Old duffer!

Morning has broken, and little real pain in the legs - a phenomenon shared by BNUT and the Howester. We'll have to save the feeling, as I suspect the pain may kick in a few days into the ride.
I have a tale of an Old Duffer to relate - not about Oakley or Brownie for a change.
As I mentioned in a previous blogette, the Howester paid sorely for his pint of Strongbow at the lunch stop yesterday, and was struggling with tired legs towards the end. We plied him with nuts, raisins, Mars bars, Nutrigrain energy bars - all to little avail.
Cue embarrassment as an invigorator.
Having turned after seeing off Lous, we were idling back up towards Cranfield. We were then passed by an Octogenarian on a Raleigh - complete with Tweeds and bike clips! Muffled disbelief from the Howester - mirth from the Flame as the Mustachioed knight of the velocipede pulled away.
Predictably, the Howester summoned one last effort and saw off the Ventolin inhaling First World War veteran - his ejaculation of a triumphant yell echoing throughout the Marston Vale!

I have posted this photo of the cyclist - Malcolm Simmonds - who has himself posted the story on his blog site www.istuffedthehowester.com/ridelikeagirl - please feel free to visit and post comments of derision.

Flame

Sore seats:

Quite a day today - 5 of the team set off for the longest ride to date - with a few detours at the end I managed 100.2. We concentrated on not riding too fast and keeping together rather than off in twos - I think it worked rather well.

Couple of highlights - the Howester opting for a Strongbow at lunch time which came back to haunt him by Sharnbrook! Sharpenhoe Clappers - another first and quite a steep section after the Bow Brickhill edifice.

You will see also that the training included a section to prepare us for the short ferry ride - the bikes and rest of the team are being towed behind the pedalo.

One nasty pair of yobs had a good time coming through Cranfield, pelting passers by with salad tomatoes from their speeding car, and hitting Jules at nearly 50 mph with a tomato bomb on the hill out of Cranfield. May their car be repossessed and carry several dozen speeding fines.

12 sleeps to go!!

Rob's poncy photos:

Got a list of photos through today, but some seem a little artistic to me.

I suspect he may have taken this one while carrying out an evacuation - I can't see any birds or other wildlife moving and suspect he gassed them all.

Bren

18 Sleeps to go:

Did a mad ride around mid and North Bedfordshire with Oakers on Saturday - taking in the southern tip of Cambridegshire.

Good pace needed a few running repairs to the jacksie. Stopping off at SuperDrug in St Neots, my request was met with the question 'did I want it for my lips?'. Intimating the problem was saddle related, I was offered the larger economy size.

Called in at Brownies' shop to refill with water, still averaging 17.6!

Pub lunch at Northill produced the first pangs of cramp - I'm going to have to watch this for the first mile or so after lunch on the LeJog ride.

Finished up with 75+ at 17.4 average - Oakley reckoned he improved this to 17.8 on the way back to Bedford - but on my reckoning that would require him to have travelled the 7 miles home at 30mph average. I am suspicious of his computer's accuracy.

The photo is of one of the curious animals we came across at the furthest extent of Saturday's ride. Oakley had a chat with it about hair colouring.

Bren

Bad head day!!

Slightly the worse for wear as the training took a bit of a backward step - I really am weak when confronted with a Sauvignon Blanc. My old mucker Flame seemed to lose a few wheels off his wagon as well - he was last seen asleep in a taxi in Lower Shelton, with the taxi driver rifling his pockets to call 'Home' off his mobile to see where to dump him!!

BNUT sent me a few photos - I don't want to go anywhere near those blimmin hills if we can help it. May have to have a word with Brownie to see if there is a ferry from Boscastle to Inverary - I can still turn the pedals whilst tucking into a Fisherman's pie.

Ermintrude, my 'favourite' cow, knows I am off for a week - she's barely talking to me and runs away when I put on the long plastic gloves although it's only to apply the Aloe Vera gel.

Good blogging with you.

The Howester

This time 3 weeks.....

Just 21 sleeps to go - though the Howester suggested sleep is becoming harder with the prospect of 960 miles, 90 hours and 459,000 pedal strokes (and hence buttocks rubbed against the saddle) to come!

Finally BNUT has sent some photos of the training, so I can insert these in the Blog at will now.

The shirts are on order now, cereal bars ordered, Hotels booked and just tinkering left to do before the ride.

Meeting tonight to thrash out final arrangements - who will have first morning loo visit etc.

I will report back.

Brendan

Cross training:

Thought just cycling as training was a bit too narrow a focus, so taken up hunting!!

Sunday, I dug up and made homeless 12 baby rabbits who were decimating my lawn. The training involved here was in chasing my dog - Coco - around as she in turn chased the bunnies.

Last few days, Sue has been hearing noises in the attic - suspecting some Jane Austen inspired incarceration of a previous girlfriend.

On closer inspection - squirrels were to blame. They had gnawed through the fascia and soffit and set up a creche in the warmth of the eaves overhang. Refusing to take the bait of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes or a ripe goats cheese nibbler, I resorted to gloved hand chasing of the little furry-tailed tree rats. There was nearly a leg through the ceiling as one of the - fairly tame but frightened - squirrels ran up my arm and stood on my shoulder, eye to eye with me looking quite sad.

I put them in the trap in the picture - two had already been taken to the woods at the back.

I don't know who they most look like, BNUT or Oakley, but one had a remarkably similar hair colouring to the Syrup wearing ex-President.

Off for a further hunting trip now - trying to coax my gun-shy Labrador from her basket.

Bren

Honeymoon training

Do not think that i missed out on training, I practiced walking, drinking, boating and even rowing a gondola, excellent for upper bodystrenght.

The exhausting rail journey home on the Orient Express added a slight increase in body weight and a broadening of the waist.

Julie has promised that i can now come out to play again & the Biddenham cycle repair shop is now re-opened.

Numbskull:

The Howester here.
Can't understand the rush to train - I'll leave that to my buddies Flame and Brownie - don't care much about the training for BNUT, Syrup and Lous.
I've bought a new (re-possessed) bike - Flame asked me what sort it was, but seemed none the wiser when I said it was a pastel green racer. No pedals as yet, so I'm going to contemplate what to do about that while I have a quiet week on a Catamaran in the Caribbean. I'll probably scoot it round to Brownie for a service.
Also worried about the shirts - if Flame is XL size, I may need to have a few darts put in the side to accommodate the love handles. I have nightmare visions of busting out on a climb like Jo Brand in shrink-wrap.
I found this photo of my favourite animal in my camera - wondered if Lindskog could put this as a logo on our shirts - I miss them when I am away. Luckily Bex has offered to take the mobile into the fields so I can speak to them - they're quite fickle animals whose emotional memory is short lived.
I'm off for a Red Stripe - good Blogging with you.
The Howester

Cream crackered:

Went down to Surrey today with the other guy doing the Tour de France section in the Pyrenees this year - Hywel James.
Did a 'legs of steel' course - about 50 miles or so with 8 major climbs, including Box Hill, Coombe Hill, Leith Hill (known locally as Lethal) - and a 21%er towards the end.
For once, the wind was sheltered from us by the hills, and it was a good ride with some lung-busting moments.
Got plenty of volunteers for start and finish of the route now - still need a little help in the weekday section - I'll post vacancy dates if anyone can help.
I'm going to chase Pags for some photos of the Spanish trip - there are some incriminating bits of evidence on offer.