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So how did it happen? Well I did say I would only do it once, but
my husband happened to mention after my first marathon on 2001 that he felt he
should have done it, so that was it. I
couldn’t face seeing him run it when I knew I could do it, so we made an
agreement – we would both apply in 2002 and if I got in and he didn’t I would
give up my place to him. Neither of us
got in. In August 2002 we had another
marathon conversation and agreed to both apply again, with the exact same
policy, if I got in without him he would have my place.
In November 2002 Tim received notification that he had not got a place, 2 weeks later I received her letter ‘yea I had a place’, however it wasn’t just any place. The numbers all get issued and then they do a lucky 1000 person dip and I got a place out of that. I must say my lucky dip place was offered to Tim. However, there was a problem – Tim’s friend was getting married in 2003 and had planned his stag 5 day holiday so it clashed with the London Marathon! The girls were going 3 days after which meant I had a place in the London Marathon 2003. Now you may think I had a choice – which I guess I did, but it is such an honour to get a place without having to run for a charity, (as anyone that has applied for the Marathon will know), places are really difficult to get. So I took this as a sign, this was something that I had to do. I thought it would be a doddle seeing as I had done it before – wrong, very wrong!
Training – well since the last
London Marathon I kept up the running, 3 – 4 times a week doing 2 – 3
miles. In January 2003 I started the
improvers training programme kindly given to me by the marathon organisers. This meant running 6 days a week for roughly
an hour most days with a big run on Sundays, in January this was 1 ½ hours, 2 ½
in February and 3 ½ hours in March. As
a part of my training I entered a number of races – Canterbury 10 mile (92
mins), Dover half marathon (2 hours), Cranleigh 15 mile ( 2 hrs 33) and
Worthing 20 (3 hours 30 mins) spaced out over the three months! How was it -HARD- having done it all before
the novelty had definitely worn off and it was really hard doing the longer
runs and the races, I knew the pain, I knew the boredom and above all I knew
the commitment that was needed, but I persevered!!!
Two weeks before Marathon day, the training dies down and eventually
ceases on the Thursday before the big day!
In the last week, I gave up caffeine drinks and drank only water and ate
lots of pasta and rice!
On Wednesday evening Tim and I
had to go to Docklands Arena in London
so that I could register, it’s a nice evening out, there is an exhibition, lots
of freebies and a chance to buy souvenirs.
Registering is so easy and well organised, you take your letter to the
booth with your number, they check your signature, and sign you in. You then move to the next part, they scan
your registration bar code, and your name comes up on the computer with your
sex and age. You are then given a bag
with your name on it and in the bag is the running number (16633), a timing
chip to fasten to your shoe, 4 safety pins and a sticky number to attach to
your kit bag. Its then on to pick up
your kit bag and that’s the registration over with! All done in about 10 mins.
Tim went off on his stag week on
Friday and I was left to stress over what was to come! I may not have looked stressed but I
definitely was! What pace should I run at, what should I eat, how should I do my
hair, blah blah! I had known Tim was
going for months, but I hadn’t prepared myself for it very well – and I can
truly say I really missed him in every sense, his support, his shoulder, it was
really hard, I needed him with me through this more than anything else!
So Saturday was spent quite
calmly – I actually worked which was very sad, but at the same time it kept my
mind off the marathon. I ate a huge
pasta lunch at midday, and
took Benji out for two one hour walks.
In the evening after a snack, I watched Disney’s Cinderella (I know I am
sad), had a bath and went to bed at 10pm. I had an awful night’s sleep, (well after
drinking so much water I needed the toilet all night), but to be fair I was
also a little stressed and had no one to share it with.
Up at 5am – straight out for a walk with Benji before
having a bowl of porridge and a shower, and the off in the car. I dropped Benji off at Jan and Dave’s (Tim’s
mum and dad) and went off to my Mum and Dad’s and we got on the Aylesham road
runners bus at 6.30am. Luckily there was a toilet on board!!! We arrived at Black heath 2 hours before the
start – nerves were really kicking in now!
I got myself dressed at about 8.30am and put everything I needed in my
kit bag I then dropped it off to the right van which had my running number on
it (the Marathon is just so well organised!), and then it was back to the bus
for another toilet stop and Vaseline! I
saw the elite and wheelchair start (my only hope of seeing Paul Radcliffe all
day!), and then I walked to my start blue – zone 9 (the slowies). I didn’t need the sweatshirt or the bin liner
I had taken in case of the cold as it was already hot at 9.30am. I stretched
my muscles and talked to a few people on the start line and at 9.45am the gun went off. It was a 10 minute amble to the start and
then we still had to walk for about 5 mins after that (unlike the last time I
did it). It was great – the pavements
were full of people, I decided to run on the left hand side, because I knew that
I would get my name constantly shouted out – but at the same time you are
expected to high five every kid you see!
There were some memorable
moments! Funny and Painful! I was running alongside Harry Potter, lots
of fairies, bumped into a few Elvis look a likes, the rhino’s were out in force
and I did pass a womble! The costumes
are amazing! A man beside me was wearing
an outfit which included an emu made to look like he was riding it, and it made
my day when I heard a little boys voice shout out “Oy Mister that’s cheating!”.
The race started off hot and it
got hotter – water stations were every mile after about 3 (I believe) and I had
to get water and drink it all at every station!
There was very little breeze and I could feel the sun shining down on
me! It’s quite hard in the first few
miles to get a rhythm as there are so many runners, particularly when all the
starts come together after about 2-3 miles, but I maintained my position on the
left and for the most was okay!
At 6 miles we got to Cutty Sark –
masses of people everywhere, all screaming my name, the runners came to an
almost standstill at Cutty Sark, and we had to walk for quite a bit just sheers
numbers I think, but we all got running again soon after. I then saw Mum and Dad, which I have to say
has to be one of the best motivators in the world. Seriously if you ever know anyone going in
for the marathon go and watch them, you will never know how much it means to them
when you see people you know! I had
needed the toilet since the start and this is the only downside of drinking so
much water. There are toilets at regular
intervals but there are always huge queues, so I am sorry to all of you
squeamish people, but I had to find a bush, just after the 7 mile mark. At about 9 miles I was serenaded by group of
people singing my name from a balcony which was nice, and I also got cheered on
by some London Fire Brigade workers, which was also very nice! My
first half was great I was averaging 10 – 11 min miles (I had been told that I
should start of slow and increase my pace later – I should have known better as
I always have to do things differently). At some point I passed the 4 fireman
from Aylesham who were just about to have a leg massage, on the side of the
road, maybe I should have got one too? I got to half way in about 2 hours 23 minutes
– the Tower Bridge was just before this and it was totally awesome. For one you are running over the bridge, but
to be honest it’s the people! Screaming
and shouting at you, urging you on, it’s fantastic. There are banners every where with peoples
names on and little messages – enough to make you cry! So, anyway I came through half feeling okay
– it was hard though as at this point alongside the half (or is it the 13 mile
marker) on the other side of the road is the 22 mile marker for the faster
runners – that’s a hard one to take in knowing that they are 9 miles ahead of
you. But I carried on and I felt pretty
good. I think the music on the side of
the road is also a big help as it really helps to take your mind off the pain,
particularly when you can sing along.
I am not sure what the wall is
exactly, but I think if I hit it, I hit it at around 19 miles and I struggled
then until about 21/22. I had to walk 1
min and jog about 5 for some of that time – I know you’ll be thinking walk –
but in actual fact I power walked and so I felt it was okay! What got me running again – well a group of
young lads who were shouting my name and urging me on! (Thank you to who ever they are!). And then I ran, and continued to run (not quite
Forest Gump). And then you go under the Tower Bridge
and past Tower of London
– this was really difficult as its cobbled stones, with a carpet along the
centre – lots of walkers at this point which meant I had to dodge in and out of
them. But I got past that and hit the 23
mile marker and then I saw Mum, who was screaming at me – I ran over and she
took a photo (um I bet that’s a nice one) I had a hug and then ran to my Dad
for another hug – with 3 ½ miles to go this was the spur I needed (thank you Mum
and Dad you’ll never know how much I appreciated your support).
I then ran, at some point I met
up with the only other women from Aylesham who I had been meeting up with for
the past 4 – 5 miles, we were both having a bad time around the 19 mile mark
but at different times. We ran together
– she was running at quite a good pace, and I was struggling at this point, but with ½ mile to
go she had to stop so I carried on. I
got to Big Ben (what a lovely sight) and rounded the corner towards Buckingham
palace, the streets were thick with people and all I could hear was my name –
this was my race and for a few minutes I dreamed I was the winner instead of
being number 5451st (women
only before you get too impressed). I
ran up the road (it wasn’t that easy believe me) and turned the corner into the
mall and I could see the finish line – pints of beer flashing before me! I also saw a man dressed as a Timex watch
which gave me inspiration to beat him – we came in together. The time was 5 hours 8 mins – 8 mins slower
than in 2001. How did I feel, well to be
honest I just wanted to cry, I was really emotional.
The finish is fantastic, at the
line you are met by a photographer who takes a photo as you come over the line
– you are then moved along to a ramp where someone takes off your timing chip
from your shoe. You are then given your
well deserved medal, and moved along to queue for another photograph this time
with your medal and your number showing.
Its then time for the goody bag (I was really looking forward to this as
last time it had sandwiches in it, and after 7 hours of no food and after
running 26 miles I needed food), and then it was along to the lorry to pick up
my kit bag! As I said earlier the organisation
is absolutely fantastic. So armed with
my kit bag and my goody bag I decided not to sit down but keep moving to meet
up with mum and Dad at Festival hall. I
phoned them immediately to tell them I was on my way and then started the text
messages to all my friends and family. I
also delved in the goody bag for food – did anyone have a microwave I
wondered? You may well laugh, but in it
was microwaveable rice, pasta, pasta sauce, cereal (but no milk), deodorant,
shower gel, body spray, a muesli bar and an apple, water and lucozade. I was starving! I walked the what seemed like 10 miles to
the Festival Hall and had 2 pints and a bagel with cream cheese (thanks to Mum
and Dad once again) and waited for the bus to arrive at 5pm. A nice moment was when two ladies came over
to me to congratulate me on finishing the marathon! At that point it kind of sunk in!
So we the got the bus home! I was well and truly spoilt that evening by
my Mum and Dad with a lovely hot stew and rhubarb Crumble followed bya
bath. The next morning I went off to work
with a full breakfast inside me!
How did I feel – well I had (and
still have a big grin from ear to ear), but in terms of aches and pain, I feel
marvellous! On Tuesday I even managed a
2 mile run and it felt great.
So now what’s next! Good question – 5 days in Gran Canaria and
then who knows! Thank you for all your
support and well wishes, I hope you enjoy reading this – the purpose is that
whenever I start to think ‘Yep I could do the London marathon again’, I need to
look at this and remember exactly how it was.
Absolutely fantastic but how it hurt!!
Suzanne Gough – 15 April 2003
Marathon 2001 – 5.15 hours (no chip in them days). Actual time from start to finish 5 hours
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Suzanne Gough is travelling to Taipei, Taiwan with Tim Gough from Gatwick Airport.
31 August at 18:55 · Crawley ·
Bikes
are checked in – so it’s beer we go!
Tim Gough is feeling amazing with Suzanne Gough in Taipei, Taiwan.
1 September at 16:50 ·
Always
a drama on these cycling adventures. I’m not slating Air China, they are up
there with the best, 14 hours and 6151 miles in the air seemed like 14 minutes.
Just a shame both our luggage didn’t share the same joy. When you do these
tours self supported foregoing the luxuries of a support team you have to dig
deep. Today we did just that. No time for sulking or stamping our feet we had
to come up with a plan. A plan Baldrick would have been proud of, we procured a
giant shoe on wheels. Tired and disorientated from our journey getting
here we didn’t see the pitfalls in our hastily put together plan. Yes it had
wheels, yes you could sit on it and yes it rolled. Never considered it was
sitting in it and not on it. Never considered it rolled on wheels you couldn’t
steer and never considered it only really went downhill. Fortunately Suzanne
crashed it into a post within “cycling” no more than 2 feet. Plan B
now abandoned we await with baited breath the arrival of our second bike
tomorrow before we set off on Monday on what we hope will be another epic trip
in the saddle. If things carry on as they have today hopefully there will be
plenty to write home about in the coming 2 weeks. If not I will have to fluff
it as I have today. We both arrived, bike as well, safe and sound and will
enjoy a day sightseeing tomorrow before the off on Monday. Initial thoughts on
Taiwan are positive, its friendly, buzzing and welcoming and we can’t wait to
look under hood. I’m excited at what we’ll find and hope I can give you that
support us a sense of what we find in my prose. See you all Monday 🚲🛴
Tim Gough is feeling fantastic with Suzanne Gough in Taipei, Taiwan.
2 September at 11:40 ·
Checked
out the early part of stage one in preparation for tomorrow. Good job we’re not
worried about our averages 😉. Spent the day doing the tourist stuff and the realisation of the
humidity came home. It’s a good job Suzanne did her research on where we can
shop on route because we’re gonna sweat buckets as it’s certainly warm.
We were impressed with Taiwan generally last night after only spending a couple
of hours out looking for somewhere to eat. Today has further impressed us. It
is immaculately clean for such a densely populated city and the people are
really friendly, we’ve been down some really dodgy streets you wouldn’t get
within 50 yards of at home. Our only worry is that we are not sure that same
courtesy will extend to our fellow road users as we navigate our way out of
this busy metropolis. Our plan is to set off early and hope we beat the morning
rush hour. Having spent the last month being warned of extreme rain warnings
every day it was a surprise that we didn’t actually see any today. Fingers
crossed we at least set off in the dry tomorrow and I look forward to writing
about the cycling rather than the anticipation of it.
Suzanne Gough is with Tim Gough.
2 September at 15:09 ·
Martin Gough I have found our support vehicle just need a driver, you up for it?
Suzanne Gough added a new photo — feeling excited with Tim Gough.
2 September at 23:32 ·
Stage
1 – Taipei to Holli 98 miles
Today sees us ease into our cycle Taiwan adventure 11 days 1000 miles
unsupported cycle round the Island.
Tim Gough is feeling exhausted with Suzanne Gough in Taichung, Taiwan.
3 September at 15:06 ·
We went to bed
last night with some trepidation of how the morning would pan out. Strangely
enough it had nothing to do with the cycling it was something completely
unrelated. The cycling we’d trained for and we’re confident we had the legs so
it was of no concern. Maybe a little more concern would have prevented what
unfolded in the last 20 or so miles. There was plenty to write home about
before all that drudgery tho.
We set off nice and early at 0730 to beat the
Taipei traffic and have a stress free start to the tour. Well, these lovely
industrious people start their day early over here and it wasn’t too long
before we got caught up. In the madness. It’s always difficult on day one
trying to figure out the traffic signs, etiquette, right of way etc. In such a
built up city and having to continually cycle under bridges our Garmin sat navs
were severely put to the test and let us down on occasion, or rather we
overrode them to our detriment as we of course knew better. Something we never
learn from previous tours, rather foolish really. In the confusion the
temptation to just draft a moped and hope they were headed out of the city in
our general direction was overwhelming. We did however manage to finally
negotiate to the No1 cycle route and were able to chill and settle into a
rhythm.
The rules of the road in Taiwan seem to be, well quite frankly there aren’t that many. At times it is lawless and the moped riders are the ones packing the big guns. That said it is useful at traffic lights as we learned to ride up behind them and use them to our advantage as the posse that leads the charge. In fairness we never felt under threat out there as there is some if not a lot of respect for all users on the road. It just doesn’t seem like it at times but it’s actually organised carnage with everyone seeming to do what they want when they want. Carl William Moses you’d fit right in 😂
It wasn’t a particularly lumpy course nor were
there that many sights. We knew this would be the case as our first few days
are spent on the heavily populated West Coast. There were some nice stretches
of road and we stumbled across several Temples. These are amazing places both
in size and serenity. They are also very welcoming and we were invited to have
a cold wash down with a shower which was very welcome as the temperature hit
36° and the humidity is oppressive. We also came across our now mandatory blocked
road. The detour wasn’t huge but was nonetheless a ki k in the teeth. More so
because once we’d hit the coast the strong South Westerly wind was strong and
relentless. With no cover on the coast it was energy sapping and took its toll
a out 25 miles from home. The cramps I suffered were outrageous, the heat and
humidity with the effort it takes to cycle into a head wind of this magnitude
took their toll. I found myself once again really struggling but with Suzannes
encouragement I fortunately made it home this time. More food and more drink. I
must I must do more food and drink.
So what were we worried about last night as we went to bed? It was of the possible repercussions of our meal that night. It was street fare and neither of us really knew what we were eating. Something with cuttlefish and something with ground up meat of sorts were 2 of the 4 dishes. The other 2 were equally suspect and we were worried it might go all south. Mind you if it did we were well equipped to deal with it in the short term. Our toilet was a space age all singing and dancing affair. I’d tried it out only that afternoon. Having never used such a thing my advice is find out where the off switch is before you turn it on. My mistake was not knowing how to turn it off. Within a millisecond of a powerful jet of water trying to go the wrong way up my bottom, my buttocks were clamped together giving a seal a ducks arse would find hard to achieve. Thankfully Chantal Ambrose had put me through my paces in the early morning Hiit and Combat classes and I was able to hold said clamp for what seemed like an eternity as I searched for that ever elusive off switch. Once Suzanne realised my screams were not of pleasure but of horror she was useless in my aid as she wept tears. Fortunately we did not need to use the space age loo in anger and set off in good shape.
Hopefully
tomorrow will be a little kinder wind wise as we’ve 105 miles head G south into
the prevalent wind. I’ll let you know tomorrow if that was the case.
Suzanne Gough is getting ready for our day of cycling with Tim Gough in Taichung, Taiwan.
3 September at 23:27 ·
Starting
our day with asparagus juice & a mushroom pot noodle for breakfast &
it’s actually quite nice! 😂
Stage 2 – from Houli to
Fanlu Township – 105 miles
So
after yesterday’s very hot & humid weather and the strong headwind we are
expecting much the same kind of ride today! Reminiscent of the marshes but 36’
with 80% humidity & 💨 💨 maybe the asparagus juice will help us combat those strong wind
gusts!
Suzanne Gough is with Tim Gough at 麗寶樂園.
4 September at 08:21 · Taichung, Taiwan ·
Its
becoming the tour of 7-11 of Taiwan – replenishing sweat lost!
Tim Gough is feeling tired with Suzanne Gough in Fanlu, T’Ai-Wan, Taiwan.
4 September at 14:34 ·
We always had a mind today would possibly be our toughest day on tour
and I certainly hope it was. I’m not sure I could go through that hell again. I
doubt our pre ride breakfast fuelling of asparagus juice and a mushroom pot
noodle helped the cause. In fact, that’s also what we had for dinner last night
less the asparagus juice. We ro ked up too late to go out for dinner and had to
settle for what was in the hotel cupboard. Same for breakfast as they didn’t
serve until 8 and as we wanted to arrive at tonight’s digs in good time we
got away by,0730. As it turned out we rocked up late here and knew there was
little around so pushed ye boat out and had a McDonald’s. We don’t do fast food
but I have to say compared to the last 2 meals it was pretty darn good. Beats a
subway anyways but those that read last year’s blog will know that’s hardly a
recommendation.
So what made today’s ride so hard? The prevailing South westerly decided
not to let us down and we spent a good 80 miles and more riding directly into
it. Knowing we’d not turn around for home and get some benefit takes it toll
mentally along with physically. Also we were riding through the heartland of
Taiwan iniustry and the roads were choked with lorries. It was extremely
uninspiring offering no e of the beauty that will soon enough come.
The cramps came again for
sure. Not just in the legs but any muscle you cared to move in an unfamiliar
way. We were putting away in excess of 2 litres an hour and couldn’t actually
do more as it made us sick. I couldn’t actually get out of my saddle at the end
of the day as my quads would explode. That made the final 5 miles climbing,
after a totally flat day, very tough. As we approached the last brow before
half a mile descent to the hotel I forgot and stood up to pedal in triumph, and
relief. I just about had time to yell in agony before I flopped into the wall
beside just preventing myself hitting the tarmac. It took nearly 5 minutes
before I could mount my bike for the last half mile. So near yet so far.
Suzanne incidentally is fairing better than me. I think it’s because she
tolerates the heat better than me. She thinks it’s because I had too many beers
in Taipei the 2 nights we were there. I’ll let you decide who’s is the more
plausible reason.
Sorry I couldn’t be of
greater cheer today but honestly, this was a brutal day with very little cheer
in it. I’ve copied in a montage of photos for viewings. Catch you all tomorrow.
Suzanne Gough is with Tim Gough in Fanlu, T’Ai-Wan, Taiwan.
5 September at 00:45 ·
People ask why Taiwan!
In all honesty we didn’t think we would get a bike adventure in this year due
to my back surgery & Tims leave but his work offered him some training
which meant cancelling his May leave and getting time in Sept. This coincided
with us going to Mallorca for the 312 sportive at the end of April (booked when
I was in better shape). This was a bench mark for my return to cycling after 6
months off the bike & surgery. It just so happens that in the bag we got at
the Mallorca registration was information on the sportive, a load of junk plus
a leaflet on the ‘Route 1 cycle Taiwan’. I read it and having cycled 110 mile
that weekend and feeling really good I said to Tim I have found our next
adventure and the research began. As they say the rest is history!
This is our holiday and yes we may be bonkers but what better way to see
a country and all that It has to offer.
Our research told us that
the roads are like velvet, lots of good cycle paths, the people are very
friendly and are keen to encourage you and the scenery is amazing! We also knew
cycling down the densely populated West Coast would be the hard bit and that
the East Coast is where it’s at.
The island is about 750
miles in circumference and relatively flat around the edges. And we also found
out that the mountain ranges in the middle are awesome. So our plan was to
cycle route 1 and add in our own twist & get to see some of the mountains
and what they have to offer.
Stage 3 is our first forage
into the Mountains. Our plan is to cycle into the Yushan National Park up to
the Takata Visitor Centre. But it can be what we want it to be depending on how
we feel! This is our holiday after all!
Tim Gough is with Suzanne Gough at 龍珠園民宿.
5 September at 13:15 · Chiayi, Taiwan ·
There seems to be a recurring theme of having for breakfast what we’ve
had the night before. Fortunately not another McDonald’s, I’ve had my last one
for at least another year I hope, but a burger all the same. As unusual as our
meal was tonight I’m not sure I’d like it for breakfast, or in fact dinner or
ever again for that matter. It sits slightly above a subway, but what doesn’t?
and because of the goose, the only recognisable dish, a fraction above
McDonald’s. The local Taiwan restaurant is a gem amongst locals and with good
reason I’m sure. As it was our first go at an authentic local restaurant we
sort of blindly picked some of the fare on offer. We tried hard not to work out
what animal the intestines came from but were in agreement that’s what it was.
As for the pigs feet, well their toe nails make mine look perfectly manicured.
It wasn’t bad, it was just unusual and something we will grow to enjoy I’m
sure. After the last 4 meals it was in fact heaven and we cheered up the many
staff as we struggled not only with our chopsticks but to eat it. We didn’t
want to offend and did a great job I must say.
We had a lay in this
morning as we weren’t compelled to actually cycle anywhere or do anything,
which was just as well as it turned out. Having suitably digested the burger we
rode out on our first of 4 planned mountain stages. Up to the Alishan national
Park where the first creatures were encountered. The smart money said it was
her fear of snakes that would have her off the bike as she ran over one. But
no, that honour went to an ornamental spider hanging from a tree. On closer
inspection she noted the hand sized beautiful black arachnid with spindly legs
and a brown body was in fact the real thing. As it scuttled away it almost had
her off her feet along with the bike as she made off in full retreat in shoes
not designed for walking let alone running.
As the miles ticked by and
the air became thinner the beauty of Taiwan began to unfold. Tea plantations
adorned the landscape but did not overwhelm it, they farm the land in
traditional ways. Suspension bridges spanned gorges or rivers for what appeared
to be little point. Waterfalls were in full flow as the rains had fed them
well, and continued to so, making the roads seem like they were in fact
waterfalls themselves. Its very warm rain and in fact is most welcome, although
it did make the descent a little dangerous and therefore slower than normal.
Sadly I bore no witness to
this as I had to make the hard decision to consider the rest of the tour. I
consider myself a half decent climber but I had nothing in my legs or body
today. I was exhausted a mere 3 miles into the ride. It wasn’t just my legs, it
was total fatigue, i was really not in a good place. Without the luxury of a
support driver that can bring you food, ice cold drinks, medical assistance and
ultimately the option of a ride to the daya destination I had to think long
term. I can’t say why I’m spent, I can only assume I’ve picked up a bug as I’ve
never suffered like this before. Sure I bonked last year but that was only half
an hour suffering before being rescued and I carried on as normal next day.
I’ve suffered 3 days now and made the responsible decision to have a days rest
hoping to recover and find my form. After all I’ve no choice the next 4 days,
which is a good thing as it was hard to watch Suzanne carry on with her ride.
She is capable of looking after herself but it’s not nice waiting her safe
return.
Tomorrow sees us heading back toward the coast to head south once again.
The Beaufort Scale (BS for short) the scale they use to measure wind speed here
is forecast BS2 South Westerly. As they said it was BS2 the last 2 days, which
is a 4-7 mph breeze which gently rustles leaves I’ve taken to calling it the
Bull Shit Scale. BS2 my arse, times it by 3 and deduct 2 I’d say. Bull Shit or
Beaufort it is was it is and hopefully I for one will come out of tomorrow’s
ride a stronger man.
Suzanne Gough is with Tim Gough in Fanlu, T’Ai-Wan, Taiwan.
5 September at 23:07 ·
Day 4 – Fanlu Township to Kaohsiung- 85 miles
The team is back in town – ready for a nice ride into a big city on the west
coast! So long Mountains and Forest, until next time!
Suzanne Gough is with Tim Gough.
6 September at 01:41 ·
8.36 am currently cycling through chaiyi city and
the sweat is pouring off us! Traffic lights on red are becoming our nemesis but
found a nice energy drink!
Suzanne Gough was live — in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
6 September at 09:07 ·
Having a caramel latte waiting for the rain to ease on Kaohsiung. Whilst Tim Gough’s (hopefully) sleeping off his bug!
Tim Gough is feeling exhausted with Suzanne Gough in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
6 September at 14:31 ·
If I could re ride history it would be as follows. We woke up fresh as
daisy’s after an undisturbed nights sleep chomping at the bit for the days ride
ahead. A mere 87 miles heading south on stage 4 with a cooling tailwind breeze
in the mid 20s. The first 7 miles were downhill and the endless traffic lights
turned green on each and every approach. We made good time before hitting the
flats so were able to ease up and take in the splendour around us. We arrived
not only for the first time in daylight hours but with enough of the afternoon
left to go and explore.
Only Suzanne and I would
ever know the truth after all so I could say anything. However I always say it
as it is and apart from arriving early the rest is as accurate as the Beuefort
Scale. Thankfully it did start off with 7 miles of descent and was in fact not
intolerably hot. The zillions of traffic lights put paid to any groundbreaking
speed records though. Just as you crank up the bike to full throttle you are
forced to stop,again and again and again. Normally we wouldn’t mind a little
stop and a nosy but take away the breeze you create on the move you just sit there
frying. As I’m really off form I would just slump over the handlebars sweating
buckets feeling ever nauseous. I would then actually resent the lights when it
went green as I’d have to crank up the bike knowing I’d only be stopped at the
next one to do it all again.
Once we got onto the flats
the harsh reality really hit home. I was smashing out a big effort that would
have seen maybe a speed of around 20 odd miles an hour. Imagine my horror and
the psychological blow when I saw I was in fact doing 12 mph. Any slight bump
in the road would leave me exhausted so at just 38 miles in I had to call it a
day. Thanks to Suzanne’s planning she was aware a big city was coming up and
researched a train station that was able to get us to our destination. 288 Taiwan
dollars (£7.20) for the 90 minute journey to our destination could be the best
money I’ll spend this holday. So that’s why we got in before dark and even
early. Truth be told we should be able to finish a stage like today in well
under 6 hours no problem. Anyways, on the plus side it was good to see the
Taiwanese people in their own back yards and particularly witness the respect
shown for elders, something we’ve long forgotten which is a crying shame now
I’m into the the category of being an elder. Matters not that I’m a grumpy,
rude, obnoxious know it all. It’s taken me all these years to attain those
merits.
So what ails me you may
well be thinking. I honestly don’t know. To be honest for the most part I feel
OK but as soon as I get on the bike I feel sick and have no energy whatsoever.
I’ve not been sick nor do I have the squits. On the contrary, I’m a very
regular guy but have now been 3 days in the wilderness. I wonder if my bottom
was traumatised in Taipei by the all singing and dancing toilet. Every time I
go near a toilet I clam up like choir boy at a paedophile convention. So it’s
not dehydration, I really don’t know what’s going on and will not bore you with
it any more. I will say one last thing to silence any doubters, I’ve had only 2
beers these passed 4 days and cycling tours and beers go hand in hand. Suzanne
at first was a little concerned and now she is a lot concerned.
We had an American style
meal tonight, chicken wings for me and a burger for Suzanne, I’m not sure the
elephants foreskin we ate for dinner last night helped that much. Nor the
vegetables we couldn’t even discern for that matter. That’s why I had a beer,
Dutch courage and something to wash it down. Felt like we were in the final of
“get me out of here”
Good news is, on the epic 1.5 mile cycle from the train station to our
hotel we learned how to negotiate left turns on the massive city junctions. We
now no longer need to tailgate a moped in the hope they are going left, we can
do it all on our lonesomes. So here’s hoping we get the chance to do just that
tomorrow.
Suzanne Gough is with Tim Gough in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
6 September at 23:00 ·
Stage 5 Kaohsiung to Eluanbi 70 miles. Today we depart the city life and
cycle to the most southern part of Taiwan and get to see the “light of East Asia”
the Eluanbi Lighthouse.
Apart from the Lighthouse
there isn’t a lot at this place tonight and as it’s dark at 6pm it would be
good to arrive early!
Of course all this depends on how Tim Gough is feeling today! Here’s hoping he is back to some kind of form and can at least pedal. But for now he is still sleeping like a baby! Selfishly I don’t want a plan B!
Suzanne Gough is with Tim Gough at 屏東大鵬灣風景區.
7 September at 03:10 · Tungkang, Taiwan ·
And
the tour of Taiwan 7-11 shops continues as we desperately try to replenish the
fluid lost in sweat! Tim is back on the bike and doing okay too! But we are
taking it easy – well as much as one can on a bike!
Suzanne Gough is with Tim Gough.
7 September at 11:52 ·
The blogger
is still crook!
Thanks for all your messages Today regards Tim. We
started off with a Chinese breakfast for me and a western one for Tim! Yea get
me with the chopsticks- not bad for a girl it took years to master eating
spaghetti with a fork and spoon! But the point is we both ate before we left!
I had high hopes of him feeling better. He joked in
our hotel as he tried to nick a folding bike from the foyer but it wasn’t long
before the familiar stance on the bike was back, and the pedals were barely
going round! To be fair I should have kicked him off and flown solo but I feel
so bad for him and worry for his safety as he is vulnerable out there 😂 so like a good wife I stuck with him. In all honesty part of me is
gutted as I am in good shape and I feel good, and In normal circumstances we
would be flying through these miles! It feels like my first sports day at
Infant School when I was entered In the slow bike race, no surprise that I lost
that one too! That being said, it’s much harder for Tim as clearly he isn’t
well! But for god sake man up! Oops did I write that 😭
We left the Kaohsiung in rush hour and went through
the city and then into oil refinery land before we got to the nicer stuff. But
this is really where we depart from the West Coast industrial & densely
populated part of Taiwan for the quieter & beautiful East Coast and we
started to see a little of it today.
Today we were due to go to the far South but we cut
it short at 53 miles (17 miles out) and booked a hotel here! It’s a lovely
hotel but when I popped out to get my beers they locked me out and Tim was
asleep so didn’t hear my texts or phone calls! Luckily the neighbours are all
friendly and came to my rescue – how I have come to love Google Translate!
We have met a few fellow cyclists mostly in the
opposite direction and always with a wave! But I can’t fathom out how they can
be wearing long sleeves / tights – ok they may be coolmax but flippin eck it’s
boiling they must be sweating their nuts off and stink! I know we do – stink
that is!
We met a young Chinese lad (a Taikwondo specialist, whatever that means) cycling around Taiwan on his own. We had a photo & I signed his flag – Tim was his usual chatty self and scared him off! 😂. But not before he showed me how to rid Tim of heat stroke! Ha good old Chinese medicine – pinch the top of his nose by his eye balls with my thumb and finger and repeat many times! I love it, It’s so therapeutic for me god knows what it does for Tim! I am just glad I didn’t mention Tim was constipated! 😂
When we have done these tours before with a support
van we have a new kit for every day. But being totally unsupported we have to
wash our kit out every night! So because we are man down all the jobs fall to
me when we check in. You know, Unpacking, washing the kit & hanging it up
to dry, charging all the electrics, sorting the bikes and more Importantly
walking to 7-11 for supplies the list goes on and I am not after any sympathy
but if you think I am mean for drinking beer whilst Tim is on his sick bed, sod
off cuz I have earned it and then some!
Just so you know he still hasn’t had a number 2 but
who wants to hear about that stuff! Maybe the orange juice, water melon,
pineapple and apple I fed him earlier will have some effect – god help Taiwan
when it does!
So on to tomorrow, we have a plan B and it’s very
likely we will take that plan B – as the man hasn’t emerged from his sick bed
yet!
Now where is
my beer!
That my friends was all mine!
Suzanne Gough is feeling hopeful with Tim Gough in Checheng.
8 September at 00:00 ·
Stage
6 should have been Eluanbi to Taitung 94 miles but it’s all change and it’s
plan b into action. I don’t want to ask how he is feeling but he is awake
(phew!) and making noises!! The plan b has been sorted by Tim so at least he
knows what he is in for and it won’t be easy as we have some climbing to do
today. If you look at the photo we are joining what was our route from the left
to right about half way up. It’s 16 miles across to join our route at what
would have been 34 miles so still another 60 miles but there are other options!
Suzanne Gough
8 September at 03:41 ·
He
said he don’t like cats – anything to him getting back on he bike! I know his
tricks! He seems quite taken too!
Suzanne Gough was live.
8 September at 04:30 ·
What
views
Tim Gough is feeling broken with Suzanne Gough at 台東民宿－黎亞兒Liyar House of L&k.
8 September at 16:01 · Taitung City, Taiwan ·
Fortunately
we got to the top of the first mountain pass before fate kicked me in the nuts
again. I know I deserve some bad karma, but please, not all at once. The climb
came suddenly after we set off and dragged on for around 20 miles through
meandering roads carved through the jungle. I could have routed us back north
for 10 miles and just a 10 mile climb but it would have been a relentless 10.
The route I opted for afforded us a short descent now and again where I could
have a much needed break. To be honest, this climb offered nothing in the scale
of what we’re capable of, in fact I only saw Suzanne on occasion as she waited
for me to catch up and had I have been fit the ensuing disaster may have been
averted. Every climb is rewarded with a descent and I do love a descent and I’d
consider myself a pretty fearless and good down hiller. Had I have been on form
we’d have missed the rain cloud on the descent and things would maybe have
turned out a little different.
I was feeling a little stronger today and was sort
of looking forward to maybe finishing a stage finally but as I said earlier,
karma is bitch when it wants to be. That said, we did finish the stage but not
as ideally as we’d have liked. I’d say I’m good up until mid day or the 35-40
mile mark and then it starts to go a little south. Around that time or distance
my appetite goes and all I can suffer is ice cold drinks. Real lemonade being
my favourite and over here they’ve even got real limeade, bliss. I can’t even
bear to drink the warm water from my drink bottles. So imagine my excitement
when I found a new drink as we stopped in one of the ever familiar 7-11s The
pictures of lemons on the side of the bottle with water running over them
enticed me in. I screwed off the cap and thought nothing of the tin foil seal I
also had to peel back. This was it, I threw back my head, put lips to bottles
and…….. Nothing. Lid back on, give it a shake, try again…….. nothing.
This time I give the bottle a squeeze and was rewarded with a globule of warm
jelly. This is a strange country with different traditions and tastes, but
bottled fu*%ing jelly pretending to be the ultimate drink of lemonade? Please.
Nothing really seems cold out here, it’s a wealthy
country, I guess the turn round in the cold drinks fridges is to great for them
to ever get cold. Which is a shame because I NEEDED cold. Well lucky for me I
heard the ice cream van just up ahead and round the corner. It had been a while
since we’d seen a 7-11 and the sound of the ice cream van was music to my ears.
We followed that jingle somewhat memorised, at least I did, and finally tracked
it down. The sight we beheld made a lemonade jelly monstrosity seem like nectar
from heaven. It was the bleeding dustman. Over here you take your rubbish to
the dust cart whenever it passes and the loud jingle of the bells let’s people
know its on its way. I did get my ice cream later once we’d checked in and went
out for dinner. In fact it was all I had for dinner, an ice cream. Suzanne had
a pasta type thing from 7-11 and in fact ate it in the shop. Eating out here is
a strange affair, something neither of us could have anticipated. A shame as I
was so looking forward to what is supposed to be some of the best Asian food
you can get. Maybe in a day or 2 I will be in good form and can have a go but
at the moment I’m afraid all I can manage is an ice cream for dinner. Not the
sort of nutrition for a 100 mile bike ride I know, but better than nowt.
I will
quickly wrap this up by saying that one huge descent in the rain something
screwed up with my Di2s (Electric gear changing) and I was unable to change
gear once coming out of the mountains. No worries we’d made plans B and C so
put them to use. I couldn’t cycle the remaining 40 miles without being able to
change gear if I was on form. It was a bumpy run in. There was a train station
12 miles down the road that could see us home. It was quite amusing watching
Suzanne have a conversation with the ticket man on Google translate and I could
afford a chuckle now my bad luck with the bike gears had actually got me a
cheap ride home. Unfortunately they couldn’t take bikes at this station but not
worry 14 miles down the road there was a station that could. OK stay positive,
I could do this, luckily the gear I was stuck was mid range. Lying fu%*er. This
station couldn’t take bikes either, it’s the weekend. We had 24, of which 18
were close to the worst I’ve endured on a bike, to go again it was getting dark
and after an hour and a half we rolled onto a 7-11. I was exhausted but said “f%*k
it, if there is less than 5 miles to go I’m having a beer, after all I’ve not
had one for days. Well bugger me, 6.1 to go so another bloody lemonade. Jumped
on the bike for the final charge and would you believe it? My gears decided to
come back to life. I didn’t know whether to be happy or angry. I’d put up with
nearly 40 miles of strength sapping miles over the rolling coastline and you
now want to play? So tempted to put it back in the gear I’d struggled so hard
with the past hundred or so hours but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. 4
miles downhill before a flat 2 to finish. We smashed it and rolled up to our
hotel once again in the pitch black of night. Only this time we turned up to
the wrong hotel. There was nobody on reception but a key to a room was lying on
the desk. Well , what was there to do??
Suzanne Gough is feeling positive with Tim Gough in Taitung City.
9 September at 00:44 ·
Stage
7 Taitung City to Haiduan 😁 today sees us cycle 43 miles to our hotel where we planned to drop
stuff off and climb a further few miles up the mountain!!!! But the hotel is
spa and so Tim (for one) will be staying put at 43 and making use of the hot
spring and I may well flipping join him! After our lovely date at a 7-11 last
night where Tim had ice cream for dinner and I had some awful microwave pasta
dinner I m hopeful tonight will be different as the hotel has a restaurant too!
But you know what it doesn’t matter – we joke about the karma, and the things
we face along the way but these are adventures and they truly wouldn’t be half
the fun without things happening😁.
Suzanne Gough
9 September at 08:33 ·
Things went from bad to worse today (more on that later. but we are at
the hotel safe & sound).
But, on the plus side I found Tim Gough a Nimbus 2000 trouble is he hasn’t got the energy to kick start it! I knew we should have opted for the automatic start!
Suzanne Gough was live.
9 September at 10:00
The Chief
Spa hotel
Tim Gough is feeling old with Suzanne Gough at 南橫台東段‧天龍溫泉飯店 Chief SPA Hotel.
9 September at 14:07 · Taitung City, Taiwan ·
Having rattled the set of keys in my hand in that
wrong hotel for a good 5 minutes last night trying to politely summon someone
and toying with the idea of just bunking down for the night and hoping for the
best we settled on the latter. I gingerly approached the forbidden door and
with a trembling hand, through sheer exhaustion, I inserted the key and slowly
unlocked the door. To scared to proceed alone I called over Suzanne for back up
and together we slowly turned the handle and pushed open the door. What horror
awaited us?? There they were, getting fruity under the covers when they should
be at home sorting all our crap out. Theresa bleeding May and Boris bloody
Johnson no less. 😨 We all gave a squeel, the best Theresa has had in a while no
doubt, and it was us that responded first and made a quick exit into the the
night. We obviously found the right B&B. Now all the beds here have been to
my liking but neither of us could get comfortable last night and spent most of
the night fighting for sleep. Was it the fact the bed felt like we were
sleeping on a poorly inflated balloon or was it the image of those dirty dirty
politicians fumbling with each other under the covers? Real shame as we’d
decided a lay in would serve us well but it was impossible and I for one got up
feeling worse than on previous mornings. 😢
Breakfast was a strange affair as is every meal
here. There are some really pleasant surprises let down by some weird stuff.
The fruit and cake being the nicer elements, the rice and chicken wrapped in
vine leaf letting it down. Mornings are when I’m more inclined to be able to
eat anything but this left me wanting and my opportunity to gain any strength
had gone. Cycling nearly 40 miles with no gears yesterday had taken their toll
and the lack of nourishment setting off on a climb in 97° heat at 10 in the
morning proved too much. It don’t matter how deep you dig, if it ain’t there it
ain’t there and believe me my reserves had long gone. It wasn’t long before
once again I was hanging over my bars seeing little but my front tyre. 🚴
We met some fellow cyclists today with similar
ambitions to us. One guy, a local, said he would do the ride in ten days or
thirty, whatever took his fancy. The other didn’t speak a word of blighty so
we’re not sure. However, one thing they had in common was the amount of
clothing they wore. Long sleeve tops and tights under there cycle clothes and
face masks. I reckon I’m sweating a litre an hour at least out here, it is
brutal, the heat and humidity. I’m not sure you could ever truly be immune from
its debilitating effects. It was a joy today cycling through the small towns,
well them that were downhill anyways. Its more rural here and they take their pleasures
more freely. To see 2 Europeans cycling through town brought many a lot of
pleasure 🤸♀️🤸♀️ and amusement and it was
these interactions alone that got me two thirds of the way through an already
shortened stage. 30 miles before I was well and truly over cooked. Suzanne
would have gotten more exercise on a 2 week beach holiday Chantal Ambrose so
needs some serious punishment on her return. As for me, I’m content spending my
time as couch potato so hands off.
During our ride fate dealt us, or rather me,
Suzanne is not struggling at all other than having to wait for me, another kick
in the nuts. We pulled over at a shrine so I could use the tap to get some cool
refreshing water over my head. Like that cowboy that has flogged his horse to
the death getting to the oasis then having to crawl on hands and knees as his
life slipped away getting ever closer. Just as hope was failing he belly
crawled to that clear pool raised his head in joy and dunked it into the cool
clear water. His last breath was spent spitting out sand as it was all a
mirage. Not quite as dramatic but the tap was turned off at the mains. Never
mind, on crawling back to my bike, there it was. A Nimbus 3000 (flying
broomstick for non Harry Potter fans) laying up against the wall of the temple.
The spirits were weaving their magic and showed me mercy. I jumped aboard
and……. Nothing, not a bleeding sausage. Where was that little poncy wizard
brat when you needed him. With no instructions on how to use it I had to endure
a few more miles before I finally succumbed. ☠️
Cutting a long, very long story short, we managed
to arrange a taxi for the last 13 miles. Any other day I would have smashed
this climb. It wasn’t too steep, in fact it was perfect. It would have been our
most stunning ride thus far but I can tell you I know for a fact I would not
have been able to do it. I encouraged Suzanne to do so but, as we say when
skiing, “you never leave a man in the mountains”
Today wasn’t all about suffering, there was some
laughs on the way, there has to be otherwise there’d be no point. We did have a
laugh when we arrived at the hotel and the extremely helpful, fluent, desk
clerk told us we’d have to wear bathing caps if we went in the outdoor natural
spa adding “even you sir” The mood I was in I muttered “It’s
Baldy actually, not Sir” its a lovely if not old hotel someway up a
mountain and the food was palpable, just. I forced down a good half portion and
hope it serves me well for tomorrow.
Having said that it’s odds on we will be getting a
train close to our destination as there is no way I’ve 110 miles in me. Only 20
miles cycling to the train station then 20 miles from the train station. Not
only that, can you believe it and I tell no lie. We’ve been fighting a South
Westerly down the island and now we head North it has swung 180 and again in
our face just when we thought we’d have a little help. It’s also 4 💨💨💨💨 on the Bull Shit scale which means it “raises paper and moves
small branches” Yhea right oh. More like removes unsecured toupees and
turns umbrellas inside out.
Here’s
hoping our plans fall into place tomorrow. Thanks for all the comments, really
appreciate them. I do my best to reply to you all but not always got the time.
Suzanne Gough is with Tim Gough in Wulu, T’Ai-Wan, Taiwan.
10 September at 01:02 ·
Stage 8 Wulu Gorge to Taroka Gorge!
It’s turning into a “planes
trains automobile and bike adventure” but the thing is it’s an adventure and it
tells a good story and despite everything we are still smiling!
So today our plans have been easily changed to incorporate a train. We
will cycle 18 miles down the incredible Wulu Gorge catch a train to Huilien and
then cycle 20 miles up to our hotel at the foot of the Taroka Gorge. We will be
in this next hotel 2 nights so he can have a rest day tomorrow should he need
it!
Suzanne Gough
10 September at 04:49 ·
Chantal Ambrose thank your for making us do squats in HiiT I knew they would be useful for something 😂 (Who doesn’t like a public toilet Taiwan style 😭😭😭).
Tim Gough is feeling hopeful with Suzanne Gough at 太魯閣山月村.
10 September at 15:03 · Chingmei, Taiwan ·
Finally
managed a ride that didn’t break me. 18 miles mostly downhill to the train
station for the train to Taroko Gorge. Ironically, if I was on form we’d have
cycled the 80 mile journey faster than the train itself. It took 5 hours on a
single track line which is just within our averages. A bit like my cycling this
tour it spent more time not moving than it did. We had to give up our bikes at
the station and were assured they would be with us at our destination. The five
hours I spent away from my bike were a little less stressful than it was for
Suzanne. I was sure they’d have done this thing many times before and was
confident we’d all turn up together, although hoping we wouldn’t. Therefore
Suzanne was the happier when we arrived at Hualian Station to be reunited with
our bikes. The only satisfaction I could take was that it was too late to cycle
up to our hotel. The train was due to arrive at 1445 and rocked up just past
1700. The sun sets early here and it would be dark by just after 1800 when we’d
have been starting our ascent of the gorge to our base camp. The pitch black
hairpin bends would have been suicide in the dark, phew, the God’s are finally
smiling 😁
I know
I was cycling downhill earlier but it felt good to be moving with enough draft
to ruffle my flowing locks. Come on, I was told I needed to wear a shower
cap 🤔 Our whole focus since starting to put this together was about the
Tarako Gorge and it was a bit gutty to miss out today. Arriving here with just
enough light to see its magnificence put us in good mood for tomorrow. Having
eaten well last night in a decent hotel and having more of the same tonight I’m
feeling pretty positive. I’ve weighed up my options and as it stands will go
with my heart rather than my head tomorrow and attack the mountain. Will I
finish the 43 mile climb? Truthfully I doubt it, but I’m going to give it a
shot. My other option is to rest up and enjoy the last 2 days cycling but again
it was all about this one. We love the mountains and these ones will be like none
we’ve ever done before. Sub tropical wilderness bblah de blah but I will brag
about my achievements tomorrow.
Not
much to say about today really, trains 🚅 as reliable as British Rail but with slightly cleaner if not more
appealing toilets. Per mile the fare is a fraction of the cost than at home.
Its been very rainy and windy today with the wind again from the North so we’d
have been battling that again had we have cycled. The only battle left now is
to try and get some sleep, it didn’t come the last 2 nights which in a way is a
good thing as it may indicate I’m on the mend. Let’s hope so I’m gonna need
everything tomorrow.
Tim Gough is feeling fantastic with Suzanne Gough at 立德布洛灣山月邨.
11 September at 14:18 · Hualian City, Taiwan ·
We had our first off of the tour today and it came and happened in the
most unexpected place. The descent of the Taroko Gorge, a bit of gravel unseen
on the road, fuel spillage on a corner, emergency evasive action? Nothing of
the sort and you’ll all be pleased to know we both live to to ride another day.
Did I get to cycle the
Taroko Gorge? This adventure, and previous ones, are not about a single day’s
riding, they’re about the whole experience. That said, for me there is nothing
more rewarding than cycling in the mountains. On a bike you can sense so much
more of what it has to offer than if you whizz through on a bus or car. You can
hear it, feel it, smell it. We absolutely love the mountains, so today was one
of special interest we’d both been looking forward to for so long. As it
approached it was looking less likely I’d be able to experience it and it has
been a struggle to keep positive but stay positive we have. I at least was able
to go bed last night not worrying about what I’d have to do tomorrow, if I
didn’t want to cycle I didn’t have to, a rare luxury on a self supported tour,
so I slept better than I have all holiday.
On the subject of sleep
Suzanne and I don’t go in for high end hotels, we’d rather spend our money on
getting to somewhere special rather than sleeping in somewhere special. We like
a decent bed don’t get me wrong but it’s not high on our radar. Sometimes
locations don’t offer up a choice and I have to say this place is pretty high
end. It’s set amid the mountains and like the mountains it’s standards are
high. 2 days in decent hotels with a bed and food to match was putting me on
the right direction. Going to bed last night I was still unsure if what I may
be capable of though.
There is obviously no lack
of wood in a sub tropical rainforest and I can only assume, therefore, that the
seats in the dining room were designed for the somewhat smaller frame of the
Eastern populace. Exhausted from our train ride yesterday we were slightly off
our game when going for dinner last night. Just as well we never cycled
yesterday as the first off of the tour may have had a slightly more dire
outcome. Eying up a good table with great views that was vacant we discussed
our options. Just get a drink and put it on the table to claim it. Get a
starter and claim it. You go and sit there while I figure something out. All
these choices and more people were flocking in, no tabkecwas a bad one but this
was a particularly good one. “Just fu*+ing do it Suzanne, I will grab a
plate of anything you just bag the table, that old couple are getting ever
closer” Much to our delight Suzanne bagged the table just before the aged
couple got there. It doesn’t matter they probably had another half hour walk
ahead of them to the next decent table. They’d at least be doing it with a
smile on their face and a secret snigger. Suzanne completely miss judged the
bum to seat ratio on these smaller chairs and continued to slide right across
the small surface area until there was nothing left but cool clean air. That
cool clean air didn’t soften the blow and, thwack, she hit the deck arse first.
Shame she wasn’t wearing her padded cycling shorts.
I
spent a lot of time looking at that bum today as we took on the stage. I had to
give it a go no matter what I had in the tank. It was planned to be a 40 odd
mile climb before we turned tail and headed back the same way. There was a
lovely 1 mile descent to the main road before we started to climb. I was all to
aware that I’d have to finish the day on this climb but pressed on regardless.
Fortunately Suzanne and myself are not🐖competitive in the slightest. Where’d that pink 🐖 pig come from. So it didn’t bother me in the slightest 🐽🐷 that the selfish cow 🐮 rode a good ride and was always a good 3 or 4 hairpins ahead of
me. We train together and support each others weakness. The fact I was trailing
in 🐖🐽 in her wake today didn’t bother me one bit. Why would it? On a
normal day this climb would have been a breeze. No mountain stagecis easy so
don’t take that out of context, it was still a tough climb. I wasn’t strong
enough to climb beyond 25 miles so probably avoided the harshest gradients. We
probably peaked around 10% for long periods which were hard. What made it
easier was the pure majesty of this place. It was like nothing we’d done before
or are likely to do again. There were rivers converging from every side, not
just one powerful beast to rule them all. The sounds of the tropics at times
were deafening as was the lack of traffic. It was like we had it to ourselves.
In fact it was like I had it to myself as the selfish mare 🐴 of a wife left me floundering as she cutely wiggled her over sized
arse (Chinese Standards here) dancing out a nice tempo on the peddles. We saw
several groups of monkeys on our ascent and pushed forward wondering what
marvels would behold us round the next hairpin.
As the
day unfolded I set myself little targets that would further take me up the
climb. I’m more than happy I got as far as I did although it’s not as far as
I’d have liked. One of the recurring targets was the fact that for every yard
up I managed it was another yard down. These mountains offered some of the best
switchbacks on offer and I love a descent with a whole lot of switches. The
thrill of taking a bend thinking “1 more Mike an hour faster and I’d have
been off” or better still “How’d the f*” + did I get away with
that” make me feel truly alive. I’d earned enough on the climb for one of
the more memorable descents. It was truly amazing and I’m happy to say that
sick or not in a better descender than Suzanne, she’s good and getting better,
it’s just I’m best at the moment 🐖🐽 not that we’re competitive or anything 🐖🐽.
We had
spotted a 7-11 some six miles from home on the way up and one of my goals was
that if I got up to the top I’d reward myself with a beer on the way down. For
every mile up I decided to deduct a mile off that goal as I realised it wasn’t
going to happen. Imagine my horror as I searched frantically beyond the
lemonade for a beer to find out it was a dry shop. What cruelty. The
temperatures today didn’t get out of the 70s and without having to lug our
rucksack with us, the need for a beer wasn’t overwhelming. It was just the fact
we’d had our best day in the saddle, I was feeling nearly human and I wanted
one. Nothing left for it, a last 5 mile blast down the mountain before that
stupidly steep mile climb to our secluded hotel tucked away in the
mountainside. Not used to Eastern culture maybe, or perhaps just not the sort
of place you have a beer or 2, I was rather taken aback at the response I got.
Bear in mind we looked like we’d been dragged through a hedge backwards, were
soaked through with sweat, could barely walk. “You’d like them now”
she replied with a mixture of surprise and distaste to my request of 2 beers.
“I wouldn’t have minded them 6 miles back you smug little shit” was
my thought bubble. My actual reply was “Yes please, if its not too much
trouble” 😁
🍺🍻 Cheers 🥂
Suzanne Gough is feeling positive with Tim Gough at 太鲁閣 Taroko Gorge.
11 September at 23:15 ·
Stage 10 Taroka Village to Jiaoxi 80 miles!
The plan is that we are back on plan and therefore we are going to cycle our
stage today!
It should be interesting as we now have a typhoon on our heel!
Apparently one was due to hit south Taiwan (which is why we experienced such
heavy wind/rain on Sunday) but according to some locals another is due north on
Friday, but could bring rain / wind prior – Fingers crossed we miss it!!!!
Suzanne Gough is with Tim Gough in Nanao, T’Ai-Wan, Taiwan.
12 September at 05:25 ·
Just loving the Pacific Coast in Taiwan – never
been in so many tunnels mind! Tim is feeling quite at home!
Tim Gough is with Suzanne Gough at 礁溪若水溫泉-禾業投資旅館.
12 September at 14:16 · Yilan City, Taiwan ·
Yesterday was not only a
pleasure on the bike because we were in the mountains, it was also because we
didn’t have to lug around all our worldly goods as we had a rare treat of 2
nights in the same hotel. Slinging the rucksacks over our shoulder today reminded
us just how much tougher riding with a rucksack is on these self supported
tours. Not only does the the luxury of having a support vehicle guarantee you
an ice cold drink, help with any on the road maintenance requirements, supply
you with food or a change of clothes etc, it also carries all your worldly
possessions so you can ride unencumbered as nature intended. I’m not
complaining, I’m just pointing out riding unsupported is a shed load harder
than riding with someone holding your hand. An idea of what we wouldn’t have to
lug around would be:- A spare tyre, 6 inner tubes (I won’t throw myself down a
mountain at 50mph with 120psi hoping a Puncture patch will hold) a spare set of
cleats, a spare set of brake pads, a really decent (aka, heavy) multitool, a
decent travel size track pump, loads of cable ties, roll of black tape, cycle
kit, 2 going out kits, wet weather gear, thermal top, toiletries etc. The
support van would be 20 minutes away with all that. But we couldn’t do these
tours any other way so lug it over our shoulder we did and set off North
hugging the Pacific ocean on our right.
It was a day of tunnels, scary ones at that. They were
long and ranged from ultra modern to dark dingy old ones. We felt quite
vulnerable on our little push bikes as the tourist buses and cement lorries
trundled by. You could hear a mad roar as these juggernauts approached from
either behind or in in front. You could never tell how close they were, the
roar was never close it just got louder and then Whoosh, they’d be alongside
you then gone. Every time we heard one we hoped it wouldn’t be the last one
we’d hear. Luck for once was on our side. About a couple of hours in there was
a big hold up. Being able to get to the front of the queue we were greeted by
the sight and smell of beer. Lots of it. An open sided lorry had somehow
managed to tip over spilling its load of bottles of Taiwan beer. It wasn’t the
bottles rolling around unbroken up for grabs that was our good fortune, as you
can see in the photo it completely blocked the road to all but a sneaky cyclist
or 2. We spent the next couple of hours or so free of that terrible roar as
they tried to resolve the problem now long behind us.
It was a hard day in this very hot and humid land, it
seems like we are cycling through treacle and early quick start was soon
chipped away as we hit the long rolling coastal climbs. There was only 3 major
climbs but they were each around 4 miles long, very hard work once the wind had
been taken out of our sails. But of course that meant there 3 major downhills
which always more than make up for the hard work climbing. Once again these
were somewhat tempered by my ongoing mechanical problems and personal ones but
I’m done with harping on about them, we’ve only one day left in the saddle so I
will keep any grief to myself.
We rolled into town before dark, is that a first? and were
greeted by a very enthusiastic young local women who didn’t speak a word of
English but wouldn’t stop going on. Just give me the frigging key darling ffs.
20 odd minutes of polite smiling and head bowing and bingo, we won our key. Ye
ha, please don’t take us up to the sixth floor to personally show us our room,
pleas don’t, please don’t. Social etiquette is something to behold over here
and difficult for us to get our heads round. Fortunately we’d done enough
smiling and head bowing to survive the dreaded walk to the door treatment.
Social etiquette is not the only difficult thing to get your
head round. Eating is extremely complicated and having been fed buffet style by
our hotel the last three nights we were ready to venture out. Ordering is a
major chore in itself. You are given a menu and a slip of paper with all the
meals on it. You ring what you want and take it to the cashier. It’s OK if you
know what your ordering but if you don’t, like us, it’s a nightmare. Once you
have ordered it’s then a challenge knowing how to eat your food. If your lucky
someone sat near you will be eating something similar and you’ll get a hint. We
managed to get as much on the table as we did in our mouths and probably
brought some amusement to the waiting staff at our rather strange combinations.
You also pay for your food before you receive it over here which is strange for
a country that is so trusting it’s scary. Sat at the train station for example
there are numerous unattended bags dotted around where people just wander off
for whatever reason suits them.
We have to decide if we take
the long route into Taipei tomorrow or the short. I’m personally all for just
dinishing this thing off but of course I doubt I will be the one making the
choice.
Suzanne Gough is feeling happy with Tim Gough in Yilan City.
12 September at 23:28 ·
Stage 11 Jiaoxi to Taipei our last
day of cycling in Taiwan! But what route will we take in – we have the choice
of two and my money is on that it won’t be me making the choice! 😂
It’s been a real adventure this time, but it hasn’t phased
us or put us off, it’s just made us that more determined! It’s so much easier
to sort things out quickly on the go when you have done your research & are
prepared and we found that out this time – big time!
So what route will it be??
We shall see, as the decision
doesn’t need to be made until 42 miles in!
The good news is that the super
typhoon has gone further south and we have 🌞 🌞 🌞 all the way in!
Suzanne Gough is feeling happy with Tim Gough in Taipei, Taiwan.
13 September at 09:39 ·
A Beautiful ride today,we hit the outskirts of Taipei with about 15 miles
to go and it’s been a bit crazy (taking me back to my riding round NYC days!).
It Seemed fitting to have a celebration beer with 1 mile to go at our last
7-11! It’s been a wonderful memorable adventure!
Tim Gough is feeling accomplished with Suzanne Gough at 功學社博愛音樂中心.
13 September at 14:45 · Taipei, Taiwan ·
Taiwan gave a hell of a lot more than it took and believe me a took a
hell of a lot. This is the most generous, amazing, giving place we’ve ever had
the privilege to cycle 🚴. The
country, the culture and the people are something else. Shame we had to drag
our sorry arses around this island on our bikes. That element proved the most
challenging. The heat and mostly the humidity were unforgiving. Every inch out
here seems like a mile. It truly is like cycling through treacle. It’s a good
job we’re not chasing averages, they just got further away. It truly felt
impossible at times. Within seconds of setting off we would be drenched in
sweat. We could literally wring out a pint of water from our clothing every
mile. I’d say we drank at least 10 litres of water on the road and I can’t
actually remember having a pee on any stage. It all all came out via the sweat
glands and we stank. Like we really stank, all of the time, and we never dried
out from morning till night.
I don’t normally post on the
last day but this tour is worth it. We spent today as all days cycling from one
7-11 to the next, always looking for that ice cold drink that was always just
out of reach. In the end we discovered that some 7-11s put a bottle of lemon
drink in the freezer. That was like finding the pot of gold at the end of the
rainbow. We’d put them in our bags and they’d slowly melt allowing us a drink
of ice cold heaven.
Can’t help myself can I 🤔 blogging
away when I shouldn’t. 😢 Just
a little bit more I promise. We spent the last 15 miles of this tour
negotiating the mean streets of Taipei. It was mental. Fair play the first 10
were on the outskirts but the last 5 at least were heart in mouth, pick your
line and just go for it. Our choices were right and proper because here we are
on the 🍻🍺🥂 safe
and sound with only 1, would you believe it, punture which happened less than
40 miles from home.
Enjoy for the last time some photos of our tour around Taiwan 🇹🇼
I forgot to mention that in my quest to find the perfect drink of 🍋 lemonade
I came damn close this tour. If it wasn’t for the lack of ice I could have died
a happy man today. A 15 minute wait excited my taste buds beyond belief.
Trouble was I had to drink top to bottom to enjoy the coldness and by the time
I got to the bottom it was less than cold. 😢 Shame.
My quest to find the perfect 🍋 lemonade
continues and to be honest I hope it never ends because I absolutely love 🍋
Stage 11 Jiaoxi to Taipei City – 86 Mile actual
mileage 67.53
Stage 10 Taroko Village Hotel
to Jiaoxi – 80 Mile actual mileage 80/15
Stage 9 Taroko Village Hotel up
to the Mountain and back – 86 Mile actual mileage 50
Stage 8 Haiduan to Taroko
Village Hotel – 110 Mile actual mileage 17.29
Stage 7 Taitung City to
Mountain and back to Chief Spa Hotel – 94 Miles actual mileage 29.6
Stage 6 Eluan to Taitung
City – 94 Miles actual mileage 29.6
Stage 5 Kaohsiung to Eluan (Kenting National Park) –
70 Miles actual mileage 53.3
Stage 4 Fanlu township to
Kaohsiung – 85 Miles actual mileage
38.18
Stage 3 Fanlu township up the
Moutain – 96 Miles actual mileage 106.09
Stage 2 Shang-yeuh-meil to
Fanlu township – 105 Miles actual
mileage 106.09
Stage 1 Taipei to
Shang-yeuh-meil – 98 Miles – actual mileage 98
658 miles out of 1003
Plus
2 trains
2 taxi’s
1 puncture
1 mechanical
This was some adventure, heat & humidity, the
journey of the 7-11 trying to replace the lost fluid, sweating profusely, monkeys mozzies, snakes and spiders, tea
plantations, paddy fields, the food, pot
noodles, the closing time of restaurants and the lack of them in some places,
the order system in restaurants a menu and a sheet to complete, easy if you
speak and read Chinese. Getting dark at
6pm. No fruit or Salad in the 7-11 just
pot noodles and microwave meals and bread full of preservatives.
If we feel that information has been used inappropriately, and without our authorisation we will file a DMCA takedown notice at the wordpress DMCA page.
The Team Alan Richard Suzanne Stephen and Kieran 5 person relay – Team Swim Tayka
I was beginning to wonder when it would happen so I didn’t want to risk believing it when we were told it was happening Thursday. My plan was to just carry on as normal so that meant a very tough Spin class followed by an abdominals class on Thursday morning at 6.45am followed by work. The confirmation came at 1pm so I signed off from work and made a batch of chocolate chip cookies and took the dogs for a walk. A massive pasta dinner followed by a lay down, I couldn’t sleep so I rested and before I knew it Tim was taking me down to Dover marina at 9.45pm.
I was met by Meach one of my Canterbury Rugby club friends and I can’t tell you how much that meant to me.
Our first swimmer Alan was dropped off to swim to the beach. He stood up and then the Claxton on the boat sounded for him to start his first swim it was 11.23pm. We have jobs besides swimming so my first job was to support the #1 swimmer and then observe him for the whole hour making sure he is okay. Swimmers #4 and 5 were stood down and told to get a bunk and sleep. #2 swimmer was to relax and get ready to swim.
All set ready to swim
My first swim came at 1.23am those who know me know I am an 8 hour sleep girl and I don’t do well on sleep deprivation so it was amazing I was even awake. I jumped off the boat and Richard got on and my first swim started. I have done night swims and I have practiced swimming alongside the boat but this was really tough. https://www.facebook.com/419404945323421/videos/492649668205024/?t=4
It was pitch black and choppy as a result it was very easy to become disorientated with waves crashing over you from left hitting the boat and coming back from the right. It was like being in a washing machine. You can’t see anything in front, or to the left only the dazzling lights from the boat to your right and your only job is to keep the boat parallel to your right and swim as fast as you can for the whole hour. You have absolutely no concept of time or distance but you cannot lose focus and slow down the pace has to be maintained. My first thought was ‘god what am I doing, I am not sure if I can maintain this speed’. My second thought was to all you amazing people that have supported me and at that point I knew I wasn’t letting anyone down. I just kept swimming. There is a spot light from boat shining on you as you swim but invariably it shines in your eyes adding to the disorientation so I tried to keep ahead of the boat which is easier than it sounds. Oddly 55 minutes went fast, because it was dark I couldn’t see movement on the boat so I wasn’t aware of #4 swimmer getting ready and then I saw the hand signal from Keiran #5 meaning 5 mins it was the longest 5 mins ever. The changeover was slick (they all were, as we had practiced).
1.23am night swim
I was wrapped in my dry robe by Keiran and then changed out of wet swimsuit into a dry one my Zoggs and I went to bed for 2 hours. I didn’t sleep but rested and I was back up at 4.10am to support the #1 swimmer for his 2nd swim. I had an hour of observing, an hour preparing for my next swim. https://www.facebook.com/419404945323421/videos/2382663232014646/?t=7
Getting ready for my second swimSunrise
At 6.23am I was back in the sea for my 2nd swim. It was now daylight and the sun was up. The Channel is like a dual carriage way, a South shipping lane, a separation zone and then the north shipping zone. With ships going in one direction in the south and the other direction in the north and nothing in the separation. Our job was to cut through them all and head for Cap nez Gris, Calais. Our pilot is in constant communication with the coastguard and so the big ships know we are there and it’s their job to stay out of our way. On this day there were about 8 boats out with Channel swimmers in the water we could see them all around us.
So, I was swimming through the separation zone notorious for jellyfish and seaweed and I saw lots of jellyfish swimming around and beneath me but I wasn’t stung. Again it was still quite choppy but the light made it all that much easier however, it still meant having to breathe uni laterally to the right and I found myself breathing every 2 strokes which is unusual for me. It was tough but what made it hard was that I could see movement on the boat I can’t say exactly what but I could see #4 swimmer getting ready which plays havoc with you because you honestly have no idea how long you have been swimming but you know you need to keep an eye out for the 5 min signal. The changeovers are a crucial part of the relay and if you mess it up by being to late or early or touch the person or boat your swim may not be ratified so it’s stressful. The changeover happened and I was out at this point we wasn’t sure if we would get a 3rd swim but it was likely so a change into another dry swim suit and bed this time for just an hour enough time to miss the seal playing at the back of the boat. https://www.facebook.com/419404945323421/videos/349070955987337/?t=39
By now the sun was out and it was hot so after eating my slimming World overnight oats which tasted amazing I sunbathed and watched the swimmers only to spot 2 porpoises heading in the opposite direction to Dover.
By now France is really visible but still so far away, we can see the buoy that we need to be on the left off in order to get to the cap. Sadly the tide pushed us to the right and so we began to see that we were now looking at beaching at Wissant. This also meant that there was some real pressure on us all to ensure we didn’t get pushed too far to the right, as if you get too close to Calais Harbour the swim could be aborted.
At 11.23am, you notice there is an exact time each changeover this is monitored by the swim team observer, but also the crew who help with the changeover and also the invigilator. Yes on every channel swim there is an independent invigilator who monitors and observes the swim. Geoff our invigilator takes all your medical details, next of kin and monitors every changeover and every swim logging all the key parts even each swimmers stroke rate.
GEtting rady for swim #3
So before I went in Eddie the pilot spoke to me and told me I had to put in my fastast swim ever. He lured me with a pork pie albeit the threat of him throwing it as me if I dared to slow down although I told him I was more likely to swim faster at the offer of a pint at the end. So I got in, it was getting choppy again as neared the French coast, but as before I could see absolutely nothing only the boat to my right. Which was rocking like mad with the rails and then the keel. My only focus was swim fast faster and stay parallel with the boat. At one point I could see Kieran pointing and I was worried that I wasn’t swimming fast enough it turns out there had been a baby ‘sun fish’ swimming on the other side of the boat which then came under the boat to my side. Sun fish are incredibly rare mostly seen in the tropics and they can grow to a couple of tons in weight luckily this was a baby but of course I had no idea. https://www.facebook.com/419404945323421/videos/676763196123286/?t=10
So I swam for my pride and eventually I got the sign, I was gutted as I knew that this was my last swim apart from going to shore, I was in the zone and was loving it. I came out of the water up the steps with a huge grin on my face I was I happy.
As it happens we weren’t allowed to go to shore. Kieran #5 was swimming but his hour was close to being up so Alan got back in the water and they did the changeover in the water being given the exact time by Rob (crew) in the rib boat looked at carefully by the invigilator on the boat. So Alan went in first and Kieran as he was in the water 2nd. Alan had to land unaided and not touch anyone or anything and wave his hands at that point the time is clocked 14.29 meaning 15 hours 7.mins. Alan had swum for 7 mins on his 4th swim. Kieran followed and they were met by an English Couple on the beach who were incredulous that we had swam overnight. https://www.facebook.com/419404945323421/videos/2382243212021274/
It must be said that at this point the tide was turning and if the pilot had let us all out of the boat there was the concern that we may not have all made it due to the tide turning again.
Bryan (our team manager), Richard, Stephen & I stayed on the boat and popped the prosecco. The swimmers are allowed to stay on the beach for 10 minutes then the Claxton sounds and its time for them to swim to the rib boat and be brought back to the main boat, any longer than 10 mins and the French authorities consider them as imigrants.
Exhausted on way back home to Dover
We then had a 2 1/2 hour journey back to Dover Marina at 8knots. Some of the crew fell asleep or dozed but Stephen Kieran and I were literally buzzing. We celebrated with a drink at the premier Inn and then dinner and drinks at Cullens Yard before crashing.
It has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The training has been tough with me facing many fears and bouts of self doubt and confidence but the hours I spent getting myself swim fit and sea acclimatised really paid off.
When you get this message on Facebook you know there is a possibility
There wasn’t meant to be a training week 24 or 25
When you sign up to swim the English Channel (relay or solo) you are given a swim window, mine was 17th to 21st July. In that window swimmers are given slots #1 to #4 we were number 2. I know a solo swimmer was #1 in our window.
Having a swim window is literally a window. At the end of the day when you go completely depends on the weather & tide in relation to your expected time it will take, but its the pilot that makes the final decision.
I am not sure when I first heard the term ‘Dovercoaster’ and I had no idea what it meant until our window opened. We were asked if we could go early but unfortunately not all the team were available but on Monday 15th July 2 days before our window opened we were put on standby to expect a call to go on Wednesday 17th. My bags were packed, my food was ready and I was up for it. I was excited and raring to go & on a real high. Monday night was exciting as a number of channel swimmers were out and it was feeling like we may really be doing this. I was keeping an eye on the weather and everything was crossed. Tuesday I had to work and luckily I was busy, but I could see a change in the weather & it wasn’t looking good I felt a bit low. Tuesday night the #1 slot a solo swimmer was out, so I started to feel excited again. We had a team conference call Wednesday & the swim was postponed until Friday 19th. I decided to work and cancel my leave and I did feel low especially as I was watching the weather and it was looking worse. I took leave on Thursday as I was distracted. Friday 19th loomed and the swim was postponed until Sunday 21st. By Friday afternoon the swim was completely off, the wind had got up. This waiting, the high and the lows, the emotion is what they call the ‘Dovercoaster’ and something pretty much all Channel swimmers experience although they may not know the term.
The Dovercoaster
One of the many benefits (and there are 100’s) of being a Dover Channel Training (DCT) member is that you hear people’s stories and it helps prepare you for what might be. So I had a feeling that we may not go in our allotted window. I thought long and hard about how that may feel like and I thought I could handle it and I did alright until Sunday 21st when I just had a massive wobble. The stress just hit me, all this training, all the effort to get myself ready, my emotions were running high. I was worrying because I was going to Italy, the fact I need to now focus on my cycling over swimming, the list goes on. This is unlike all the other sports I have done as you have no control of when you go.
Another benefit of being a DCT member is that people can see through you. Sunday 21st down at the beach I thought I was hiding my emotions but it seems not. I hated my first 90 minute swim and I was ready to go home. I was talked into another swim, & told that another swim to finish on a positive would make a massive difference. It was so true I only did 21 minutes but it really had the impact I needed. If you ever consider swimming the channel get down and join this group. Besides the training you learn so much from them, they help you mentally prepare, plus you gain a whole lot of new ‘ like minded’ friends who know exactly what you are going through.
Last week was emotional so in addition to the wonderful DCT friends including Lauren, Emma and Catherine, a big thank you to Pete and Michelle for finding me on the beach last Sunday and saying hello.
What helped me this week is having a family wedding in Ravello Italy and it was straight back to training on Sunday.
Back to Training Sunday 28th July 2019
So the question I am now being asked is what does it mean when you miss your window? Firstly we need to try and work out when the team is available. Imagine trying to organise a meeting at short notice in the holidays between 6 work colleagues who live all over the country. Then try to tie that in with your manager. Then consider that the paid meeting room has other bookings that you have to work around and it’s open air so you need to get the weather right. Right now that’s our team, what I do know is that we will be #5 slot on (hopefully) a window coming soon! Without sounding too pessimistic there is a possibility that we may not get another window this year and may have to move to next year. But let’s keep positive.
So I am on the good old Dovercoaster and keeping all things crossed for it to end soon.
The big news is that there is a possibility we could be going Friday.
Its on, its off, its definately off
Sadly waking up Wednesday morning, was the reality that the weather was changing, and so sadly the swim was moved to Friday, and we are back waiting. There was nothing more than to cancel my leave, and get back to work. Sorry folks thats all for now I have next terms modules to sort out.
its this week….. Monday & Tuesday our swim window is open for business
Monday, comes along and I am calm as a cucumber I get up and go for my usual triple at the gym. A triple is a Spin class, a leisurely swim (10 lengths as it was full of walkers – thats another story), a body combat class and a spin class. To tell the truth I was knackered and I felt weary but hey I was occupied. Later on I took the dogs out for a two hour walk, and spent the evening making batch meals for the freezer anything to keep my mind off things. I got a bad case of ‘trackeritus’ for those of you new to this (and bear with me I am fairly new), there is a Channel Swimming season, and when it starts you can start to track the swimmers, via their pilot boats. Of course for a while its been fine as I havent known many swimmers, but this week oh my, its been pretty much every day when I have known one of the swimmers from Dover Channel Training (DCT). Monday night was no exception and it started around 10.30pm but alas I had to get some sleep. Tuesday I was back at work, and waiting for messages to see how they had all got on! Its addictive once you start tracking you cant stop. You are absolutely wishing them on to crack this marvellous thing, its also interesting to see what route they take, and then try to second guess why. The good thing is that the Dover Channel Training group facebook page comes alive and is all over the tracking, so alongside the tracker you have people explaining what is happening, its amazing to say the least. Then in addition to this there are the fabulous support crews on board the pilot boats helping to stir up the morale of the swimmer, feed them etc, and generally they also update the onlookers via Facebook and so you begin to piece together the story. And its addictive, highly addictive but one of the reasons I love it so much is not only sharing the journey, but also seeing what happens when they land (and sadly sometimes they dont). I have been part of some of these swimmers journeys down at Dover beach so it always means something else when you see what they achieve.
The CPSF Swim Tracker
So, Tuesday is a whole different being, I am tired having slept terribly dreaming of channel swimming. Its also potentially my last day at work for a couple of weeks (I have a family wedding next week in Italy). Its also the last day of term for my students, which means year 3’s are leaving today, not officially as they still have assignments to hand in, but my last chance to see them. So my aim today is distract myself with work, this is largely pretty tough simply because everyone knows that the swim is iminent, but I do my best. My evening is spent baking cup cakes and brownies. I am then back on tracker duty watching another beach buddy as she takes off on her solo swim with Anastasia. There are lots of questions coming at us, would we swim in force 3, 4 or 5. You feel high and then feel not so high, my answer to the question would I swim in a force 3+ by the way was a yes. Partly due to the fact that I have been in the sea pretty much every weekend since 1st March, and consistently since May with the Dover Channel Training, and we have been out in some choppy seas. I am not saying I would like it, but I am confident (can you hear me say that), even I had to read it twice!! I am confident, and I am determined. Our last instruction was that Anastasia was going out at 11.30pm with my beach buddy on board from DCT, and that we should keep our phones besides the bed and wait further instruction. We are on standy Swim Tayka.
My training journey
I
talk about discipline, motivation, and determination as a factor in my training.
I need a motivation, something to aim
for whether that’s in swimming, cycling or my personal life such as losing weight. I am motivated to do something and then I
need the discipline and this normally comes hand in hand with a lovely little plan, sometimes a spreadsheet
to track what I do, and I plan ahead. I
am a planner but sometimes this planning ahead for me doesn’t always work
because it’s to big, or to far ahead and it plays havoc with my determination.
Its
what I call doing a Bridget Jones thing.
Because like Bridget with all the will in the world, it doesn’t stick, I
lose my way and I end up failing. Then
what happens is that I tend to go the other way, so if its about losing weight,
I end up binging on all the bad things.
I know exactly how I am wired, and I know what happens so I try not to
do set myself these unachievable plans, or goals. What I
need to do is just set a small goal, something I can do and something I can
build on day by day:
For
some people their goal may be even smaller, I always say to people at the gym,
that making it out of the front door is a massive achievement, for some just
putting on the clothes is a step in the right direction. I don’t really have a problem with going to
the gym, but what I do sometimes have an issue with is when I am tired and I don’t
feel like it, what then.
I didn’t
set out on this challenge to swim the English Channel as a relay, of course
that was always in the back of my head as my ultimate goal. But I broke it down into chunks that I could
personally deal with. I created a
discipline that I wanted to become the normal for me, something I would start
to do with out thinking about it. I
think there were three key things that I aimed for:
Fitting in a pool Session and doing more than 80 lengths in the
pool,
Getting in the sea.
Writing a journal to document
my journey to keep me motivated.
Every
week I was achieving something more, and it was becoming more regular, and I wasn’t
thinking about it, I was just doing it and continue to do it. As I went through the weeks I saw my confidence grow and grow, and what I
was doing increase. Within about 6 weeks I was able to swim two
hours in the pool. By the 19th
May I swam my 2-hour qualifier in the sea in a temperature of 12.2c. And my journal is amazing, just reading back
to the early days gives me such as massive boost on this journey, and as I used
to write it I could this relay swim become a reality.
People
ask me what my training looked like; I don’t
think I did anything extraordinary except get in the sea. I spoke with my team manager mid-February,
and was talking about my training and all I heard him say was you need to get
in the sea. Honestly I couldn’t contemplate
it, for one its freezing outside let
alone the sea temperature which at the time was 7’c. But also the sea looks so uninviting. But I listened to him and made that huge step
on 1st March for 5 mins. Other
than that
Monday a triple class –
spin, combat and spin with a swim or 2 thrown in
Tuesday – a HiiT and
Core abs hour followed by clinical pilates
Wednesday – a swim
followed by a body combat class
Thursday – a spin class followed by a core abs class
Friday – body pump class,
followed by pilates for fitness and a spin class.
Saturday – Swim and body
Combat followed by a Hiit Class and eventually, just a swim.
Sunday – sometimes a
rest day, sometimes a cycle, and then in May swim.
Some fo you will know that I also love to cycle so I have been trying to fit in my cycle training throughout, although that hasnt always been easy, but once this relay is done I literally have a few weeks before setting off on a cycling holiday in the USA.
Week 23 – this is my final week of training!
On Saturday, I was down to Hythe Beach, it was here simply because Dover Regatta was on, postponed after the dreadful weather in June. It was a beautiful spot outside the sailing club, with buoys setting out our swim zone. There were less of us swimming today, possibly because it was Hythe and maybe because it was boot camp weekend? Either way it was a good session. I did my first 90 mins and really enjoyed it, apart from the obvious jelly stings. In the week Tim had been telling me I needed to experience the whole jelly experience before my swim, I of course didn’t consider for one minute this would mean literately a body full of the little suckers. Luck (!!!???**) would have it, that they only left a little rash which went within a couple of hours. Yep even the one to the face. My second swim was just as good as the first, although a little choppier, and less jellies to contend with. This was my first opportunity really of experiencing the tides so it was easy going down towards the Hythe Imperial and a real fight coming back. I sat talking with Anton on the beach after my swim, he had done the solo yesterday, and after 10 hours 30 mins had been pulled out, and I had the most incredible humbling conversation with him, he had done so well and thought he was on track, but as always sometimes the sea had other ideas. So sad for him.
Sunday saw me going back to down to Dover beach. My last swim training
opportunity today, and there is no other place I would rather go than down to
Dover to be with Dover Channel Training group! I felt quite emotional on the
drive down to the beach as its been one hell of an experience so far and seeing
some of my beach buddies made it all feel so real. Hearing stories from some
recent channel swimmers, sharing. excitement with some about to go – like ours.
Literally my English Channel Relay Swim 2019 is a matter of days away and I am
so ready for this! #ECRS2019
I met up with a few buddies and actually Alexa came on to the
beach for her first swim without a wet suit.
I said I was happy to stick with her for a two hour swim, It was pretty choppy out there to be honest but
weirdly when we got to the wall it was flat calm and lovely but then really
tough trying to get back. We did 1 hour
50 mins to be honest I was pleased as my shoulder was sore, and I was aware it
was my last session, and plus I promised Tim a bike ride. Alexa was pleased as it was almost two hours
without a wet suit which is a massive deal, because even though its 18’c its
cold. I got one jelly sting today, so
that was good. However, things were
about to change. I got changed had a
chat on the beach with a few people including Guy who did the solo last week,
and Halani who is in the slot for a solo before our boat, due to go Tuesday
night.
So I got home and it was a quick chat and back out with Tim on our road bikes, we just did 36 miles but it was quite eventful. We got out to Sandwich and just before the town, I was stung, not sure if it was a wasp but it was right on the neck so of course for the next 12 mins I was in a panic worried about shock, but all was okay. Later on I actually thought it may have been a horse fly sting. Coming out of Sandwich (just before the right turn to Richborough), I heard Tim chuckle, obviously because he knew what was coming, as right in front of me was a grass snake about a metre long I (of course) screamed out loud and luckily missed it. But I was quite shaken for a while, it brought back memories of Taiwan last year. For those who know me, know that I really have a dislike of snakes and have done forever. We stopped off in Hoath at the prince of Wales for a shandy, and then later on at home after a dog walk, Tim made me a huge roast beef dinner!! I literally ate the lot, greedy greedy, or just damn hungry all the time. You decide.
When you just get thinking
All I can think about sometimes is swimming, I go to sleep thinking about it, I wake up thinking about it, when I am swimming I even think about it. Its consumed me. But I occasionally I also think about other things too, and today I was flicking through photos and I came across these photos, and it made me reflect on this journey, and remind me how far I have come.
It was between August & December 2017 when I started experiencing pain and very quickly I found standing and sitting extremely painful and so laying down became the normal. I stopped exercising apart from the odd walk and swim (forced on me by my physio) which always ended in tears. I spent most of my day and night laying down in pain I cant describe. I was on so many drugs I was pretty much out of it all of the time.
The photographs top: me 4 days after surgery going out for my first walk. Left to Right bottom: Me before surgery laying down – this time in the dogs bed. The day of my surgery, and the final photo of all my drugs! I rushed coming off my drugs and so it just took 6 weeks but the effects of the withdrawal was awful and something I never want to experience again.
I had surgery a lumber discectomy on 15th Dec 2017 with an incision through the back muscles, to remove the herniated disc in the lower spine pressing on the nerve. I was promised by the surgeon that if the surgery went well I would walk out of hospital pain free in 24 hours and he was right. Ever since that moment I have learned never to take anything for granted particularly my fitness. I made a slow come back and by the end of April I cycled 110 miles in first sportive and I havent looked back since. So Swimming the channel as a relay is another huge milestone for me.
Week 22 of 23 #English Channel Relay Swim 2019 w/c 8th July 2019
Glorious day, and I swam for three hours my longest ever swim!
My weekly Video Update week 22
How did it get so close
am I ready for it, I was born ready, although actually this has been 5 months
in the making?
When I signed up for this following a chat on a ski lift in February, I hadn’t swum for 3 months I had been focusing on running. And, when I did swim it was in a pool. If I am truly honest, I didn’t really know what I was taking on. I have been on massive journey these past 5 months learning more about myself along the way, both good and not so good and I have found a whole new bunch of friends. If I could relive that moment on the chair lift when Bryan offered me the 6th place in the relay would I answer differently, no I wouldn’t because although it’s been physically and mentally tough and frightening at times it’s also been one of the most amazing experiences and I haven’t even got to the part where I swim yet
I read today that we should think of everything you do in life as an experiment where you sometimes get it right and sometimes very wrong. By seeing it as an experiment you learn a lot more from your mistakes & failures. The bigger picture is made up of a series of experiments. Certainly, true of my life! So I have been experimenting and there have been some real memorable moments so far in this experiement.
1st March A cold cold miserable day at Beltinge Beach with my gym buddies Chantal and Tara in support on the beach and Alison who got me started by coming in the sea with me (quite a few times I might add). It was 7’c in the water and I lasted 5 minutes.
6th May swimming for 2 hours in an outdoor pool In Budapest, that set a benchmark proving to myself I could swim for that length of time.
10th May joining the Dover Channel Training group and opening up a whole myriad of support and experiences to draw on but also a whole new group of similarly minded friends.
18th May having swam for 50 mins I had a panic attack when I struggled to get back to the beach from my swim. What makes this a stand out moment is listening to other people experience similar things and getting right back in an hour later & swimming for 1 hour.
19th May having experienced distress the day before completing my 2 hour qualifying swim in a temperature of 12.2c.
26th May just to prove I could, I did another 2 hour session it was 13c.
8th June after the 3am swim was cancelled due to poor weather we finally went in at 10am and it was by far the roughest seas I have swum in. That night the winds had died down and the sea was much calmer I met my Relay team and we went for a night sea together at 10. 30pm. Two highs in one day!
9th June my relay team had a practice on our boat Anastasia learning how to get on and off the boat and do the change overs. It was incredible and the experience gave me so much confidence and it was great to get to know my team too.
15th June after waking up at 1.30am with the alarm I was down at Dover beach for 3am for my first dark to dawn swim This was amazing and I felt confident swimming in the dark
22nd June I swam alone for the first time without any issues or dramas and I actually felt confident in the sea.
29th June it was a real scorcher and I did my double dip 90 mins in, 1 hour out & 90 mins in. It was amazing this was the first time I truly felt like I was in the zone swimming.
6th July a 3 hour swim. It wasn’t part of my training plan but I had a hen weekend to get to and I wanted to fit in a swim so I went for it. The most amazing thing was that after the first 2 hours I felt I could have kept going and after 3 hours I still felt the same. This was the moment when I truly felt ‘I have got this’ .
With Stephen my team mate
me with Halani
This is Ray Smith towing his main swimmer support vessel
It’s been one hell of journey so far and I have put my heart and soul into it. But its not over yet, in fact it actually hasn’t started I am just waiting on the call to say we are off and that’s dependent on the weather and tides and could be anytime between 17th and 21st July. My bag is packed, my food is ready, and I literally could run out of the door and get myself to Dover Marina any time.
Thank you for being a
part of my journey, for helping me along, supporting me and most of all a huge
thank you to those of you who have sponsored me.
Relieve my 3 hours swim
Week 21 of 23 #English Channel Relay Swim 2019 w/c 1st July 2019
12 days to go before our slot opens – it’s getting close!
Sadly, no video update for some reason Quik for Go Pro has an issue, which they cant fix so I cant make any videos.
Wow what a difference it makes going to the beach in the sunshine just wearing shorts, t- shirt and flip flops and being able to strip off on the beach into just a swimsuit, and sunbathe in between swims.
But firstly looking back to the start of last week
Cycling to the gym at 6am on Monday a bungy came off my town bike & wrapped round the disc brakes & I was close to going over the handlebars. Luckily I managed to stay on the bike but I had to stop a van and ask the workmen for a stanley knife to cut it free. I got to the gym a little late but okay so I got my spin bike sorted, but part way through standing with the resistance turned up high, the pedals jammed & stopped me dead. Luckily I wasn’t injured and I moved bikes. I am not really superstitious (much) but they say things happen in 3’s. Anyway I shoved everything in my basket and slowly rode home (slowly because it was making a horrible noise and I was worried about the 3rd thing happening). I got home in one piece (phew) emptied my basket and my phone screen was smashed. That moment when you just want to cry, I gave myself a talking to and told myself it’s only a phone (no matter that its only about 2 months old). And took it on the chin that it was my #3. C is for clumsy (more on that later). As it happens it was only the glass screen saver and my bike was soon fixed by my lovely husband Tim.
So things could only get better right? The mini heat wave was forecast for Saturday and it was a scorcher. I was back to Dover for a 9am swim on Saturday and did 90 mins around the harbour. It was glorious and once I got over the first piece of seaweed floating into my face (at least that’s what I am telling myself it was), I settled into the swim. I had an hour on the beach, I towel dried myself and put on a dry swim suit as I said earlier I sunbathed. Such a joyous thing and there wasnt one shiver that left my lips today. Anyway after an hour I was back in the water it was 16’c, a little swell and the sun was out. I set myself two circuits and “no looking” at my watch. I have to say it was so enjoyable, my mind was elsewhere and the swim was pleasurable from start to finish. Not going to lie on the final straight home my shoulder started to hurt but I zoned out as I was finishing this swim regardless. That’s the first time I haven’t clock watched and the first time I have just settled down and not had any fear or confidence issues, and most importantly just enjoyed the swim. So much so I couldn’t wait for Sunday swim.
Me with Lucy
Straight after my swim
Me and Margot,
Sunday well how different a day is, sunny but there were clouds and a brisk wind. The sea looked good but once in, it became very apparent that it was indeed pretty choppy. On my journey to Dover listening to Good Morning Sunday with the guest ‘Rappaman’ he suggested that listeners should take each letter of the alphabet and describe how we see our selves. Hence C for clumsy! I tried really hard to make that game my focus for my 90 minute swim whilst battling with the waves but it was tough and I ended up taking it into my cycle ride later too. Anyway the swim was good, partly because I actually enjoyed the conditions. However when I got out there were some shivers and no sunbathing. A is for adventurous, B is for beaming (that came to me after the swim as I literally was), C is for clumsy, D is for dizzy, E is for early as I always am….. I actually got to W whilst our for my bike ride with Tim in the afternoon, a glorious 50 mile training ride with the rucksack. This is definatley a game to finish next week!
left to right top: Ady speaking to Hugh in the background, me and Anton a soloist, me and Chris another soloist.
Left to right bottom; Me!
So time is ticking on and it’s literally 12 days before our slot opens. This weekend was a break through moment when I actually thought yep I am ready. My confidence took a real boost on Saturday experiencing the good weather and on Sunday the choppy sea, lots of waves, taking on board water and actually enjoying my swim even though I had no swim buddies. How far I have come.
Week 20 of 23 #English Channel Relay Swim 2019 w/c 24th June 2019
Be relentless Refuse to quit Face the pressure No challenge, no greatness
A friend sent me a link to a motivational video last week and the above words struck a chord. There have been times over the last 20 weeks when I have looked at myself in mirror and said why? What were you thinking? And there have been a few tears but on the flip side of that I now look in the mirror and say I can do this, and I see a much more confident me and less tears. So when I watched the video these words resonated with me about my journey. It is and continues to be a massive challenge but I am not doing it for greatness, or to prove anything to anyone else. This is not bravado just something I want to do for me and prove to myself that I can do it.
The video was actually the lift I needed to remind myself how far I have come and give me one last push for the last few weeks of training, particularly as this last week has been tough. The niggle in my shoulder persisted, but I was given some stretches and I reduced my training in an attempt to rest it. As a result it felt much better going into the weekend.
A glorious day on Saturday and I was back at the beach for a 9am start. The sea was calm, a low tide and I was in the water quickly and swimming straight away and my shoulder felt good. I was fast and down to the Eastern docks wall in super quick time in fact my fastest and once again I was swimming on my own which I really enjoyed. I was out after 90 minutes for an hour enough time to dry off, put a dry swimsuit on and eat some overnight oats. It was also enough time for me to meet someone who is not only a massive inspiration but also a huge support. I was first introduced to Catherine by my Uni friend Helen who shared the tracking of her solo English Channel swim last year on 3rd August 2018. I watched her crossing the channel and was on awe and I didn’t ever think that our paths would cross particularly in swimming! But when I mentioned I was doing a relay to Helen she immediately put me in touch with Catherine who besides the solo has also done a number of relays too, and she buddied us up, the rest is history. Catherine has encouraged me, helped me believe in myself and my training. And above all she has shared her experiences, and given me so many tips. She was the one that encouraged me to join Dover Channel Training amongst other things and I am so grateful to her and Helen for putting me in touch. So it was lovely to finally get to meet her on the beach last week and say thank you. I should add that many swimmers come back to the beach after their swims volunteering. You learn so much from the volunteers so it’s great that they do come back.
So having met Catherine it was time to go back in for another swim its called a double dip and it’s important to get your body used to getting in and out of the cold water especially for relay swimmers. The second swim was incredibly hard the wind had got up and the sea had changed to being choppy and with my shoulder hurting the next 90 minutes was hard. I got out and once again I got talking to some incredible people on the beach. I happened to notice the ice cream van and mentioned that I hoped that it took google pay when the lovely gentleman I was talking to brought me and another chap a 99 ice cream. Such kindness! Oh my god did it taste good too.
99’s have never tasted so good
As Saturday went on my shoulder pain got worse and worse. My nights sleep was fitful to say the least and when I got up I still had pain so I decided not to swim on Sunday. It was an incredibly difficult decision to make but the right one and this week my shoulder has improved.
Having rested my shoulder this week it feels much better, and I am feeling good about the weekend of swimming especially if we get the mini heatwave the weather forecasters are promising.
Week 19 of 23 #English Channel Relay Swim 2019 w/c 17th June 2019
Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.- Theodore Roosevelt.
This is so true of me every time I get into the sea and face my demon’s the more confident I get. And last week I experienced a slightly different me!
I went to bed at 9pm on Friday and my alarm was set for 1.30am to fit in a 3am sea swim at Dover Harbour with the channel training group. There were 50+ swimmers down at the beach sporting the green flashing lights looking like a mixture of the Bee movie and Alien. For safety reasons swimmers have to wear a green flashing light on the back of the goggles and one lower down on their swim suit. One of the volunteers had been out and put red lights on the small circuit so we could navigate safely round our swim zone swimming anti clockwise to the yellow bouys up to the red bouys left to the green bouy and head back towards the beach where we would pass a kayaker & shout out the number on your hand. He then radioed your number to the volunteer on the beach so they knew who was in and where. It was cold but calm, and it was actually quite nice swimming in the dark. Dawn just passed me by to be honest but as soon as it got light the circuit increased and we all swam a larger circuit towards the Eastern wall and back. I swam for 2 hours and my feet were so cold that I didn’t feel the rocks as I got out and I cut my feet and I wasn’t the only one. Nothing bad for me just some scrapes a bit like paper cuts.
On the beach I was literally frozen so I put on my new dry robe (definately looking the part now) and was able to remove my wet swimsuit with ease whilst staying warm. With a dry swimsuit on I sat in my dry robe and hat/gloves and had a cup of tea from my flask. At 6.15am I was ready to go back in for another hour. It was lovely and I really enjoyed the swim with time passing quickly. I was back home for 9am and in bed desperate for an hour or 2 sleep at 9.30am. I didn’t manage any sleep. but I did rest.
The next day I was back down to Dover for 8.30am. It was busy on the beach but I found my pitch and got ready. It was windy today and the sea was choppy, its hard to see just how much until you get in to be honest but it was one of them days when breathing wasn’t easy on either side without taking in a gulp of water from time to time. We were advised to turn short of the harbour wall due to conditions so I did. I swam today alone (although part of a larger group I wasn’t buddied up) and it was fine. I am starting to learn how to lose my thoughts and not worry about time or distance for a short time and that’s due to me facing my fears and building up my confidence . However, I did find the swim tough and I could feel a niggle in my shoulder. I had experienced it yesterday but today it was there especially on the pull through the water. So when I came in after 90 minutes I decided not to go back in and rest my shoulder. I have rested it all week just to be safe & got some physio advice too.
It’s just 26 days before my swim slot opens on 17th and when we go is dependent on the weather/ tides, the final decision is with our pilot Eddie. Check out my weekly update video
Week 18 of 23 #ECRS2019 w/c 10th June 2019
‘Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing’ Theodore Roosevelt.
Take a look at my weekly update video
This is so true of me every time I get into the sea and face my demon’s the more confident I get. And last week I experienced a slightly different me!
I went to bed at 9pm on Friday and my alarm was set for 1.30am to fit in a 3am sea swim at Dover Harbour with the channel training group. There were 50+ swimmers down at the beach sporting the green flashing lights looking like a mixture of the Bee movie and Alien. For safety reasons swimmers have to wear a green flashing light on the back of the goggles and one lower down on their swim suit. One of the volunteers had been out and put red lights on the small circuit so we could navigate safely round our swim zone swimming anti clockwise to the yellow bouys up to the red bouys left to the green bouy and head back towards the beach where we would pass a kayaker & shout out the number on your hand. He then radioed your number to the volunteer on the beach so they knew who was in and where. It was cold but calm, and it was actually quite nice swimming in the dark. Dawn just passed me by to be honest but as soon as it got light the circuit increased and we all swam a larger circuit towards the Eastern wall and back. I swam for 2 hours and my feet were so cold that I didn’t feel the rocks as I got out and I cut my feet and I wasn’t the only one. Nothing bad for me just some scrapes a bit like paper cuts.
On the beach I was literally frozen so I put on my new dry robe (definately looking the part now) and was able to remove my wet swimsuit with ease whilst staying warm. With a dry swimsuit on I sat in my dry robe and hat/gloves and had a cup of tea from my flask. At 6.15am I was ready to go back in for another hour. It was lovely and I really enjoyed the swim with time passing quickly. I was back home for 9am and in bed desperate for an hour or 2 sleep at 9.30am. I didn’t manage any sleep. but I did rest.
The next day I was back down to Dover for 8.30am. It was busy on the beach but I found my pitch and got ready. It was windy today and the sea was choppy, its hard to see just how much until you get in to be honest but it was one of them days when breathing wasn’t easy on either side without taking in a gulp of water from time to time. We were advised to turn short of the harbour wall due to conditions so I did. I swam today alone (although part of a larger group I wasn’t buddied up) and it was fine. I am starting to learn how to lose my thoughts and not worry about time or distance for a short time and that’s due to me facing my fears and building up my confidence . However, I did find the swim tough and I could feel a niggle in my shoulder. I had experienced it yesterday but today it was there especially on the pull through the water. So when I came in after 90 minutes I decided not to go back in and rest my shoulder. I have rested it all week just to be safe & got some physio advice too.
It’s just 26 days before my swim slot opens on 17th and when we go is dependent on the weather/ tides, the final decision is with our pilot Eddie.
Week 17 of 23 #ECRS2019 w/c 3rd June 2019
33 days to go. My weekly update video
Prepare for the worst and hope for the best! That’s what got Tim and I through our Taiwan cycle holiday last year. For most of our tours we haven’t needed my plans but your luck can only last so long & it was enivitable that something could go wrong eventually. In Taiwan I had to be really vigilant about knowing where to get water I researched it before going and and I had all the information at hand and we had to use it and so didn’t go without. But my planning came into its own when Tim fell ill and he literally didn’t have anything left in him to cycle to our destination, no public transport, and barely any civilisation, google translate works great when they have a phone! My plan B and C saved the day. I had been so close not to do the level of detailed planning this year but preparing for the worse actually saved the day! Of course I am sure we could have got sorted eventually but it was our holiday and we wanted to enjoy it as best we could.
So last weekend was (for me) about preparing for the worst in relation to my channel swim. You can’t just jump in the sea, and think it will be alright like you can on a bike. Its a high risk activity which is why all. swimmers have to pass a medical and qualify.
The plan was to meet the Swim Tayka Relay team Friday night and swim at 10.30pm. It was then back to Dover Beach for a 3am swim at Dover Harbour on Saturday, followed by a day on Anastasia our boat with pilot Eddie Spelling and his crew for a practice run at 9. 30am.
So in one weekend I was to experience rough seas, night swims and swimming with no shoreline alongside the boat and practice the (strict) changeovers. I am not going to lie, I was nervous!
The weather last Friday was awful, so Friday evening was postponed and the boat trip moved to Sunday. Regarding the 3am swim I was constantly waiting on updates from Dover Channel Training group. I went to bed early Friday night expecting to swim at 3am. My alarm went off at 1. 30am and I got up and read on Facebook that the swim had been put off until 6am. Back to bed and back up at 5am to check the updates which said it was now a 10am start. So I went back to bed. At 7am I got up & decided on a pool swim, 55 minutes in a very warm pool. I got a message at 9am saying the swim was on and I flew down to Dover for 9.30am. The sea looked really rough but with my 3 buddies Hugh Lucy and Alexa we jumped in (with around 20 others) instructed to do smaller circuits of the harbour. It was exhilarating, the waves were coming at you from all directions, at times it felt like we were flying other times going no where, breathing was tough and we all took in water but we swam for an hour.
Later on (after a lay down) I was back to Dover to meet our manager Bryan and my Swim Tayka Relay team mates. A quick drink at the White Horse to see if we could find Bryan’s name on the wall as a solo channel swimmer, followed by a meal at Dino’s and then a swim! Yes 10.30pm at night there were 7 of us swimming at Dover beach. And it was actually really enjoyable, I could feel things around me (these turned out to be baby jellyfish) but I was fine. A quick change into my robe and I was on the way home. At 53 I am suffering at the moment with hot flushes particularly at night but having a night swim meant Tim could have one night without the fan on and windows open I even had an extra blanket on over the duvet!
The next day the team had paid to have a practice run on our boat Anastasia. A chance to get to know the boat, crew and of course our team along with my two beach buddies from the Dover Channel Training group. We met at the Marina and were chugging out of the Eastern arm at about 10am. Having toured the boat which took 5 seconds we were given our swim numbers for day our aim was to practice getting off the boat, doing the changeovers without touching anyone or anything (to avoid the relay not being recognised by the CSPF) practice swimming in the sea with just the horizon and to swim alongside the boat using it as guide. The weather better and for someone not normally sea sick I was warned (by Tim and numerous relay swimmers) that being on a small boat going as slow as the swimmer, people are very prone to sea sickness. So I took precautions and downed a few pills. I did have a couple of moments of nausea but I worked through it by constantly snacking and sipping water and yea my food stayed down. The experience was invaluable as it provided me with a good idea of what to take (or not), what to expect, how to plan and prepare what I take and how to organise it. But most of all it gave me the confidence and self belief that I needed. I now feel that I can do this and the buzz that came with that feeling, well I am still on a high.
Training off the boat Anastasia with Hugh
With the support of the Dover Channel Training Group especially my swim buddies Hugh Lucy and Alexa I am now swimming in conditions that a few weeks ago I would have run away from. And without the help and support of our team manager Bryan Avery who organised the night and boat swim and then gave us an abundance of help and support, sharing his experiences I personally feel much better about the swim itself. Its an experience that will live with me forever. And not forgetting my Relay team mates (who I met for the first time) Richard Stephen, Alan, what a cracking team we have!
I have been asked if I was annoyed by the constant changing of plans, having to get up & it being cancelled and the answer is no. Because this is good preparation for the actual swim. We are given a slot (17-21st July) and then we wait for a call from the pilot and when we go all depends on the weather and tide. We could get ready, be at the marina for it to be called off, some people have been known to stay in Dover for days waiting for the go. So I feel lucky that I had a chance to feel what it’s like to have your swim off and on and to experience some pretty bad weather and get in and swim despite being tired it was the best feeling.
And in all of that last week I faced up to my fears and came out of it with more confidence, more self belief and literally buzzing. I have 33 days and I feel good!
Here is my latest video. Thanks again for all your support it’s amazing!
News alert! Aylesham Community News June 2019
Aylesham Community News June 2019
Week 16 of 23 #ECRS2019 w/c 27th May 2019
Check out my weekly video update
Last week Vanessa
Felfz was talking on Radio 2 about the
imposter syndrome and how it was a real thing. I first heard about it doing my Post Grad Certificate. Its a
psychological syndrome where people
doubt their accomplishments and fear being found a fraud.
Is the fraudster?
I have felt the imposter syndrome in work a little, often where I can’t quite believe I have got the job and feel like I am a fraud. It has been (for me) a temporary feeling but for some it’s a real battle. But this week I realised for the first time it also applies to other parts of my life particularly sport. Being part of Dover Channel Training I am constantly meeting people who wow me. On Sunday I wasn’t feeling great (my own fault as I had a late boozy after with neighbours and even boozier night with friends) and I slept terrible. But I had a mind that I wanted to swim at least an hour followed by a couple on my bike but I was toying whether to go or not and I made the decision to go, so I took some headache pills had breakfast tea and toast and set off at 7.50am and I got myself down the beach for 8. 15.
I wasn’t feeling it and although I set off strong I wasn’t
enjoying it and finding it tough, the conditions weren’t great and it was
choppy and I was tired. I struggled once again to get back. From Eastern and
when I turned the corner, I just felt like I was going backwards and it was
awful I felt like shit to be honest and I talked myself out of it really. So I
did an hour and called it a day. When I got out I was to be honest a little disappointed
but equally it was to be expected.
A lady got out at a
similar time, we were struggling to dress because of our
cold hands and started chatting. She was 72 years old and did her first solo Channel Swim
50 years ago on 28/7/1969 and to
celebrate she is training for a 6 person relay with her daughters & friends
around the 28th July 2019. Earlier at
the briefing it had been mentioned that one of swimmers is training for a 2 way Channel, and that he swam for 10 hours yesterday and
was back today for another 10 hour swim.
In addition lots of people, including
my swim buddy Hugh completed their 6 hour qualifiers for solo swims
yesterday. And in all of this I am yet to meet a local, everyone is travelling
great distances to do this. These are the
heroes. And it makes me question myself.
On Saturday I was up at 6.50am my plan was to be early because its a 9am start for everyone and parking and room at the beach could be more difficult. I signed in and was given 90 mins in, 60 mins out and 90 mins in. We had the briefing it was a beautiful day and fairly calm after my vaseline experience I was in the water staying with Hugh for a short while but we split on the way back. I got out had my hour out, changed and ate some food. I followed Emma in and spent most of my time following her we had a chat at the Eastern Wall and she told me her plans for this year 3 person 6 person and a 2 way relay. She was qualifying this week.
It has been a lovely day hot and calm so perfect for
swimming.
I got out and was pleased myself for having done the 2 swims
90 mins, an hour out and another 97
mins and there were many moments when amazing swimmers would glide past me on
their epic swims making it look
easy and it does make me feel like an imposter,
what am I doing here? Don’t get me wrong
this is not anyone’s doing because the
support & encouragement from
Dover Channel Training is nothing short of amazing particularly given its all
voluntary. It really is just me.
Me & my swim buddy Hugh, he did his 6 hour qualifier today.
I got home at 11ish and spent some time warming through having a shower and a spot of lunch before going out on the bike for a 30 mile ride. Tired legs, actually tired everything. Although I do have a confession, prior to going and getting a shower I sat in our conservatory with a cup of tea, little did I know that I fell asleep holding the mug only to be rescued by Tim, and of course he took a photo.
I was just so tired, I didnt even feel Tim take the mug out of my hand.
My week started with a spin class at 6.45am followed by body combat and boy was I tired. So much so I didn’t do the second spin class as normal and I came home. Tuesday I did my usual clinical pilates but gave morning classes a rest.
On Wednesday I was back to the DW swimming pool I had a mind that I wanted to do a long swim so I went for it, 90 mins and it felt pretty good. Thursday was the usual spin and core abs classes and Friday and Saturday became rest days as my social calendar was a little busy meaning some late boozy nights.
Sunday 26th may
Jubilee Way
I woke at 7am feeling pretty good, having slept okay. I was back down to Dover on Sunday at 8.25am with Dover Channel Training and did another 2 hour sea swim the water temperature was up to 13c but there was a change. The tide was coming in creating swell from west to east and the wind had increased. On the way down the harbour towards Eastern docks it was okay, a little like body surfing although sighting was difficult (which is why my route is all over the place).
Instead of touching the Eastern harbour wall we cut short, this was due to the fact that in this corner the waves were much larger and slam into the harbour wall and rebound back this is known as the ‘washing machine’ effect. It’s scary so cutting short before the harbour wall did help me a little.
When you turned to come back towards Western docks you are swimming into the waves and so I was all over the place. Having learned to. successfully breathe bilaterally (both sides) most of the time I now swim uni laterally (1 side) and luckily this is something I have been focusing on in my pool drills. However, I often timed my breathing wrong and got a mouthful which is horrible.
I did have moments of fear and the self doubts did start to creep in, whilst it was 1c warmer today at 13c it felt colder & I was struggling to feel my right fingers. But it’s also the ‘boredom’ , unlike being on the bike when you can lose miles looking around swimming is so different. The shoreline comprises of the Gateway flats, Premier Inn with its unmistakable round building, the east cliff & the harbour. Looking out to Sea you are lucky if you get ferry to look at but mostly its the harbour wall and 2 lighthouses. Every time I loop the harbour its the same view.
I finished the swim with
really aching arms and shoulders. But there is no time to rest so no relaxing
afternoon for me as its time to start our training for our next cycling holiday
adventure. The flights are booked, our accommodation is booked and the cycle
route is planned and we set off in 15 weeks. So with that in mind we got out
the rucksacks for our first training ride with me carrying 5.3lbs and Tim 7lbs
we did a short 26 mile ride straight into a head wind. I am not going to lie it
was hard going in the wind & it was tough on my legs & shoulders
following my swim. I was also suffering with my mouth – when I come out of a
sea swim my mouth is sore and often I get lots of ulcers. So eating is tricky I
hate Jelly beans but they are about all I can eat after a swim on the bike. So
I fuelled myself on copious amount of water and jelly beans.
Our cycle training begins
Week 14 of 23 #ECRS2019 w/c 13th May 2019
My grand plan 2 hours in the sea, and a night swim off Tankerton. Check out my weekly video update
I had a rest day on Monday, as I was physically and mentally exhausted and my mouth was sore, must be all that salt water! Sadly, a rest day means clean house, so yep I cracked on with the housework. The normality resumed for my week at the gym: Hiit and Core Abs on Tuesday, a swim followed by Bodycombat on Wednesday, Spin class and Core abs on Thursday, and Body Pump, pilates for fitness and spin class on Friday.
It was a gloomy old day and after body pump pilates and a spin class myself Tim and Alison went down to Beltinge for a sea swim. 36 mins in quite rough water and cold outside.
We arrive on the beach and its so gloomy It was also pretty rough and we were getting battered by the waves ter the swim, always happy when we have done it
Later on after a dog walk.,dinner tea and cake I got ready for my night swim. Lots of warm clothes a glow stick swim light and a flask of hot chocolate I set off at 8.50pm for Tankerton beach. I met Alison and we walked down to the lifeguard hut and waited for Kent Sea Swimmers about 10 turned up. We were in the water by 9. 30pm but there was no sign of the full moon but after about 15 mins it was there in all its glory, weird as we were all looking for it in the wrong direction. We swam for 25 mins and I had the toughest getting dressed to date I wasn’t dry and I was rushing, and I couldnt put my trousers on, I was up and down like a yoyo and must have looked like a right idiot. We had hot chocolate and a chocolate cookie from some kind person on the beach and I drove home at 10.30pm. A quick shower and in bed for 11.07pm, this is a really late night for me.
We have arrived at the lifeguard hut as it starts to get darkReady to go The deed is done just need to get dressed now, the hard bit
Saturday 18th May 2019
I arrived at Dover beach already for the morning swim. Briefing at 8.45 with Paul in an ABBA suit (Euro vision theme). Yellows were set a 50 min swim 70 mins out of the water and a 60 min swim.
I set off with Hugh and all was okay for 44 mins I said goodbye to Hugh & he continued for his two hour but something happened it felt like I was swimming in treacle, and getting nowhere and I started to really panic. My first aim was to head to the beach about 50 metres from swimmers beach. I could see a man on the beach with a small child and I felt he may see me if I start to drown. It felt like I wasnt making progress and I was truly scared. I swam breaststroke and focused on my breathing and talking myself round. All I could think about was that I didn’t want this to be it so I have to sort it out myself. By now I was closer to the beach so I hung a right and started swimming back. I made it having done 53 mins I was shaken and scared. I was greeted given my crocs and I gave Kelvin my number 1. He signed me out. I made my way to the top which wasn’t far as its a high tide. I was spooked by what had happened but having got dressed and warm I talked it through with people on the beach. I wasnt alone, the tide was making it difficult. It was the spirit on the beach and the. Acknowledgement of how tough this is that made me go back out there. Hugh was still swimming so. I set off with Lucy and Geoff all swimming our own pace this time an hour. Another milestone for me. I got to the Eastern wall feeling good and Geoff came by he checked in and I was okay. The swim back was tough but I got back close to the beach with mins to spare so I carried on. I then had to turn round to come back and this is where I faced my demon’s again as this was the spot I found difficult in the last session. It was tough I felt a little disoriented and my mind was playing games but I was trying to. Stay focused. I came in at 57 mins feeling much better about it although still in the back of my mind concerns
The face of ‘I did get back in but I am still spooked’Me and Alexa we met today, and we both know Catherine who is a soloist, and gives the most amazing support to us both.
The support on the beach and I was helped by newly made friends to feel better about everything. I ate and had hot tea after dressing in warm clothes. Lucy was talking about doing 2 hours tomorrow I wasn’t sure if I wanted to think about it as I had some doubts to conquer first, but she had put a thought in my mind.
I phoned Tim when I left the beach and told him how scared I had been and he helped me think them through. I put the phone down and I cried uncontrollably all the way home, there is something about the A2 that does that, along with a good tune on the radio and the fact that I was really scared.
Later on a dog walk I thought it all through carefully and I gave myself some strategies for what to do if it happened again. Rather than getting to a point and just turning back to make the time I will continue up to the red boouy and along to the green boy and swim in from the left. I also talked to my self about my preparations and training and how I can do this. All in all the day had taken its toll, and long gone is the party animal I was in bed for 8pm mentally exhausted.
Sunday 19th May
I was nervous on my drive down to Dover I wanted to do the 2 hour qualification swim so I was trying to mentally prepare myself. When I arrived Lucy asked if I was up for it and I said yes without hesitation. I was honest with her about yesterday and my tears but I said I wanted it out of the way. She felt similar. Hugh arrived having done his first 2 hour swim yesterday I told him about my panic yesterday and he had a similar experience and said it was the tide. So I started to focus on the 2 hours ahead of me.
This is me nervous, listening intently to the briefing but preparing myself to swim for 2 hours.
We went to the 8.55am briefing and got our vaseline and I started swimming at 9.11am. Along to the yellow bouys o the right, uo to red bouy turn left and all the way down to Eastern docks it was a lovely swim I was in the zone and feeling good and we were fast 24 mins. Hugh and I exchanged a couple of words and we set off heading back up to the Western docks towards the yellow buoys it was a much harder swim. We did a half round as I needed to check in with the beach crew and tell them I was feeling good and going for the 2 hour. Once this was done, we went back up to the yellow bouys another full round. It was much harder than the first one, the waves made it difficult to sight, because of the waves I was just breathing to my left with the occasional one to right to spot Hugh. And all the way round I was talking to myself, the am okay, not I am not ok conversation with oneself. You know, ‘am I cold?’, ‘ can I pinch my finger to thumb’ ( a sign of hyperthermia if you cant), ‘can I actually do this?’, ‘Am I being silly is it to much?’, ‘where is the land’. These are what I call the seeds of self doubt.
to be honest at times it felt like I was in a washing machine, it was quite bouncy and so cold. I could feel myself shiver and the self doubt would start again. I tried singing ‘Ain’t no mountain high enough’ but I just couldnt remember the words which then got me thinking ‘am I confused is this hyperthermia’. Tim would tell you that I can never remember the words and make them up half the time anyway! But all through these mad conversations with myself I continued swimming, all the time checking ‘can I see Hugh is he OK?’. Getting close to the Eastern wall I remember looking at the green of the water and thinking how green it looked a lovely light opaque green. it took my mind off things for a few seconds – a good thing! I could see thing’s in the water so then I would start to think ‘what are they?’. Then I would think I dont want to know. Then the shivers would start back up and the self doubt thoughts would start to kick in again. Mentally I was fighting myself all the way round but I wasn’t giving in today. We got to the Eastern wall and it had been 1 hour 30 mins we acknowledged the hard work and set off again heading towards swimmers beach. We got back to the beach and it was 1 hour 45 so we kept on swimming to the yellow bouys. When we looked at our watches we still had 9 mins of swimming so went up to the red bouy and turned left swimming towards the Eastern docks before making a left to head in, the swim in was tough but what got me through was the knowledge I had got this. Hugh and I swam for 2.03 hours in total. I was ecstatic. I got off the beach to a hug from Lucy she had qualified too. We shivered and shaked getting dressed, talking about our swims, we were given a piece of birthday cake and had it with some hot tea (from the flask). I said goodbye to Hugh and his family with a hug and a thank you. Lucy and I got our certificate from Paul and I went to the car. I was so happy, today I wanted to cry happy tears.
Eurovision Theme 1/4 of ABBA, Paul writing out the certificate. This is the face of ‘I just qualified’. am I Smug to right I am!!! (Birthday boy with cake in background)Lucy and I with our certifcates – we were both so happy and relieved to have done this today. The certificate – its something I am so proud of especially after Saturday
I learned a lot about myself this weekend, I am physically fit but I really need to work on my mental fitness. I need to believe in myself much more, and above all when the going gets tough I need to get tougher. Some may say that I am already tough but believe me when I say I need to dig much deeper. But the good news is I have qualified and I am now part of the Swim Tayka Relay team, 4 of the team of 6 (including me) qualified this weekend!
Week 13 of 23 #ECRS2019 w/c 6th May 2019
My grand plan this week is ‘Join
Dover Channel Training‘.
Having got back from Budapest
late Monday evening, it was straight back into work on the Tuesday. Exhausted
and needing to be rested for a days teaching I didnt exercise Tuesday morning
but it was stragith back to it on Wednesday with a 70 length swim at the pool
and a body combat class. My week was then much like normal, a few classes, a
few swims in between but my focus was on the weekend, sea swimming. I am
working towards my 2 hour qualifying swim.
Having already joined the Dover
Channel Training group on line, all I needed to do was get down to the beach. I
had missed the first session due to being away, but I had managed to catch up
on the blog so I kind of knew what to expect. I planned want to take, that is
lots and lots of warm clothes, 2 swim suits, crocs (I didnt realise just how
useful these were), food, hot and cold drinks. I actually looked like I was was
going away for a few days rather than just down to the beach. I arrived, paid
my parking and met a few people on the beach. I signed in and was given a
number written on my hand, brought myself a swim cap. Solo swimmers wear red,
relay swimmers yellow, Aspire (charity) swimmers green and for fun swimmers
purple.
From the
outside looking in you cant understand it
From the insude looking out you cant explain it
Cliff Golding
A briefing at 8.45am and the assessment
for new members explained ‘swim to the yellow buoys on the right (towards
Western Docks) then keeping them to the right swim to the red buoy at the top
turn left and swim to the green buoy and back to the beach’. I set off with a
few swimmers mostly red caps. I got back on the beach 11.49mins later, I was
passed my crocs and I went straight to the top of the beach to change out of
the wet swimsuit into a dry one and put on lots of clothes and drink a cup of
hot Tea and wait further instructions. The next swim was at 10.15am, this time
I was given a 45 minute swim. The same course but carrying on from the green
bouy all the way to the harbour wall at Eastern docks and then back along the
beach to the start. I stayed with a guy called Hugh he politely asked if he
could follow me which he did, with a role reversal on way back me following
him. We are just about similar pace for now. Although he is a solo swimmer.
The briefing – each week there is a theme, this
week the theme was green (hence the green crayon fancy dress outfit).
Photo courtesy of Dover Channel Training
Setting
off – do I look nervous?
Photo courtesy of Dover Channel Training
I can’t lie I thoroughly enjoyed
the session I will be honest and say that I was out of my comfort zone particularly
going so far out in the harbour as I have been used to swimming parallel to the
beach, but having so many swimmers around massively helped. I felt safe and yet
vulnerable at the same time.
The team lead by Emma are amazing
though, and you are given very personalised training according to what you are
training for.
It took longer to warm through
having got dressed but I was pretty good considering this was my first ‘double
dip’ and having completed 45 mins of swimming. This matched my longest duration
to date. I ate and had hot tea and had a chat with Hugh and Paul agreed to see
them the next day.
I was on a high for the remainder
of the day okay I hadn’t beat my time of 45 mins in the sea but it was
imminent.
How good
does the yellow cap look.
I was back down to the beach for
a second day on Sunday 12th May for the 8.45 briefing where I was instructed to
do 2 swims a 45 min at 9am followed by a 50min at 11am. I got ready had some
vaseline applied (by one of the amazing volunteers) and set off Hugh was
waiting for me so we stayed together although he had to do an hour. It felt
good and weirdly I didn’t notice being cold at all and yet the water was cold
at 11’c. I got out changed into dry clothes and had a hot tea and half a bagel.
I walked to Bradley wharf for the toilet and phoned Tim. It was the strangest
of walks, because people on the prominade were mostly in light clothing, and
yet here was I dressed for the antartic. Luckily I wasnt alone and I know the
good people of Dover understand.
WEEK 11 & 12 OF 23 #ECRS2019 W/C 22 & 29 APRIL 2019
I have reached the half way mark so why dont you check our my weekly video update from week 11
I have missed a few updates as I have been
travelling a bit so this is a catch up. Before our first trip I managed 45
minutes swimming in the sea and up to 1 hour 45 minutes in the pool.
We departed for Mallorca having only had 5 rides
this year & with Tim coming down with a cold and bad chest. As a result we
stuck together on the smaller route cycling 110 miles and I was happy to beat
my last years Strava times and averages.
I also managed a 1 mile cold outdoor swim in the
hotels 20m pool.
On my return I had a catch up call with team
manager Bryan, to see how my training is going & the reality set in. Like I
really need to get my arse in gear and make swimming in the sea for 2 hours my
priority. Secondly, I need to practice changing my goggles over in the sea
treading water and thirdly I need to do some night swims! But it was the words
of encouragement and the acknowledgement of my efforts which helped. The second
thing that happened was receiving a lovely card from my Aunty Joyce with a
donation and her telling me that she had been in the sea at Dover that week. At
82 she is most definitely my role model. Her kind words of encouragement and
belief in me were a massive help this week.
Having been home just 4 days mostly taken up with
work, and with me coming down with the lurgy we were back on an airplane bound
for Budapest. This time a mini city break but of course my swim stuff was
packed, hopeful of a nice day to use one of the large outdoor pools Budapest
has to offer. The weather wasnt fabulous but I did manage to hit my target of a
2 hour swim at the outdoor pool Platinus strand on St Margaret’s island.
Enjoy the photos from the last couple of weeks.
WEEK 10 OF 23 #ECRS2019 W/C 15TH APRIL 2019
Grand Plan this week: 1 hour 30 minutes in the pool and 55 minutes in the sea.
Check out my weekly video update
So this week was tough it started off being
extremely cold I mean 10’C and it was gloomy. Also the high tide on this coast
was very early morning and late evening making it very difficult to work
around especially in terms of getting support as both Tim and Alison had
shifts. Anyway, my week started with a manic Monday swim, spin
class, swim body combat and spin class.
I managed subsequent pool swims on Wednesday and
Thursday when I managed another 90 minute session 4520 metres (that’s 226
lengths) before a core abs class.
Then on Thursday I was able to get a sea swim in of
40 minutes down at Beltinge. It may have looked sunny and at 16’C it was
warmer but there was North easterly wind and it was cold but the sea was clear
although choppy and cold at 9’c but I was pleased with the swimming and time,
especially given also that I had swam for 90 minutes in the pool that morning.
Suzanne & Tim
I also went for a sea swim on Friday with
Alison it was her first for about 3 weeks and in between she had been to
Egypt swimming in warm seas, soswam up and down and chatted for 30 mins it was
cramp in my left calf that forced me out and her too. What made it funny
was that Alison mentioned that she had been telling her grandchildren about
swimming in the sea and explaining about my training and her 10 year grand
daughter said well if she tries to get out make her get back in don’t let her
out. It did make me laugh. We had a nice time and when we got whilst it
was cold the hot tea helped and I actually only put on a long sleeved fleece
and shorts which seemed OK. So maybe I am becoming acclimatised.
Alison and Suzanne
Saturday morning is my pool time and this weekend
it was time to increase my time, and given the fact I had already gone over and
above my grand plan it was time to increase my swim to 1 hour 45 minutes.
I try to prepare myself for it. I wake up at 6. 30am have a frothy latte on bed
having cuddles with my dogs and sharing the froth with Wolfie who loves it! I
get up around 7am feed the dogs and have toast and tea. I leave the house at
7.45 in order to be at the pool early to get the lane or the rope however,
because it’s Easter there are no swim lessons so the lane is the best option
but most weeks I am pipped at the mark despite being changed first I take the
obligatory shower and they dont and hence get the lane. I think I may
have guilted them into giving me the lane this week and be honest I was very
grateful for the lane what made it better was that I was able to give the lane
to Ben who came in at 9.45am much later than normal, as he is an actual swimmer
and not a walker. Anyway I started off setting myself a milestone of 50
lengths then a other 50 and then another 50 it was only at 150 that I allowed
myself to look at the time and it was 1 hour + and I had done 164
lengths. So I then set myself a target of 36 to get to 200 and then
another 50. I felt strong and i felt like I was going well. I actually
did 1.45 264 lengths 5280 metres so that was good! 200/100m.
After the pool swim and a dog walk Tim and I went
back down to Beltinge for another sea swim it was a glorious sunshine day about
19’C there was a slight wind down at the beach but the sea was calm although
lots of seaweed and a bit brown with lots of scum at the edge. It really doesnt
look appealing so I literally get myself in as quickly as I can. The dogs were
with us so as I started to swim so they ran up the edge Wolfie came in a few
times and after 15 mins so did Tim. Wolfie actually swam after me and Tim
caught it on the go pro. Once we were in it was fine and we started a trend
with other people getting in although it was mostly kids lasting about 5
minutes. I did 45 mins in the water mostly swimming freestyle and Tim did
32mins his longest by 10+ we got out and despite it being sunny and warm we
were cold to the core so it was hot coffee and wrap up warm which feels odd as
we were in long fleeces hats etc when everyone else had short sleeves. I was
really pleased with today’s effort in the pool and sea and that’s 3 days in the
sea! I was panicking a little as next week we are off to Mallorca
for 5 days, back home for 3 days and off to Budapest for another 5 so getting
another sea swim in will be almost impossible.
A collage of the week that was
Week 9 – 8th April 2019
Week 9 of 23 #English Channel Relay Swim 2019
Check out my weekly video blog
So this week I was signed fit to swim by a GP, having completed a very thorough CSPF medical assessment in Cambridge.
This is just one of a number of things you have to do to swim the channel, on top of the training.
I like to think I am pretty fit, I am in the gym every weekday morning from 6am doing a range of classes. I can jump on a bike & do a long ride & If need be take a moment, and the same with the running but swimming long distance is a lot harder particularly in the sea. But the real challenge is being at the mercy of the sea & the cold. I have never experienced being cold right through to the very core of my body, it takes a lot out of me and an incredibly long time to warm up properly afterwards.
Training wise it’s been a tough week, I tried to have a sea swim on Sunday. Sea temperature was 9’C with a swell & a whopping 10 out & it was windy. I felt incredibly light headed after just 11 mins, and whilst I could do the hyperthermia test ok (finger to thumb) something didn’t feel right so I abandoned. The weather and tide times haven’t made another one possible this week. On top of that the pool was closed for 2 mornings – but all is good as I smashed 1 hour and 15 minutes (3084 metres) swimming non stop in the pool on Saturday! “If you are going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill.
So that’s my week!
Week 8- w/c Monday 1st April 2019
Week 8 of 23 #English Channel Relay Swim 2019 check out my weekly video blog
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. Dr Seus
So to coin Dr Seus words, I have brains and I have feet in my shoes and it’s all down to me as to how I get myself to the end point of this English channel relay swim. Of course I have a training plan!
However, I started to cough & splutter earlier in the week so I took time out of my training plan and all is good, because in my plan is a contingency – the what if. I am still heading for the same direction but using a slightly different route. Good planning means you don’t get caught out by something you didn’t consider or think about. To much is being vested in this to let that happen.
My training continues to go well despite the ‘cough’. In the pool I swam continuously for 1 hour (1:00:9 to be exact) my longest swim yet of 3040 metres. I swam 3000m 3 years ago but I knocked 18 minutes off that time. In fact I have now broken all my previous swim records. The drills focusing on my technique are paying off & my little swim bag is growing bulky with all the little swim aids I am gaining – floats, paddles etc all designed to help me improve.
In the sea I have increased my time to 34 minutes, and swimming face in the water for most of it. For some inspiration (and because of the tides) we actually ventured down to Dover beach for our swim, it was really cold but the water was beautifully clear, it makes such a difference in terms of motivation.
Week 7 – w/c Monday 25th March 2019
Week 7 of 23 #English Channel Relay Swim 2019
‘How you do anything is how you do everything’ T. Harv Eker
How you handle any challenge or experience in life is how you handle all of them. What I do is up to me, so that’s why I embrace everything I take on with a mindset of I can do this. And that’s why I plan and prepare myself and (above all) train hard but sensibly. Because I can and will do this!
I learned a lot last week about how I swim and what I need to do to improve my technique in the sea so this week has seen me starting to put it into practice. And it’s been hard I am really feeling the difference!
This week in the swimming pool I have focused on drills and increasing distance & time up to 2800 m/ 52 minutes. And in the sea combining an increase in my time in the water & starting to swim properly, this is the hard bit because the water is so cold on my face. But I am now up to 28 minutes in the sea.
Tuesday 26th
March l ECRS2019 Sea Swim #7
I had a rest day I.e. no gym in the morning instead we
walked the dogs together at 4pm Tim picked me up from the library and we drove
to the sea at Beltinge it was grey cold and miserable the sea whilst looking
calm didn’t look at inviting at all. I undressed not really feeling it and it
was a case of just getting in. It felt
really cold going in but it soon got easier as I started to move. I found it hard to swim I tried really hard
to swim and did about 400 metres I think I. All which wasn’t bad. I did 28 minutes and Tim did 16 minutes – it
was a struggle getting dry and dressed today I don’t know why! Once we got home and had dinner, I was back
out for an hour clinical Pilates.
Friday 29th
March ECRS2019 Sea Swim #8
In the pool for 6am today I wanted to do a straight swim
freestyle but I decided to use resistance mitts and my drag shorts. I am not
going to lie it was tough going but I really tried to focus on entry rotation
and the catch. I managed 70 lengths and 2.01/100m. After the swim I did a body pump class and fitness Pilates class.
We decided against a bike ride due to the weather being
nicer tomorrow for cycling, and so we took ourself off to Dover beach for a
swim. The sun was shining and it was
14’C so much warmer, the sea was as cold
as ever though but it was beautifully clear – I was in first and was getting
quite a lot of interest from passers by.
Poor Tim had someone flick a cigarette end and it landed in his bag
luckily he saw it!! I managed to swim for most of my time in the water with
face in 707 yards in total, and 34 minutes
Tim got up to 21 minutes and swam breastroke and he tried his face in
the water for the first time. Its all
about building up slowly.
Week 6 – w/c Monday 18th March 2019
Week 6 of 23 #ECRS2019 check out my weekly video blog “if someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you are not sure you can do it, say yes and then learn how to do it later.” Richard Branson
So this weeks focus turned to ‘learning’.
But first the training; in the pool I have increased my distance to 2600m, my time in the sea is up to 20 minutes and I also managed a small swim with my face in the water. It doesn’t seem much but it was 10’C & bitterly cold. With that I need to say a huge thank you to Alison Grosvenor who this week increased her stay in the water to 12 minutes and to Tim Gough who came in for the 1st time and managed a minute, a great start. (Unless you have tried it you won’t really know how much it hurts).
And so regards the learning, well I was offered a swim smooth 1:1 coaching session with video analysis. I found out my style is suited to open water & following the analysis I now have a couple of things to focus on to improve my technique. Its time to learn.
As this weeks comes to an end I would like to thank Amanda and Chantal for their sponsorship, I really appreciate your help.
If you can find a little something to help me raise money here is my link. I am collecting for Swim Tayka using TotalGiving™. This is a revolutionary new way to give to charitable causes, where the funds raised are transferred directly to the charity. Meaning no costs and no commission everything go
Monday 18th
March ECRS2019 Sea Swim #4
The usual wake up call of 5.20am exhausted I get out and do my usual routine feed dogs, coffee and empty the dishwasher. We were in the pool for 6am and had the lane – I swam 70 lengths at a slow 2.05/100m I then went on to do a tough spin class. After it was back to the pool for another 70 lengths much faster at 1.57/100 m and it felt better too. I then had breakfast, did a body Combat class and then a spin class. Alison Tim and I all having done the spin changed into swim gear and went down to the sea at Beltinge. It was cold but not as windy but the sea looked horrible – brown and not at all inviting. We stripped off our clothes and were in, Tim followed a few mins later with the go pro – he lasted all of about 30 seconds with his screams. He was right it is painful. Alison managed 12 minutes and I did 20 and I swam with goggles for a few strokes. My face was so cold. I actually thought today was colder than last time but apparently it was 10’c so 2.3’c warmer. But I think the outside was colder. When I got out my whole body was red raw. We had tea and got changed and then got into the car for the 25 min drive home. We had the heating on full blast the whole way and I really only just stopped shivering when we pulled on the drive. It’s such a weird sensation being so cold and trying to warm up naturally.
Friday 22nd March ECRS2019 Sea Swim #5
After body pump and a Pilates session at the gym we later
went to the beach at Beltinge for a sea swim.
This was to be my 5th and Tim 2nd. Is was cold and grey / cloudy but the tide
was in. It was cold but I managed 23
minutes and 1 ½ and 2 mins with a break in between. I suffered with my hands but today I managed
to swim freestyle between the groin and breaststroke back. It’s getting better
Sunday 24th
march ECRS2019 Sea Swim #6
Today we went out for a 42 mile bike ride, it was meant to
be 56 but we were fast running out of time to be honest and so cut it short so
we could fit in a swim. The sun was
shining so we heading over to Beltinge,
it was 10’C outside temperature and the water around 9’c I managed 25;38
in the water and swam 93 yards. It was
so cold but actually having the sun on your face made all the difference, it didn’t stop the shivering and it was just
as cold but it felt better being sunny!
But it would be easy to fool yourself and stay to long. Tim did really well too and came in for 10
½ minutes which was brilliant.
Week 5 week commencing 11th March 2019
Week 5 of 23 ECRSF 2019 Check out my weekly video blog
Saturday 16th
March
Didnt manage to fit in a sea session, but I did get up to 130 lengths in the pool. No gimmicks just me and my laps. It’s weird as swimming is kind of boring and you seem to spend your time counting laps which is fine if you are doing 20 but when you want to get into the 100’s in mind numbing. So I set myself little games count 10, then a 20 and so on. Don’t get me wrong it’s till boring but every little helps. So I plodded on and I was feeling good, I got a sense that people were arriving and people were leaving but I just kept going and I managed 130. It’s not my longest swim as I have done 150 in 2016 but it’s a good place to be especially as my average was 1.57/100m. After my swim I changed quickly and went and did a body Combat class followed by a HiiT class for an hour it’s fair to say I was pretty wasted after all that! Luckily so as I had an afternoon of rugby 6 Nations with Wakes winning the grand slam abs England only just managing to pull of a draw against Scotland! A few beers were had too.
When I arrived at the
beach the sun was shinning and it felt warmer than it had previously – it was
around 10’C so it wasn’t but I was in a sun trap. We went down the beach and the tide was in
and it looked okay not to rough. We went in quickly, it felt so cold and really
took my breath away immediately it felt much colder than the previous two
sessions. We got in quickly my skin
felt like it was burning and so I started swimming breaststroke between the
groins I kept my hands in whilst Alison kept hers out. I also put face in water and swam front crawl
between two groins. It was so cold and my face felt like it had been burnt and
my lips felt swollen. Alison stayed for 10’ mins and I did 14 mins. I put my robe on and had tea. It took quite a while to warm up afterwards
and even in the car with the heating full on my teeth were chattering.
Week 3 – 25th February 2019
ECRS2019 Sea Swim #1
As for the start of sea training, a chance chat in the gym after a spin class and before our core abs session and Alison said she would go with me – Friday – tomorrow did that sound like a plan. Hell yes I said not really giving myself time to think about it. Tara and Chantal both said they would come along for moral support, and the promise of hot tea. So we made plans to go the next day after spin class.
If I am honest, I didn’t sleep to well, I dreamt about sea swimming all night and I was very anxious about it.
My day started with a pool swim of 63 lengths and body pump followed by shopping and then spin. I have never wanted spin to go on so long. Chantal told the class what we were doing and we got a mixed response of eyebrows and are you mad! We changed into our swimsuits made a few jokes and set off in our cars. We headed down to the beach – tide was in, it was pebbly and it was bleak really bleak only and cold! 9’c outside. We stripped off and just walked straight in breathing deeply and talking – 5 minutes submerged in the sea. We got out chatted dressed in ridiculous large but warm clothes. So proud of what we had done. We didn’t mention a next time apart from the same time next week. It was only the following day between body Combat and HiiT that we decided to go Sunday.
Sunday 3rd
March 2019 ECRS2019 Sea Swim#2
Our meet time was 10 I got to the car park at 9.55am and
Alison soon after put on the sea slippers and we made our way down to the
beach the tide was right in but it was so cold and so very
bleak and the beach was pretty empty except for a few dogs walkers warmly
wrapped up – it was raining! We noticed
a dog was in and that gave us hope so we once again stripped quickly and went
in – almost straight away putting the shoulders in. My breathing was all over
the place but it soon came down and started to ease we walked from post to post
and pretty soon I was swimming breast stroke I also put face I water and swam a
few strokes. It was hard going especially swimming towards Herne Bay with
reculver behind me. But we did it, I did 7 ½ minutes and Alison 6 we warmed up
with robes/ towels and hot tea and took a few photos proud of ourselves.
The blog
This blog was started on Thursday 29th February 2019 just a week or so after I signed up to swim the English Channel as part of a 6 person relay. Prior to the blog starting I had already done a few pool swims fitting them in around my gym classes and schedule. I can swim a mile in about 33 mins and this week I had done two sessions of 60 lengths ¾ mile. It was going okay but I was acutely aware that distance isn’t the only factor here and that at some point I needed to be able to swim for two hours in the sea before it gets above 14’C. It was like a nagging feeling hanging over me where I know I need to do it but if I am really honest I was scared of going alone even with someone on the beach (which is a must). In my head I told myself end of March but equally I knew that it was leaving it a bit late.
How it all started.
I was skiing in Les Arc 2000 in February 2019. I was assigned to a group red and there were (on a any day) around 6 – 9 people. On day 1 in the afternoon we were joined by 3 men, of which one was Bryan. I was told by other members that Bryan was an ice swimmer, this intrigued me, so next time I sat on the chair lift with him the questions started. I soon learned that he had done a number of challenges (some of which I had never heard of). In another conversation he told me that he proposed to his partner in a really unique way, and he sent me a copy to the blog, it transpires that this was on the back of his Catalina Swim (The Island of Cataline to LA), as interesting (and romantic) as the proposal was I was interested in the swim. I learned that this was his third challenge, that being Swimming the English Channel (solo), 20 Bridges (around Manhatten) and this one. I was genuinely interested and the questions kept coming (I must have been quite annoying). I happened to mention that I went to school in Dover, that I had canoed in the harbour as a teenaged and was training at one point to canoe the channel, but that it was a genuine pipe dream. It was at that point when he said I have one place left on a team of 6 swimming in July do you want it. In shock I asked to think it over, that took all of a 5 minute conversation with Tim with us both saying this was a once in a life time chance. That night I said yes I was up for it, then the questions really did start. That was then this is now.
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This photo is 1st March 2019, my first sea swim with Alison, I managed 5 mins
“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.” — Ernest Hemingway, US author
We are just a couple from Canterbury, (originally from Aylesham) who love adventures and the odd challenge. We got together in 1987, and married in 1996 in New Orleans USA, and share the same passion for sport and keeping fit. When we first met we used to cycle together, including cycling to Belgium in 1988, and the odd sportive including London to Canterbury in 1992. But rugby was our main sport until we both retired, to keep ourselves fit we took up running and have both completed the London Marathon Suzanne in 2001 and 2003 and Tim in 2005, and then we found the bike again, Tim first and then eventually me.
We have coth completed in a number of triathlons sprint distance and also the London Triathlon ‘Olympic’ distance. We continue to take part in cycle sportives and have completed: Paris Roubaix, Liege Bastogne Liege, London Prudential 100, The Dragon Etape (230km), Mallorca 312 (167km), The King of the Downs and numerous local ones too.
We are also massive users of the local gym and can be found in most of the early morning classes at the local gym or in the pool.
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Having written the last 3 blogs on our bike
challenges I wasn’t keen to do a fourth. Having sometimes spent up to 10 hours
on the road in appalling conditions writing a blog over the evening meal is
somewhat of a chore. There is a small window of opportunity for enjoyment in
the evenings and I felt mine was often passed by. All my posts are written in
real time after a hard day in the saddle and are never proof read. In fact I
don’t think I have ever actually read them, maybe something I can do in
retirement. Unfortunately for me there are too many of you out there
that enjoy reading about our exploits and your pressure for me to
continue the blogs is becoming overwhelming. So with a heavy heart I agree to
once again attempt to entertain you as our road trip unfolds.
Truth be told, Dale (Self Appointed Captain) has said that the blog, like many things on tour, is non negotiable, although there was also promise of help which to date has never materialised. But I listened to the people out there who have told me that you enjoy reading the blog, so its for all of you that I write it.
So here we are, the first blog of 2015, I will put one or two out a week before the big one starting June 25th. I hope you all enjoy the ride.
It took until June 7th and the “Tour De
Sandwich” sportive to bring the Cranky Croatia team together. Cycling
individually or in satellite groups throughout the Winter and Spring months we
found ourselves lining up to register practically without incident this year.
Not bad going as my personal training this year amounts to 3,193 kilometres
(1984 miles) which took 151 hours in often cold wet windy soul
sapping effort. With the photo shoot over, we took to the tarmac with an
enthusiasm we left in Genoa some 11 months ago.
Having to start from the rear of the pack we
were pumped and eager to assert our dominance. The “Snowdown Train” were back,
and with our No 1 rider, Cathal, back from the tools setting a wicked pace we
soon cut our way through the field. Dropped one by one with his relentless
pace we became a bit fragmented and were not all privy to some individual
achievements in this years first big tour. Dale, possibly for the first time
ever, managed to stay upright for the whole ride, mind you he did bail at
the 45 mile mark to play his last ever game of football. But don’t
hold your breath, his last 45 games have been his last ever game of
football.
So from the oldest on tour to the youngest,
Linford, the new boy on tour. He made up the miles his Uncle
Dale left on the road as he took a slight detour, near to tears watching his
brand new white tyres turning ever more grey he missed the
sign directing him left and saving him a local climb known as Peene Hill.
The extra 5 miles will serve him well once we start the tour proper, or so
I tell him.
There will unfortunately nearly always be a
mechanical when you are collectively cycling over 600 miles and this time it
was Suzanne that had a puncture at the top of a climb out of Etchinghill. Well
versed in throwing a tantrum in these circumstances assistance was soon at hand
although she did insist upon finishing the job as she proudly whipped out her
newly aquired CO2 pump. The fact that Suzanne used this to good
effect left Keith in a dazed state of admiration and awe. He may question this
claim but how else could you explain the fact that all this took place within
metres of his favourite pub “The Cat and Custard” and the ride was all but done
with only 15 miles to go.
A surprise for cathal, our number one rider, was
to see me at the top of Coldred hill waiting to take photos of the imminent
arrival of the team.
Because of Suzannes puncture we had to wait some
time, and in that time Cathal admitted he took the same detour as Linford which
explained why I was at the top of Coldred hill first. Unlike Linford though, he
was not cooing over bling on his bike, he just had his head down trying
to beak the rest of the field, something he has become quite adept at.
Dave was as exuberant as usual and as you can
see by this photo at the top of a wicked climb some 70 miles into the
ride nothing was going to spoil his day. I believe this is why Dave doesn’t
come out to often, he would surely explode with the excitement of it all if he
did.
My ride was pretty savage as I tried to keep
Cathals wheel, giving up, or most likely unable, after about 10 miles I settled
for riding as hard as I could. Cranking up a good average I was pleased to see
that Keith had let the Landlord know that he’d be dropping by for a hard earned
drink after our tough day I the saddle.
Micro pub in Barfestone called the “Wrong Turn” where we enjoyed a cold cider apart from Suzanne who had half pint of mud called wantsome or something similar. No more than she deserved according to the bloke who she pushed into the gutter nearing the top of a cruel climb out of Bishopsbourne. So embarrassed, according to her, she couldn’t find any words of apology as her poor victim tried clawing himself out of the stingies, she just managed a nervous giggle.
It was a damp foggy morning that saw the Hougham
Gear Grinders, Dale and Dave, Mount their trusty steeds for our last decent
training ride before the tour proper. Having put in some serious miles this
year Dale was better informed on the required attire. Suzanne having clocked up
over 3000 kilometres this year was also educated on what to wear and
appropriately dressed set off, leaving me in bed, (night shift) to meet up at
our regular spot in Lyminge.
It’s a tad lonely for the first to arrive.
At the bottom of Longage
It was just the three that set off on the days
ride as the Aylesham Sunshine Crew were otherwise engaged. Keith was caught up
in Holland with work so no doubt had some solo training of his own. You might
think cycling on the flat is easy but after 30 odd miles of it you are
hankering for a little downhill and the small respite it offers. So a good
session there. Talking of sessions our newest and youngest member of the team,
Linford, is under the misguided impression that a few ales are sunk on tour.
Unconvinced that’s not the case he felt he needed to cover all bases and spent
the day honing his drinking skills. From good mining stock like the rest of us
he didn’t need that base covering but I’m sure he enjoyed it all the same.
Cathal, our youngest rider last year, chose to do what he has done best this
year. Another day in the office. He needn’t worry, nor had we, as he is, and no
doubt always will be the strongest rider of the team. He proved that last week
on “Le Tour of Sandwich” as he left us gasping for breathe just 10 miles in.
Cathal at the top of Mont Ventoux – 3 times in one day
So back to them that did ride who were joined by
me not far out of Canterbury as the day started to warm up. Dave rolled up a
little red in the face and for once this wasn’t through his legendary efforts
at the head of the Pelton, it was due to wearing more cloaks than the multi
coloured one worn by Joseph. Stripped off we joined Dave as a foursome on our
way to the coast.
Tough Start for the Tour to Barcelona
I’m not alone in thinking what Keith’s face
would have like when someone suggested a coffee stop right next to a buzzing
pub in Reculver. We were all a bit befuddled by the call and enjoyed our coffee
whilst casting sneaky eyes to the revellers across the road. With a boost of
caffeine and the knowledge that the next stop would be more to our taste the
miles were soon left in our wake. We’ve not had many decent days this year and
today was proving to be one of them. Stopping for a ream talk in the very nice
Bell and Crown we were damned if the increasingly bad weather would put us off.
So a full round was in order in defiance of the weather and four pints later
saw us all racing hell for leather home trying to beat the rising storm that we
have become all to familiar with this year. I know Suzanne and myself made it I
guess you’ll just have to wait until the next instalment to see if the Hougham
Gear Grinders made it.
Them that rode this weekend
Liege Bastogne Liege
Once again blog written in real time and not proof read, apologies to any purists 8th June 2015
Not because we aren’t magnificent, we are just
not 7 at the moment
We finally came together From top left, Dave, The Stig, Suzanne, Cathal, Linford, Bottom left, Tim, Dale, Keith
This was the weekend ride we’d all been looking
forward to. A short (50 mile) social ride that would involve a few beers to
many whilst we picked up our team jerseys, sorted final departure arrangements
and made sure we had enough spare cables wheels tubes etc between us. The
excitement obviously got to Keith and Linford as they arrived at our usual
meeting point an hour early. Rather than waste valuable energy on a few loops
riding they called in to a friends house for coffee. Must have been a very hot
cup as it took them so long to drink they ended up last to arrive several
minutes late. Something the Captain (Dale) will not tolerate on this year’s
tour. As it was Keiths birthday yesterday, Saturday, they escaped with just a
cutting glance and an emphatic look at his watch.
We set off a man down as Cathal, the good boy he is, was spending time with his
Dad this fathers day. He didn’t enjoy much of a lay in though because Linford
phoned him as he set off with his Dad (Keith) asking if he was going to join
them. Cathal was to groggy on being woken to tell them it was a tad early.
Keith was blissfully unaware he was still on European time as he’s currently
working in Holland, unfortunately Linny was also blissfully unaware. Not a bad
thing as he wasn’t aware he’d missed out on an hour lay in and was in good
spirits if not a little more tired than usual. So we set out a team mate down
secretly relieved we could cycle at a sedate pace without our lead out man
Cathal setting his usual high octane pace and in the knowledge that Keith and
Linny weren’t actually over zealous to start, just in a different time zone.
Being our last training ride before the big one it was going to get messy and
it wasn’t long before we split up descending Blackhouse Hill. Dale, Dave and
myself managed the right turn halfway down with the others having to back track
putting in some extra climbing on what was a pretty tough day for climbing
anyway. As we weren’t planning a long ride I took the Captains instructions to
the letter and planned a tough day of climbing. We had to earn that first beer
after all. It arrived sooner than it should have done on reflection. With the
sun over the yard arm and at least 3 pubs left in our wake the Five Bells in
Brabourne found us slamming on the brakes for our first serious team talk of
the year. The first drink was wasted talking about the new bits of kit and
little gadgets wed treated ourselves too. Suzanne and Dave’s new Bont Vaypor
shoes stealing the limelight. There is little more satisfying to a cyclist than
slipping on a pair of the finest Kangaroo skin carbon soled shoes. Maybe
supping that first cold beer after 8 hours or more in the saddle tops it but
let’s not split hairs. But the Bonts are up there with the best and deserved
the attention they got. So another round was needed so we could discuss the
important things of the tour ahead. Having agreed Keith would supply the spare
set of wheels and I would supply the brake cables it was time to end the team
talk in agreeing that Asda pots of porridge were second rate and we’d have to
go with Quakers original.
Birthday Boy
Rather pleased we’d accomplished so much on our
little stop it was time for some more of those deceptive Kent climbs. Time was
really pushing on now as we’d pre arranged to meet the Stig, our support driver
aka Tim Delbaere and our supportive and understanding wives. Bang on cue we
arrived at the Coach and Horses in Lyminge just as everyone else was turning
up. Putting our best foot forward we all posed individually and as a team for
the official photo shoot. Celebrating both Keiths birthday and the end to a
tough winter of training, for any readers living abroad our winter and spring
has been either wet, windy, cold or a combination of above most days. That’s
why we were all in joyous mood knowing the hard graft had been taken care of
and we could afford ourselves one day of excess. Between arriving and leaving I
can only assume we took care of everything that needed taking care of. The
fresh air and exercise took its toll all rather too swiftly after a couple more
jars and time slipped by all to quickly and the only sensible thing to do was
to rag it all in. Not so sensible riding the 12 miles home tho. I’m sure I did
an extra couple of miles as I weaved from side to side through the fortunately
quite country lanes. I’ve not heard to the contrary so I think it safe to say
that all my fellow team mates made it back safely in probably the same manner
that I did. Suzanne did for sure as I vaguely remember trying to get on her
back wheel for a tow home. She sensibly stayed at arms length though and left
me floundering alone. The next ride will be a lot more sedate as we set off on
our prologue stage to the start point of the Cranky Croatia tour.
Thursday 25th June 2015 The team photo 2 miles out of Calais port at the start of our prologue stage to Bethune.
Suzanne and myself woke up to the best day of
the year by far. Surely this is not the start of our tour to Croatia, it just
felt so alien. Dave and the Dale soon turned up to join us for the ride from
Canterbury to the Dover docks via Aylesham for our ferry to the continent. Dale
not being the best of starters in the morning soon put the cloud into the day
with his usual morning cheer. We set off knowing that he would soon cheer up
and it would not be long before we could engage hime in some meaningful
conversation. That didn’t come by the time we arrived in Aylesham to pick up
Cathal so we let him continue to warm up in the growing sun as we pried Cathal
away from his tearful Mum. With her sobs and words of wisdom, I’ve matched up
your socks, don’t forget to wash behind your ears, phone me etc etc we set of to
meet the rest of the team Keith and Linford. Not wanting to miss out on thhe
mileage we found them slightly dizzier than last Sunday as they were on their
34th lap of the Market Square. We had to ride out of the village in a counter
clockwise to nulify the effects and therefore had an unusual route to Dover. We
couldn’t miss the rat run in to the docks and the madness that Maison Dieu road
throws up. This was made even more dangerous with the chaotic Mums school run.
Dale was just starting to lighten up when we hit this menace and his mood
quickly darkened to his pre 0700hrs state. We all survived somehow and met up
at Dover sports centre to meet up with our support driver the Stig. 4 bikes in
the van and 3 to cycle onto the ferry we were soon to say Au Revoir to
Anglettere.
Dales apparent madness at setting off early soon
made sense as it wasn’t really appropriate to have a beer on te ferry and we
disembarked for maybe the first time ever buzzing from a caffeine hit rather
than an alcoholic one. We met up 2 miles down the road to regroup the 4 in the
van with the 3 that had to cycle on and off the ferry. The above photo was
taken before we set off on the 50 mile ride to Bethune. We set a pretty
fearsome pace in the knowledge we only had a short ride and for the most part
it was a pretty sedate affair. As we closed in on the finish line in true style
the excitement levels reached new heights. This excitement was none more
evident as Keith calmly said “where the flip (or a similar 4 letter word
begining with F) did that come from” as we crossed yet another busy roundabout.
I was just relieved it wasn’t the last words I heard him say as we both
narrowly avoided meeting our maker. It was usual fair with the rest of the ride
with the exception that it was hot and sunny. Not used to riding in these harsh
conditions we were forced into our first stop for refreshments. Dave shouted it
in and it soon became apparent why. There was some tree trimming going on and
the smile on his face for the half hour we were there was wider than that
brought on by the beautiful riding conditions. Linford not too pleased
with his domestique duties in this stop called for another some 45 minutes
later and just 5 miles short of the finish. The Stig joined us for this jolly
having checked in to the hotel, another strange thing we were not used to. It
was the the 4th time we’d seen him today, 4 times more than we saw our previous
support drivers. Only joking Phil and Jamie, you were awesome in your own way
and without you we couldn’t have done our rides. So another beer admiring our
already evident tan lines left us feeling very content and happy to smash it
home.
We soon found ourselves within sight of our 1st
finish and Linford, against orders took the stage.
So the Snowdown train is once again up and running. I can’t mention Snowdown without mentioning one of the greatest supporters of Snowdown Rugby Club who we sadly lost recently. Mick Griffen, we have raised a glass to him this evening and will do so after each stage. I’m sure you will join us in his honour too. 23rd June 2015
It was a pretty tough day that saw us roll into
our hotel some 8 and a half hours after setting off at 0800hrs this morning. It
was the tour virgin Linford that took this first stage. Sorry Cathal, you were
never gonna be given what you truly deserved today after an epic stage leading
from the front start to finish. The new guy always gets the stage even if he
was looked after admirably by his Dad who sacrificed on numerous occasions his
last drop of water. If that wasn’t enough he also carried all his emergency
repair kit leaving Linny unburdened to enjoy his ride unashamedly carefree. But
of course a lot happened before that roll in, our customary/obligatory stop 15
miles left to ride saw most of us start with a coke rather than than the usual
beer. A testament to how hard the preceeding 7 hours were. Of course we had a
beer eventually to see us home in the usual mad dash and it was Cathal again
that hit the front and caught all but myself napping and we opened up an
unassailable gap. Credit to Linny, he chased hard but the hammer was down and
he was left in no mans land and his fate was sealed as the rest caught him up
and escorted him home.
But as I intimated earlier a lot happened prior
to this and of course it all started as we woke up to temperatures in the high
teens at 0600. We could only guess that this is what put a smile on Dales face
and put him in good humour. Dale does not do happy in the morning believe me so
this was as new a phenomenon as waking up to a sunny day on tour. This behaviour
was so unsettling our suspicions were becoming aroused and at breakfast his
continuing humour led us to believe he was perhaps still a bit tipsy from the
night before. Well the waitress let slip that he had to have his tap stopped
last night along with the Stig and Keith. I’m sure it wasn’t Keith’s fault, he
would never jepordise his chance of ordering a beer and the Stig had a long day
in a different saddle. So it was a matter of time before Dale slipped into his
usual morning behaviour and it came before we set off. Being ribbed as he kept
us waiting for the off proved too much. So with Dale and his morning storm
cloud restored we set off on our 1st stage of the Cranky Croatia
Challenge.
Lunch
It’s hard to think of anything to write when
road conditions are good as we all stay upright and buckle down. I wouldn’t
wish for anything less to be honest but it doesn’t make for good writing. About
50 odd miles in we were running low on water and temperature was hitting 29c.
We pulled off in a village and got some water and fiizzy full fat pop. Dave who
had been struggling up to this point, he won’t mind me saying that, found a
lease of life after this short stop. Having snorted some coke he was on fire.
Did I say snorted, oops, slip of the tongue, I meant slurped. So he led the
charge as he took his big guns and heavy artillery to the front and made the
charge toward our official lunch break a further 25 miles on. Suzanne came into
her own at this point and also led from the front. Riding extremely
intelligently this year she conserved energy where needed and used it when
required. As she rides into the tour I’m sure her relentless work rate will bag
her a stage win.
Selfie time
The
Stig flagged us down at the 75 mile mark for a picnic at the side of road in a
decent picnic area. He’d supplied a good spread and after eating we were fired
up for our charge to our beer stop. This was not before Dave went all Bavarian
and stripped off to what was perhaps considered by some as obscene. It soon
cleared the area and we were left to enjoy the area to ourselves. So after a
good scoff and scaring the locals we set off at a blistering to pick up the
story at our beer stop. Tomorrow is a longer stage and if we are greeted with
the same weather it will prove to be another tough day in the saddle
The Mick Griffen Memorial Medal today goes to
Linford for his numerous attempts to close the gap between Cathal and myself
which most often proved fruitless.
Having
finished our 1st stage and with the celebratory beers drank we headed out for
some much needed pasta. I believe this was the first time on any of our tours
that not one of us looked over their shoulder in envy at what someone else was
eating. Suitably sated we all returned home for an early night in preparation
for stage 2 a pretty daunting 130 mile ride toward the German border
Saturday 27th June 2015
As per the captains orders we were outside ready
to roll on time at 0730 and team photo taken we set off on another warm but
cloudy morning. There was no hint of rain however and with a less muggy day we
were in good spirits. It was a good ride out for the first 20 or so miles with
little climbing so we put a good dent into a long day in a short amount of
time. When you ride these long stages you prefer to either look at how long
you’ve been riding or how many miles you’ve done or how many are left or you
choose to ride in ignorance. I choose the latter so all following incidents are
estimates.
Cathal and tim
Around the 35 mile mark we hit our first decent
descent and attacked each other with childlike enthusiasm. Some big speeds were
reached and to this day and probably never we’ll never know who won this first
battle. As we levelled out we were rather pleased to be flagged over by the
local Gendarmes expecting to have talk ourselves out of a speeding fine. Would
we all be stung for 50 euro or would it be collective. We didn’t care, what a
story this would make. How disappointing it was to hear we had been naughty boys
and girls and rode side by side. A big Non in France it seems. Single file was
the order of the day and as soon as Cathal hit the front we stuck to this law
for most of the day.
Having stuck to the law for the next 10 miles we
were concerned when Cathal broke ranks and said he no longer wanted or rather
would not ride at the front. Perplexed it was up to Linford to take up the
charge. It soon became apparent what the problem was, a big French Bulldog in
the middle of the road. Linny being the animal lover he is rolled up, stopped,
proceeded to take a photo as the mean looking pooch posed quite calmly.
Transpires it wasn’t posing, it was deciding which limb it fancied for dinner. As
it lunged Linford’s speed at defence far outweighed his speed on the bike and
his trusty steed was soon between him and the angry beast. Doing soft shoe
shuffle he managed to direct it toward his aunty Suzanne. Wouldn’t we all in a
pinch? Her maternal instincts took over and between them they managed to drive
it off. Linford only missing his pride with all limbs in tact was fortunately
able to lead us on to our food stop in 10 or so more miles.
Lunch break
The water stop at the 50 mile mark was much needed
as we were fast running low as the temperature was rising. Credit to the Stig
for anticipating our whereabouts. Restocked on gels and flapjacks rehydrate we
set out to eat up the next 32 miles (exactly) to our lunch stop. Not much to
report other than a 5 mile section of motorway that we shouldn’t have been on.
Luckily most of it was downhill and we escaped the long arm of the law yet
again.
The last 50 miles didn’t go without incident but
the most notable was Dave having a low speed crash. Basically ran out of speed
and gravity took over. It was on a heavily gravelled lay-by as he pulled over
to wait for the pursuing pack.
Unfortunately for today folks that’s all because it is 1025pm and I’m more than
knackered.
Tomorrow’s wearer of the Mick Griffin Memorial
Medal will be worn by Dave Austen. Nominated by today’s wearer Linford on the
merit that Dave had the first crash.
Sorry people I am really struggling with
internet at the moment.
End of Day 2Sunday 28th June 2015
The one thing harder than riding this tour is
trying to get a good night’s sleep. 3 Days on we are all suffering from a
little fatigue. That didn’t make today’s stage any easier. We were all flagging
somewhat as we set off on what turned out to be a very tough stage. It was also
the most enjoyable to date. I haven’t much time now to tell you about it as we
rolled in at 1830 pretty shot and I couldn’t connect to the Internet. As I
write this 2100 that is still the case. Again it was a beautiful day with the slightest
of breezes and not a cloud in the sky. Being a Sunday little was open so at the
70ish mile mark we stopped for lunch and a beer. Excellent food and drink now
we’d crossed the border into Germany. Off we set on the next 30 mile dash to
our next watering hole. This time however it didn’t involve a drink. Only a dip
in the drink. The Kirkzing river proved to much of a temptation and we went for
a swim. Shame we had the Barca 10 kit on with its see through yellow crutch.
Off we set soaking wet through a dip in the river rather than through our usual
sweat. Or this time last year the relentless rain. What a difference a year
makes. Forecast the same for tomorrow (Monday) so we are all rather in boyount
mood. Great food tonight too. Other than Internet everything is nothing short
of amazing. Apologies for short blog but hopefully quick recap tomorrow.
A well earned cold oneAlways good to get a selfieBabies chilling
Hopefully put something a little more detailed
later about today, day 04. We are all in good health with everyone staying
upright, just so you know.
Proud wearer of the Mick Griffin Memorial Medal is Suzanne. Awarded by Dave, today’s wearer, for her herculean efforts on the 5 mile climb at the end of today’s stage. 25th June 2015
Monday 29th June 2015 Water stop at the 30 mile ish mark
On returning to our hotel last night Suzanne and
I found ourselves in a bit of a pickle. Suzanne did the right thing, not, and
left the key to our hotel room behind reception. We were warned by the
receptionist she would be clocking off at 2300 which was not a problem as we
were planning to be back well before 2200 which in fact we were. After the
monster climb up to our hotel at the end of this stage we were in no mood for
partying. How were we to know the receptionist would knock off early and lock
up shop. Our key being the wrong side of a locked door and with no means of
contacting any hotel staff we were left with only one option. I took a running
shoulder charge at the door with little success. It was Dale up next and he
rebounded off the locked door with the same velocity I did. Time for some
muscle then. Keith imagined he had a rugby ball tucked under his arm and
started his charge for the line. Screws and wood splinters went flying, as did
Keith as his charge was only stopped by the wall at the far end of our room. At
least we had a bed for the night rather than the lobby sofa, although that
wasn’t necessarily the best option. Breakfast quickly eaten we set off at a
pace not seen so far on this tour or any other for that matter.
Finally found the cycle path
It wasn’t the 4 mile climb straight out of the
hotel this morning that we were displeased with, after all this is a challenge.
It was the ensuing 50 miles on very busy main roads in Monday morning traffic.
It is very difficult planning a route as far as Croatia with no knowledge of
the roads. 95% of the time I get it right but this morning I got it terribly
wrong. The roads were fine but too busy for my liking. However not so for
Cathal and Dave as the road surface suited their mood and Dave’s new found form.
The rest of us chose to look out for the cycle paths which were excellent if
not difficult to find. One occasion on taking a cycle route put us into a
housing estate dead end giving us a 2 mile wasted journey. That’s why Dave and
Cathal waited a full 20 minutes for us just short of our lunch stop.
The peleton
This was taken down by lake Constance on an
amazing stretch of lawn. The Stig had brought a very nice spread and having
enjoyed our scoff we decided it would be rude not to have a swim. Surprisingly
Dale was hungry enough to eat having gnawed off a good part of Linfords foot to
get to the bee sting which he nipped out with aplomb. Washed down with the
venom he sucked out it was a credit to his riding he still had an appetite. I’m
not sure Linford actually did get stung on the foot by a bee as he strutted his
stuff toward the lake, I think he just wanted some sort of massage to his aching
feet and played an ace card knowing Dale would do anything for family.
Oh stop it Dale it ticklesIs it a bit cold Dave?
Having re dressed allowing the locals to get on
with their normal sedate lives as we set off for the second half of our ride we
came across another obstacle. Not as formidable as the one last night but a
challenge nonetheless. After months of meticulous planning the route is stuck
to without question. This barrier and landslide would not put a kink in our
route and with military precision the Germans would have been proud of we
ploughed on. The ride was certainly better than the first 50 odd miles as we
found some decent roads where we could chill out and wile away the hours with
inane banter. Not a great deal to report other than the odd slipped chain, the
odd wrong turn and the 5 mile climb to our digs for the night. The last half
mile being extremely steep and brutal. Not the best way to finish the day after
over 100 miles of pretty hard riding in temperatures touching the 30s. Dale
blaming me for the route and me blaming him for the hotel would have been
settled with a fist fight if we weren’t already out on our feet. So we are now
in the Alps and the tour will really start to kick off.
Dale gets down and dirtyDont worry Snowdown RFC Linnie isnt losing weight Now thats a bit warmer Dave
A well earned coke at the end of todays stage
The Mick Griffen Memorial Medal will tomorrow be
worn by Cathal Bartolo nominated by today’s wearer Suzanne because he chased
averages today rather than company.
A big up to Suzanne, her persistence on texting Chris Evans got us a Shout Out on his morning Radio 2 Show. 29th June 2015
We all
have the very best day of riding I’ve ever done. Today was the best day of
riding I’d ever had. wesome weather, roads, routes and company. 10 hours after
setting off we rolled up at the finish. A dip in the outdoor pool didn’t see us
dressed until well after 1900 so hence the lack of blog. Below are series of
phots depicting the day.
Ice melt from the mountain cooled our feetOf course we couldnt leave it at that, we had to go one stage further or at least Suzanne This view summed up our day
Lunch break with 28 miles left, temperatures wer
clocked at 34.74c half hour after this at 1700hrs
A pool with a viewWe really had earned these beers
A hard tour can be made easier in the smallest
of ways, these smallest things are often not acknowledged enough. The Stig
a.k.a Tim D has been outstanding so far on this tour. Always at our pre
arranged water stops at the 25 – 30 mile mark. We are never left waiting for
our lunch at the pre determined food stop. Our bags are always in our rooms on
arrival and there is always 7 beers lined up to cool us down after our efforts
in the saddle. So a big up to our support driver with whom we couldn’t do this
tour nor future ones.
Traffic free joy
Amazingly we have had no mechanicals or any of
those things that often put a cyclist struggling on the roadside removing
wheels and tyres. Other than Keith’s rear wheel popping a spoke yesterday as we
rolled across the border into Austria. These new fan dangled light weight
wheels only have few spokes and if one goes your wheel is done for. A quick
call to the Stig and our spare wheel arrived so other than a delay no real
crisis.
A spot of lunch
Our best breakfast to date set us up for this
stage to Strassen in the Austrian Alps. 20 odd miles of climbing with a little
respite here and there with a good few miles out of Innsbruck in the rush
hour traffic saw us cross the border into Italy around 1030. A good few soft
drinks and a nice cream all round we rolled on. The roads were not great to be
honest but that is Italy. We were not savvy enough to know. Where the cycle
paths were either so spent far to much time on main roads which included riding
through some pretty long tunnels bricking it. Luckily we all live to do it
again and we were not spotted by the local bobby. Only the the local traffic
who gave us enough abuse via there much used car and lorry horns. The odd
occasion we did find the bike routes it was a joyous ride. Side by side we
chatted about how soon this would all be over. Strange casting our minds back
how much we could not remember. Each year we promise ourselves we will try and
take more in. As much as we try to do that we always fail. I can only think we
can’t actually take any more in which is why so many memories are left on the
road. Not a bad thing really, just a shame that that is how’s it’s got to be.
Check out them tan lines
Our best breakfast to date set us up for this
stage to Strassen in the Austrian Alps. 20 odd miles of climbing with a little
respite here and there with a good few miles out of Innsbruck in the rush
hour traffic saw us cross the border into Italy around 1030. A good few soft
drinks and a nice cream all round we rolled on. The roads were not great to be
honest but that is Italy. We were not savvy enough to know. Where the cycle
paths were either so spent far to much time on main roads which included riding
through some pretty long tunnels bricking it. Luckily we all live to do it
again and we were not spotted by the local bobby. Only the the local traffic
who gave us enough abuse via there much used car and lorry horns. The odd
occasion we did find the bike routes it was a joyous ride. Side by side we
chatted about how soon this would all be over. Strange casting our minds back
how much we could not remember. Each year we promise ourselves we will try and
take more in. As much as we try to do that we always fail. I can only think we
can’t actually take any more in which is why so many memories are left on the
road. Not a bad thing really, just a shame that that is how’s it’s got to be.
Evening meal, we are shattered from cycling not through having a few beers. That is the truth, this is what 8 days in the saddle does to you
Tomorrow’s Mick Griffen Memorial Medal will be
worn by the Stig, aka Tim D for his efforts that go above and beyond in his
role as our support driver. Nominated by myself who wore it today.
How to bomb a selfie
Tomorrow’s Mick Griffen Memorial Medal will be worn by the Stig, aka Tim D for his efforts that go above and beyond in his role as our support driver. Nominated by myself who wore it today.
Live off the press Dale has just spilt a whole pint over himself. His only concern is that the batman has disappeared for the night. 1st July 2015 Bottoms up everyone.
Stage 7
Thursday 2nd July 2015Pre ride mechanics
Last night was a bit of a disappoint to a few as
we rolled into our hotel room in Strassen, Austria at the end of stage 2. Talk
about trade description act. Not one of the busty daughters dressed in
traditional garb turned out to meet us. Nor did they wait on us as we sat down
to an evening meal that surpassed our last one. Goulash of various meats with a
local strudel pudding to finish was the perfect end to a hard day in the
saddle. That hard day went to Linford as chaos reigned in the run in. An early
break saw him take the right lines to arrive triumphant.
View from the hotel
Today’s ride started with the usual 6 mile climb
out of our hotel. The temperature hadn’t yet reached the 30s so it wasn’t too
hot yet. Had Dave not found the key to the van he’d lost things might have been
different with a later start. Putting them safely away in his secret safe place
the night before escaped his mind. His dizzy ways carried on as his best friend
on tour “The green monster” wasn’t playing. This is the elevation profile shown
on our garmin computer showing us what we have left to climb or descend. He’d
neglected to turn it on as pointed out by Cathal.
An Austiran pass
Talking of Cathal, what a star he’s been again
on this tour. We joked that he’d not done enough training to drag us to
Croatia. No joking, this guy has been immense on this tour as usual. We all owe
him a great deal, mind you sometimes he’s just gotta realise we are getting a
little old for these mad 100% effort rides. Couldn’t do without him though.
Another of our best climbers Dale was also on
form today. The effort to get over the 1st 6 mike climb left him wanting today
though. The descent to the 32 mile mark for a re group and some more water felt
little reward for the previous climb. The 8 mile climb up to the Austria /
Italy border left him pretty exhausted but in lighter mood. You all get the
idea that our Captain is not always the go to person in the mornings for a pick
me up chat.
Linnie posing
I was glad it was once again the cheerful Cathal
at the top of this monster climb that greeted me with a smile on his face
knowing what we’d achieved at this point. This was something special we had
just done. One of the hardest climbs to date made torturous by the heat put our
previous climbs in the shade. We had but a moment to catch up before Linford
joined us. First tour in he has grown into it showing a maturity beyond his
years. He has gone from a gear grinding machine to a well slicked spinning
being. His attitude toward us old hands in taking on our advice and putting it
to test has proved invaluable. He is finishing strong and is becoming an asset we
dare not leave behind in the future.
We have our lunch breaks around 3 quarters in
and we just want something quick before the main event. Chips or french fries
if you prefer are our 1st choice. Ordering these in foreign countryside
villages is not always that straight forward either but we get there. These are
always followed up with some carb intake to get us going but I have to say
eating has been a real problem this year. On the bike our flapjacks, rocky
roads, malt loaf slices etc just got warm, cooked and discarded. How strange we
craved other things this tour as stomach cramps took over. Our break today was
not exactly in a picturesque place but what it lacked in beauty it made up for
in drama.
Big Dave after saying the mountain views melted
into one and were just a mainstay of the tour was overwhelmed once we hit our
last Austrian valley. As Keith pointed out it was like the BBC going through.
The amount of filming and photo shoots will hopefully jog our memory in our
later years of just how beautiful this days riding was.
Again it’s getting late so I’m gonna wrap this
up with mention of the stage winner. Suzanne took a serious grump as we let her
down on our charge to lunch. Her usual fun filled personality was a
little lacking. Fuming on her own at the end of the table none of us were man
enough to ask what was wrong. Setting off for the final charge to the hotel in
Udine it became apparent why. Adept at the twisting roads and mountain climbs
she found the flat full out peloton charge a little hard. Believe me these
parts of the stage are tough, after 7 days and miles of mountains in between
they are tough. We set off again at break neck speed and she was done. I rode
with her until we were 7 miles out where we both met the other guys for a beer.
Like last year she spat the dummy, carried on cycling to take the stage. Beers
drank the rest of us set off in hot pursuit. It was Cathal to the fore as usual
and I spotted the break and took his wheel as I have done all tour. So we left
the others off the pace as the knish came within 3 miles. Cathal took a
roundabout the wrong way round to get the jump on a fast approaching Linford.
This proved his downfall. Having met an oncoming car that refuse to yield it
was only his bike skills that allowed him to bunny hop it and avoid certain
death. Linford saw his chance and successfully executed the same manoeuvre some
few minutes later. The chase was on. Cathal and Linny got lost I came in second
after Suzanne so the chase was done.
STage Winner
The team would like me to mention that Cathal
rolled in last today, Linford particularly. Cathal quite rightly would
like to mention that he’s rolled in 1st the last 6 days dragging me close on
his heels and the rest of the team too. Not one of us would deny him that. I
speak for all when I say he has been and always will be invaluable to us on
these tours.
Friday 3rd July 2015Final preparations for our last day
Pretty amazing I know, a dry tour, who’d have
thought it ? On our 4th year of asking it became reality, that which we thought
would never be. A tour without a drop. For those that have followed us you know
that the drop I’m talking of ain’t the reward you’ve earned at the end of a
hard ride. It is the drops that fall from the sky to dampen not only the road
but our spirits as we pedal tiredly toward the end of each stage. We couldn’t
believe our luck as not only did we wake each morning to clear blue skies, we
were also greeted with ridiculous temperatures in comparison to previous tours.
Not once were arm warmers, overshoes, thermal vests etc dug from the bottom of
our bags. Each stage was started with minimal clothing and a smile on our
faces. We got to the end without one single puncture or need of repair other
than a wheel change half way in. The latest we ever got away was 8 minutes
after the captains designated start time. Did we miss the rain, the cold, the
greasy roads, the poor visibility? On occasion I think we did. Temperatures
hitting the 40s were another beast, one we’d never encountered. It made for
some hard riding and I think although we all embraced it, at some point we
wished for a little light relief. That’s not a negative on what it put us through,
none of us would wish for any less. I mention it only to let you know how the
heat became our new enemy as the clock passed toward and beyond midday. It
burnt the back of the throat and the warm water we carried was little relief.
Nothing seemed to quench our thirst, cold Coke, Fanta, Iced water all left us
wanting. What a joy it is to relay this info at the end of our challenge, now
for info on our last day.
only me
Never have I stayed in such a weird hotel,
mirrors everywhere, triple locks on doors, mix of tile and carpet floors worst
meal I’d had on tour so far. Breakfast was a tad better though and set us all
up for the champagne stage to Croatia. Getting out of Udine wasn’t too bad,
straight roads with rush hour traffic but hard shoulders wide enough to keep us
out of trouble. 25 miles an hour averages swept us swiftly into Trieste, our
last major Italian City before Slovenia. I actually enjoyed the busy city with
its immeasurable amount of mopeds jostling for space. Putting the the 4 wheel vehicles
in place we joined their club an ruled the road. Stopping short of jumping
lights we flouted each and every law as we had done the previous 7 days.
Thankfully we soon found ourselves crossing the border unmolested or unhindered
into Slovenia.
The only photo I have of Slovenia I am afraid
With so few miles in this country it was
important we tracked down a beer. We sent our expert to the front who was
joined by his apprentice. If Keith and Linford failed us in this brief (8 mile
stretch) passage through Slovenia their reputation would be wrecked. I will not
mess about here, of course they sourced us a watering hole. With temperatures
rising we had our all to often coke chaser with our beer. Glad of the rest we
forged on toward the Croatia border. Slovenia offered up a pretty good climb to
send us on our way and we were left again hot and thirsty as we reached the
Slovenia – Croatia border.
Tehre as nothing left for it other than to have 40 winks at the Slovenia Croatia border
With only 8 miles left of our epic journey on
this years years challenge we were thwarted by the officious border control
upon arriving at the Croatia border. The world is a bit upside down at the
moment so it’s reassuring they wouldn’t let us through without our passports.
That didn’t make it any less frustrating in 40 plus degree heat as we bore
witness to countless cars, vans, lorries etc passing through unchallenged.
Luckily our ever trusty support driver the Stig responded within seconds to our
plight and Dale kept his temper for the 20 minutes it took to be re acquainted
with our passports.
We finally arrive in Croatia
So into Croatia a little stressed and with our
last serious climb of the tour before us we were looking to regroup for our
final bit of team bonding. 4 miles short of the end a bar with our name on it
beckoned us forth. Raising a glass to each other for our efforts over the last
8 days, ridiculously talk of next years challenge were to the fore. All the
pain is forgotten so close to the line. Yes I hurt, of course I did, as did
everyone else. The beauty of our team though is that you never let it be known.
Why would I want to know about Dales troubles, Suzanne’s hurt, Linfords aches,
Keith’s pain, Daves grief, Cathals ability to go for another 8 days. Like all
true endurance athletes you only give or receive positive vibes. So we set out
from that last stop toward the end ignorant of our team mates suffering. I can
share with you this though, I have never experienced stomach cramps whilst riding
but on this tour I did. Lack of food on the road, I just didn’t feel like
eating due to the heat, the pints of sweat lost through my efforts, the
drinking of warm water from my bottles being rather unpleasant left me wanting.
I couldn’t quench my thirst, nothing I drank felt satisfying. Would I swap that
for the cold and rain, would I heck. As tough as these conditions were they
were well received by each and every one of us.
and there you have it
So with the final seconds ticking away the
finish line loomed. In true fashion the Captain came good and took the stage
just pipping the new upstart Linford. Posing for post tour photos we forced a
smile to our faces. We were glad it was over but I think it’s true to say we
were sad that there was no more left.
I will give a couple of shout outs to a couple
of outstanding riders this year.
At the top of the Brenner Pass
Most improved rider from last year was Suzanne.
Not only did she complete fully this years tour she poked a finger at the
climbs and smashed them.
Dave with his well earned medal
Most “how does he do it” rider this year again
goes to Dave. How he manages to get stronger each day and flick a finger to the
mountain beggars belief.
Just before a nut crunching climb
Most consistent rider this year has to go to
Keith. His heavy style of riding sees him a sought after wheel year on year as
he forces a heavy gear throughout the day.
alwasy the vegetarien
Most improved climber this year goes to Dale. No
longer the last to poke his head through the clouds he’s a wheel
Lucky I caught up to take the photo
Most “bleeding hell it’s windy up here” rider
this year has to go to Cathal as once again he spent over 95% at the front.
Maybe a little selfishly but then again no one could catch him to tell him so.
Posing again
Most “Hats off to you” rider has to go to
Linford. The new boy done good, never once complained, never once needed help,
never once looked in trouble. Excellent performance from a tour virgin.
Believe it or not I didnt know there was a tunnel behind me
Would be be a tad vain to say what I was good or
not at so you’ll have to make that up yourselves. All you need to know is I
finished as I started with a smile on my face.
These are a small selection of my favourite photos from each day of the tour.
In fact this is too hard, sure you will see the best on facebook or some other
media greater than this, so a few to whet your appetite
That’s it folks, see you next year.
The Cranky Croatia Challenge
924 miles in 9 days
– 0
punctures (Continental tyres)
– 1
crash (Dave)
– 1
mechanical – a spoke (Keith)
– 0
rain and 9 days of sunshine
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If we
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We set this site up because we have stories, lots of them from our adventures and challenges we have completed over the years. We wanted one place where we could put everything, mostly for our own purposes. So the ‘Mr and Mrs Adventures’ blog site was set up. The aim of the site was to include all of our past adventures and also start to include the new ones as we do them. This was done in the hope that they give you as much fun reading them, as they did to write (well most of the time).
Our first holiday today, January 1988 skiing in Aviemore.
Since we met in 1988 we have always been ‘sporty’ and majority of our holidays were an adventure. Here are just a few of our times together.
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Most of these blogs have been written whilst on the hoof with many of them done late at night after a long day cycling, on a mobile phone, with poor wifi connections but we found it was our way to connect to people mostly our friends and family about what we were doing. Let us explain:
Tim was (is) the blogger. He was first invited to do a cycle
from Durness to Dover in 2012, and wanted to raise money for a charity very
special to our hearts. No one else in the group seemed bothered about raising
money they were doing it for their own reasons. But Tim felt very strongly
about this, so, natually he wanted to keep people updated, so ‘Tims Big Bike Challenge’ was set up in 2012. Inevitably, the blog did include other
people but it was set up to tell Tim’s story, in order to raise money for the
Charity, and Suzanne promoted the blog daily via Facebook and Twitter to drum
up interest. Futures for Dogs even came to the finish in Dover to welcome Tim back
and to thank him personally for the fundraising.
Tim at the end of the Dover Durness cycle in 2012
Realising people found the blog amusing Tim continued to
write the blogs for subsequent tours based on his own experiences of the tours:
The Swiss Elevation Tour was actually written by Suzanne using Facebook, as Tim had broken a number of bones from a cycling accident a few weeks before the tour started. We are in the process of uploading these blogs over the next few months.
Tim also completed the Viking Tour (Denmark to Dover 2016) without Suzanne but didn’t blog this. The remaining blogs are in the process of being uploaded. If you want to use them, or copy them please just ask.
We set this site up because we have stories, lots of them from our adventures and challenges we have completed over the years. We wanted one place where we could put everything, mostly for our own purposes. So the ‘Mr and Mrs Adventures’ blog site was set up. The aim of the site was to include all of our past adventures and also start to include the new ones as we do them. This was done in the hope that they give you as much fun reading them, as they did to write (well most of the time).
Our first holiday today, January 1988 skiing in Aviemore.
Since we met in 1988 we have always been ‘sporty’ and majority of our holidays were an adventure. Here are just a few of our times together.
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Most of these blogs have been written whilst on the hoof with many of them done late at night after a long day cycling, on a mobile phone, with poor wifi connections but we found it was our way to connect to people mostly our friends and family about what we were doing. Let us explain:
Tim was (is) the blogger. He was first invited to do a cycle
from Durness to Dover in 2012, and wanted to raise money for a charity very
special to our hearts. No one else in the group seemed bothered about raising
money they were doing it for their own reasons. But Tim felt very strongly
about this, so, natually he wanted to keep people updated, so ‘Tims Big Bike Challenge’ was set up in 2012. Inevitably, the blog did include other
people but it was set up to tell Tim’s story, in order to raise money for the
Charity, and Suzanne promoted the blog daily via Facebook and Twitter to drum
up interest. Futures for Dogs even came to the finish in Dover to welcome Tim back
and to thank him personally for the fundraising.
Tim at the end of the Dover Durness cycle in 2012
Realising people found the blog amusing Tim continued to
write the blogs for subsequent tours based on his own experiences of the tours:
The Swiss Elevation Tour was actually written by Suzanne using Facebook, as Tim had broken a number of bones from a cycling accident a few weeks before the tour started. We are in the process of uploading these blogs over the next few months.
Tim also completed the Viking Tour (Denmark to Dover 2016) without Suzanne but didn’t blog this. The remaining blogs are in the process of being uploaded. If you want to use them, or copy them please just ask.
GoughAdventures 
