Sundays training was a tortuous 'training' ride in the Chilterns. The Chitern 100. There were plenty of nutters there doing the full 100 but Paul and I very sensibly it seems opted for the 75 mile ride. I don't I could have done the 100. By Sunday morning after a day of shaking my collection tin in Balham I was shattered and didn't feel as though I was too energised Sunday morning as it was. It went from bad to worse as the hills were relentless one after the other and i mean hills. 10-15% slopes on most of them i think would be a fair assessment. I am delighted to say the SRAM Apex groupset I managed to put on my bike worked a treat and probably saved my life, Well it saved me getting to the point where suicide was the the only option at least. Whoever designed that course was clearly a man. A woman could never be that cruel. To make you slog to the top of a hill only to effectively turn around and ride back down it again before taking the next turn in the road back up. Over and over and over....Getting my drift?
It was certainly as much of a mental test as well as a physical one and I think I passed it. Well we both survived unbeaten by the hills and rolled home having to stop just yards before the finish for some cars which were obstructing the finish. Imagine my distain to find then my final time was 6 hours and 13 seconds, Doh! If the car hadn't got in the way it would have been under 6 hours. Oh well there's always next year...errrr then again I may be busy this time next year relaxing on a beach somewhere. :-)
The beauty of a ride like that though is the car ride home (thanks Paul for driving), knowing that you have not only ticked the exercise box for the day but also if the bike computer is to be believed, have 4736 calories of credit to munch your way through for dinner. So that means a meal of pretty well whatever you want to eat!! Yay....Home for fish pie and a nice glass of white wine. Heavenly.
Here is the bike computer stats for the day. I wasn't fast but I did it.
So Monday morning came and the rain was dripping outside, my shoulders were aching and my legs were asking what level of torture to expect today when as I sat putting my waterproof overshoes on I heard the fantastic little tinkle of money dropping to the table. Its the sound the Just giving app on my phone makes when someone donates and call me sad but its the most satisfying sound in the whole world and makes me more excited that Christmas when I was 5.
"Mike Webb has just donated £1000 to your page" OMG ...........!!!!! Did I read that right...? "Mike Webb has just donated £1000 to your page" Yes i certainly did. Mike Webb of Mondial Assistance is someone to whom we have very close personal and business links to at Healix. He is a man who understands and appreciates very well the incredible work the BHF does everyday. He is also clearly a very generous man and so here's a great big public THANK YOU Mike. I owe you a beer or 20.
I managed to snatch a few minutes of his time today to express my personal gratitude and it was amazing how within a few seconds all the pain and suffering of Sunday suddenly seemed to melt away and it just became a valuable days training. Well my head thinks that, my legs are yet to be persuaded.....
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