Increasing the mileage and hopefully the temperature.

After a wet, cold and windy March, April appears to have arrived with a similar outlook. As I type I am sitting watching the garden struggle to cope with heavy squally showers and 40-50mph gusts of winds. Last night I was awoken at 4am for a quick game of chase the bin and as I look down the street there are numerous wheelie bins scattered around in a general state of disorder.

Despite the weather this months training has gone well and I have managed a number of 40-50 Mike rides and feel as if my legs are slowly coming back. 

Riding with the AJ's group has been great fun and at times really challenging. The majority of the riders are slightly stronger than me so I have to work quite hard to stay with them but I'm beginning to find that my average speed is increasing. I'm also getting used to riding at a slightly higher pedal cadence, something I've been trying to achieve to reduce the strain on the legs whilst still maintaining speed. 

On a couple of the longer rides I've been able to revisit some of last summers training route hills and it's been quite pleasing to find the combination of increased overall fitness, a few missing KGs and the lower gearing of the 11-32 rear cassette has resulted in more efficient climbing with lower heart rates etc.  I've still got to have a crack at some longer climbs but I'm fairly confident I have made a good decision revising my gear ratios. 

The really pleasing news is that I'm settling into the new bike and getting more familiar with its handling. As a much lighter bike than my previous one it can be a little lively in strong winds and it moves about a bit more on bumpy roads etc but now I'm a bit more aware of that I've been able to relax a bit and I'm no longer gripping so tightly that my arms are rigid. As a consequence my shoulders and back are more relaxed and the riding has become much more comfortable. In my last ride I completed a 50 mile trip without any comfort issues so I'm pretty pleased with that. 

Now the clocks have gone forward AJ's have started a Thursday evening ride so I have decided to have a break from the running club and go cycling instead until my trip is over. Hopefully I can get three long rides in each week as I build up the hours on the saddle. Coincidently the group from AJ's that are riding non stop to Paris from London will arrive in Paris on my rest day so with a bit of luck I can meet up for a quick celebration under the Eiffel Tower

This weekend I am off for a 70 me ride with some of the AJ's crew and other cycling friends. Not only will it be the longest ride yet it will also have s couple of decent climbs along the way so it should be a good test of my current fitness. Hopefully by then the winds will have abated although the forecast is indicating its going to be a bit damp!

The bad news this month is that my riding partner for the London - Nice trip has had to pull out.  I'm really disappointed as Ian and I were more or less identical in terms of our average speed and climbing strength and we got on really well during LEJOG so he would of made a good room mate. This means I will have to go into the room mate lottery, I just hope I don't get a snorer or a messy one as I'm a little OCD about my kit etc and like to be organised as Mark found to his amusement last year.

I've had the final trip details and there are 96 confirmed as setting off on day 1 so I'm guessing it will be a tad manic at the start. I'm booked into a hotel the night before we leave which is about 50m from the start. I think the support staff will be staying there too so if its anything like LEJOG I can dump my bike box in one of the vans the night before and then all I've got to do is roll out of bed, have breakfast and walk across the road to get started. Its an early start, about 6am, in order for us to be on the road and out of London before the traffic builds and we also have a deadline to board the ferry at Dover. The bonus for me is I've been through the admin/arrival process before at Lands End so I know it won't take long and it's just a case of tying a few labels onto your luggage and throwing it into the right van for that evenings hotel and you're ready to roll. I guess they will set us off in smaller groups or 20 or so to avoid a huge pelaton screwing up the commuters, but if its anything like LEJOG the riders soon thin out as there is such a large range of levels of fitness, speed etc and the route will keep us off the main roads as much as possible.

It gets a little less busy as we move south with about two thirds finishing their trip in Paris and then the other two legs are a little less crowded with about 35/40 riders with only 7 going the whole way to Nice.

The organisers have provided us with GPS files for the trip which shows the route and profile for each day. Day 1 is about 79 miles long with a couple of leg warmers along the way, but they are nothing compared to what is awaiting me in the Alps.

Onwards and Upwards!