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Malcolm Rides The National 24 Hour TimeTrial "Earlier this year I was looking through the Cycling Time Trials Handbook, looking to see what time trials I could do. I have never done TT's before and after a nasty crash in early 2007 in cycle race, I decided to try something different. I have only been cycling for 5/6 years, I have found it very enjoyable and a way of keeping fit and weight down. Having ridden a number of sportives last year, I decided I needed a new challenge and that is when I saw the National 24 TT. This was something I could .work towards. I started to increase my mileage back march and upto two weeks ago I was doing anything between 220 - 290 miles each week. One week I even topped three hundred, that was the week I did the Highclere Castle ride. Last week and this I have tapered off my mileage, only 120 last week and about 130 this week. Over the last couple of months I have been building up supplies of energy powder, recovery powder and sachets of energy gel. Penny has been very supportive and will be coming up to Chester with me together with Bob, to support me through the gruelling event. Not sure who it is more difficult for, the helpers or the rider, I will let you know later. In view of the toughness of the event, my work colleagues thought it would be a good idea to sponsor me. I therefore chose two Charities, Diabetes UK, this one because my son became a diabetic March 2007 at the age of 19, it was shock to us all. The other charity being Cancer Research, I have a work colleague and also a close friend both of whom have fully recovered from cancer, but equally one of my colleagues sadly died several years ago as did my father some 11/12 years ago."
Le Tour in the Pyrenees and Alps – Riding for Guide Dogs In the summer of 2005, as my rusty mountain bike languished unused in my shed, my friend Paul (super-fit, fanatical cyclist) asked me if I’d sponsor him for a challenging week-long ride that he was about to do in the Alps to raise money for Guide Dogs. He’d be taking in some of the tough peaks of the Tour de France. I worried for him – I knew he was good, but was he that good? When the ride was done I picked him up at Gatwick – he was in another world… “totally blissed out” to use his words. I congratulated him on his fantastic achievement, marvelling at a photo of 21 hairpins of Alpe D’Huez, having not the slightest idea of how anyone could ever cycle uphill like that, and go up and down 12 other mountains beside. If someone had said to me then “you’ll be doing this next year” I would simply have laughed and said “yes, and pigs might fly!” Well, pigs did fly! In the October year I signed up for Guide Dogs Le Tour 2006, which was to involve six days of riding up and down the mountains of the Pyrenees in August 2006 - Perpignan to Hautacam. So, at the ripe old age of 44 I started riding a bike again. I began with a Halfords hybrid bike, clocking up 10 miles here and there. Then bought a lovely little Trek WSD in March 2006, complete with Look Keo pedals – I was a proper cyclist, with proper shoes and pedals! That’s when I started in earnest and wondered if I bitten off more than I could chew. I started to get the miles in my legs, clocking up nearly 2,000 miles. I had no idea, though, if I’d be able to make it up the big mountains. After all, the most you can go uphill in England is about 2 miles before you have to come back down again. The Pyrenees is another ball game altogether – we’re talking ascents of 10 miles at gradients averaging 8% (that’s average – so, for example, the last 4 miles of Tourmalet is about 10% - that’s after cycling up the mountain for 10 miles!). And then there’s the descents – hairpin bends, loose surfaces, mile after mile after mile. Frightening! The day finally came and I packed my little Trek into the bike bag and boarded the plane to Toulouse. I met the other 44 riders – 42 men and 2 other women. After our dinner we all set to, unpacking our bags and boxes, fitting bits together, pumping up tyres – the guys were scrutinising each other’s bikes… whose was the most “blingy”? What an array of bikes! And so started my week-long adventure. The first big climb was Port de Pailheres, at an altitude 2000 mts. That was to be my big test – if I could make it up that, then I knew that I could do the rest. And I did. I arrived at the summit and looked back down into the valley miles below. I could ride up the big mountains. Over the next 5 five we covered Plateau de Bonascre, Col de Chioula, Port de Lers, Col d’Agnes, Col de Letrappe, Col de Port, Col de Portet d’Aspet (Altitude 1,069mt) with the Casartelli Memorial on the descent, Col de Mente, Col du Portillon (Altitude 1,320mt) crossing the Spanish / French border, Col du Peyresourde, Col d’Aspin and finally the mighty Col du Tourmalet (Altitude 2,115mt). I was an extraordinary week and one that I shall never forget. I, liked Paul a year earlier, felt “totally blissed out”. And I raised £1,500 for Guide Dogs. As soon as I got back I signed up for summer 2007, The Alps, with a route that was to follow stages 15, 16 and 17 of the 2006 Tour de France (so pretty tough). I moved to Winchester in May 2007, so needed to get the miles in. I found VC Venta on website and so began my riding with Mel, Dave and Rog, and then Penny and Dinger, and Bill, when he was in the country. Finally in August I again packed my bike into my bag and headed to Geneva. Again I had a fabulous week of hard but stunning riding. We were not so lucky with the weather as last year – for two days the rain came down and the clouds came. Bill even went all the way from Zurich to join me on the ride, but back weather conditions meant that the day’s riding was cancelled. But it was another extraordinary week, taking in Col d’Izoard, 2,340m, Col du Lautaret, the 21 magical hairpins of L’Alpe d’Huez., Lautaret from the other direction and then on to the 2,646m high Col du Galibier, Col du Telegraphe, Col des Saisies and the 1,486m Col des Aravis, Col de la Colombiere and the Col de Joux Plane. I raised another £1,000 for Guide Dogs. These were two stunning weeks that I shall never ever forget.
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