... Oh, we’re halfway there!
A bit of an eye opener this but we should be half way through our preparation! 32 weeks ago I announced that I’d be doing the JOGLE trip... it’s now 32 weeks until we start that journey! Where has that time gone? Don't panic.... Breath.... Relax.... Okay, here’s the bottom line:
AS LONG AS WE PUT THE MILES IN FROM FEBRUARY WE WILL ALL BE OKAY.
So next year, as soon as the weather breaks, we just need to increase our mileage to the point where we can cycle AT LEAST 40 miles midweek and 70 miles at the weekend. The more we do, the easier the trip will be.
That said, boy do I feel really guilty that I didn’t get out this weekend! Although I did get 48 miles in with Googie last week, and the week before that, I did 30 miles on the road on Saturday followed by 30 miles OFF-ROAD on Sunday! (not too bad as it was only the week after my mishap).
I’ve never been off-road before so when a friend suggested I joined him on 31st October, saying “you cycle a bit you should be fine” I thought “why not?”. After all, if I enjoyed it, I could do some as my winter training.
Okay, I know it's called "Mountain Biking" but I didn't think I'd have to actually ride straight up the side of one as my initiation to the sport! Talk about a baptism of fire, in the first 1.2 miles we climbed 356 feet! I was coping okay but blimey these boys work HARD and my ribs wouldn’t let me suck in enough air... Well that’s my excuse!
The first decent was GREAT though. It was a winding downhill track through woods, which wasn’t too wet, but still managed to be a little slippery. I had a few slides but managed to stay on the bike this week! After that it just got harder, the mud was really thick in places, it’s the first time I’ve had to pedal to go downhill! Over the 30 miles, I only had to get off and push the bike three times and as it was my first go at off-roading I was quite pleased with that.
I really enjoyed it and have mentioned to some of the guys about having a crack at MTB’ing in the next few months. If we still want to get out over the winter but the weather inhibits our road bike training, at least we’ll be able to keep a reasonable level of fitness...
We are half way through our preparation after all!
Come back soon to www.5blokes-end2end.weebly.com and please donate as much as you can at www.justgiving.com/5blokes-end2end
All the best,
Nathan
A bit of an eye opener this but we should be half way through our preparation! 32 weeks ago I announced that I’d be doing the JOGLE trip... it’s now 32 weeks until we start that journey! Where has that time gone? Don't panic.... Breath.... Relax.... Okay, here’s the bottom line:
AS LONG AS WE PUT THE MILES IN FROM FEBRUARY WE WILL ALL BE OKAY.
So next year, as soon as the weather breaks, we just need to increase our mileage to the point where we can cycle AT LEAST 40 miles midweek and 70 miles at the weekend. The more we do, the easier the trip will be.
That said, boy do I feel really guilty that I didn’t get out this weekend! Although I did get 48 miles in with Googie last week, and the week before that, I did 30 miles on the road on Saturday followed by 30 miles OFF-ROAD on Sunday! (not too bad as it was only the week after my mishap).
I’ve never been off-road before so when a friend suggested I joined him on 31st October, saying “you cycle a bit you should be fine” I thought “why not?”. After all, if I enjoyed it, I could do some as my winter training.
Okay, I know it's called "Mountain Biking" but I didn't think I'd have to actually ride straight up the side of one as my initiation to the sport! Talk about a baptism of fire, in the first 1.2 miles we climbed 356 feet! I was coping okay but blimey these boys work HARD and my ribs wouldn’t let me suck in enough air... Well that’s my excuse!
The first decent was GREAT though. It was a winding downhill track through woods, which wasn’t too wet, but still managed to be a little slippery. I had a few slides but managed to stay on the bike this week! After that it just got harder, the mud was really thick in places, it’s the first time I’ve had to pedal to go downhill! Over the 30 miles, I only had to get off and push the bike three times and as it was my first go at off-roading I was quite pleased with that.
I really enjoyed it and have mentioned to some of the guys about having a crack at MTB’ing in the next few months. If we still want to get out over the winter but the weather inhibits our road bike training, at least we’ll be able to keep a reasonable level of fitness...
We are half way through our preparation after all!
Come back soon to www.5blokes-end2end.weebly.com and please donate as much as you can at www.justgiving.com/5blokes-end2end
All the best,
Nathan