I have suffered badly from Asthma since the age of 4, but cycling has helped me cope much better than any inhaler I’ve been prescribed over the years. So I decided to take up the biggest challenge of my cycling career todate – to ride from Bournemouth to Brighton over 2 days to raise money for Asthma UK (http://www.asthma.org.uk/). In the hope that it will inspire more people to do the same, here is a short report of the ride.
There was a very social feeling to the ride, and a great Facebook page for people to communicate with each other on, before, during and after the ride, with plenty of photos being shared throughout. I’ve included a couple here and more can be found on my Facebook page here.
Day 1: Bournemouth to Meon – The grand depart!
PR shot at the Grande Depart
After an overnight stay at a local hotel and a rushed breakfast I signed in for the ride at Bournemouth AFC’s football ground, got my ride number, stuffed a banana in my jersey and waited nervously at the starting area for the pre-ride safety briefing. I hadn’t done anything like this before, so wasn’t quite sure what to expect. A gentle rolling start or an all out blast to be first to break away? In the end, neither, as all 240 riders rolled in a group down to Bournemouth Pier for a photoshoot. PR duties over with for now, we headed back up the coastal route to Christchurch, then swung inland, heading for Hampshire and the South Downs.
View from the top
The Downs and the New Forest were amazing to ride through – I’m used to the odd sheep, but wild ponies roaming free caught me by surprise, especially as they crossed the road in front of me on several occasions! Steam engines, cobbled fords and numerous cattle grids followed as the terrain got more rolling, developing into some quite severe climbs through countless twee villages (Twyford anyone?) followed by hair-raising descents at 30-40mph, with a steady climb up to the overnight campsite at Meon.
Steam-rollered!
We were advised in the morning that later in the day our route would coincide with another organised race. Pennine Events didn’t know the full details but said not to worry as they would have some people down there to make sure we didn’t follow the wrong signs. Little did we know exactly what that ‘other event’ was!
As we approached Corehampton, a British Cycling motorbike overtook us and held up the traffic at a crossing ahead of us – wow, I thought, this is cool! – as I went past and started up the next hill, 3 pro-looking riders whooshed by, followed by another motorbike and a couple of support cars. Even cooler, I thought, until, sounding like a steam-train and moving just as fast, the main bunch of the Roy Ludford Memorial Tour of the Milburys 2011 approached and enveloped me in a matter of seconds.
My surprise quickly gave way to fear of messing up their race so I dived into the ditch, only to be followed by a couple of the riders looking for the best line (or so they thought!). Further evasive action was needed, so I quickly unclipped and dived in the hedge, making sure I fell away from them. Within seconds they were away, huffing and puffing, clattering of gears and wheels – I’ve never experienced something of that level before and I’m not sure I liked it to be honest!
Massage time!
Studying tomorrow's route
After swapping my bike for my rucksack at the storage area, I queued up for a welcome (and free!) massage laid on by the organisers, then relaxed in the bar, eagerly waiting for dinner. This was another opportunity to meet up with some of the people I’d connected with prior to the ride on Facebook, and my table got more and more crowded through the evening as people joined us, comparing notes from the day.
After a sufficient (though not belly busting!) meal most people retired around 10pm in the hope of a decent sleep to set us up for the following day’s ride – will my legs cope?
Paul Newson's Cycling Times 