Night riding

I've just done my first properly-dark night ride and boy is it different!  This might sound obvious, but cycling on country lanes on a cloudy moon-less night is a very different kettle of fish to daylight riding.

I've got fairly good lights, but the toss-up between pointing the front one at the ground to see where I'm going and pointing it horizontally so cars can see me is fairly crucial.  With the compromise I've currently got I get a good view of the road about 4 or 5 metres in front of me, which gives me about 1 second notice of potholes.

I can't really see anything on the road further out than that, which means I really have to concentrate if I don't want to end up in one of the many ruts, holes and general rough patches found around the Cambridgeshire country roads.

The other nagging concern is always "has the car coming up behind me actually seen me yet?".  Even with a highly reflective vest and a good rear light there's always a worry that the driver hasn't seen me and therefore won't give me enough clearance when they go past.  Thankfully there isn't actually that much traffic around in the evenings though.

Anyway, I'm hoping that the streets of London are better lit than the roads around here!

Big Mug

My cycle shorts have arrived, together with a "free" gift in the form of quite simply the biggest mug I have ever seen in the whole world.

I hope it's not a metaphor for me signing up for this challenge!

(Unfortunately it's got a huge bright Sports Direct logo on it which is a shame, because otherwise it would make a fantastic mug for tea, which I do like a lot!).

Kit

Sunday's first ride showed a few bits of kit that I'll need for training and the big ride itself.

Firstly, some gloves!  I wore some woolly ones on Sunday as it was so cold, but they are hardly appropriate so today I nipped into town and got a pair of proper, fingerless, padded cycling gloves.  Very comfy.

Secondly, I've ordered a high-vis reflective vest online as I'm going to be a bit vulnerable on some of my evening training rides if I can't be seen properly.  Lights only go so far, so hopefully a reflective vest will be a safe addition.

Finally, when I get up to the longer distances and am spending long periods on the saddle, some, ahem, padded shorts are going to be appreciated I think!

I might even starting looking the part soon (unlikely!).

As an aside, I went out on another ride this evening.  Same short loop, but slightly faster this time, with an average speed of 23kph.  Very windy, which helps in one direction but hinders in the other of course.  Will start increasing the distance soon.

First Ride

Sunday 7am, 0.5 degrees outside, must be time for my first training ride!

I haven't been on my bike properly since last summer.  Okay, I've been out with the kids a couple of times, but that's not really the same, so I'm feeling exceedingly unfit and generally rather rusty.

So, out I went.  I've started with a short loop around a few of the local villages which is pretty convenient but not very long.  Got to start somewhere though, and I'll ramp up in due course once I get back in the saddle properly.

    Distance: 8.5km (with a small hill half way!)
    Time: 25 minutes ish.
    Average speed: 20kph ish.
    Speed on the hill: A lot less (ish)!!

It actually felt pretty good, apart from how cold my ears got for some reason.

One ride down, 16 weeks to go to the big day.  More details of my planned training in due course, once I've worked it out properly.

The Challenge

Last year my nephew Ben was born with Cystic Fibrosis, one of the UK's most common life-threatening inherited diseases which affects over 9000 people in the UK, including five new babies every week. It affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, clogging them with thick sticky mucus which makes it hard to breathe and digest food.

The CF Trust is a UK charity providing practical support for people with CF and their families, as well as funding research into new medical treatments.

To raise funds for them, I will be attempting the Nightrider 2012 challenge in June. This is a 100km cycle ride through London at night! I will set off from Alexandra Palace just after midnight, heading down to Crystal Palace and back via Tower Bridge, a deserted City of London, Canary Wharf, Hampstead Heath, Piccadilly Circus, the London Eye, Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Battersea Power Station and more. If all goes to plan, I'll be back in time for breakfast (or maybe lunch!).

I'd be very grateful if you would sponsor me for this challenge at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rew. All funds raised go to CF Trust