This year I decided to go for something really different a three day, coast to coast, mostly off-road cycling event called The Crossing: (www.ratrace.com/crossing2016)
This meant more and different challenges than before;
- learn to mountain bike
- get a mountain bike
- increase training - mostly amount per day as well as distance
- keep training
- ride the mountain bike a lot
This started well - I had a fantastic one day personal MTB coaching at Cyclewise in Whinlatter (www.cyclewise.co.uk) learnt absolutely masses, not only about bikes and skills but also about what I didn't know how to do yet! I thought long and hard about the sort of bike I wanted to start with and got a Grand Canyon Womens Alu 5.9 in February. I love the bike, rode lots in March / April - started increasing distances, did off-road trail riding, had some slight problems with the forks (they seemed to lose pressure and kept needing to be pumped up but not knowing much about suspension forks thought this might be normal, although also thought it might not!) but was enjoying it all and meeting my own devised training goals and then things started going off plan.....
Work and life got very busy - lots of deadlines at work and additional stress with big changes in the organisation and two applications to complete (one for a doctorate, one for a job) that may mean some very significant changes next year. Lots of family commitments and events at weekends interfering with training and keeping up with work and then my bikes broke - yes I do mean bikes.
1. The brakes were sticking on the MTB so whilst at a trail centre I took it to the mechanics, they sorted the brakes really quickly but confirmed something I had been suspicious about for a while, the forks were leaking. Canyon are a great brand, and the value for money of their bikes is amazing, mostly because they don't have a shop or dealership, they deal over the internet directly from factory to customers - this is a brilliant, but also a challenge when things go wrong. Getting the forks removed, sent to a company to repair under warranty, finding that Canyon had advised the wrong company and then getting them sent on to a different company has so far taken over 3 weeks and I don't have them repaired or back yet........
2. So for a weekend away with friends at a trail centre this required hiring a bike, and then for a weekend away with family it required taking the cyclocross bike instead. OK so training not ideal but I can do stuff on the cyclocross bike right - well the chain snapped on my first ride of the weekend and the tool I hadn't taken away was the chain splitter (not travelling without it again). A lovely bike shop the next morning sorted things out; another chain tool and some spare quick links and I was back on my bike.
3. Mileage still not great, particularly off road, but thats OK I can keep going on road and on the rollers. So road bike has been out ta fair bit, but mostly 30 mile distances, and the front shifters have been a bit stiff but still working so off I go to enjoy the lovely weather and get those miles in and the shifters failed. It turns out this was not anything to do with my maintenance but to do with 10 year old shifters giving up the ghost. It is, however, surprisingly challenging to find 10 speed triple shifters these days, now that the vogue is double 11 speed and I am really struggling for time - so despite knowing and being able to do the maintenance the road bike is in a bike shop and has been for 6 days - hopefully finished today.....
4. No problem I can use the single speed I commute on to get some miles in before work - that is until I didn't notice a bolt from the cleat had sheared off and my shoe got stuck in the pedal on the way to work and required me cycling with my foot on top of the shoe and therefore a short ride to work only....
5. Still no problem I can use the retro bike - need to get the miles on that for the eroica anyway - works brilliantly apart from the rear brake pads so changing those, but at the moment the mileage is limited due to significant descending anxiety.
All in all it is fair to say that I haven't done the mileage I had hoped, I don't currently know if I will have my MTB sorted for the event and most of my bikes are in need of some TLC. This has made me anxious and grumpy over the last few weeks, which in combination with a lot of work and application stress and a real need to be out on my bike hasn't been a good combination. However, what I need to remember, and am currently trying to remind myself of is that I do this for fun, it isn't my job, I don't have to win, I don't even have to do well I just have to enjoy it . Despite all the maintenance gremlins I know that every time I get on my bike I do enjoy it. I am learning loads more about bike maintenance and more about my own resilience and those are both useful and positive even if not at the time! I am loving learning and getting quicker on trails, and don't seem to be getting slower on the 30 ish mile club rides, even if the longer stuff is a bit of a fantasy at the moment.
SO - I will do the crossing, even if it is on a hire bike (although hopefully not), I won't be quick, I will be exhausted, I might not finish it (but I probably will) BUT I WILL ENJOY IT. What's not to like about being able to ride for 3 days, meet knew people, see places I have never been to before, get completely away from the stresses and anxiety of normal work and life and just be in the moment using my own energy and power to get through. Wish me Luck.........
