sizzling hot week and local adventures

Usual format, Lee update, then cycling and other bits!

There's a chance you're new to my blog so here's a whistle-stop tour of our Covid19 experience. On the 30th of December 2020 Covid came to our house. This was serious because my wife, Lee aka the Queen of Cakes has severe asthma. On January the 11th Lee went to hospital in respiratory distress, she initially improved and the seriously deteriorated requiring admission to ICU on January the 19th. She was sedated and ventilated for nearly a month! 80% of people with this presentation have died! Thanks to first Kettering General and then Boston Pilgrim Hospital Lee survived Covid19 and was discharged from ICU on the 20th of February. There's a video and everything of her being clapped off the unit. On the 7th of March Lee moved to a rehab unit back in Northants and the 22nd of March Lee came home! Whilst this was a very bad experience other people have had it worse. That's not me downplaying it, I just know we're lucky Lee is alive and making her long slow recovery!

So this week Lee is kind of okay. A bit less tired than last week. It still feels like a plateau and I was starting to worry about it all. However Lee had a review from ICU and they're really pleased with her progress. They think its a 12-18 month process and the plateau is due to the initial speed of recovery. The advice is to rest as much as possible and not to push! I, of course, would be all for pushing so this is timely advice indeed! She has her respiratory follow up this week and ICU also said cardiology need to rethink their decision to discharge! So it's not a lot of news but its a little bit good. 

Monday was a boiling hot day and we suffered in masks at work! My reward was a coaching session with those wonderful kids at cyclones. I decided, as it was a rideout session, that I'd ride in to K Town and make the most of a fine day. It was also a lot cooler on a bike than sitting still. On the way in I met fellow coach Andy Brown. We bumped into each other on the lovely trails around the back of Brambleside and took the scenic route to the coaching session. We then took the kids on a rideout to Wicksteed Park with a couple of laps of the Lake and some fun downhill repeats. 

After the session Andy and I took the long route home via Geddington and Weekley Woods. I had the most lovely time and the world just felt good!

I had another spin on Wednesday. This time it was just my standard 17 mile route. Again it was the perfect antidote to the hot day.

The above shot is at the start of one of my favourite roads from Desborough to Arthingworth. I once held the KOM for this fast descent. Going downhill fast is just the best feeling!

I was planning on going out again on Friday but ended up helping a colleague out with some equipment to work from home...then I started planning my Saturday!

I was in 2 minds whether to go to Parkrun on restart day or ride my bike...so I came up with a plan to do both. 

I drove to k Town with my bike and parked at work. The plan was to be back at work for 8.15, get changed, walk to the Parkrun at Wickies and then run. The sharper eyed of you will notice that this plan is even more foolish than it sounds because the route came back to Kettering via Rothwell...yes that's right we rode right by my house. A better plan would have been to ride to early birds, go back to my house, get changed and then go to Parkrun. That way I could've also picked up Charity my best running buddy! Oh well this worked too. Scott, Mark and I had a nice ride and then I did indeed make it to Parkrun! 

with thanks to John Woods for this picture!

I'm really glad I went to Parkrun. 300 hundred ish people ran and it was great to see some familiar faces. I felt quite emotional at the start briefing. This is another step in the recovery and it was just so lovely to run round, having the odd chat with others and thanking the volunteers. My time wasn't the best but was also better than I've been running with the dogs. I know I'm overweight at the moment and I'd also warmed up with a 22 mile bike ride...so all in all I'm okay with that. At some stage I'd like to beat my PBs but it's not the priority right now!

Sunday morning started with junior Parkrun duties. As ever it's so good to give back!

Today I wanted 20 miles to take me over 100 miles of activity for the week. I set out on my MTB with no clear plan and ended up having an absolute blast!

 I'm not fond of cows in fields I ride through because I've been chased before! Luckily the herd and more vitally the bulls were not close to me at any time!

Between Foxhall and Mill Lane I decided to head towards the exact fields where I'd had problems with cows. My confidence was increased by this fence! I have to thank the farmer for doing this. The fence carries on for miles making the ride safer and way more enjoyable!

So that's my cycling. In bigger news I hope you've caught up with the olympic road races. Both the male and female races were great and with surprise winners. In the week we have the Time Trials and XC MTB. Next week it's track cycling. Just wonderful!

Happy Pedalling 

Back to work, back to familiar routines

After a wonderful week away in the Lake District it was back to work with a bump! It's the usual format. Lee update, bit of cycling, running etc and then a celebration of the Tour de France 🇫🇷 2021.

This beautiful lady and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary on Tuesday. I think its fair to say we've both been recovering from our holiday this week. Lee has certainly been more tired and it took me a few days to adjust back to work. Strangely, given Lee's heart rate is currently being kept down by beta blockers, she has been discharged from cardiology. This is because the monitor showed her heart rate is normal! Now that might be right but it doesn't feel right. That's where we are right now so many unknowns, hopefully we will get more answers soon! The positives are that we haven't had any dramas for a while and you know...21 years married, that's awesome!

My activity this week has been; lots of dog walks, coaching on Monday, a couple of runs, a group ride and Run Director duties at junior Parkrun.

It was great to get back to coaching at KCC cyclones. We held a race night, which is always fun. Just like the bloke feeding the pigeons in the Blur song; Parkside, it gives me an enormous sense of wellbeing. 

I love walking my dogs in the morning. This is my picture of the week. We might not be in the Lake District but it's still nice round here.

On Saturday I joined my friends from the Cyclasylum for a group ride. For many reasons I didn't join the early birds or indeed the full ride. I did see the early birds come through Rothwell when I was walking the dogs. 

Reason 1 was that I wanted to test my new 11-34 cassette. I had fitted a wolf tooth hanger extender to get everything working. As ever when you make a change it needs testing before you can feel confident. With that in mind I decided to meet the others in Loddington rather than K Town.

We headed out on a hilly route where I'd been my usual fast descending self so the next bit was a worrying surprise. Heading through Dingley, down hill at about 35 mph I experienced speed wobble. This is terrifying. Luckily I didn't panic and just held on and hoped. The shaking of my bike through my bottle out of the cage and I needed to stop. Riding fast downhill is 'my thing,' I'm not reckless but I do enjoy it. I've never experienced this before and didn't really understand why it happened. Afterwards I carried on riding fast down hills and nothing bad happened. I did some research once home and this article helps.

speed wobble article - cycling tips

The rest of the ride was uneventful apart from Steve's puncture. Mark was good enough to help whilst the rest of us provided moral support aka taking the mick! Steve's disgraceful multi-tool cannot pass without mention!

This morning I was joint Run Director at Junior Parkrun. I had an easy week with plenty of volunteers. Also we had a lot of experience this morning to make the job even easier. As ever seeing the kids enjoy the run makes my day. 

I don't know if it's okay to use this picture, I've made it as obvious as possible that this is from Cav's Instagram page. I just need to celebrate 🍾 his wonderful achievement! Unlucky on the day today but I'm okay with Wout van Aert taking the final stage as I love how well the cx riders are doing. A stunning achievement by Cav. 

Happy Pedalling 

I can see the Isle of Man!

This week will be a lot of Lee updates and a little bit of cycling at the end. More than anything though it's mostly about a great week with great friends.

I missed a blog last week because in all honesty not much happened. Lee did have a 24hr heart monitor but we haven't even had the results yet. I did some coaching and some cycling, walked the dogs and did a couple of runs. All standard fare. At work we had our virtual wellbeing festival. This was fantastic with some  brilliant keynote speakers. Chris Packham was great on Monday but for me the absolute highlight was Gareth Thomas.

The rest of the week was about getting ready to go away. Lee had a trip to see her hairdresser Brad at Queens in Rothwell. She is relieved that her hair loss has slowed a bit!

On Monday we headed off to the Lake District for a week at Moorside Glamping pods. We took our dogs, Bruce and Charity. Joining us were our good friends Vicky and Martin plus their dog Fergus. Usually when we go away together the kids all come too. However in a WiFi free, intermittent 4G signal area, we were very glad to be teenager free! We met them in a pub on the way for the first of many good meals with a nice pint

We arrived after a scenic trip over the fells to our homes for the week. These are just perfect. Set on the side of the moor with mountains behind and the coast in front. The weather was so fine we could see the Isle of Man...more on that in a bit!

Lee took the opportunity to have her daily Nanna nap whilst Vicky, Martin, the dogs and I tested the quoted 15 minute walk to the nearest pub. We wanted to see if this was suitable for Lee and quickly discovered...no, no it wasn't. It was rough and hilly and frankly 15 minutes would've been a challenge for a spritely fell runner. That it took us 40 minutes to get to the pub and 20 to get back isn't the funniest part of the story. Firstly Vicky took us down a path into a bog and optimistically kept going. 

As we doubled back we had to negotiate a cattle grid. Bruce helpfully dropped his ball down it, I retrieved the ball as Martin made sure he captured the moment on camera! Charity offered helpful advice. 

Once the ball was retrieved...for the retrievers, we negotiated the cattle grid. Bruce decided to do it in one jump which was bad news for Vicky holding on to his lead! Luckily she stayed upright and thoughts went to a safer way to cross cattle grids! It was on the way back that the three wise people realised the gate next to the grid could be opened!!!

Then Martin exclaimed he could see the Isle of Man even more clearly just as he promptly stepped in a massive cowpat. He also miraculously stayed on his feet! At this point Vicky and I lost it. I don't think I've laughed as much in my life. The next sight of an amorous bull servicing his hephers was just par for the course! Thankfully the pub wasn't much further and we calmed down over a pint!

With Lee's mobility still impaired we decided the next day to go on a train ride. This lovely little train is known as the Ratty and sets off from Ravenglass, just 6 miles from the pods. Martin and Lee booked the tickets and we got a tiny carriage for four people. Lee was asked if we had big dogs and fearing we wouldn't get on, she replied: "no not really!"

Okay so I think they might actually class Bruce and Charity as big dogs. On the first attempt to fit in, Charity dived straight under the seat and stayed there. Bruce jumped straight back out again! Yep the labrador had the most sense here. Somehow we wedged in and set off. Meanwhile the carriage next door was empty!!!

Lee managed a ten minute walk to the village of Boot for an ice cream and then we let her have a rest as we went for a wander. Then we doubled back round to Lee and of course went to the pub! I can heartily recommend the Boot Inn!

On the way back to Ravenglass they allowed us to use the empty carriage and everyone was a bit more comfy! 

Having taken a train ride on Tuesday we decided on a boat ride for Wednesday! So we took a drive to a sunny Coniston water. We easily fitted on the boat and it was a lovely little trip!

From the boat you get to see Beatrix Potter's House, the setting for Swallows and Amazons and the stunning mountains that surround the lake. The best known being the Old Man of Coniston, one of the many fells I've walked with my Dad.

This is also the scene of Donald Campbell's ill fated speed record attempt in Bluebird.

After that...of course we went to the pub! Another great meal and a pint of Bluebird! Lee made the ten minute walk to the pub and started a wander round the shops before it all caught up with her again. It really brings it home when you see her exhausted so easily. Back to the pod for another Nanna nap!

On Thursday I wanted to take everyone to Wasdale, the most Lake District part of the Lake District. If you're wondering what Lee is laughing about she had just said she can't see a pub! Erm..this one?

Wssdale claims to have England's highest mountain, deepest Lake and smallest church. Dad brought me here many times and I still love the place! As with previous days, Lee read her kindle on a bench and we went for a wander. She also managed to meet a lady who helps people post covid and now has another contact to help her recovery. After that of course we went to the pub! 

It must be said every pub we frequented did good quality food and nice beer at a reasonable price. The glamping pods are also great value for money. The weather ignored the poor forecast and was great throughout. 

In the afternoon we headed to the nearby beach. It was nice for a few minutes and then we realised that Lee had probably done too much for the day. Martin and I had to help her back to the car. She was okay again after a few minutes sitting down, it seems the virus isn't done with us yet! However we did have a nice last evening in the bods with yet more good food and drink!

On Friday morning Martin and I took the dogs for a last walk before we packed up to head home. This was a wonderful break and just what we all needed. Lee is disappointed she couldn't do more but I'm sure it will come! Oh and here...is the Isle of Man!

Okay now the cycling bit. I did take my cx with me and I even planned a 24 round trip to Hardknot Pass and back. However this trip wasn't about me so I just went out for a couple of short rides. Here's some pics from my rides.

Once back home I tried to fit my new cassette and chain to my road bike. Turns out I do need a longer rear hanger AND my goodness 4 attempts to fit the chain...what a numpty!

With all that needing fixing another day I went for a little spin on my mountain bike. It was quite interesting for a little local loop. A lovely touch with the air ambulance fundraiser and I'm sure that pig knows how much bacon and sausages I ate this week!

Today I did my usual parkrun duties before taking my MTB out again. This time I did Geddington Chase and back. That's always a good off road ride!

I'm hoping for a lot more cycling next week. However it really would be bad not to mention Mark Cavendish. I was able to watch both stage wins this week in the pod. Equaling anything by Eddy Merckx is phenomenal! He's also been pretty humble about it, praising his team AND pointing out that Marianne Vos has achieved something just as spectacular at the Giro! What a man!!! 

Well some sort of football match is about to start so...

Happy Pedalling