A seasonal cycle with my son

2015 feels like a big year for me. Among other things, I'm hitting 50 in May and I'm cycling in Tanzania in October. I don't know whether it's just the marching on of time, or the pedalling on towards my big cycling trip, but somehow it feels important to get back into the habit of recording things more regularly on my wee blogs. So I'd better make a start...

The last time I was outside on my bike was Christmas Day when I fair enjoyed a little cycle through some muddy puddles, and up and down some wee hills, with my son. He's 21 now and the last time we were out cycling together was a fair few years ago:

We'd gone for a family cycle, along the route from Callander to Strathyre. I had gone along pretty reluctantly, as I didn't really cycle at all then, but I wanted to do that 'family thing'; be out, be active, pass other families along the way, wave and smile, be all happy, and jolly, exude an image of 'we're the sort of family that does stuff on a Sunday together and we don't ever fall out and we're all such good friends all the time...'

But, the day didn't quite pan out like that. Anyone who knows the area will know that there are a few tricky inclines on the route. They're not very long, but they're gravelly and they're steep and they're bendy and they're hard - especially if you're someone who never cycles. Like I was then.

On a particularly bendy hill, I met my match. I really wanted to cycle the whole way up. I started off determined. But, I just couldn't do it. I got stuck half way, and I wouldn't let anyone help me. Alex would have gladly given me a wee push. But, stubborness set in. Whose bloody idea had it been for me to join in with Family Fit for a long cycle that included hills?? I'm bloody going to manage this if it kills me! Oh, I huffed and puffed and moaned and groaned while Alex and the kids sat on their bikes at the top doing their, em, best to gee me on:  'You're doing great Mum' 'Keep going, you're doing really well' 'Why don't you just get off and walk up?' 'You're probably in the wrong gear?' 'It's not that hard, go back to the start and take a runny at it' 'Hurry up Mum, I'm starving...'

Eventually I gave up, got off and walked. Even that was a struggle! I was absolutely bloody knackered - and I was well huffed up. For the rest of the afternoon, every time we passed another family my smile and hello were given through somewhat gritted teeth.

I guess it's not always the kids that spoil a family day out...

So, I can't tell you how happy it made me to go for a lovely walk with my daughter and my mum, then to pedal speedily (OK, slowly) up the hills alongside (OK, a wee bit behind) my son on Christmas Day. It was just lovely to hear him shout 'Come on Mum, you're doing really well, you're nearly there!' and not want to spit teeth at him.

I came home caked in mud, with freezing cold feet (you know yon way; you get in the shower and it's like the shower head's firing needles at your toes) and way behind with the Christmas Dinner preparations (we ate at 7.30pm...) but it was so worth it. I'd had a blast!

And, I didn't have to grit my teeth when I was saying hello and smiling at any passers by. This time, I really did mean it.

Parking and Riding

'Park and Ride' took on a whole new meaning for me this morning...

I find it a bit frustrating that I can't cycle from my village into Stirling, about four miles away, without having to ride on a pretty busy - and pretty cyclist-unfriendly - main road. There is a back road I can use (and often do on our Sunday cycles), but I still have to cycle part of the way on main roads, and I just don't enjoy being on my bike on main roads at busy times.

This morning, while I was gathering my things together to head into Stirling for a keep fit class (it's called 'Stretch and Relax', so 'keep fit' might be stretching it a bit...), I was really wishing I could cycle there. It was a lovely Autumn morning and simply perfect for a ride!

And then it dawned on me that Next Bike recently launched its scheme in Stirling! Perfect!

I quickly registered online, drove to the nearest docking station (in an outlying Business Park), dumped the car and hopped on to a bike. Aw man, I loved it! It was less than two miles to the dock nearest to the place where I was going for the class - but two miles is better than no miles! And, I took a bit of a detour on the way back, so I cycled a whole six miles in total.

I guess I could've shoved my own bike onto the car rack and did the same thing using my own bike. But I struggle to lift my bike up onto the rack on my own and it was so easy just jumping into the car, out of the car and onto a bike!

I know it's not the same as ditching the car altogether, leaving it at home and cycling the whole way, but it did feel like a good compromise - and it did save me some money on centre-of-town parking! If I use the scheme often enough I'll definitely spend less on Next Bike fees than I would on parking.

So, since I'm very much a fair-weather cyclist, I'm hoping for plenty more lovely Autumn and Winter mornings in the weeks to come - so that I can keep on enjoying Parking and Riding!

Parking and Riding past sunny Stirling Castle

Story 41: Twiddling my thumb

I can't cycle at the moment as I'm injured. Now, I know that a staved thumb (don't laugh...) doesn't quite have the same ring to it as a torn tendon or a broken bone but my wee injury has still managed to keep me off my bike none the less.

The cuts and bruises sustained when I fell into a ditch during the Rapha 100 ride have all healed up, but my thumb's still throbbing. Changing gear or braking with my left hand is nigh on impossible. I tried a short cycle last week through in Glasgow to watch the triathlon during the Commonwealth Games. But I really struggled to apply enough pressure to the brake. So, I'm trying to be sensible and stay off the bike until my thumb's much better.

I must admit, I did have a bit of a wobbly a few days after the fall. It really hit me how easy it is to end up with much more serious injuries than a staved thumb when you fall off your bike. But fortunately the wobbly didn't last long. I remembered just some of the injuries I sustained as a casual runner: torn calf muscle, groin strain, back strain, cuts and bruises from falls and permanent damage to some of my internal bits and bobs that still hurt on a daily basis (though,to be fair, that was the result of a combination of illness, botched operations and the high impact pressure that comes hand-in-hand with running). Yup, I'm happy to keep on taking my chances in the saddle.

One of the women who was due to take part in Ride the Night had a really nasty fall before the event. She shattered her shoulder and elbow and is still, months later, facing a long road to recovery. She's since decided that she'll never get on a bike again as the risk attached is, for her, simply too high. I can understand that. If my fall had been much worse, and I'd ended up with broken bones, I might have felt the same way. But, until that happens (of course, I do hope that never does happen...) I'll be keeping on pedaling.

All sports come with some risks attached. And, after weighing up some of the risks attached to cycling, I still can't wait to get back out on my bike!

In the meantime, I'll just keep on twiddling my throbbing thumb...

Story 40: Bumps and bruises on the Rapha 100

In my last post I said I was looking forward to challenging myself in lots of different ways; tougher training rides, coming up with some new fundraising ideas, and managing to complete the cycle across Tanzania itself. Today's ride certainly helped me make a start on the first of those things...

I've registered the ride here with Strava, if you'd like to see the route in more detail. Tonight I'm nursing my bumps, bruises and cuts but I know that they'll soon heal. The memory of how good it feels to have risen to the challenge of getting back on my bike after a pretty nasty fall, dealing with yet another puncture (or, watching Alex deal with yet another puncture...), fighting the wind, battling the beasties (swarms of corn flies - yuk!) and clocking up my longest ride to date will stay with me for very much longer than the pain of a bunch of bumps and bruises.

Oh, and I've made a small start on the fundraising side of things by setting up my Women V Cancer Cycle Africa Just Giving page. All of the money I raise will be going straight to Women V Cancer with none of it going towards the cost of getting me to Tanzania, but I still aim to raise over £3000. And, fortunately, the fundraising challenge side of things shouldn't leave me quite so battered and bruised as some of the training rides might...!

Story 39: Getting excited about Tanzania

I'm so excited! A recce group from Action for Charity has been in Tanzania for the past few days, sussing out the Cycle Africa route, and Ann Frampton (the organisation's director and contributor to a certain little book...)  shared some of the details and photographs on Facebook. Aw man, it sounds so much more challenging than I was expecting but it also looks even more fantastic than I could possibly have imagined! 

In one of her posts Ann reminded us that we're not going to Tanzania next October for a holiday; we'll have to train hard in preparation for cycling at altitude over some pretty rough terrain, we'll have to be all set for camping out in the wild for a couple of nights (I'm trying not to think too much about that aspect of the trip just yet...), we'll have to be fit enough to cycle 217 miles over the course of a few days and we'll only reach the finish line if we can manage a 25 mile uphill slog on the final day of the trip. 

Ann's right, it won't be a holiday. It's going to be tough. But it will be incredible! We'll see some amazing sights (like Mount Kilimanjaro), we'll cycle alongside wild animals (like zebras, baboons, giraffes and maybe even lions!!) and we'll have the privilege of meeting some of the locals along the way (like Maasai villagers). It's all so exciting!

October 2015 seems like a long way off, but I've got a lot of money to raise, and a lot of saddle hours to clock up, before I set one foot in Tanzania. It's absolutely right that it's going to be tough (did I mention the camping...?). Just like the woman who runs a Race for Life, or the man who doesn't shave, or the child who parts with her pocket money for Pudsey - I committed to Cycle Africa because I wanted to raise money and raise awareness for Women V Cancer while rising to a personal challenge.

And, after looking at the photos today, I know for sure that I've picked the perfect challenge to rise to.

(Photo courtesy of Ann Frampton)

Story 38: Sunny Sunday Cycle

We had another great local Sunday cycle today! I'm taking the lazy option of recording it with details of the ride here on Map My Ride and a little video rambling below, just to add some meat to the stats...

(And, for anyone who's interested, here are the stats for Friday night's cycle from Callander to Balquhidder)

Story 37: Keeping it local

I'd wondered if my first few cycles after last weekend's exploits in Arran would feel like a bit of an anti-climax. Nope. I've had yet another weekend of good fun in the saddle during two 'keeping it local' rides.

Yesterday we clocked up 34 miles. We cycled from Stirling to Falkirk, stopped for coffee and cake with the Kelpies, then cycled a different way back again. If you're interested, the stats are here on Map My Ride

We came home and settled down to watch the Tour de France. It would've been great to be in Yorkshire joining the thousands of other folk who lined the steets to cheer those superb cyclists on, but instead we made the most of it and simply brought the Tour to our garden...

Then this morning we clocked up 25 miles and conquered a local hill in the process. Again, the stats are on Map My Ride but this clever little app can't quite manage to capture my thoughts. I'm sticking to my wee video bletherings for that... 

Story 36: Arran revisited ... and conquered

(A wee bit more information, for those of you interested in the fine detail, here on Map My Ride)

Story 35: A Saturday cycle, and most enjoyable it was too

Today was my first time out on the roads since Ride the Night, and what a lovely day it was for it too!

It wasn't long till the Gala Parade came along, and what a lovely sight and sound it was too!

The cycle to Callander was hard going, with a few tough hills, but the village band were out when we arrived and what a lovely welcome it was too!

We slipped up with the pub we chose for refreshments (the cleaners clearly hadn't been in for a week or six...) but we did enjoy our visit to Galleria Lutia; a fantastic little gallery that's owned by my friend Sandie and her family. I spotted a pile of my wee books on one of the shelves and what a lovely feeling it was too!

By the time we arrived back home the Gala barbeque was in full swing, but we opted instead for a quiet night in...and a very nice evening it was too...

Story 34: From Arran to Africa...

Last July Alex talked me into going for a wee cycle in Arran. We ended up cycling 53 miles in two days all the way round the island, and I ended up hooked on not-so-serious cycling. 

After that, and following some lovely rides through the summer, I managed to raise some money for the STV Appeal by cycling 47 miles from Glasgow to Edinburgh in the Pedal for Scotland event. 

I enjoyed it so much that I immediately looked for another challenge, which came in the form of Women V Cancer Ride the Night, and last week managed to cycle 62 miles through the night from Windsor to London and back to Windsor again. 

I loved the whole experience so much that I've already signed up to do it again next year - but it won't be as much of a challenge next time around as I'll already have cycled the distance. I am, however, passionate about the Women V Cancer organisation and definitely want to continue supporting them.

So, I've signed up for another challenge. In October 2015 I'm aiming to cycle 220 miles across a mixture of dirt tracks and tarmac, starting in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro and finishing at the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. I'll be raising funds again for Women V Cancer, sharing the experience with some incredible women, and hoping to see some lions and giraffes and elephants along the way! It's a serious challenge, but I'm seriously up for it. (Well, as seriously as a not-so-serious cyclist can be).

From Arran to Africa - who would've thought...?!