Feed Your Faith http://feedyourfaith.posterous.com Most recent posts at Feed Your Faith posterous.com Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:55:00 -0700 Re-Mo! Tivation http://feedyourfaith.posterous.com/re-mo-tivation http://feedyourfaith.posterous.com/re-mo-tivation

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The Inaugural Shaftesbury Cycle Revival took place on Sunday 12th June and, boy, what an event. This has been Colin's dream since moving to the bottom of Gold Hill last year and with time (a lot of it) and support from Hovis, the local Tourist Information Centre & Town Council, Stonehenge Cycles, Off Camber and Gillingham Wheelers (among many other willing helpers) a true celebration of cycling took place. Saltward timekeepers Mary and Dennis saved the day on the Shooter with pencil, not ink and a wealth of experience on how to record times in adverse weather conditions; only for modern IT (looks over shoulder ...) to make a pigs ear of it ... apologies, I.must.practice.on.attention-to-detail! (x100).

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Colin was first off up Gold Hill, riding the local bakery, Indulge, bike - a Schwinn Cruiser! 

The Shaftesbury Cycle Revival is a celebration of cycling in ... well, Shaftesbury. Perched as it is on a very high escarpment, the Urban Downhill event drops as steeply as the infamous cobbles of the Gold Hill climb. When it was my turn to pit guts and tyres against the hillclimb (I, eh, forgot my full face helmet. And dirt bike - anyway, you don't have to do both) my nerves where well and truly gangling.

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A large group of spectators, honking and cheering and Joolze snapping pictures gave me that extra surge, just as oxygene debt was starting to expect payback. I tried to chat after crossing the line but had to give up and simply gulp in air until everything stopped being woozy.

Colin has started casting his mind towards 2012, the Olympic year Shaftesbury Cycle Revival with plans for mountain bike orienteering, guided rides via his Enroute guiding business and with the same festival feel. I'll be there, for sure and will have the following day off, if an after-event party is going to be in The Salt Cellar Cafe again. 

The motivation I take from this is that Colin had a vision, let it grow into an event and then found help and, through that difficult process, created something wonderful. 

www.enroutecycling.com

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Sun, 27 Feb 2011 06:00:00 -0800 Training Schedule Part 1 http://feedyourfaith.posterous.com/training-schedule-prt1 http://feedyourfaith.posterous.com/training-schedule-prt1

I've never really stuck to a training regieme and that may explain a lot! So here goes. The weekend of May 14/15th is either going to be a Coast to Coast ride or some other endurance quick ride.

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Piddinghoe - you would stop for a gander, wouldn't you?

I've not been riding much of late, watching and feeling muscle & grey matter turn to sludge. But this weekend, I got enthused again. A shake down of the garage and bikes are back on the radar, firmly. Just sizes are wrong. Simple and pleasurable processes are planned to correct this oversight, with a new cyclo cross bike coming in 54cm, not the 58cm I have now ... how many times, cheap doesn't make it the right size ... and a hand wringingly exciting prospect of upgrading myself to a KM810.  Anyway, more on that later.

So training. Hrm. I think that I rode around 50 road miles at level 2 intensity.

 

Weight: 12 stone (urg)

Flexibility: Not bad. Back aches a bit

Heid: Fuzzy.

Sussex is the most undulating county in the South of England, did you know that? So today, I took my road bike out, straight up and over the hill to drop down and climb the lung bursting Peakock Lane. Nice wakener, heart thumpingly appreciated. Left at the top and along to treat myself to the Ditchling Beacon cheats way; daring myself to lay off the brakes and trust in hope that the loose shale isn't so bad on the riding line.

A tempo formed and clicking along, left before Plumpton and then just weaved right and left, this way and that, North Chailey and then south. I've never stopped in Piddinghoe, but always guffawed at the name. Giggleswick. Now that is a place I'd like to live. Continuing down, Newhaven was sleepy and actually quite attractive. Battering along the coast, then weaving throught the masses and back home.

Weight: Same, I guess.

Flexibility: Left knee is louping, but that is a good sign

Heid: Clear and planning.

 

 

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Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:54:00 -0800 An end to new beginnings http://feedyourfaith.posterous.com/an-end-to-new-beginnings http://feedyourfaith.posterous.com/an-end-to-new-beginnings

Until three weeks ago, I had not ridden my bike for three months. I had been watching as the bravest of men fought cancer but eventually left this life on 31st January. I know that we’ll meet again on the other side. Even before those last three months, my riding had been erratic; my reliability constantly suspect with family and friends. But as a part of me died with dad, another part seems to have awoken.

Over the last three weeks, I’ve been commuting the long way as much as possible. Although pitifully neglected, my legs and core are able to tolerate the miles; not at anything approaching the average speed built up over so many years. My head, as ever, relishes the time spent turning pedals alone in pre-dawn’s sharp air; but now it is lost in thought or grief, or is planning my day, my life. Solo miles have always been an invaluable time of introspection and now that is more so than ever.

But last Sunday, a group of us went out on an off road bike ride: full suspension, cyclo cross, hardtail and singlespeed. An eclectic mix. My friends kept a kindly slow cadence; allowing me to maintain motivation. Our mostly random route followed age-old paths in the general direction of Stanmer Park and across a 300 yard stretch of bridleway that is often ploughed (Sunday was no different). The months of rain forced most of us to slug it out on foot, with 20lb bikes tripling in weight. Most, but not all as the cyclo cross bike disappeared into the distance with a comical jaunty quip thrown over its rider’s shoulder ‘I say chaps, is this the way to Jerry’s trench?’. A brutally strong and sharp wind reduced our ambient temperatures to an uncomfortable level, so there were no heroics when the short way home was chosen.

And then today, two of us went out on road bikes, pedaling at a nice steady pace over Devil’s Dyke and round to Steyning. A friend joined us there and the three of us headed up onto Bostal Hill. Two sharp kickers and a false summit make this a hill you love to hate but relish the short intense effort. The climb is worth it. A crisp clear view eastwards captivates my senses for a second or two before the 17% descent has my full attention. Soon we were rolling along past fertile plains, waterlogged gullies and carefully picking our lines along weathered country lanes. Eventually our route took us back over Ditchling Beacon, another classic climb with three kickers this time and another false summit.

So now I’m back home, legs feeling ready for more. My face is tingling and mind is sharp. No more self-reprisals, doubt and anger. No more erratic planning.

An end to new beginnings. Although I stopped riding for a time, I never stopped, and never will stop being a rider.

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