And what a fine day it is today...not. Intermittent rain, cold, but sunny spells. That was the forecast, and for a change they had it right. Not difficult though with such a prediction, is it? Today was a late start. Ollie and I are off to Box Hill for some base miles and hill training. None of the others were able to make it today. Well, tough then. The distance from Land's End to John O'Groats does not get any shorter than the almost 1100 miles indicated by the routeplanner on BikeMap.net and less training beforehand is likely to equal more tears when having to go up some of the mountaineous hills en route. Personally I'd rather prepare myself now, so I can enjoy the 1000Mile Challenge as much as possible. So, after a sturdy breakfast I soft pedal over to Ollie's place around the corner (well, 4) and we finally set off about 11ish, more than 2 hours later than usual. Estimated time to complete is about 6 hours including breaks, and we dapperly set off. Ollie is riding his brand spanking shiny new Specialized, which looks veeeeery nice indeed. I am on the Dave Quinn. I just fitted some nice fresh yellow tyres to match the rest of the colourscheme and it really looks the part. For a £15 ebay special (frame only) decked out with components of my choice it is actually incredibly good and it has made a superb commuting and training bike.
So, along the Thames then over Kingston Bridge, passing Hampton Court Palace and into Surrey we go. Ollie seems to have a built-in compass because the tiny roads he choses are rather winding but we actually get to Box Hill very quickly. For all of the talk about this hill it is actually an easy climb, but the view from the top is superb and it is very handy to have a cafe near the summit. Not quite California's Mount Diablo, it is nonetheless one of Surrey's finest. The cafe is full of cyclists. Cervelos, Specializeds, Cannondales, and so on are parked up all around while their owners queue for a coffee and a sarnie. And despite the low cost, alloy frame and Shimano 105 of the Dave Quinn it garners more attention than all of the other bikes together. It just goes to show that one can make a damn fine bike with a bit of vision and knowledge of parts and colours. Then down the hill we bomb, around it and deeper into Surrey. I'd like to post a picture here of the route, but I have no idea where we were or where we were going. I let Ollie lead the way, and he certainly did pick the kind of route I like. Sub-B roads, no traffic, hilly, green, countryside...superb. We then head out onto some A and B roads to work on average riding pace and stop at a petrol station for some energy drinks. And, just as we come out sipping from our ice cold bottles, hail stones start falling. And big ones too! But, as the saying goes 'stick around for a bit and it will change'. And so it did. Less than 5 minutes actually. The temperature has dropped as a result though and we still have only covered a third of our projected riding distance. So back in the saddle, apply pressure and zoom on, now slowly completing the loop riding towards Hampton Court again. We add a couple of miles by following the Thames eastwards and stop in Shepperton for a sandwich. Halfway 100miles we are, and the cold is getting to me slowly but surely. Despite a baselayer, a jersey and a cycling jacket the layer of sweat is fast cooling down and my legs begin to shiver. Right then. Back onto the bike. Over to Richmond Park to do some laps and add some more distance. Completing a 100miler today does not seem very likely as the clock is ticking on. Sub-B roads are the best but they also take longer to negotiate. Once into Richmond Park we do another 3 laps, pushing it hard especially on the steep hill between Roehampton Gate and Kingston Gate. The wind has also picked up and the long and fairly straight stretch between Kingston Gate and Richmond Gate has become a wind tunnel, blasting us with cold air while we struggle to stay above 20mph. We burn the last available bits of energy and ride home. 80 miles. Not bad. Not bad. But, next weekend will be the real test. the objective is to ride from home to Orcheston in Wiltshire where my parents have a little summer home. 100miles there on Saturday, then 100miles back on Sunday. Now THAT I am looking forward to. With a kind of perverse sense of self-castigation...
So, along the Thames then over Kingston Bridge, passing Hampton Court Palace and into Surrey we go. Ollie seems to have a built-in compass because the tiny roads he choses are rather winding but we actually get to Box Hill very quickly. For all of the talk about this hill it is actually an easy climb, but the view from the top is superb and it is very handy to have a cafe near the summit. Not quite California's Mount Diablo, it is nonetheless one of Surrey's finest. The cafe is full of cyclists. Cervelos, Specializeds, Cannondales, and so on are parked up all around while their owners queue for a coffee and a sarnie. And despite the low cost, alloy frame and Shimano 105 of the Dave Quinn it garners more attention than all of the other bikes together. It just goes to show that one can make a damn fine bike with a bit of vision and knowledge of parts and colours. Then down the hill we bomb, around it and deeper into Surrey. I'd like to post a picture here of the route, but I have no idea where we were or where we were going. I let Ollie lead the way, and he certainly did pick the kind of route I like. Sub-B roads, no traffic, hilly, green, countryside...superb. We then head out onto some A and B roads to work on average riding pace and stop at a petrol station for some energy drinks. And, just as we come out sipping from our ice cold bottles, hail stones start falling. And big ones too! But, as the saying goes 'stick around for a bit and it will change'. And so it did. Less than 5 minutes actually. The temperature has dropped as a result though and we still have only covered a third of our projected riding distance. So back in the saddle, apply pressure and zoom on, now slowly completing the loop riding towards Hampton Court again. We add a couple of miles by following the Thames eastwards and stop in Shepperton for a sandwich. Halfway 100miles we are, and the cold is getting to me slowly but surely. Despite a baselayer, a jersey and a cycling jacket the layer of sweat is fast cooling down and my legs begin to shiver. Right then. Back onto the bike. Over to Richmond Park to do some laps and add some more distance. Completing a 100miler today does not seem very likely as the clock is ticking on. Sub-B roads are the best but they also take longer to negotiate. Once into Richmond Park we do another 3 laps, pushing it hard especially on the steep hill between Roehampton Gate and Kingston Gate. The wind has also picked up and the long and fairly straight stretch between Kingston Gate and Richmond Gate has become a wind tunnel, blasting us with cold air while we struggle to stay above 20mph. We burn the last available bits of energy and ride home. 80 miles. Not bad. Not bad. But, next weekend will be the real test. the objective is to ride from home to Orcheston in Wiltshire where my parents have a little summer home. 100miles there on Saturday, then 100miles back on Sunday. Now THAT I am looking forward to. With a kind of perverse sense of self-castigation... 
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