A break in the weather at last and its a chance to get out. Friday is a holiday in the UK and in-between the storms and rain there was a brief window of sunshine. A few of the Woking CC members had the same idea for a ride out into the Surrey hills. This would be the first real test of the legs for the year and I was no looking forward to it. The initial 10 km was reasonably flat and not too tricky to hang onto the group but then we hit the hills. The group exploded and we all went into survival mode (well I certainly did). I dragged myself up and down the hills and eventually we made it to Peaslake and we stopped for a “cheese straw” and a coffee. At least the sun was out and it was a beautiful day. The group mutinied and those of us with not enough miles in the legs took the more direct route home while those who had been on the bike over the winter took a longer route back. I made it back with my legs and body definitely aware of the workout. – A lovely 90 km but was a tough day out.

Its still cold for March, freezing in fact, but you need to get out there. Time for a spin with the Woking CC Saturday Social group. The best part of cycling is the camaraderie and the  joys of riding as a group. The Woking CC Saturday social are the epitome of this. It was great to get out and just ride out with like minded people on quiet roads and at a gentle pace. A wonderful spin out to the local coffee stop, where we chatted about bikes and the usual.While we were at the coffee stop we we a bit bemused by a Saxon Warrior, complete with shield , spear and iPhone pacing up and down (obviously looking for something) After a few taps on his phone a bunch of cars turn up and next thing we know we have an army of Saxon warriors, with enough sharp pointy objects (and iPhones) to start a small war. They had all the gear, clothes and weaponry and it really did look like the dark ages out there. After a while they all disappeared into the woods. I guess they were honing their ancient skills.

A few sessions on the turbo, trying to get the legs working and they still seem to be sleeping. They need to get going soon as I have a little project planned that will either kill or cure them. But first a gentle spin out to check the bike is in good working order from over the winter, a perfect opportunity presented itself with the annual Surrey Half Marathon which traditionally Woking CC helps out by marshaling on bikes. It was supposed to be a fairly nice day for March, but at 7am when I left the house it was freezing. We got to the start and got radioed up, and we marshaled the runners around the course. There was a lot of backwards and forwards picking up water / sending messages and general helping out. The sun came out later and even tried to warm things up a bit. The race though was a a bit of a one man event. Check out the footage of the front of the race.

Revitalise 

This time I wanted to ride for a UK charity and not one of the more well known ones. So I have picked an organisation that does some fantastic practical work to help disadvantaged people and their carers who are often the forgotten heroes.

Please check out my sponsorship page here….

I intend to auction of some fantastic cycling related prizes, subscribe to this blog to keep updated.

Revitalise is a national charity providing respite care in a holiday setting for disabled people and carers for over 50 years. Revitalise also offers inspirational opportunities for volunteers through one of the largest and most diverse volunteering programmes of any UK charity.