Ride London Day 1

Today I’m here at the Expo in the Excel, working for Sigma Sport on the Sigma/ Extra stand. Having been picked up at 6, it’s the lull at lunchtime  (alright ‘late’ lunchtime) that’s let me get out for food and a quick blog post. There’s a load of my favourite people here that I don’t get too see as often as I’d like. Shelley, Mark, Rob and Joe from Conti UK  (I’ll be working with some of them over the weekend), Rory from Upgrade, some of the Hot Chillee crew, my super landlord Jon from Vittoria…. and a few more.

I like working events like this despite the long days, it’s such a great chance to interact with people – not just customers, but people from all over. 

A lot of people are here to do the sportive for charity, for causes that are near and dear to them and that in itself is special. Others to do it just to say they’ve ridden the same roads as the pros on Sunday.

So. I’m here with Sigma today and tomorrow. With Continental on Saturday, and at the cattle market in Kingston with Continental for the activation zone in Sunday. Don’t be afraid to come and say hi if you are around!

Another roller session planned for this evening as I won’t be doing much for the next few days!

#keepsmiling #thankgodforfriends 

Aim For the Stars

EDITED TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: Sally is lending me a road bike and I can use her rollers. Rob has a turbo I can borrow for a while. This is what friends are for. Also thanks to Phil, Alex, Steve and Tom #mycrew #thisiswhatfriendsarefor #MedwayMassive

@swordpanda has also offered to help me out with a training plan when I’ve healed after dental surgery. 

Well. Not quite the stars. I mean I have an ice gel pack currently resting across my face after dental surgery yesterday so I can’t exactly do much. Walking in a straight line would be a bonus. But I need something to aim at.

You know I don’t have any of the following; road bike, turbo, rollers, hr monitor, power meter or any idea of how to go about training. But I do have a great bunch of friends at Medway Velo who have helped me out no end.

Having Paris Roubaix Challenge to aim at was hard and I’d had no specific training other than increasing the miles. But with everything going a bit wrong at the moment, I need to aim at something.

Despite ‘my’ road bike being requested back at work, a few days after breaking a spoke on the loaned wheels and less than a week after getting hit by a pedestrian and a car, I’m trying very hard to look forward. I can’t ride a bike/ do much for a week and having a mouthful of blood isn’t really conducive to doing much. 

So I’ve entered the Green Arrow grasstrack on the 14th August. It’s not the biggest event ever but it is one that I didn’t think I’d be able to do.

Ride London Expo is next week, Thursday and Friday with my employer Sigma Sport and Saturday and Sunday with Conti UK. Not much chance for riding a bike anyway! 

I know I’m not very good, that I don’t know anything much about training or fixing bikes. Does it really matter? Are you brave or bonkers enough to have a go?

I’ll always try. I always want to learn, even if no one wants to teach me or help me out, I’ll be doing the best I can.
Having been underestimated by so many for so long, I’m truly grateful for those that are now my friends, the willingness to put a bit of belief and support behind me. 

#keepsmiling 

And It Happens Again!

So I’m meant to be riding cx at Herne Hill at this very moment. But instead I’m sat by a Shell garage on Croxstead Road. In the locality of Herne Hill.

Why am I sat here? Well, I’m waiting for my lovely landlord to pick me up in the Vittoria van. Why? Because of three things:

1. A pedestrian clipped me earlier up by Clapham.
2. A car then clipped my back wheel leaving me on the floor and driving around me.
3. My bike is a bit poorly.

I’ve got through the shock. Missing a bit of skin. One very sore thumb. Not one cyclist stopped, though a few pedestrians did.

I’m pretty cross, but I’m alive. Sore but walking. Bloody but unbowed… and all of that….

There goes my CX out of the window. Just after I’d got the Kinesis fixed up. 

Anyway. There was a cracking bike race on today. So I guess I’ll get home and watch the highlights and thank God I’m in one piece!