Track my Ton!

So all the talk is over. On Sunday I take on the Ton.

I feel ready.....ish. I'm sure I'll make it to the end (barring mechanical failure or heart attack!) but I'm not sure if I will take 6 hours (aye right) or 10. Someone could always run a book on my time! I'd be putting your money on the longer times

Many, many thanks to everyone who has sponsored me. At the time of writing this I have raised £540 for my mums hospice and £240 for Action Medical Research. Very impressive with some money still to come in (have you sponsored me yet?!).

To spice things up a little I will be using a GPS tracker to record my ride, and with a little bit of interwebby magic, you can follow me live below! From about 7:30am onwards on Sunday (21st June) you can follow my position and speed on the ton course. It starts from Stirling and ends in Stirling.

So feel free to leave comments here encouraging me to go faster, get to the end, to try and retake the lead from the snail that has gone past me etc.

Wish me luck!

P.S. The track point at time of writing is not at my house. Too many bus drivers/taxi drivers etc would be interested in that information....



GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

Last Big Training Run

So today was my last big training run (been off on holiday!). Took a difficult route (for me) over both Tak Ma Doon and Crow Road (I have discovered that the climb is much easier heading south over Crow Road!).

The contrast to last weeks run was huge! Beautiful sunshine, little wind, and my legs seemed to be supercharged! Managed to do the route with good average of 16.2mph with no stopping at the top of the hills (or on the way up!).

I also had a play with a live tracker application on my mobile which seemed to work really well, so for the big event I will have my mobile set up with an extra battery pack so that I can be tracked on my journey. So if you want to see my progress I'll be posting the link so that you can follow me live!

If you happen to live nearby you could also pop out and cheer me on (or boo at me if that takes you fancy!).

All I've got to hope for now is some kind weather and that Swine Flu doesn't pay a visit!

Wish me luck and remember to sponsor me if you haven't already!

Cold, wet and hard work...

Another training run today (tracked on my new HTC Magic mobile phone, cool phone!). I had intended taking in Tak Ma Doon and Crow road today. However, the weather, cold, wet and a strong easterly, put an end to that. That and the fact that I lost a full energy drink bottle half way through, meant I decided not to take on Crow Road.

Todays ride hurt!!

However, not a bad training run as it will have worked my body!

49.3 miles, moving average speed 15.71mph (damn wind and rain!), average speed (including stops, i.e. where is my drink bottle!?) 14.79mph, maximum speed 35.8 (a lot lower than the last time at 48.8!).

The best bit was that I didn't stop at the top of Tak ma Doon, I just kept going. Progress!

The worst bit is that my bike fiddling (oo-er) hasn't solved my numb fingers problem. I am loathed to change too much leading up to the 100 mile ride, so I think I'll just have to cope with it.

Only 2 weeks till the ton. Yikes!

Remember and sponsor my pain...

Brown Trouser Moment

As you may have read I've been training for the Trossachs Ton for the last month and a bit. It's been going fairly well. Before today I've done four 40 mile runs over a reasonably hilly route (one of the hills on the T Ton).

So I thought I'd up it a bit today and went for a 50 miler on this route taking in Tak Ma Doon road (going North). My first time for this hill.

I was well chuffed today as I managed to make it to the top without stopping once! OK I may have been traveling at 5mph in places, still, I was pleased

However, it was the downhill that was to leave the biggest impression!

Wow! That is some downhill. The road was very smooth and had some undulations on the way down which had my heart in my mouth on a few occasions. However, that wasn't the brown trouser moment... that came when near the bottom travelling 40mph+ (My max was 48.8mph!) I spotted some water in a dip in the road. No problem I thought. I'd seen some water across the roads in a few places, not deep and flowing very slowly. It was only when I was about 20m away that I noticed that it wasn't just a trickle of water. In fact it was a proper mini ford with raised cobbled stones etc.

Oh bu%%er!!

There was no time to reduce the speed (about 40mph) and no chance of evasive action I just had to hope for the best....

As I hit the ford I could feel the bike lifting off the ground and I had lost control. I was at the mercy of gravity and lady luck. I could feel the bike start to tilt to the right underneath me, so I braced for impact. As my bike came back down (on the wheels!) it wobbled and I was sure I was coming off. AMAZINGLY the bike righted itself and I managed to gain control again and kill the speed.

I survived!

I carried on cycling for about 10 minutes before I decided to stop and take stock. That was very VERY close to being a complete wipe out! I would have been in a very bad way had I came off. I will be taking the descent of Tak Ma Doon a little more cautiously in future!

Anyhoos, despite the drama and the significant headwind on the way back, I managed an average of 16.5mph over the 50 miles. I was very happy with this.

Once I was home and had time to reflect I realised that as I jumped over the ford there had been a gust of wind that just so happened to blow through my helmet vents. I reckon it was this that helped to stabilise me enough to make my safe landing. Thank goodness I had my helmet on....

Training for the Ton

I haven't posted much recently. I've been out on the bike instead!

I've decided that just turning up for the Trossachs Ton (100 mile ride) without training, was probably not a great idea. So I have set some time aside each weekend to get out on the bike and get some miles, and more importantly, some hills into my legs. So I've been doing this loop over the last four weeks

Crow Road loop April 09

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

It is 40 miles and takes in the mighty Crow Road climb into the Campsies.

My first ride was a bit of a shock, as I hadn't attempted such a big hill before. Ouch! I had to stop several times on the way up! Even the sheep seemed to be laughing at my first attempt! However, I'm getting better now and finding that my climbing technique has been improving.

I'm managing to do the ride in about 2.5 hours (average speed of just over 16mph) which I think for a newbie isn't too bad. It hurts, but it's a sort of fun hurt....if you know what I mean!

Always one to spot a videoing oppertunity, I decided to take my camera along for one of the rides... up and down




Oh! Don't forget to sponsor me!