CTC Birthday rides

CTC Birthday Rides: Join CTC Cornwall for a week of rides and social events 10/02/2010

The annual Birthday Rides are an established part of CTC’s rich history. First held in 1970, when CTC decided to run a week-long cycling holiday as a build up to the CTC Centenary in 1978, the formula now sees CTC member groups invite guests to camp or lodge with them for a week, and share their favourite rides, scenery and tea stops. The event is based at a fixed centre with the venue moving around the country each year.

In 2010, the Birthday Rides will be based on the south coast of Cornwall, near Falmouth. Between Thursday 19th and Wednesday 25th August, CTC Cornwall invite you to share:

-A choice of four road rides per day to suit all ages and abilities – from rides for familes of 10 to 20 milers, to rides for the more experienced cyclist from 60 to 80 miles. Rides are self-led, so you can choose when to leave and who to ride with, and route sheets for each ride – including tea stops – are provided;

-An option of half-board or self-catering accommodation in 3 star en-suite flats at the Combined Universities of Cornwall (near Falmouth) with laundry, bike store, shop and sports facilities; or camping nearby at Penryn Rugby Club with hard standing for motor homes;

-A full social programme including an optional boat trip on the River Fal and coach trip to the Eden Project; evening entertainment including film screenings, hog roast and ceilidh, and the annual Birthday Tea taking place at Pendennis Castle.

In conjunction with the Birthday Rides, ‘A Taste of Kernow’ 200, 100 and family 50km Audax rides will be taking place on Sunday 22 August.

For further information, please visit www.ctcbirthdayrides.org. An early bird discount applies to bookings made before 10 April 2010.

Notes for editors:

CTC - the UK’s national cyclists' organisation, with 70,000 members and affiliates in 250 clubs across the UK, is the oldest and largest cycling body in the UK, established in 1878. We provide a comprehensive range of services, advice, events, and protection for our members and work to promote cycling by raising public and political awareness of its health, social and environmental benefits. For more information see www.ctc.org.uk.

The end of February

And here we are at the end of February 2010. It has been a four week journey and so far I think, it has gone very well.
I have lost a total of 9lbs in February, having started at 11st11 and weighed in today at 11st2. Whoohoo!! My bodyfat percentage dropped as well which I am really pleased about.
I have lost 4% of body fat which is really great.

I'm just back from a spinning class and burned 323 cals. That was the lowest so far for a spinning class. On average it is above 500cals.

Well the days to doing LEJOG is really getting low now. 102 days is really not much at all, so a slight panic is setting in. I've still got SO much to do!!

This week will be particularly challenging. I'm out all week except for Tuesday when I will try and do a double spinning class, one early morning and one in the afternoon, after 5pm. Apart from keeping up with my exercise, it is always a challenge to take my diet with me where I go. And if you are most of those hours in a car or on a train, it is difficult!

We are planning our summer holidays. Inevitably it includes some cycling! The CTC (Cycling Touring Club) is having their annual birthday rides in Cornwall this year which really appeals. Lodging will be in Penryn at Exeter Uni campus and will be over 6 days. Each day has a choice of 4 bike rides with a variety of distances to cater for everyone. In the evenings are good entertainment and breakfast and dinner are included in the price. Now to find the money to go...!

I have no further news on my Brompton which is a bit disappointing. I was promised a phone call to sort of give me an idea of when the Brompton will be ready but nothing came yet. My bike voucher has arrived about a week ago and it has a deadline of 60days on it. I phoned the bike dealer to let them know and they told me that they don't think there will be a problem. So watch this space!

BikeBritain - Coming August 2010

BikeBritain - Coming August 2010 Seems ok. Tickets are a bit pricey!

Cough cough

I'm ill.

What a disappointment. I started to feel unwell on Saturday midst my prep for my schooldays party and it has now really progressed to a full-blown cold. I woke up in the middle of last night with runny eyes and nose. There was no chance of me going back to sleep so I spent most of last night, well between 1am and 4am, watching ice-skating from Vancouver. It was really beautiful stuff but it was also a very lonely time. You can (almost) hear yourself breathe! Nobody else is awake and you know that! Everyone else is sleeping (snoring) away and here you sit and feel sorry for yourself.

Well. It certainly interrupted my training. I was due for a double spinning session today, one this morning and one this evening but being sensible, I cancelled. Another wasted day. Urghh.

Due to work commitments, I won't be able to go to any spinning tomorrow either but hope to go on Thursday.

On another note, I was invited to submit interest to attend the Copenhagen Velo-City 2010 conference in June. What a shame, but I will have to skip it as I will be in Scotland that time cycling the last few legs of the LEJOG.

I've submitted the link and description to the conference below, it really looks like a fabulous opportunity! I hope a lot of UK planners go so that we can get real cycling provision in the UK.

www.velo-city2010.com

www.velo-city2010.com

For those who don't yet know about this wonderful opportunity!

Velo-city Global 2010 - Different Gears, Same Destination
World’s largest Global Conference on Cycling

Copenhagen, June 22-25, 2010

Networking Across Disciplines, Countries and Cities - 2nd Announcement out now!

The European Cyclists' Federation, the City of Frederiksberg and the City of Copenhagen are excited to invite you to the first ever VELO-CITY GLOBAL 2010, a conference that brings together city- and transport planners, decision makers, cycling experts, NGOs and researchers from all over the world to discuss the potential and challenges of cycling.

We believe that the time is ripe to explore and unleash the potential of the bicycle as a tool in tackling global challenges like obesity, pollution and congestion, not least in the cities, where more than 50 % of the world’s population live. Velo-city Global 2010 will serve as a platform for the exchange of knowledge, research and ideas and experiences across borders. Already now we have confirmed Janette Sadik-Khan, Jan Gehl and John Whitelegg as plenary speakers and more contributors from around the world will be announced soon.

Government outlines vision for an active England

News : NDS



The Government wants to see access to cycle training for every child, creating a generation of new, safe cyclists according to Transport Minister Sadiq Khan.

This is one of the aims of the 'Active Travel Strategy' - published today - which outlines plans to put walking and cycling at the heart of local transport and public health strategies over the next decade.

The other aims of the strategy include:

- Every major public sector employer to be signed up to the Cycle to Work Guarantee

- Cycle parking at or within easy reach of every public building

- Sufficient secure bike parking at every rail station

- Local authorities introducing 20mph zones and limits into more residential streets to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists

FT.com / UK - Early boost for English cycling scheme

FT.com / UK - Early boost for English cycling scheme

A programme to encourage cycling in six English towns has led to an early rise in the number doing so similar to that seen in the first years of London’s cycling boom, the government body responsible for the initiative will say on Tuesday.

The results suggest the six cycling demonstration towns could see long-term increases similar to those in the capital, where the number of bicycle journeys has more than doubled since 2000, according to Cycling England.

The six towns and cities – Aylesbury, Brighton, Darlington, Derby, Exeter and Lancaster – saw an average 27 per cent increase in the number of trips made by bicycle between April 2005, when the scheme started, and April 2008.

The increases come against a background of gradual long-term decline in cycling in England outside London as car ownership rises and growing traffic deters cyclists.

Phillip Darnton, chairman of Cycling England, warned it could take a considerable time for the towns to see a change in travel habits on the scale of ­London’s.

“I do think that people have to be entirely realistic about the scale of the behaviour change we’re talking about,” he said.

From 2005, the six towns and cities – chosen from 31 local authorities that originally applied – started investing about £10 per person annually to encourage cycling, compared with a normal annual spend of 70p per head elsewhere. The extra spending – about £14m across the six authorities – was funded equally by Cycling England and the local government.

Local authorities had initially assumed that they should encourage cycling by providing new facilities, Mr Darnton said. But Cycling England had argued against that, focusing instead on training.

The organisation urged each town to provide cycle training to children to encourage them to cycle to school and to focus on encouraging other potential cyclists such as students, employees of large companies, women and families, and those travelling to ­stations.

The biggest increase over the three years was in Darlington, where the number of trips made by bicycle increased 57 per cent, while cycling levels in Aylesbury rose only 2.4 per cent.

The programme is set to be extended to more towns, and Bristol was chosen last year as England’s first cycling city.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010.

Results!

1136 cals on my double spinning session yesterday!! I meant to be going till 800 but went passed it and felt good so I kept going.

It was great!!

National Cycle Plan to be paired with Active Travel Strategy Bike For All >> The essential resource for everyone who cycles... or is thinking about it.

National Cycle Plan to be paired with Active Travel Strategy Bike For All >>

Watch this space!! The Government is publishing its Active Travel Strategy on Monday 22 February.

End of the week - here comes the weekend!

Now who doesn't look forward to a weekend? The scales this morning told a lovely story. I have so far 'only' lost 6lb since I started but my bodyfat has consistently crept down and this morning it changed from two ++ to just one + and came in under 40% bodyfat.

Now the hard bit starts to keep that up and keep it going down. I couldn't keep my spinning class today which was a big pity. I think every one missed is a missed opportunity to keep weight going down. I went to town and came home too late to unpack the grocery bags and to leave for the gym. That sounds like a real feeble excuse now that I wrote it. At the time it just doesn't feel that way. I like being on time and really must be in the car 20min before class start to get there, get into the gym, up the stairs and onto the bike. People flock to the class and is spinning well in advance of the class, so eager are they.

My next class is at 13.30 tomorrow and the masterplan is to keep going after class for another 30min (take my own music) as there isn't another booking for the studio after my class. I burn on average 500cal at a session so hopefully I can push this up to about 800cal tomorrow!

I do need it as 1) I missed tonight and 2) we have a party on tomorrow evening which means there will be drinking and eating.

Even though I'm off the alcohol I can't really guarantee that I would totally abstain tomorrow night. The party would be fun! I haven't been to something quite like this for a while. The theme is schooldays and it is a 60th birthday. In honour of the birthday boy I took some effort today to get me something which resembles a school uniform. I'm not sure about my new shirt though. I fitted the white one but it was too tight and too see-through for my liking. I then went for the black one but the comments I got back was "Mum! It looks like you will be going to a funeral!" as my skirt (a nice shortish one) was also black and so is my pumps.

Maybe I should get the white shirt but maybe at another store? I will see how I feel tomorrow.

We have another episode of '24' to watch so I need to get going...thanks for reading. I will let you know tomorrow what my Cal burn rate was!

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for LA Spin

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for LA Spin

This morning's spinning class results. I had to crawl out of bed and nearly didn't go. Well I'm really pleased I did because the results paid off - 506 cals later...

A new week, always a fresh start

So here we are with the third week's start. I went on the scales (as usual) this morning and lost only 1.4lb for the week BUT 1.6% bodyfat. Now I guess I have to see this in a positive light as somewhere the new muscles must start showing up and hopefully this is it.

I had a meeting in Milton Keynes today which only started at 11.30. It has advantages like later rising times but also some drawbacks like no car parking at the station. The car parking allocation at my local station is woefully inadequate and if you are not there by 8am (at the latest) you will not get a space.

So this presented me this morning with an opportunity to cycle the 6 miles to the station, get my bike on the train and use it in MK to get to the venue which is 1 mile from the station. This is quite rare and an infrequent novelty so I grabbed it with both hands today!

Unfortunately my train back home from MK was cancelled due to a brake failure so I got delayed by 60min. Standing with a bike on a wet and cold platform leaves you with little room for movement. I couldn't go to the bathroom, wasn't motivated to go back to the ticket office (a lift involved and a long walk) to find out about alternatives, so I sat waiting for the next service.

If I was on my scheduled service, I would've got in a t 4.15pm with daylight to spare. Now I will be faced with dusk and the fact that I left my front light home (accidentally) this morning. At least I have my back light!

Tomorrow morning is another early spinning class. I was helping out with the village pantomime this past weekend which left me with little time to go to the gym. I have some more classes booked for later in the week.

I SO want to crack the magical 11st mark within this or next week. I haven't been able to do that for about 4 years so it will be quite an achievement.

Hubby also felt that he wanted to contribute to my efforts so he invested in some supplements which boast to increase weight loss. Well, all should help!

Thanks for reading!

Bike helmet activist's own study finds no significant benefit in wearing one | road.cc | The website for pedal powered people: Road cycling, commuting, leisure cycling and racing

Bike helmet activist's own study finds no significant benefit in wearing one | road.cc | The website for pedal powered people: Road cycling, commuting, leisure cycling and racing

At my last Ladies Cycle ride start, a man came over to us (we were just about to put our helmets on) and start arguing for the wear of helmets. The more we tried to say that there is no evidence to suggest that wearing helmets is beneficial, the more he argued that we should wear them!

In the end we just ignored him and put our helmets on after a while (we were going to do this anyway).

It has been shown and demonstrated that more teenage girls will start cycling if we can ditch the helmet which, especially for women, are seen to be uncool and 'squash' your hair (do). It has also been proven that cars drive more careful past cyclists who don't wear helmets.

I was driving early on Tuesday morning in my hometown and saw two women who were very well dressed, wearing no helmets but instead just a winter hat to keep them warm. They looked very elegant! One lady was riding a bike similar to dutch bike.

Less women will be put off cycling if we can cycle without helmets.

We want the choice!!

Mythbusting on Highway 535 on Vimeo

This is cool: The cyclist takes the lane on a 55 mph divided 4 lane highway with 12 foot lanes and 8 foot shoulders.

Mythbusting on Highway 535 from Keri Caffrey on Vimeo.

To accuse a cyclist of being militant, selfish or rude for riding in the lane is nothing more than car-centric bias assuming the bicycle driver is of lesser status than the motor vehicle driver — especially in context of how easy it is to see and safely pass a cyclist.

Those of us who choose to ride in the lane vs the shoulder do not insist that others make the same choice if they are not comfortable with it. We simply provide information to allow others to make the choice based on something more than knee-jerk fear of the unknown. The only thing we insist upon is protecting our right to ride in the part of the road where we feel safest and most comfortable.

Spin those wheels!!

Spinning class is quite addictive! I've attended tonight's and already looking forward to tomorrow morning's which is at 6.45am.

I took my Garmin to the class and put it on a training programme where I needed to burn 500cal for the session. Spinning class ended and i had 40cal more to go, so I joined the main room and went on the treadmill for less than 2 minutes when my calorie target was reached. Yippee!

My willpower was strong today and I didn't cheat apart from having a few ovenbaked chips tonight (as a meal) with my other half. I had lots of water and that continues.

I have a bit of a challenge coming up. I'm sleeping over in a hotel on Wednesday night and usually I will have a glass or two red wine and a lovely meal but I'm in a different frame of mind now so wine is OUT! I will have to tell the cook what I want for dinner which is a small portion of protein and lots of veg.

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
- Ursula Le Guin

Extreme Adventure at the End of the World~ Patagonia Adventure Race |

Extreme Adventure at the End of the World~ Patagonia Adventure Race |

Tarrarrarra...tarrarrarra..! Here comes an announcement !

And I'm happy to report that I have lost 4lb and 2.5 inches the last 7 days. I will give myself a pat on the back and say:

'Well done girl! But don't get complacent and don't feel demotivated if next week's loss isn't that great. Rome wasn't build in one day. As long as you've tried your best and the scales keep going down, you've done well.'

Bring on the week!

Sunday escapades

I was determined last night to make the most of today and be as active as possible. My gym bag was packed and church clothes put in. The active clothes were put on the side so that I don't need to look for them this morning when I crawl out of bed at 7am.

Well, the clock went at 7am and I jumped out of bed (amazing how well you feel if you haven't had any alcohol past your lips the last 7 days) and quickly got dressed.

Made a cup of tea, put the chicken with veg in a casserole and put the oven on timer so that there is a lovely meal waiting when we get out of church.

Then off to the gym. I did about 15 min on the bike and felt that yesterday's 28 miles were still sitting somewhere. It crossed my mind that I should probably think about getting muscle recovery drinks for post-workout. That will help the fatigue in my muscles. Next followed some weights for upper body and a 18 min running session on the treadmill.

I took my Garmin with to measure calorie burn but as it was set for on a bike, it took me a while to get it to recognise that I WILL burn calories even though I am not moving (like on a bike)!

I got it going and after the workout the calorie burn stood at 327cal burned. I guess I can add another 80 cal at least as it needed resetting after it started registering and by then I've been on my bike for about 10min of the 15 already.

I left at 9.30am in time for church. After lunch we took Jazzie for a walk at a local National Trust garden and I hopefully burned more cals as it was about a 2mile walk. Not long I know, but there was a hill involved!

Tomorrow is the start of week 2. I need to weigh in tomorrow morning first thing and the spinning class is booked ofr 17.15. This time I will take the Garmin to register the cals burn and hopefully recording will go smoothly as I now know what the set before I go to the gym!

Thanks for reading!

Manley Mere pictures

Here are some pictures of our Ladies ride today.

Ladies Ride

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Ladies Ride

The day started very foggy but soon brighten up. We had a marvellous day out - it was time for the CTC Ladies Ride of the month. I covered 28 miles as I also rode in but then dropped my bike off at the bike dealer for its first service.

I used my Garmin 705 today to track the route we did. It was a great ride, the sun was a bit reluctant but in the end it was lovely. We headed out towards Manley Mere. I have never been there, so it was nice to go somewhere new.

It seems they have upgraded the faclities, the restaurant inside is gorgeous, with a little nook and a fire in the middle. Pictures are up for those we want to see more detail.

We had lovely ladies on our ride, and best of all, a bunch of new ones! Money was collected for our ladies weekend away (cycling) in Shropshire at the end of May and quite a few are going.

It takes only one child...

...to bring you back to earth!

My daughter walked into the house after school today and I excitedly called her upstairs.
"Look!" I said. "I'm on a website!" and I showed her my interview by Tim Bland that was published today on the "Daily Cycle" website.
She cautiously looked over my shoulder and said " Why did you write so much? You should've written less!".
And I came crashing back to earth. For a few moments in time I felt famous but that has now vaporised. I read the article again and again. Did I really write too much? Maybe I should've kept it shorter. I went away for a cup of tea and came back to the screen. No, I don't think I wrote too much. I wrote what I wanted to say, not more and not less. Thanks Tim!

I attempted another class today. What a disaster! It was a very exclusive class with only 6 others taking part and I now know why. It is SO very hard!! My abs is absolutely non-existent and here I walk in pretending to be able to do all those exercises for Abs and Backs. Partially through the routine my muscles cramped and without noticing, I started to use my neck to raise my upper body instead of my using my Abs. When I walked out of class (yes I stayed until the end but was totally defeated) I had such nausea. I'm definitely not going back there for a while. Maybe when I'm fitter!

I was late (5 min) for this class as my quote from my Bike dealer arrived and I had to go online to enter it onto the Cyclescheme website and request a voucher. I phoned our Finance section yesterday who said that the voucher could take about two weeks to complete. So, not wanting to put this off, I requested my voucher, jumped into the car and headed for the gym.

To my surprise when I got back home, my voucher was in my inbox ready for printing. I had an email after I requested it to confirm that it was submitted but then dashed off. The next email, confirming the approval came through exactly four minutes later!! Superfast!! It wasn't at all expected so you can probably visualise my excitement. Tomorrow I will be handing it in as my Vita bike needs to go for its service after my CTC Ladies Ride.

I need to go and feed the family...thanks for reading!

Very excited !!!

I am SO excited I just HAVE to share this! I've just ordered myself a folding bike! And..it is a Brompton! Yes, yes. I know I have given the earlier impression that I am after a Dahon but failing to track down any local suppliers I opted for a Brompton from my local cycle store. When I phoned them yesterday, they mentioned that they have a black S type in store and suggested that I come and look at it.

Sitting at my desk this morning just didn't do the trick so I got in the car to have a look at this bike. My employer has recently signed up to Cyclescheme so I am dead keen to use the benefit and as I've always wanted a folding bike, this will be the one to go for.

I have to admit, the black Brompton didn't turn me on at all. It looked way to uninteresting so I have taken a deeper plunge and ordered a bespoke Brompton with two colours of blue! Yeah ! Unfortunately now the waiting starts. Firstly getting the voucher sorted out and secondly waiting for the Brompton as the lead time between order and delivery is about 10 - 12 weeks :-(

Anyway, I'm soooo excited :-) ! You can probably tell...

New beginnings

Inspirations are everywhere we look but it is up to us to take note and act on them. After reading a fellow blogger's blog of tonight, I decided that I should get myself onto a higher level and stop faffing about. So onto the Gym's website and I managed to book 5 classes for the next week.

I am from Uni days not a big fan of Gym classes. We had aerobics in our Uni Hall and I usually only figured out the movement when the instructor has already moved onto the next sequence. I usually felt like a fool and decided that it isn't for me. So for the last 20 years or so I have avoided anything at a Gym that had remotely to do with 'Classes' and instead tried to follow some sort of exercise routine that I developed myself. (Not that you could really see any results...)

OK, so my first spinning class is tomorrow morning at the very early hour of 6.45am. (What have I been thinking when I booked THAT!?) I also booked a few others of those (most of them are full, they seem very popular) and I also booked a Abs and Back workout. Ouch!!! I'm already NOT looking forward to that.

On the diet front it all is going well. I'm now on Day 3 and haven't crooked once. I've decided to slip from a VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) to a LCD (Low Calorie Diet) which means I have two shakes a day and one 600 cal (max) meal. I bought some slimmer steaks yesterday and had green cooked veg and a steak yesterday evening. Today I did the steak meal at lunchtime and did a shake for the evening. The scales says that I've lost 2.5lbs so far...so good start! I'm steering away from anything that has too much carbs in and I don't have rice, bread, pasta, potatoes and carrots (yes carrots are high in carbs). I focus on lean protein (steak, chicken and tuna) and green veg like broccoli, cabbage, spinach and lettuce.

Oh yes and big news is that I've yesterday decided on which charity I will support with my LEJOG ride. After reading other blogs (and see which charities they support) I have decided to support the Alzheimer's Society. It is the one disease which I am absolutely dreading on getting when I old. It has such phenomenal impact on you and your family, almost like being the living dead. So (I must have been psychic or what?) was quite pleased with myself this morning when one of the main news stories today was about Alzheimer's (Dementia) and the impact on family life and the lack of government funding for research. So, fellow readers, please sponsor me?? Even a small about will help and hopefully many small amounts will grow to a big amount. My target is a modest £1,000.

Let's keep the winter blues at bay and look forward to the sunny days ahead!

2007 - Manchester to Liverpool

 

What a day this was! This was Kascha's first BIG ride (and her only one so far). We had a very easy slow ride as it was really important that the joys of cycling stay rather than having a good arrival time! Here we are with our certificates at the end. All smiles!

Dahon Curve SL Folding Bike 2009

My next venture is to buy a folding bike. I know nothing about folding bikes but know that it must be light, have some gears to enable me to ride flats (or not) and be comfortable to carry. I found this one on the web that looks good. If there are any other suggestions and advice, please send it on!

I survived day 1

All that I could think about today was food! All because I couldn't have what I wanted. That just shows you that it is all addiction and psychological.

Anyway, I had my shake and another shake for lunch.

The joys of mobiles.

Great stuff ! I have just set my phone up to do mobile blogging. No:-) I dont have an iphone. I have a Nokia 5800 which is the Nokia version. I hope this all will make it easier for me to do blogging when I am on my ride !