And so British Summer Time arrives

Well, I must say that I was slightly worried about doing a ride today with the clocks going forward last night, heralding the beginning of British Summer Time and the onset of lighter nights - it's never good when you've missed out on sleep!  Having said that, I still got out for a couple of hours and we didn't do too badly - we went up Tatton Wall faster than the average speed for the ride and we seemed to speed up the steeper it got - strange but true!  The link to the ride is below:

http://sportypal.com/Workouts/Details/1006208

I also did a sneaky 18 miles yesterday, without my phone and Sportypal app, to see how I would be after doing two rides back to back, as I am conscious that the Ride Across Britain is getting ever closer.  The good news is that I survived both rides and we weren't hanging around too much either.  I did find that despite the fact that there was not really any headwind, the cold wind seemed to be like a headwind for half of the ride on both days! 

So I've done a total of 50 miles this weekend, at an average speed of around 15 mph, not too bad!

Out for a spin

Yesterday, I took my new bike out for its maiden voyage - the roads were reasonably dry and it was sunny, so I figured that there was no better time than the present to try it out on the road.  It is a bit different from my training bike, which has a longer wheelbase than my new one, and I need to get used to the Sram gears too - they're a bit different from the Shimano ones I have used for so many years now!  The other thing I noticed was how knock-kneed I am when I ride - you can't tell too much normally but because the Boardman bike is carbon monocoque oversize frame, the top tube is a lot wider than my training bike, so I kept hitting it with my knees!  My shoes/pedals also need moving slightly, but they're more fine tuning issues than your break glass in case of emergency types.

It was an interesting ride as I felt quite low down - the handlebars are quite a lot smaller - but the gears are different too - 36/50 chainrings, so I ended up doing the majority of the ride on the big ring - what's that all about?  I had no idea what speed I was going, so I was quite pleased when I uploaded the route when we got back:

http://sportypal.com/Workouts/Details/986125

Second fastest ride to date - not bad, although I think the big ring ride may have had something to do with it!

Wonders will never cease!

Despite the threatened rain, it was glorious sunshine when we went out today - although there was never a tailwind unfortunately, which was sorely missed!  The wind seemed to follow us around today and it kept changing direction, so that we always seemed to be riding into a headwind!  It doesn't help when you don't get much shelter riding behind the other members because they are so thin - no doubt it is good practice for when I get dropped in road races!

So, I am rather proud of myself today as the average speed on my computer (which only calculates it when we are moving) said 15.9 mph whereas my Sportypal application said 15.08 mph, which included stops - now I think that is progress, especially seeing as I am still nowhere near feeling any better.  The link is below:

http://sportypal.com/Workouts/Details/970798

I must say that I thought that my lungs were going to give up the ghost at one point in particular - namely when we were motoring up Tatton Wall, but I just tried to ignore it and kept going.  I did have some CNP Professional ProHydrate energy drink today, and I did feel better - I don't know whether that was psychosomatic or whether it did really work, who knows?  Having said that, I'm definitely using it again!

Could we finally be seeing some improvement?  Wonders will never cease!

Finally together as a team

The majority of us have known since October last year that we would be doing the RAB (apart from Rob Howells, who found out at the end of January, and Leanne Basson, who agreed to join us at the end of February) but it was only on Friday, 4 March 2011 that the Manchester-based riders all managed to get together to have a few photos taken.  Here is one of the best ones:

 The team is made up of (from left to right) me, Leanne Basson, Yvonne Lorimer, Jo Green, Matt Beaman, Rob Howells and Andrew Shepherd.  Jo, Matt and Andrew are riding the entire 950 miles by themselves, whereas Leanne, Yvonne, Rob and I are hiring a motorhome and doing it as a much more relaxed relay.  We are going to have such a laugh - I can't wait!

Leanne came out with me on my training ride this weekend and we did the traditional route around Lymm, High Legh and Dunham.  It was the first time out with us for Leanne, but we did really well - I even managed to do my cleats up on my shoes properly before we set off so I didn't have to worry about them falling off my shoes this time!  Wonders will never cease!

Here is the link to the ride:

http://sportypal.com/Workouts/Details/952361



Since I started training for the RAB, I haven't used any energy bars or drink, instead I have just been using water and a Kelloggs' cereal bar.  However, I have invested in some energy gel bars and some protein drink and this weekend was the first opportunity to try it.  Unfortunately, I managed to get more on my jacket and gloves than down my neck, so practise is needed I reckon!

I am organising a training ride for all of us at the beginning of April and Jo is going to include it in her Deloitte cycling newsletter too, I think - I am trying to get as many people interested as possible so that the ones who haven't ridden in a group can get some experience.  The aim is to ride to a cafe, have lunch then ride back again - it won't be too far.

I've also entered some more races now - a criterium and a road race in Dumfries at the end of May, as well as a time trial near St Helens, although the entry form for the latter is still on my desk whilst I try and find the organiser's address as it isn't on the website.  Hmmm.  We're also hopefully going to purchase a time trial bike tomorrow too - all very exciting!