Just thinking about the start of the Tour de Force is now enough to set my heart racing with excitement, with less than a week to go. There’s nothing more I can do to improve my fitness at this stage, so from now until the start it’s just a case of getting as much rest as possible, keeping well fed and watered, and avoiding any accidents on the commute to and fro work. I laid out all my kit on the spare beds last night and was quietly reassured that it doesn’t look too much, and I’m a lot more confident that I can pack it all in. It’s a massive help that I can send all my nutrition (energy bars, gels, powders etc) with the Classic Tours lorry, together with my bikes.
The Tour de Force jersey arrived last week. It’s, how shall I put it, pink. VERY PINK. There is absolutely no way that any motorist could say, “Sorry, but I didn’t see you…”. It fact it’s such a bright pink that it is almost unwearable (apologies Rick Wates if you’re reading this, but I’ve got to tell it how it is!). And it’s really shiny. Think cycling, think nasty bright acrylic lyrca – then double it and you’re getting close. But maybe it’ll look better in a large group. Maybe. Mmm.
Nearly had a complete disaster yesterday afternoon. Having cleaned my bike on Saturday, I set about degreasing and re-lubing the chain on Sunday. I took the chain off and cleaned it successfully - I then threw the chain links down the drain with the dirty water. Not very clever. So had to go and buy some replacement links. I then refitted the chain, lubed it up and rode up and down the road shifting gears to make sure all was well. Unfortunately it wasn’t. I hadn’t fed the chain through the rear derailleur properly. Not at all clever. In fact, incredibly stupid. I was alerted to this mechanical incompetence by the sickening crunch of bending, grinding metal, and looked down to see my chain wedged between the wheel spokes and the rear cassette – together with my rear derailleur in a very unusual position. I felt sick. This could be terminal and worryingly expensive. Cursing my complete idiocy, I sheepishly wheeled the bike back home along the pavement hoping the neighbours weren’t watching. Over the next half an hour I managed to extract the chain, twist it back into shape, and likewise manoeuvred the derailleur and its hanger to something that looked like their proper positions, all the while dreading the potential snap of metal going beyond its natural elastic limits. I’m happy to say – and mightily relieved not surprisingly – that I think I’ve mended it and the gear change is running smoothly. Phew and double phew. I really didn’t need that.
I hope the rest of the week runs a touch more smoothly.
And a final massive thank you to all who have sponsored me. Including the single biggest donation, received this morning, I have raised just short of £7,854 and hope to secure a few more £s by the end of this week.
For anyone who wants to know the route and timetable, I will be posting details of every stage in my next blog…
Weekly totals
Commute – 64 miles
Other rides – 51 miles
Funds raised to date £7,854
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