Tag Archives: Brussels

ECC Day 5: The day after the night before

The day after the night before… I awoke in the 6th bed in 6 days, a delightful pull down number squeezed into the corner of a double room. It had been a relatively late night and promised to be a very slow start to the day.

We had the morning to ourselves. The only deadline was to get ourselves to the Train Station by mid-afternoon. It was relaxed. For once there was no-one to giving us orders. There was no-one to follow. We were alone.

After four days riding across Northern Europe blindly following a man with an iPad we had been given control back. The Guides had travelled ahead with the bikes. We were left to look after ourselves. Without any counselling we had been abandoned, left to re-integrate into society. Alone.

Sightseeing in Brussels

I felt a strange sense of freedom… a day without Lycra. I was able to walk normally, without cleats, able to put my feet flat on the floor. I was without bike, able to sit inside and watch the rain rather than being out in it. I had nowhere in particular to go.

***

Generally I felt more “normal” than I have in a long time:

The previous night’s beer didn’t seem to do me any immediate damage, I hadn’t fallen over or experienced any side-effects, and I woke up feeling fine.

The first beer since my Heart Attack

Possibly more importantly the Euro City Cycle is behind me. It has been a real focus for me for the past 10 months; the end of a key recovery phase? I can now look forward with a little more comfort, a touch more relaxed. It feels good!

***

After a relaxing two-hour journey we arrived at London St Pancras. The Guides were waiting for us: We were instructed to follow them to an unknown destination.

We blindly followed them; winding our way across the station concourse in a chain which gradually fragmented as people lost contact.

We emerged into a light drizzle… normal business had been resumed!

ECC Day 4: Falling down and bouncing back

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Richard, Geoffrey and John are locked in the dungeon and Henry is coming down to execute them:
Prince Richard: He’s here. He’ll get no satisfaction out of me. He isn’t going to see me beg.
Prince Geoffrey: My you chivalric fool… as if the way one fell down mattered.
Prince Richard: When the fall is all there is, it matters.

The Lion in Winter, 1968

To be a cyclist means giving up an element of control. Whether it’s relying on other traffic, experiencing hazards along the way, trusting the person in front, or simply sitting stationary with a cleated shoe attached to a pedal, there is an element of risk involved. Improved bike handling skills and general awareness can reduce the risk, but it’ll never be eliminated.

As with life in general, bad things happen. The most important thing is how you deal with them, and how you bounce back.

Over the four days of the Euro City Cycle there have been a number of incidents. Fortunately none of them were too serious. No serious damaged was caused other than a little bit of hurt pride.

With many of the incidents, the comedy factor was high: Irrespective of fault, Guides going down is always hysterical, like a Referee falling in front of a large crowd, you just have to laugh (quietly, of course!). Momentary lapses of sanity are also worth a giggle, a man hanging from a lamp-post unable to extricate himself from his pedals for example, or user-induced brake failure resulting in a tumble down an embankment.

Negotiating a bridge under construction… like you do!

Despite these occasional incidents, over the course of the trip people’s confidence visibly grew. With a little encouragement and practice, everyone became more comfortable, cycled a bit faster, a bit closer together, we slowly developed to become part of a team. I’m not saying we got there, but we got better.

For a few seconds on the final afternoon we almost managed to draft, cycling in formation into a head wind, the lead rotated to share the effort as we pushed to maintain a steady pace. For a few seconds, we almost managed it. It felt good!

Despite having to battle the elements once again, we all made it from Breda to Brussels. If I had been in Scotland I would have described the weather as dreich (“Low End” also works). The persistent rain and low temperatures made the going tough. Dampness got everywhere causing electrical equipment to fail left right and centre. However, we fought through and made it.

Broken bike through broken camera

It’s been a pleasure to share this experience with the 20 other participants. I’m sure everyone felt some emotion as they approached the finish line; a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction. It wasn’t the hardest cycling ever, but there were definitely moments when everyone will have had to dig deep, calling on hidden reserves of energy and endurance to see the journey through.

For me, the overwhelming feeling as we crested the final hill and rolled towards the Atomium in Brussels was relief. My journey didn’t start in Brentwood, it started in a hospital bed last June. I’ve cycled just under 300 miles in the past four days, but over 3,000 miles preceded them as I worked to get myself fit and strong again. There was a “Finish” sign next to the Atomium, but my journey is far from over.

Along the way, we’ve managed to raise just under £3,000 for the British Heart Foundation. Thanks to everyone who has donated and for all your support over the past few days!

(Incidentally, it’s still not too late if you’ve been meaning to contribute: Click here)

Relief, pride and satisfaction… what’s next?

The Joy of Winter Training

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When I was in my youth I used to do athletics fairly seriously. For a few years I trained up to 5 days a week, trying to build strength and speed to enable me to run faster and, in particular, jump further.

It was an exciting time for me. I was blessed with the physical attributes to allow me to compete at the National level. It helped me build self-confidence and it also taught me that the world (or the UK at least) isn’t that large a place. Being the fastest runner in my school, or even my home town suddenly wasn’t such a big deal. I was very lucky.

As I was growing throughout this period, my athletic development was also assisted by my physical development. As a result, I was almost guaranteed to improve year on year. If all other things had stayed equal I should improve over time because I was getting bigger and stronger.

If I had been competing continuously throughout the year it could have resulted in a slow, steady improvement requiring patience on my part. As it was, the annual cycle of training and competition created natural breaks that generated the potential for “Step Changes” in performance. A few months could make a big difference.

There were some key milestones during the year that were always eagerly anticipated. They included:

My first competition of the season – always a highlight although it was slightly nerve-racking as my expectations were always set on the high side,
The major competitions / events (notably County & National Championships),
My final competition of the season. The last chance to make an impact, and the start of a well earned rest. The final effort before a few weeks off training. Often the relaxed atmosphere produced unexpectedly good results.

Possibly the most notable, and least heralded milestone was the start of “Winter Training”. This marked the end of the “rest” and the beginning of a long, cold and often miserable period of training that had the potential to make all the difference to performance levels for the following season.

Winter training was different from the summer. It was much more focused on strength and endurance rather than speed and technique. “Favoured” sessions included Circuits, Weights, Hill Runs, Fartlek Runs, 300m Repetitions. Most of this was designed hurt, and it was often completed in cold, miserable weather adding an extra reason not to do it.

We worked in a tight group. Pushing each other to dig deep and push harder. You had to believe you would reap rewards for the effort you put in, but there was also the sadistic satisfaction of completing each session.

***

Today, for the first time in twenty years, I started a Winter Training campaign. Having returned from work and changed into my cycling kit, I left the warmth of the house and braved the chill of the garage to get on my bike.

It was a low key event, but significant. A strong winter’s exercise will play an important role in my on-going rehabilitation. Given my general physical neglect over the past few years I have high hopes of significant improvements in strength and stamina. I don’t have any real points of comparison against which to measure performance, however I have a clear goal… to cycle into Brussels on 11th May 2014.

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!