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Cycling For Charity
| stevomate | 10 Nov 04:19 |
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Joined: 10 Nov 2010 Posts: 6 Bike: | Next year, I plan on undertaking a cycle route to raise money for our local special care baby unit. There will be 2 of us undertaking the route, with cars on route providing us with adeqaute provisions, etc. We're going to start training this week, and plan on leaving around the end of May... I have only just joined this forum, basically because whilst I currently cycle often, and am very healthy, I want to make sure that I know what to expect and what i need...and thats where you lot come in! We're planning on cycling from Edinborough to my home town, Harwich in Essex... I was wandering if anyone else had undertaken such a route? Could point me in the right direction of where to start? What we would need to carry on our person at all times? And most importantly, a genuine time frame...we were looking at around 7-10 days... Our training will consist of 20 miles a day (as we both unfortunately still have to work full time!) Any responses would be fantastic, and thank you for your time...we're hoping to reach the 2,000£ mark at least! Steven 'The novice' Scott. |
| harryhoy | 17 Nov 17:39 |
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Joined: 05 Nov 2010 Posts: 4 Bike: | hi there how many miles will u be doin aday |
dudley 
| 18 Nov 03:02 |
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Joined: 16 Jan 2009 Posts: 498 Bike: My Profile | Hi Steven, no need to ramp it up every day, but i think you should be looking at more than 20 miles a day - particularly nearer the time. You are looking at a total of around 450 miles, i'd say. that is anywhere between 3 days and 9 days, depending on how far you want to cycle a day. With a support car, you will not need to carry anything at all, bar a bottle of water or two, which will increase your pace somewhat, ensure you get fed and watered where and when you need it etc. That said, i'd carry an under-saddle bag with tyre repair kit, a spare tenner and mobile phone. If the weather looks intermittent or a bit ropey, a waterproof round the waist or in a small back pack. Easy to lose touch with a support vehicle if they aren't on the ball! Without knowing how old / fit you are, i think you should aim to be a faster than 7-10 days. 450 miles / 7 = 65 miles a day. You should assume that you can maintain an average moving speed of around 12 mph. (A top marathon runner runs at 13mph and a tour de France rider reaches the 30's) Try it - it is really not that fast, but a fair average pace. So, at 12mph, 65 miles is 5 hours in the saddle a day. lets say you put in 7 hours a day in the saddle. 9.00am start, realxed lunch break at 12.30, then 2.00 to 5.30 you are already up to 85 miles a day, without pushing it. That's just over 5 days on the bike. (Imagine if your average moving speed nudged up to 14 mph? You'd be at 98 miles a day!) Rest stops for snacks etc are a good thing, but dont stop for long, other than lunch. you'll constantly be letting your legs cool down. The benefit of any stop is the first few minutes. I think you will be really surprised at how far you can get in a day once you get in the groove. Yes, you will have some fairly hilly miles in the Borders, but you also have the plains of East Anglia to cross. If you avoid a massive headwind, you'll be able to knock off Norfolk at double quick pace! I commute a lot now, but when i started cycling regularly, i joined a friends cycle round Scotland. I did 400 odd miles up the East Coast at around 100 miles a day. It was sore, there were some killer hills (bigger than you are going to encounter, but we made it. I'm still far too overweight, but much more aware of the distances i can achieve. you should be able to do 20 miles in an hour and a half initially. It is worth doing some 40 or 50 milers at the weekends as time progresses. Can you cycle commute? Just 5 miles each way will see wonders for you, without it being programmed exercise. Are you staying in B&B's or in the support vehicle? Unless you are planning to do a set distance each day, rather than a "see how we get on" approach, you can book the whole route ahead of time. WIth the luxury of a support team, it might be worth booking on the day, so that if the weather is dreadful, massive headwinds, punctures etc, you can stop short, or if you get a tailwind ,sunshine, lots of flat / downhill, and are feeling good, you can push on into a balmy early summer evening for a few extra miles. Oh - and good luck! Sounds fun! |
| My Latest Route: Nov 2009 Forth Estuary Circular | |
| stevomate | 23 Nov 04:02 |
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Joined: 10 Nov 2010 Posts: 6 Bike: | Thank you so much for your input! I'm a very active person, football and running etc, so your help has really encouraged me. Your tips are priceless, and I've already broke the £1000 mark for fundraising, 9 months before we set off. We're setting up a website and also contacting the Heart Colchester radio station, so its really gaining speed. We are going to have a support car, so I will take all of what you said on board! I already commute 4 miles to and from work a day, and have taken up a 20 mile weekend routine, just to break myself in. We're also going to undertake the london to brighton bike ride, in preparation for this event. If you have any other tips that you could offer/help me with I would be grateful. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND HELP. GREATLY APPRECIATED. :D :D :D :D :D |
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baggiesat8
| 23 Nov 17:01 |
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 Joined: 16 Jun 2009 Posts: 9 Bike: My Profile | Hi Steven, Wish you every success on your ride, some great tips from dudley, i have completed five 100 mile charity rides averaging around the 15 mph so its an achievable target if i can do it. I stepped up to my first 100 having done only 54 which interestingly enough was London - Brighton, which brings me to the point this ride is carnage. 27,000 people on all sorts of bikes means you spend more time walking and stuck in jams than actually riding, it really isn't a test of completing 54 miles it's a test of getting to Brighton with you and your bike in one piece. Much better rides are the Action Medical Charity rides of 100 miles or 100km very well organised with up to 1000 riders, they have great feed stations, the routes are very well signed and supported and they are cheaper than London - Brighton. I commute 9 miles each way and then try and get a long commute into work on Sundays. |
| My Latest Route: Dec 2010 Bromyard to Hillhampton and Tenbury Wells Figure Eight | |
| stevomate | 24 Nov 07:29 |
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Joined: 10 Nov 2010 Posts: 6 Bike: | Thank you so much for informing me about this, I have now looked into ways of applying for the other routes which you have noted :) When I have completed this ride, I will be emailing pictures from the route onto this site, so that all the people who have helped me can see how much their help was appreciated. Now just leaves the one big decision, which bike to go for... Any help on that, and I will be eternally grateful to those that offer it. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. Steven. |
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baggiesat8
| 24 Nov 07:43 |
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Joined: 16 Jun 2009 Posts: 9 Bike: My Profile | Hi Steven, I actually got cut off last night before finishing, what I was going to add if you are in the Essex/Suffolk area then the Action Medical Suffolk Sunrise would be an ideal ride to get some miles in, it hardly has a hill and the route is on very quiet roads and lanes. As for your bike, that will be primarily decided by your budget and there are so many out there, all my bikes have been purchased on the cycle to work scheme which has the upper limit of £1000. I have however made many upgrades to my road bike which cost £850 since I finished paying work for it. You have to decide what the main use of your bike will be e.g. road/off road/commuting and then buy accordingly. Last year I purchased a hybrid purely for the commute to keep the miles off my MTB and road bike, my road bike now only comes out on long rides. I'm hoping to do a London - Paris in 2011 over 3 days so training will have to start after xmas. Graham. |
| My Latest Route: Dec 2010 Bromyard to Hillhampton and Tenbury Wells Figure Eight | |
| stevomate | 25 Nov 09:41 |
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Joined: 10 Nov 2010 Posts: 6 Bike: | Thanks for your response! Well, having just finished University, unfortunately I'm not exactly rolling in the cash. I was looking at around £200 (ish) for the bike, of my own money, and I was hoping to strike a deal with a company for the rest (sponsership,etc). I've been looking for majoy bike retailers hoping that they might help, and I have contacted local businesses etc, asking for help, etc and that I would wear their logo, or whatever... Steven. |
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