Back in June 2006 I had decided enough was enough and it was time to go on a diet. I had said this numerous times before but I had read an article about a couple in Cheshire who had lost a phenomenal amount of weight in a considerable short space of time. I am not one for patience and losing maybe 1lb or 2lb per week was doing my head in, as this had happened on previous diets I had tried.
Then I started a programme called Lighter Life whereby you "eat" 4 shakes a day and drink 4 ltrs of water. To the people who first heard about it, this sounded crazy and I must admit when I first thought about doing it i was a bit sceptical but was willing to give it a try....
The World of MTB'ing
11 weeks after starting I lost 78lbs which is the equivalent of 5.5stones! And in enabling this I did a lot of cycling, not on the same scale as those who cycle 30 odd miles but I was doing a lot for someone who didn't normally do much excersize, I was covering between 12 and 15 miles a night but doing this maybe 4 or 5 times a week. I bought a cheap (by today's standards) mountain bike from Buy a Bike in Charnock Richard, which is a 2006 Giant Rincon, which cost the princely sum of £220. (to most people a thousand pound bike is a decent one but I am quite happy with this one! I have not spent much on it since its purchase, but everything bought for it has a purpose and isnt for cosmetic purposes :) Namely a set of lights for the front and a small red one for the rear, a set of Crud Catchers front and back and also the biggest alteration of them all, a set of road-bias tyres which are Kenda Kwest's which are an inch narrower than my offroad tyres at 1.5inches. I was a bit weary of using these as I had not used a road bike for many a year, actually I was in my early teens when I last had a "drop handle" bike.
The Challenge
My employers endorse, for want of a better description, a charity evey two years, and previously we had Whizz Kids as "our" charity, but now it was time for change and the Charity we have now is the Samaritans.
One of the fundraising events being organised was a cycle ride from London to Paris and since this encompassed my new found hobby, cycling I thought, in a moment of utter madness, that I should give it a go! So on Monday, 26th February I submitted my application form to Discover Adventures Ltd and on the same day created the fundraising website on Justgiving.com. My target is to raise £1100, and a day later I have raised £108, which to some sounds small but to be honest its only been going a day and I think its great!
Getting Prepared
Prior to obtaining details from Discover Adventures all I have is the bike, a helmet, Gloves, lights, reflective vest, and thats pretty much it!
This is the bike in question with its toys added :)
I have contemplated buying a cheap racer off ebay and I have seen a few going under 30 quid, its going to be a hassle getting a bike that cheap maintained and ensuring its in working order before I go, as the bike I have now is brand new to me and bought new and is easier to maintain... (famous last words!), besides it was bought from a shop 200yds from my house so I intend on taking it there for a service before I go.
Kit List (as suggested by DA)
The following list is items required to go on the trip, some I have, most I don't.
- Cycling Shoes/Trainers
- Helmet
- Gloves
- Shorts/Leggings
- Thermals/Warm Clothing for riding
- T-shirts/cycling tops (no WAY am I wearing skin tight tops!)
- Long Sleeved T-Shirt
- Shorts (for leisure use)
- Trousers (for same purpose)
- Hap/Cap for sun protection
- Sun Block
- Sunglasses
- Small Towel
- Vaseline/Talc (sore bum situation!)
- Fleece (in June?)
- Underwear and socks (glad they mentioned this! ;) )
- Jimmy Jams
- Clothes for Paris
- Light Shoes for leisure use
- Daypack to carry stuff like camera/waterproofs/fleece/first aid
- Hi Vis stuff
The above is more or less mandatory for the journey, however I will be removing some items such as fleece if it promises to be in the early 20's!
The following items arent mandatory but are suggested (ie pack them anyway!)
- Water Bottles
- Snacks/Energy Bars (somehow kitkats dont fall in this bracket!)
- Wash Kit
- Camera
- Alarm Clock
ALSO, this list is what they suggest for personal first aid
- Imodium
- Medication
- Nurofen
- Plasters
- Anti-Histamenes
- Dioralyte (rehydration sachets)
- Liquid Handwash
So as you can see the list is quite comprehensive, I think I'll need panniers on the bike just to carry it all, but saying that I've already got a trailer which I carry the kids around so I might use that!. Seriously though DA do provide support vehicles for the ride and they will be carrying virtually everything you have, but I do intend on carrying enough with me for the day in a rucksack/Camelbak.
Training Programme
The organisers have laid out a training regime to get us halfwits who want to do this ride ready for the 300-odd miles of riding. It starts with some gentle riding times to get you used to being in the saddle for a bit, although the times it suggest does aim for the beginner cyclist, which I would like to think im veering away from into being an intermediate :)
Anyway here are the weeks of training they suggest.
Week1 (w/b approx March 19th)
- 2x15-20 mins per day
- Weekend : 1hour (either day)
Week 2 (March 26th)
- Monday or Tues : 20-25 mins
- Thurs or Friday - 20-25 minsSat or Sun - 1.5hrs
Week 3 (April 2nd)
- 2x25-30 mins
- Sat or Sun - 1.5 - 2hrs
Week 4,5,6,7 (April 9th,16th,23rd,30th)
- 3x30 - 40 mins (8-10 miles)
- Sat or Sun - 2hrs (25-30 miles)
Week 8 (May 7th)
- Tues - 10-15 Miles
- Thurs - 10-15 Miles
- Fri - 5 Miles
- Sat - 30-40 Miles (2-2.5 hrs)
Weeks 9 and 10 (May 14th, 21st)
- Mon or Tues - 10+ Miles
- Thurs or Fri - 10+ Miles
- Sat or Sun - 20-25 miles
Week 11 (May 28th)
- Mon - 8-10 Miles
- Tues - 10-15 Miles
- Thurs - 10-15 Miles
- Sun - 40-50 Miles
Week 12 (June 4th)
- Mon - 10 Miles Easy Cycling
- Tues - 15-20 Miles
- Thurs - 15-20 Miles
- Sun - 45-55 Miles
Week Before I Go
- Mon - 10 Miles
- Tues - 5 Miles
- Wed - 10 Miles
- Thurs - 5 Miles
- Fri - Rest (thank god!)
So as you can see, the task ahead is a mammoth one, and to be honest im scared!. I've never done these kind of miles before, I dont know if I have it in me to do them, but I know I have to!
The programme I have just shown you is one for beginners, but there is one for fit people and proper cyclists, but I really dont want to put this on here as its likely to put me off!
Fair play to DA they have provided a guide on how to raise money and I must admit they do look appealing but I doubt in the group of people I work with a lot will fall on deaf and giggling ears (for example a dinner dance, and a fashion show!)
UPDATE
I am now on the internet!
