Yesterday I rode the Chiveley (Newbury) Ride It event which was run by Evans Cycles. Bike preparation had not gone smoothly (more on that later) but with the alarm clock going off half an hour later than it should of done the day did not start well. There was a frantic activity around the house as the car was loaded and food consumed. We eventually got to the Village hall in Chiveley at about 8:20 which was about the time I had intended to get there. There was no sign of rain, but the clouds were very dark and it was windy.
After registration I met my mate Jon who was also going to do the ride as well, we got kitted up fitted the timing chip to our legs and prepared for the off. We were soon trundling along the roads through the village and then out onto dirt tracks. Having crossed the M4 motorway (to the west of Chiveley) we stopped so I could take my jacket off as I was warming up. We headed on through various wooded areas which were as muddy as I had expected and crossed the A34 to the south of Chiveley. The wooded areas were interspersed with section of roads to link the entire loop together, which was handy as it gave the wheels time to shed a lot of the mud it had collected. Both of us were slipping and sliding around with grip at a premium. We stopped regularly to top up the liquids and to ensure we did not blow ourselves out. We had considered doing the short loop (15 miles) if it was too muddy but we bit the bullet and headed onto the 24 mile long medium route. As we crossed the A34 again we were both looking forward to the drinks point at the 19 miles mark, this is where it all went wrong for me.
The drink station was half way up a concreted farm track, I decided to get up out the saddle and push to the drink station, it was only 50yds away. As soon as I stood up the tops of my thighs cramped up and I ground to a sudden halt, as I got off the bike the pain was even worse walking up the slope. I had been sipping water and energy drink all the way round, I had felt my calf’s tightening up but this is the first time my thighs have ever done this. We refuelled at the drink station, I had a slice of flap-jack and refilled my energy drink bottle as it was empty. Suitably refuelled and rested we set off up the hill where we turned left at the top only to see the hill rise further upwards over the bridge crossing the M4 again (further to the west of Chiveley). We then proceeded across fields until we came to the cabbage patch. The cabbage patch was basically a very large ploughed field with a path through the middle of it, it was un-ridable by about 95% of riders , the thick clay soil just clung onto any part of your bike it touched, soon bike tyres were the size of motorcycle tyres. Then there was the wind, we were on the top of the hill and the wind had gained in strength and was whistling across the field. We found one poor rider in the middle of the field with a snapped a chain and had no spare links with him (they were at home!) to repair the chain, so we stopped and I gave him a link so he could repair his chain and get going again. Reaching the other side of the field we re-mounted thinking the worst was over. Unfortunately for me it was only going to get worse. I realised that my camelbak was empty, I had drunk over 2.5ltr of water. Had I known how low it was I would of topped it up at the drinks station. Even in the summer on long rides I have never emptied my camelbak while riding. The only liquids I had left was the 1ltr of energy drink I got from the drinks station.
We made it to the next field where we were first hit by the strengthening gale force winds that were now hitting us from the our right and more of the thick clay like mud. The path was deeply rutted and looking at the criss cross of cycle tracks you could see earlier riders had been struggling to find a clear path and by the amount of those riders who were now walking, it was by no means going to be easy. By now my thighs and calf’s were screaming. With the winds trying to push you up a bank and into a ditch while you tried to pick the least muddy section to ride was nigh on impossible (well for me at least) and I ended up walking and riding across the field. All praise to my mate Jon you rode I think all of it with a couple of rest stops.
At one stage walking across the field I had to stop and clear the mud from the wheels as they were jammed solid, it was just horrible sticky clay mud, eventually half a dozen riders made it to the entry of the woods on the other side of the field where a mass mud clearing exercise took place, I did take some pictures on my phone but being buffeted by the wind they came out quite blurry. I ate the last of my energy bar had a few more sips of energy drink before continuing into the woods.
My legs were alright where it was flat and not to much mud but as soon as there was a hill or deep heavy mud then my thighs and calf’s were screaming, so I would end up off the bike walking.
We eventually hit the road back to the village and I was able to peddle quite well with just a dull ache in my calf’s and thighs. In all it had taken us just under 4 hours to complete the 24.9 mile ride. Fortunately it had not rained but the wind had increased strength from the start but for the most part had not been noticeable until the final 5 miles as that part of the ride seemed for the most part in open fields.
Last night I was struggling to keep my eyes open and I admit to nodding off a couple of times, this morning my calfs and thighs have a dull ache in them. I really need to work on my energy levels, I don’t know if it was because I was riding with somebody which meant I was riding a bit faster than I normally do, or if it was the mud or both. While I did better in this ride than I did on the Liphook ride last year, I really need to get it sorted.
Now I was going to write about my bike problems but I will hold that over to another blog, this blog has waffled on for long enough………….
