The Actual Route

The planned route worked pretty well but there were a few issues which I'll point out in case anyone attempts to copy them. 

As a general comment, a lot of the route was on narrow country lanes that were rough in places and in Wales there were some rough, steep climbs and descents which needed care in the wet.

Day 2 just outside Tewkesbury one of the roads off the B4079 turned out to be a gated access road to a quarry. We'd noticed a signed NCN route a bit further back so turned around to follow that into Aston on Carrant but this turned into a farmyard, rough bridleway and then a field edge path complete with sheep.  The NCN signs still pointed across the fields so we walked for a mile or so and re-joined our route.

Day 3 near the start in Churchill, the right turn off the B4450 turns into a bridleway.  This was easily rectified by carrying on a bit further on the B4450 and turning right onto Old London Road.

There were a few other issues with bridleways, I can't remember where they all were, but they were easily navigated around by continuing on the main road.

The actual routes we took are linked below to Strava.  There are a few bits missing where I forgot to re-start the Garmin after lunch/coffee stops.

Day 1    Day2    Day 3    Day 4 

More Photos Added

I've added a few more photos that Roger took on his phone.  These have been added to each of the daily posts from the ride so scroll down and have a look.  If you click on the photos  it should bring them up in a larger view and you can click to move to the next one.

Thanks for all the messages of support and sponsorship.

Mike

Day 4 - Great Chishill to Felixstowe

As there were only 70 miles to ride today we treated ourselves to the full English breakfast and set off a bit later than usual.  Having eaten well last night it might well have been a bit too much as both of us could only just eat it all.

Hall Farm B&B in Great Chishill

For a change we set off under blue skies and it was warm enough to wear short sleeves - welcome back to sunny East Anglia! We set off at a brisk pace and were soon passing Audley End House where we stopped for a photo opportunity.

We sped on through Essex and into Suffolk in what seemed like hardly any time at all. By 12.30 we were back on some familiar roads that we use on our Sunday rides and stopped for lunch at Kersey Mill near Hadleigh.  Suitably refreshed we pushed on and just before 3.00 we rolled onto the seafront in Felixstowe. 

We quickly dipped our wheels in the sea from the slipway before riding up to the Cliff Road car park where we were greeted by our cheering wives, children and friends.  It was a great feeling to have completed the ride and it was great to see our families again.  We were then plied with some beer, coffee/tea, chocolate cake and scones.  It was a lovely end to our adventure.

In the coming days I'll add some more photos that Roger took along the way and will post some thoughts on how we though it went overall.  For now though that's it.  Thanks for reading.

Mike

Day 3 - Kingham to Great Chishill

Today we awoke to blue skies and a strong breeze but as per tradition on this trip we got soaked within the first 10 miles.
The rain soon cleared and once we were out of the Cotswolds the flatter terrain and tailwind allowed us to cover 47 miles in under 3 hours before we stopped for lunch at The Three Locks pub alongside the Grand Union Canal near Stoke Hammond. I was surprised how well the route had worked to take us around major towns on quiet roads with views across large swathes of central England.
As we packed up to leave, the rain started again and didn't stop for 2 hours. During this time we skirted the Chilterns and criss crossed Herts and Beds.
We were desperate for tea/coffee and cake but didn't pass any cafes. We eventually chanced upon a traditional rainy village fete in Wallington where we drew some strange looks in return for the price of two cakes (each). As we ate the sun came out and stayed with us for the last 15 miles to our B&B, drying us out nicely. We'd arrived much earlier than on previous days so had much more time to relax and wash our kit before heading off for our evening meal. This was the best one so far, a bit pricey but we feel we deserved it. The pub was the King William IV in Heydon.
Only 70 miles to ride tomorrow and we' re both looking forward to a warm welcome from our families.
Mike

Sunset in Great Chishill

On the last stretch of road to Great Chishill - finally some sun!

On the last stretch of road to Great Chishill - finally some sun!

On the last stretch of road to Great Chishill - finally some sun!

Wallington Village Fete

Wallington Village Fete

Wallington Village Fete

The Three Locks at Stoke Hammond

Lunch at the The Three Locks pub at Stoke Hammond

Lunch at the The Three Locks pub at Stoke Hammond

Day 2 - Brecon to Kingham nr Chipping Norton

As yesterday we awoke to grey skies. After a hearty breakfast of cereal, fruit and poached/scrambled eggs on toast we set off and within a few minutes it started raining. Proper rain this time and it went on for the first two hours.
We admired what we could see of the scenery but low cloud obscured most of the dramatic views.
There were more steep hills and sketchy descents where the bikes took a pounding on the rough roads. I can see why Brad Wiggins wimped out on the steep narrow descents in the Giro d' Italia.
The rain stopped shortly after we sneaked across an un-manned and un-marked border crossing near Hay on Wye. A pub at the bottom of another hary downhill made a welcome lunch stop - both of us having a very large bacon, brie and cranberry sandwich with chips. The warm sun in the pub garden also dried us out. Sadly we had to pass on the Sharps Doombar though.
At this point we still had nearly 60 miles to ride. The rain jackets were packed away for the first time and we rode in short sleeves for all of 30 minutes or so before the next downpour. Thankfully that was short lived and we had warm sunshine for the rest of the day.
There were two issues with the planned route, one requiring a mile walk through a field of sheep and one needing a detour to avoid a bridle way.
After nearly 90 miles, Stanway(?) hill on the way to Stow on the Wold was un-welcome, but the cream tea at the top was a well deserved reward.
After the last two days of rain and today's walk through a field of sheep the bikes were filthy and needed a good hose down when we reached our B&B.
A fantastic meal in the Kingham Plough rounded off a memorable day.
Now for some much needed sleep.
Mike

Filthy bikes after two days of filthy weather

The Bridleway that led to the fields ...

The road taking us out of the Brecon Beacons

Ponies on the road out of Brecon

View from the road out of Brecon

Day 1 - Fishguard to Brecon

We knew the weather forecast wasn't good but we woke to grey skies and wind. The Preseli hills were shrouded in mist and cloud.
We dipped our wheels in the sea and headed off. The climbing started within minutes as we headed up through Fishguard. As we rode towards Maenclochog the mist turned to drizzle and then rain, visibility was only about 50m. We were now wet and cold. We continued to Carmarthen on NCN route 47. As we arrived the rain eased and while we had lunch in a cafe the sun came out so we headed off on the second half of the journey.
The next 10 miles or so were along the reasonably flat and scenic B4300 towards Llanarthne and sunshine improved our mood and dried us out. The next section involved some serious climbing to Gwynfe and over the numerous long steep hills towards Brecon. The scenery was awesome though. I think the highest point we reached was 375m above sea level near the Usk reservoir.
Most of the descents were almost as challenging as the climbs - steep, narrow, rough and the fact that our brake pads could barely hold us back and were wearing away quickly due to the wet and dirt.
Just as it started to rain again we rode past the Red Kite feeding centre so called in to the cafe for a cake and coffee and to observe the tens of birds that were hanging around waiting for the next feed.
From here it was still 20 miles to Brecon and the rain started again but eased and then the sun came out for the last few miles.
Not sure how the photos will come out but here they are

View from a road near Brecon

View over the hills around Usk Reservoir

Panorama around Usk Reservoir

On a climb somewhere towards Usk Reservoir

View from the climb up to Gwynfe

Add captionView from the climb up to Gwynfe

View from the climb up to Gwynfe - one of the highest points of the day's route

The Towy valley North of Carmarthen

Leaving the seafront car park in Fishguard

The view from my parents house towards the mist shrouded Preselli hills

The time is nearly upon us ...

So, the time has come. Tomorrow we'll be packing the bikes into a hire car and driving to Fishguard.  

I've spent the evening refining my kit and packing it into the saddle bag.  I know how much I weigh, I know how much the bike weighs and I know how much the loaded bag weighs - all of them surprisingly less than you might think. I've loaded the route maps onto my Garmin and I've also ripped six pages out of an old road atlas as back-up.

The weather forecast looked OK yesterday but now it looks like Thursday and Friday will be showery with strong westerly winds - at least the wind will help us along.

Throughout each day I'll try to post some updates with pictures via our Twitter account and then in the evening I'll try to write a blog post with some thoughts on the day and a few pictures.  This is of course dependent on us finding some food to keep us in good humour and WiFi or mobile phone reception.  I'm not sure how the blog updates from my phone will turn out so excuse any bad formatting and spelling.

Please also have a look at the fundraising link at the top of the right hand column on this page.


Mike

Still fettling ...

With just over a week to go I find myself still fettling with the bike and worrying about the rear wheel.  

From previous posts you'll know that I swapped out the carbon seat post for a spare aluminium one I had.  Well, after several test rides it became clear that the one bolt clamp was not capable of holding my saddle in place and it kept moving during rides.

So, one Wiggle order later and I have a new alu seat post with a 2 bolt clamp.  I fitted this to the bike yesterday and attached the saddlebag mount.  It gripped the saddle solidly and, using a slightly higher than usual saddle height I managed to get enough clearance to mount the bag.

This week-end was also the time to put on the 25mm tyres and give the bike a good clean and check.

So here it is in (hopefully) its final configuration just before today's test ride.

The test ride went pretty well, I'm still amazed how much speed I can hold even with the loaded saddle bag attached.  There were some issues though.

Firstly the seat post gradually worked itself lower and by the time I noticed, the bag was rubbing on the back wheel as it has done previously.  It took several re-adjustments and extra tightening during the ride to get the post to remain at the right height - which wasn't the height it started the ride.  This was because the higher than normal saddle was causing pain in my left knee.  

Thankfully the new seat post has some numbered and lined markings that allowed me to gradually adjust to a comfortable measured height and allow the bag to be attached/removed without having to move the seat post.  The amount I had to tighten the seat post clamp to stop it slipping was a bit worrying though and the slippage has already left some gouge marks in the post but they only look superficial.

The 25mm tyres added a bit of extra comfort, rolled well and didn't feel any slower.  They also seemed to provide a bit more feedback from the road and more assured handling.

Only 10 days to go now so I really do need to stop fettling and get everything to remain in place.  One final thing I'm still debating is whether to order some new wheels this week or at least a new rear one.  If there's one reason not to do this it's because I probably won't have the time to test them on a long ride.

Mike

Luggage and what to put in it

As mentioned on the Bikes and Kit static page we'll both be using Carradice SQR Tour Saddle Bags. These have a 16L capacity and a 10Kg recommended weight limit.

Here's a picture of mine on its test fitting.  I swapped the carbon seat post for a spare aluminium one just to be on the safe side.  It would be a bit of a disaster if the carbon post cracked while on the ride so better to be safe than sorry. 

You can see from the photo that I have barely enough exposed seat post to mount the SQR bracket and as a result I can't easily attach the bag to the bracket as there is not quite enough clearance. This means I  have to raise the seat post, attach the bag and then lower the seat post to the correct height.

There's not a huge amount of clearance between the wheel and the bag either. Before today's 60 mile test ride it did take a bit of fine tuning to get the loaded bag onto the bracket and the saddle at the right height and fore/aft position.  I had to stop after a mile or so as the wheel was clearly rubbing the bottom of the bag as it bounced around.

Raising the saddle another 5mm or so seemed to resolve the rubbing apart from on extremely bad road surfaces. The additional saddle height didn't seem to affect my knees either.  I clearly didn't tighten the saddle clamp enough though as the last 20 miles were a bit uncomfortable and when I got home I noticed that the saddle had moved back about 10mm or more on the rails. 

I'm hoping to get away with one set of cycling gear which will be washed and (hopefully) dry each night.  I'll also need a T-shirt, long shorts or trousers, underwear, sandles/shoes and a light fleece for evenings.  Minimal wash bag, first aid, sun cream, chamois cream, etc.

On the tools and spares front then the two side pockets of the bag should take all that's needed - a couple of spare tubes, multi-tool, chain tool, tube patches, chain links, lube, gloves, cloth and a lock.

On the test ride today all this fitted easily into the bag and the loaded bag weighed just under 5Kg. Given that I've lost just over 2Kg of body weight recently then the net weight difference is not that much.  This was reflected in the average speed of my 60 mile test ride - over 17 mph!

I also have a small top tube mounted bag to put my phone, wallet and a couple of gels or energy bars.  There's also my jersey pockets to put other small stuff and carry my rain jacket, arm warmers, etc.

Whether the Carradice bag would be big enough and work on my bike were two of my main concerns during the planning of the ride so it's fair to say they are now much less of a concern, it's just the faffing around each morning to get the bag on properly that will need a bit of care.


Mike

Suffolk Sunrise 100 - Done!

Well, I did manage to complete the 102 miles of the Suffolk Sunrise champion route and in quite a respectable time too.  Just under 6 hours of riding time and just under 7 hours in total.

It was a cool and windy day which made for a strong headwind in the latter part of the course and for the last 15 miles or so I was very grateful to Roger for spending most of the time on the front of our 2-up TT formation and dragging me to the end.

Copyright Sportivephoto Ltd

We skipped the first feed zone at 20 miles and carried on to be greeted by a splendid buffet lunch with fantastic homemade cakes at the 45 mile feed zone.  It was hard not to eat too much but we resisted temptation and limited ourselves to a small portion of pasta salad, bread and a few other bits and pieces and a slice of delicious lemon cake with a coffee.

The next feed zone was at 75 miles and again there were lots of cakes as well as fruit and tea and coffee.  I had a banana and a couple of small cakes.

Overall I was surprised at how little I needed to eat and drink.  I got through three 800 ml bottles of energy drink and a few jelly babies were also consumed along the way.

Despite the wind our average speed was just over 17 mph. This was no doubt helped by being in a few fast groups for long stretches where we were pulled along by some stronger riders.

So overall our confidence is up.  We managed 100 miles without any real discomfort.  Yes we were tired but didn't feel too bad the following day and even rode our bikes to work.

Whether we could get up and ride another 100 miles is another matter though but we're both now more confident than we were.

Mike

Training gets serious

This week-end I'm attempting to ride 102 miles in one day on the Action Medical Research Suffolk Sunrise ride.  This will be more than I've managed in all but one week so far this year!

My Garmin data and Endomondo tell me that I've ridden 826 miles in 2013 so far.  My weekly average is about 43 miles and the longest ride I've done is just under 50 miles.  Is this enough with less than 6 weeks to go?

If I compare this to the two times I did the Dragon Ride - a one day 120 mile ride - then the first year I did over 2000 miles of training between January and end of May and the second year it was a few hundred less. My weekly average was well over 100.

So will I manage the full 102 miles on Sunday or will I bail out onto the 68 mile route.  A strong headwind is forecast for the last section so it could be tough.

I'll let you know.

Mike

So, who has done this before ?

A quick Google search suggests not many people have done this before.  Or, perhaps more accurately, few people have published anything on-line about riding this particular coast-to-coast route.  A number of people have done similar distance routes like Barmouth to Yarmouth, St Davids to Yarmouth and the Bobby on a Bike team have done Aldeburgh to Aberystwyth a couple of times and are planning it again in May 2013

This route looks good on first glance but take a closer look and it includes some major trunk roads including one section of the A12 that's hary enough in a car let alone on a bike.

Then there's the girls-on-a-bike who apparently rode F2F on a tandem although there's no indication they actually finished and they state that it's 450 miles so they may have taken a 100 mile detour.

Amazing what you can find on the Internet, eh?

Mike

One Step Forward...

It looked like good progress was being made in the last few days. Accommodation booked, I'd done 70 miles of riding from Mon-Fri, Caradice saddle bag arrived and (only just!) fitted my bike.



Sunday was shaping up nicely for a long ride in the sunshine testing out the recently discovered turn-by-turn navigation capability of my Garmin Edge 500.  A 60 mile route was easily created on ridewithgps.com and saved to the Garmin.

I set off and was alerted to every turn with a beep and a little directional arrow and street name appearing on the screen - unfortunately this was, more often than not, right at or just beyond the junction! Not to worry though as one of the other screen views shows the distance to the next turn and an arrow pointing the way - this worked much better.

Things were about to take a turn for the worse though. At 31 miles in I pulled out to overtake a parked car in a quiet Suffolk village when there was a loud "twang" followed by a lot of rattling from my rear wheel. My heart sank, this was almost as far from home as I was going to get on this ride and I knew, from previous experience of this, that the bike would be barely ridable.

Yes, a spoke had snapped.  For those unfamiliar with this scenario, on a wheel with 20 spokes this basically means there aren't enough spokes left to keep the wheel true so you have to open the quick release on the brake caliper and rotate it slightly to allow the now severley buckled wheel to pass through the brake caliper. As an added complication it's more than likely that the tyre will now rub the frame on the chainstay.

The people who were getting into the parked car were sufficiently concerned with the noise to come and see whether I was OK or not and whether I needed help.  Also at that time a group of cyclists appeared and also insisted on helping.  I had already cable tied the broken spoke to the next spoke and was contemplating how to get home - or more accurately how slowly this would be.  One guy from the group helped to adjust some of the spokes to try to pull them in from the other side but on a wheel like this they are too far apart to allow for much adjustment after one is lost.

So there was only one thing for it.  The humiliation of riding at less than 10mph towards somewhere with a mobile phone reception and waiting for my wife to come and collect me.  The next 12miles were miserable.  It was the warmest day of the year so far and there were more cyclists out than I have ever seen on a ride.  Needless to say I was passed by all of them and I bet they were thinking  "all the gear no idea" as they passed me in my full lycra and Ti framed bike barely making progress.

Below is a picture of the wheel taken when I got home you can see the broken spoke and the sidewall of the tyre worn away from rubbing on the frame. This is the second time this has happened on this wheel and I'm sure it's the same spoke as the wheel rubbing is in the same place.  All in all I've lost confidence in this wheel.  I'll get it fixed but I don't think it's up to F2F, I can't afford to have this happen on a 4 day 350 mile ride. Luckily the last time it happened I contacted Easton and they sent me 5 spare spokes for each of the 3 lengths required for front and rear.

So, do I use the Shimano wheel from my Allez for F2F ?  This hasn't given my any problems in the last 5 years or so.  Or do I get a new rear wheel that's a bit more robust and heavier ? Need to do a bit of searching to see what's available at the right price I think. Either way I don't think I can take the risk with the Easton.

Mike

Right, we're on !

After much planning and deliberation we have now finally agreed and confirmed that we are doing this ride from 13th to 16th June 2013.  It now seems a bit too real!

Given that I in particular haven't done much training this is going to be a bit of a challenge.  The last time I rode more than 50 miles in one day was in June 2011 on the Wiggle Dragon Ride.  Since then I'm not sure I've done 100 miles in a week let alone a day. 

There's just under six weeks to go now so I need to do a couple of long rides to remind myself how to eat and drink the right amount to keep me going for seven hours in the saddle.

The F2F will require 80-90 miles of riding on four consecutive days.  Our plan is to ride for two hours or so at a time and then stop for some food and drink.  We're not aiming for a particular speed or time so will take it relatively easy and just enjoy the ride and the scenery.

Two of the three required nights B&Bs are booked and Carradice SQR Tour saddle bags have been ordered and received.  The rest of the logistics will hopefully be sorted out next week.

More info on the route and the ride is available on the static pages shown in the menu bar under the header image so have a look around.



Mike