Learning About Cycling Clothing

As you maybe aware I am relatively new to the joys road cycling. 
The preparation and training I am undertaking is a new experience and personal journey for me, as I complete each ride I learn or discover something new.
One aspect I have learnt is about cycle clothing. Both what to wear and more importantly, layering and packable/ removable clothing items.

Now I have ridden my mountain bike for many years. Dressing in the appropriate attire and carrying a rucksack which I could store a rain jacket and other clothing items in. Both retrieving additional items or storing layers of clothing that I may need to remove during a ride, safely and easily in my backpack.

But on a road bike this a little more tricky and needs some thought and preparation before I set off on my ride. 

So starting my training in January and continuing throughout the British winter means that the weather is a little changeable with wind, rain and differing temperatures to consider. 
The big mistake I used to make was wearing too many layers or the wrong kind of clothing. 
For example if it was wet and windy I'd wear a base layer, long sleeve jersey and soft shell jacket. Adding thick winter gloves, a neck buff, long bib tights and even sometimes a skull cap.

As the more experienced riders will instantly recognise, 10 minutes into my ride I am massively overheating. Desperately undoing zips to try and get some airflow and release some of the body warmth I am generating!!
Now if I was on my mountain bike with my rucksack, I'd have stopped and removed the excess layers of clothing. Sadly on my road bike this is not an option as I don't take or use rucksack. Aside from removing skull cap and neck buff (storing them in jacket or jersey pockets) my options were to ride with jackets and jersey unzipped to try and regulate my body temperature which is not ideal.
Plus there was always the added frustration of having cold feet, no matter how warm my core temperature got! 

On one particular early training ride I wore too few layers and not the appropriate clothing for the weather conditions and I was cold for the majority of the ride, which again is not a very pleasant or enjoyable experience!

It only took me a few rides to work out that I needed to rethink my clothing choices!!

So with a little research and thought I have now discovered what cycling attire works best for me. No matter what the conditions at the start of the ride, or even if the weather changes mid-ride.

Base Layer

For me this is the essential element. A good quality, decent base layer. I prefer long sleeved but that is personal preference. 

Cycling Jersey

Invest in good quality winter cycling jersey that is fairly close fitting and not too big or baggy. I personally wear a Fat Lad At The Back long sleeve jersey as I enjoy the humour in the design and the excellent quality in a more 'generous' sizing!

Wind-proof Gilet

A lightweight, packable item that I am a big fan of. A good friend of mine very kindly donated his spare one to me. In essence it is a wind-proof item that keeps my core warm at the start of the ride, that I can easily take off or put on during my ride. Plus it folds up so small it fits into my cycling jersey pocket. 

Rain Jacket

Again a fit for purpose cycling rain jacket. Mine is packable and lives in my cycling jersey pocket. It is not designed to keep me warm but does keep me dry. Quick and easy to get out of pocket and get on over my helmet quickly, plus it has a longer back or tail that helps keep my lower back dry if I am out on a ride and caught in the rain or a wintry shower. 

Bib Tights

As a mountain biker I discovered the benefits of a good quality padded short very early on! So when I took up road cycling I invested in a pair of bib tights that keep me warm and comfortable. An essential piece of cycling attire!

Overshoes

As I found out to my discomfort quite early on when riding my road bike. My feet got cold quickly and never seemed to warm up no matter how far or how long I rode. This was no fun at all and at times a little painful. Therefore I invested in a pair of overshoes. Now they may look a little odd, but they work so well. Warm feet = a happier rider!
I purchased a budget pair of neoprene overshoes. They are easy to get on and off and don't impair my shoes clipping in or out of my pedals.

Socks

To ensure my feet stayed warm I also invested in some decent socks. After getting caught out in a torrential downpour of rain on an early training ride, getting wet and cold feet was the worst! So I started to use my SealSkinz waterproof socks that I wear in the winter on my mountain bike. Feet are warm and dry!

Gloves

Last but by no means least is gloves. Arguably one of the most important items of clothing in the winter. Aside from the protection values, cold fingers are less responsive on your gears and more importantly your brakes. So keeping my hands warm was always a priority. Fortunately my first pair of gloves I brought have been fantastic and work really well in the wind, rain and cold. Plus they are not too bulky and easy to get out and off, no matter how warm my hands are.

So it may have taken me a few rides to learnt this, but since I now have the correct cycling apparel I am finding that my training rides are much more enjoyable and comfortable 

Strava Group Update

You may have read a previous blog post about the Strava group that had been created for the Football to Amsterdam 2016 riders as a Strava Club page (read original blog post here) 

So it was nice to read and keep updated with how other riders training is going. Encouragement is given and gratefully received by comments and giving 'kudos' (a Strava 'like').

There is also a leader-board that has three categories:

• total distance ridden that week 
• longest single ride that week
• most feet climbed that week. 

Surprisingly I managed to finish 1st last week on the longest ride in a single week with my 38 mile ride last Sunday (training ride #12)

You can view the Strava Club page at...

https://www.strava.com/clubs/174811

Training Ride #13

Managed to fit in a quick training ride. It was really nice to ride in the sunshine, although it was still a little chilly!
It was good to get out and the roads were fairly quiet. Aside from the training miles it gave me the chance to test out my new rear gearing cassette.
It worked perfectly and made climbing the big hill Tarrant Rawston a lot easier.

• 16 miles at an average pace of 14.3mph and 1hr 7mins in the saddle

Upgrading My Gears To Ease Climbing Hills!

One big difference I have noticed between road cycling and mountain biking is gearing.
On my mountain bike I have 27 gears and a big wide ratio of gears, making climbing steep hills a lot easier than on my road bike which has only 16 gears.
Now I realise it is not about number of gears, it is about the gearing ratio, but I was finding that climbing hills on my road bike was a lot tougher.
The picture below shows my standard gear set up.

After speaking with my friends and other riders I'd meet, their opinions, views and advice was wide ranging!
So I decided to ask an expert and emailed Dave from Bike fixed.com and got all of the information, advice and guidance I was after.
Dave asked me to take a picture of my current gearing set up on my bike and send it to him. Where he advised me that I had the correct 'long' cage already on my bike so there were upgrade options to get me better gearing.
In short without spending a small fortune on upgrading lots of my current bikes components (cassette, dérailleur, shifters, chain etc.) a simple change of rear cassette would suffice.
I would still have 8 gears on my rear cassette, but the gearing ratio would change from its 'compact' 11-28T to 11-32T. Giving me lower gears to ride uphill.

Simple, great advice and at a fraction of the costs of a gearing upgrade.
With Dave being the expert 'mobile' mechanic I booked a time and date for him to come to my home in his mobile workshop (to read more about Dave and Bike Fixed click here)
After a quick catch up chat, Dave quickly and expertly fitted the new cassette, a new chain as my existing chain was worn, flipped my stem to help my handlebar position and realigned my front wheel after my recent crash (read crash blog here!). Job done! Thanks Dave.
So I am now looking forward to making some time for a test training ride really soon to see how the extra gears feel.

New Sponsor & Supporter - Spaceway

A huge thank you to the directors and my colleagues at Spaceway South Ltd who have very kindly and generously sponsored me.
Their support will be invaluable to me during my training and preparation up to the event as I endeavour to balance work, family and training. 
Plus their very generous donation has helped me smash my donation target of £1,000. 
Currently my Just Giving page stands at 119% of target at £1,190 which is amazingly brilliant!!!

I had the pleasure of joining Spaceway last summer as their Head of Marketing. To find more about who Spaceway are and what we do please click here to visit their Sponsors & Supporters page or visit our website...

www.spaceway.co.uk 

A huge personal thank you to Dominic, Charlie and everyone at Spaceway for their kind support and encouragement, it is really valued and appreciated. 

Training Ride #12

After a very busy week I finally got time to fit in a training ride. I wanted to up my mileage, so I planned to ride over 35 miles.
The night before I spent some time on Google maps looking for a longer loop on a new route. 
So setting off in the morning, the weather was overcast and the wind was very blustery. The first 8 miles was tough into a strong headwind but this eased a little as the roads became a little more sheltered.
Passing Corfe Castle and heading through the Purbeck's the scenery was beautiful. Stopping for a little refuelling at Knoll Beach, after which I made it to the ferry at Sandbanks and had a good ride home on a longer route.
Overall really happy with miles that I put in my legs.

Total miles = 38
Riding time = 2h:50m:48s
Average speed = 13.4mph
Max speed = a scary 43.6mph (downhill with a tail wind!) 

Team's Represented in the Football to Amsterdam 2016

I enjoyed reading the league table that Prostate Cancer UK have produced for football clubs that riders will be representing in the London to Amsterdam 2016 charity bike ride for Prostate Cancer UK.

The top 5 clubs are:

1. Ipswich Town with 34 riders so far
2. Tottenham Hotspur with 17 riders so far
3. Sheffield United with 16 riders so far
4. Stevenage with 14 riders so far
5. Wigan Athletic with 13 riders so far

So Ipswich Town are dominating the rider numbers which is great news for the Tractor Boys and I am sure will please Portman Road legend and former England captain Terry Butcher immensely.

To read the full league table please click the link here

Rob Hayles Retweet

Had a nice retweet from cycling legend Rob Hayles (@robhayles1) to his 4,657 Twitter followers. Thanks Rob!

About Rob Hayles

Rob is a three-time Olympic medallist and double Track World Champion, making him one of the most experienced and well respected riders in British cycling.
Best known for his endeavours in the Team Pursuit and Madison events, Rob has been an integral feature in a ‘golden era’ for cycling helping to develop the careers of Mark Cavendish and many others.
Rob’s track cycling career saw him develop from a young 1km specialist into a key member of the British Track Cycling endurance team that dominated the sport between 2000 - 2008. Rob cemented his position at an international level by winning silver in the team pursuit and bronze in the individual pursuit at the 2000 Track World Championships in Manchester.
Several more titles followed including medals at consecutive Olympic Games, however tragedy struck when Rob had a near fatal car crash in 2001. He suffered a triple fracture of his pelvis and a fracture of his T12 vertebrae.
Persistence, courage and passion got him back to the form he was in prior to the accident and finally, Rob stood on the top step at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 where he took Gold in the Team Pursuit. Alongside his track success Rob has ridden for a number of professional road teams both in the UK and on the continent.
As one of the most likeable and passionate bike racers in Britain, Rob has made the natural progression into the media spotlight with commentary positions on the BBC and British Eurosport, working on all the major cycling events including the Tour de France, Track cycling, BMX and Mountain bike. Rob’s enthusiasm and experience makes him an ideal for corporate speaking events, where he is able to translate his understanding of teamwork, tactics and success from cycling into a business environment.

Read more about Rob on his website here 

Proper Cyclist Food At Rockets & Rascals

On my last training ride I stopped for a refuelling break at a brilliant cycle shop/ cafe in Poole.
Rockets & Rascals in Poole is great place to stop for coffee or food. Run by cyclists for cyclists and lovers of good food and coffee.
An item that caught my eye on the menu on this visit was advertised on the menu as "proper cyclists toast".
A slab of toasted wholemeal bread, topped with peanut butter, banana and honey!

It was delicious and really what I needed to fuel me for the remainder of my training ride. Highly recommended pit stop. If you are ever in Poole and heading to or from the Purbeck's or the Sandbanks Ferry make sure you pop in and sample this amazing place.

You can take a look around inside using Google maps here

Fund Raising & Donation Update

I created and set up the Just Giving page for the London to Amsterdam charity bike ride a little over 6 weeks ago, raising money for Prostate Cancer UK.
My intention and target was to raise £1,000 in the 5 months before I departed on the ride on Friday 3rd June 2016.
As of this morning, thanks to the amazing generosity and kind support of friends, family and work colleagues my fund raising target has reached 118% of my original sponsorship target having so far had donations totalling £1,180.
I have personally thanked everyone who has sponsored me so far, I've had unbelievable support.

But the question for me now is "do I amend my original sponsorship target?".

Will anyone be put off donating if they see I've already hit my minimum sponsorship target?
I'm not sure they will, but any comments, advice or opinions would be appreciated.

My Just Giving page can be viewed here

Emergency QR Code by GoSafe.ly

On my training ride yesterday I experienced my first crash. Now I accept that crashing or falling off your bike is part of road cycling and I am very aware and concious of the dangers.
Particularly as I have been a mountain biker for many years, so falling off my bike holds no fears for me. Although crashing on my mountain bike is a little easier as I am normally wearing knee pads and landing on muddy trails or bushes etc. is a little softer than a tarmac road!
My crash yesterday was a little scary, but a completely unavoidable accident. Riding on a fairly busy road through Poole town centre on Sunday afternoon at around 20mph passing a line of park cars a black cat shot out at full speed without warning.
I only glimpsed the cat for a spilt second out of the corner of my eye as he careered directly into the spokes of my front wheel, pushing my bike sideways as the front wheel was punched away in an instant. The cat bounced back off the front wheel and speed back across the road and over the nearest garden fence.
I was now sliding along the tarmac on hip towards oncoming traffic. Very luckily the van driver had reacted to me being taken down suddenly and had performed an emergency stop in the road. I stopped in a heap with my bike on top of me a few yards in front of the van. Bouncing up quickly and instinctively to get out of the road.
After a few minutes and assuring the very helpful passer-bys and drivers of the vehicles that I was OK and no need to worry or call for medical attention. I gathered myself together, checked my bike over and then composed myself.
I was a little shook up but also very relived that I wasn't seriously hurt. I had a little pain and discomfort in my hip as this was the part of my body that hit the road first. 
I put my chain back on, retrieved my water bottle, noticed my torn bar tape and then got back on my bike. Gently and tentatively turning the pedals to assure myself that both me and my bike were all still in working order.
Deciding to cut short my training ride and head the 6 miles home at a steady pace on quieter roads and cycle paths.
On the ride home it got me to thinking what could have happened. And how an impulsive purchase 18 months ago could be an essential life saver!

Go Safely QR stickers on my bike and helmet are very discrete. Located on the top tube of my road bike and back of helmet. These small stickers have a logo, instruction and a QR code.
I purchased these stickers after seeing an advert in a cycling magazine and researching them further on their website. In essence my emergency contact details are registered on-line and are accessible via the QR code on my bike or helmet. Therefore if I ever had a serious accident and was unable to communicate or recall my emergency contact details, anyone with a smartphone can scan the QR code and find the important information. 
I now have a new found appreciation for these simple but very important stickers. Essential if you ride alone.
Read more about Go Safely here on their website www.gosafe.ly     

Training Ride #11

The only training ride I had managed to fit into a busy week was today (Sunday). The weather was very good for a change, with bright sunshine, clear skies, a little wind and no rain.
I set off and planned to ride 30 miles.
Up to mile 22 everything was going well with some good climbs, high cadence and a good average speed. Unfortunately and frustratingly I had to cut short my ride as I experienced my first crash on my road bike.
Now I am not averse to 'offs' as I am a very keen and enthusiastic mountain bike rider. Over the many years I have been riding off road I've experienced my fair share of crashes!
The difference being, that when I crash off road I am wearing padding and also mainly fall into bushes or mud or something a little softer than road tarmac dressed only in lyrca!
I'll be writing a more serious and considered blog post on my thoughts and experience of this crash on my road bike soon.
But back to the training ride number 10. I managed just over 27 miles at an average speed of 14mph. With 659ft of climbing.

Balancing Work & Training

Each week I plan a training schedule. Including time on the bike training with both shorter high intensive rides and longer endurance rides (trying to increase both stamina and time in the saddle). 

I also include my weekly game of 5 a side football for an hour every Tuesday. Plus I have to plan and complete some running time as I've entered my first half marathon in March!

So most weeks I manage to plan and complete the runs and the rides during the week and at weekends. Even in the wind and rain that deluged England during January and early February. 
But this week has been a bit more challenging as I have been away with work at an exhibition most of the week. Plus I am lucky enough to have tickets for The Who's 50th anniversary concert at Wembley this weekend.
So fitting training in this week has been a challenge, compromising by a few runs after work a little later in the evening and a planned ride on Sunday.
All this got me to thinking about how dedicated, organised and supportive people with families must be to balance a training schedule with family, work and training. I have a new found respect for anyone training for any endurance event, whether they are a cyclist, runner, hiker etc.

Smashed IT!

Totally amazed and slightly overwhelmed as I've smashed my fund raising target of £1,000 for Prostate Cancer UK. 

The kindness and generosity from friends, family and work colleagues has been absolutely amazing. 

In just 6 weeks of setting up my Just Giving page and starting this blog, whilst making a "noise" on social media, I've passed the £1,000 target and still have four and half months before I depart on the 3rd June 2016. 

So I wonder how much I can raise by then?

A massive thank you to everyone who have so kindly and generously supported me so far. There are too many people to name individually on this blog post but I have and will continue to thank you personally for your support and generosity. 

Twitter Conversations with Premier League Legend Lee Dixon

I sent a tweet to Arsenal and Premier League football legend Lee Dixon. Knowing he is a keen cyclist and has an active and interesting Twitter feed. 

Not only did Lee kindly retweet me, he also replied with a hint, maybe in jest, that he would love to join the ride!

Lee's Twitter account has over 403,000 followers. 

Let's hope he joins the ride. 

Please Like or Follow My Facebook Page

Aside from this blog, I have created a Facebook page for this London to Amsterdam charity bike ride.
I post and update regularly with updates on donations, fund raising, sponsors, training updates and any news or happenings relating to the build up to the ride itself.

Please Like or Follow the page on Facebook here

https://www.facebook.com/london2amsterdam/

Interview With Matt Ritchie in Cycling Plus Magazine

A really nice interview with AFC Bournemouth star winger Matt Ritchie in the latest issue of Cycling Plus Magazine.
Where he talks about his love of cycling and how he is trying to get his team mates interested in cycling, as well as his own range of cycle clothing with SaddleDrunk, who are kindly and generously making me my own bespoke cycling kit for the London to Amsterdam ride! 
Read all about my SaddleDrunk kit in a previous blog post here
The article in Cycling Plus is a good read on Matt and how cycling is perceived by professional footballers.

Giving My Bike Some TLC!

One of the many challenges with riding your bike in the winter months is the condition of your bike and the effect of the weather and roads.
Salt, dirt, mud, grit and grime attaches itself to your bike like a magnet!

So this morning I found the time to quickly clean and maintain my bike. I only had 30 mins so it was a quick clean, degrease and re-lube.
I'm a big fan of Muc Off cleaning products. I know they are a huge worldwide brand now, but when I first started using the product many years ago they were a lot smaller and local to me, with their head office in Poole.

So the Muc Off pink nano cleaner was liberally applied and left. Whilst I cleaned and degreased the chain, rear cassette and the front rings.
Finally a quick rinse off, dry and lube of the chain and the job is complete!
Using a bike stand does make this job a lot easier as well.

Training Ride #10

Managed to get out on a training ride in the week. Been a busy week at work, so I have been keeping fit by running when I can't get out on the bike.
As time was a little limited I rode a shorter route but at a higher cadence with a faster average speed.
Ride felt good, weather was a little cold and windy, but getting better and learning about wearing the right apparel so I don't overheat halfway into the ride or stay cold throughout the ride!
Invested in a good pair of socks and overshoes for my feet and decent pair of winter gloves.

So 16.1 miles at an average pace of 15.7 mph

New Sponsor & Supporter!

A massive thank you to the wonderful team at Mezzanine International who have very generously donated and are also supporting me by promoting the ride on their social media channels.
I have the pleasure of working with Scott Chambers and his team at Mezzanine International as they are a key partner and supplier to my employers Spaceway South Ltd.
A huge thank you to Scott, Tanya and the team at Mezzanine International for their unbelievable and generous support.

To find more about this great company please visit their website.... 

https://www.mezzanine.co.uk/

They also feature on my Sponsors & Supports Page which you read more about on the menu to the left or by clicking here

Exciting News - Coming Soon!

Today I had a really exciting and productive meeting with the Media and Communications team at AFC Bournemouth.
A massive thank you to Max Fitzgerald and his team George and Matt for their time and great ideas today.
I can't confirm all that we discussed today, but we came up with some great ideas! 
The support from AFC Bournemouth will be a massive help in raising awareness of the event itself and the fund raising ambitions.
Today's meeting was in the media suite at the Vitality Stadium, which was really interesting for me personally to see behind the scenes at this great stadium.

I'm already looking forward to the next meeting, where hopefully I can update this blog with some of the ideas we talked about today. Thanks guys!

2016 Football to Amsterdam Official Strava Club Page

It seems the most of us cyclists are a little bit competitive and maybe a bit fixated with Strava, which is not a bad thing!!!

I personally use Strava to track both my running and cycling. Whether that be trail or road running. Or road or off-road riding. It really helps my training and fitness, comparing distances, elevations and average speeds etc.

Brilliantly one of my fellow riders for the Football to Amsterdam bike ride has created a Strava Club page. Where we can see how everyone's training is going, potentially making new friends before we all meet up on the 3rd June to begin our epic cycling adventure!

Link to Strava club page here

As you will see from the image above there are some serious training miles being put in! I will endeavour to make it onto the leader board sometime soon. Although I did feature last week within the Longest Ride (2nd) and Climbing (3rd).

I've created a Page on this blog (Training Diary) with a link to my Strava profile, so you can see all of my training rides and runs. Click here.

Follow Me On Twitter

Throughout my training and the event itself, I will be tweeting updates and pictures of my progress.
If you wanted to follow me on Twitter, I am @garytrudgett

Or click the link here

Month 1 - Training Summary

My training for London to Amsterdam started on the 2nd January 2016.
I've just added up my monthly stats from Strava for the month of January.

• Total Rides in January = 9
• Total Miles = 183.1 miles
• Total Time in the Saddle = 13hrs 14mins 37 secs
• Longest Ride = 41.6 miles

Overall I am pleased, considering the wind and rain throughout January.

 

Donate By Text Message!

You can now donate via text message. Simply text LNAM47 to 70070 to donate £3.

This code and number is set up and created via Just Text Giving from Vodafone and Just Giving.

Thank you so much for any donation, no matter how big or small, it all helps reach my sponsorship target of £1,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.

Amazing News!! Sponsorship Target Hits 51%

Very humbling news this morning when I checked my JustGiving page to find my sponsorship fund raising target had reached 51% in just 4 weeks!

I am over the moon and so delighted!

Thank you so much to my very kind and generous friends and family for their generous donations at the weekend.

Special mentions for Mum, Dad, brother, daughters, Nan, Uncle, Aunt, nephew and niece for their support and generous donations.

Also thank you to my good friend Ashley and the great guys at marketing agency Bluesoup for their donations and encouraging words

To donate please visit my JustGiving page here

Training Ride #9

A good Sunday training ride on a new route. Pleased with average speed at over 14mph. A couple of good hills, although still not a big fan of this winter weather, as it was drizzly and blustery.