Category Archives: Biking

Biking in Port Pollenca

We had hired our bikes for 3 days biking.

I woke very excited although a strange bike to ride up a big hill left me feeling slightly nervous too !!

After a quick spin round the town  we were off to the light house.

IMG_2867A totally amazing ride with the most fantastic views,half way up we stopped at the view point at ‘Mirador de Sa Creueta’ where you can see the ‘El Colomer’ rock protrude from the water. This climb can be challenging at a few points but we made it without stopping.

Then off to the light house where the road becomes rough and bumpy making it quite an uncomfortable ride but its well worth it just for the views and the amazing climb.

I found the ride down far worse than the climb up, it was fast bendy and there were far too many cars/buses on the road for my liking, in fact the view point was totally blocked with buses totally mayhem !! but we managed to squeeze through on our bikes.

A ride to remember forever 🙂

In the afternoon we biked to Pollenca, on lovely quiet country roads, to rescue my phone charger, which I left behind the day before.

A flat days riding then followed, visiting some of the nearby towns,out as far as Inca, we especially liked Alcudia and the coast road,where we bumped into some kite surfers amazingly from Hunstanton.IMG_2886

On our last day we decided on another climb, back up to Lluc Monastery this was a tough never ending climb which I enjoyed so much , and the down was amazing as it was a smooth road, not too busy with very few bends 🙂

A total of 140 miles biked in 3 days thanks to Caroline at 2GoCycling  for being so helpful and making it possible

One thing you have to remember about riding in Mallorca  there are no hills  just lovely long climbs 🙂

Boudicca 100 mile Bike sportive

I booked to do the Boudicca sportive after enjoying the wiggle no excuses so much and I thought a local 100 miles would be a good step up from 80 🙂

It was also a good opportunity to do an event with Geoff, who has recently returned from his epic ride from Hanoi to Singapore, I10170958_10201226292259132_9035799046070849219_n was also desperate to do some real riding with him.

When doing these events all you really ask for is good weather and we were blessed with the hottest day so far this year 🙂

We didn’t quite get the early start we had aimed for so at around 8am we lined up with a whole bunch of other riders from SWNC, we made an impressive sight all in our lovely new club jerseys.

Starting off in such a large group made it a very fast start and in fact Geoff got carried away by another group,it took me almost 40 miles of riding before I caught him up, by which time he was well and truly in the doghouse !!

After the first feed station, where we re-fuelled on bananas, malt loaf, cheddars and fig rolls, the group thinned out as the 100 milers took the route out to Thornham.Boudicca sportive....

The ride to Thornham was very enjoyable although a few of the roads were less than comfortable to ride on, it was nice to chat to other riders as we passed, most commenting on my very matching bike and gear, once seen never forgotten !!

Soon we had covered the 69 miles and arrived at feed station 2, this was not so good as most of the food had gone and I actually could not drink the energy drink provided, it was just not to my liking 🙁 this was not a major problem though as I still had some of my own energy drink and an energy bar to see me to feed station 3.

I had the feeling not many slower riders did the 100 mile as other riders were very thin on the ground between 69 miles and the 3rd feed station at 88 miles, where It was very disappointing to find that they had completely ran out of food here but again we had a gel to see us through to the end.

By this time we knew the actual mileage was going to be 106, nothing to bother us but we did pass the information on to a few people so it didn’t come as too much of a surprise to them.

Amazingly we finished with a moving time of 6hr 50 making it 15.5 avg speed for 106 miles,

Got to be happy with that 🙂

The Rutland Alps

Topping Abbey Hill

Topping Abbey Hill

Some time ago SWNC posted about an event they were having out to Rutland to ride the Alps….  so called because it was a 63 mile very hilly route.

The distance would not be a problem for me but the thought of so many hills put me off going.

Every one had a different story to tell about these hills, never ending ,steep, killers, and the one I hated most was “you will have to walk up Launde Abbey” but then others said its great you will love it and do it easy…..So in the end I decided there was only one way to find out and that was to go and see for myself.

To say I arrived at Rutland car park feeling a little nervous is an understatement but It wasn’t long before 17 members of SWNC were all gathered together ready to go.

The hills started almost immediately,the funny thing is that no one had mentioned the downhills and I was so focused on the hills that I had not thought about the fact that if there was a hill there must be a downhill !! and these downhills were fast and as amazing as the uphills.

It seemed like in no time at all we were enjoying coffee and cake at the Windmill in Wymondham where amongst the chatter and laughter Launde Abbey hill soon became the topic of conversation. I don’t think I was the only one that left the Windmill feeling a little apprehensive !

I saw the sign post for Launde Abbey just as someone was wondering how far away the hill was, I just replied by saying it would soon all be over…. then I saw the hill and thought OMG but amazingly with a lot of shouting swearing and grunting I made it to the top, once I realised that I was not going to die I felt ecstatic and had the biggest smile that stayed with me for the rest of the ride.

A fabulous day out with a great bunch of riders who worked great together as a team and supported and encouraged us girlies all the way 🙂

The plan is to do this ride again on June 21st and maybe Geoff will be around to join us and my friend Gina too 🙂

and I need to start some cadence training and learn to spin more !!

A few photos, taken by Glyn Smith can be seen here

Wiggle Epic Bike Sportive

Thanks to SWNC and KLCC for there Go Ride training sessions I knew 1st march was going to be a day I would never forget.

Its the day I was going to do my longest ride to date, The Wiggle No Excuses Sportive.

As it was my first Bike event I was a little nervous and unsure about what to expect, what worried me the most was the weather, but someone was looking after us as we had perfect weather conditions, dry cold but sunny.

1484-1031-WNOEX02The event was amazing, so fantastically organised I think it would be hard to beat.

Arriving at Huntingdon race course just before 7.30 am we were quickly  shown where to park, and easily met up with the other riders from SWNC.

We then made our way to registration, this was so organised you were in and out in no time having had your timing chip attached to your helmet, collected you bike number and picked up some free samples of bike oil.

By this time we had seen many other riders, in fact 2 guys asked us where we were from as we seemed to know everyone, that just shows how many Kings lynn riders were there, everyone was so friendly and the excitement was beginning to grow.

After attaching our bike numbers giving the bike a quick check over and making sure we had everything else needed,we made our way to the start.

Riders doing the Epic 80 could start from 8am, the Standard 40 from 8.30, considering over 1.500 riders were doing this event everything went like clockwork, you just made you way down to the start and aprox half a dozen riders were set off every 2 mins, after a quick reminder on route information

From the second you crossed that line it became a fun filled social ride where you just wanted to do your best but most importantly enjoy the day and atmosphere, the route was so well sign posted you never had to worry about which way to go and there was so many recovery  vans about you knew you would be looked after if a problem occurred

As its a bit flat in Norfolk I was waiting for or should I say dreading that first hill and I had been told there would be many but it came and went and all was well so then I relaxed.1031-WNOEX08-001

25 miles in and we hit the first feed station and it was fabulous, lots of eat me food, flap jacks Jaffa cakes, jelly beans etc  and  then lots of take me food as in gels and high5 zero, also urns of ready made energy drink for your water bottles…. there was also a  bike mechanic on hand for any bike problems.

We were soon on our way again embracing the hills and chatting to other riders along the way and this is where I had my first real experience of perfect group riding and it was magical :-) the next 30 miles just flew by and we arrived at the second feed station to find it just as full of goodies as the first one.

Then your mind thinks thats it we are on our way home and you realise your actually going to do it !!

When You cross the finish line and get your medal , I felt really emotional , I had expected to feel worn out but I didn’t I felt on a high, must have been all those flapjacks I had eaten and Amazingly I think I am also falling in LOVE with those hills 🙂 🙂

Who would have believed I could do this when Seven months ago I lay on the kitchen floor thinking I was going to die after my first ride out with SWNC but with their help advice and sheer determination I have come along way and I am not finished yet !!

A fantastic day, a great group of riders, a brilliant event and one I would certainly recommend.

Here is my Strava

Wiggle_No_Excuses_Epic___Strava_Ride

 

 

 

 

and Great Photos taken by Sportivephoto.com can be seen here

KLCC Reliability Ride

Yesterday was my first reliability ride, organised by KLCC, I was not quite sure what to expect but it was fun 🙂

Basically you have 2 routes to choose from a 100km and a 50km and you choose the time you expect to do it in.

photo (32)

100km Cappuccino Target Time <4hr10 to 4hr45>

100km Espresso Target Time <3hr30 to 4hr05>

50km Cappuccino Target Time <2hr10 to 2hr40>
50km Espresso Target Time <1hr40 to 2hr10>

I really wanted to do the 100km but as I have been poorly decided to be sensible and choose the 50km.

There was 10 in our little group including Pete from Wisbech Wheelers , he was a great group rider and put the slower riders (and lets face it we all have off days )  in the front so us faster ones did not push the pace too fast which would result in splitting the group up.

This worked really well, the only time we split, was up the hills then the first up waited for the rest to catch up before setting off again.

We also rode in pairs,when it was safe to do so, chatting away, switching partners every now again which made it very sociable and fun.

We easily finished in our estimated time doing 32 miles in 2 hours 14 mins.

Having perfect weather and a lovely group to ride with made this a great day.

Next week we are going to do the 50 mile social ride with the Wisbech Wheelers from Sandringham Then its the epic  Wiggle No Excuses sportive 🙂

A great Christmas gift to myself….

As well as being fanatical about parkrun and the ladybirds my other obsession is my bike and SWNC.

I was really disappointed when I dithered and did not manage to get a place in the Ely 10k on New Year’s Eve.

wiggleSo tonight when I saw more places had become available for the Wiggle No Excuses Sportive I didn’t hesitate and booked myself a place.

Now I know I need new clothes especially some black trousers but the thought of riding 80 miles with over 25 of my new biking friends seemed far more exciting than buying clothes !!

A great Christmas gift to myself…

60 miles and a sausage roll

Yesterday I took 2 of my Girly friends on a 60 mile bike ride, as my navigation skills are rubbish it was quite an achievement for me and not something I have ever done when walking…

Screenshot 27:11:2013 22:43-5I did take a couple of wrong turns but soon realised, see if you can spot where in the photo !

I thought we would go to Walsingham Barns as I wanted to try out the sausage rolls with onion relish, I was not disappointed as they were delicious.  Although I was reminded how much I hate eating when exercising, as I felt sick most of the way home 🙁

One day I would love a Garmin Edge 800  then I could follow the route as I rode but thanks to the iphone app viewranger I can down load the routes as GPX files then follow them on my phone.

The only downside to this is the battery life, luckily we had made it to Great Massingham before my battery died and thankfully I know the way home from there.

A very enjoyable ride with great company too.

 

Getting fitter !

After years of running walking and exercising I thought I was quite fit,but felt I had become “stuck in a rut” doing the same things over and over again

DSCF7741So I decided to join the ladybirds running club, and started going to parkrun.

Then I had a great opportunity to take up Road Biking and amazingly my fitness has just improved in leaps and bounds.

Yesterday was my 10th parkrun and I managed a P/B of 27.45 something I never thought I could achieve then today I came home from my 50 mile bike ride with SWNC and for the first time didn’t want to lie on the kitchen floor and die 🙂

But best of all its great to have met a new circle of like minded friends who encourage me every step of the way  !