Fred Whitton Challenge (+3 miles)

Last weekend I did the Fred Whitton Challenge. Definitely the best ride I've ever done. The scenery was stunning and, on the whole, this managed to take my mind off any tiredness.

The worst bits throughout the ride were after we'd stopped for a while and then started to ride again. My legs would feel like lead for the next half hour at least.

The ride went over all of the famous passes in the Lake district and to give you an idea of how steep some of them were, when I went over Whinlatter, I was convinced there was more to come as it felt so easy after the other climbs.

There was one climb that I was dreading on the basis of its name alone - Cold Fell. I had visions of a bleak and exposed climb and turned out to be absolutely right. Definitely the low point of the ride.

After 97 miles of riding we took the turning towards Hardknott Pass (followed very closely by Wrynose Pass) and passed a sign warning of the very steep gradient and informing us that the road is closed throughout the whole of winter as it's so steep. There was an eery suspense as we rode the next three miles on a very flat road. Just as the we ticked over 100 miles we started the steepest road I'd ever ridden up. I was pulling so hard on the bars that the I had to clamp my fingers with my thumb to make sure my hands didn't slip off. By the top I wasn't grunting with effort, I was whimpering with pain.

Incredibly. By the end of the ride I felt fresh again and able to attack climbs. I also only only had two sharp stabbing pains in my legs.

Writing this blog has certainly helped me to become the fittest I've been.

Savin Savage Century (and football)

On Saturday I rode the Savin Savage Century with a friend. It's probably one of the best rides I've ever done. Perfect weather and a good route.

We didn't really take enough food because I took some money to buy lunch. The only issue with this was that I forgot the money and we had to get by on what we had!

Amazingly after 100 miles I didn't feel anywhere near as bad as I expected. I was pretty tired but certainly still felt like I had it in me to attack some of the last climbs.

Yesterday I played football and was a wreck all the way through. Before the game started my legs were tired and by half time I just wanted to lie down and go to sleep. Unfortunately we didn't have subs so I had to keep running and running until full time. By the end I was tripping over my feet I was so tired!

On the ride to work this morning I came across a cyclist who thought he was faster than me. Oh dear, oh dear. I look back now and pity him. He shot away from the traffic lights like a bullet from a gun and was pedalling furiously up the road. In fairness it took me about 20 metres to catch him but when I did I took a second to compose my "I'm not trying face" and rode past. Hopefully he won't try to mess with me again!

Building up to Fred Whitton

In just over a week I'll be having a go at the Fred Whitton Challenge - one of the hardest one-day rides in the UK. It's 112 miles and takes in 6 of the major passes in the Lake District (including Hard Knot Pass which has a 30% gradient!).

It's going to be pretty tough so on Saturday I'm doing a tester ride that I've worked out around Sheffield (I'm calling it the Savin Savage Centurion). It's 100 miles and takes in 6 of the hardest hills I can find.

At the moment, though, I can't imagine much harder hills than the final hill on the way to work! It's not getting any easier. Ridden in every day this week (still no car) on my new (old) going to work bike. Which is surprisingly fast!