Training
In the end, I haven't even had time to buy Lance Armstrong's book so I have no idea just how ill-informed my regime has been - but I'm certain I haven't really done enough.
Are you sure?
"Are you sure you'll be able to do that (always an emphasis on the word "that") many miles day after day?" Well of the course the answer is "No - I'm far from sure". But, in fairness to me, the only way I could be sure is to do a large part of the trip - which requires lots of time beforehand that I simply don't have. The lack of available time to prepare was always going to be a big problem. Firstly, I have a busy job. It's not uncommon for me to be up at 6am and not home until after 8pm. Then there's trying to be a good husband to Sarah and father (firstly to Shem and now of course joined by Sylvia). Apparently Lance has fathered young children during his many years at the top winning Les Tours de Frances (sic) but I suspect his domestic circumstances are somewhat different from mine. At the weekends, on top of the domestic duties, there is usually a Sam shift as well as other stuff. Please don't misunderstand me - I wouldn't change a thing (well not much anyway), but the impediments to a proper training schedule are legitimate.
12 months out - a good start
It was a good start. After buying a decent bike for the job (see “equipment”) I started cycling and soon learned that doing two and a half hours and feeling fine at the end, didn't necessarily mean I could manage 4 (far less the 8 to 10 I may be facing on a long stage if the wind's against me) but just a bit slower. Jimmy (see "domestiques") joined me one sunny Sunday morning and left me 3 and a half hours later on my knees. But that demonstrated that I had to take all the opportunities available to do miles on the bike. And at least I had nearly a year to gear up.
9 months out - still going OK
For our sins, Sarah and I are Northampton Saints rugby supporters. Living, as we do, north of Leicester (home of the Tigers) this is not easy at the best of times but it's been a real trial this season. Anyway, at least the 45 mile journey south every fortnight or so created an opportunity for me without taking away too much time with the family. At the start of the season, I would cycle one way and by November I had done there and back a couple of times (80 miles split half way with a 2 hour stand watching rugby). All very encouraging but the days were getting shorter and I knew the testing time lay ahead.
Winter
Cycling in the dark is not my idea of fun. Add to that strong winds and low temperatures and it was only the knowledge of what I was doing 6 months on that stopped me shoving the Galaxy in the garage until Spring. There simply aren't enough hours of daylight to cycle to and from Northampton and watch a game of rugby (not to mention the variable kick-off times). So the mileage decreased.
Desperate measures - the gym
When I was a keen swimmer (in the days of my youth) and I was training in the pool 9 or 10 times a week, I simply loved the training; the whole thing of pushing hard and then harder still. But when I got to the age where it was felt weight training would improve my performance (I was never really that good so please don't imagine we're talking about a young talent lost), that's when I started to struggle with it all. Basic point; I don't like gyms. I could swim up and down a pool all day if allowed and hope to be able to do similar on a bike. But give me a bench press and do three sets of ten (the first 28 of which are not difficult at all; and the last 2 nigh on impossible) and I'm bored. Nonetheless, needs must. So I joined the gym; conveniently situated half a mile from home. Some helpful guidance from a friend Nick (who, though not a cyclist, I hope will be joining me on the 15th July) prodded me in the right direction. The gym meant I could put Shem to bed at about 8pm and still get down there for an hour and a half before it closed.
March - the test
Sarah's been wonderfully supportive of this whole plan (which I am eternally grateful to her for as it is a huge upheaval for her too). But she put her foot down on this. "I want you to go away for 4 or 5 days to see what it's really like; living in a guest house, washing your clothes etc.)" It was an excellent idea. So, the beginning of March (including my birthday) saw me cycling up to Mansfield, over to Boston, down to Leicester and then on to Northampton. Only two and a half days in the end (we had Gloucester at home on the Saturday) but I did 70, 110 and 40 miles on the three respective days and I survived. There were a couple of hiccups along the way. I came off my bike in Nottingham when I hopelessly misjudged the crossing of tram lines that have been inserted since I lived there 15 years ago as a student. That meant I was cycling with horrible scrapes down one leg throughout most of the trip. On the Sunday morning when I cycled to Northampton, I chose a particularly low-lying route (in fairness, I’d slept like a log and hadn’t heard the torrential rainfall we’d had overnight. If the nice couple who I met at Stanford read this and want to send me the photo they took of me ploughing through about 50 yards of the River Avon (I exaggerate but not much) with water up to my knees; I’d love to have a copy. But I was satisfied that, overall, I could proceed with my plans largely unaltered.
March 19 - a wonderful day (one of the very best) ... but not for the training
Sylvia Meredith says a healthy hello to the world, weighing in at 11 pounds (that's 5kg in new money). Looking after her, as well as Sarah and Shem means the Galaxy and the gym are not seen for some time. But frankly, I don't care. Some things are more important.
6 weeks to go - oh dear
As I write this page I wonder where the time has gone. Since 19 March, predictably, we have had little spare time and I still haven’t seen anything of Jim (or gym as it’s usually spelt). The Galaxy has been on some outings although it makes more noise than I remember before – maybe something to do with the River Avon above. On top of everything else, organising the logistics of the trip (ferries, guesthouses, contacting branches etc.), setting up this website and the "workwithus" giving site, has taken up a lot of time. And, needless to say, I can't take 3 months off from work and expect to be able to work to rule (which I've never done anyway) in the run up. So there's plenty of extra hours at work too. The truth is, compared to say November, I weigh quite a lot more, am considerably less fit and, perhaps of most relevance, have spent far fewer hours on the saddle. Still, Sarah and I have had a talk and we’re carefully planning the remaining time leading up to June 3 to maximise the possibility of me cycling whilst still doing at least some of the things a father of a nearly 3 year old and a nearly 3 month old should be doing. I’ve recently joined the Cycling Touring Club (CTC) which provides me with, amongst other things, third party insurance (you never know). I’ve found some of the threads on the message boards quite reassuring. Various people appear to have done similar things to what I’m doing and with a similar level of preparation. After all, it’s not a race. So if I have to tootle along for hours and hours, I’ll have the daylight on my side. I suppose I’m banking on getting fit during the tour. But I do have a real fear that I fall off and badly injure myself on day 1 and have to cancel the rest of the trip. Or worse (after all, better cyclists than me have fallen off – you could have sympathy with that) I simply grind to a halt. If I do, it will be because I haven’t prepared well enough. As it is said, only time will tell.