the last hurdle was nigh - Bisham to Pinkneys Green. Short, fairly steep but completed with relative ease.

It was getting late and after cloud for most of the day the sun was out to welcome us back home to civilization. The roads between Maidenhead, Windsor and Staines are fast and fairly flat and with only a quick gel stop to give us a final boost we were back in Kingston. “I need to stop for sugar, I’m beginning to shake”. Internal supplies were getting very low and i could feel myself heading towards bonking. A quick energy bar consumed and the final push through Richmond Park commenced. What a beautiful evening and a rather fitting way to end the day. At this point we discovered that Henry’s phone had died and Strava was no longer tracking our progress, annoying but not the end of the world. We were a few miles from home, a hot shower and a well-earned post ride meal.

140 miles the target - 152 miles the reality and we’re still standing, not too stiff and ready for the next one, except slightly sensitive bottoms. Note to self: more padding needed.

RC

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Friday 10th April  > Southend-on-Sea and back

Having both taken the day off work, Rob and I decided to mark the occasion with the first 100+ miler of the year to get the legs going and push on from some of the shorter (but hillier) rides we have become used to. Waking up in the morning and turning on the morning news there was only one main story: The high levels of smog and pollution sitting over South East England. The advice from the experts was clear - avoid outdoor exercise and stay away from busy roads….

We set off from South London and headed through the centre of town before bearing East and cycling along the A13 out of London. The three lanes of traffic didn’t make for the most scenic route but we did make good progress, and soon we were cycling through the village of North Ockendon in Essex after a quick stop to watch a woman wing walking on a bi plane that took off next to us. Very exciting!

Having powered through the village we decided it might be an idea to give our lungs a chance to recover from the polluted air, and after a quick break and map check, we realised we were heading in completely the wrong direction. Not ideal. Retracing our route, we cut through the Essex Fens and conquered the spikey Langdon Hills with gusto, keen to make up for our earlier mistake. Thirty miles later we coasted into Southend, ready for a sandwich lunch by the sea.

The return journey was for the most part uneventful, we followed our earlier route out until we reached North Ockendon for the third time that day. I don’t know how (there must have been something in the smog) but we went wrong again, looping north into Uxbridge and Ilford before finally re-joining the A13 by Barking.

Once safely into London proper we decided to make a dash for home. A few words of advice for fellow cyclists out there: If you are tired and keen to get home in good time at the end of a long ride, do not take a detour through Holborn and the West End during rush hour on a Friday night. It does not make for an enjoyable end to a ride!

Despite the pollution and navigational mishaps it was a brilliant ride and a good long distance marker to put down with just less than 3 months to go until the big day!

HT-A

More info and to DONATE - visit http://www.les3velos.com

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Rochester rally

As we edge ever closer to the main event our routes are becoming more obscure and very spontaneous. We’d discovered, to our detriment, on the Bognor ride that looking at the route before you leave is a very good idea. Distance is one thing but altitude gain is a whole different story. Throw in a lack of planned breaks for food and drink and you have a high chance of bonking - when you reach a point of exhaustion that makes it impossible to go any further!

This time around we looked at the map and the weather, planned a break and set off in good time. The initial route took us towards Greenwich and out towards Dartford. From here the countryside opened up as we worked our way towards Rochester. It’s only a 35 mile ride so the speed was fairly brisk and consistent with a couple of stops to take a bit of video to share with you guys. We’ve realised that quite a few people don’t realise that we’re doing this as part of an organised event with about 200 other cyclists, all in aid of SCOPE. Hopefully our brief moment in front of the camera will amuse and inform in equal measures!

Having reached Rochester in good time we did something new for us - stop, buy a sandwich and sit and eat it. Re-fuel, re-hydrate and re-energise. It sounds blatantly obvious to the rest of the cycling world, but we’ve only just realised that this really can make the difference between a miserable end to a ride and reaching the finish line ready for more. Admittedly the weather had been kind to us with no rain and light winds after a couple of days out in the pouring rain.

87 DAYS TO GO! Yes, the days are counting down and we’ll soon be on the road to Dover. This Friday will bring another route and another chance to prepare for the big day. Next challenge, pacing. 293 miles is a long way and we won’t get there if we burn out of London and then...burn out!

RC

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You get out what you put in

So, Saturday saw 2 of the 3 Vélos take on a little jaunt from Clapham to Bogor Regis (70 miles) as a nice training ride to get the blood pumping for a final time in March.

The weather was not ideal – a reasonably strong headwind was accompanied by patchy showers and grey blanket clouds. Unperturbed by this we soldiered on and made some decent progress out of London and into the Surrey hills, enjoying the reduced road traffic as we put distance between ourselves and the city.

Eventually they came. The two mid-ride peaks either side of the pretty village of Shere that we had known would be a stern test of the legs. We pushed up the first summit with no dramas, selecting low gears and gritting the teeth. The second proved more of a challenge. It was eventually conquered in a similar fashion however it left its impression on the remainder of the day, with both of us needing to ease off on the pace a touch in the second half of the ride. It is easy to underestimate the benefits of keeping energy levels up with good nutrition when exercising, and it was a stark reminder to us that, however much exercise one does as matter of course during the work week, it does not make up for having a rushed breakfast of a few Tracker bars on the morning of a 70 mile ride. Lesson learnt.

The remainder of the ride was through the beautiful South Downs National Park and, other than a few nasty summits (the dual carriageway up to what shall now be called “Hell Hill” on the outskirts of Bury was particularly unpleasant) we arrived at Bognor train station a respectable 5 hrs after setting off. Failing to prepare adequately nutritionally aside, it was a really successful and enjoyable ride and another step towards the big day in July.

The next ride for Les 3 Vélos will be on Good Friday. We’ll let you know how it goes!

HT-A

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Hill training continues - Clapham to Bognor Regis #feeltheburn #l2p24 #london #paris

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No such thing as a #dayoff Training continues for #scope #l2p24

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The challenge of fundraising

I always feel bad asking for money. Even if it's only 50p to buy a packet of crisps - why should someone give away their money? Although there are few comparisons between my need for crisps and the amazing work that Scope do to support disable people across the UK, the principle is the same.

Charity fundraising for sporting events is becoming more popular by the year. 10ks, Marathons, Triathlons etc are cropping up all over the country and people who previously thought they could never take part, are taking up the challenge and going the extra mile. This has had a massive effect on charitable donations with giving increasing by £1.1bn to £10.4bn in 2012/13.

So, why should you donate your hard-earned cash to Scope because we're going on a little cycle trip?

Cycling from London to Paris is the equivalent of London to Brighton 5.5 times back to back, it's a jolly long way! We're putting in the miles with the hope that you lovely people will put in a couple of pounds.

"40% of children waiting for a permanent home are disabled. Help us be there for them."

£10 - could pay for a gift for a foster child to help them settle into their new home

£30 - could go towards a family day where foster carers get together and support each other

£125 - could pay for six months of support for a foster family

If you can spare a couple of quid, please donate http://goo.gl/BDrVLz

Find out more about us at www.les3velos.com

Thank you!

RC

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One team, one cause, one big challenge!

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Always check the weather forecast

Training during the cold winter months is never as fun as a warm, light summer evening...but regardless of season there's one rule I seem to keep forgetting - check the weather forecast! Today was the first time I've ever thought something was seriously wrong after a ride. When you're soaked through, freezing cold with all energy used there comes a point where you feel like you could black out at any point. And then there's the small issue of shivering so much that it starts to become painful. Standing in a train station struggling to stand, breathe, speak or use your hands is not a good look. People ask you if you're alright, offer you food and drinks, it's a very bizarre experience. This is the point where you think something might be seriously wrong. I was riding with a couple of non L3V riders today and we set off from South London in very light rain with no wind. The goal was to ride to Brighton, have a pint and get the train back. Simple, I'd ridden the route before and it was only 50 miles - well within familiar boundaries. However, having not checked the weather forecast we were a bit surprised when the rain turned heavy and was being blown dans Le visage by a v.strong head wind. Waterproof clothing? Nope. The route is fairly straight forward, but in the final quarter you have to climb the Ditchling beacon which takes you up across the South Downs. Having been cold and soaked for a good 40km by then we were ready for the pub. Once you climb the beacon it's a fairly fast, rolling road down into Brighton. Unfortunately it being high and all meant the head wind was even worse. Hands and feet had already been taken by the cold, but now the dishwasher experience took full effect with driving rain blasted into your face. Alas we made it to Brighton, but only just. Next time we'll check the weather...and stay at home. RC

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ROUTE AND STAGES

This is the epic task ahead, and it's really starting to sink in just how far this is to ride in just 24 hours!

The full course length is just over 280 miles and is broken into 9 stages typically averaging 35 - 40 miles outlined below. The exact route, distance, timings, locations of rest stops, and GPS topography will be released via the Participant Area in Spring 2015.

All riders cycle the first stage from London, on and off the Ferry (a stage which totals around 5 miles), and the final stage into Paris. Outside of this it is up to individual riders to decide which stages they wish to cycle. When not cycling a stage bikes are transported forward to the next rest stop on adapted vehicles whilst riders follow by coach, allowing some valuable rest and recuperation time. If entered as 2- man teams the only rule is that at least one cyclist must be on the road at all times. Many people join L2P24 intending to ride the full route solo only to find it is a challenge too far and revert to the relay option, whilst others signed up to ride the relay option end up enjoying it so much they surprise themselves and stay in the saddle for the full distance!

                 From              To                          Total Distance      Total Ascent Stage 1     Blackheath      Lenham                 49                       2264 Stage 2     Lenham          Dover                     41                      1594 Transition   Stage             Dover Ferry             2                         23 Transition   Stage             Calais Port Calais    3                         23 Stage 3     Calais            Therouanne             32                      1017 Stage 4     Therouanne    Doullens                 40                      1516 Stage 5     Doullens         Froissy                   45                       1706 Stage 6     Froissy           Meru                      29                       856 Stage 7      Meru             Paris                      34                       876                                                                    275                     11284 It's important to note that these stages and timings are indicative and based on previous year's rides. The final route for 2015 will be released in Spring 2015 and will be available for download to bike computers.