I had some base fitness built up from being a gym regular, but as I quickly discovered on my first ride of 15 miles that I didn’t have much in the way of cycling fitness. Lots more practice was needed.
I persevered and found that the more I cycled the better I became in a relatively short amount of time. No more walking up hills or so I thought until I entered my first sportive event. Riding up the finest hills Surrey has to offer is no mean feat on a heavy touring bike. Box Hill was actually OK, but Leith Hill was another matter entirely (it stands at 294 metres or 965 ft above sea level). Still, I told myself, this is good training for what might be in store for me on the end-to-end, as I wearily pushed the bike up yet another upward slope. Lots and lots more practice was needed.
The weeks turned in months and during the summer I embarked on a 2 day trip with to Bracklesham Bay on the south coast – 60 miles there and 60 miles back. My brother came with me. The trip went well and we both loved it. The hardest bit was getting through a fierce headwind in Worthing. We managed 5 mph on the flat!!!! We picked up the pace after a couple of miles and made good time averaging 14mph.
Enthused by this effort, it wasn’t long before we planned our next trip. Sticking with the coastal theme we decided on heading to the Isle of Wight. This was slightly further afield – 80 miles there and 80 back. This time we took our tents with us and took an extra day. We got down to Portsmouth (via the Hayling Island ferry, well it’s more of a small fishing boat really) and hopped over to Fishbourne. We then cycled on to our chosen campsite in Ryde. The site had a pub next to it (no coincidence, this was well researched), which was a welcome relief as after we had pitched our tents we only had to stagger a short way for a much needed rest and to refuel with carbs, calories and a couple of beers.
The next day we went for a shorter ride from Ryde to Cowes to Sandown and back to Ryde, totalling just over 40 miles. The following day we headed home. We got there exhausted, but with a real sense of achievement – 200 miles in 3 days. Maybe I could do the end-to-end after all?
After the trip, I began to plan my end-to-end. I decided that I’d begin the ride after Easter, after all for the last couple of years the weather in spring has been really good, perfect for cycling. As I write this now at the beginning of April, I am now beginning to doubt my wisdom after the coldest spring we’ve ever had, since records began. I read this morning that on average, spring has been colder than winter. The forecast said that the cold snap will last another fortnight before it warms up a little bit and the temperature hits double figures. I go in a fortnight, so I hope that this is the case!
It’s been so cold that I’ve had to do much of this year’s training on my turbo trainer. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing.
JOGLE by bike 