Friday 17 May 2013

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Just a quick one tonight as currently waiting to be picked up by my mate Sanks. We're off to Docklands, where we have the salubrious charms of a Travelodge to look forward to ahead of the first big milestone of my cycling year tomorrow - the London Revolution.

This is a 180 mile sportive run by Threshold Sports, the events company co-founded by James Cracknell which also runs the Deloitte RAB amongst other things. The Revolution is a somewhat shorter affair - day one is 'only' 102 miles, taking us from the ExCeL Centre around to Windsor, whilst day two is a trifling 84 miles, but with more climbing including Box Hill before we ride back to Docklands via Herne Hill Velodrome and Tower Bridge.

In between there is what sounds like a mini festival at Windsor Racecourse, with hot showers, live bands, an indoor cinema showing the Graeme Obree biopic The Flying Scotsman, loads of food options and also some local ales (dangerous). And a vast tented village, pitched in time for our arrival by the Threshold team. The logistics are quite impressive by the sounds of it - we basically give them our overnight bags at the start line tomorrow and they magically (/hopefully) make their way to our individual tents during the day, ready for us to hobble in later.

Tomorrow won't be the first time I've cycled most of the way around London, nor will it be my first century ride as I did a charity sportive called the Ride Around London a couple of years ago. Nevertheless, it will be a useful barometer of fitness ahead of my Dolomites trip in a few weeks' time and a useful chance to ride big distances on consecutive days. Not planning to hammer it but feeling in pretty reasonable form. I've followed the training plan more diligently than I've ever followed any kind of exercise schedule in my life before, missing only two sessions in the past two months, so that will hopefully stand me in good stead. I've also been carb-loading diligently over the past 48 hours, drinking my own weight in beetroot juice and even treated myself to a preparatory deep tissue massage last night with the brilliant Stan at Impact, which hurt like heck at times but has left my legs feeling like new today.

The only thing beyond my control is the English weather, of course. The forecast is pretty 'interesting' for this weekend so no idea what to expect, but stay tuned in the meantime and think of me toiling around the Home Counties whilst you tuck into your Saturday night tandooris and Sunday roasts.

Remind me why I signed up for this ride again?






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