Much to my disappointment I had to miss Cycle Together Sandringham in 2014 so it was top of my list for 2015.

Its a great family day out with routes of 10,20, 50 and 100 miles so something for everyone and every penny raised goes to Park house hotel for the disabled.

I was going to ride this with the sandringham and west norfolk cyclist and it was also going to be my first 100 ride of 2015 but as I decided to ride from home it would make it around 116 miles, my longest ride to date.

As I left home it was drizzling with rain but by the time we set off from Sandringham although still dull there was no drizzle !!

A large group of us set off together we then split down into smaller groups depending on speed.

I settled into a nice little group of 5 and we rode together to the first feed stop at Holkham ,avg speed was 17 mph and at that time I wondered how I would ever manage the 100 miles.

This is where the route split and we lost 2 from our group who went on to ride the 50 while Myself, Paulette and Lorraine carried on to do the 100 miles.

We then headed out to Holt for the next feed station,we rode together really well taking it in turns at the front for a mile at a time,it was the first time I have experienced such great riding team work, it pushed me hard and I loved it !!

From Holt it was back to Holkham with the challenging Bard hill at salthouse on the way ,I think the 100 route took in every hill in Norfolk.

Then before we knew it we were crossing the finishing line with big smiles and cheers from fellow riders.

We then received a lovely goody bag , had coffee and pasta before returning home.

A  fabulous ride out with 3 great ,well stocked, feed stations, ran by friendly cheerful encouraging volunteers. The route signage was also very good and clear to follow and the actual 100 mile route was fantastic to ride.

Thanks to Paulette and Lorraine it was well worth waiting a year to do and I loved it.

and I was so happy that I didn’t need a lift home !!

Pedal Norfolk was the second event Gina and I was doing over the B/H weekend.

Pedal Norfolk is a 3 day biking event at Holkham Hall,organised by Fatbirds of Hunstanton and offering various lengths of rides over the 3 days.

We did the 50 mile “hilly” on the B/H Monday.

Its the first time we had done this event as it always clashes with the GEAR run and I never thought I was fit enough to do both !!

Luckily the torrential rain from Sunday had been replaced with a nice sunny day , perfect for biking.

We arrived nice and early because at the last min and much to my delight Geoff had decided to ride, so needed to register. It was good to see a group of other SWNC riders there so we all started together then split into our own riding groups along the way.

It was a great route to ride heading away from Hunstanton towards Stiffkey and Morston on many roads I had not ridden on before up the famous Salthouse hill towards Binham where you had a grand view of the priory.

The feed station was simple but offered excellent refueling and the best flapjacks I have ever tasted!!

The route back to Holkham was just as enjoyable and what a delight when you spotted the sea on the horizon coming into Titchwell, then back into the Holkham estate with the Obelisk in view and that great finish.

It was one of the best Sportive Routes we have ever ridden and the lovely festival atmosphere at the end was well enjoyed with food drink and chat with fellow riders…….

So enjoyed that next year we may not run the GEAR but ride the 100 mile scenic Saturday route!!

This was a Sportive I was really looking forward to doing along with many others from SWNC, my friend Gina was joining us too so I knew it would be a fun day out,especially as good weather was predicted for the day.

Little did we know it was going to be such an Epic ride but not due to the distance !!

It started with Epic queues to get into the car park, then Epic queues to get signed on, but that did not dampen our moods as we excitedly  set off on the Epic 70 mile route.

The first 40 miles was a  great ride along some nice quiet scenic roads and then we arrived at the Reedham Ferry and saw the mega Epic queue and it all went down hill from there 🙁

The estimated queuing time for the Ferry was 2 hours !! we tried to work a way round it but there was none, unless like Gina you could just ride home. Gina was sad to leave us but she made the right decision as she was home before we even got on the ferry.

After such a long wait I was feeling very cold, and found it really hard to get going again, we had all lost a little of our enthusiasm too, which made the next 10 miles really tough , then we all seemed to perk up and  I thought only another 20 miles and we shall be done and have our medals and a beer.

But that was not to be, as by the time we finished they had run out of Medals, how that can happen I am not really sure unless you have been greedy and let more people register on the day.

None of us could be bothered to go for a beer either as the 2 hour ferry wait had made it a long day, so a disappointing end to what could and should of been a great day

They did say they would post our medals and I admit that I didn’t believe they would but 3 weeks after the event I have my medal………. and its a real Epic one 🙂

Its been a year now since Geoff bought me my bike, he was preparing to go off on his travels and I was wondering what I would do with myself,so the bike came along to help me fill my time, little did either of us know how much it would change my life 🙂

Soon after getting my bike I joined SWNC for a club ride, which almost killed me, I still remember getting home and lying on the kitchen floor thinking I might die !! but that one ride had me hooked and I was determined to keep going and to conquer them Norfolk hills, yes there are hills in Norfolk !!

Luckily the club was very friendly ,helpful and full of encouragement even though I moaned at them sometimes when I struggled to keep up 🙁 but this just made me more determined and I pushed myself harder and harder as I loved this social group riding.

Then I discovered the Bike Sportives , the first one I did was the Wiggle No Excuses, riding with a small group and my friend Gina the atmosphere was fantastic and  I loved every second.

Needless to say I could not wait to do one of these events with Geoff and I finally managed to do the Boudicca with him after he returned from another mega trip 

So far this year I have done five Sportives and have two more booked  I have also been to Rutland twice and conquered the Rutland Alps and done four 100 mile rides. Amazingly I have also been to mallorca and loved biking up those long slow climbs.

A grand total of 3300 miles biked in one year, with my biggest climb being 1793 ft and my longest ride has been 106.

Geoff is now preparing to go off and bike down the Elbe River and although I still feel distraught when he goes away I know I wont be too lonely because I have my lovely bike, biking friends and Sunday Club rides to look forward too….. oh and I have that half Marathon to train for !!!