Category Archives: Charity Bike Ride

It’s all up from here!

So, it seems that the Euro City Cycle will not be starting in Trafalgar Square. We will not have the privilege of rolling out of Buckingham Palace in a regal procession. We will not even be getting clipped in to our pedals in the 2012 Olympic Park in Stratford.

No, it appears that after what I can only imagine was an intense and competitive bidding war, the honour of hosting the start of our great European adventure has been awarded to… wait for it… the Holiday Inn, Brentwood, Essex.

It’s not only distance that separates Brentwood from Central London!

While being very practical, convenient even, for our Day 1 cycle to meet the ferry in Harwich, it doesn’t quite have the glamour of other possible departure locations. It’s the equivalent of starting the Tour de France somewhere random like… Leeds!

Selfishly, Brentwood is also a bit of a trek from the Station that I’ll arrive at in London, so my trip will be a little more “interesting” than I had anticipated.

Still, we need to start somewhere, and I can understand why being responsible for a group of novice cyclists in Central London isn’t an attractive (or safe) proposition.

Hopefully our rather more cycle friendly cousins on the continent will make their major cities a little more accessible. It’d be a shame to leave Amsterdam without seeing a canal, or to depart Brussels without seeing a little boy peeing!

With the challenge laid out in front of us, I’m sure the Holiday Inn Car Park will take on new significance, and be etched on our memories as the starting point for our trip of a lifetime.

I can’t wait!

Hopefully thing are only metaphorically “all up from here”!

E-minus 100 (days) and counting…

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in exactly 100 days time I will be setting off on my Euro City Cycle ride to Brussels. I’ve been trying not to get too caught up in all the details as it’s seemed such a long way off, but I guess now it’s time to get myself organised.

By my reckoning, there are four things that I need to arrange:

Logistics: I need to get from Aberdeen to London (and back). My preferred travel option is by train. Although this will take about 7 hours, it seems to be the simplest option, not least because it avoids the need to take my bike apart (and more critically re-build it at the other end!).

One of my current challenges, however, is that I don’t know where the cycle starts. I therefore don’t know where exactly I need to be. This issue is countered by the fact that I can’t book the train tickets until 3 months in advance, so I just need to be patient for a few days.

I will also need to stay in London overnight both before and after the cycle. I’ll select a cheap hotel that’s close to where I need to be. Again, a problem not knowing the cycle departure point!

So, not much I can do right now on Logistics other than try to get some more details… I guess knowing where you need to be, and when, are always key elements of good logistics!

Kit: This should be the easiest of to address. I can hear the advice now… “Throw a Credit Card at it!”.

Although I have a “Kit List”, the range of cycling clothes, accessories, dietary supplements, etc. to choose from is huge. Being a relative novice to cycling and a complete novice to cycling longer distances, there is quite a high probability that I’ll select poorly (non-functional, impractical, over-priced, superfluous, etc.).

Green Flash were not cool when I was at school!

I’d like to avoid the schoolboy nightmare of turning up in the wrong gym kit (for example, wearing Green Flash when everyone else has Adidas). Until I arrive on that first morning, there will always be that niggling concern that I’ll spend four days with people giggling at me behind my back! Of course I’ll be grown up about it, but these are feelings that I don’t think ever completely go away, no matter how confident you are!

I’d also like to avoid the situation where everyone else turns up with the one essential, secret item that is the difference between having a safe, comfortable, enjoyable trip… and not.

As things stand, I’ll just have to rely on luck however some advice would be helpful. Any suggestions?

My kit (and luggage) obviously has to work with the logistics. Once I’ve worked out where I need to get to in London, I need to be able to get there safely with bike, bags, etc. I suspect this is a situation in which less is more!

Sponsorship: When is the right time to start fund raising? There is an argument for “as soon as possible”, but if people are like me they will recognise they have plenty of time and do nothing. I could wait until the last minute, but that doesn’t leave much scope for reminding people.

Having pondered this for a while, I’ve reached the conclusion that right about now is a good time to start. 100 days before the event, Christmas is out of the way, everyone’s in need of the feel good factor that giving a little money to charity will provide… the timing couldn’t be better!

Sponsorship will be a feature of the run-in to the cycle, but I’m not going to obsess about it. I am paying for the trip myself so every penny raised will go to the British Heart Foundation. I’ve set myself a target of raising £3,000 but that’s just a target… it’s all good!

Incidentally, my fundraising site is up and running, you can access it by clicking here.

Thanks again to everyone who’s already sponsored me!

Training: So that just leaves training (which I also equate to Health and Fitness). So far so good I’d say. I’m cycling over 40 miles on a regular basis, and around 120 miles a week. I need to ramp it up as we get close to the event, and do more outside on the open road, but I have time. The key thing is that I look after myself.

I also have the small matter of a check-up with the Cardiologist in a couple of weeks. It’ll be the first time I’ve seen him since I left hospital in June so it’s a reasonably significant event. I’m not exactly sure what the check-up will entail. Hopefully it’ll be a formality. Fingers crossed!

***

So, that’s it. I always feel better when I’ve made a list. Now all I need to do is start crossing things off it!

Milestones along the way

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Today I visited the British Heart Foundation website about 15 minutes before registration for the London to Brighton Bike Ride opened. To be honest, it was a complete coincidence. I was actually going to read the latest news on Heart Research, but found myself in a “Waiting Room”, approximately 650th in the queue. So I waited.

London to Brighton is an annual event. I have watched it from afar but never participated – For a few years I lived just off Clapham Common where it starts. It attracts thousands of people (27,000 last year) so the atmosphere looks amazing. I always fancied it, my non-participation was mostly due to laziness. Given I was already in the queue , I figured “Why not?”.

This is the 3rd event I have lined up for the Summer. I’m really excited about them all. Each will act as a mini-milestone, something to focus on and build up to. Each has a slightly different motivation too…

The Euro City Cycle is really for me. It’s over four days, and was the challenge I set myself back in August when I really didn’t have any idea what I’d be capable of. I guess in a way it was two fingers to the Heart Attack and putting the Rehabilitation I was undergoing into some context.

It seems like a lifetime ago now, but many of the anxieties still exist, just not to the same degree. I can’t imagine how I’ll feel when I finish the event in Brussels (other than a bit sore of course!).

London to Brighton will be a community event. it’s the British Heart Foundation’s flagship fundraising event so there’ll be a big team there. I would imagine there will also be a number of people other than myself doing both events.

I think there is something magical about large crowds. I’ve always got a buzz from attending big sporting events, or concerts. On a couple of occasions I’ve had the privilege of being in the middle as a competitor. I think London to Brighton will be a bit of both: Spectator and Participant at the same time.

It happens that London to Brighton takes place on the anniversary of my Heart Attack. That will make it a little bit more special. It will be a really nice way of closing out the year and looking forward to the future.

Finally, I have the Ride the North event in late August: Inverness to Aberdeen over two days. This is probably the most challenging (a bit more bumpy than Belgium and Holland!), so lucky it’s last! I’m going to participate in with some friends, so it’ll have a different feel to the others.

Of course, the plan is to raise money for the British Heart Foundation over the course of the year too (You can help by donating here), but selfishly there’s a lot more to it for me.

***

I’ve never done anything like this before. In a way it’s strange that it took a Heart Attack to prompt me into action. At the same time it had to be something fairly drastic to break the habits of the past.

Either way, I’m excited about the summer’s plans and passing some memorable milestones on my journey!

It’s not the destination…

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In 4 months time I will embark on my Euro City Cycle challenge. As they say…

“It’s the journey, not the destination, that matters most.”

Even arriving in London to start the event will be a major milestone on my journey. When I signed up for the event in August last year it seemed like a huge challenge… more of a distant dream, in fact.

It was just 2 months after my Heart Attack and I was still in Phase 3 Cardiac Rehabilitation, being closely monitored throughout my 30 minute work-outs. I knew I needed to give myself something to work towards.

I was excited but very nervous at the same time… Was taking on too much? Would I physically be able to do it (ever even)? Was I being too ambitious? Foolhardy? At that stage I wasn’t even sure that the Doctor would allow me to participate.

The sun always shines on the Euro City Cycle!

Now, having got 6 months of structured exercise under my belt I’m feeling a bit more confident. According to the “Welcome Pack” I received for the event, as a Novice I should start my training today. I should begin by cycling 5 to 10 miles, 3 or 4 times a week, and slowly build up from there. I feel like I’m slightly ahead of the curve on this so for the time being I’ll focus on maintaining my routine throughout the worst the winter has to offer.

I can’t wait until the weather improves, the days lengthen and the temperature increases (to the extent it ever does in North East Scotland!) so I can safely get outside on my bike. For the time being I’ll get the miles in on the Turbo Trainer.

Over recent weeks I’ve connected with other people that are doing more ambitious challenges; Land’s End to John O’Groats (854 miles), Southern Spain to Northern Norway (~4,000 miles). To be honest I’m feeling a bit envious, but I am looking at this as a stepping stone.

Cycling from London to Amsterdam to Brussels in 4 days will be an accomplishment in it’s own right, particularly given I should complete it less than a year after the Heart Attack. However, I’m not counting my chickens… I need to keep my head down and do the work so I can really enjoy the London to Brussels leg of my journey!

Totes Emosh

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Today I received some fantastic news…

I recently presented the medical form for my Charity Bike Ride to my Doctor for his consideration. I had two main concerns: (1) that he wouldn’t think that embarking on a 300 mile cycle was a sensible thing to do less than a year after having a Heart Attack and (2) that his insurance company might have an issue with the wording of the statement I was asking him to sign.

A “No” would have left me lacking direction somewhat!

On one level I would have understood if either of these issues had arisen. I was potentially asking a lot given my recent medical history. I would even have understood if he had asked me to come back in a few months so he could see how my health and fitness have progressed.

On another level, I would have been totally gutted if he had said “No”. It would have thrown the ride into some jeopardy. Given it’s been my main focus for the past few months (at least as far as motivation for exercise is concerned), it would have felt deflated. I think I’m progressing well, and I want to stay motivated. Having something to work towards really helps.

***

Today I received the form back, signed and stamped by my Doctor. As far as he is concerned, I am “good to go”. I just need to continue to gradually build up my training and listen to my cardiologist.

For the record, I have never used these words before!

It was just some ink on a bit of paper, but I felt quite emotional as I left the Surgery. I’m not sure exactly why. It may have been the removal of doubt about whether he’d sign the form. It may have been the fact that the ball is now in my court as far as the ride is concerned – no excuses. It may also have been the small vote of confidence that he recognises the progress I’ve made and trusts that it will continue.

Whatever the reason, it reinforced the fact that the ride is important to me. 180 days to go!

Check Up #3 (FD +92)

My next (big) challenge

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As I approach the end of my Cardiac Rehab sessions, I need a challenge to help keep me focused and motivated throughout the dark cold winter nights.

This is an important decision for me. It will create the structure of my next phase of my recovery. I need to select something that is realistic and achievable, but also something reasonably challenging. Challenging enough to keep me interested, fit and focused!

I checked out the British Heart Foundation website for ideas. Given my recent fitness exploits, it made sense to look at their cycling options. They offer a large number of interesting choices… the extravagantly exotic, outrageously “foreign” and luxuriously lengthy options were ruled out fairly quickly. I also eliminated the mundane… it’d be good to do something a little bit different!

Having tested a few options with the family (where I successfully tested the boundaries of exotic, foreign and lengthy), I landed on…

…a Bike Ride from London to Amsterdam to Brussels.

280 miles over 4 days starting on 7th May 2014.

Along the way, I’m also hoping to raise a few quid for the British Heart Foundation.

This is the sort of climbing I like!

Excitedly I went to register for the trip. Unfortunately, my first attempt was a complete anti-climax. ironically my attempt failed on a web page with the title “Your challenge starts here”… it appears it does!!! Having spent some time typing in my long list of medication, I was a little frustrated to say the least!

Anyway, I eventually resorted to the manual telephone method, and I’m now all signed up!

All I need to do now is raise some cash, get properly fit and persuade a GP to sign my “fit for fun” letter in advance of the trip. All very exciting!!!

I hope you’ll join me every step of the way!