Feb 4, 2017
Slightly chillier than I planned this morning.... #mediavelo #cycling #whereiride (at Heartwood Forest)
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Slightly chillier than I planned this morning.... #mediavelo #cycling #whereiride (at Heartwood Forest)
At the end of 2014 we rode from Birmingham to High Wycombe, a windy and sub-zero temperature day of just over 100 miles. For 2015, we wanted to do something a little more epic and as I type this I have no doubt we achieved that.
The route was set based on direct trains out of Birmingham - and Taunton fitted the bill perfectly. It is SW of Brum, so the prevailing wind seemed ideal to help us finish the 230km route.
This is where my fellow rider and accomplis for the adventure James chipped in: “how about if we did it though the night?”. It seemed rude to push back on this frankly ridiculous proposal - if he was willing to do it I was too!
8.12pm on the 30th December and we found ourselves on the train down south. Storm Frank has been (and still is) battering the country, so we were expecting to get wet at some point.
With backpacks filled with fuel and extra clothes we hit the lanes of Somerset for our first stint; including taking in the stunning Cheddar Gorge climb. Clear skies greeted us, and with the moon and stars shining down we were making good progress. The first stop was scheduled at the 24h McDonalds just north of Bristol - after a slight detour (sorry!) we made it after covering the first 90km of our journey.
It's worth adding at this point that although we had the luxury of Garmin GPS for navigation, we actually printed off a route with KM markers (which was the reason for many of the slight detours!) which added to the excitement.
As we left the warm confines of McDonalds, it was the same time the clouds decided to form above and drop its contents on us. We powered on north to Tewksbury where we had to stop in a bus shelter to put on the extra layers we had brought with us.
Freezing and soaked to the bone we changed course to knock off a few KM’s. Heading east to Evesham we had one final stop (another 24h McDonalds!) where we knew we only had 40km to go. At this point we were 190km in and knew that the finishing line was just around the corner.
We headed out to the final stretch just as the sun was coming up. With daylight came an even greater level of wind chill, leaving us really fighting to finish the final 20km. With Birmingham in sight we gave it everything we had (for those who seen our Strava - that wasn't much at this point!) and finished up at home just 8.5h after we had set off from Taunton.
Along the way we passed through county after county, district after district, these small victories along the way kept us sane (although we probably looked far from it high giving reaching Worcestershire!).
The final figures:
30th December 10pm - 31st December 8.30am 230 km Taunton - Birmingham 1500m of climbing 3 degrees average temperature
Time to recover now, feet up and enjoy the start of the new year. Happy 2016 all! Now, where to next year?
50 in 3. Standard winter training?
How about 3 cafe stops in 50 miles? That was the order for today's ride! We met at the local Costa in Knowle at 9am before heading south to Kenilworth. The coffee stop of choice was Time for Tea; a great independent cafe where cyclists flock to from the surrounding villages. It gets so busy some days you need to pre book a table!
With 30 miles done, it was time to turn around and head home. One final stop at local bike shop Dynamic Rides (well it would be rude not too huh?!) and we heading back into town and home.
That was another 50 miles ticked off the Festive 500. Only 125km to go now, and as I type this we are finalising the plans for tomorrow nights epic through the night ride from Taunton, through Cheddar Gorge back up to Birmingham. It looks like the storm forecast has changed, so the plans are go go go!
The ride was called; 10am at the local bike track. A few mumbles of varying commitment came back, but at around 10.10am three of us set off north to tackle 100km of the local lanes.
10km in and “toilet stop!” Was yelled from behind. Another 10km and another shout for a nature break...! It looked like it could be a long day in (or out) of the saddle.
At 50km in, we stopped for our coffee and some fuel at what has became somewhat of a regular haunt - McCafe! We then ventured back out on the return leg, into somewhat of a headwind featuring even more toilet breaks (OLAV!!).
The final cafe stop at 90km, this time at the local Costa. @rideupgradesjim caught us up (he missed the 10am start!) after his very similar but solo route.
Another 100km ticked off the Festive 500 - just 210 to go! Oh and the weather for Wednesday night is looking a little on the bad side...
Today a few of us headed north from Solihull up and through Maxstoke (a decent climb on the best day!) before stopping for coffee in Kingsbury.
The winds have lapsed from the past few days, however those clouds that were threatening us yesterday soon closed in. The return 40km was into a face full of mist. You know the type - ‘it doesn't feel like it's raining’ mist. The sort of mist that soaks you through after a few minutes of riding.
What was great to see was around 100 cyclists out and about - both solo and huge groups. That may not seem a lot for you Londoners, but us in the midlands that's a big deal!
All in a great ride. 80km ticked off this years Festive 500. 310km to go!
Boxing Day 2015. Today was the day I had entered the WMCCL cyclocross at Kenilworth - the conditions could not have been better. 13 degrees and dry, albeit with a raging south westerly wind. My mates James and Laura were racing. I planned to ride out, race and ride back - achievable with the course only being 15 miles away. Sadly my mind didn't want to come with me and race today, so as I stood and cheered them on from the sides I knew that perhaps a day of recovery was for the best. Sometimes you just need to listen to your body. This brings me to the next few days, where I will attempt to complete the #festive500 - topped off with a mega 145 mile ride through the night from Taunton to Birmingham... Will we make it?
Christmas Day 2015, and my #fbf to when me and my best mate drove an epic 1800 miles to take part in the l'etape du tour. The summit finish up La Toussuire was almost the end of us, as we struggled in 40+ degree temperatures.
An amazing adventure, with incredible memories. A full write up to come in early 2016.
MediaVelo off to the Alps
In partnership with Le Col and British Cycling, MediaVelo will be taking on the Etape du Tour on the 19th July. Keep up to date with the Road Trip from Birmingham to La Toussuire by reading our travel diaries.
Set in the Alps, along a 140km route we will be climbing nearly 5000m, tackling 4 mountain passes with a summit finish at La Toussuire.