Well, with just 100 days until the start of the challenge it’s time to put proverbial pen to paper and tell you what we have been up to whilst (hopefully) providing some light entertainment. It’s been quite some time since my last blog post, and things going on outside of the challenge have meant writing has taken a backseat. ‘All change’ is probably enough to say for now!
Nonetheless, the boys and I have been hard at work training. From a personal perspective, it’s been tough to get motivated throughout the winter, and dragging myself in the garage to grind along on the turbo trainer to loud music has been a case of needs must. The weather has not been kind to us, with the Valleys seeing lots of very cold weekends, rain and snow. Not ideal conditions for getting out on the bike….I really can’t emphasise enough how much wind chill plays a massive part in dragging your temperature down if out on the bike on a cold day.
I have managed a few outdoor rides though, and the difference the indoor turbo training had made was evident from the off. First session down Llanelli with Grant and one of his cycling mates was a tough 70km on a cold day, and into some harsh winds. The halfway stop for coffee and chocolate brownie was very welcome. Following that, I managed a midweek dash around the Beacons on a rare mild evening.
Then comes the story relating to the blog title…..and I’m sorry to disappoint as it has nothing to do with my sexual exploits! ‘Bonking’ is a term used in cycling when you completely run out of energy, and can barely pedal. Being an overly optimistic person, I attempted to cycle 100km to see a mate in Symonds Yat, going via Hay on Wye and the Gospel Pass….all while wearing a full 30 litre rucksack (I was staying the night). Two hours in all was well, but halfway up the pass it started to rain. By the time I went down the back of the pass it was freezing cold rain, on a ‘road’ of muddy water, slippery gravel and potholes galore.
After 2 hours of freezing rain and hands so cold I couldn’t get my phone out of my pocket to navigate I was psychological beaten….nearly. I ploughed on at a snail’s pace, gritting my teeth, only at 95km in to hear an agonising crunch and the sound of the chain breaking (see pic)……’character building’ is a good description! Luckily I was only 8km from my destination, and after a swift Land Rover rescue, a whole Toblerone in 10 mins, and a cup of hot tea whilst sitting in the bath I felt human again. Check out my ride ‘Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be’ on Relive!
Grant and I also managed a recce up to Snowdon and Cadaer Idris, 2 of the 3 mountains we will be tackling on the challenge. This proved to be a real eye opener, and showed its going to be really tough coming down and getting on the bike. Whilst going up is hard work the walk down is a real test of the quads, and fraught with the potential for injury…although on a plus we did find a cracking curry house in North Wales! Great scenery, and cant wait to take it all in again in July.
We are making strides on our journey for kit sponsorship, and are currently engaging with businesses to raise as much money as we can through kit sponsorship. Below is a preview of the kit, designed by our very own Sore Seat hero James. If you know of any local businesses who might want to get involved in our great cause please point them in our direction.
I have forever promised readers of the blog some funny nuggets from my cycling history so here goes….well it’s probably worth starting with the event that halted my cycling career 14 years ago. I was working for a well know bank in Swansea at the time, and not having passed my driving test used to cycle the 5 miles to work with Grant along the River Tawe. Being young and stupid I didn’t used to wear a helmet, and also being fond of laughing at little things I was at the time chuckling one evening at seeing 70’s football supremo Kevin ‘Special K’ Keegan falling off his bike on TV’s ‘Superstars’. Riding home one day I decided to give Grant a demonstration of how bad Keegan’s cycling technique was…..only to end up going over the handlebars and hitting my head on the cycle path. I came to my senses about 30 minutes later, walking the bike, with an egg on my head and scratches all over my glasses. Clearly concussed, it probably explains a lot of why I’m no longer young, but still stupid! Anyway for anyone interested here’s special K with that awful cycling technique…
I hope everyone has enjoyed the read. Please ‘like’ the Facebook page, follow on Twitter (@soreseats) or Instagram, and most importantly please donate at Just Giving if you haven’t already. Massive thanks in advance everyone, and cheers for reading…
Jon
#forvicky #hpss #thrombosisuk #thrombosis
One Man & His Cog 