So we have heard
from the cyclists on how their training is going. I thought I would give you an insight as what
goes into the preparation for the support crew.
The first trip I
did, I had no involvement in planning the routes or the accommodation
bookings. I finally managed to get the
routes about a week before and copied them onto a road atlas with a highlighter
pen. I knew what towns we were stopping
in, but I didn’t have addresses (other members of the crew did).
The second year
Hannah produced a lovely book with the detailed directions and google maps,
along with a highlighted road atlas and the list of campsites and their
addresses. Absolutely brilliant if you
had a navigator but I didn’t.
So last time I
stepped up the preparation, more for me than anyone else. I knew I wasn’t going to have a full time
navigator, so I wanted to know as much about our route as I could.
This is where Google Maps & Streetview are your friend. Since the cycling routes have been created electronically in Strava, they can also be imported into a Google Map. Its just then a process of dropping the little man every 10 miles or so along the route and seeing on Streeview if there is somewhere to stop for the support vehicles. This also has the added benefit of being able to confirm that our routes are on paved roads, rather than gravel tracks.
It was then a matter of listing all the potential stopping points, the nearest village name and the distance from the start. This gave me a cue card so I could navigate using the road signs or a standard Sat Nav using each of the villages as a waypoint. All printed on an A4 sheet so it would be quick and easy to read.
Based on the
feedback from the cyclists on previous trips,
it has been requested to try and not stop half way up or down a climb or
decent. So I also noted where these
waypoints were on the elevation profile.
What I ended up with was a “Day Card”
Day 3 of our 2017 ride across the Pyrenees
Each evening we would look at next day and make decisions on where the stops and meeting points with the support vehicles would be. These decisions were only made the day before to take into account how the riders were feeling and the weather conditions. (it is also rare that we manage to get the whole crew together before our trip starts) Since I had marked stops about every 10 miles we could also make changes during the day. The support crew could also use them as rendezvous points when they had to split up, (we referred to places by number rather than mispronounce the place names).
Each support vehicle got a copy and the cyclists each got a pocket size version with everyone’s mobile numbers on the back. This could also be used as a backup if their cycling Sat Nav failed. It also stopped some of the questions on how much further somewhere was.
This year it is proving slightly easier, as I have found that “Ride with GPS” cycle mapping website will let you go into Google Streetview straight from the app rather than switching between Strava and Google Maps. However I think this year we might need to plan some of our stops in advance this year to accommodate Flo’s refusal to go downhill.
So with the band together and in full rehearsal I have to step away and become dare I say kind of selfish. You see I can’t make the others train, I can’t help them with their health problems, though it troubles me and obviously I care hugely about how they are dealing with them! I have to ensure that I get my 56 year old frame back, into some sort of shape and that I don’t let the others down plus add to that I am on the same bicycle as my 23 year old Son for “Summit Or Nothing Part 1”.
Well to find out just where my body and Mitchell’s is at this stage Mitch and I headed to Chew Valley for the opening round of the Bristol South Cycling Club 8.5 Mile TT. This is a tough little TT course that has a sharp climb and long uphill drag on a heavy road hence its 8.5 mile not the standard 10 mile TT.
As I nervously sat in the front seat of Florence and the starter counted us down it suddenly dawned on me that if we sucked in this event our challenge on Flo would be in jeopardy, fact! Even though this is a flat out sprint event it would test the three of us to our limits and find out how far we have come through the winter months as TT events are know as the “race of truth” for good reason.
“3,2,1 GO” shouts the starter and we are away smoothly, quickly and are pushing the start gear properly even though we have gone away for the first time in the big ring on the front. Mitch shouts for me to drop a ring on the back I shift Flo and again we spin the gear very quickly and the speed builds.
Mitch then shouts for me to “dump the block” which means for me to shift over two or three gears in one go and hit top gear! I do this, Flo shifts beautifully, we push the gear with no problem and now we are really moving! The worry now is will we have gone to hard to soon and blow up! I feel great my breathing is hard but regulated and my legs are pushing evenly with Mitch as I can’t feel him pushing through my feet.
To my amazement and slight embarrassment we catch our minute man in under a quarter of the course. As we pass the young female solo rider I have to shout, “on your right” to warn we are coming through as the road hits a bit of a pinch point. This is also the next shift point as the course is climbing and we are losing cadence. I come up only one ring and we can run the gear again.
Quickly the course falls then turns sharp left and up the one big sharp climb, the plan is I drop the front ring carefully so as not to have the drive chain come off, make the turn and smash it up the hill. Simple…….well no you see Florence has down tube shifters that don’t index each gear. I have to feel when they are in and she will only shift the front rings when the power is knocked off! So we start to free wheel into the corner I shift the front mec we glass pedal and……. nothing happens!! I look back to the chain rings under Mitchell’s feet and then Mitch screams break, break, clip the speed off! It’s truly terrifying on the back he has no brakes just a blank set of drop handle bars all the controls are down to me. I snap back into reality and hit the brakes which are very old school and poor, but the speed comes off. I make the turn perfectly and hear plus feel a click, the chain has shifted and we are hard on the pedals up the climb.
My reaction is relief and pride in the Old Girl and I quickly tell her “well done” before my lungs and legs start screaming in pain, as we hit the 3/4 point of the climb. I start encouraging Mitch as we crest the climb and I know it’s the best we have ever climbed it! Then down we go Flo goes back into the big ring after a little protest but allows me to dump the block perfectly.
The next section is fast and flat and all feels good, then all to quickly we are onto what for us is the toughest part of the course! You see unlike the other modern tandems in the event and the custom made solo TT bikes we aren’t aerodynamic in any way really other than getting as low as we can in the drops and when you consider its 80% of your pedal effort just to push the bike and rider through the air we really are at a huge disadvantage, on a long steady slight uphill gradient.
We are both now breathing and working really hard but recover very well on the next decent. We pass through a small village and turn left onto the main road for a short sharp climb, then a lovely flat out drop down onto the Lakes. All is going well until I make the turn onto the main road. Mitch shouts “it’s clear” from the rear seat as he can see way up the road from there. I make the turn and a car is parked on the other side of the road, which is fine except the driver starts it and reverses without looking across the road and right at us!! I shout and brake like mad, we very nearly hit a wall and come to a stop!! The idiot driver then pulls away and turns off the main road!!!
We are furious my heart sinks as our lap time is dying there and then, we have no forward momentum to get us up and over the next kick in the road but we quickly get our heads together and push on in silence just our heavy breathing as a sound track. The next call I get from the back is “2 minute man” at first due to me thinking all is lost I think that our minute man is coming up on us for a pass, but I look ahead down the road to see a solo TT bike in the distance and we are making good ground on it! Mitch normally would tell me to stay calm and not chase it, as we could blow up and they may have paced to sprint in but there is nothing from my stoker other than Power! We power past the solo rider a minute or so later and empty the tanks to cross the line!
I stop my race computer as we cross the line and we slowly warm down with a gentle spin up the road a little, then return to the start area. I feel totally shot but pleased with the way I felt we had raced. Mitch is gutted about the car and thinks it’s ruined our run. One of the other Tandem crews come over, who we are very close to most weeks in terms of times and tell us they have set a PB at 20.30 mins and have knocked off 30 seconds from their previous best time! I look down for the first time at my computer whilst explaining our altercation with the car, I can’t believe it we have a time of 20.08 mins!! We have smashed it!! There is no doubt we would have dipped under 20 mins without the dam car but it doesn’t matter as you see Flo, Mitch and I are on it, so dam on it!!
I can now say with confidence that the blood sweat and tears of the winter months are paying off!!!
What we have learnt
from 3 long distance multi stage cycling challenges
Most frequently asked question from the cyclists is “how far to… lunch, the next stop, the overnight stop, the next climb…”
Estimating the distance from a highlighted line on a road atlas with your finger isn’t very accurate, and there might not be a stopping point where you said you would meet. It is not much better estimating the distance using the car’s satnav either.
Our cyclists like eggs and beans – they wanted them everyday!!! And French baked beans are rubbish according to Craig.
You can cook a fish finger sandwich on a camping stove on the side of the road if you are Coral.
Laybys in France are much nicer than laybys in the UK – laybys in Italy are another story!!!
How you can set up camp/sun shade/cold drinks/healthy meal/cold foot bath(Jason) with a smile in less than 15 mins!!!
Don’t ask the cyclists to throw the water bottle through the car window while driving, it hurts.
Make sure you know where the bike shops are and when they open!!! You will probably have to visit one. Unless its Sunday or Monday in France then good luck.
Everyone seems to like their bananas a different ripeness.
Never underestimate how many flapjacks the cyclists will eat.
Mitch is powered by Skittles.
Sometimes you have to take away their chairs to keep the stops short so you can make it to camp before sunset.
Cowbells – love them or hate them.
Make sure you have toilet roll – you never know when you might need it!!!
