April 2012 at FTC

I've actually been fairly on top of things this month, and there isn't the usual mass dump of photos and videos needed to catch up with things.

So here goes, just a few photos and videos to illustrate what we've been up to.  More a visual representation of the daily madness at FTC.

I haven't managed to get in loads of cycling this month.  Largely due to me losing my waterproof jacket at the Start of Summer Specials ride I did, and this April then being - as Michael McIntyre would say - the wettest since records began!

As a result the skies have, at best, looked like this!

But in the middle of the month we did all manage to get over to Chicksands.  I spent a few hours hitting the XC trails whilst Tash, Alfie and Esme went for a lovely walk.  Even though this was before the weather really turned, we still got caught in an enormous hail storm! 

Incidentally, you can see the quality of the photo isn't that great?  The Canon Powershot A1200 had got a little worse over recent weeks until last weekend I decided to return it to Currys.  I think it had bounced once too often!  They happily replaced it for me and so I'm pleased to say the point and click photos which now seem to make up the bulk of the images on this blog are back to a quality I'm happy with.

Other than that, Esme has continued to pile on the pounds and now with full head/hand control is loving her Bumbo!

Following on from this, Esme has even taken her first steps to eating real hooman food!

And she's now graduated from being sat on the table like a Christmas centre piece to having the joys of being seated next to Alfie in the Me Too.

And finally, April was the month Alfie really showed an interest in speech.  Amongst a few alternatives, he mostly likes discussing underpants and beer.

Stevenage Start of Summer Specials 2012

I spoke with someone last week who is also planning a long ride this summer, from London to Paris.  He mentioned to me about a ride on the weekend from Stevenage, the middle distance being 120km/72 miles.

I had a look on Google and checked the route, and found that the ride in question was the Stevenage Start of Summer Specials - the 120km being called the 'Ugley Nasty' as it goes through the villages of Ugley and Nasty.

Now whilst the thought of doing my first properly organised 'touring' event really appealed to me I was very aware that due to yet another cold I hadn't been on a bike for nearly three weeks and 72 miles was nearly 20 miles further than my current longest distance.

By now it was Thursday but I decided I'd go for it, the weather promised to be sunny and 15 degrees so a great day for a ride.  I wanted to spin my legs over on the bike before attempting it, and so managed a 20 mile ride on Thursday and then a 25 mile ride on Saturday.  I spent a good deal of time trying to work out how long the ride would take me, and I decided to aim for 5 hours which should represent a steady ride for me. 

Come Sunday (25/03) I was at Fairlands Valley Park for about 9:30am, and managed to get myself through the various queues to get registered and acquire the necessary paperwork - including directions of the route!  I managed to get away with the 10:40am group and planned to try and tag along with a group of riders who I thought a) were about my pace and b) knew the way!

I managed to find a group of four who seemed to be at a similar pace to me and hung onto their coat tails till the first check point.  I got my card stamped and had a quick chat with the group of four and we set off once more.  As we closed in on the second check point I had dropped just a few seconds behind the group but still felt really good.  The third leg really hurt me, a few steady but long inclines had me off the back of the pack and my legs really started aching.  I decided to click down a chainring and just enjoy being out in the sunshine.  I needed a few stops to check the route and stay on track but I made it into the third check point just about 5 minutes behind the group I had been with.

We all left for the finish together and my legs felt great again.  I was with them the whole way home and we were cruising most of it at over 18 mph.  Once back in Fairlands Park I checked my time.  The clock on my computer said it had taken me 4 hours 52 minutes, and when my card received its final stamp I was told I had completed the ride in 4 hours 45 minutes!  Either way I was dead pleased and couldn't resist getting myself a certificate and a badge!

Once home I was greeted by something even better though!

The event was listed on the Audax website, something I wasn't familiar with before the weekend.  They have loads of long distance rides listed on their website and I'll definitely be doing more in the future, it really was a perfect way to spend a Sunday.

For anyone interested, heres the map of the route.

February @ FTC

I was just looking back through my recent photos and realised how much I need to blog.  Kinda conveniently its about a monthly worth so I reckon its worth just doing a bulk upload/catch up.

At the end of January I saw the film 127 Hours after my mate Judgie told me it was on telly and gave me a brief synopsis of what it was about.  The film reminded me I needed to get a camera to take on the Gibraltar Cycle, a camera I could take out with me and not really worry about what happened to it.  I was actually researching with the laptop on my lap whilst the film was on!  I settled on a Canon A1200 - it had good reviews, would also shoot HD video, and I found it for just £60 ...the exact amount I had sitting on the bookcase! 

The following photo's and video were all taken with the A1200 as I've messed about with it over the past few weeks.  We took a few testers at home, so here's some of the rugrats to please the rellies who keep moaning I don't post enough photos of them!  In case you have forgotten what they look like Alfie looks like this;

 

And Esme has spent a lot of the month wrapped up like this.  Her beady eyes peaking out from either her snuggle bag (that our friend Cat kindly made for her) or the sling.

At the start of the February it snowed. 

And so I (foolishly) assumed Alfie would be overjoyed, and with that in mind dragged out Tash's old sledge from the barn.  The initial trial up the road was a huge success too.

 

 

 

And so we got Esme into her best 'Maggie' outfit and decided to take Harry out for a walk.

 

 

 But when your son starts doing 'superman' on the sledge, and then kicking his wellies off, you get a suspicion you might be in for a task!

And so we headed off into the fields, but kept the walk short so as not to turn out first born into an ice statue of doom, woes and terror.

Why do I say 'doom, woes and terror'?  Cos this is how much fun he had!

Once the snow had thawed Alfie had his first experience of mainsteam breakfast cereal.  And what better than Coco Pops?

Alfie has already become a wonderful big brother.  Whilst still his usual 'bull in a china shop' self, he is full of cuddles and kisses for his new little sister.

And when not with Esme he's liking nothing more than to turn every item into his latest play object.  Abel & Cole boxes included.

 

As for Esme, she's had ALL the new knitted clothes!

 

As the weather warmed (by the end of the month its even hit 14/15 degrees!) we've spent more and more time outside and Alfie seems to have developed something of a fascination with the chicken run.  At times, like when he drinks the chickens water, it can be frustrating.  But on other occasions, like when you wish you could just cage him up, its nice to know that you can!

 

We also got the (somewhat expected) news that Tash is to be made redundant.  We knew that if it were to happen we'd try and take the positives from it.  With her not having a job it means we have no ties to our current location, and so we're spreading the search for her next role far and wide - and that has meant applying for jobs within the UK, in Gibraltar, and even further afield. 

Cycling Training Update

I realise that since posting about the planned cycle trip to Gibraltar I have been very shy of updates.

I don't really know why that is as loads has been happening.  My planned routine was to have a big ride on the weekend and smaller rides during the week.  My big weekend ride would increase by 10 miles each month, starting with 20 miles in September, then 30 in October, 40 in November and so on.

Training in September and October went really well, but things slowed a little during November and December due to Esme's birth.  Following Christmas I was back out on the bike with a 40 mile ride which seemed far more comfortable than I imagined it would.

I shifted my training plan slightly and now aim to ride 50 miles in January, 60 in February, 70 in March, 80 in April and then 90 in May which should see me being very comfortable for the days in the saddle during the cycle to Gib.

The New Year signalled just five months until the trip, and focused a lot of my thoughts onto what bike I would complete the ride on.  I had been training on my mountain bike, but I've known for a long time that I would look to ride a road bike on the journey. 

With sales everywhere, and Tash and I having a lot of time at the moment, I started looking at bikes.  More research than anything, but of course the inevitable happened.  I found something that was just what I wanted and at a fantastic price!   I sat on the 2012 Trek 1.1 which would have cost £550, but really wanted to step up to the 1.2 which came with extra kit (most notable a 9 speed cassette) but would have cost £700.  A bit of looking around and I found the 2011 model of the 1.2 for £500!  Bang on budget, and £50 less than the bottom spec 2012 model I was looking at!


Many thanks go to my Dad for helping me fund such a purchase at such short notice, and two days later my new set of wheels were parked up in the barn!

Keen to keep training, and get out on the bike, I did a ride last week one evening in temperature about 4 degrees.  I was actually warm enough, and still in shorts, although my feet certainly got cold!

The weekend arrived and I was planning my first 50 mile cycle.  I sorted a lovely route and Friday night sorted all my gear for an early start on Saturday.  I wanted to be on the bike by 7am, a time I found out when everything was going to be frozen and with the sun not yet up neither were the temperatures!  As a result I planned a pair of thermals for under my shorts, 2 pairs of thermal socks for my feet and a pair of socks to go over my cycling shoes!

All that gear may sound stupid, and I bet I sure as hell looked it, but I hate the cold and I always get hit in toes.  I left on time and after 5 miles or so I'd warmed up my fingers and my feet were doing OK.  All that changed by the time I reached 15 though and my feet were really feeling it and I seemed unable to do anything to warm my toes.  I was cycling through lots of freezing fog which resulted in moisture forming on my eyelashes and my eyelashes freezing together!  I decided to turn around, happy with a 30 miles ride in such unfriendly conditions!

Maybe I sound like a wuss, but by the time I got home this was how my feet looked!

Yup, I had frost on the outside of my socks!  You can imagine how my toes were doing!

And I did the the majority of the ride without being able to refuel as my energy drinks froze up too!

I can see why Cavendish flies out to Italy for his winter training now!

Back On Two Wheels

This is another one of those blog posts which is me attempting to catch up with events 'pre-Gathering'.

Having built the single speed I decided I wanted another mountain bike to hack about around the local trails and get some fitness back.  Running around after a 'nearly two year old' can be tiring work, and Tash had warned me I would need todo something about my fitness!

And so I started pricing up frames, forks and cranksets on ebay and came to the conclusion I could get much better value for money by buying new.  And so my research began.  I must have spent about two months checking out the spec of bikes, working out which things I had to have and which areas I was happy to compomise on.  I found Genesis Bikes, a British company who's bikes had fantastic reviews.  The frame was highly regarded, and it came with a nice spec Rock Shox fork.  Test ride done, my mind was made up.

I took delivery about a month ago, along with a new bash hat and a pair of gloves, and have been trying desperately hard to rack up the miles.  Not just to get fit, but because there is a bigger agenda on the cards now.  A while back Tash got a British Heart Foundation leaflet through the door, and amonst its pages were details on a cycle fundraising activity that they do - 'clock to rock'.  This is a bicycle ride from Big Ben down to Gibraltar.  As you can imagine, this pressed a button with me; not only cos it involved Gibraltar but also because it would be a real test of personal endurance.

There was no way I was going to sign up to the £6k commitment, but it got me thinking about doing it on my own.  After speaking with Tasha's Dad recently he's bang up for it as well, and so it appears that next May we will attempt to cycle the length of Spain down to Gibraltar!

Tash is great at planning these kind of adventures, she has previous after our tour round Ireland on our motorbikes, and knowing what we were planning she set about finding hostels down the length of Spain that we could reach without having to cycle on major roads.  I'll get a copy of the map uploaded soon, but its looking like about 850 miles over 10 days!

I really cannot wait for this, and I'm getting in all the training that I can.  I'm cycling about 20 miles a ride, about twice a week, quite comfortably at the moment.

Obviously I won't be attempting such a long road ride on a mountain bike, and after Tash stuck a post on Freecycle I acquired a Raleigh Phoenix road bike that about 15 years old.  It needs a good service and overhaul but thats something I'm really looking forward to doing.  It even came with the original purchase documents!  Once the weather really turns, and I can't ride the local trails, I'll turn to cycling the roads during the cold winter months on the Raleigh.  That part I'm not looking forward to so much!