Also, I just wanted to let you know that we are nearly at the $5,000 mark in fund raising which is great.
We have a couple of initiatives in the next couple of weeks which will hopefully get us closer to $6,000.
Thanks to everyone who has donated.
Cheers
Carl
Thursday 29 September 2011
3 weeks to go - still training
Three weeks today we leave Phillip Island, I cannot believe that we are so close to the start of this ride now.
It seems a long time ago that we started all the training. But that was 7 months and nearly 4,000kms ago. The plus side of the training now is that the weather is so much warmer than even 1 month ago. The 5am starts are not quite as hard as they do not have that biting cold on the face and the body. On a couple of mornings recently I have found myself wearing too much in the way of clothing and nearly over heating...never happy!
The last couple of weeks have seen a lot of kms travelled, we have done over 700kms in training for the month of September alone and this weekend we are planning two big days of riding which will bring the total closer to 1000kms for the month..
We were discussing how far we have come, and if we look back 5 months, a 100km ride seemed quite daunting, whereas now it is not something that we are concerned about. The mental approach is how many kms can we do past the 100km mark? Last weekend I decided to go home after 130kms, not because I was getting tired but because I had other stuff I needed to do....!
The weather forecast is not that great for the next few days but we will have to get out as we cannot afford to lose any weekend training. That is where we put in the big kms and the weekdays are used to keep the legs turning over. After this weekend we only have one more weekend where we will put in big rides as I think the weekend before we leave will be quite mellow, a light ride or two and just getting all the kit together.
The question of how we will go by riding long distances day after day is only something that we will know once we are doing the trip. With families and so on it is asking too much to try and replicate that in training, just getting out like we are impacts more than just the riders. Partners, wives, kids and so on are all impacted. I would like to say thanks to all those involved in the ride, not just Aaron, Paul and Erika, but their families and those who are also helping us raise the money. It is a great team effort.
Cheers
Carl
It seems a long time ago that we started all the training. But that was 7 months and nearly 4,000kms ago. The plus side of the training now is that the weather is so much warmer than even 1 month ago. The 5am starts are not quite as hard as they do not have that biting cold on the face and the body. On a couple of mornings recently I have found myself wearing too much in the way of clothing and nearly over heating...never happy!
The last couple of weeks have seen a lot of kms travelled, we have done over 700kms in training for the month of September alone and this weekend we are planning two big days of riding which will bring the total closer to 1000kms for the month..
We were discussing how far we have come, and if we look back 5 months, a 100km ride seemed quite daunting, whereas now it is not something that we are concerned about. The mental approach is how many kms can we do past the 100km mark? Last weekend I decided to go home after 130kms, not because I was getting tired but because I had other stuff I needed to do....!
The weather forecast is not that great for the next few days but we will have to get out as we cannot afford to lose any weekend training. That is where we put in the big kms and the weekdays are used to keep the legs turning over. After this weekend we only have one more weekend where we will put in big rides as I think the weekend before we leave will be quite mellow, a light ride or two and just getting all the kit together.
The question of how we will go by riding long distances day after day is only something that we will know once we are doing the trip. With families and so on it is asking too much to try and replicate that in training, just getting out like we are impacts more than just the riders. Partners, wives, kids and so on are all impacted. I would like to say thanks to all those involved in the ride, not just Aaron, Paul and Erika, but their families and those who are also helping us raise the money. It is a great team effort.
Cheers
Carl
Monday 19 September 2011
Perfect training day
Saturday was our first group ride since our Berry trip of 160kms.We took a casual ride from Wollongong to Shellharbour in fantastic riding conditions, the sun was out, there was no wind and it was warm. It was great to be out on the bike. If we could request conditions for the whole trip from Phillip Island then it would be like Saturday.
The ride out to Shellharbour was at a very steady pace, we were riding at the pace we intend to on the trip. Compared to other training rides this seemed quite slow but it makes the day much more achievable without getting too tired. It was a pace that we could sit on all day.
We were back in Wollongong before 9.30am and then Aaron and I headed up the coast to Bald Hill. When we got to Coalcliff I started to feel a lack of energy, I had eaten all my food and needed something fast otherwise I wouldnt be able to ride much longer. We stopped at a cafe in Stanwell Park only long enough for me to buy two mini muffins and gulp them down...then we headed up Bald Hill.
After having already ridden 95kms the legs still felt really good and once we were in the rhythm it wasnt too bad. At the top we filled the water bottles and then headed back home.
120kms covered in perfect weather up and over hills, it was a good day.
Cheers
Carl
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