Lee's progress, annual leave and lot of cycling

It's blog time again and the usual format will be followed. We'll have a catch up on Lee's progress followed by my cycling stuff. Stay for the bit you want.

Right now I'm half way through 2 weeks of annual leave. I was more than ready for this time off! We started with a trip to Plymouth but before that I'll tell you where Lee is health wise...

It's more than a bit frustrating for Lee. She's finished her walks with the physio and these have helped. Lee also attends a fatigue management group, which she finds tiring! A recent call to the GP wasn't helpful at all, she seems to speak to a variety of doctors who give contradictory advice. Meds have been changed and then changed back! In February Lee found herself on the shower room floor with no idea what happened. As a result she was referred for an urgent cardiology appointment which happened a couple of weeks ago. In the teams I manage urgent means 'that week,' not 3 months later! At that appointment we learned that Lee is probably experiencing recurrent SVT episodes and she has been referred for a heart operation called an ablasion to reset her heart rhythms. We also learned that she shouldn't have been driving! This is a huge blow to Lee's independence. Even bigger is the blow to her self esteem. It is important to Lee to be able to help others. Now she can't do things like drive her Dad to his appointments. She was hoping to start her phased return to work in July, not being able to drive makes that more difficult. That's all on top of the daily grind of feeling permanently tired, weak and in pain!

Okay enough of the negativity. We did get away last weekend to see friends in Plymouth and on Monday we're off to the Lake District for the week. I've hired a wheelchair for Lee and you know, it's me, so expect a blog next week where I've pushed Lee to the top of Scafell Pike! 

On the beach in Seaton

Kevin and Perry Go Large

Time to switch to cycling

At the start of June the Queen 👸 gave us a four day weekend. I started by organising an off road ride for my friends in the Cyclasylum.

It was great to see Phil 'the beast,' Broxton for the first time in ages. A good sized group of us met on Rothwell Market Square and headed out on an eventful ride.

Big shout out to Uncle Bob's patriotic ebike!

Rule #1 is no one gets left behind. Rule #2 is: You should never ride off in front of your ride leader. So after selfishly leaving me to deal with an awkward gate, 2 miles into the ride the group got lost and I sat waiting for them on the really obvious trail above! 

There's a sheep and a Richard in that hedge!

Shortly after that we were stopped by a local farmer who requested help freeing one of his sheep from being stuck in the hedge! Once that was achieved we headed downhill to find the bridge blocked by cows! Luckily we had Denford's foremost cow whisperer with us as Andy P shooed the bovine beasts out of the way. I should have taken a picture but after a close call with a stampeding herd of cows I must confess to being nervous around them!

That should have been the end of the drama but we also managed to lose Mark S on the Brampton Valley Way! After that...we had a good rest of the ride! This is a really nice off road loop that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a fun couple of hours.

On the Saturday we had a group ride with yet more drama. Somehow we lost Bruce after a few miles. Then Bert and Bruno touched wheels with Bruno eventually crashing into the verge. Bert's bike had a couple of dings and Bruno lost his phone. This was not a good day to have a name beginning with B. 

Bert fixing his bike

I've continued to take part in the Friday Night Summer Series. A couple of weeks ago it was Numplumz turn to host at Wadenhoe. I broke my wrist at this venue in 2017 so I'm always a bit wary here. My goals were first to survive and then the usual ones of not coming last! This was a great course, challenging physically and technically. 

Many thanks to the snappers who got these shots!

The ride above is my 30 mile hill training route. The Welland Valley is a beautiful place and I'll never get bored of this ride. However no pictures...there's a theme here!

One of the reasons for going to Plymouth was the Dartmoor Classic 2022. I was meant to be riding with my friend Nigel but like last year he's injured. For me this was unfinished business. Last year I limped around Dartmoor, walking every significant climb and being sick on the biggest, KOM hill. I was determined to do better. DC gives gold, silver and bronze medals based on time. Gold for my age group for the 100km medio ride was 4 hours 47 minutes and I felt this was well within reach. On that KOM climb all the doubts from the year came back but I pushed on...then instead of getting of and walking I was overtaking people...lots of people! This is the third time I've done this climb and not only did I better last year's effort but I knocked 3 minutes off my time from 2019! After that I knew the hills couldn't beat me...that was until about 40 miles! I was feeling great after the stop at Princetown. I was well on course to get the gold medal and was starting to really push on the climbs. Out of nowhere cramp struck! After that I cramped on three more hills and whilst going fast on the flat run in to Newton Abbott. Each time I had to stop and walk it off and this lost me loads of time. I finished in 5 hours 3 minutes, 16 minutes off of gold. Still way better than last year so I'm not too disappointed. No pictures were taken as I was going to buy the official ones. Unfortunately I don't like any of the ones of me so no pictures...

I've read and heard loads about cramp and I don't believe it has anything to do with electrolytes or hydration for me. It happens when my legs get tired, I think that hours of repetitive movement like in cycling, just sends the signals funny to my muscles and they misfire into cramps. The article below backs that theory up. I also think if I ever get to the supposed ideal riding weight of 83kg it would help (I'm currently 89kg.)

cramp article

The mystery of my weight persists...

Back home in the shire after a wonderful few days in Devon I needed a leg loostener on my MTB due to the race on Friday. This was another classic route for me. Out to Geddington, down Geddington Chase, back via the Brigstock bumps. A good test for the bike and some well needed miles for me.

Last night I took part in FNSS round 6 at Marston Lodge, organised this time by the legend that is Dean Barnett. Dean created a beast of a course with more climbing in my 12 miles than I'd faced in 25 miles a few days before! On the DC I chatted with someone who thought Northamptonshire was flat...it's just not!

No pics of me yet but I'm fairly sure that's my wheel behind rider 552. That's Mark Humphreys of Rugby Velo. He and I had our own little battle which he won on the last lap. Straight after Mark came to shake my hand, that's what FNSS is all about. 

I wasn't at my best last night. Mark was kind enough to say I was stronger on the climbs but he caught me up on the technical bits. He's right, technically something was wrong last night. On the first lap I messed my gears up and had to run up a hill, then I dropped my chain twice (nukeproof chain guide has been ordered,) that tree Mark is going round tripped me up all night and my cornering was shocking! At least it's all stuff I can work on! 41st out of 48 is still not last place!!!

That's enough about me I need to mention my awesome cycling friends. Bruce has done the Chase to Sun ride from the Kent coast to the opposite one in Somerset. Gary Carter is on an epic multi day journey from Wales and my ride mates from Cyclasylum are riding from Kettering to Skegness and back as I type this! My biggest shout out is to Andy Brown, Ian Bird and Olly Crabtree who rode from Kettering to Wales, Olly came back from Aberystwyth by train but Ian and Andy rode all the way back too! 

I asked Andy some questions and got this in response:

It was Ian's idea

- Around 1,200km and 14,400m ascent (about 1.6 x Everest)

Route was approx Chilterns -> southern Cotswolds -> Wye Valley / Ross-on-Wye -> Brecon Beacons -> St Davids -> Aberystwyth -> Snowdonia -> Conway -> Staffs -> Home

Favourite bit for me - the west coast was beautiful, into the setting sun, and then up into Snowdonia the next day; another highlight was following the River Wye

I'm sure Ian has thoughts about toughest climbs - although the beginning of day two was Streatley Hill in the Chilterns, and that is where it really kicked off (Garmin said 20%+ in places) and then there were multiple other climbs with 20% sections during middle days. Going through the Brecon Beacon's we hit 420m+ elevation, and then had a lovely 10 mile descent. Followed by another vicious climb (Ian is still asking me 'why, oh why Andy?' - apparently it was my bit of the route!)

By day six, we were a bit lost (trying to follow a route from David Wilson) and ended up climbing Moel Arthur (NW Wales, in the Cylwdian range, part of 'Offa's Dyke') (2.4 km / 343 m at the top / 224 meters climbing / avg 9.4%) - we were off course and a bit tired by that point, but it was beautiful. So that was probably one of the most challenging sections. 

And day seven was super hot.

It was a great adventure - amazing to be able to set out on a bike from home, with all your stuff, and see so much of the country by pedal power alone. It's a great way to see the country. Ian did nearly all the leg work with route and accommodation, and Olly and I just played with it at the end. So thanks to Ian.

I'm sure most of are pretty envious of a ride like that!

Last but not least I have some sad news. Earlier this month Richard Daniells of Rockingham Forest Wheelers was involved in a collision with a car near his home in Rothwell and died as a result of his injuries. I did not know him personally but did know of him. Richard was a key contributor to local cycling. He was heavily involved in organising and time keeping for local races. I know my friends at RFW will miss him greatly and my thoughts are with them and Richard's family at this time.

Lee's recovery continues, mechanicals, races and long rides...

It's been about a month since my last blog and unless something special happens I think this will be the regular pattern from now on. As ever I will start with an update on Lee before switching to all things cycling.

I love this picture of Lee and the cheeky guide dog 🦮 puppy, Flint. Today at Mum and Dad's, Flint was "dancing," with Lee. We haven't had a dog that does this since our beloved Ben passed away a few years ago.

Lee is still struggling but is also still making progress. She has been having physio sessions where they've worked on her walking. Specifically it's been about a better gait, getting stronger and building stamina. Lee's goal is to be able to walk the dogs 🐕 on her own. 

Lee also goes for daily walks with her Mum. She's also been attending a chronic fatigue group, which ironically, makes her tired! Naps, becoming breathless and sore muscles are still part of daily life. It's a case of one step too far being a disaster. Lee will feel okay and then just go weak. It's very frustrating for her and unpleasant for us to see. Let's not get pessimistic though. I think we will get there, it might take a bit more time but we'll get Lee back to "normal," and then we can think about some longer term fitness goals...okay that last bit is me being me! I'm fairly sure Lee isn't planning entering an obstacle race or a crossfit challenge...

 

Time for the cycling 

So my focus has moved from mile munching to a bit of racing. For now that's Friday Night Summer Series MTB racing and time trials...neither have got off to a good start but...for once its mechanicals not my fitness holding me back. The first FNSS race was hosted by Welland valley CC at Spanhoe Airfield on a course designed by Adrian Kilworth. The evening felt like it was going to be awesome. On arrival I met up with so many cycling friends and the atmosphere built nicely. The course looked great and we started on the grass airfield, then onto a concrete runway before the trails started. Only...I didn't get to the trails because my chain snapped after less than a quarter of a lap! It's fair to say I was not amused but it was with utmost shame I heard the following: "it's okay darling he's just cross because his bike broke like Daddy gets sometimes..." So I stomped off to the car and decided to take pics of friends racing instead.

The next day I took my bike to see Craig at Richardson's cycles. I've never had a broken chain before and knew other bits were probably worn out too. Well I wasn't wrong...everything was worn out. I got a good price for parts and as I wanted a bigger cassette with more range it was kind of an upgrade!

Craig asked if I wanted him to change the cassette and stupidly I said no, I could do it.I failed completely to get the old cassette off. I did manage a first for me,  which was to snap one chain whip and bend another. I then got frustrated and tried to cut the cassette off but that didn't work either. So...I took it back to Craig, who with the help of a vice cracked the lock ring off in seconds! With that done, I was able to do the rest myself. 

All that meant I could take part in FNSS round 2 at Borough Hill Daventry. Another great course and this time I made it round in one piece. No mechanicals, no worries! I was 42nd out of 46 finishers in my age group. That's okay for me and now I have something to aim for. Again it was great to see so many cycling friends. The only near disaster of the evening was I got the mini stuck on a hidden fence post in the parking field! My CRV wouldn't have noticed but as Lee finds my car easier to drive, I'm using her mini. Anyway, people came to the rescue, so it all ended well!

Unbelievably last week I snapped a spoke on my mtb front wheel! I was confident I could fix this myself but wasn't sure what size spoke to order. As I was in Northampton I took this to Rutland Cycles at Pitsford. They suggested doing the job and as it was a good price I agreed. Having said it would take a few days they got me sorted the same day...it comes with a warning though. Apparently the rim was bent and the spoke could break again! The only way to find out is to ride it and see. Thankfully I didn't break anything else on a test ride today!

In other news I managed just one TT so far this season. I had broken my road bike this time and again it was Craig to the rescue. This time it was a seized gear cable (clearly I need Di2!) I tried to do this myself but it was near impossible.

On Wednesday I planned to go to the Rocko TT  and for some reason my gears went all weird and then my front tyre went flat! Clearly the universe wanted me to stay home. The whole thing stressed me out on Wednesday evening but after a good night's sleep I woke early the next day and went on a fixing spree. Gears sorted, new tyres on my propel, changed tyre on my winter bike and I stripped the MTB wheel down for the spoke repair. It's weird how productive I am early in the morning!

I've been for some good group rides over the weeks. I'll let the pictures do the talking on these. All I will say is, those friends in the Cyclasylum really do make the world feel better!

In other bits of my cycling, I'm still enjoying coaching, commuting is going well and I've found a way to use my trailer to get to junior parkrun by bike even with the Run Director kit.

Elite cycling is focused on the Giro right now. It's been a thoroughly enjoyable race so far. It bodes well for a great year of cycling!

Happy Pedalling 😊 

Long overdue blog to catch up...

 I haven't written a blog since March the 13th...that was after lee and I had a nice week off together. Since then we have had a weekend away in London and I have done a LOT of cycling! So here's a catch up and then I'll try and get back in the habit of writing more regularly.

So on March the 26th Lee and I went down to that there London with our good friends Martin and Vicky. This was originally sold to me as Martin and I go to watch Saints at London Irish on the Saturday and then on the Sunday we'd have afternoon tea in the Shard... 

As Sunday was mother's day, the Shard was fully booked so I had to miss the rugby! However we had a great time in the Shard, the view is worth it and Martin and I definitely got our money's worth on the limitless wine refills! Our waiter was good fun too!

Lee enjoyed her day out but did struggle at times. We used the tube to start with but it became clear this was too much for her and we needed to use taxis. Lee had an early night in the hotel and as Vicky was also not fussed about joining us, Martin and I headed out to the pubs in the Paddington area where we were staying.

The next day we had a wander around London before heading home. It was quite strange to see the capital busy after all these Covid19 months. All the mask and distancing notices are still up and very few people were paying it all any attention!

The rest of the Lee update is that she hasn't really changed much for a few months. She is still very tired and finds a little activity exhausting. She was hoping to be back at work by now but it still feels a long way off. Lee is tired, fed up, frustrated and worried what everyone thinks about her slow recovery. Despite this, to the outside world she continues to portray positivity. One thing that has started is physio. Lee is working on building her walking strength and stamina. It's good to finally be getting some advice!

In wider family news, Monty, Guide dog puppy number 6 has failed his training, the silver lining to that particular cloud is that he has returned to my parents as his forever home! Mum and Dad adore Monty so having him back is a great reward for all their years of hard work...Monty is less than impressed with Flint, guide dog puppy number 7...because he wanted to sit on Lee!!!

Joe and Amy continue their life as homeowners. It's still weird to think our oldest son owns a house! We helped out DIY SOS style in their garden...Lee was allowed to sweep the new patio and as you can guess, this wore her right out!!!

TIME FOR THE CYCLING BIT

Cycling wise I have done loads so I will stick to the highlights. I am still commuting to work on my bike most days and things like coaching continue. I've really upped my miles the last few weeks and have enjoyed so great long rides.

On Good Friday I joined WVCC for their Spring Gravel ride. This was organised by Adrian Kilworth (Kila.) 

We headed out of Harborough, mostly on towpaths and into Leicester for a bit of an urban, city park, canal side ride. It really was something quite different and very enjoyable.

Moody urban shot...

Foxton locks...

After a well earned pint back in Market Harborough, Ashley and I limped our way back along the Brampton Valley way before going home. 

The next day, with exhausted legs I joined my friends from the Cyclasylum for a ride they'd named Beaster. This was a ridiculous ride, taking in all the significant hills possible and including taking on the infamous Neville Holt from 3 directions...

Great company and banter got me through the ride...my legs were distinctly unimpressed with the things I put them through!

On Easter Monday it was my turn to do the organising with a long overdue Cyclasylum off road ride. A good group gathered in Rothwell for 30ish miles of MTB fun...

From the off Graham had issues...firstly he lost his skewer nut so couldn't secure his front wheel when he got his bike out of the car. Luckily we were round the corner from my house so I got him a spare...then his chain broke going up the hill from Ashley...we thought we were so clever with this repair until someone pointed out the chain was on the wrong side of the front mech!

Graham persisted with just his big ring and then got a puncture...he nursed a deflating tyre before admitting defeat and missing just the last five or so miles.

Graham also missed out on the moody group photo in the Kelmarsh tunnel. This ride was tonnes of fun, big thanks for everyone who came along!

Yesterday Andy, Ian and I headed out for the first Rutland Cicle Classic since the pandemic struck. Our plan was to follow the racing and get a good ride in too. Ian had done the 100 mile sportive of the race route the day before so kudos to him for having the legs to go to those hills again. Check that elevation...you'd have similar on a day in the Peaks and that is just100ft less than the Dartmoor Classic over a similar distance.

The racing was exceptional. Andy planned a good route and got us to key places at the right time. Ian left us at Owston where we had met up with riders from other local clubs. As we approached Melton Mowbray for the finish, Andy punctured. So not wanting us both to miss out he sent me on ahead whilst he sorted out his bike. I ended up following the lead police bike into Melton, minutes ahead of the race! It was a funny experience with people cheering me on!

Andy missed the sprint finish and had the opposite experience of following the end of the race into Melton and being stuck behind the held up traffic. he did however make it to see the presentations where amongst other things riders were awarded their weight in beer and the world's biggest Melton Mowbray pork pie.

On the ride home we had tailwind all the way. It was a very pleasant late afternoon ride and the scenery from Melton back to Rothwell was stunning at times. The riding was great too with testing climbs and glorious descents. All in all a great day out!

Just a few shout outs to my fellow riders doing great things. I was highly jealous of David and Phil for doing the Paris-Roubaix sportive and then staying to watch the racing for the weekend. That has to be on every cyclists bucket list. Right now another RFWCC rider, Steve is taking on the Italian Divide...that's another for the bucket list. The pictures so far are stunning. I think Paul is out there with him but don't quote me on that!

Happy Pedalling!