So there is life outside cycling

A total mileage for the week of just 15 miles isn’t going to impress anyone is it. But a rest is also supposedly meant to be an essential part of any training plan too. And so began 7 days off the bike due to ‘work commitments’ (loosely termed you understand) and a weekend’s camping. Thing is, it didn’t really end up being much of a rest in the conventional sense, just something different. And I’m not sure that replacing training hours with digestion of liquid carbs (i.e. alcohol!) is what the text books have in mind either – but it sure was fun.

On Tuesday evening we had the final TdF briefing from Rick Wates et al, where about 50 people turned up. Those doing more than 10 stages had a pre-briefing before the masses, where Phil Deeker laid out the extra demands that were likely to be made of our minds and bodies – essentially what it takes to ensure you can successfully ride long stages day after day. Most of the talk was centred on the practicalities of the Tour and that getting into a logistical mess was more likely to be a reason for failure than a physical set-back. Although this was the right focus at this stage of the preparations, the more serious nature of the evening meant there was little time given to the romance or majesty of the trip. Jonny Wates was keen to emphasise the need to look out for each other during the event, and to avoid the tendency to go into a shell when things get tough – as he rightly pointed out it’s when, despite best-laid preparation, things don’t go exactly to plan that cracks appear - and everyone reacts differently under stress (anger, humour, despair, denial etc). All sounds a bit gloomy doesn’t it?! Ha, still, that can’t suppress my excitement about the trip, and departure now feels tantalisingly close.

Thursday turned out to be one of those dream ‘toys for the boys’ days – something that I’d never even consider doing privately given the prohibitive cost, but something I’d happily jump to the front of the queue for if it’s laid on for me. RSA, one of the insurance companies I research, arranged a track day at Goodwood for all analysts covering the stock. We had a good dinner the previous evening in Goodwood House and one hour talk from the management team, which appeared to justify the next day’s frivolities. Thursday morning, we drove down to the track and were taken round the circuit in Mercedes AMG saloons by Prodrive instructors, who explained the breaking areas, turn-in points, apex and exit-points of each corner. Next up, we had a go ourselves – having harboured dreams that I’d just step in and be told what I a natural I was, I quickly discovered that track driving is a little more challenging than it looks on TV…I didn’t crash or spin or anything as dramatic, I just wasn’t that good!

After familiarising ourselves in the Mercs, we were then given Aston Martin Vantages or DB9s to drive. I had no idea these road cars had so much poke – awesome fun, but a little disappointing to only get a couple of laps at a time, as every time I was just getting into it and learning new boundaries of what I and the car could do, we were asked to pull in to the pits. But the big highlight of the track part of the day was 2 flying laps with ex-F1 driver Johnny Herbert in a Le Mans Aston GT2 – what a sensational feeling! Having thought I might be a touch scared beforehand, I wasn’t at all frightened and just sped round with an enormous grin on my face. What it did highlight, in no uncertain terms, is the gaping chasm of driving skills between a novice like me and a seasoned pro like JH – where I’d previously thought there were corners, he was flat out through them!

After lunch, we were given control of a Subaru rally car on a course marked out with cones in a field. Great fun as we learnt to back-end the car round corners and power-slide round the bends. Once again, though, the highlight was a 2-lapper through a forest rally stage as a passenger next to a pro-driver. We were hurtling down single lane forest tracks at up to 70 mph, taking all the corners sideways and launching off a huge jump – big wide-eyed wow moments abound. Massively impressive control in a tight environment and truly exhilarating. I also went for a 15 min flight over Bognor Regis in a 1943 Harvard Warbird that had been used to train Spitfire pilots in WW2. All in all, a very spoiling day, with the kind of fun that very few people get the chance to experience. Thank you RSA – now, I must remember to change my recommendation from Hold to BUY. (Compliance, I didn’t really mean that…!)

We spent the bank holiday weekend camping at Mellow Farm in Hampshire, with Jems/Rich and Harry/Lisa, plus kids – so were 13 in all. The campsite was in an idyllic location, conveniently close to London, with a small river running past our pitch, which was in an old ox-bow lake. Importantly, our pitch had a ring for a campfire, which I think is an essential part of the whole camping experience. We took colossal amounts of kit with us – the more we camp, the more gear we seem to take…which seems to negate the point of camping to an extent I suppose, but makes it a whole lot more bearable. The kids had great fun playing in the river with our inflatable dinghy – and the rest of the campers were pretty agreeable on the whole – except for the weirdo (there’s always one) who decided to dry himself post-shower by lying naked outside his tent– until told that wasn’t really appropriate in a family setting!

Weekly totals
Commute – 15 miles
Other rides – zero!

Funds raised to date £5,265