London to Monte Carlo

-5, 50 miles, 2 punctures, and the 4th emergency service !! 

Well I suppose this is when you find out if you really "want it"or not. Today was supposed to be warmer, but it wasn't. Well not at the start anyway. As you can see from the picture it was pretty cold. We started our cycling at 9.30am at -5.3 degrees. Now that's commitment!! 

Today was also supposed to be the day where Nigel got all his contact points sorted out. So, pedals changed (back to toe clips); warm weather gear at the ready - we set off on an 18 miler in the ice. After 2 miles Nigel said "Do you know George my bum still hurts like hell. I really thought I'd sussed this saddle yesterday" To which George replied as he zoomed past at lightning speed: "Might help if you'd remembered to put your shorts on old chap." Yes, yours truly had set off in -5 with no shorts on. What a plonker. And it did hurt like hell. 

Still, with the excellent cyclist that is Mr George Rolls leading the way throughout we covered the icy 18 miles well, climbed just over a 1,000 feet and got back home in good spirits. The icy roads kept our speed down to just under 11mph average but it was still a good effort.

Lunch over, we then set off on a 30 mile afternoon effort. With warmer weather and a good lunch inside us we were both cycling much faster. Then, 7 miles in, just as Nigel was commenting on how his tyres were seemingly puncture proof - pow !!! It went.  But hey that's okay as George was carrying two inner tube spares. So we took off the back wheel and using George's supreme Top Peak repair kit with air canisters to boot, we repaired the tyre. What a great spare to have.

Unfortunately the air in the tyre wasn't quite enough so 200 yards later we had to stop and blow the tyre up a bit more. As we did, the inner tube we'd just put in exploded (literally) frightening the local horses and making a considerable din. So we had to fit the second spare - 5 minutes after the first. This of course was met with considerable delight as you can see from the picture on the left.

Unfortunately, the 100 psi pressure required in the tyres was too much for the volume of air left left by now in the canisters and idiot Payne had forgotten his pump. So we had to call out the 4th emergency service in George's delightful wife Bunny who rescued the day with a pump!  Having been through two inner tubes and two full air canisters in 100 yards, quite what we would have done without her we don't know !!

Anyway, drama over, we set about our 30 mile afternoon ride. Our cycling was better than Saturday and better than the morning. We climbed 1,100 feet and averaged 11.7mph which is great stuff. And brilliant it was too. Really enjoyable.

But you know all joking aside, this weekend has taught us both such a great deal. We have done 70 miles this weekend at around 11 mph. And we are knackered. The picture opposite is exactly how we arrived back - both of us the same. At the end of the afternoon ride we were tired. Even though George can easily cycle faster than Nigel and faster than the 11.7mph we achieved, he too was very tired at the end and we have both learnt that doing this challenge is so very much not about speed. Frankly, if we had gone any faster than we did we would have struggled by the end. And we would not be able to recover properly for the next day.

We have also learnt the value of base miles. Cycle, cycle, cycle has to be the message over the next 11 weeks. Right now, an hour after we have finished, we are tightening up and we are not ready for sure to do 60 miles a day for 14 days. The importance of masses of base miles just cannot be overstated. Not fast miles, just solid base miles at an 11 mph average.

Overall, this has been a totally awesome weekend. An absolute blast. 70 miles ridden, 3,500 calories burned, 3,000 feet ascended, 2 punctures, loads of experience, great food, great hospitality. It's what life is all about.