Deciding that we've got some catching up to do on Mark, James and I sneaked out this morning and managed 25 miles (me) and 30 (he cycled over from Barlaston) respectively at an average of 11-12 miles per hour. The route took us up la col de Bury Bank, over the M6, past Swynnerton and Eccleshall before heading back to Stone via a nice fast stretch on the Stafford road.
Behaving exactly like pro cyclists would, we then ate a lunch of fried egg sandwiches, juice, cups of tea and a fudge bar stolen from my daughters Xmas stash.
Mark turned up about an hour later having done 10 miles or so with his daughter in tow on a tagalong. Given the hill he'd climbed on his jaunt, he'd probably worked harder than James and I put together.
Sunday 27 January 2008
Saturday 26 January 2008
Why?
I got back into cycling as a 40 year old, after a 20ish year lay off, after a friend suggested that I could probably manage the scary looking hill standing between me and my regular Tuesday evening badminton game. Her husband and another friend did it regularly as part of a 3 mile journey from Stone - my adopted home town in Staffordshire - to the sports centre in a nearby village.
I took out my Trek hybrid the next day and set off, to my amazement getting up the hill (knackered), in one piece. My fitness level at the time allowed me to push on for a round trip of 6 miles. Over a period of a few months, a bunch of us did the badminton return trip in all weathers and, in the pub post game got talking about something a bit more adventurous. In the Summer of 2006, six of us set off over the hills to Ludlow with dodgy bikes, minimal preparation and a couple of mars bars. The fact that we made it, with a few stops - at a bakers shop, a pub and a closed pub - encouraged us to start dreaming about the Lands end to John O' Groats (or 'LEJOG') cycle challenge.
Although all six of the original Ludlow survivors would love to take part in this journey, work and family responsibilities mean that - at time of writing - there'll be three of us; James - a 43 year old Builder, former Teacher, pub controversialist and proud Welshman, and Mark - a scarily well preserved 49 year old Southerner (Reading) Ceramic Artist and indie music bore. They both love an argument and can bullshit with the best, so we'll have plenty to talk about until we reach the first hill, when Mark's backside, attached to his 10 stone frame, will bob away into the distance.
Although the real reason behind the trip is that none of us can afford a Porsche, we'll all be trying to raise some money for good causes. More details and a link to an online donation page will be set up soon.
I took out my Trek hybrid the next day and set off, to my amazement getting up the hill (knackered), in one piece. My fitness level at the time allowed me to push on for a round trip of 6 miles. Over a period of a few months, a bunch of us did the badminton return trip in all weathers and, in the pub post game got talking about something a bit more adventurous. In the Summer of 2006, six of us set off over the hills to Ludlow with dodgy bikes, minimal preparation and a couple of mars bars. The fact that we made it, with a few stops - at a bakers shop, a pub and a closed pub - encouraged us to start dreaming about the Lands end to John O' Groats (or 'LEJOG') cycle challenge.
Although all six of the original Ludlow survivors would love to take part in this journey, work and family responsibilities mean that - at time of writing - there'll be three of us; James - a 43 year old Builder, former Teacher, pub controversialist and proud Welshman, and Mark - a scarily well preserved 49 year old Southerner (Reading) Ceramic Artist and indie music bore. They both love an argument and can bullshit with the best, so we'll have plenty to talk about until we reach the first hill, when Mark's backside, attached to his 10 stone frame, will bob away into the distance.
Although the real reason behind the trip is that none of us can afford a Porsche, we'll all be trying to raise some money for good causes. More details and a link to an online donation page will be set up soon.
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