On June 10/11/12 the Pollicott Belles will ride again...

Setting a date could be a bigger challenge than them there hills of the south themselves. Aside from a small matter of training, it takes a surprising amount of planning and effort to get four gals, four bikes and four sets of kit ready to do a long distance cycle ride so planning has started early.

We need support for home life commitments, travel and logistics on route so on one very chilly Winter evening last week we were looking forward to the sunshine of early Summer:

• Several diaries were carefully consulted and coordinated
• The Trainline.com was checked and checked again
• Car capacities were investigated
• Budget accommodation options were identified
• Follow up negotiation was agreed to be had with employers

Finally with all threads pulled together our window of opportunity was narrowed down to 10/11/12 June 2011 and it cannot be weather permitting!

Whatever the weather, we four Belles are travelling to Winchester by train on Thursday 9th June. We will be staying at the City Mill YHA at the start of the South Downs Way. We will be setting off on our mission AM Friday 10th June and finishing as early as possible on Sunday 12th June. We are still not sure how we will get home yet but several options are identified.

Last year we had a fabulous, pick up and drop, luggage service from our 'boys' but this year, due to life commitments, we are having to err on the side of the possible need for self-sufficiency. The plan is to pack one pannier each - one! Luggage priorities will be puncture repair and maintenance equipment, first aid kit, wet weather gear, phones and snacks. So clean knickers, toothbrushes and deodorant will be a luxury it seems.  And, definitely NO 'going out gear' or make-up (imagine!). Hope remains that someone will take pity on us and offer to meet us on route with (at least) a change of undies!

There is a lot of effort going into our adventure so please, if you can, support us in our efforts. Ideally help us raise some hard cash for Helen & Douglas House. Which brings me on nicely to remind you that next week is Ashendon Bingo night (8pm, 3rd March, Gatehangers Ashendon) and we are hopeful for an even bigger result than the last one.

All the Gear(s) and No Idea...

This week saw Vicky and me (Sian) flying (like little geese) up and down the hills surrounding Pollicott. Vicky set off to tackle 3 of our most notorious hills, I had 4 in mind and we actually managed 5 when Vicky suggested Barrack Hill in Winchendon as a special one off bonus.

Our 15 mile, 331 ft hill climb with NW diversion.

Well actually that’s not quite the whole truth. Vicky asked if I had seen the beautiful barn conversion in Winchendon. I had not and (as it happens) we could, with a little diversion, go that way!

We did well – climbing a total of 331 feet, almost twice what has become the norm for us Belles, and covering just over 15 miles. We also both managed to stay on top of our bikes and the tyres stayed inflated the whole way round.

Vicky did particularly well given the challenges she has with her bike gears. Said gears need to be selected before heading uphill which means she is losing momentum just where it is most needed.

 

This got me thinking Vicky may need new gears fitted to her bike. So I raised the subject later that day with one of our many technical advisors. I had no idea:

• “Are they derailleur?” – I stared blankly
• “How many gears has her bike got?” – blanker
• “Do they look like yours?” – and blanker still

The one thing I thought I knew about bikes was – they are simple!!! I thought it was a matter of taking the old ones off and putting the new ones on.

Despite wishing I hadn’t asked, the outcome of the conversation was positive because the advice from our advisor is this – they probably just need cleaning or a new cable. Cables tend to go. She is very unlikely to need new gears. And the best bit is our advisor (with some cajoling) has agreed to take a look (really, you did Andy!!).

Bad Wind Stopped Play

For 2 weeks in a row we Belles have not trained and last weekend’s excuse was ‘bad wind’. This was neither due to a fear of following flatulent fellow Belles nor a result of our ‘training’ excesses the previous week. It was simply that weather conditions were against us.

At this point, ordinarily, I would have said “it’s only a little bit of wind, come on girls” or something similar. But I knew better than that because:

1. I did that when it was just a little bit frosty and that led to a series of unfortunate events and
2. I was out pedalling in high winds a few weeks ago and it was an interesting experience...

I went for spin on my road bike in similar (but not as bad) weather conditions. It should have been a relaxing Saturday pedal and yet it became a battle of wits at every field gate. In fact, the wind whipped through any gap, in any boundary, and my journey through Bucks, Oxon (and a little bit of Northants) was a perilous game of chicken. Would I, or would I not, make it past the gap before the wind gusted? On more than one occasion I found myself passing a gap and making sudden, involuntary, lurches across the road on my wonderfully light carbon fibre machine. I didn’t come off but that was more down to luck than skill or judgement.

So this got me thinking – what do (dare I say it) (even) more committed cyclists do to combat bad wind?

Cycle Performance Tips tell us to:

• Keep a good mental attitude. Stay positive. Wind, day after day, can beat you down mentally. But head winds actually help improve fitness.
• Watch for cross winds. Especially on roads with truck traffic. When you're leaning left to maintain a straight line and a passing vehicle momentarily blocks the wind, you might veer into the lane. Fight the tendency by keeping your elbows loose and upper body relaxed.

Cycle Chat advice is:

• Hope drivers are aware that a sudden gust of wind can cause a sudden wobble.
• Follow a cyclist with a flag and use that to warn of coming gusts.

And finally Cycling Tips, Australia came up with the answer:

• Cycle as a group and be...
• ...like geese. This is the most efficient way of using the group’s energy to cut through the wind and maintain a high average speed. The riders in the echelon will rotate through from the sheltered side to the front and then pull off back on the windward side.

So be warned you may just see us gals cycling in an echelon formation with a flag flying, heads down, necks extended, flapping our floppy elbows and squawking (more than usual). And be aware that, despite our best efforts, we may suddenly veer into your path and blame it on bad wind.

And that's a fact...

Plenty of people take on challenges for charity and, compared to some, the South Downs Way may feel a little tame. Remember this however: we are busy girls with busy lives, squeezing our training in around careers, families, horses, voluntary policing, regular injury and bad weather. Also remember Alex had never cycled until the very end of 2009. On top of that the South Downs Way is no walk in the park - it's long, there are hills and pleny of distractions along the way.

Then, please put the following facts into that context and give us a little credit - you can do that at: www.justgiving.com/pollicottbelles2011 or at one of our forthcoming events.

The South Downs Way National Trail starts at City Mill, Winchester and finishes at the Western End of Eastbourne Promenade. I'm not sure we'll be up to promenading at the end.

How Far? The South Downs Way is 100 miles long  - we Belles have a slight advantage because the bridleway route is 4 miles shorter (though navigational error is bound to sort that out).

How High? in total there is 13,600 foot of ups (and downs) - we are currently climbing 170 foot on a typical training ride - so in 2 days we will be doing that 80 times over! Butser Hill at 900ft and Ditchling Beacon at 814ft will be the killers. A little (a lot) more hill training is needed methinks.



The elevation Profile of one of our training routes

  

The  elevation Profile of the South Downs Way

How Long will it Take? On average it takes 3 days to complete the South Downs Way on a bike - we have to complete it in 2 days (2 half days and one full day).

The Sights? Winchester Cathedral, Chanctonbury Ring, Devils Dyke, Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age monuments, Long Man of Wilmington, Seven Sisters, Beachy Head, blue butterflies and all 14 of Andy Goldsworthy’s strategically erected chalk stones (which start at Cocking) sorry!

The sights will be the subject of more blogs so please come back to learn more about our ride and training.