Al's Advice

Some advice on what to wear came from fellow PR professional Al Fox:

"Get a top with pockets in the back and shove bananas in it. Looks great.

Nah - as you probably know they're great for staving off the dreaded bonk!
Best o luck
Al "

Now I'm assuming that the bonk he refers to is the brick wall, energy sump, can't go any further that I'm so looking forward to.

But maybe someone has already shown him a piccy of the lumpy lycra shorts.....

Casualty Star signing up for ride

Great news! Zoe at Action Medical Research HQ has managed to bag us a Casualty star!

He's has agreed to ride the Action 100 and take part in photocalls.

She's done really well as the BBC don't allow their actors to do anything other than their own charity so if you want them to do anything for charity you have to go throught their agents and that can be like pulling hens teeth.

Can't wait to do something with this one: and you'll just have to guess who it is until the time to reveal all comes....

Second hand blog on Blair

This (spoof) blog is totally unrelated to bike rides or charities, but it was posted to a forum I belong to and I felt it needed sharing:

[extract]
Advice from the police
Mr Blair said that the police had advised him that elections would be dangerous. "They would divert attention from the war on terror", he said. "If the public chose a new government, that would be a victory for terrorism. We must not take that chance. Holding elections would be contrary to the strong advice given to us by our security services and our police, and I am simply not prepared to do it."

"This is not an issue to play around with," he said, accusing critics of trying to generate a propaganda victory for terrorists. "The civil liberties of the majority who need protection should come first," the prime minister said. There had to be a "very good reason" for politicians to say to the police, "no, we know better than you", he argued.

It was spotted on the London Underground Tube Blog
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_london-underground_archive.html#113206159514099193

As Rachel says, spread the word before the original spoof site is taken down. It's at: http://www.owen.org/spoof/abolished.htm

Chaffing

We took the kids over to Dinton pastures, a country park close to home, today, and after a long cold walk stopped for relief and refreshments at the cafe there. The kids, of course, wanted ice lollies rather than drinks - brrrrr.

Anyway, two friendly older gents were sat at the next table to us, wearing bright yellow and purple cycling gear. They were riders from the now defunct Swan riders, who used their old gear (a) because of the cost of replacement and (b) because it's so visible.

These two riders were well seasoned and happy to offer advice.

The first bit was obvious and an area where I'm sadly lacking: get out and practtise - a minimum of two miles a day on the bike to maintain anything like the fitrness level required, and at least one or two 50 mile rides before embarking on the 100.

The second was regarding riding buddies, and finding someone going at your own pace. I plan to ride alone and find other riders along the way who may be doing similar speeds.

And the third was kit. Get a gel saddle (done), decent gel gloves (noted), advised on pedal clips, and the big one.... shorts.

Very genteely they advised me to get some cycling shorts before anything else. Six or eight panel, masses of cotton padding. Apparently gel saddles may mould to shape, but because they lack any of the absorbency of old fashioned leather saddles, the sweat lurks, causing rubbing problems. And don't wear pants underneath unless they have long legs. On reflection this is good advice - bits of nylon rubbing against just one part of your leg for 100 miles can cause nasty abrasions. Yeuch!

They were both looking at my ample hips whilst handing out the advice, and it wasn't too hard to see what they were thinking.

So I have hardly sat down since and have kept my somewhat rotund pins moving in the hopes that 10 months of this will slim them down to a less chaffable size. My Christmas request has, obviously, now been amended.

Lets hope it works, or the end of August's blog may simply be carnage.

Things you never knew you needed

In my enthusiasm, I ordered an Evans Cycles catalogue, planning to leave it it lying around in the hopes that a cycle shirt might appear in my Christmas stocking.

They have a good selection of tops and the choice was fairly straightforward, although I will ask around.

However, I now have a list of stuff I never knew I needed.

Take, for example, body armour: breast shield, arm and leg pads, base layers. I have no idea if I need these - it seems somewhat excessive. I can oly suppose that they're aimed at stunt bike riders. Makes my old shopper feel rather tame.

Special socks seem to be for warmth, but since the ride's in August, I feel I can pass.

And then there's head bands: I think I have some towelling ones which in the late 70s (Flash Dance days) were fashion items, but I'm really not sure I want to be seen in one, and suspect that under a helmet this may look even more laughable. The jury's out on these.

Special shoes seem to be solid looking instruments of torture, whose use may, I fear, become apparent when I start putting in the miles. I sincerely hope not.

Now gloves, by contrast, I can see may be useful. Having spent my twenties zooming around on a moped in Spain, I know that even in warm weather hands can freeze if you're holding them in more or less one position. So these may be an essential purchase, but the choice is alarming. Another one to ask around about.

Another potentially useful purchase may be wrap around glasses - as a contact lense wearer, they would appear to be a useful addition, and I'm assuming that after a few dozen miles, ordinary sunglasses may be a bit hard to keep on.

But best of all is the legwear. I hadn't thought too much about shorts/trousers, beyond thinking that jeans probably weren't the best option. But the constant references to chaffing in the catalogue have me concerned.

Overall catalogue winner,however, has to be 'sugar knickers' - which could, as my husband noted, surely only be found in a 'specialist' catalogue.

Wildbeest, Ridgebacks and other such beasties

Decisions have been made.

Firstly, I move to new offices in two weeks time, which means that instead of a trip inside the house to lock myself away in the office, I'll be going several miles to work: by bike, of course.

And secondly, I plan to purchase a trailer of some sort, so that I can take the little one out cycling. Our five year old can cycle the legs off anyone, so our only problem taking him out is getting him back again as he disappears in a cloud of dust into the blue yonder.

The three year old, by contrast, has just had the stabilisers off his bike and needs a helping hand. Which is fine on a gentle stroll around the lake, if a little hard on the back, but not for the kind of miles I need to start getting under my belt.

So I've been taking a look around. These things all have really rugged names like Wildebeest and Ridgeback, Traveller or Kiddyvan, but none look very comfy or even very safe. Motorists are impatient with bikes at the best of times and I'm not sure I want my pride and joy at tyre level.

So the next option is a "Tag-A-Long" or Trailer Bike. These are generally only offered to kiddies 4 to 9 years. (The trailer bike looks like the back end of a normal kiddie bike, but no front wheel or steering.)

The age bit doesn't worry me - our giant three year old stands a head and shoulders above many of his older brother's classmates.

So he could get fit, assuming he pedals, and get some practise in riding. My concern is that I can't strap him in.

So if we've cycled off 10, 20, 30 miles somewhere (she says, somewhat optimistically, having managed six alone so far) and he decides he's had enough and throws a three year old paddy, I'm stuffed: out in the big wide yonder with a tantruming child and no way of getting home.

If he was the size of some of his nursery friends, this wouldn't be a problem - tuck him under the arm and rifde with him.

But I'd need muscles in my spit to manage my outsized mini-monster.

There has to be a compromise somewhere.... I can see this being a quest for the next week or so!

So if if you catch me wandering around muttering about wildebeest and travelvans, no I'm not planning an exotic holiday, merely plotting some infant control.

Moving forwards

Despite lots of words, I really am not moving this bike ride forwards. So far the furthest I've ridden is a patchy six miles, and, let's face it, the speed I did it at would mean an ETA of 2007 - perhaps the word record for the longest ever bike ride of just 100 miles?

SO, I've been looking up rides between now and then, thinking that perhaps I can aim for around 50 miles come Easter.

Well, biking is evidently an intenseley political activity.

Apart from the naked bike ride mentioned in previous blog entries (http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/uk/london/)
there seems to be:

Sponsored Bike Ride - Oxford to Campsfield House Immigration Detention centre - to raise funds/awareness to help close Campsfield Detention Centre (http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/oxford/2005/04/309506.html)


Amongst the others are:
The Carol Green Salford Cycle Ride: Carol Green was only 44 when she lost her fight against stomach cancer in 1998. Following her death, her husband Eddie and family pledged to raise £50,000 by 2008 for St Ann’s Hospice. On June 6th 2004, Eddie will be organising the third annual Carol Green Cycle Ride throughout Salford and North Manchester to raise funds for St Ann’s. (Close to my heart as my Aunt is a rare survivor of a stomach cancer operation, but Manchester's a bit of a hoik)

I also found a very council-like ride in Nottingham - also too far.

The closest thing seems to be a bike ride in Bristol in May - too late for my liking.

So my planning may have to be a little more creative, darn it. Either way - I really need a target - any suggestions?

Lycra

(As an aside, before I begin - small website on cycling before lycra: http://www.bikeit.eclipse.co.uk/cyclingprelycra/memorabilia/memorabilia.htm. Found in the course of searching for inspiration. Trust me, it was with some trepidation that I keyed in 'lycra' in Google.)

Well, I know I have one regular blog reader - Jen. And she has a vested interest - she's the regional fundraiser for Action Medical Research and very involved in the Action 100 ride.

And after this blog, I suspect she'll never speak to me again.

You see, I've been putting forward the Action 100 cycle ride volunteers for various things to help stimulate a little publicity.

And it came to me: lycra It just doesn't flatter.

At all.

I don't consider myself an unattractive person - at 43, I think I can still turn the odd head (odd, perhaps, being the operative word, but let's not go there.) But the thought of lycra cycling gear on my somewhat curvy form is filling me with trepidation.

So there's only on thing for it: Trinny and Susannah.

And there's the crux - no way am I going on telly in my smalls. Unlike the aforementioned fundraiser, Jen, I'm voluptuous. And telly adds 10 pounds. So I'll make Alison Moyet (pre weight loss), X-Factor exes and possibly even Demis Rousos (for those of us old enough to remember) look slim. A little more Vanessa Phelps than Vanessa Mae, let's say.

I have a professional reputation to maintain, and it'll be hard to sit in a boardroom with clients knowing that they've seen me at my wobbly best, and almost certainly having bits of my anatomy squished by the terrible two. I can see it now. Mid negotiations, out comes photo. Game, set and match to other side. Professional suicide!

But it has to be done. For the men as well. Unless you're lythe hipped and lunch-boxed, cycling shorts just don't flatter.

Let's just hope that Trinny and Suse are feeling ready for a challenge: hundreds of cyclists across the country may be depending on them. The application packs are in the post now.