tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52268763608902450482024-03-18T14:11:21.372+00:002Wheel ChickBlog about a woman cyclist reflecting mostly on cycling in a whole host of forms, including the odd adventure on or off the bike!
@2wheelchick 2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.comBlogger977125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-82073477135280787392024-02-17T18:12:00.053+00:002024-03-13T15:27:33.129+00:00Barcelona cycle ride: Part 3 - Tibidabo and Sagrada Familia<p><b>After a ride around Montjuic, I then attempted the other great vista in Barcelona, Tibidabo, followed by a stopover at Sagrada Familia. I ran out of time to reach the summit, but it was still a pleasant if tough uphill ride.</b></p><p><a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/10728796619" target="_blank">Check out the route I took on Strava</a></p><p>Unlike Montjuic, this area is not in the heart of Barcelona, but it is a popular venue visited by walkers, joggers, on- and off-road cyclists, plus joggers. Set in the suburbs of Barcelona a trip to Tibidabo makes for a pleasant day trips given the pleasant trails and also the amusement park. </p><div>So on a Friday afternoon I set off by bicycle from my lodgings, feeling a mixture of apprehension and excitement. The excitement was around discovering a new place to cycle, but knowing how high above the city this place is I was slightly apprehensive about how steeply the road would rise. At 512m above sea level Mount Tibidabo is the highest peak in the range of hills outside the city known as the Serra de Collserola. Would I have the legs or low enough gears to get up the ramp? Would it be like the Mur de Sormano in Italy, or Hardknott Pass in the Lake District?</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn4umJlI2b5pF57jBnDKzIN7beqlxFThmPE2RzVADj3jrryaWP4Pwe-ZE8LFegfSlS9DNDc097gVTtAr-Nf-ih40-fYttf_7yNcfhB8z3OcmeVKoGG77A707tuulWCOWRlKb9RFTW64Z0ycv_a-omrCbtNPq1Tn0ZfR2wjvtnYPHwSLcMUnMEJ0DcSRA3/s681/Tibidabo%20skyline.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="681" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn4umJlI2b5pF57jBnDKzIN7beqlxFThmPE2RzVADj3jrryaWP4Pwe-ZE8LFegfSlS9DNDc097gVTtAr-Nf-ih40-fYttf_7yNcfhB8z3OcmeVKoGG77A707tuulWCOWRlKb9RFTW64Z0ycv_a-omrCbtNPq1Tn0ZfR2wjvtnYPHwSLcMUnMEJ0DcSRA3/w640-h274/Tibidabo%20skyline.png" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tibidabo skyline</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>On my previous visits to Barcelona I had not managed to get the time to go to Tibidabo. On public transport it's a bit of a trek as you have to get to the Avinguda Tibidabo by metro or local train, or bus and then pick up a funicular. When standing in the city, particularly to the North, the iconic view of the Sacrat Cor cathedral next to the vintage-style fairground rides look distinct, and evoke a kind of other-wordliness in a far-off land. Indeed the Tibidabo amusement park dates back to the early 1900s and is one of the oldest in Europe.</div><div><br /></div><div>From my flat I passed through the neighbourhood of Saint-Andreu before riding along the very long Passeig Maragall, a road heading up north with a gradual uphill drag. Interestingly this road didn't have any cycle path, and so it was a question of me freestyling it along the road and keeping my eyes peeled for the many buses that would stop at the frequent bus stops. Despite the Friday afternoon traffic, I didn't feel particularly unsafe and motorists generally gave me a wide berth.</div><div><br /></div><div>At Horta market, a signboard indicated for me to go straight on up a quiet but the slightly steep Carrer de Lisboa, which meant that I was that bit closer to my destination, as the signature big wheel and cathedral appeared bigger than it had done half an hour earlier. However, there would still be more climbing to do. Hopefully I would have the legs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eventually I reached the women and children's hospital at Vall d'Hebron. At this point I became aware I was quite on the outskirts of the city given the suburban feel of the area, and the city centre looked quite small down below in the distance. Even the Sagrada Familia, a behemoth of a monument in Barcelona looked small. Furthermore, I was on a slightly busy ring road characteristic of the edge of any city.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was probably the most unpleasant part of my cycle ride as there was no cycle lane and I had no choice but to join the fast road. Thankfully it only lasted a couple of miles before I took a right-hand turn to get into the meaty part of the ride - climbing up the hill the Tibidabo.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgud8lL2muB73bZ73LN-YUdvS2NQNJD8swCkjPxnaMNuSCOv6PVJWCOfvmZiz6tL7nfsz-or8IFy52odd-I-CUCGb4CcLlUOhrT4wRusqzLTbp7sIh6wHBZYD7hbHXUXyH-svoGCtoj6gdwoF7bNE46ZNNnkrv1k0XZKwXbevCYqH8WAYc2JB_Xt8KGycsC/s1326/Tibidabo%20climbiing%20stats.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="1326" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgud8lL2muB73bZ73LN-YUdvS2NQNJD8swCkjPxnaMNuSCOv6PVJWCOfvmZiz6tL7nfsz-or8IFy52odd-I-CUCGb4CcLlUOhrT4wRusqzLTbp7sIh6wHBZYD7hbHXUXyH-svoGCtoj6gdwoF7bNE46ZNNnkrv1k0XZKwXbevCYqH8WAYc2JB_Xt8KGycsC/w640-h286/Tibidabo%20climbiing%20stats.png" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing stats for <a href="https://veloviewer.com/segments/700048" target="_blank">ascending Tibidabo from Barcelona</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Folks that live around this residential area, Vall d'Hebron, must be pretty fit as you can't go anywhere without going up a steep hill. It was like a hardcore version of Crystal Palace - after all my neighbourhood in South London also has a park at the top of a hill, and a fairground at various times of the year!</div><div><br /></div><div>So my work began by tackling the Carrer de la Enginyeria which round around through various hilly residential streets, which were actually a hive of activity given the slightly remote location. In fact this wasn't just a Friday - it was also the last day of school before the half-term holidays, and more importantly for the excited kids, it was carnival weekend. So the street was full of groups of children walking around wearing elaborate costumes - and there was I thinking it was their normal school uniform! </div><div><div><br /></div><div>This road wound round and round a few switchbacks with distinctively short sharp steep sections where I had to get out of the saddle and push hard. Thank goodness for 30-tooth sprockets on bikes!</div><div><br /></div><div>Eventually I reached a point where the road levelled off and reached a car park where many people were pulling in to take part in different outdoor activities. It was a crossroads for various activities as some cyclists and joggers were arriving from downhill while others emerged from trails that were coming downhill. A few motorbikers arrived too. If I wanted to proceed further uphill I would have needed a mountain bike or gravel bike. In fact I saw a few mountain bikers doing just that. But on my road bike it would not have been possible, so at that point I rolled downhill. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>A ride all the way to the summit would have required for me to have left the main road at Vall d'Hebron to head towards Sant Cugat, then taken the longer road to reach the Mont Tibidabo. Unfortunately, just as with the previous day when I went to Montjuic, time was marching on and sunset was approaching. It's a shame as the area where I had to head downhill, Passeig de les Aigues, looked very picturesque with trails as well as beautiful vistas across the city.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2TwtnimANDV7ltRkFbJI1ecYp1oY4J3KcRoh6pCEBDIE4_-9fEQ7qTi5pkhRY8f_GRo8PvCj3XJkyOep6TlTyEOBiqTZwacOmB9BbrlObqRrKQbkw99QKtMq13onYX-1MQT1mWIGh6baPriHqb1jGZXEFL4sdyAy39kWo8t0yxicGqGxFG0eotIEYyxZ/s1008/Bike%20at%20Sagrada%20Familia_20240209_181913_resized.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="756" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2TwtnimANDV7ltRkFbJI1ecYp1oY4J3KcRoh6pCEBDIE4_-9fEQ7qTi5pkhRY8f_GRo8PvCj3XJkyOep6TlTyEOBiqTZwacOmB9BbrlObqRrKQbkw99QKtMq13onYX-1MQT1mWIGh6baPriHqb1jGZXEFL4sdyAy39kWo8t0yxicGqGxFG0eotIEYyxZ/w480-h640/Bike%20at%20Sagrada%20Familia_20240209_181913_resized.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Canyon Endurace bike outside Sagrada Familia, Barcelona</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Wanting to be prudent, I decided to take the long twisty road back down to the city centre. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was necessary to pay attention on the descent, not just to watch out for other vehicles, but also the tramlines that were part of the funicular going to the summit. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm sure many a cyclist riding up would wish they could throw their bike in the carriage and get a lift up!</div><div><br /></div><div>After the long downhill my route arrived back at the roundabout at Vall d'Hebron from where I followed Avinguda de la Republica Argentina to the city centre, and made my way to Sagrada Familia, the centre piece landmark in Barcelona. </div><div><br /></div><div>I must say I find this cathedral incredibly impressive as it dominates all the other buildings in the city. Antonio Gaudi, the architect, must have had an incredibly expansive mind to have dreamed up this creation.</div><div><br /></div><div>By the this time it was early evening and Barcelona was full of tourists enjoying an early evening drink. (The locals probably wouldn't start their night out before 10pm!) </div><div><br /></div><div>It had been a very pleasant ride, even if I didn't get right up to Mont Tibidabo, but I hope to return there in the near future. I can't imagine I will be very fast given the gradients, and I must say that the guys who race up it sometimes at the end of a stage of the Tour of Catalonia professional cycle race are blooming impressive!</div><div>And for those who are brave enough to race it, there is a hill climb race that takes place on Tibidabo in November.</div><div><br /></div><div><b> </b></div><div><b>Related posts</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2024/02/barcelona-cycle-ride-up-and-over.html" target="_blank">Barcelona cycle ride: Up and over Montjuic and down to Port Vell</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2024/02/barcelona-bicycle-riding-part-1-picking.html" target="_blank">Barcelona cycle ride: Picking up my hire bike</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/10/box-hill-zig-zag-is-my-best-fitness-test.html" target="_blank">Box Hill Zig Zag is my best fitness test</a></div>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-28412964671025083942024-02-15T21:34:00.045+00:002024-03-13T15:36:28.497+00:00Barcelona cycle ride: Part 2 - Up and over Montjuic and down to Port Vell <p><b>Kitted out with my hire bike, a Canyon Endurace from Terra Bike Tours, I did a couple of mini tours around Barcelona - My first ride was a short spin around Montjuic</b>. </p><p><a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/10722800493" target="_blank">Check out the route I took on Strava</a></p><p><br /></p><p>I cycled out to Montjuic, a popular area with tourists. Its castel by the same name, and the Joan Miro museum at the top of the hill make it a draw already, and the vistas over Barcelona are stunning. Pedestrians can use the funicular to reach the top, while those of us pedalling rely on our quads.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6C-co9Vc8ZJpU640nRLfhqNu5kMSryHQs24PualSeltE2emHNcRvM4pExrpptmr5uKK3KcTexu0jMktc5KhGAiJ1mtk24DPla6oihtnsS9WdneKKh0Q2RUlnyPwiRETh496xd6HHcFnpJBOpGjPbRs9vTQ0x1mILVuwmSZOpajs9PP34DWtuc2vdGo8w/s658/Strava%20route%20to%20Montjuic.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="658" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6C-co9Vc8ZJpU640nRLfhqNu5kMSryHQs24PualSeltE2emHNcRvM4pExrpptmr5uKK3KcTexu0jMktc5KhGAiJ1mtk24DPla6oihtnsS9WdneKKh0Q2RUlnyPwiRETh496xd6HHcFnpJBOpGjPbRs9vTQ0x1mILVuwmSZOpajs9PP34DWtuc2vdGo8w/w640-h426/Strava%20route%20to%20Montjuic.png" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My route to Montjuic and home via Port Vell</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My ride to get there was practically all on segregated cycle lanes. I crossed the area of St Andreu, up some quiet streets through this rather arty neighbourhood of Barcelona, then I joined the Avinguda Meridiana, one of the principal axes through the city. The road itself is quite busy, but as a cyclist you are shielded from all of the traffic thanks to cycle lanes. Initially the lane passes close to the pavement and you have to pay attention as it sometimes juts right onto the pavement, weaving around recycling bins and bus stops. Then soon the route crosses the road to put you onto the central reservation, which has a two-way cycle path bordered by trees. A lot of care has been taken to make this part of the itinerary pleasant for cyclists. </p><div><br /></div><div>At the bottom of the wide avenue comes a narrow less picturesque section bordered by construction railings as it passes Gran Clariana park to reach Avinguda Diagonal where there are various building works in progress (as described in my previous post). </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHEGt-Ms_oP-jM5BQeeuCQdKYCMRWKst9XHaU61zWagR7-ni0dzRxgG2oAEM3ze8oi2wPNB5MCesTbcwWKK05Ik_35qUh-urLkCZXERivauuclN4VRQcTtjXNWbN3bk4gxbazJAIw-BZQhPaOHgmH2IIR90Tp7B1FIQFxG8S8XRG9rUwXgi91h__L8Ha5/s627/Barcelona%20cycle%20lanes.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="627" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHEGt-Ms_oP-jM5BQeeuCQdKYCMRWKst9XHaU61zWagR7-ni0dzRxgG2oAEM3ze8oi2wPNB5MCesTbcwWKK05Ik_35qUh-urLkCZXERivauuclN4VRQcTtjXNWbN3bk4gxbazJAIw-BZQhPaOHgmH2IIR90Tp7B1FIQFxG8S8XRG9rUwXgi91h__L8Ha5/w640-h480/Barcelona%20cycle%20lanes.jpeg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical cycle lane in Barcelona</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>A short stint along Diagonal, a main thoroughfare that runs through Barcelona from south-west to north-east, led to another road called Carrer de la Diputacio which seemed to continue forever, passing through various neighbourhoods and landmarks. The beauty of it was there was a parallel cycle lane the whole way along, and a well-used one at that.</div><div><br /></div><div>I knew I would have to turn left at some point, but it wasn't clear when. Although it's great to have lots of cycle lanes and special bike traffic lights, not putting up sign boards to indicate the route to the most famous landmarks and neighbourhoods was a significant omission. Who knows, maybe it was a deliberate ploy to not flood the cycle lanes with local riders and tourists. I seem to recall when the local authority first introduced the city bikesharing scheme it was only open to those who had proof of residency in Barcelona.</div><div><br /></div><div>With the help of Google map I found the correct turning to head towards Montjuic. There was no cycle path for this part of the route at Carrer Vilamari and Carrer Lleida which ran uphill past the Barcelona Teatre Musical, but the road was comparatively quiet. At this point I began to see the first of a few other brave souls like myself who had opted to take on this climb to the highest point in Central Barcelona. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLA9HWkk7iQ_CvsP_094AiMnBeEmd0aWnjCTenMeZPnG6Ac6Hqyq4kOozW6NV0_KhS9q4PxsQza_GTnCtQOfccBrvDUkEkZUP5hPmLHSfFxE79zTKWDEQkoBfiZXtqvpyROdMmWPNSfDuubwBvWQiGDOA05h4WdVLZndfdN1nGMlvbWoVrqJeu2XreafpA/s625/Canyon%20Endurace%20AL%207.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="625" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLA9HWkk7iQ_CvsP_094AiMnBeEmd0aWnjCTenMeZPnG6Ac6Hqyq4kOozW6NV0_KhS9q4PxsQza_GTnCtQOfccBrvDUkEkZUP5hPmLHSfFxE79zTKWDEQkoBfiZXtqvpyROdMmWPNSfDuubwBvWQiGDOA05h4WdVLZndfdN1nGMlvbWoVrqJeu2XreafpA/w640-h404/Canyon%20Endurace%20AL%207.png" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hire bike from Terra Bike Tours - Canyon Endurace WMN Disc AL 7.0</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The last time I was here I had taken the funicular to reach the summit, and marvelled at those who had walked or cycled all the way up. And 15 years on, here I was taking on the same challenge. </div><div><br /></div><div>I must say it didn't actually feel as tough as I had expected. My hire bike, a <a href="https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-bikes/endurance-bikes/endurace/al/" target="_blank">Canyon Endurace</a> felt very comfortable to ride on this terrain. It was light and responsive as I pushed on the pedals. In fact I didn’t have to press that hard, as the gears were low enough to just twiddle up the hill comfortably. Sure, it was possible to use a harder gear and make an out-of-the-saddle effort, but I was feeling slightly tired after my early start, so wanted to take things easily. I was glad to have had this bike to do the job. </div><div><br /></div><div>Montjuic is a popular climb with road cyclists, and professional cycle races have taken place there over the years. In the 1960s and 70s Eddie Merckx won the famous Escalada A Montjuic cycle race many times. More recently Montjuic has been included in the Vuelta a Espana, the Tour de France in 2009, and a couple of editions of the World Road Race Championships too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, due to time constraints I couldn't hang around long at Montjuic as sunset was approaching and I didn't want to get back to my lodgings too late. I was able to quickly check out the various ornamental gardens and certain landmarks - the National Museum of Art, the Museum of Ethnology and a museum of archeology, as well as various Olympic sport venues. The place looked very neat and prim, set among buildings with a mixture of modern and catalan modernism architecture, set among stone pine trees.</div><div><br /></div><div>Being up at Montjuic was like being in a large fortress surveying the city, ready to spot any unwelcome advances. In some ways it reminded me of Edinburgh when at the castle, or on the other side of the city, at Holyrood. Sadly I only had mental picture memories to take with me of Montjuic as I didn't even have time to take any photos. </div><div><br /></div><div>My ride finished with an enjoyable, long, sweeping descent to Plaza España, and then the homeward bound trip via another principal axis with a central reservation cycle lane, Carrer Paral-lel, and onwards through the old port, Port Vell.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Related posts</b></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2024/02/barcelona-bicycle-riding-part-1-picking.html" target="_blank">Barcelona bicycle riding: Picking up my hire bike</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/09/one-day-one-photo-9-richmond-park.html" target="_blank">Richmond Park - the cyclists' choice</a></div><div><br /></div>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-13662938676529403062024-02-13T09:45:00.020+00:002024-03-12T18:52:32.468+00:00Barcelona cycle ride: Part 1 - Picking up my hire bike <div><b>I decided to do a city break in Barcelona and while there I would rediscover the area by bicycle. That's my preferred way of getting around any place I visit. Taking my bike on a flight wasn't worth doing for just a weekend, so I managed to hire a nice road bike and check out the city, using its various bike lanes.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>On a long weekend to Barcelona I couldn't pass on the opportunity to get out on a bicycle. Barcelona is pretty bike-friendly too.<div><br /></div><div>It's been a long time since I was last in the capital of Catalunya - probably about 15 years ago. I don't know why I left it so long before returning, The city has a laid back atmosphere, coupled with an artistic vibe which I guess is in no small part influenced by its most famous son (after Pep Guardiola), Antonio Gaudi.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember on my very first trip, being impressed by the Casa Batllo and La Pedrera-Casa Mila, especially when I got on the roof of the latter. Of course I walked around his opus magnus, the Sagrada Familia cathedral - which was then probably the most touristic building site in the world!</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, after all this time I was happy to return to Barcelona, and hopefully visit the surrounding area too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whenever I visit a city I try and get around by bicycle - either with my own bike or a hired one. Given that I generally only spend a few days away and the cost to transport a bike on a flight can be over £90, hiring would be a no-brainer. </div><div><br /></div><div>After a quick Google search I identified a couple of companies to hire from. Given that it was February I figured it wouldn't be a problem finding a bike at short notice. So I emailed the company, Terra Bike Tours while in the airport lounge at Gatwick Airport. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Jr8dcOYYYVsZCUC5gqQfmG898zemgjsgvr8lC7fkVJX9BOSMDzsIhJXA5aEam95DYnCe1x7jHgDtKOrp_skAmkUbxzt_FAZMNWfVnFbXncWO-Kw7AGwolh_MtCF2-9f6Sm-9A6ecGIcLrPzgeyiocihnjshH8w0r3uhE2xdYE274ixZe50gs5ztEUQF_/s680/Terra%20Bike%20Tours%C2%AE%20-%20Carrer%20de%20Val%C3%A8ncia,%20337,%2008009%20Barcelona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="680" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Jr8dcOYYYVsZCUC5gqQfmG898zemgjsgvr8lC7fkVJX9BOSMDzsIhJXA5aEam95DYnCe1x7jHgDtKOrp_skAmkUbxzt_FAZMNWfVnFbXncWO-Kw7AGwolh_MtCF2-9f6Sm-9A6ecGIcLrPzgeyiocihnjshH8w0r3uhE2xdYE274ixZe50gs5ztEUQF_/w400-h284/Terra%20Bike%20Tours%C2%AE%20-%20Carrer%20de%20Val%C3%A8ncia,%20337,%2008009%20Barcelona.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div>By the time I touched down at El Prat de Llobregat I had received a reply saying that the women's specific bike of my exact size (2XS) was not available, but I could try the XS which they did have. That slightly surprised me, but I was willing to give the XS a go.</div><div><br /></div><div>As soon as I had checked into my apartment to the East of Barcelona, I hurried across to Terra Bike Tours, in the heart of the city before they closed for lunch, and tried out the Canyon Endurace they had set aside for me.</div><div><br /></div><div>It felt fine for, so we did the paperwork and the mechanic put on my Look pedals and pumped up the tyres, ready for use.</div><div><br /></div><div>Xavi the sales assistant told me I shouldn't have problems with punctures as the roads were of smooth quality and without much débris. That was reassuring to hear given that my run of punctures of late in London had made me quite pernickety about keeping tyre pressures high. He reckoned I only needed 90PSI in the tyres but for peace of mind I asked him to go to at least 100 PSI. </div><div><br /></div><div>As well as Terra Bikes being a bike shop, they also organise cycle tours around the city and club rides in the surrounding areas. So very helpfully Xavi gave me the QR code to download routes from the members section of their website, and talked through a few of them. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I told him I was hoping to ride to the nearby seaside town of Sitges he made a point of strongly advising me not to do so because the road is narrow, busy and with fast traffic. It's not even a route they include among their itineraries.</div><div><br /></div><div>"It's really not a nice route, I must tell you," he warned. It would be better to catch the train for part of it to the less busy section of the road, and go to the other side of Sitges." </div><div><br /></div><div>He continued advising me that if a coastal ride was what I was looking for it would be better to head in the opposite direction, towards Girona.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another customer in the shop, a local guy, joined in the conversation and added his opinion, saying to avoid cycling towards Sitges. He knew of people who had been hit by a car cycling that way. </div><div><br /></div><div>So it was clear, Sitges was off the menu - at least by bike. Given that it was almost 2pm and I hadn't eaten since early that morning it was unlikely I'd be riding out much further than the city limits so riding to Sitges or along any coastline became academic. </div><div><br /></div><div>I paid my 70 euros for 2 days' hire and we wished each other a good day before I hit the city streets of Barcelona. Unfortunately because they don't open on Sundays and my flight back to London would be first thing on Monday morning I had to bring back the bicycle on Saturday and hope I could find an alternative bike hire place for Sunday.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the afternoon my itinerary would be fairly basic - just a discovery ride around the local neighbourhoods of Barcelona - more like a rediscovery ride.</div><div><br /></div><div>On previous trips I had ridden around the city to reach Sants train station and also the Port when I sailed to Mallorca once. </div><div><br /></div><div>My recollection was that the roads were okay - no worse than Central London, though the motorists would generally give cyclists more space - which is always a good thing. </div><div><br /></div><div>The main difference on this trip was that the city council, like many city councils around the world, had splurged out on cycle lanes - lovely smooth cycle lanes with no débris in them, and cyclist traffic lights. Many roads in central Barcelona are one-way streets and the cycle paths generally follow the same direction. But there are some streets with two-way cycle traffic within a cycle lane, like what you see in central London on Park Lane, or along the River Thames at Westminster. So that makes it handy that you don't have to navigate the one-way streets network. </div><div><br /></div><div>The cycle paths network was still under construction in places, so at times you were randomly dumped into the road, or would have to ride on narrow sections of path between building site railings.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the main roads, Diagonal, notably near the park by the same name, was a building site. When riding down the narrow path among all the various cyclists and e-cyclists and scooters either privately owned or from the city transport sharing scheme all travelling at vastly varying speeds, you had to pay attention. But I'm sure it'll be great when it's completed. Another main road, Avinguda Meridiana was one I used a lot and that had a two-way cycle lane down the central reservation and was bordered with trees. Again, it wasn't complete but will be a great lane eventually, especially as it's a lovely downhill to the heart of the city.</div><div><br /></div><div>My focus was on getting back to my lodgings near Sant Andreu, resting up and grabbing some lunch before going out again to Montjuic.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Related posts</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2021/11/cycle-route-eastern-suburbs-of-paris-by.html" target="_blank">Eastern suburbs of Paris by bike: Part 1</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2021/10/cycling-in-paris-la-vie-est-belle.html" target="_blank">Cycling in Paris - La Vie est belle</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2019/11/cyclist-of-new-york.html" target="_blank">Cyclist of New York</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2020/06/cycle-route-south-london-to-central.html" target="_blank">South London to Central London, mainly traffic-free</a></div>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-66066926266772434502024-01-30T21:00:00.031+00:002024-03-06T00:14:12.356+00:00Operation Etape du Tour: January update<p><b>In my third month of preparing for the Etape du Tour, January was a bit of a challenge as I had a wobble in my commit to the cause and I ended up playing catch-up to get in the miles - in the dark, damp weather</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXO040hiF1WkPKUJBvxS1_FlEILMTtDNv1A2kX5s8meIeT1qd4SWiNHVLFcowvMbzVh2-bDyb4jRIC1PKk9xrZbdYX5I9ruMVSi8sxkAZ0pOzd7vl5p4-T9XDHJCf1NlL031J0oS0Y1LEpq53SxYTlyIypwqwXeQAQGk5rvIlaTDRlNmKD94HxetmH-nQ/s1008/Hampton%20Court%20Palace%2020240128_085328_resized.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXO040hiF1WkPKUJBvxS1_FlEILMTtDNv1A2kX5s8meIeT1qd4SWiNHVLFcowvMbzVh2-bDyb4jRIC1PKk9xrZbdYX5I9ruMVSi8sxkAZ0pOzd7vl5p4-T9XDHJCf1NlL031J0oS0Y1LEpq53SxYTlyIypwqwXeQAQGk5rvIlaTDRlNmKD94HxetmH-nQ/w640-h480/Hampton%20Court%20Palace%2020240128_085328_resized.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My ride around South London took me out past Hampton Court Palace</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I am beginning to step up my training for this year's Etape du Tour. It still seems a long way off though, and in these dreary winter days it's hard to imagine riding in brilliant sunshine over lovely dry roads through the countryside or National Parks in the UK or beyond. A lot of my riding has been done in darkness or semi-darkness, on damp suburban streets of London, and only venturing into the countryside on the odd ride.</p><p>As much as I would rather ride outdoors than in the rarefied virtual world of a smart turbotrainer, riding outdoors still has its challenges and frustrations to deal with. </p><p>So this is how I've been doing my riding in January. Firstly, I ride alone. I find it hard to join in with club runs because my daily schedule is a movable feast. I like to have flexibility in when and how I do things, as well as where I go. </p><p>My cycling club has a system of signing up for a ride via RiderHQ, a platform for signing up to sports events. As it's a big club the rides can sometimes get fully booked as they want to limit the size of groups on a road. That's understandable. So that means for me, that if I sign up for a ride I should commit to going, or go online to remove my name, and thus free up the space for another club member - which I must admit is a palava. The thing is, I just like things old skool - wake up in the morning, see if the sun's shining. Go if it's a nice day, or do something else if the day looks dodgy.</p><p>As someone who is generally motivated and a self-starter, I don't need the pull of a group or someone else to get me out on a ride. I've taken myself out on rides since I was in my late teens, so at the age of 54 I'm unlikely to stop doing that now!</p><p>As someone who is a bit of a map geek I know the roads around my local area, so am capable of planning myself a route, and maybe discovering new ones too. So I don't need to have a group leader showing me which way to go.</p><p>So ultimately, I am happy enough to decide when and where I go on a ride. The whole concept of signing up onto RiderHQ and committing to turn up at the bike shop meet-up point at a given moment on a Sunday morning come rain or shine has all the charm of wearing a straight jacket. My working week is full of appointments and deadlines, so the weekends need to be more chilled and laid back.</p><p>So with all that, I do my own rides on my own, deciding the day before, on the day itself, or even during the ride on where to go, and I am happy enough to say hello to other riders that I see along the way. For me, it's freedom and it's bliss!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvpskBAr3c4Pr5lhhNwsZzJco4shalokvvOU7fW66Z_eBe50CxQdwOLJIAbION7cz6UHJeFpvqjXnZzeMBuyMuloOgoheq5Npk4emRWROC1C8z4e6mT-lY3vS2zXEBfzbHP7RFYssFsGSx-sjoN6AKTE4uUtwpK3mi1dH07VoDud1DuhUqGjH1MyxUST4/s1008/Kingston%20Bridge%2020240128_083237_resized.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvpskBAr3c4Pr5lhhNwsZzJco4shalokvvOU7fW66Z_eBe50CxQdwOLJIAbION7cz6UHJeFpvqjXnZzeMBuyMuloOgoheq5Npk4emRWROC1C8z4e6mT-lY3vS2zXEBfzbHP7RFYssFsGSx-sjoN6AKTE4uUtwpK3mi1dH07VoDud1DuhUqGjH1MyxUST4/w640-h480/Kingston%20Bridge%2020240128_083237_resized.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotting other Sunday morning riders at Kingston Bridge</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Secondly, I do my rides at slightly unsocial times. As a person who has a tendency to take on various activities, I need to optimise on the hours of the day. I prefer to do sporty things first thing in the morning - like as soon as I wake up. It's the purest time of the day. No one to disturb you, and I feel at my most motivated and energised. So for me, that means 5am - sometimes even before that. So that's when I've taken to going out. </p><p>The London streets are great. There's hardly any traffic - just Uber drivers, a few black cabs, the odd night bus. When cycling through Central London at that time the traffic lights are generally with me, so I hardly have to stop - which is handy for someone who is not a red-light jumper.</p><p>You get to see a bit of London life too - the fox community, clubbers tipping out at Vauxhall or Brixton, lovers tiffs, all the action at the 24hour grocers or the kebab shops. During the week, I say hello to the dustmen and I can learn the different days when the different London boroughs do their refuse collections!</p><p>In the early mornings I prefer to ride through London rather than in the country lanes which are unlit and for which I don't have suitable lights. For me, the Royal Parks serve as a great place to do laps - be it the cycle path around Hyde Park, the loop of Regents Park, or the very Royal loop around St James's Park, taking in The Mall, Birdcage Walk, and Horse Guards Road. </p><p>So, even if I did think about doing a club run it'd have to be one that does this sort of itinerary at this time of the day. I am not aware of any cycle clubs that do that.</p><p>So that has been my riding I've been doing in January, with a few rides out to another Royal Park, Richmond Park, when I break a habit and decide to ride during daylight hours.</p><p>My routine consists of doing a hilly ride on the local hills around Crystal Palace, a fast ride through Regents Park, and then medium paced rides around Cator Park, Crystal Palace, Park or Dulwich Park, plus rides around the Bromley and Beckenham suburbs. The aim was to get in 600km for this month.</p><p>The only issue was I did suffer a little wobble in early January and I came very close to deciding not to ride the Etape du Tour and just giving myself a quiet life, tootling around doing leisure rides. Sometimes getting motivated to ride frequently when the weather is rubbish and you get punctures can be demoralising and sucks the joy out of bike riding. As mentioned before, I am not cut out for indoor cycling. But in the end, the fire in my belly wouldn't let me give up on targeting this epic ride through the Alpes-Maritimes, so I got my act together.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNwbVPETPVfUXJmYR-ylEaNwGocyInZVSiuYAeilNKgHydE2EVLchHCgFCb-LDBLMnFBj57ALYdW4BfGUMz-l3EIa67WccnKrp9l-4elYoKDi4dMjjD75jQvmkiWaynESEqt-2DmLZt8TxrzlbBx7HVEtQNl2vgibrGBVYbwvWMW7sA_cSdgWYMzwQ0ex/s1008/Richmond%20Park_Roehampton%20Gate_20240128_114825_resized.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNwbVPETPVfUXJmYR-ylEaNwGocyInZVSiuYAeilNKgHydE2EVLchHCgFCb-LDBLMnFBj57ALYdW4BfGUMz-l3EIa67WccnKrp9l-4elYoKDi4dMjjD75jQvmkiWaynESEqt-2DmLZt8TxrzlbBx7HVEtQNl2vgibrGBVYbwvWMW7sA_cSdgWYMzwQ0ex/w640-h480/Richmond%20Park_Roehampton%20Gate_20240128_114825_resized.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roehampton Gate Cafe at Richmond Park</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Once I regained my resolve, that left me with around 300km to ride within around five days. For some, that may not seem an unreasonable distance to cover if your days are free from other activities like going to work and getting on with the every day chores of life. But with full-on days at the advertising agency I was working at it was quite a tall order.</p><p>But by putting in place a strict plan of starting rides even earlier than 5am, and fitting in rides at lunchtime and in the evenings, I somehow managed it. There were a few rides done when it was pretty gusty as January seemed to have one gale-force wind storm after another, and there were a few drizzly days too. But my determination got me through. </p><p>I was happy to have gotten in a 100km ride as well, when I did a big suburban ride around South-West London, going past Hampton Court and out to Walton-on-Thames, and then heading into South-East London into Greenwich and Lewisham. It was one of the few days where there was wall to wall sunshine, the day was dry and there was no wind or rain. Lots of cyclists were out too, and there was a genuine feelgood factor, especially at Richmond Park, as always.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMO0erP3PkoQ8eoJBQKHHDFKkyZMC1rVEMWAt30uGqRPjOhf7uILIRXAUAj8uvy4-hCdw_3hv0Yno3ENECIOhcbyYdTCQxbQsDJLN3wYMrD7uZEeGnFyf7EZYK70cacx-Iwe-2RjR_KBcsA8rCJYi_CittYAVDwC9YOBkwlAVKWregYrRodt-stCniCL4/s1008/Greenwich%20Cutty%20Sark%2020240128_134147_resized_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMO0erP3PkoQ8eoJBQKHHDFKkyZMC1rVEMWAt30uGqRPjOhf7uILIRXAUAj8uvy4-hCdw_3hv0Yno3ENECIOhcbyYdTCQxbQsDJLN3wYMrD7uZEeGnFyf7EZYK70cacx-Iwe-2RjR_KBcsA8rCJYi_CittYAVDwC9YOBkwlAVKWregYrRodt-stCniCL4/w640-h480/Greenwich%20Cutty%20Sark%2020240128_134147_resized_1.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My South London ride took me to the South-East corner of London to Greenwich</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Achieving the 600km has emboldened me to know I am capable of dedicating myself to quality training rides, and hopefully I will be able to build on that over the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Related posts</b></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2024/01/the-sound-that-sucks-joy-out-of-cycling.html?m=1" target="_blank">The sound tha sucks the joy out of cycling - the puncture fairy</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/11/etape-du-tour-comes-to-nice-and-im.html?m=1" target="_blank">Etape du Tour comes to Nice and I'm riding it (hopefully)!</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/12/another-cycling-mission-for-2024-fred.html?m=1" target="_blank">Another cycling mission for 2024 - Fred Whitton Challenge</a> </p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-9738843264289692702024-01-25T17:30:00.031+00:002024-03-04T13:19:53.974+00:00The sound that sucks the joy out of cycling - the puncture fairy <p><b>Getting punctures can be one of the most frustrating things when out cycling, particularly over the winter months. I had so many punctures that I almost gave up my bike rides. But a hunger to ride the Etape du Tour kept me going.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>I must say, I have had a wobble in my preparation for the Etape du Tour. I am normally pretty motivated in the things I do, but my patience has been tested recently. </p><p>Over the Christmas period and in the early part of January my rides have been plagued with punctures. The wet conditions have just led to ride after ride being interrupted, even aborted due to a puncture. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgahy1Q4CrXx822BCVs6hA0ztl2s8DcQ8BhfMIF4GpPKc-MHP1XvQYPfXRHH11Rf-HJpDX8CdV-vX0IUOla4pGVuT28AXmbY8_rBxs0DoA5bbzLKfuhYVMI46dMPEFhLTdqKwNYLEfcW6EegtHIRA9iALIGK_VaKJEriz2LbGknYHf3scw5GYYnX-h_Is/s547/flat-tire.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="547" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgahy1Q4CrXx822BCVs6hA0ztl2s8DcQ8BhfMIF4GpPKc-MHP1XvQYPfXRHH11Rf-HJpDX8CdV-vX0IUOla4pGVuT28AXmbY8_rBxs0DoA5bbzLKfuhYVMI46dMPEFhLTdqKwNYLEfcW6EegtHIRA9iALIGK_VaKJEriz2LbGknYHf3scw5GYYnX-h_Is/w400-h234/flat-tire.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Punctures: they happen and they're frustrating </td></tr></tbody></table><p>I don't enjoy my rides as I even feel anxious when riding. Every time I go over a bump or see broken glass I feel stressed thinking, this is it - ride over. And of course it then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when that heart-sink moment comes, as the bike suddenly becomes sluggish to handle, and I see that the tyre - usually the rear one - has gone down like a failed meringue.</p><p>That happened on Christmas Eve while I was out in the lanes at Cudham. After folornly changing the inner tube, I decided I no longer wanted to continue along these damp roads on a tyre with a sub-optimal amount of air. (I am not physically capable of pumping a tyre up to 90 psi with a hand pump.) So, with Dunton Green just being a short distance after Star Hill I rolled down to the station and wended my way home, thanks to Souteastern Trains, via Sevenoaks and Orpington.</p><p>I then got another puncture on Boxing Day, this time in Brockwell Park, Herne Hill. With it being local, and in any case having no choice due to no trains running on this public holiday, I hobbled home. Thankfully I salvaged the ride session by picking up my cyclocross and doing a comparatively stress free, albeit more energy taxing ride on fatter tyres.</p><p>There had been other puncture incidents in Hyde Park, and at Elmers End, too. This compares with previous years when I might have had just one puncture a year if that. </p><p>Putting on new Continental tyres for front and rear wheels hadn't made much difference. It's not necessarily a negative reflection on the tyres, but probably more an illustration of the condition of the debris-covered and pot-hole infested roads these days. It's not helped by the fact that our roads are almost permanently damp with all the rain we've had over winter. </p><p>My road bike is a bit "old skool" with no disc brakes, and the wheels aren't set up to hold tubeless tyres. So I may just have to suck it up - which sadly also leads to the joy of cycling being sucked out of me.</p><p>Given that there are other sporting activities I like to do like running, swimming, or even ice-skating, all of which are low maintenance and don't require hours of practice, it would be easy enough to ditch the bike for a hassle-free activity. After all, I do cycling for my enjoyment. There's no fun in sitting at the side of the road in the wind and rain fixing punctures.</p><p>So I decided not to do anymore riding for the time being. For about a week I felt quite relieved to not have to get out and ride during these dreary winter days, and was happy to hear about my sporting mates' tales of derring-do from the warmth of my home, while looking at their records on the Strava app. I was looking forward to spending Sunday mornings going for a mini run, followed by playing my flute or clarinet, and maybe doing some crochet or reading a book. </p><p>But of course there was the small matter of the Etape du Tour which I had entered and paid for, along with all the other logistics, and more importantly my friend Angie with whom I had organised to do it with. I didn't want to let her down, particularly as I was the one who had been going on about what a great event it is.</p><p>Deep down, I wanted in. I wanted to be part of that massive merry band of 10,000+ riders wending our way through the Alpes-Maritimes, one of my favourite parts of the world. </p><p>Also being in my mid-50s you don't know how much longer you will be fit for. There are lots of illnesses or other things that can suddenly generate from here on in. Sadly, a few people I know have even died suddenly. </p><p>Without wanting to go any further down the morbidity road, I'll just say the whole <i>carpe diem </i>spirit began to wash over me and I realised I do want to ride the Etape du Tour and give it my best shot. So I will get in some miles for January.</p><p>What I decided for January and February would be to ditched the road bike and do all my rides on the cyclocross bike.</p><p>So that's what I've been doing. It's not ideal given the sluggishness of the bike on the road, but it's better than nothing, and is probably making me stronger - which isn't a bad thing.</p><p><b>Related posts</b> </p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/12/operation-etape-du-tour-december-update.html?m=1" target="_blank">Operation Etape du Tour: December update </a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2024/01/why-id-rather-ride-outdoors-than-use.html?m=1" target="_blank">Freewheeling: Why I'd rather ride outdoors than use Zwift - even in mid-winter</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/11/operation-etape-du-tour-understanding.html?m=1" target="_blank">Operation Etape du Tour: Understanding the challenge </a></p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-47733175659909693132024-01-16T18:00:00.004+00:002024-02-04T13:47:24.418+00:00Freewheeling: Why I'd rather ride outdoors than use Zwift - even in mid-winter<p>It's that time of year when the all we want to do is curl up in a ball and hibernate until March.</p><p>The Christmas holidays are a distant memory, and we are too far away from Spring to have things to look forward to.</p><p>Things aren't helped by this freezing weather. We've been shrouded in this cold blast from the north, as the mercury barely rose above zero. </p><p>So, for many folks based in the Northern hemisphere that would only mean one thing - Zwift. That form of e-sport cycling in which folks ride their bikes while hooked onto a turbo trainer and smart app simulating an outdoor ride has been a mainstay for millions of riders.</p><p>Initially folks could follow training intervals and do cadence/power reps. This gave rise to Zwift Academy in which folks could do a series of rounds of speed and power tests with the ultimate winner getting a professional racing contract with Canyon-SRAM (for women) or Alpecin Fenix (for men).</p><p>The app also simulates various well-known cycle routes and climbs so you can get to ride routes like Alpe d'Huez or the World Championships course without ever going there.</p><p>Zwift came into its own during the Covid lockdown when riders could do the Tour de France or Giro d'Italia virtually. Then local races were set up between more average riders. To add even more authenticity, folks have avatars of themselves racing on their computer generated bikes. If you don't ride or race along a known course you can go for a ride in fictional places like Watopia and the Makuri Islands.</p><p>And for a star-studded experience you can attend one of the many social bike rides with famous pro cyclists like Geraint Thomas, or even with the whole of the SD Worx women's team.</p><p>This e-sport cycling has become so commonplace that the Union Cycliste Internationale, has established the World E-Sport Cycling Championships, and have introduced regulations to prevent against cheating.</p><p>The whole set-up sounds great. Why worry your head about getting your gear on, braving the elements, maybe having to repair a puncture or even get into a "discussion" with an irate motorist when you can stay in the comfort of your own home, watching these avatar racers and listening to your favourite music? You can have that for the price of your favourite designer winter cycling kit - Le Col, Rapha, Pas Normal Studios etc.</p><p>It's really handy isn't it? Well, I must say all this indoor cycling isn't for me really. </p><p>I am very much a firm believer in riding outdoors. True it can be challenging trying to find a decent day to ride when your fingers and toes don't go numb. Furthermore, the chance of punctures shoots up when riding on damp debris-covered roads you get a lot in winter - and frustratingly I have had a few. </p><p>But despite all that, I must say I like the feel of the road under my wheels. Even if Zwift can replicate routes and gradients, it can't quite simulate the feel of a rough road, a head wind or street furniture, and of course other road users. I feel if I spent time on Zwift I would lose the ability to deal with that.</p><p>For me, all those rough and ready elements are part of the fun and adventure of cycling. It also improves my road craft when riding - be it when commuting or racing.</p><p>A couple of people I follow on Strava ride exclusively on Zwift. Then there is the odd day when they attempt to cycle outdoors, only to abandon their ride because they were terrified of the traffic. That's clearly the downside to riding in a virtual world. So for me, that can't be a great advert for Zwift. I would definitely avoiding that rider if they turned up at a road race or group ride I am doing as well. They'd be too much of a liability.</p><p>So, as much as Zwift provides the benefits and fun moments I mentioned above, I will always opt to keep my cycling firmly in the real world!</p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-52902186516949008712023-12-31T23:30:00.026+00:002024-01-22T06:20:44.819+00:002023 over and out - hoping for more in 2024<p><b>2023 was not a bad vintage. It wasn’t brilliant, but at least nothing dreadful happened - a positive thing in these unsettled times. I did a few things, though hope to do more in 2024.</b></p><p>So here we are at the end of another year, feeling slightly full up with left over festive food and Prosecco, heading that bit further out of middle age and into older age. My bones and joints are beginning to tell me, as such. Well, I had a sports injury which refused to go away for the first five months of this year. Sure, that happened when I was 26, but back then in 1995 sports injury treatment was a relatively new thing. Almost 30 years of adopting the various and evolving techniques, my worn out knees are becoming less and less responsive to the typical RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) methods. They just groan, creak, and stay stiff. The wood rot is setting in. That has been quite frustrating. </p><p>Thankfully, after a few physiotherapy and podiatry trips I recovered enough to be able to take part in the Paris Triathlon, Paris-Versailles Grande Classique running race, and the Ötillö Cannes SwimRun, my first such event abroad.</p><p>I also got up to Scotland during the World Cycling Championships and swam in Loch Lomond. Then I went on to Edinburgh and swam at Portobello Beach and ran around Holyrood and Salisbury Crags.</p><p>I feel blessed to still be able to do these activities and maintain reasonably good health - something I don't ever take for granted.</p><p>Through sports I made a couple of new connections, notably at the SwimRun, where I met some friendly women from Lyon, with whom I enjoyed a good time on that glorious day on the Côte d'Azur. I hope to see them again in 2024 at another event. </p><p>Away from the sports field I got more into language speaking, by keeping up my conversation exchanges. There were my Italian partners - Ilaria from Milan and Alessandro from Rome, plus my Spanish contact, David from Burgos. As for French, I became more integrated into my French conversation group and got to know the folks better. I think Michèle had a great idea setting up this group, and I have gotten to know Deborah, John, Monika, Nick, Pamela, Paul, and Sonja a bit better. We have our own little group in South London, and that makes a big difference to have folks to socialise with locally.</p><p>Music continued to feature in my everyday life too - more specifically, making music. Although I regularly played my clarinet and my flute, I feel that my level plateaued. I only did one concert in 2023 - at Fairfield Halls, Croydon with my local symphonic band. Then I bombed out of doing the other dates. The concerts with my folk band clashed with other things I had planned, and the concerts with my concert band were hampered by unfavourable conditions for me. I must admit that as much as I enjoy playing in community bands I realise I am not prepared to play in the rain, in the freezing cold, or in blazing heat with no shade! I also like to play either before or after a decent meal. This might sound a bit "I don't do stairs" à la Mariah Carey (!) but I need to keep in mind certain fundamentals. I pay for the pleasure of playing my musical instruments in these bands. So pleasure is what I intend to get. I can't see that happening on a miserable winter's day like what we had between October and December. Also I don't feel comfortable being in a band where the leader thinks it's okay to accept those conditions for its players. So I think 2024 will be a year of new beginnings, and hopefully good progress on the music front. </p><p>Work has been steady, with no new type of project done. That has been remiss of me for not getting properly organised. I did too much coasting along in 2023, and not enough striking out. I hope to do more of that next year. I have always been one to see the opportunities presented to us in the free world we live in, and take up those opportunities. Folks in many parts of the world just don't get the chance to do what we are able to do in the UK and other economically developed countries. So I don't like to pass over those moments. </p><p>Still, I did a few things. My medical copywriting ticked along, and so did the cycling journalism. I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to interview the Amaury siblings at their headquarters in the west of Paris. Jean-Etienne and Aurore between them (with input from their mother Marie-Odile) head up big name brands like the Tour de France, Le Dakar (formerly Paris Dakar) and L'Equipe newspaper. These family directors hardly ever give interviews to any media - French or international. So I was very honoured to have done the interview with them for <i>Rouleur</i> magazine. This came on the back of the interview I did with Marie-Odile Amaury in 2021 for <i>Cyclist</i> magazine. Another person I interviewed, also for <i>Rouleur</i>, was Amina Lanaya, second in command at the Union Cycliste Internationale, cycling's world governing body. I even got to do a bit of modelling, when I did a photoshoot for Brompton cycles.</p><p>Getting out and doing things has become more important to me as I get older. Every second week the newsreaders announce the death of yet another person from my era - people that formed the tapestry of my life - even if I didn't meet them. Of course in 2022 we lost Queen Elizabeth II, which was nevertheless very sad even though it was imminent. At the end of that year we lost Pele, and also Vivienne Westwood whom I did meet - and that trend of folks exiting the world stage has continued with increasing frequency. I was saddened when Friends star Matthew Perry died. (Caveat: I read Friends, Lovers, and that Big Terrible Thing at the start of this year and was so shocked to learn about the extent of his substance addiction I was amazed he was still alive.) He was the same age as me. He's actually six months younger than me, though his co-star Jennifer Aniston shares exactly the same birthday as me. There is something disconcerting about folks of a similar vintage to yourself dying. I felt the same about Sinead O'Connor's passing.</p><p>Then there were household names like Tina Turner, Terry Venables, John Mottson, Henry Kissinger and George Alagiah.</p><p>In cycling Tijl de Decker aged 22, and Gino Mäder aged 26, died in cycling accidents, and also incredibly shocking and tragic was the death of Melissa Hoskins aged 32, who was killed in what appears to be a domestic incident with her husband.</p><p>I was also very sad to see the demise of a fellow local cycle racer, Tabitha Rendall, succumb to bowel cancer in the space of four months - just aged 52.</p><p>Reading about so many people of various ages passing away makes me think about my own mortality. I don't want to get too morbid about things here, as I help myself to another glass of Prosecco while watching the Jools Holland Hootenanny on TV. But before we do the 10-second countdown to 2024, I want to just say no one knows what's around the corner, so I just want to do what I can to write that book or do the round the world trip or any other bucket list stuff before exit day comes. </p><p>That round the world trip could even be done on two wheels, as I made progress with my motorbiking when I got my A1 license earlier this year. I even went to a couple of biker meets in Surrey, and next year I hope to go further afield in the UK and even to France. Some say it might be a typical mid-life crisis thing to do, but I say Carpe Diem!</p><p>So in short, 2023 was not a bad year. I did a few good things, and there were a few fun moments. I am not one for New Year's resolutions, and just prefer to change habits in an organic progressive way. I do hope to do more in 2024. </p><p>Happy New Year! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsqvyViPBbgr224xTZaCYKKfc1TWJ2JhqdLKL514e2CgTaMF9ymE8RgvbD-u6ZtdQK2K9-8Mi5htiWJ7iIvlAi3RjvaKnPkQ9aJrCR8nKrPorPavi1fRG6DMF2MXb8yw0JWNsskSgzk6ZWlMPWMsLT3trAux-qe9m37ZTQj1-0DlcaVd5hnsfyHiPQRUS/s736/20230909_161230_resized.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="736" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsqvyViPBbgr224xTZaCYKKfc1TWJ2JhqdLKL514e2CgTaMF9ymE8RgvbD-u6ZtdQK2K9-8Mi5htiWJ7iIvlAi3RjvaKnPkQ9aJrCR8nKrPorPavi1fRG6DMF2MXb8yw0JWNsskSgzk6ZWlMPWMsLT3trAux-qe9m37ZTQj1-0DlcaVd5hnsfyHiPQRUS/w640-h480/20230909_161230_resized.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><p><br /></p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-60888279874993404322023-12-20T12:30:00.041+00:002024-01-19T04:15:09.374+00:00Operation Etape du Tour: December update <p><b>To stay motivated in my Etape du Tour preparation its important to ride often over short distances rather than seldom over long distances</b> </p><p>As soon as I got my place in the Etape du Tour I set about training and establishing a rhythm of getting out on my bike regularly. </p><p>I regularly cycle, provided I am not ill or injured. Thankfully that doesn't happen very often - or at least sports injuries don't often affect my cycling.</p><p>The last twelve months have been a little different though. Last summer, after spending a lot of time training and taking part in cyclosportives (Fred Whitton/Lion and Lamb, and Ride London-Essex 100) plus trips to Lombardy and the Côte d'Azur I experienced a bit of burn-out and didn't ride my bike much, apart from for short commutes. I got into motorbike riding too, which required a bit of time and dedication in order to prepare for my tests. That was quite the antidote to sweating it out up hills for kilometres on end.</p><p>In the first part of this year I was able to ride a little, but without any real objective. In some ways it was refreshing to not feel under pressure to ride to a particular mileage or speed. Coincidentally, I found I couldn't ride far as I had a prolonged bout of patella syndrome, which kept me from doing cycling or running. Even swimming had become difficult for me.</p><p>So after various trips to podiatrists and physiotherapists and following a rehabilitation programme I began to feel an improvement and gradually got back into cycling regularly. </p><p>In terms of my preparation for the Etape du Tour, the key is to get out and ride regularly, even if it is just to do modest mileages in this initial phase. Continuity is key. It is better to do four 20-mile rides in a week, than to do one 80-mile ride and not riding for several days.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLeO6rUvivrrQcXDNbi0AtjeGI8TBV8XeXmOgUKGoQYlgRfAmd0MbWQObOybhAbNHH3__PM5OOdsbOZDwyTy5GuEgrBqHW_lOQkRZ05GxtDRM4G3LBdn0nkJk9haeMe9vq_6FOslK_h5MDX_Mcz2e63VTzaXEAsiYAzzkFqu9uFarRWx-rYTqRNAolxxN/s2048/FB_IMG_1705636118302.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLeO6rUvivrrQcXDNbi0AtjeGI8TBV8XeXmOgUKGoQYlgRfAmd0MbWQObOybhAbNHH3__PM5OOdsbOZDwyTy5GuEgrBqHW_lOQkRZ05GxtDRM4G3LBdn0nkJk9haeMe9vq_6FOslK_h5MDX_Mcz2e63VTzaXEAsiYAzzkFqu9uFarRWx-rYTqRNAolxxN/w640-h480/FB_IMG_1705636118302.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not quite Promenade des Anglais, but the Parc du Vinaigrier, in Nice</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's important that I feel a "pull" towards cycling rather than feeling like I am being pushed into doing it. My rides need to be doable in terms of ability and time management, and it shouldn't feel like a slog.</p><p>There's nothing worse than that moment when you've been riding for four hours, it's a Sunday afternoon and you pass country pub after country pub where people are enjoying a slap up lunch and you have another three hours' cycling to do! You then have to will yourself along, working hard to stay motivated and keep the pedals at a reasonable cadence - all while trying to convince yourself that this is good for me.</p><p>So this month has been about doing short regular rides a few times a week, with one ride being at a faster pace, and another ride including hills. For November I was riding 125km per week and then in December the aim is 150km per week. These are low mileages, but that will make the rides feel more accessible, fun, and quality training miles rather than junk "pootling around to a café" miles.</p><p>My faster miles have been around Regents Park, generally latching onto a group that's riding at a training pace I can sustain. I also want to restart regular trips to the Velodrome. That should definitely help.</p><p>In the meantime I aim to keep my eye on the target - the start pen at the Promenade des Anglais, in Nice, and happy to be there.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Related posts </b></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/12/another-cycling-mission-for-2024-fred.html" target="_blank">Another cycling mission for 2024 - Fred Whitton Challenge</a> </p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/11/operation-etape-du-tour-understanding.html" target="_blank">Operation Etape du Tour - Understanding the challenge </a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2022/07/rides-on-cote-dazur-col-de-turini.html" target="_blank">Rides on the Côte d'Azur - Col de Turini</a> </p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-38060681437101283042023-12-18T08:39:00.008+00:002023-12-31T05:49:39.678+00:00Another cycling mission for 2024 - Fred Whitton Challenge<b>I have been successful in the ballot to take part in the 2024 Fred Whitton Challenge. My mission is to cycle 174km (112 miles) around the Lake District, taking in the mighty Honister, Hardknott and Wrynose Passes. It's gonna be a tough day out, but I say bring it on - sort of!</b><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3TSm0XlEF4oFEaxcoXDGiteup8TtgtQKWSpswQZ47QJ127IPCQTHIRi-siRV0do20_zqTFNQuAj3ogBiD_WOL39-TDOHJthbyl26tQpeA3eIH7TYPTXnsHZO5icgJ2myqsEp8nBtVIh7R6iWlJO3ctiXYuPqesuEaJR0TzoEKt4CapxlzKgiAUcFw33e/s2432/SmartSelect_20231231_052524_Yahoo%20Mail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="2432" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3TSm0XlEF4oFEaxcoXDGiteup8TtgtQKWSpswQZ47QJ127IPCQTHIRi-siRV0do20_zqTFNQuAj3ogBiD_WOL39-TDOHJthbyl26tQpeA3eIH7TYPTXnsHZO5icgJ2myqsEp8nBtVIh7R6iWlJO3ctiXYuPqesuEaJR0TzoEKt4CapxlzKgiAUcFw33e/w640-h152/SmartSelect_20231231_052524_Yahoo%20Mail.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><br /><div>In my opinion this is the mother of all cyclosportives. There may be other challenge rides in the UK that are longer or hillier than the Fred Whitton Challenge, but what really bites about this event is that moment when you pass through Eskdale Green, with its quaint country pub, after 98miles of cycling and you look up high into the distance to see a long line of riders snaking skywards. That's the Hardknott Pass, with its infamous 30% gradients along the one-mile stretch - and that's where you're headed. You have a feeling of dread and your legs go even weaker than they were already feeling from riding over Kirkstone, Honister, Whinlatter, and Newlands Passes. How on earth will I get over that and the 25% gradient of Wrynose Pass straight afterwards?</div><div><br /></div><div>Few sportives instil that feeling of dread. I have ridden the Fred Whitton Challenge in the past and gotten around it within the time cut (although once I didn't). I therefore know that I have it in me to complete the ride, and I also remember the feeling of elation as I crossed the finish line. So I really want to have that moment again. </div><div><br /></div><div>It will be less easy now than when I last did the full monty almost 15 years ago. By the time D-Day comes round I will be 55 years old. Age definitely has caught up with me. While I am still capable of doing lots of sport, I find that I need more recovery time, and am more prone to soft tissue injuries than when I was younger. So as well as the main job of training, there is the added dimension of monitoring energy levels and preventing injury.</div><div><br /></div><div>Getting a place in one of the UK's toughest one-day cyclosportives is not easy. The ballot opens in early December and roughly 10 days later the draw is done to see who are the lucky (or some might say unlucky) 2,000 riders to suffer the steepest hills of the Lake District.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWCREs4yt0pGJ9UkL2WxGxOGUdU0N1LZHaEoe4mkcn7KPjZg-gtUvYqLHASf3kaWDHXv4OOzYCK2yiVGJIbxW7V54WkIU-poKQaL-GW6qt0D3qs_Pwi5h1tODU99dc8mo3DUraiQkS7KYX0RN-VNQb-VZ6GSA9yFPQZlKA80NAPuuTn5GSJ0VWTpZbf-i/s2048/FB_IMG_1704000697916.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWCREs4yt0pGJ9UkL2WxGxOGUdU0N1LZHaEoe4mkcn7KPjZg-gtUvYqLHASf3kaWDHXv4OOzYCK2yiVGJIbxW7V54WkIU-poKQaL-GW6qt0D3qs_Pwi5h1tODU99dc8mo3DUraiQkS7KYX0RN-VNQb-VZ6GSA9yFPQZlKA80NAPuuTn5GSJ0VWTpZbf-i/w640-h480/FB_IMG_1704000697916.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hardknott Pass </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I had been in two minds about throwing my name into the hat. Having gotten a place in the Fred Whitton last year, I remember how tough it was to train for the event, how many miles I needed to get in as well as how much cycling uphill. When the big day came I didn't feel entirely ready, and in the end opted to ride the shorter version - the Lion and Lamb ride. I must say I felt quite relieved to have not had to do the ride feeling anxious about riding the most challenging climbs. I enjoyed being able to have my post-ride pasta in a room full of other riders and chat to people. Had I done the full distance it would have just been a survival ride to beat the cut-off and I am sure I would have been one of the last finishers, probably munching my post-race meal in an almost empty buffet tent as the organisers packed everything away. That's not what I wanted. Having said that, I also feel a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) at the fact that I only did 73 miles.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I entered the ballot in the hope of having the chance to sort out this unfinished business. Many people enter this ballot multiple times without ever having their name drawn out of the hat. So I feel lucky to have gotten a place in the Fred Whitton Challenge. But now, I have to go out train properly, and ride the thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Training has already started, given that I also have the Etape du Tour to also prepare for. My 2024 calendar is already looking rather busy.</div>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-64597601438765137652023-12-17T12:00:00.079+00:002023-12-21T13:01:08.464+00:00Sadhbh O'Shea's journalism tales and tips <p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Sadhbh (pronounced "sive", like hive) O'Shea has over 10 years' experience in journalism, and has been a prolific writer, working across the cycling titles Cycling News, and Velo News, as well as doing a stint at the BBC. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">She previously shared with me <a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/10/52-cycling-voices-36-sadhbh-oshea.html" target="_blank">how she got into cycling journalism</a> and what she likes about it.</span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RZeLNPg27vIMuoeBaRkgMKKXJyghKQB2Qmp4B4bDSuVI3KxJHQoZntCOgEZtkGlM7DmgDyizvMXepKWpLCV2u_NbZ0LO8FwHjIgcDp8naC_76hyphenhyphent6lFMKVIXpd_cmQEn4i6xbxaR5JT87RjcxQ2Mj0LpSudlZ7RN1g6FpB0rJXw5GRbGU_Ucynkxowkn/s1024/Sadhbh%20OShea_photo%20Betsy%20Welch_IMG-20220725-WA0011.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RZeLNPg27vIMuoeBaRkgMKKXJyghKQB2Qmp4B4bDSuVI3KxJHQoZntCOgEZtkGlM7DmgDyizvMXepKWpLCV2u_NbZ0LO8FwHjIgcDp8naC_76hyphenhyphent6lFMKVIXpd_cmQEn4i6xbxaR5JT87RjcxQ2Mj0LpSudlZ7RN1g6FpB0rJXw5GRbGU_Ucynkxowkn/w480-h640/Sadhbh%20OShea_photo%20Betsy%20Welch_IMG-20220725-WA0011.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Tour de France (photo: Betsy Welch)</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Now, Sadhbh is preparing to move to the other side, working in PR for Team Jayco-AlUla professional cycle racing team. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Before she transforms herself into a suit, she recalls some journalism anecdotes, notably from working at the last few editions of the Tour de France.</span> </p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A busy summer 2023</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span>Yes, it’s been a particularly busy summer – more so than
recently. I did the last eight or nine days of the Tour de France and
then I did the Tour de France Femmes. But with the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow happening so close afterwards, coming home to the Isle of Man, and then going away again was quite arduous. Soon after that I went to cover races in Canada.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Tour de France</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This year was the latest I’ve ever come out for the men’s race, which was a challenge, as so much had already happened. So I started working at the Tour from the penultimate Saturday, on the stage into Morzine. It took a little while to adjust to that, and
then I left before the race finished because I had to be in Clermont Ferrand
for the start of the women’s race, and be able to do the pre-race stuff.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I didn’t get
to do any pre-race work for the 2022 Tour de France Femmes. That year I worked the first 10 days of the men's race and then I went home. Because of staffing levels, I had to work on the men's race from home until the final Friday, and then I flew out to Paris on the Saturday. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This year I wanted to leave early from the
men’s race as we already had someone covering it, so I was able to do
all the Tour de France Femmes pre-race coverage.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">By that time the Tour de France had moved into the
Jura, so it was about a three-hour drive to Clermont Ferrand, where the Tour de France Femmes was starting – so not too bad, all things considered. I was glad I left when I did because if I had waited until they were further
up, it would have been a nightmare to try and pick up a car somewhere and then
drive more and more diagonally across France. Whereas leaving
from Bourg en Bresse was logistically a
significantly easier drive than it would have been if I had left later.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I was at the Tour de France for the time trial from Passy to Combloux, which was pretty
dramatic. We were stood at these gazebos beyond the
finish line and there was a TV in there so we were watching the coverage. I
don’t think anyone could really believe what was happening. I think people had
thought Vingegaard would be stronger than Pogacar, but not so much stronger. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span>I don’t think
we’ve ever really seen Pogacar look that second hand before. It was still a good race,
but in relation to Vingegaard he wasn’t anywhere near enough. We were just
shocked at seeing Pogacar looking properly second best. It was an unusual
situation to be in. So yeah, it was quite interesting being where we were.
There were fans stood on the side of the road near where we were and it was
quite the buzz – you could feel the ripples of surprise and shock among
everybody.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Race-day logistics</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A Tour de France day is almost always super long, unless it's a
short stage. Things condense a little around rest days as you don’t
have to do as much travelling.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But when they’ve got the big transitions where
you have to jump from one region of France to another region really far away, you end up
doing some really long drives during the day. I remember last year when the
race dipped into Switzerland for a bit and came back out again, there must have
been a two and a half drive from the start to the finish on
motorways. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I tend to work better in the morning – it’s not to say I can’t work
better later in the day, but I am not a night owl. I tend to stop working once I’ve
had dinner, so in the morning if I’ve got a bit of time I finish off work from
the night before. It usually means I do it before breakfast so I can get it out
of the way. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There's usually a point at which we have to leave the hotel, and that is generally to allow ourselves to arrive up to two hours in advance of the stage start. You also want to try to avoid getting caught
up in the caravan. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If it’s an easy way into
the media area and you don’t have to cross the course, and you don’t have to mix with other areas to get to the car park that’s fine, but most days you do. So if you
arrive just as the caravan is leaving you are stuck for 20 minutes while you
wait for them to pass. And then that is 20 minutes of dead time just stuck in
the car waiting for the caravan to go through. So it's best to try and avoid
that. You’ve also got to account for traffic, so you could be leaving your
hotel. So depending where your hotel is, you could be leaving between three and four hours before the stage starts. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We might stop at a service station and get
some food, depending on whether or not there'll be food in the press room. In the last couple of years there’s been a WhatsApp group set up by the Tour de France organisers where they make and announcements and give information to the accredited journalists. One of the pieces of information they send is whether there will be food in the press room. It’s up to the
host town or city to put on food. Some cities really want to show off
whatever food they’ve got, and keep the journalists happy, so they’ll put on a good press room buffet. Other cities couldn’t care less, so you won’t get
anything.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span>At La Planche des Filles in recent years the food has been
quite good, but at the
top of Alpe d’Huez, there's cheese and bread and that’s about it. I remember the </span><span>stage that finished in Saint Gervais de Mont Blanc this year had a
decent buffet. Last year at the Tour de France Femmes I remember at one of the stages we were given champagne. It wasn't at Epernay, though when we went there we did get a lot of nice finger food. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The hazards of reaching the finish line</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span>Sometimes things can go wrong on the day. For example on the stage into Epernay, during the Tour de France Femmes me and my colleague's car had mechanical trouble. We managed to make it to the yellow jersey press conference but we had to skip the winner's press conference so that we could get out in time to exchange our car at the nearest Hertz office. The car was having trouble with</span><span> hill starts. I live in a hilly area, so am normally all right with hill starts, but I couldn't get the car going. So one of the security guards had to come in the car and floored the accelerator to get it going. He gave it so much welly I thought he was about to steal it! The thing is he had to do that because we were on the course.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">On that day journalists had to cut across the course, which was part of a final loop before the riders crossed finish line, in order to reach the press room situated in the middle of the loop. You could only cross the course at a very specific point. So my colleague and I were trying to find where that point was. At the Giro d'Italia you normally get a QR code in the road book so it can give you the exact GPS coordinates. But the Tour de France road book doesn't have that, and we just couldn't figure out where we needed to go. We kept going down these different turnings and then going "nope, that's not it". The car was making weird noises, and then there was a big clunk. My colleague got out to check that the exhaust hadn't fallen off. It hadn't, but we were still on the course and the security guard had to get us off pretty quickly. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Finish-line flurry </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It is quite stressful dealing with the end of the race. I can feel the adrenaline rising as the race is getting nearer and you have to spring into action as soon as the riders cross the line and especially as I am only 5ft 3 (1m 60). So trying to see over the tops of journalists' heads and find people to interview is quite a challenge. That can be quite interesting!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Depending whether you’re on your own or whether there are a couple of people working for the same publication you might have a chat about who we’re going to aim for and then see what happens afterwards. If you're own your own you have to go on your instincts and try and identify what stories have been important within the race that will be interesting to tell. Normally you are guaranteed some sort of press conference or media moment with the winner after the race. At the Tour of Oman this year, it was just a huddle behind the podium. At that one you didn’t really have to worry because you could also find other people than the winner too. Often it’s a case of running around a little bit like a blue-arsed fly, but with a mission at the same time. It can be difficult.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFF78T_rTd_ERwG2NAEReLEJJP6zOtYzjlVXL5YJyHI10ISHP0JYxtLZgvGU9z9oW92s6Ppl7GRIZCiHr3dC-tScXSepo7N8nSz3UuVd8PwxDBvTvk_E2ir-GliG-tqSH2hMA3M7OUNHxWWg8yNGjRdQCyn_uEZ2naifMEM9W1PEjeEYBqJw3zLq5VNvy/s2048/Sadhbh%20OShea_photo%20Ben%20Delaney_IMG-20220328-WA0000.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFF78T_rTd_ERwG2NAEReLEJJP6zOtYzjlVXL5YJyHI10ISHP0JYxtLZgvGU9z9oW92s6Ppl7GRIZCiHr3dC-tScXSepo7N8nSz3UuVd8PwxDBvTvk_E2ir-GliG-tqSH2hMA3M7OUNHxWWg8yNGjRdQCyn_uEZ2naifMEM9W1PEjeEYBqJw3zLq5VNvy/w640-h480/Sadhbh%20OShea_photo%20Ben%20Delaney_IMG-20220328-WA0000.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interviewing Matej Mohoric in the mixed zone (photo: Ben Delaney)</td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Getting the best out of mixed zone interviews</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">How you approach mixed zone interviews is a bit different nowadays, especially with the bigger names where you are guaranteed several journalists will be there. It has changed a little bit, as just reporting that “This rider said this at the end of a stage” is becoming less important because so many people have that quote, and a growing number of websites have paywalls. So if you just write that story that “Geraint Thomas said, ‘I’m very happy’ after a stage” then people will look and say, "Well there’s a paywall there. I’ll go to a different website where there’s no paywall." So it has become about finding themes and topics and packaging things differently. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So the writing has become less about "I need to get things out as soon as possible" and more about "I need to try and make this as strong as possible" and finding the overall story within it, and it has become less of a rush to get things done. It was definitely like that when I first started – getting all your stuff and then racing to the press room and trying to write as quickly as possible, which can be stressful and quite challenging. Back when I was working at Cycling News, and I was at the Tour de France it was quite testing, as someone who struggles with dyslexia, and it could be quite difficult trying to get things planned out and in the right order. So it is definitely better to have a more relaxed approach to post stage/race writing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Getting to the press room</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Often the the race course does a nice U-shape or N-shape so you can cut from the start to the finish and you’re there a long time in advance of the stage finish. That way you’ve got time to write some stuff up and publish it before the crucial part of the race. So that’s a nice day if you can do that. But if not, sometimes you might arrive quite late so you really only have enough time to get yourself set up, maybe get a bit of food in you and then you’re watching the finish. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Sometimes the press room, especially in the Tour de France, which is really big, may end up being quite a distance away from the finish line. There was one stage where we drove from the press room to near the finish line. It was the stage that Kaspar Asgreen won (to Bourg en Bresse), and it was a long walk and very hot. So we drove there to save time. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But sometimes that's not possible, and you just have to walk it. For the Tourmalet stage of this year's Tour de France Femmes it was quite the adventure. It was quite a drive to get there from the previous day’s finish town, Blagnac near Toulouse. It was about a two and a half hour drive to get there, so I missed the start of the Tourmalet stage. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">On some of the really big mountain stages you might as well miss the start because anything you get at the start is going to be completely irrelevant by the end of the day unless you pick up quotes for a completely different thing. If you speak to the big favourites or whatever the whole race could be upended, so there’s no point in doing it. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span>If I had gone to the start at Lannemezan I would have missed a lot of other things and it would have taken ages to get up to the finish line anyway. So I set off early for Tourmalet , and checked into my hotel along the way. That took longer than planned because the lady at the reception had disappeared, leaving a note saying “back in an hour”. Well, I don’t know when the hour started, so I just waited - thankfully for not too long, as I still got to the press room early enough. However, the press room was at La Mongie, 4.3km down from the Tourmalet finish line, and there was no organised transport to get there. </span><span>You could do it by car if you went up the day before, and obtained a special pass beforehand. Alternatively you could get what they said was a cable car. It was not a cable car. It was a chair lift, and for someone who is not a fan of heights it was not a nice discovery! </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I had to walk 20 minutes to get to the chair lift, and get on the right one. The thing is the chair lift stopped working at 6pm, and because the organisers wanted the stage to be on at Saturday prime time television, the stage didn't finish until just after 7pm. So I had to walk down the mountain. I had thought I could just walk off-road a bit between the hairpins of the climb. But it was so misty by the time the stage finished and I probably could only see about three or four feet (around one metre) in front of me. There was no way I could ramble across that and risk ending up in a ditch with a broken leg. So it was a case of walking down the climb, using the torch on my phone to see the way, and then shining it at traffic so that I could be seen. By the time I reached the press room the winner's press conference had long finished and everything was closed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I was still able to get material for my story though, as generally the journalists are quite friendly and help each other out. If you ask someone in advance they can usually give you an audio of what was said in the press conference. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Cycling World Championships, Glasgow</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Going there was relatively smooth for me. I was able to get the boat from the Isle of Man, where I live, to Heysham, just north of Lancaster. For the first time ever I could use my own car in a race, and that made things very chilled, so I didn't have the worry of going to a car rental company and sorting all that out. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Initially I was going to cover just the road races, but while on the boat I made a snap decision to see some of the mountain biking. It meant that I would have to miss the Under-23 men's road race. It was surprisingly okay for me to have a last-minute change of plan, even if it was a two-hour drive to get to the mountain biking.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As a once every four years event it's a nice thing to have. A lot of riders said they quite enjoyed the atmosphere of a "Superworlds", event though it was quite spread out. It was nice for the fans to have so much going on. But for me to see the mountain bike racing I had to miss the Under-23 men's race, so that race got less press coverage than it might have had in a regular World Championships. Some of the smaller category races may have lost out on some publicity and air time compared to a regular World Championships. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It was particularly difficult for media organisations that only had one journalist at the World Championships, and was a logistical challenge to figure out what you were going to do, where you were going to go, while making it as easy as possible. I am sure a few people covered the downhill mountain biking in Fort William, but that was really far away compared to anything else. Even Glen Tress, where they had cross country mountain biking was a good trek away. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">For the more niche side of the sport like artistic cycling it did give the public the opportunity to see it where they might not otherwise have done so. The cycle ball and artistic cycling actually sold out. I don't know if it will have a long-term impact but it was certainly a nice moment for those disciplines.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Being a recognised face in cycling media</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">To a certain extent more riders recognise me now that I am doing a lot more women’s cycling, and Covid video interviews have become more of a thing. In the past it was just telephone calls if you were doing an interview, so the rider wouldn’t know what you looked like until the next time you saw them. It didn’t build that sort of repertoire with them, like it does now. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span>Generally as a woman in cycling you stand out anyway as there are so few of us, so riders tend to remember maybe not necessarily your name, but they will identify you as a journalist, and they will probably remember your demeanor or manner more than a male journalist because there are an awful lot more of them. I was quite surprised at a Classics race that a rider had seen me at the end of a cobbled section one day and when I spoke to them two days later they remembered me and said, "Was that you on the cobbles?" And I was like, "Yes it was, me". I was quite surprised that they’d actually recognised me. It definitely happens on the women’s side as I do all the women’s cycle races whereas a lot of journalists dip in and out of them. The women’s peloton appreciate it when they have journalists that are working on their races throughout the year, and they identify with you a little bit more. I wouldn’t say they are more friendly than the men’s peloton, as most riders - male or female -</span><span> are friendly anyway. But the women seem more at ease with you.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>My tips for anyone wanting to become a
journalist</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There’s no one way of doing it. I don’t think people should
think this is exactly what I have to do and if I don’t do it this way I’m never
going to get in.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I went through the university route. I did an
undergraduate course, then a masters and then after a year and half or two years
of applying for jobs I eventually got a job in the cycling industry. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My main
piece of advice would be perseverance, as it's a tough area to get into. Don’t be put off by not getting accepted
early on because it has become a lot more popular as a sport to become involved
in reporting on. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">For me, perseverance would be the big thing, as I was applying for stuff for two years, and worked in finance before I got a job in cycling. Sometimes it just takes one person to take a chance on you and then you’ve got your foot in the door.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There probably will be a few rejections as that’s the way it goes
unfortunately. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My other big piece of advice would be to keep practicing your
writing. If you don’t have the funds to be able to go to university to do a
specific course on journalism there are books available and guides on line on
how to make a story, how to plan one out. Those sorts of guides will help you. Create a blog, put stuff on line. The more you practice writing, the more you read, the
better you become at it. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Lastly, pitch things to editors. Come up with an idea
and send it to an editor. A lot of use have been naïve at the start of our careers
and just sent an email to an editor, saying “I’m happy to work if you want me.
Please have me.” Editors like to have ideas and a story plan that’s been put
together where they can say “I like that, okay – I would like you to do that.”
Then they can start seeing how you work. But first of all you have to have the
idea to go in. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4CeNDmG7gTh6mRM3R2lUkGOwFrdkBYrpsHClVhho_UbPSBjNubuZOvMtZFUSB7NQwtYNXud3BGRF5e-HDGlCwIsyIBJNqRbyCRM-FMp08YZIlmmA8ElYYq6jgTxgt_4tSUmMOEJXI2cg_d1kJc6hyphenhyphencC6gSAVIv_THB4_03LOPsvyzw93NgUkdV-VFPmf/s2048/Sadhbh%20OShea_Astana%20PR_IMG-20230215-WA0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4CeNDmG7gTh6mRM3R2lUkGOwFrdkBYrpsHClVhho_UbPSBjNubuZOvMtZFUSB7NQwtYNXud3BGRF5e-HDGlCwIsyIBJNqRbyCRM-FMp08YZIlmmA8ElYYq6jgTxgt_4tSUmMOEJXI2cg_d1kJc6hyphenhyphencC6gSAVIv_THB4_03LOPsvyzw93NgUkdV-VFPmf/w640-h426/Sadhbh%20OShea_Astana%20PR_IMG-20230215-WA0003.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Team Astana/Vitali Abramov</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As someone with dyslexia I did not see it as a barrier to making a career out of writing. You'd be surprised about how many people with it write for a living. Don't get disheartened by knockbacks either. Everyone has them - keep trying, and be kind to yourself.</span></p>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><div><br /></div><div><b>Related posts</b></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/10/52-cycling-voices-36-sadhbh-oshea.html" target="_blank">52 Cycling Voices - 36: Sadhbh O'Shea</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2022/01/52-cycling-voices-33-pauline-ballet.html" target="_blank">52 Cycling Voices - 33: Pauline Ballet</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2021/11/52-cycling-voices-in-time-of.html" target="_blank">52 Cycling Voices - 32: Emma Wade</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/08/world-short-course-mountain-bike.html" target="_blank">World Short-Track Mountain Bike Championships, Glasgow</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/07/book-review-le-fric-family-power-and.html" target="_blank">Book review: Le Fric: Family, Power, and Money: The Business of the Tour de France - Alex Duff </a></div></span><p></p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-25884062957694739852023-11-15T17:30:00.013+00:002023-12-29T14:00:09.561+00:00Operation Étape du Tour: Understanding the challenge<p><b>Now that I have signed up for the 2024 Etape du Tour I need to consider exactly what the main challenge is - how to stay ahead of the broom wagon even when riding up long steep hills. With 138km and 4,600m of climbing it won't be easy!</b></p><p>So I have signed up for the 2024 Etape du Tour, which will be Stage 20 of the men's Tour de France - Nice to Col de la Couiolle. </p><p>Firstly, I need to keep I'm mind exactly what the task is that I have to face.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsxw4IJHaHo1ddiPgMMdE70O1isNhExxBEsdv4Lnb7a1SW48VUGbcRGxT6wdTujwT0hJnP43S_z-JHyRVlA1cgC4KsGoFK57UyF7vvcuVe4DmUkFfRtr8ZvD6Cqe0EuwPjCF4ZO86TOnm0fegOgTqHYR1LEkHbtVUzx4mreIC0mnS-AJr4f0DSKxjUz8i/s960/b2f12.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="960" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsxw4IJHaHo1ddiPgMMdE70O1isNhExxBEsdv4Lnb7a1SW48VUGbcRGxT6wdTujwT0hJnP43S_z-JHyRVlA1cgC4KsGoFK57UyF7vvcuVe4DmUkFfRtr8ZvD6Cqe0EuwPjCF4ZO86TOnm0fegOgTqHYR1LEkHbtVUzx4mreIC0mnS-AJr4f0DSKxjUz8i/w640-h438/b2f12.jpeg" width="580" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I need to train so that I can cover the 138km (the official distance of the Etape du Tour, including the descent to Beuil) and 4,600m of climbing over four categorised mountain passes without being caught by the broom wagon. </p><p>Basically the "end-of-the-race" car and broom wagon set off between 20 minutes and half an hour after the last wave of riders cross the start line, and travels at a minimum speed - around 18km/hour and you have to stay ahead of it.</p><p>Riders go into start pens with a specific start time or wave. If you're a strong rider who has done the Etape in previous years in the recent past you get set off from one of the earlier pens so you could get a 90-minute headstart on the broom wagon - maybe more, depending on the start time. So those riders will never have an issue with making the time cut. Even if they were caught in a queue at the feed stations or had to deal with a puncture they'd be okay.</p><p>As a slower rider who hasn't ridden the Etape recently, I will most likely be set off from one of the last pens - maybe even the pen immediately before the broom wagon. So I will have very little slack for making the time cut, and that could end up being a stressful ride. That was my issue when I was hoping to ride the 2022 edition, particularly because the route went from Briançon up the Col du Lautaret immediately from the gun. I would have had to do the hill climb of my life all the way to the summit of Galibier in order to remain ahead of the broom wagon, and I didn't feel sure I could to do that.</p><p>It is possible to change pen - though generally from an early pen to a later pen. It's harder to get moved forward unless you have a specific reason, like proving that you are a top level rider - I wasn't able to do that in 2022, but I did get moved forward by one pen on the basis of being cycling media. But that only bought me an extra 20 minutes.</p><p>Past editions of the Etape du Tour, like that one, involved 160km-long (100-mile) stages or longer, so at least the 2024 event is mercifully short on distance, even if the amount of climbing can't be ignored. </p><p>Also, I have done half of the route already, and I know that from Nice city centre the terrain will be flat to false flat, and there's no significant climbing until the approach road to L'Escarène. So I will get roughly a 10km warm-up where I can stay in a bunch and ride quickly without using too much energy.</p><p>The proper work will start at km 14 on the 10km Col de Braus.</p><p>So I know I need to practice good bunch riding/road racing skills for that early section, which may be the longest section of flat in the whole ride!</p><p>Track sessions at Herne Hill Velodrome will help, as well as joining chaingang circuits of Regents Park. Then of course I can sign up and do a local race - something I haven't done in years. I did one for "fun" in 2021 and I was probably the oldest rider in the field, sprinting after youngsters less than half my age. My heart didn't know what had hit it and I needed a week to recover! Hopefully I can ease myself back in by doing a race with other veterans!</p><p>As for the rest, it's all about good hill climbing strength. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdq1WNUkXIQEH-JBgVIW9cSmLZohIfUC8A2cEu1ZUl9FxACOBiym7-q9XS7IaKDjM3JrDrTHtD7KZMphlyTtRIGhAmDKxYsBcLx5JAsy8gzaUjHE_TpcSbtdEQRSEUHinpChe8xyaT28Tp9MuKR_8wDtjziSwYLirD1z_H0kPrTW8_C656zKgvyA-AQ-SZ/s4032/20220417_164237.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdq1WNUkXIQEH-JBgVIW9cSmLZohIfUC8A2cEu1ZUl9FxACOBiym7-q9XS7IaKDjM3JrDrTHtD7KZMphlyTtRIGhAmDKxYsBcLx5JAsy8gzaUjHE_TpcSbtdEQRSEUHinpChe8xyaT28Tp9MuKR_8wDtjziSwYLirD1z_H0kPrTW8_C656zKgvyA-AQ-SZ/w640-h480/20220417_164237.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hardknott Pass, a featured climb in the Fred Whitton Challenge </td></tr></tbody></table>Living in Crystal Palace, South London we have no shortage of hills. I can't cycle to or from Central London without going up a hill. So I will certainly be keeping up my regular hill rep circuit, and even going extended versions of it.<p>My weekend rides will go either into the Surrey Hills or the Kent Hills. For a bit more variety I could go further out of London and go further South, into the South Downs, or further North into the Chilterns.</p><p>Then if I want to be more adventurous I an ride in different national parks like the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors, Lake District, or Head into Wales - Brecon Beacons or Eryri (formerly known as Snowdonia).</p><p>The hills in these areas will definitely give me lots of climbing practice, especially as they will be longer than the hills in the London area.</p><p>However, the trick is to find an event or route that will give me 4,000m+ of climbing. That's not easy to find. One of the hardest cyclosportives in the UK, the Fred Whitton Challenge, takes in a 180km (112 miles) route over the toughest climbs of the Lake District. It's a hard day in the saddle, though only makes around 3,800m of climbing. </p><p>So a trip to France, Spain or Italy to ride up Alpine climbs definitely beckons - where I can ride over 4,000m in a day, but also ride uphill for 20km+. So my preparation will include at least one trip to do these sorts if rides.</p><p>So as you can see, my work is cut out for me. Now I just need to get my bike out!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Related posts</b></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/11/etape-du-tour-comes-to-nice-and-im.html" target="_blank">Etape du Tour comes to Nice</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2022/11/tackling-fred-whitton-light-aka-lion.html" target="_blank">Tackling Fred Whitton light - (aka Lion and Lamb Challenge)</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2022/07/rides-on-cote-dazur-col-de-turini.html" target="_blank">Rides on the Cote d'Azur - Col de Turini</a></p><p><br /></p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-85404243075250427442023-11-08T12:00:00.001+00:002023-12-01T09:55:45.251+00:00Freewheeling: Alpe d'Huez finale for the 2024 Tour de France Femmes could be spectacular <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMG22OeNC1QnYRwQcJpXtFimzm7fKqFYKTtaDqeA8Q-9Ek3O_5uBIT1MZNSbP0qImcUUY9V4w7S2wKFWF3BlwRqgHK22rTwuVXw0dHDb0ZObzzv4saBYqWWsSi0E3y5mBGh6WUq9vaRxwj8LWx0Fa1R-OQY5XxkXUFuU9b5zDk4SaahBf6RL0lbK1lCwv/s2399/tdffaz2024-parcours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2399" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMG22OeNC1QnYRwQcJpXtFimzm7fKqFYKTtaDqeA8Q-9Ek3O_5uBIT1MZNSbP0qImcUUY9V4w7S2wKFWF3BlwRqgHK22rTwuVXw0dHDb0ZObzzv4saBYqWWsSi0E3y5mBGh6WUq9vaRxwj8LWx0Fa1R-OQY5XxkXUFuU9b5zDk4SaahBf6RL0lbK1lCwv/w426-h640/tdffaz2024-parcours.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p>A spontaneous applause rippled through the audience at the Palais des Congres, Paris as Marion Rousse revealed Alpe d'Huez as the concluding stage of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes.</p><p>The auditorium, packed, with a couple of thousand people - a mixture of professional cycle racers, cycling industry executives, sponsors, sports associations, local government representatives, governing body chiefs, and sports media - had come to watch the grand presentation of the 2024 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes routes. </p><p>Discovering that Alpe d'Huez would feature proved popular. This iconic climb which has been a crowd puller since it was included in the men's Tour de France in 1952 has now been included in what will be the third edition of the women's Grande Boucle event, sponsored by Zwift and organised by ASO.</p><p>An iconic stage was also included in the previous Tour de France Femmes when the 2023 event included a stage through the Pyrenees with a finish on the Tourmalet, and the 2022 inaugural renaissance event concluded in the Vosges atop La Superplanche des Belles Filles. </p><p>Having these iconic mountain stages in the women's races is great for the sport as it is bound to increase audience engagement in terms of television viewing and social media interactions. It is also a great endorsement from the organisers and sponsors that they would include such stages in the women's race. When it comes to the Tour de France, racing up Alpe d'Huez doesn't get better. Given the abundance of strong riders from the Netherlands in the women's peloton, Dutch corner will be a massive party for the women too! </p><p>Other interesting points about the Tour de France Femmes are the Grand Départ taking place in Rotterdam - the first time the race is happening outside of French territory. With the initial stages being in the Netherlands and Belgium, the riders won't reach France until Stage 5. Considering that the race only has eight stages it's not so much a Tour de France but a Tour de BeneFrance!</p><p>On a positive note the areas covered the Hexagon will be well known roads to the cycling fan. Stages 2 and 3 are done on the same day, in Rotterdam, with Stage 3 being a 6.3km time trial. This is practically the same route as the prologue of the 2010 Tour de France, though slightly shorter. As in 2010 the riders will have mini climbs to do up Erasmus Bridge and Willems Bridge.</p><p>Stage 4, from Valkenberg to Liège will feature parts of the Amstel Gold race (the Cauberg), as well parts of Liège-Bastogne-Liege (La Redoute, Côte des Forges, and others).</p><p>The 167km Stage 7, from Champagnole to Le Grand Bornand, the longest stage will be an extended version of La Course by the Le Tour de France 2018 and will pass by Lac d'Annecy, though with a preamble over climbs through the Jura. This stage will be a tasty appetiser before the grand finale, from Le Grand Bornand to Alpe d'Huez, passing via col de la Tamié, Col de Glandon, Barrage de Grand' Maison and then from Le Bourg d'Oisans up the 21 hairpins to the most famous ski resorts in cycling history. </p><p>So the stage is set for some royal battles. We just need the actors to play their part. Without wanting to put a fine point on it I think that there is an onus on the athletes to give the fans a spectacle. It is these stories of rivalry and show-downs on the streets of the Tour de France (and the Netherlands and Belgium) that garner more public interest and capture the imagination of the fans. </p><p>While it's great to see Annemiek Van Vleuten type athlete showing up and demonstrating pure dominance at a few races, doing it at every race or all the way through a stage race is not necessarily what engages spectators. Having one other rival is better, but still not that interesting if the rest of the field is so far behind. We remember how Van Vleuten audaciously snatched victory from Anna van der Breggen in the final metres of the race. But who remembers what the other riders did? Third placed Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio crossed the finish line well over a minute behind the two Dutch women.</p><p>What is needed is more depth. It is great to see races where it's not a given that such and such a rider will win, or that the winner will come from this really dominant team. (I'm looking at SD Worx here!)</p><p>Of course you can't reproach a rider or a team for being so much stronger than the others. We just need to see more challengers coming through. We got a flavour of that in 2023 Tour de France Femmes when Kasia Nieuwiadoma of Canyon SRAM went for it on the Tourmalet climb, and subsequently won the Queen of the Mountains jersey. We also saw that when some younger riders like Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) won a stage, and also when a couple of riders (other than Annemiek Van Vleuten) from Team Movistar won stages.</p><p>Also, with this year's event starting and passing through countries that harbour an avid cycling fan base there is likely to be greater interest than in previous years especially as there will be many Dutch riders contesting the top spots.</p><p>Furthermore, the variety in the profile of races means that there is something for everyone - for the Classics rider, the mountain goat, or the sprinter. Considering that this is only a seven-day race, the organisers have cleverly packed in stages that should leave no shortage of drama for we fans over that week in mid-August. I look forward to seeing who will be wearing the yellow jersey at the summit of Alpe d'Huez after seven days and 946km of racing. </p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-73729363794535105782023-11-01T20:00:00.004+00:002023-12-05T12:58:34.403+00:00Etape du Tour comes to Nice, and I'm riding it (hopefully)!<p><b>At the unveiling of the 2024 Tour de France route, Stage 20 - Nice to Col de la Couillole was announced as the route for the Etape du Tour. I have been lucky (or unlucky) enough to get a place to ride the 138km and 4,600m climbing from the Cote d'Azur to the mountains in the Mercantour National Park. I really want to do it before I get too old!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>It's exciting to know that the men's 2024 Tour de France will conclude with what could be epic stages in the Nice and Alpes-Maritimes region. The traditional ceremonial finale through Paris is being skipped due to the Olympic Games taking place there at that time. Well, Paris's loss is very much Nice's gain, as the World will focus on the riders as they battle over the col d'Eze during the final time trial between Monaco and the capital of the French Riviera. </p><p>This conclusion to La Grande Boucle has the potential to have the same suspense as the climax in 1989 when Greg Lemond won the Tour de France by 8 seconds from Laurent Fignon, after bettering him in the time trial on the Champs Elysées. That was the last time a Tour de France ended with a time trial. So we wait with baited breath to see how things will pan out between Messrs Vingegaard, Pogacar, and AN Other.</p><p>On the subject of stages of the Tour de France, I am very pleased (though also slightly apprehensive) to have bagged a chance to ride in the Etape du Tour event.</p><p>This challenge ride offers lesser mortals like you or I to be a pro for the day and ride a designated stage of the current year's Tour. Amaury Sports Organisation, who run the Tour de France have chosen stage 20 (Nice to Col de la Couillole) as the stage. It definitely is quite a challenge. It would have been much easier to just ride something shorter, flatter, and with lots of opportunities to stop for snack and take photos. But something in me just likes a push myself, and I guess it has to be done before I get way to old to put my body through it.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwwix8QjS7KUb-CQzKx9Nwbya0h6ngX8SQGXVNiIOSMopfRu8ceg-ZsbuBAxrxUD2w6XPg_YrSc6bB-VVCfkD5uVtGBcmu0P0_v6RgNi1FZ87ynGtZ1-ZYxzZCg4jy0v72ap0r6edlb3zXFWC8yoxuGGLdVBj5IJ7gfnqWl-muL0wbTyQMJ3-maB3Ub9_/s553/Etape%20du%20Tour%202024.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="553" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwwix8QjS7KUb-CQzKx9Nwbya0h6ngX8SQGXVNiIOSMopfRu8ceg-ZsbuBAxrxUD2w6XPg_YrSc6bB-VVCfkD5uVtGBcmu0P0_v6RgNi1FZ87ynGtZ1-ZYxzZCg4jy0v72ap0r6edlb3zXFWC8yoxuGGLdVBj5IJ7gfnqWl-muL0wbTyQMJ3-maB3Ub9_/w640-h630/Etape%20du%20Tour%202024.png" width="580" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Having taken part in the Etape on previous occasions I know what a great event it is - around 12,000 riders from countries all around the world line up with their road racing bikes to snake over cols and along valley roads, in exactly the same wheel tracks that the pros will ride a few days or weeks later. <p>There had been speculation as to whether this really would be the route for the Etape du Tour. Locals with their ear to the ground had suggested that it would be a Nice stage, on the basis that many hotels were already fully booked for the first week of July. Furthermore, Nice were very keen to host the Etape du Tour given that the last time it was due to take place, in 2020, the event was cancelled due to Coronavirus.</p><p>However, other folks could not believe that the organisers would choose a stage that finishes right in the middle of the remote Mercantour mountains, leaving thousands of cyclists with either a torturous trip back to Nice, probably in the mother of all traffic jams or riding 110km back to Nice, or maybe even having to bed down in a field if they can't get digs in one of the handful of gites and Bed & Breakfasts in the nearby hamlet of Beuil. </p><p>But it seems the organisers were not put off by that prospect, and have nevertheless chosen this as the stage for we amateurs to ride.</p><p>I must say that I am not fazed by the logistics at all, and managed to hit the reserve button for a room in a rather nice hotel at Guillaumes, about 10 miles from the finish line.</p><p>That aside, it must be said that the route will be a beauty. Like the original attempt to hold the Etape du Tour in 2020, the feature climb of the day will be Col de Turini - a climb that I got to know very well last year when I visited the Cote d'Azur. The route will <a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2022/07/rides-on-cote-dazur-col-de-braus.html" target="_blank">go up the climb from L'Escarene village and over the Col de Braus</a> - exactly the route that I took last year (though <a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2022/07/rides-on-cote-dazur-col-de-turini.html" target="_blank">I had to turn back a few miles after Moulinet</a> because of the fading light).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QzxJrtqdqz873k0UPVzxoV_o_2AFBumNQbUTHCp9HXYbfldnWztW2vw7twgvZSOCDxZDbZq5gOB8KK7_JtAfWUR2S5FJ5fHd2AMTLRPUpfHRHA47yvi9ixeYRQt9QPUaCDmUSQ1Bx6EJ1987LymynGhkPpnJHg7MeVYSM1RwmZ7xvVs7FDDyvSLEhzy7/s1008/LEscarene_20220618_123531.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QzxJrtqdqz873k0UPVzxoV_o_2AFBumNQbUTHCp9HXYbfldnWztW2vw7twgvZSOCDxZDbZq5gOB8KK7_JtAfWUR2S5FJ5fHd2AMTLRPUpfHRHA47yvi9ixeYRQt9QPUaCDmUSQ1Bx6EJ1987LymynGhkPpnJHg7MeVYSM1RwmZ7xvVs7FDDyvSLEhzy7/w640-h480/LEscarene_20220618_123531.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L'Escarene village</td></tr></tbody></table><p>What I have seen of the route is absolutely spectacular. Riding up the 10km of Col de Braus and 20km+ of Col de Turini will have us suitably entertained - which we will need as we round the 101 hairpins!</p><p>I know that the descent from Turini to Bollene Vesubie will be a little technical, as I recall from <a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2022/07/rides-on-cote-dazur-col-de-turini.html" target="_blank">my previous visit</a>. Thereafter, this will be new territory for me - and probably the hardest part psychologically, as I will still only be about half-way through the route and there will be another two long climb to do plus lots of gentle lumps and bumps. The pros will have this stage as a summit finish, while the official Etape du Tour finish will be in the valley at Beuil. I like to think that the descent into the village will be neutralised.</p><p>As mentioned, I have ridden the Etape du Tour in the past - the distant past being 20 years ago! I rode a stage from Pau to Bayonne, going via some not-very-well-known Pyrenean climbs. I got through the ride, but it was still touch and go, and the preparation for it became a 24/7 thing. These events can't be taken lightly. </p><p>Unlike some of these amateur rides along the route of Classics races like Paris-Roubaix or Tour of Flanders, the Etape is treated as a race by the organisers. The winners are garnered with public acclamation and get their 15 minutes of fame in the local media. Others can compete to achieve gold or silver time standards, and unnervingly, there is a minimum speed. If you get caught by the broom wagon/end-of-the-race car you are eliminated from the race. Your timing chip is unceremoniously removed, your bike is put in a truck and a waiting bus drives you and dozens of other failed riders back to the finish where you do a walk of shame past the guys receiving their medals. </p><p>That has also happened to me - when the Etape du Tour was a 250km through the Massive Central over the Puy Mary many years ago. I was not enjoying the ride at all, and after 160km (100 miles) I just got slower and slower like I was half hoping to be caught. The annoying thing is that the point where I got into the broom wagon, unbeknown to me, was about half a mile from a big descent. So I could have just about made an escape if I had had more faith. Instead I endured an interminable, demoralising coach trip through the back roads of the Cantal region to reach Saint-Flour.</p><p>After that sorry episode, I vowed never to be caught by a broom wagon, so it is with this in mind that I do my training to ride the 138km and 4,600m of climbing from Nice to Col de la Couillole. Knowing the climbs definitely helps mentally, so I plan to visit the area a couple of times between now and the big day.</p><p>I must also mention that this will be Etape du Tour Take 2. I had a place in the event last year when the stage went from Briancon to Alpe d'Huez - another area that I know well. I trained a lot for the event, but in the end I just didn't feel I quite had the fitness. This wasn't helped by the fact that I had been ill during my training. Judging by the results, I now believe that I probably would have made the cut to get through the race, but I think more miles and more Alpine trips in the run-up to the event would have given me more of a can-do attitude. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nttHj2kipJAH-NiLJoWfAqwXDFRBt0pbkYBIw1uF2A_-iMMCwafFyymieZqyKUM7tXWv4XBUpJRXOcNTEXLPWiIdi1p6bRfWDzG03XVu-TX2l08dJUChG835rzLM_pLpRL390DnaMs7_M621BxVDLOVw2M8Abuso4FmmXvYSh0ecK073qtpW_EsVLG-h/s736/Turini%20summit%2020220619_144359.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="736" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nttHj2kipJAH-NiLJoWfAqwXDFRBt0pbkYBIw1uF2A_-iMMCwafFyymieZqyKUM7tXWv4XBUpJRXOcNTEXLPWiIdi1p6bRfWDzG03XVu-TX2l08dJUChG835rzLM_pLpRL390DnaMs7_M621BxVDLOVw2M8Abuso4FmmXvYSh0ecK073qtpW_EsVLG-h/w640-h480/Turini%20summit%2020220619_144359.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><p>I like to think that I will have it on July 7th next year. Keep an eye out for updates on my preparation.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Related posts </b> </p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2022/07/rides-on-cote-dazur-col-de-braus.html" target="_blank">Riding up the Col de Braus</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2022/07/rides-on-cote-dazur-col-de-turini.html" target="_blank">Riding up the Col de Turini</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2017/09/one-day-one-photo-26-im-doing.html" target="_blank">I'm doing a cyclosportive!</a></p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com2London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-12633649733434756622023-10-23T18:30:00.098+01:002023-12-28T19:02:45.434+00:00Swimrun on the French Riviera - part 2<p><b>The start gun fires and we go hurtling along the beach at Cannes for the Otillo Experience SwimRun. This was my first swimrun event outside of the UK. Although I had done a few events before, I had felt a bit of trepidation about how things would go. It turned out to be a great event and a fun day.</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4NiYhVYFfPyqWsHpxn8AjyYV1g_XlTOB7gUGhJrmhzYu3vJGooZD2Wnm9OhXtMn0BmQn27jBZi5BdTtFLEuQLHxLLP8NnhyphenhyphenB8Sr85i3r13XZXYxSJSWYS6HdsgfXJwyq9tcQ5_ipA0KDBU3uv7mqs7cwXFu_msRwOCaWNbyVsPHiMvD88oMNQ4RgxFEC/s2048/Cannes%20SwimRun_Souvenir.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4NiYhVYFfPyqWsHpxn8AjyYV1g_XlTOB7gUGhJrmhzYu3vJGooZD2Wnm9OhXtMn0BmQn27jBZi5BdTtFLEuQLHxLLP8NnhyphenhyphenB8Sr85i3r13XZXYxSJSWYS6HdsgfXJwyq9tcQ5_ipA0KDBU3uv7mqs7cwXFu_msRwOCaWNbyVsPHiMvD88oMNQ4RgxFEC/w640-h480/Cannes%20SwimRun_Souvenir.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><p>From the start gun we all ran as fast as we could, with varying degrees of skill, negotiating our way through the thick sand of Plage Zamenhof on the Cannes Croisette. </p><p>My body was incapable of moving much quicker than jogging pace due to how challenging it was to take strides in a straight line. I wasn't drunk, honest!</p><p>Beach running was something I had not thought about, let alone practiced during my training preparation. How could I have totally overlooked this aspect of the race, knowing full well that it was a coastal swimrun? My bad.</p><p>As the mass of runners sailed off into the distance leaving me behind, I immediately realised my main goal would need to be revised from finishing on a target time, to just finishing - hopefully without it being painfully slow. That may be easier said than done. </p><p>The Experience and Sprint races didn't have any cut-off times, so I had almost all day to complete the distance - but then again if I did take all day I could forget about seeing Emmanuelle and Juliette this afternoon. Hopefully I could meet them for dinner!</p><p>Mind you, after all said and done, the great thing about this race were the views. Running along the beach with the sea washing over your feet, set against a backdrop of Regency architecture and palm trees was certainly not something to complain about. I could put up with that all day!</p><p>Although things were slow-going for me, I wasn't in last place. As the bay curved round to the right, I looked behind and saw that there were folks slower than me. This included a few older men and women, plus a man paired with a boy, who looked around 10 years old - maybe his son.</p><p>The father had the build of a very experienced athlete as he ran smoothly and comfortably. Meanwhile the little boy was putting in every effort to run as fast as he could along the beach, as one often sees with young kids starting out in competitive sport, only to have to slow down to a walk and take a breather. This meant I, with my slow and steady tortoise pace managed to gain ground on the pair.</p><p>Just when I began to think I couldn't continue for much longer through this sand, the course took us onto tarmac, and things became much more straightforward than the previous 10 minutes.</p><p>Gathered crowds and marshals cheered us on and applauded as we left the beach, albeit still giving that "rather you than me" look.</p><p>Soon after came Swim 1, but not without climbing over a rocky bank. I followed the line of the woman in front of me, though she was clearly hesitant about where to step. Not wanting to take risks and try and get past her, I preferred to stay behind and wait while she made up her mind. Not a very competitive mentality, I know, but I was intent on staying safe.</p><p>Consequently, I lost a few places as the athletes overtook us. I was content to take my time in order to feel comfortable for this swim. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl21YYUBqDQA8aqoclgxJG63Krvj8Ny7x8BPoZ6sbqY3XbOvgPAKaMxbXbiAMV_1qyF-36HgeUJBFgoE3J43JwMAYFX8hE10KbSU-sdso94m7Rc-upHMAKHFH7OlRksYgVwslMXRJHKPN40n3KW3F7Wg4a9kQ05-0CrQUmCnBk9ft0VbI81-QD2vzCNOq8/s667/Cannes%20SwimRun_Maria%20swim.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="667" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl21YYUBqDQA8aqoclgxJG63Krvj8Ny7x8BPoZ6sbqY3XbOvgPAKaMxbXbiAMV_1qyF-36HgeUJBFgoE3J43JwMAYFX8hE10KbSU-sdso94m7Rc-upHMAKHFH7OlRksYgVwslMXRJHKPN40n3KW3F7Wg4a9kQ05-0CrQUmCnBk9ft0VbI81-QD2vzCNOq8/w640-h640/Cannes%20SwimRun_Maria%20swim.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><br /><p>Although folks were certainly competitive, as you would expect in a race, there was still an atmosphere of camaraderie among the participants, with folks pointing out any unexpected hazards to one another, or giving each other words of encouragement. </p><p>A fit, lean woman did a U-turn on the rocks as though she was about to leave the race. "Are you okay?" I asked her in French. "No, I've lost my goggles." A little puzzled, given I could clearly see them on her head, I asked, "Do you have two pairs then?" "No," she replied. "Only one." "Well, they're on your head - you haven't lost them!"</p><p>Putting her hand on her head to feel they were still firmly in place, she then laughed with a mixture of embarrassment and relief. "Ah, I was convinced I had dropped them. I'd forgotten I'd put them on my head. What a relief, thank you." Then she got in the water and swam away rather quickly. Racing nerves makes you play tricks on your mind, as well as being forgetful.</p><p>My own goggles in place, and pull buoy secured between my thighs, I slowly lowered myself in for the first swim of the race, the section where I generally feel the most apprehensive. In fact, when I hit the water it felt pretty pleasant. </p><p>Sighting was very easy, since I just needed to follow the mass of swimming hats in front. Furthermore, the water was lovely and clear, making it easy to see other swimmers through the water. As long as I had a pair of legs in front of me I didn't even need to stick my head out of the water to do sighting - provided those swimmers were going the right way! </p><p>The only thing was that because many people were racing in pairs it meant that sometimes one person in the pair would swim a little and then suddenly slow down to wait for their partner to catch up. The rule in swimrun is you can't be more than 20m apart when running and 10m apart when in the water, so strong swimmers didn't have the chance to swim too far ahead if their partner was slower than them. That was quite handy for me, as it gave me the impression of constantly overtaking swimmers, which was motivational. </p><p>In fact, I was quite surprised at how many people I caught up with in the water, considering I was one of the last to get going. I am by no means a strong swimmer, but it's amazing what using a big pull buoy and hand paddles can do to improve your technique and speed! </p><p>The 750m swim took us back to the start/finish area of the event, where an even larger crowd had gathered, there was pop music, and the MC was commentating on what was going on. </p><p>This was also the place to fuel up at the feed station with a selection of dried fruit, energy bars, energy drinks and water. I made the most of the supplies, but then remembered I only had about 4km of running left to do, and given that I already had energy gels on me I was probably overfuelled!</p><p>Running past the spectators along the Zamenhof plage was uplifting, as I was accompanied by the sound of "Allez, Bravo" and avid clapping. A few volunteers who had been staffing the sign-on desk recognised me and gave an especially big cheer.</p><p>Then it was onwards to a residential area of Cannes, where the road went uphill. That was the only part of the race where there was a proper hill. Thankfully it was only brief.</p><p>Swim 2, a 500m stretch, was beautiful as I spotted various schools of fish. It was something I hadn't expected to see. You don't often get that in the London Docks, my usual open-water swimming venue. So this was quite a novelty.</p><p>Swim 3 was the part that Emmanuelle had warned me about - the one where you jump into the water from a pontoon. Jumping into water is something I never do - it's my total bugbear. I don't know how to dive, and I have also been conditioned to associate jumping into water with potentially getting cold water shock. If there had been any possible way of lowering myself into the water gently, I would have taken it. But that option was not available at all. So I took my time preparing myself, and particularly making sure my goggles were firmly in place. Nearby, the lifeguards on paddleboards watched me carefully, almost as though they were anticipating some sort of drama. After a couple of deep breaths in and out I took a graceful plop into the Mediterranean, ready to breath out and blow out any water that might enter my nose or mouth. With the water at 23 degrees Celsius there really wasn't anything to worry about, and anxiousness was over before it began. Then I swam along again, enjoying the sight of more schools of fish, some pretty looking algae, and various pairs of legs.</p><p>Throughout the race there were a couple of lone athletes, like myself with whom I played cat and mouse. I was probably a quicker runner and swimmer than them, but I was very slow at the entry points into the water. I was slow at adjusting the pull buoy to between my thighs, slow at putting on my hand paddles, and I really deliberated when getting my goggles in place. Plus, whenever the terrain looked slightly dicey, like over shingle or rocks, I slowed right down to a walk and would even spend time procrastinating about the best/safest line to take. Once in the water I would overtake them and make up some good ground, only to lose it all again at the next transition. It's a good job I wasn't feeling so competitive!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlORye8bVYIHWkm3dhyOIZjCme68e31t1Erh2WGChlZKc0mHvXbW3KTQfQXT1xjpTL9vZAgggv5S48Ty6OSFZ1KzAw4FNVOviDEFimmR7SRXRs-A7F_mYSvUchW9nv8fY5G9B3dcrn8LnU0Pkvmn3DH0c9XblsIr_k8mMVL7GpwdEwGZBuAxser41gimzv/s1000/Cannes%20SwimRun_Maria%20finish%20gantry.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlORye8bVYIHWkm3dhyOIZjCme68e31t1Erh2WGChlZKc0mHvXbW3KTQfQXT1xjpTL9vZAgggv5S48Ty6OSFZ1KzAw4FNVOviDEFimmR7SRXRs-A7F_mYSvUchW9nv8fY5G9B3dcrn8LnU0Pkvmn3DH0c9XblsIr_k8mMVL7GpwdEwGZBuAxser41gimzv/w640-h426/Cannes%20SwimRun_Maria%20finish%20gantry.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><p>Swim 4, the final leg of the race, at 600m, was the second longest swim, and also the hardest for me because I was beginning to feel tired. The fatigue was mainly in my upper arms and pectoral muscles. Hand paddles are really good at improving your speed in the water, but they do work muscles that bit more than without them. I had done regularly training with them, though clearly not enough.</p><p>However, I was motivated by the sight of the event village in the distance. At this point there was no one in sight ahead of me, so I would have to do some sighting and pick the racing line. But I wasn't sure where the racing line was. All I could see was the event village, spread over about 75 metres across the beach, with no clear sign of the finish gantry. So I just swam in the general direction of the event area, and hoped that the actual race route and finish line would eventually become clear. </p><p>By the time I neared the beach my swim route had taken me a good 30 metres off the racing line! On exiting the water to reach the finish gantry I suddenly did get a bout of competitive spirit, as a swimmer I had previously overtaken, and who did follow the shortest line when swimming was about to cross the finish line ahead of me. I wasn't having that! So my legs managed to find the energy to spurt through the sand, and I just snuck in front of her - which I like to think was fair enough in a racing environment. I'll take even the small wins!</p><p>Crossing the finish line, I was really elated to have gotten through my first swimrun abroad. I hadn't been sure if it was a prudent thing to do, as a swimrun newbie, especially as I hadn't done any events this year. But I think this event in Cannes proved to be the right decision, and the best option when doing a first event on foreign soil.</p><p>After the finish line buzz, and making the most of the post-race nibbles, I got showered and changed at the nearby beach huts.</p><p>While gathering my things together I got chatting to different people, including a couple of folks from the UK who were employees of VivoBarefoot, one of the sponsors of the race.</p><p>Soon, Juliette and then Emmanuelle came up and chatted to me and we had our post-race lunch in the buffet tent together, reminiscing over that tough beginning on the beach, the daunting first swim, and who spotted the lovely starfish on the sea bed. </p><p>We also talked about our results, which we were happy with. I finished in just over 1hour 30 minutes, while Emmanuelle and Juliette, who raced as a pair, took just under that time We all resolved to go 10 minutes quicker next year. Yes, we had already decided to return here next year.</p><p>They had no intention of doing any of the longer distances at the Cannes SwimRun, and wanted the emphasis to be on having fun. However, Emmanuelle later mentioned that her husband is an elite swimrunner and was in contention in the full-distance Otillo World Series race, which had begun at 9.15am on the Ile Sainte-Marguerite. Who knows, maybe his competitive spirit will rub off onto her and she might do a more challenging swimrun distance next year.</p><p>Sitting in the autumn sunshine, enjoying the sea view, while listening to the animated commentator, with pumping pop music in the background added to the feelgood factor of being on the French Riviera. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuL7FljX2oD0FOUDn-zuwgL3uwSIF_Z6qIxYl7pod5yxov2nZKWgUJeuwuqHdrT6uJs3vRS5CDMckiXl5Ff_Fw0h8evw4N7Cb4CiJxly0_P50sSXuAjoojFAvC1HK9P3xdciviHmdp236WRIqc6wujNq7dQBhNi3nMef89oy2YOHGX6-4p5mNeE0TUqnBZ/s1440/Cannes%20SwimRun_Maria%20podium.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuL7FljX2oD0FOUDn-zuwgL3uwSIF_Z6qIxYl7pod5yxov2nZKWgUJeuwuqHdrT6uJs3vRS5CDMckiXl5Ff_Fw0h8evw4N7Cb4CiJxly0_P50sSXuAjoojFAvC1HK9P3xdciviHmdp236WRIqc6wujNq7dQBhNi3nMef89oy2YOHGX6-4p5mNeE0TUqnBZ/w640-h640/Cannes%20SwimRun_Maria%20podium.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><p>Alas, all good things must come to an end, and the time came for me to pack my kit and ride back to Nice, where I would then prepare to take my flight back to London.</p><p>It had been a fun day, and I was on a real high all the way home. A swimrun definitely enhances a holiday on the French Riviera!</p><p><b>Related posts</b></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/10/swimrun-on-french-riviera-part-1.html" target="_blank">SwimRun on the French Riviera - part 1</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2021/09/photo-of-day-26-swimrun-of-year-at-bewl.html" target="_blank">Bewl Water SwimRun by As Keen as Mustard</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2021/09/photo-of-day-22-trying-to-master.html" target="_blank">VivoBarefoot minimalist shoes for swimrun</a></p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-34779082070614992562023-10-20T11:17:00.078+01:002023-12-28T18:40:45.269+00:00Swimrun on the French Riviera - Part 1<div><b>I had been doing swimming and running training during this year, so it was time to do a Swimrun event. I took the plunge and headed to the South of France to do the Otillo Swimrun, Cannes</b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKODrbU06_otKrV39t4xCsAlJ2hf1PLLf33wyc_LzfkVMO89KxbdAKMRKqKEpvGCAwhEs7acxcVEni6k99IhAq17e646B1foTd7H23OO88AqTnrH2OMbaL9pyyYL1-qmSUuM_g0NS5WUzq_Z9gbg7yJYAvNcfq-Lr-j9sfoSwd-3COjXOceKhvSnuE0Y3y/s1000/Race%20start%20on%20the%20beach.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKODrbU06_otKrV39t4xCsAlJ2hf1PLLf33wyc_LzfkVMO89KxbdAKMRKqKEpvGCAwhEs7acxcVEni6k99IhAq17e646B1foTd7H23OO88AqTnrH2OMbaL9pyyYL1-qmSUuM_g0NS5WUzq_Z9gbg7yJYAvNcfq-Lr-j9sfoSwd-3COjXOceKhvSnuE0Y3y/w640-h426/Race%20start%20on%20the%20beach.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><br /><div>Last year I somehow got through the whole 12 months without taking part in a single swimrun event, despite having done regular training. I didn't want 2023 to go the same way. Sadly, the year didn't start as well as planned as I suffered from a bout of patella syndrome, so doing any race was the last thing on my mind. I wasn't confident that I had the fitness to make a decent account of myself so didn't enter any races of any sort in advance. </div><div><br /></div><div>Eventually, once my knee healed and I began to resume training, I sent off my entry for the Grafham Water SwimRun, organised by the As Keen As Mustard crew. However, when race-day came I didn't feel confident that I would race in the way I wanted, and might end up feeling disappointed with my comeback. So, not believing I was strong enough to make the trip up to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, I opted to stay put in London. </div><div><br /></div><div>To be honest, after looking at some of the pictures of the windswept landscape providing the backdrop for bedraggled competitors crawling out of the vast, choppy reservoir, I was comfortable with my decision.</div><div>Mind you, I was less happy to have lost £53 for my no-show at the event! So with that, I resolved to only enter events when I felt absolutely sure that I would go - even if it meant paying a premium entry fee for entering a few days before the event. It was better to do that than to pay an early bird "cheaper price" which was not actually that cheap, and then lose the money for yet again another no-show.</div><div><br /></div><div>Doing things this way meant that by Autumn my racing season had consisted of just two triathlons, Swim Serpentine open water event (deferred from last year due to the state funeral of Elizabeth II), and the Paris-Versailles Grande Classique running race. Some might argue that my season was on a roll, but this is a far cry from the old days when I would do between 15 and 20 events per season. </div><div><br /></div><div>In any case, a swimrun was was noticeably absent from this assortment of activities, so beckoning. With the season-end fast approaching, I needed to get my rear into gear pretty damn quick and put on a swimrun bib.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCU8GM40SlwlDMas9Vol4IyUCrYGICudBks3cpC5fQAZ1wVnesMlA1ZyprWnYTZSTD786V17B6qV0gC0m6SVEzXJMQjdf3_lZp7ILyJkkUklePjMxNNdsuJzpp0FImf2GoIYJ0Cy-ISpQ7f_YeEsg52t4CU00FgO__yedoEefdsEp15Zp3wfzvApVJpSBZ/s291/Otillo%20Cannes.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="291" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCU8GM40SlwlDMas9Vol4IyUCrYGICudBks3cpC5fQAZ1wVnesMlA1ZyprWnYTZSTD786V17B6qV0gC0m6SVEzXJMQjdf3_lZp7ILyJkkUklePjMxNNdsuJzpp0FImf2GoIYJ0Cy-ISpQ7f_YeEsg52t4CU00FgO__yedoEefdsEp15Zp3wfzvApVJpSBZ/w400-h227/Otillo%20Cannes.png" width="400" /></a></div><div>Well, very handily I had a choice of two events, both of them in one of my favourite places, the French Riviera. In late October would be SwimRun Cote d'Azur in Nice; a week earlier, Ottilo SwimRun would be contested in Cannes. My gut reaction would have been to take on both events.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, my competitive eyes were bigger than my racing stomach, and I felt it more prudent to pick one event. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cannes was the preferred choice as it is part of the most famous franchise in the world of swimrun, and arguably the reference standard among these races. There would likely be a large, international field as opposed to the Nice event which seemed smaller in organisation and with mainly local French participants. Although this event cost a little less than the Otillo race, flights to Nice in late October were more expensive than for the mid-October Cannes race due to it happening at the start of the half-term school holidays. So I booked a mid-October flight to Nice, all set to race in Cannes.</div><div><br /></div><div>As swimrun events involve constantly alternating between running and swimming over a set route, the headline event information is given as the total running distance and the total swimming distance. You then look at the route in more detail on the event website to see the breakdown of the number and distances of the runs and swims as well as the route for each section. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ottilo Cannes offered a choice of three distances: the full distance - 33km run/8km swim; sprint distance - 10km run/3km swim; experience distance - 5km run/2km swim. </div><div><br /></div><div>I opted for the Experience distance, so my race wouldn't be starting until 10.30am on the Saturday morning, which seemed a civilised time to start a race, and made a change from a 7am start for the triathlons I'd done. </div><div><br /></div><div>From my lodgings near Nice St Augustin station, I caught the 8.15 train to make the hour-long journey to Cannes. Then with my hired bicycle I cycled a mile to reach the Juliana Hotel to register, before following the waymarked route to the event village on the nearby Plage Zamenhof.</div><div><br /></div><div>Along the main drag, known as La Croisette, there was a buzzing atmosphere as hundreds of wet-suit-clad athletes wearing race bibs were milling around the promenade with friends and family, or in front of the gazing eyes of the locals. The area was a sea of orange and purple bibs and hats, with folks wearing trail shoes, minimalist or barefoot shoes all in varying styles and colours. </div><div><br /></div><div>These are the shoes worn for swimrun, as events generally involve running on trails or other off-road areas. Minimalist shoes work well (if you can run in them) as they are light and won't weigh your legs down so much when swimming - yes, you swim with your shoes on.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3o2M5Ymr0hpTxooyEcpA3K2fUjF5VvH9v9yP0pgCoM21F390VJQr66a79d4UbKQjUHnEyOjBDNCECOHn0sD7ebtdlYWPFAfIGUxYwKVClDApJ2BM-mZtU_0oA6VqWAYNFS9YKIiCO7UG9wELyZD8X0xrph3TsN2Sd3sNdvsF52igzQ2fyfXj_-15_5rrI/s1440/Maria_Pre_race%20on%20la%20Croisette.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3o2M5Ymr0hpTxooyEcpA3K2fUjF5VvH9v9yP0pgCoM21F390VJQr66a79d4UbKQjUHnEyOjBDNCECOHn0sD7ebtdlYWPFAfIGUxYwKVClDApJ2BM-mZtU_0oA6VqWAYNFS9YKIiCO7UG9wELyZD8X0xrph3TsN2Sd3sNdvsF52igzQ2fyfXj_-15_5rrI/s320/Maria_Pre_race%20on%20la%20Croisette.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div>Wetsuits are specially made for swimrun. They just come down to your knees and zip up at the front. There are one or two pockets to allow you to carry things like a compass and whistle, a first-aid kit, a collapsible cup, and a couple of refreshments. The neoprene is a similar thickness to a triathlon/open water wetsuit but with a lot more flexibility to allow you to run in it - yes you run with your wetsuit on. </div><div><br /></div><div>Many people had short-sleeved or sleeveless wetsuits given the particularly hot autumn temperatures, though I was still happy to wear my wetsuit with long sleeves. It is unheard-of for me to get too hot during an event involving open-water swimming!</div><div><br /></div><div>Among the crowds a wide selection of languages could be heard. Naturally, there was a predominance of French, but German, Italian, English, and Swedish were also spoken by significant numbers of athletes, to reflect the global appeal of this sport which began following a bet in a pub in 2002, between some friends, to see how far they could swim and run across the Stockholm archipelago. </div><div><br /></div><div>Folks had travelled from as far afield as the US or South Africa, and I also saw folks from back home. I even noticed a woman in Tri London kit. It seemed that many local residents had come out to see the spectacle after having seen the adverts for the event, and perhaps had watched it over the years since its inaugural edition in 2018.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even though I felt sure I could cover the distance, and I felt comfortable in my environment, having made many trips to the Côte d'Azur, I felt a sense of nervous anticipation, when looking at these seriously finely tuned male and female athletes - swimrun veterans. Of course, I was fit, and agewise I probably was a veteran - though not in swimrun terms, given I didn't have the experience to match my advancing years. </div><div><br /></div><div>Oh well, I just needed to reassure myself that the distances I was doing were less than what I'd done in training sessions back home in London. Furthermore, I had been swimming in the Mediterranean every day for the previous four days, so this should not hold any surprises. At the worst case scenario my French was good enough to flag down a Good Samaritan and catch a lift back to base if things totally belly-flopped! </div><div><br /></div><div>My main concerns were that my shoes wouldn't come off while swimming, and my untested goggles purchased just the previous day would not be too loose and fill with water. Oh, and I hoped I would't lose my timing chip, or find myself alone all at sea, not knowing which way to swim. My head was filled with a lot of thoughts, but I was determined to stay in control - sort of!</div><div><br /></div><div>After dropping off my rucksack at the bag drop, all Sprint and Experience distance athletes gathered at the start gantry for a warm-up and pre-race briefing. </div><div><br /></div><div>Surprisingly, the briefing was done only in English, which seemed strange given that we were very much in France. Regardless of the language the official spoke, I and the rest of us rang out a welcome cheer on hearing that the sea was free of jellyfish. </div><div><br /></div><div>Briefing over, we had a final opportunity to acclimatise to the water, so I used this moment to dunk myself in the sea and check that my new Speedo goggles were doing their job. They felt fine. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then I rejoined my fellow athletes to anxiously await the start gun. "The water's a really nice temperature isn't it?" I said in French to two women with whom I stood alongside. "It's super," replied one of them, smiling. </div><div><br /></div><div>We then continued our conversation, talking about where we were from and our experience in swimrun. They were two friends who had travelled down from Lyon. Like me, they were newcomers to the sport.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Emmanuelle had done this event the previous year as her first ever swimun race. This event was therefore her second swimrun. Juliette had done just one previous swimrun near her home. They would be racing as a pair for the first time. It was reassuring to meet two people in the same boat as me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoAA8VkEV6sZKOMXYrTU2ZzcnLDDcpgHetg00YOg11eg6K-wk6qttLqUP_vgUZstveSrseIVioZpl8_yJSj1CcMdkIjKhv8L1lRBH4ySLviXvSOjQRLAY9vscLVSWCjC1FMMd1bGwoSldpqgnQLI7N89qRd9vbF563ODpa6cHgdPfg3vJQAlkrT6vsmZY/s800/Cannes%20SwimRun_Sprint_Experience%20start.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoAA8VkEV6sZKOMXYrTU2ZzcnLDDcpgHetg00YOg11eg6K-wk6qttLqUP_vgUZstveSrseIVioZpl8_yJSj1CcMdkIjKhv8L1lRBH4ySLviXvSOjQRLAY9vscLVSWCjC1FMMd1bGwoSldpqgnQLI7N89qRd9vbF563ODpa6cHgdPfg3vJQAlkrT6vsmZY/w640-h428/Cannes%20SwimRun_Sprint_Experience%20start.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After Emmanuelle gave me a few tips on what to expect along the course, and us joking about meeting up at the finish some time before nightfall, the countdown to zero began, and at the gun we sprang forward to the whoops and cheers of the spectators. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our first challenge was the roughly 1km run along the camber of the beach. This was already pretty taxing on my legs as I ran along the beach like I was drunk - and my shoes were filling with sand. This was going to be more complicated than anticipated.</div><div><br /></div><div>(See link below for Part 2)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Related posts </b></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/10/swimrun-on-french-riviera-part-2.html?m=1" target="_blank">Swimrun on the French Riviera - Part 2</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2021/09/photo-of-day-26-swimrun-of-year-at-bewl.html" target="_blank">Bewl Water Swimrun by as Keen as Mustard</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2021/09/photo-of-day-22-trying-to-master.html" target="_blank">VivoBarefoot minimalist shoes for swimrun</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-77863377904657657652023-10-10T07:18:00.267+01:002023-11-10T14:59:54.656+00:00The Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 7: Ride to Brighton<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOkABobFcejatNkiiYdkVgjQccCNVW9PHcTvFm9Ih6pUD1ieBl3kXpsJlM0mxbUre5VjiH9___lBrWHKlgGzJ4ceUOA4skuFWLJQTNkAS69A1rNp48Jy2kDyxEJxmxU03aYxsBwCrqkvgYMl7H6AxwgCsFemGEEZZ3YexMwzNsV1tlovHtLZgXurX1PAR/s1008/Monkey%20at%20Ditchling%20Beacon_20230909_160912_resized.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOkABobFcejatNkiiYdkVgjQccCNVW9PHcTvFm9Ih6pUD1ieBl3kXpsJlM0mxbUre5VjiH9___lBrWHKlgGzJ4ceUOA4skuFWLJQTNkAS69A1rNp48Jy2kDyxEJxmxU03aYxsBwCrqkvgYMl7H6AxwgCsFemGEEZZ3YexMwzNsV1tlovHtLZgXurX1PAR/w640-h480/Monkey%20at%20Ditchling%20Beacon_20230909_160912_resized.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Monkey, standing proud at Ditchling Beacon en route to Brighton</td></tr></tbody></table><p>When I got my Honda Monkey 125cc in August of last year I had in mind to ride out to my favourite weekend destinations - places that I enjoy going to on my pushbike, but this time with a bit of motorised assistance. As it happens these destinations happen to be favoured by motorbikers too - Rykers Cafe and Newlands Corner in the Surrey Hills, Brighton, and Windsor.</p><p>I must admit it has taken me a while to get round to going to these places though. Lack of time has been the main factor, as I realise that I really need to give myself a good half-day to do these things, and I always found myself so busy in the morning that by the time I got around to setting off it would be 3pm, and I didn't really want to be riding along the country roads in the dark.</p><p>I did do a trip out to Rykers in August of last year, and then to Newlands Corner at Easter. Both of those trips were combined with me doing a little trail run. I feel it's sacrilege to go all the way to those places without getting out on the beautiful trails.</p><p>At the start of the summer I rode out to Windsor too. Still on the theme of wanting to combine my ride with an activity, I took my rollerskates, in a hope that I could find a patch of land where I could roll around a little. In the end I didn't use them and ended up with an achy back after carrying an extra 4kg on my bike for 70 miles for no apparent reason!</p><p>The missing card in the set was Brighton. One day in August I got all kitted out and took some gear with me in a hope of doing a swim and possibly some paddleboarding too. It was around 3pm, but I thought that with the long days I could still do most of the return journey by day and that nightfall would come once I hit Croydon. I set off, again with a loaded rucksack and rack on my bike, only to make it as far as South Norwood, two miles away, before I decided to turn back. A road traffic accident meant the area was totally congested and I would likely face a frustrating ride down to the coast. Instead, I turned back, and battled through the London traffic to head to Docklands where a much-needed refreshing swim at the watersports centre beckoned.</p><p>At moments I wondered if I would ever get to Brighton with my Monkey. I was beginning to feel silly and wondered if I really could call myself a motorbiker because my rides were mainly just errands around London. Surely, my mini moto deserved more than that?! Then finally, the day came - one Saturday in early September when the weather was set fair - maybe a bit too fair given the 27 degrees Celsius heat - and I had finished my chores by lunchtime, I saw it fit to make the trip down to the seaside.</p><p>As this was a first trip outside of the London/South-East area, and I was going to such a far-off place as East Sussex, I decided to stick to the lanes that I knew, and basically followed the route I take when cycling to Brighton on my pushbike.</p><p>That involved heading through South Croydon, Merstham, Redhill, then the country lane to Balcombe, past Haywards Heath and over Ditchling Beacon. Even though I am legal to ride on the motorway, the M23 was out of the question.</p><p>With a top speed of 56 miles per hour, the Monkey might blow up if I tried to ride at motorway speeds. Furthermore, weighing barely a shade over 100kg the bike would be so flyaway that I would need nerves of steel and very sturdy arms on a gusty day. Preferring a quieter (and safer) life, I stuck to the country lanes.</p><p>It was a very hot day. This was ride would require me to take breaks during the 48-mile ride in order to stand in a shady area and rehydrate. Motorbike riding looks such a cool thing to do, and a great way to get around as you breeze down a country road loving life, etc as you see in glossy adverts. But no one tells you about the reality of the hair dryer effect where you have warm air blowing at you, and where your heavy protective jacket and trousers can have you sweating buckets. Rehydration is important, as well as stopping so that you don't overheat.</p><p>I did see a few motorbikers just in shorts and T-shirts. At Ardingly village I even saw a couple of women on Harley Davidsons wearing bikinis. Wow. They are braver girls than me, in many ways!</p><p>So off I set, along the A23 past Coulsdon along the dual carriageway. Having two lanes was handy for me, as I stayed in the slow lane while those in a rush to get to Gatwick Airport could steam past to reach the M23. Thereafter, the road narrowed to a single carriageway, though those who wanted to move really quickly were on the motorway, so we slower vehicles could enjoy the scenic route along the A23 down through Merstham and Redhill. </p><p>Once past Redhill town centre, and East Surrey Hospital the road began to climb and widened to a dual carriageway. This time the speed limit cranked up to around 50 mph, though at least knew I could be out of the way of faster moving vehicles. </p><p>At Horley I then took the B2036 road through the forest to head for Balcombe. This was a pleasant twisty road that I was familiar with, having taken it on my pushbike. Interestingly, when using pedal power I han't noticed the twists and turns much - probably because I was just focused on grinding my way uphill at slow speed. I hadn't had much opportunity to ride the motorbike around these types of roads, so I savoured the curves, even if I probably didn't have the best technique. In any case I was able to take the corners faster than I would in a car, and that already gave me a lot of satisfaction.</p><p>The advantage at these moments was that on the single carriageway when there were faster moving cars coming up close behind me, I could easily lose them on the twists and turns given the Monkey's naturally superior agility to any car when taking a bend. </p><p>On we (my Monkey and I) progressed through Ardingly and Haywards Heath, and onto Wivelsfield, where thhere were lots of folks out enjoying the late summer sunshine in this olde worlde village with its network of tight roads. Sadly, this meant a build-up of traffic, much to the annoyance I imagine, of the locals. The situation was compounded by the fact that an actual London to Brighton Bike Ride was taking place that weekend, and it seemed that many cyclists had decided to do a ride-out, and guess what - they were heading for Ditchling Beacon - exactly where we were all going.</p><p>I must admit, I had been feeling nervous about going up this climb that rises to 12%, as I was all too aware of its toughness, given the number of times I have cycled up it. Ditchling Beacon is that sting in the tail on the route as you begin to rejoice that you have covered the bulk of the distance and you look forward to the sea soon coming into view. </p><p>Going up hills like this require good clutch control whether in a car or on a motorcycle. I recall a few occasions when a motorist crawling up the hill stalled their car when caught behind cyclists straining every muscle to get over the steep ramp. The road is too narrow to overtake safely, so motorists are obliged to wait patiently and calmly. Would I end up stalling the Monkey, and panicking as I roll backwards?? That was the sort of nightmare scenario I had lurking in my mind. I needed to focus and believe that I could ride this. It's no worse than edging my way up through the traffic near my home on Anerley Hill at rush hour.</p><p>In fact, I realised that things were not that bad for me as a motorbiker. Although the road was too narrow for a car to overtake the cyclists safely, there was space for motorcycles. As long as I kept my eyes peeled for oncoming traffic and had full control of the clutch and the accelerator, while being ready to stop, it was not so difficult to breeze by the traffic jam. Once I was at the front of the queue of cars I eased past the London to Brighton cyclists, and gave them a wide berth given how wobbly some of them were on the road. Before I knew it, I was at the summit where I pulled into the car park to enjoy the beautiful vistas over Sussex, and could even reward myself with an ice cream.</p><p>The last part of the ride was a case of straightforward descent through Stanmer and Moulsecoomb, and once in Central Brighton I was lucky enough to bag the last remaining motorcycle space right on the sea front, next to the Seaside Fish and Chip shop where lots of bikers congregate.</p><p>I celebrated with a little swim and some chips.</p><p>The ride home was a direct route from Brighton seafront to Crystal Palace non-stop. There was no need to stop given that it was after 6pm, and traffic was light on the roads. That was just as well really, as I decided to go for it and progress my riding to the dizzy heights of the A23 dual carriageway from Brighton. This road alternated between two and three lanes, and had the feel of being on a motorway. </p><p>There were no trucks, and traffic was sparse so I didn't feel too uncomfortable. It was all about keeping my eyes peeled all around me, particularly behind as vehicles approached at 70 mph and they needed to switch lane once they noted that I was travelling 20mph slower than them. By and large drivers did switch lane, so that was reassuring. Interestingly one vehicle that had overtaken me, an Audi, was later spotted some miles down the road in the central reservation of the A23 after a collision with another car. </p><p>A few motorbikers went past me on their much more powerful machines. They all gave a wave or a thumbs up as they passed. It's great to feel like you're part of a community.</p><p>Soon the A23 became the M23, and I left the very fast road for a moderately fast road - the A23 back through Pease Pottage, just outside Crawley. Traffic was very light by this point, which suited me. It also began to get dark, but that didn't bother me so much as the route went through little villages that hug the Gatwick Airport area, before I hit Redhill - very familiar territory.</p><p>When I reached home it was just after 8pm, so my ride home from Brighton had taken me 2 hours. I hadn't noticed the time go by at all. Obviously, a bike with 4 times the engine capacity could probablly have covered the distance in half the time. But I was happy with my ride on the Monkey - in a car it would have taken longer, just because of the sheer traffic, not to mention the stress and expense of parking in Brighton. I was glad to have been able to do a ride to one of my favourite day trip destinations from London. I never felt unsafe or anxious, which bodes well for a continued future in motorbiking.</p><p>I just need to find a way of carrying a paddleboard down there with me next time! </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Related posts</b></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/09/one-day-one-photo-15-motorbike-problem.html" target="_blank">Motorbike problem rectified with a rectifier</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/04/the-monkey-motorbike-diaries-episode-6.html" target="_blank">The Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 6: Dropping the bike</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/04/the-monkey-motorcycle-diaries-episode-5.html" target="_blank">The Monkey Motorbike Diaries - Episode 5: Ride to Newlands Corner</a></p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-43356085428619782362023-10-08T19:30:00.097+01:002023-10-28T17:08:13.780+01:00Box Hill Zig Zag is my best fitness test<p>As a London-based cyclist, Box Hill features firmly among my list of places to go for a bike ride. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGx8ZWc3_HQkRq327YPNXYTGyadjcVLbKadM_2uct8wpTXG11_eMvNQR5suSmHMcpQp9LKfPGZ0m8mvyyS2Fz4d4YqQNK9QAe7tMSdF3aYlTMHFjLM4HWrhkOiVi7NlmW2f4BSMdKuVMVJuw_r5ljhYgmpgbhg1uLI3giXELPsJmRKfwupL8qd6O-QDP7/s972/Box%20Hill%20zig%20zag_IMG_20190423_073731_973_resized_1%20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="972" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGx8ZWc3_HQkRq327YPNXYTGyadjcVLbKadM_2uct8wpTXG11_eMvNQR5suSmHMcpQp9LKfPGZ0m8mvyyS2Fz4d4YqQNK9QAe7tMSdF3aYlTMHFjLM4HWrhkOiVi7NlmW2f4BSMdKuVMVJuw_r5ljhYgmpgbhg1uLI3giXELPsJmRKfwupL8qd6O-QDP7/w640-h640/Box%20Hill%20zig%20zag_IMG_20190423_073731_973_resized_1%20.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><p>It's not actually that local to me, given that the quickest route there can take almost two hours and there are various other country lanes and hills I could ride on nearer to my home. But the ride out to this famous hill, crested multiple times during the London 2012 Olympics is worthwhile.</p><p>Box Hill is significant in my cycling life and is such a massive magnet for cyclists from across the London area that it would be sacrilege to not include it on the list. </p><p>I really like this climb, as does everyone else I know. There is something about that turning off Old London Road near Rykas Café onto the Zigzag that gives me that same feeling you get when you finally see a familiar face among a crowd of strangers - the old faithful friend.</p><p>Set within chalky terrain in the heart of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Box Hill towers above the suburban town of Dorking and has a vast country parkland and woodland area where people can admire the views of the landscape below, as they walk or cycling on the trails, or while enjoying a picnic. This is a hotbed of activity on any sunny day, particularly at the weekends. </p><p>In general, when I ride in this area, Box Hill is my final official climb before I head homewards. It's the sweetspot after my previous efforts on the more demanding hills in the area - or maybe the yoga equivalent of shavasana, after tackling the more challenging balancing and twisting poses. </p><p>It is while rolling along this stretch of road on the side of the chalk escarpment, lined with ancient woodland that I can gauge where my fitness is. How my legs feel when climbing Box Hill gives me an idea of whether I am feeling on form or not, or whether I have overdone things during the ride, notably on the earlier Surrey hills that day. It's like an analogue live version of Myfitnesspal.</p><p>The friend may be initially slightly demanding at first, as I begin to tackle the opening turns in the road and I feel my legs having to work slightly more than when they were previously coasting along the Dorking by-pass cycle path. But once the Zig Zag car park comes into view I know that I will soon have ticked off the first hairpin, and the gradient will ease off. </p><p>It is usually during this early phase of the climb that many cyclists overtake me as they tackle the hill with enthusiasm and gusto, while I tend to spin an easy gear, gently easing myself into the climb to establish a comfortable rhythm for my legs as well as my lungs. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboiR572m2tgwMHYA7g4dGDo2_PxBlWnRMx0Uta8V_csYl9Fi-YurkO2qIMaWyQQ6jHb996zxkQXisCN0b5VnH6m7MkdFDf04K02ucs7MpznTnKEK2bZ-hSJX66ECpqK3nTzA9XMwsp8wpSiyakgcsFMWgZWuDwB3U4OEekpk_VmCTG5jXt5p1EtsxuFid/s1318/Box%20Hill%20profile.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="1318" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboiR572m2tgwMHYA7g4dGDo2_PxBlWnRMx0Uta8V_csYl9Fi-YurkO2qIMaWyQQ6jHb996zxkQXisCN0b5VnH6m7MkdFDf04K02ucs7MpznTnKEK2bZ-hSJX66ECpqK3nTzA9XMwsp8wpSiyakgcsFMWgZWuDwB3U4OEekpk_VmCTG5jXt5p1EtsxuFid/w640-h309/Box%20Hill%20profile.png" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Box Hill profile from Old London Road to Box Hill village</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCR26uCsp0lEG0Iqx1-BfGeY3FEeGWZM9QsO2_ltMrHtJZtpa4Ps375xaoTy04rTJs93QlWBsXtqTMF4d9N7bt19HUPuPvt5xTNkeDpBx0NR1Dki6lEDdrdILqCXPivL3Sm3O6spLDegSewuO2XIzS7bfXpNYVWuNINypwVlPUWuuKs1OPCGPfrfcnMblT/s1016/Box%20Hill%20gradient%20map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="1016" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCR26uCsp0lEG0Iqx1-BfGeY3FEeGWZM9QsO2_ltMrHtJZtpa4Ps375xaoTy04rTJs93QlWBsXtqTMF4d9N7bt19HUPuPvt5xTNkeDpBx0NR1Dki6lEDdrdILqCXPivL3Sm3O6spLDegSewuO2XIzS7bfXpNYVWuNINypwVlPUWuuKs1OPCGPfrfcnMblT/w640-h408/Box%20Hill%20gradient%20map.png" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Box Hill gradient map</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Today, as I rode along I noted that it took me more time to find that comfortable rhythm. My legs felt heavy and my breathing was more laboured than usual. </p><p>On the first bend I spotted the unusual sight of a makeshift cardboard signboard. You wouldn't normally see something so rough and ready-looking in this elegant location. I wondered if it was a political slogan, as people have taken to doing of late, or maybe a sign of encouragement drawn by a child for their middle-aged parent in Lycra. </p><p>As I reached the sign, I noticed two young men, one of them lean and mean, perched against his bike. His more stocky accomplice was holding the cardboard bearing a scruffy inscription in block capitals, "Race me up Box Hill and win £50"! That made me smile. "Maybe not today", I said, while sauntering past. Another rider overtook me at the same time and also laughed. I must admit, if I had been on form I would definitely have taken on the challenge. Winning £50 will pay for a couple of scones at the tea shop at the end of the climb! </p><p>Sadly, by this hairpin, in which the gradient was beginning to ease off, my legs still felt too tired to make the most of the respite as my legs just ground along without finding any increase on my crawling pace. </p><p>Normally I get a second wind along this stretch, but it became apparent that the dial in my energy tank was in the red. My earlier efforts taking the uphill route from Epsom through the Ashtead and Headley, the Ranmore Common climb, as well as Coldharbour were taking their toll on me. I had to accept that I am not as fit as I could be. </p><p>At that point I rolled along and gave myself permission to stop and rest or even walk at the next hairpin, by the Pinehurst care home - maybe someone would take pity on me and offer me some sustenance!</p><p>Somehow, on reaching the hairpin a voice inside told me to carry on pedalling, even if my quads hurt. It didn't feel quite right to stop, and I feared that I wouldn't be able to get going again, so I just continued on through towards Donkey Green, passing the Box and Juniper trees with their autumn ochre leaves set against the bright sunshine on this unseasonably warm day.</p><p>The final long stretch where the landscape opened out was just a case of hanging on and surviving all the way to the National Trust car park. I focused on maintaining a regular, albeit laboured breathing pattern and believing that I wasn't far from the finish line. I wasn't. The Box Hill climb is around 1.4 miles (2.4 km) up to the National Trust Cafe, with a 120m height gain. </p><p>At this point I only had half a mile (800m) left to pedal, though it felt interminable. Many riders passed me. On seeing me straining along, some greeted me or offered words of encouragement - "Keep going.." "Nearly there..." On the final turn at the car park my grimace began to soften into a smile.</p><p>Finally I reached the main refreshment and picnic area, where I rolled straight down to the bike rack. As I dismounted from my bike my leg almost cramped up, though I managed to shake it off as I quickly racked my bike and sank into the adjacent bench.</p><p>For around five minutes, everything zoned out in front of me, as I regained normal breathing and recuperated before summoning the energy to queue up for a coffee, sausage roll and almond flapjack - after eating a starter of my packed ham sandwich and banana. There was ice cream on sale too, but I didn't quite have the energy to join that significantly longer queue.</p><p>That had been my slowest ride ever up Box Hill. I had basically ridden up the hill on fumes. In the jargon, I had bonked, hit the wall, got the hunger knock. Call it what you will, I had run out of energy. On reflection, that made sense because I hadn't had an evening meal the previous day, and my breakfast was only very light - not great preparation for an 80km bike ride. Schoolboy error!</p><p>Once fed and watered, I was able to tackle the rest of the ride home, my energy levels replenished and feeling motivated.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6v0sTDdeVRfNmTrMg5UHJhcOKQ9HqXpLckMxn4a9KAupqR0pLC43TOHdabRqT8_OxxgEX3HnkFb4961jkLLt_IQ2jNGBkFQmAmTulizsa-jJWIrtKvCvgTEXkFWWChljmpgOz5fe7UyX_ae8q4D37JT3Agia9OpeNMvcqmnKh8N7LTdOHg3Z6dU86WvIh/s1008/Box%20Hill%20cafe_20220101_104032_resized.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6v0sTDdeVRfNmTrMg5UHJhcOKQ9HqXpLckMxn4a9KAupqR0pLC43TOHdabRqT8_OxxgEX3HnkFb4961jkLLt_IQ2jNGBkFQmAmTulizsa-jJWIrtKvCvgTEXkFWWChljmpgOz5fe7UyX_ae8q4D37JT3Agia9OpeNMvcqmnKh8N7LTdOHg3Z6dU86WvIh/w640-h480/Box%20Hill%20cafe_20220101_104032_resized.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><p>Box Hill is one of my favourite climbs. I can't say how many times I've ridden it in my life - it must be into the hundreds. I know it like the back of my hand, so it makes for a perfect barometer of my fitness and form. It's fair to say my battery was flat. The beauty of the Hill though, is that there are some delicious ways to recharge your legs - once you reach the top.</p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com2London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-84627617854451217492023-10-02T20:00:00.033+01:002023-11-14T13:27:25.610+00:0052 Cycling Voices - 36: Sadhbh O'Shea<p>You will have seen her name a lot in bylines on cycling articles online. These days Sadhbh is based in Douglas, Isle of Man, but in the course of the year she can be found covering professional cycle races in various parts of Europe and beyond, and of course, at the Tour de France. Life on the road can be a real whirlwind as she dashes between the press room, the mixed zone or the podium ready to convert peloton pearls of wisdom into creative words. Aside from journalism, Sadhbh has also been known to drive the team bus of the Cycling Club of Isle of Man racing team in her land of origin at the Rás Tailteann, an international stage race in Ireland.</p><p>Sadhbh travels quite a lot, and had a rather busy summer this year, which saw her spend July at the Tour de France, the Tour de France Femmes, as well as doing a tour of Scotland covering the various disciplines at the inaugural World Cycling Championships, and a stopover at the Edinburgh Festival. Oh, and she did a flying visit to Canada to cover the Grand Prix de Montreal.</p><p>I caught up with Sadhbh in between her busy schedule and she talked me through her career, and what she likes about her work.</p><p>Sadhbh O'Shea (pronounced Sive, like hive), aged 35</p><p>From: Dublin, Ireland</p><p>Lives: Douglas, Isle of Man</p><p>Cycling journalist for Velo-online/Outside</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlZM2DDvBfjYC1y_KNbzm9urFeKqQvEGb1NljqCp3xIzZnu6hJh32Z6raMo1dghW033RuSG059UrWKkEXaxd41wW8X1IW2uQC3Ju4Ohq9ZOqUwvJgNG80Z4wQ9BUYpaXksNJ1pjUF3PcEkb0zGZxza2WhB1BcOx8IdVWhByA2vS-EDMF_7LXUBHc0Rq09/s463/SadhbhOS_Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="334" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlZM2DDvBfjYC1y_KNbzm9urFeKqQvEGb1NljqCp3xIzZnu6hJh32Z6raMo1dghW033RuSG059UrWKkEXaxd41wW8X1IW2uQC3Ju4Ohq9ZOqUwvJgNG80Z4wQ9BUYpaXksNJ1pjUF3PcEkb0zGZxza2WhB1BcOx8IdVWhByA2vS-EDMF_7LXUBHc0Rq09/w462-h640/SadhbhOS_Headshot.jpg" width="462" /></a></div><p>I was born in Ireland, then when I was seven my dad got a job in Douglas, the Isle of Man and lived there for nine months before we moved over to join him at the dead of night on New Year's Eve that year. Nowadays I live in a house about 30 seconds from the place where we first moved.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I’ve always enjoyed writing. As a child, I wrote fiction stories for myself - I was a proper nerd. I remember quite clearly when I decided to become a journalist. I was about 14, and it was the early part of my GCSEs when we did an assignment for our English class, about writing a news story. I really
enjoyed it and felt like this was something I
could do for a job. </p><p class="MsoNormal">When I was applying for university courses – in fact when I was doing my A
levels I picked my subjects on the basis of me wanting to do journalism. I was
also toying with the idea of doing law because there are a few lawyers in my
family and so I thought that would be interesting. So I applied for a mixture of law and journalism courses at
university. </p><p class="MsoNormal">I had chosen five courses and needed to put down one more on the form. Then I saw the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), Preston, was offering a course in Sports
Journalism and I thought, “Oh that’s interesting. I hadn’t
considered that that would be an option." So I picked that, and got offered a place to do that degree. </p><p class="MsoNormal">UCLAN Preston was one of the first few universities offering sports journalism courses at that time. The year I joined was the third year of the course at UCLAN, and was run by Charlie Lambert who had done the radio commentary for the Isle of Man TT motorbike festival. He was my head lecturer, and I learned a lot about journalism. When we started learning commentary he would put on this "radio voice", which was vastly different from his normal voice. I was really impressed. Just the whole essence of his voice - the pitch, the pacing, it was all different and quite a fascinating thing to see.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I then did a year-long Masters course in Madrid, which was run by Eurosport - Rob Hatch had done it two years before me. It was multi-media sports journalism in depth, with television and website stuff, and included a three-month internship at Eurosport in Paris. It was just
around early May 2010, the start of the Giro d'Italia that I went to Paris, and stayed there through the Tour de France, finishing my placement around September. </p><p class="MsoNormal">When I returned home to the Isle of Man I applied for every job
under the sun and ended up with an administrative role working for Zurich Life insurance company for a year and a half. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The finance industry is big in the Isle of Man, and pretty much everyone in my family has worked in finance at some
point in their career. I was
still applying for journalism jobs regularly, knowing that insurance admin was not what I wanted to
do. </p><p class="MsoNormal">My other passion had
become teaching, and I thought that would be a nice
career to get into if I couldn’t get a journalism job. So I applied to do Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and got accepted onto a course in
Spain. It was also at that time, in early 2012, that I
got an interview with, and was offered a job as a staff writer with ProCycling magazine, based in Bath. I did a half day
on my final day at the insurance company, then got the boat to Liverpool that afternoon with
my dad. </p><p class="MsoNormal">We'd packed everything that we could into the back of my dad’s
minivan and drove all the way down to Bath. It was 10 o’clock at night by the time we got there. We unpacked everything and then I started my new job on Monday. I am still amazed now that they took a chance on me. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The editor was Cam Winstanley, who had taken the role following an internal reorganisation. He wasn’t into cycling
at all and knew almost nothing about it. Apart from a handful of high profile riders, every time
we pitched something we had to explain to him who the riders were. He then left the post when we became part of Immediate Media, and Ed Pickering became the editor. </p><p class="MsoNormal">By that time, three months into my job, I was offered the role of deputy editor of Cycling News HD, their digital magazine - which was a baptism of
fire. With the then editor, we did what we could with the very small budget, which was quite
challenging. We survived about 18 months before the management decided to close it and
I got moved over to Cycling News towards the end of 2013. </p><p class="MsoNormal">After six or seven years of the fast-paced environment reporting and writing for Cycling News I’d
become a bit fatigued. At the beginning of your career you want to do anything
and everything and prove yourself. You want to just work. I was working well
outside of working hours and I had exhausted myself; I needed a
break. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Because of the way the job was, I wasn’t getting to see my family
very much. There was always a rigmarole when travelling home to Douglas. It was so expensive that I was
spending most of my spare cash on getting up to my parents a couple of times a
year. I hadn’t seen my niece growing up, so I decided I needed to get a job at home, that didn't involve me travelling quite so much. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Then one day while covering the Tour of Flanders, running down the road to the finish line st Oudenaarde for the post-race interviews, I got a text message from my dad saying
there’s a job advert for a role with the BBC Isle of Man. There wasn't much time as the deadline for application was in seven days, so I had to apply some time between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix race, while I was still out travelling.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The job interview ended up being on the Tuesday afternoon after Liege-Bastogne-Liege. So I had to get from the Ardennes straight after the race on Sunday evening, to a pub in Douglas for the interview, with the help of my sister. Fortunately I got the job and started in June 2019, working on the news desk. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Life at the BBC was good but it was very different to writing sport
stuff. News is drastically different from working in sport. </p><p class="MsoNormal">The
BBC is such a massive organisation, and they wanted to show that the whole of
the website had the same voice – which is not the same as when you work on a
small cycling website where there is still an opportunity to put in your own style. That was not possible with BBC journalism which is quite strict. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Although I learnt a lot
while I was there, it really jarred with my dyslexia and I struggled to
write. It even became a bit of a mental block when I would write. Everyone I
worked with was lovely, but that super strict way of writing
really didn’t work for my brain.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Then by coincidence, Fred the editor of VeloNews at the time reached out to me. He’d seen my work and
thought that I would be a good fit for Velonews, so asked if I would like to work there. As with Cycling News, I
wasn’t actively looking for jobs at the time, but I was open to it. So when the opportunity came along I took it. </p><p class="MsoNormal">I
think me and Fred were talking for around six months figuring out what he’d like me to do, before I signed a
contract. I eventually started at Velonews at the beginning of April 2021.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">It was quite nerve-racking coming back into cycling and I wondered
if I’d be able to do it. Velonews had a different style to Cycling News so it
felt like a tough couple of months to find my feet and start writing in their
style, including writing in American English. But now I feel very comfortable with what I do.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">At Velonews we try and take a wider view of things and not write stuff immediately post-race, as it tends to get lost in the ether and it has less intrinsic value to it. We know that other people have got the same quotes, so we try to hold some stuff for later, or the following day. Then we try and take a different approach to the news, with more analysis and what the story means, going forward. </p><p class="MsoNormal">As well as the journalism I turn my hand to other things. I am on the board of a cycle racing team, Cycling Club Isle of Man, and I went with them to the Rás earlier this year. This was the second year that we got the team into the race, which was really cool. We've got a team manager, Conor Davies, and I was there mainly as a general dogsbody - soigneur, bus driver, press officer, and various other roles. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>The Rás is relatively low key, but there are a lot of teams. It’s really friendly, with all the teams chatting to each other. Last year we stayed at an Air B'n'B in the middle of nowhere so we didn’t really get an opportunity to meet up with the other teams post-stage. This year we were following the race, so we saw the other teams in the hotel. <div><br /></div><div>This race is notorious for what they call the night stages, where the support crew on a lot of the teams get drunk and have a bit of a raucous night while the riders are getting their sleep! I didn't get involved in that though - I wouldn't have been in any fit state by the end of the week otherwise!<div><div><br /></div><div>At the Tour de Yorkshire in 2018 I somehow got involved in working from the lead car, announcing over the megaphone to the spectators what's going on in the race. It was very much outside of my comfort zone as I don’t normally like having to do public speaking. When the race finished I didn’t have to do anything else though, so I could actually enjoy the end of the bike race without running around like a blue-arsed fly interviewing people and writing stories. It’s nice to work from a different side of cycling.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJBpVknyhmXnImy2Im12_40kI8H1C5OxbryEV3I3JhTqef8UrtxvslP_QbtxV97RRddWL59LfNPBhdJpKmEAz_J0Ytqxta7LzTLKuJdFMr1SI8sMcIwOZrmorcLd2ztvBz7wOuxKarypkkN3xxl91v-W1qIukqG2kpzyZcIdNSN3N2xYKBoTRXlVUr_th/s1024/Sadhbh_Cecilie_IMG-20220725-WA0012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJBpVknyhmXnImy2Im12_40kI8H1C5OxbryEV3I3JhTqef8UrtxvslP_QbtxV97RRddWL59LfNPBhdJpKmEAz_J0Ytqxta7LzTLKuJdFMr1SI8sMcIwOZrmorcLd2ztvBz7wOuxKarypkkN3xxl91v-W1qIukqG2kpzyZcIdNSN3N2xYKBoTRXlVUr_th/w640-h480/Sadhbh_Cecilie_IMG-20220725-WA0012.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sadhbh interviews Danish National Champion, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig</td></tr></tbody></table>But when it comes to story-writing, I’m like a kid in a sweetshop. I love being able to see different stories and listen to different people - I want to write about so many things. That's what I like about journalism. <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p>X (formerly Twitter): <a href="https://twitter.com/sadhbhos?lang=en" target="_blank">@SadbhOS</a> </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Other Cycling Voices</b></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2023/03/52-cycling-voices-35-kimberly-coates.html" target="_blank">Kimberly Coats</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2022/01/52-cycling-voices-33-pauline-ballet.html" target="_blank">Pauline Ballet</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2021/11/52-cycling-voices-in-time-of.html" target="_blank">Emma Wade</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2019/10/monica-and-paola-santini.html" target="_blank">Monica and Paola Santini</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2017/09/52-cycling-voices-rebecca-charlton.html">Rebecca Charlton</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2017/11/52-cycling-voices-17-rochelle-gilmore.html" target="_blank">Rochelle Gilmore</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2019/08/52-cycling-voices-cecilie-uttrup.html" target="_blank">Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2017/05/52-cycling-voices-11-giorgia-bronzini.html" target="_blank">Giorgia Bronzini</a></p><p><a href="https://www.2wheelchick.cc/2017/03/52-cycling-voices-8-emily-chappell.html" target="_blank">Emily Chappell</a></p></div></div></div>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-89015570808612012822023-09-30T19:45:00.025+01:002023-10-11T13:25:38.123+01:00One day one photo - 30: Getting out my flute for folk band practice<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7TyYHjU_8nxAS_6tjAVeZc_3OUDNlj3xU-gRqFV9rtykoakC3Gp_4Bxmx8j6byqYjk3vNBf0pbtXRM8z93MKF1LdSdSG9w8y18vbulMinmFBsjF82FA0D5Nxbcgb_JwI1sPo2eNbcnygJtxSe7zHgkHlnN90YeF7AiARyrQO4xCfSNrtQHCxo3VKUhTh/s4032/20230930_121849.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE7TyYHjU_8nxAS_6tjAVeZc_3OUDNlj3xU-gRqFV9rtykoakC3Gp_4Bxmx8j6byqYjk3vNBf0pbtXRM8z93MKF1LdSdSG9w8y18vbulMinmFBsjF82FA0D5Nxbcgb_JwI1sPo2eNbcnygJtxSe7zHgkHlnN90YeF7AiARyrQO4xCfSNrtQHCxo3VKUhTh/w640-h480/20230930_121849.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rehearsal with South East London Folk band</td></tr></tbody></table><p>After an absence of a few months I finally resumed rehearsals with the local folk band, South East London Folk group. </p><p>I go there and play my flute. It's quite a nice change from clarinet playing, and the style of music is also very different. I am relatively new to the flute, as I major in clarinet and learned that a few decades ago. I am only on about grade 3 or 4 at the flute, and I still mess up my embouchure - but going to this group is a great way to improve my flute-playing.</p><p>There's a much more laid back atmosphere compared to being in a concert band or orchestra. For a start we don't have a conductor. It's just the band leader, Richard, who himself plays the accordion or guitar and is able to keep track of how we're playing at the same time.</p><p>We don't have first flute, second flute etc. I just sit among the "whistles" which is basically anyone playing a wind instrument - so flutes but also tin whistles, other variations on flutes such as the piccolo. The music is not adapted for any particular instrument. The manuscript has not orchestral articulations. It's all just plain concert pitch - which is handy for a flute. However, there are a couple of tunes with notes below middle C, so the flautists adapt by going up an octave, or improvising in other ways. In fact when we learn a new song, Richard, along with Belinda, who also leads the group encourage people to come up with variations and improvisations. </p><p>Richard is a fully trained musician, who knows all the theory, though a number of people in the group can't read music (or dots, as some people call them) and play by ear, which I find quite impressive.</p><p>There are others, notably those who play the fiddle (aka the violin) who are classically trained and used to play in orchestras, but have moved across to folk music because it seemed less stuffy and more laid back. We just turn up at the rehearsal room on a Saturday morning, put £7 in the collection box and play - we're just a merry mix of fiddles, cellos, accordions, guitars, bodhrans, and whistles. There's a certain pureness and simplicity about the whole activity. </p><p>The folk tunes originate from different parts of the world, and I must say I do enjoy seeing a different side of music-making from the traditional classical or jazz stuff. I haven't done any concerts with the group yet, but they tend to be at Ceilidhs, garden parties or harvest festivals. The gigs generally involve folks doing some country dancing while we play. We also get the chance to do some of the dances too. Wow, I don't think I've done that since I was about 12 years old! I look forward to getting involved in a concert; I just need to brush up on my Durham Reels.</p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-60437415289800303642023-09-29T21:00:00.016+01:002023-10-11T12:41:01.145+01:00One day one photo - 29: Brompton Bicycle photoshoot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45VSc3TIDmxRBUADRWEILDaWPSU6FOzZ9s22crpL6mGNjyD_31KKrZYRWjdgIzG3v4hpd22egrtKJiOoKdJNZzHNBuY1x5TwBB0Q2TLyNSp7eUHYQ98U_mJ4Pp5cWIagmehcPuiMDAjjRjIr9efNmRH5MCUYwv5KV6SX5BCNwjs-sKrY9CNWnrd6u1GqF/s4032/20230929_113838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45VSc3TIDmxRBUADRWEILDaWPSU6FOzZ9s22crpL6mGNjyD_31KKrZYRWjdgIzG3v4hpd22egrtKJiOoKdJNZzHNBuY1x5TwBB0Q2TLyNSp7eUHYQ98U_mJ4Pp5cWIagmehcPuiMDAjjRjIr9efNmRH5MCUYwv5KV6SX5BCNwjs-sKrY9CNWnrd6u1GqF/w640-h480/20230929_113838.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><p>It was a different kind of working day today, as I spent it outdoors away from my desk, being photographed around London.</p><p>Along with a couple of other cyclist models - Monet and Theo - we posed for a photoshoot with Brompton Bicycle. This was a shoot done for the marketing department to increase their library of media assets (still photos and video footage). So the team had us riding different bikes from the Brompton range in different parts of London. </p><p>I had done a shoot with Brompton Bicycle on a previous occasion a couple of years ago, though that was a short shoot. We spent the morning being photographed near Liverpool Street station, and then near Blackfriars.</p><p>Today's shoot was an all-day thing in which we started first thing in the morning and continued through to the end of the working day.</p><p>We met at the National Theatre, on London's South Bank, and spent the morning being photographed around a variety of nooks and crannies in this famous example of Brutalist architecture. Prince Charles (now King Charles) described it as a "nuclear power station". He might be right; the location lent itself to shooting glowing examples of pedal power, as we three models were photographed riding in formation over around different alleyways and concrete structures.</p><p>Christine, the art director had different combinations of outfits ready for us to wear, and gave us different colours of bike to ride on as well as riding an Brompton e-bike.</p><p>With the team, which included the photographer, film-maker, video director, plus Rupert the producer, and Ross the brand manager, we cycled to our next venue, Southwark Park. After lunch we did various shots within this green space in South-East London (which has hints of Victoria Park across the river). Finally, we crossed back over the River via Tower Bridge to do a final shoot in a specially reserved cafe close to 30 St Mary Axe (aka The Gherkin).</p><p>I enjoyed the day out, especially as it was a lovely sunny day in London. Being photographed while riding or posing with a bicycle is something that I have done quite a lot of in my time, especially as I did so regularly in the days when I wrote for <i>Cycling Active</i> magazine and would be photographed for the cycling routes that I rode about.</p><p>However, the thing I found hardest was being photographed folding and unfolding the bike while being photographed. When you do this in a run of the mill way over the course of the day I can do it quite easily. But then when being filmed/watched, suddenly my actions aren't that smooth, and there is always something that gets stuck or stilted!</p><p>Hopefully the team will be able to pick some decent shots and footage, and I look forward to seeing the results. </p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-88916131810422721602023-09-28T19:00:00.001+01:002023-10-06T13:12:20.393+01:00One day one photo - 28: Excuse my French - Why I enjoy foreign language conversation exchanges <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNyBBKy4qf_EsBJ6W9cAZ4Q9e34oh5o5zKQ0WL3nr8bGXpMnxtDTjBkWgfgfGjTeKXWcc-SRnzhnROUnj5qWshwTzw6HEMg3VySeZQX7F6ZQ8WjSV75hKMZtYUjvfdkX2riLVTMonJhGkeNQi7ayVeH3ShlFt4Gauqsv22IUqgZWQQER0AA0pBFUppyuV/s450/3f40bafda44469c3fb0be1bec2236b61.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="450" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNyBBKy4qf_EsBJ6W9cAZ4Q9e34oh5o5zKQ0WL3nr8bGXpMnxtDTjBkWgfgfGjTeKXWcc-SRnzhnROUnj5qWshwTzw6HEMg3VySeZQX7F6ZQ8WjSV75hKMZtYUjvfdkX2riLVTMonJhGkeNQi7ayVeH3ShlFt4Gauqsv22IUqgZWQQER0AA0pBFUppyuV/w640-h442/3f40bafda44469c3fb0be1bec2236b61.png" width="580" /></a></div><p>My day started with an on-line conversation exchange in Italian with Alessandro from Rome, then in Spanish with David from Burgos, and finally in Italian again with Ilaria from Milan. I also belong to a French conversation group that meets up regularly, nearby in West Norwood.</p><p>I must say I enjoy speaking in foreign languages. There is something really refreshing about opening up that part of the brain. </p><p>I know that folks in the UK don't tend to be so hot on speaking other languages, and at school the teachers don't have that much enthusiasm for teaching it either. But for me, it is something that I have always enjoyed.</p><p>I have seen it as a gateway to many things, and makes quite a difference to the trips and holidays that I go on. With my language skills it makes me able to go to places frequented by the locals, and off the beaten track. When I go on holiday I don't bother with packages or holiday reps to show me the way, but plan my own itinerary based on research. Knowing that I can speak the language means that if I have an issue to deal with I feel confident about sorting it out. I remember a couple of years ago having to call the local breakdown service when I got a burst tyre at the side of the road between Bellagio and Lecco in Italy. A similar thing happened to me in Jaca, in Northern Spain. In both cases I had to make phone calls to people who didn't speak English. So knowing Italian and Spanish, and feeling confident to speak made the difference in this inconvenient situation.</p><p>So yes, knowing a foreign language has its practical uses. More significantly for me, it also has a positive effect on my mind because I feel like my brain has moved onto a different channel and I am in a different world! That change definitely has a positive effect on my mental health. In fact, if I go for a few weeks without engaging in some way in a foreign language (be it speaking, listening to the radio, watching TV or reading a book or newspaper) I feel my mind going a bit stale and musty. It's a similar sensation to when I don't do sport for a while and my body feels lardy ahd stodgy.</p><p>I wouldn't say that I am the most natural linguist in the world, but I do feel comfortable in languages nowadays. It took a fair bit of hard work and application - doing exercises from grammar books, going to evening classes, studying for exams by correspondence. When I went to live in France more than 30 years ago I had a working knowledge of French but I didn't know the colloquial expressions and knew nothing about Parisian slang. There were quite a few hours spent at dinner parties not knowing what was being discussed or what folks were joking about! There were quite a few moments when I made blunders when expressing myself, and also quite a few misunderstandings! It's a good job I don't get embarrassed easily.</p><p>But after a few months of persevering the penny dropped and everything seemed to flow. I have used that same model with Italian and Spanish, though I haven't spent as much as I did in France living in countries where those languages are spoken. Hence these conversation exchanges on-line have come very much in handy.</p><p>I must say that in this day and age, learning a foreign language couldn't be easier. As well as books and audio tapes there are lots of people with whom you can have video chats, as well as newspapers on-line, plus foreign films and TV series with subtitles on streaming channels.</p><p>So I feel fortunate to have the faculty to communicate in another language, as well as having the means to continue to improve on my skills. </p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-48917818482658539222023-09-27T23:00:00.018+01:002023-10-05T13:45:29.998+01:00One day one photo - 27: Particularly shocking knife crime incident in Central Croydon<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCofGl9Ihq78XpIkGsoeWTuMWLcZ7HnVL4SNhQLpVDl-BIWUtMBT9By35D1dimLpzlT2JcAB_2ZUqhYuFMa2ZAN2l6xOmgOs9DP6rxekQfbRNvV2QSGi0meVZGB1RQ2USy6xSuJaUrZRUJbM2ID-K9FiqLd_-AwcvCJy8w1dwpZy3zcFAt-Np6kM_90_6/s1920/STABBING-LIVE-BROWN.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCofGl9Ihq78XpIkGsoeWTuMWLcZ7HnVL4SNhQLpVDl-BIWUtMBT9By35D1dimLpzlT2JcAB_2ZUqhYuFMa2ZAN2l6xOmgOs9DP6rxekQfbRNvV2QSGi0meVZGB1RQ2USy6xSuJaUrZRUJbM2ID-K9FiqLd_-AwcvCJy8w1dwpZy3zcFAt-Np6kM_90_6/w640-h360/STABBING-LIVE-BROWN.png" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Investigation scene after the stabbing in Central Croydon</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My rehearsal with Croydon Symphonic Band had a delayed start due to many of the musicians being caught up in traffic. The roads were chock-a-block due to the main road through Central Croydon, Wellesley Road, being closed as forensic scientists carried out investigations.</p><p>Sadly, earlier today a teenager was stabbed at the bus stop outside the Whitgift Shopping Centre while on her way to school. It's a real shock to hear such news. Unfortunately, there have been many stabbings in London over the years. This year seems to have been particularly bad as there have already been 15 - more than the total for last year. In most cases the victim was young male.</p><p>This incident was even more shocking because the circumstances - a 15-year old girl in her uniform, travelling to her nearby private school. This is the first time a young girl has been the victim of a fatal stabbing. Police are still trying to establish the circumstances of the attack, but it is said that an argument took place on the bus in which a young girl rejected the advances from a 17-year old boy - the perpetrator, who was found in New Addington 45 minutes later. The group of children got off the bus outside the shopping centre, and the perpetrator produce a knife with a very long blade and stabbed the victim in the neck. The ambulance service arrived at the scene within a few minutes, but despite their efforts they were unable to save the youngster.</p><p>This is such a shock to the community. We have gotten used to hearing about stabbings in London, and that is already a massive cause for concern. But when knife crime occurs in the heart of Croydon, so close to an area you frequent, and given the circumstances of the incident - involving a young girl just on her way to school - it makes you wonder what sort of society we live in.</p><p>I am very sorry to hear this news about the girl, and I send my condolences to her family and friends.</p><p><br /></p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-23627960056380131672023-09-26T20:00:00.034+01:002023-10-04T14:17:54.829+01:00One day one photo - 26: Deep sports massage at Revive Bodywork<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBERcRZecemWvblxJ2NU57fCto3g5ryttNo_Olr5ijjxcsEYspW5JuJ2qmxW_0r9aQ9pmGnXP8tx3RJ286roz0JAJ7mM8cw0v5spCLkKbINrQB1q1zgx3Ka8Ii2hC7btYeInfM2XCRaUu5by4mVDoAFnSbIy5qVNB_vGIez8hSchb0NxgLKjQXwQ6fe0U/s3648/20230926_162121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBERcRZecemWvblxJ2NU57fCto3g5ryttNo_Olr5ijjxcsEYspW5JuJ2qmxW_0r9aQ9pmGnXP8tx3RJ286roz0JAJ7mM8cw0v5spCLkKbINrQB1q1zgx3Ka8Ii2hC7btYeInfM2XCRaUu5by4mVDoAFnSbIy5qVNB_vGIez8hSchb0NxgLKjQXwQ6fe0U/w640-h480/20230926_162121.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Feeling relaxed after a massage from Sam at Revive Bodywork </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Now that I am back home after my Paris-Versailles running challenge I can give my legs a bit of TLC. What better way than to get a deep massage. </p><p>So I paid a visit to Sam, who runs Revive Bodywork not far from me, in Bromley. I've been getting treatment from her for a few years, so she knows my legs well. She can tell when they're on form and if, if they are recovering after an injury or a heavy bout of exercise. Today they weren't too bad, considering my weekend efforts. </p><p>Getting a massage was exactly what I needed to put my legs in a decent condition. My illiotibial band, calf muscles and Achilles tendons felt fine, but my quads were aching when I sat on the massage table. Thankfully Sam was able to sort it out, not without her having to dig her elbow into my glutes.</p><p>By the time I left her treatment room my legs felt so much looser. I hope to maintain this wellness with yoga, pilates and swimming. </p><p>I am hoping to do a half-marathon before the end of the year, so Sam may have her work cut out for her!</p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-87395526058617751582023-09-25T15:27:00.014+01:002023-10-03T16:03:16.372+01:00One day one photo - 25: A massage ball does wonders for tight muscles<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7yHpZzVCLviaPSUbh21Z58UR4G6G-DGsW91lc0qISYyRPVKoynNBEzeei3STF0eIR40rBMSu8jGOHi64kEX9kqWd31ADT0CY35RDvN727ai9Ol0lu_t7AjnlgQmjbMIJKeTkBpmGytzmoggHshCaZ6IlPNFeKTPyCQhi5es0diOUtdi2J6GrXJXpdIuc/s4032/20231003_155732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7yHpZzVCLviaPSUbh21Z58UR4G6G-DGsW91lc0qISYyRPVKoynNBEzeei3STF0eIR40rBMSu8jGOHi64kEX9kqWd31ADT0CY35RDvN727ai9Ol0lu_t7AjnlgQmjbMIJKeTkBpmGytzmoggHshCaZ6IlPNFeKTPyCQhi5es0diOUtdi2J6GrXJXpdIuc/w640-h480/20231003_155732.jpg" width="580" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Massage ball - a key tool in injury prevention </td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is what has helped stop my legs from getting too shot after yesterday's Paris-Versailles running race. I actually bought it the day before the event from Decathlon at Place de la Madeleine, when I was making a few other last-minute purchases for the race.</p><p>I have a knobbly foam roller, but didn't bring it as I wanted to travel light. I had banked on getting in a few swimming sessions to loosen my legs, a post-race massage at the event, and maybe even a yoga class to do some deep stretching. I had managed to do all of those things apart from yoga, which was a bit tricky to fit in. </p><p>When it comes to injury prevention I can never do too much. A significant chunk of the physical exercise I do involves keeping injuries at bay. I have had to deal with tendinitis between my legs and my ankles, over the years, including during the first part of this year when I was unable to do any sport because of a nagging problem. </p><p>So I am very happy to have been able to run the 10 miles yesterday without any problems, and I am determined to do what I can to keep things that bay.</p><p>So when I saw this little ball, not only did I think it looked rather cute and a nice convenient size, I also saw how this could give me pleasure (well pain actually) when rubbing it up and down my illio-tibial band, my gluteus maximus, my soleus or even just under the ball of my foot.</p><p>The pleasure doesn't come from the act itself, but from the knowledge that this little ball is helping to keep me doing my favourite sporting activities like running, cycling, swimming, even the odd bit of rollerskating. </p><p>Here's hoping I can carry on doing the sports I love.</p>2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5226876360890245048.post-65870864927613872592023-09-24T21:30:00.032+01:002023-10-03T14:29:34.839+01:00One day One photo - 24: Paris-Versailles Grande Classique<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgBrj9-rhdaYXvglVWL8R32TJriZZidRIFPGIm5tof3LbgAiNlen6gDEash2NqvyPV2nXzD3udyWTyoJrl1iMmqbR2zyEARn-kSLUL2XryN1afFBSuov3EMKwc4m1JZDS1S3vC55raMWaf6vu9dkcSHmA2qxWNoWXPUeiwWGN8MiLwtxzef5qPgvPwwhy/s4032/20230924_102116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgBrj9-rhdaYXvglVWL8R32TJriZZidRIFPGIm5tof3LbgAiNlen6gDEash2NqvyPV2nXzD3udyWTyoJrl1iMmqbR2zyEARn-kSLUL2XryN1afFBSuov3EMKwc4m1JZDS1S3vC55raMWaf6vu9dkcSHmA2qxWNoWXPUeiwWGN8MiLwtxzef5qPgvPwwhy/w480-h640/20230924_102116.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting to start the Paris-Versailles Grande Classique </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, that's a wrap!</div><p>I did the Paris-Versailles Grande Classique and got the medal (though no T-shirt as the organisers didn't do one this year). It was certainly not an easy run. I had already heard stories about this 2km infamous climb at kilometre 6, Côte des Gardes. Having climbed up it from the Versailles side when riding the route of the final stage of the Tour de France, I kind of knew what to expect. I distinctly recall the struggle among members of our group, and I remember the lithe local riders sailing up the hill away from me as the gradient suddenly increased. Nevertheless, a recon run would have been nice. A couple of sessions had been held by the organisers on the three Sundays before the day, though I hadn't been able to get there. So I just had to rely on mind over matter, mindfulness and visualisation!</p><p>Funnily enough this was probably the running race where I felt the most relaxed and the least nervous. I didn't have any pressure to run to a particular time, and I felt confident that I could manage the three-hour cut-off. Also, I was on my own and nobody knew me so running anonymously totally removes any expectation from others!</p><p>I took it quite slowly on the first five kilometres along the River Seine up to the first of three drink stations, enjoying the views, soaking in the vibe from the different bands along the route, and appreciating the cheers and applause from the locals, including lots of Boy and Girl Scouts. Then about a kilometre later the road ramped up and the hard work began. It was certainly a tough gradient. Already, many runners were reduced to walking. Some felt it was quicker to do a type of power walk. I preferred to run in small steps like when skipping with my rope. That seemed to work as it kept up the momentum. </p><p>Just as I'd been warned, the road would level out and you'd think it was over - but it wasn't. There were two or three more 10% ramps to do. I ended up running practically side by side with an older man. Our paces just happened to be identical, though he was heaving an awful lot, and I worried he might explode before the top. He survived and we congratulated each other on reaching the summit. Then I sailed off into the distance as I guess he slowed down to recover from the ordeal.</p><p>It was a beautiful course that went through the forest at Meudon. I saw a few gravel bike riders along the way. It'd be worth returning there for a bit of that.</p><p>We then went through sumptuous neighbourhoods like Velizy and Villacoublay, where the road dropped down steeply to a pretty pond. However, I didn't get the memo about another steep ramp, known as the Côte de Meudon. This was steeper than the previous one, but was thankfully only 500m long. </p><p>Another drop down through Viroflay where shortly afterwards was the ornate signboard that said Versailles, and as we rounded the corner a military band was right there to give us a royal fanfare - just like King Charles had had a couple of days earlier.</p><p>The run into the finish was not particularly easy. Avenue de Paris, the main road to the finish line is a lovely tree-lined road with 17th century architecture and it's easy to marvel at the sights as you behold this regal town. But as a runner, you are just thinking "when will this bloody road finish?" As it drags on in an interminable false flat right up to the finish gantry. </p><p>Surprisingly as I lolopped along I heard a voice beside me say, "We meet again". I looked round to see the old guy from Côte des Gardes. He'd clearly gained a second wind. "Well done", I replied. We ran together, putting on our best false smiles for the photographers in the long home strait, willing each other on. But he seemed to have emptied the tank slightly early and faded in the last 800m, as I put in a final spurt, thinking about people we have lost who wouldn't have had the chance to see Versailles on an occasion like this....</p><p>My timecof 1 hour 50 was nothing to write home about. I used to run 10 miles on 75-80 minutes. Granted, that was about 15 years ago, and this was a hilly 10 miles, but I think I could run this at least 10 minutes faster when knowing the course and with a little bit more training. In any case I was so pleased to receive my medal; a man from France Bleu local radio even interviewed on the finish line while I was still getting my breath back and probably looking a bit snotty!</p><p>Then I picked up my goodie bag from some excited young Scouts and headed straight into the massage tent. It was all very efficient. There were showers available in a nearby sports centre, though I was too tired to walk far and my stomach was rumbling, so I tended to that first. Note to oneself - the sport centre has a swimming pool - that would have provided more therapy for the legs.</p><p>Instead I then walked up to the Palace of Versailles, had a quick look around the Courtyard, which was heaving on this sunny Sunday, then caught the train back to Paris. It had been a good day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />2Wheel Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09176536186611735307noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5072178 -0.127586223.196983963821154 -35.2838362 79.817451636178845 35.0286638