Cycling in the States

Alex and I took ourselves off for a fantastic two week holiday in the States - our 50th birthday present to each other. We hired a car and travelled around 1800 miles across California, Nevada and Arizona. I absolutely loved the whole experience (though, if I could do it again I’d by-pass Las Vegas...) and was often overwhelmed by the beautiful landscapes we were lucky enough to drive, sail, walk or cycle round, through or across. 

The first cycle (and walk) of the trip was one I’ll never, ever forget...

And, the same could be said for the last...

I think it's safe to say I had an 'awesome' time in America. And, it was just the perfect way to kick start my training for a certain other cycling trip, taking place on another continent, later this year...

Walking, instead of cycling, on sunshine

I live in an ordinary wee house, in an ordinary wee village, that happens to be surrounded by some extra-ordinary scenery. As much as I love exploring it on my bike, sometimes a wee walk just hits the mark.

Hoody haverings

I've actually managed to record another instalment of my video diary already! Just a wee short one this time (and not a rhyme in sight!)

Turbo talk

I've got out of the habit of rambling into my phone and recording wee videos while I'm out on cycle rides, but I thought it might be a good idea to keep a record of this year's experiences during the build up to Cycle Africa in October. I don't think I'll be appearing on any red carpets any time soon though...

A cheeky wee mention on the Cheeky Wipes Site

I was chuffed to bits when I received an email from Helen, one of my fellow Cycle Africa participants, asking for my permission to write a blog post about my appearance at the information day last weekend. I was even more chuffed when I read what she'd written! And, I love that she owns a company called 'Cheeky Wipes'! What a brilliant idea - wish they'd been around when my kids were little!

Click here if you'd like to read what Helen had to say about me and my poem - or if you'd simply like to find out more about her fantastic Cheeky Wipes ('guaranteed to make a bum job better!).

A weekend of wonderful women

I'm knackered tonight after spending the weekend down in London with a bunch of wonderful, inspiring women.

First, there was the pair that I hooked up with on Friday night. I 'met' Zoe and Shara during the build up to the Ride the Night cycle last year. We 'met' on a Facebook group for the event and, before Friday, I'd only ever met them in person once (very briefly at Windsor Racecourse before the Ride started). However, anyone passing us by as we whooped and hugged in the middle of City Airport's arrivals lounge would've thought that we were long lost close and crazy old friends! We hit it off just as much in real life as we had done online; we had a blast, from the minute we met at the airport till the minute Shara dropped me off at my daughter's flat on Sunday. Social media gets a lot of bad press (much of it well deserved), but it does have its plus points - and we three are proof in the pudding that real - and special - friendships can indeed form on Facebook!

Next, there was the two hundred fellow women cyclists and speakers at Saturday's Cycle Africa Information Day. Even though I signed up for the Women V Cancer challenge to cycle across Tanzania months ago, I think it only hit me on Saturday just how 'big' an event this is going to be in my life.

Inspirational speeches from representatives of the charities that we're supporting; inspirational presentations from women who've been helped by the charities which reinforced my determination to keep on raising awareness and funds for Ovarian Cancer Action, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and Breast Cancer Care; inspirational and informative presentations from the organisers and Tour Manager (they even managed to convince me that camping will be fun...); inspirational and motivational talks from women who've participated in previous Action for Charity cycling events... I was, you'll have gathered, well and truly inspired! I was asked to read out a poem from my wee book and, even though I've read it many times at other events, it was such an emotional moment for me.

It was a special day, and I'm guessing that I'll always think of it as the start proper of my
Cycle Tanzania journey.

Yours truly trying to inspire...

I'm almost starting to believe this might just be so...

Lastly, there was my daughter Gemma. What a joy it was to spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon with her and be reminded how settled she is in London. We didn't stop blethering - over lunch, during our lovely stroll around Greenwich Park, and over coffee and cake - till it was time for me to head to the airport and home.  Gemma makes me so very proud with her attitude to life. Ever since she was a little girl she's loved learning, looking for new opportunities, stretching herself, making the best of things, throwing herself into everything she does with passion, taking responsibility for rejections or 'mistakes' and using those experiences to move forward with renewed vigour and determination - basically, always being up for feeling the fear and doing it anyway! You know, I consider it an important part of a parent's job to inspire and motivate their children, and I've always felt a great sense of satisfaction and pleasure when I've been able to do that for any of my kids. But, that sense of satisfaction and pleasure is nothing compared to the feeling I get when one of my, now adult, children inspires and motivates me. And Gemma did that by the bucket load during our Sunday stroll. 

The young and the old in Greenwich Park, beautiful together...

So, I headed off to the airport feeling very tired, but very grateful for all of the fantastic and inspiring women in my life - not just down in London, but also at home, and beyond. And, with a very strong feeling that the ten month journey to Tanzania - and the trip itself - is going to be about so much more than just the cycling.

I guess, then, that there might be a fair few more Stories from the Saddle to come that aren't actually from the saddle! Hopefully though, you'll still tag along - and enjoy the ride...!

p.s. I should mention that two of the wonderful speakers at the information day were men, with one of them being the son of Jo Maxwell - the woman who inspired her family to set up Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust...

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...!