My 2014 Tour de Fitness

This week,  I joined millions of other Face Book users in publishing "the moments of my year" and in reminiscing through the selection of photos from 2014 it was clear that this has been another year in which my new found love of cycling has clearly dominated.

January

I kicked off with my first ride of the year on the 2nd January with a pre work cycle to see the evidence of the local winter flooding in Cowhayne Lane, Colyford. This was to set the scene for the remainder of the year, grabbing a ride when ever the opportunity arose.

Winter flooding in Cowhayne Lane

February

The RideLondon draw was announced and, having decided back in November that I would be riding for Team Diabetes UK, my mind was now focussed on getting in some serious training ahead of the August event. Things did not, however, start well with a rather disappointing first step into the world of Audax cycling. The 102 km Primrose Path event was to be my first ever sportive, but my then undiagnosed kidney stones were to force me to curtail my ride after only 60 km.

Primrose Path Audax

March

March was my first anniversary of getting back into cycling following some 30 years of lethargy. It also saw the delivery of my official Ride London jersey and me setting up my Team Diabetes UK JustGiving page, for which I braved the cool early spring air to capture some 'summer short sleeved' publicity pictures!

RideLondon Publicity Shot

April

Through the first few months of the year, I kept to the Crosstrail on my evening AVP rides, concerned that with roads covered in runoff debris, mud and rain hidden potholes, I'd damage the Roubaix. Not having a dedicated winter road bike, this was a risk I was not prepared to take ... until that was, towards the end of April, when I found myself very much the odd one out, the other Pedallers all on road bikes. The Crosstrail was stood down for the summer.

The Crosstrail and a typical AVP roadside workshop

May

With just 3 months until the epic London ride, I met up with my RideLondon buddie, Jason, to kick off some more serious road training. Before the RideLondon, however, I had my second sportive, the Dartmoor Classic, which I was going to be riding in June with my AVP buddie, Andy. To familiarise ourselves with the area, we completed a memorable hill climb training ride across Dartmoor, picking perhaps one of the best days of the year so far to do it ... if only we could guarantee similar weather for the event!

Training for the Dartmoor Classic

June

Training for the RideLondon continues and with kidney stones now successfully blasted to oblivion my second sportive, riding the Dartmoor Classic with Andy, is a great success. Both of us achieve a bronze medal; myself just 3 minutes or 3 months off a silver and Andy just shy of the 10 minutes I held him up en route! The medals were just icing on the cake, we had a great day and the weather could not have been better.

Dartmoor Classic Buddies

July

In the lead up to the RideLondon, my target had been to complete at least 100 training miles a week, peaking during July when I covered over 500 miles. It was during this month that I procured my GoPro camera, with the intention of capturing every second of the upcoming big ride. What followed were weekly video releases of our AVP rides as I perfected the art of film production! My favourite pre RideLondon film must be Les Maillots Jaunes, but I'd be the first to admit I won't be giving up my day job!

My GoPro Hero3+ Black

August

Finally, the 2014 Prudential RideLondon arrives. Riding with my good friend Jason through biblical rain on an event which even my video can not do justice! My sponsors raised an amazing £1,570.73, over 200% of my target, for Diabetes UK .. Thank you so much, everyone for your generosity.

Just one of my RideLondon press cuttings

September

After the RideLondon, the rest of the year could have been a bit of an anticlimax, however, not only did I have the annual AVP 100 miler to look forward to, but also, having delayed our summer holidays due to my sportives, and now with the Yeti bike transport, a late holiday in Mull during the most perfect of India Summers inspired me to continue cycling .. oh yes, I also had that small matter of my 'half a century and not out' to celebrate!

Cycling Mull

October

Way back at the beginning of September, before I headed off to Mull, I accepted the role of AVP Kit Master, with immediate responsibility for ordering in the winter kit. This was one of those decisions which brought mixed emotions of joy and despair! But when finally, at the end of October, the big box of shrink-wrapped kit arrived and sales seemed to go well, my relief was palpable!

October also saw me enter an impromptu and my third sportive, the Autumn Storm.

November

The patter of new rubber on tarmac is heard as I collect my new Specialised Tarmac 'summer' road bike and reap the benefits of my first ever professional bike fit. Not totally planned but I just could not resist its smooth lines, integral cabling and silver paintwork .. not to mention the 'buy me now' price tag. Roll on summer!

Specialized Tarmac Expert - my new 'summer bike'

December

This Christmas it was our turn to do the festive family tour and now with the Yeti, I was able to bring one of my bikes with me. Following the arrival last month of the new Tarmac and my Roubaix having been designated the winter road bike, it was an easy decision .. the Roubaix was deep cleaned and loaded for travel. While away, I had two wonderful rides with both my sister and brother-in-law.

Back in September, en route to Mull, we stopped off with some very good friends near Castle Douglas. Coincidentally they just happened to be competing in a triathlon and seeing how much interest I showed in the event, they suggested I may want to give it a go myself and gave a very smart wetsuit to try out. Why do I mention this? Well, one of the gifts I received for Christmas was book entitled "Triathlon for Beginners". I feel a seed has been sown for my next 'Tour de Fitness' challenge!

So, during 2014, I have again taken my Tour de Fitness to another level; 2013 was all about getting back on a bike, 2014 was focussed on doing a couple of sportives, and with the Dartmoor Classic and RideLondon, I had an amazing year. For 2015 .. who knows .. it looks like it could be the year for a Triathlon!

Thank you to all my cycling buddies, Andy and Jason in particular, my fellow Axe Valley Pedallers, Wiggle, Chain Reaction, Evans, Soanes Cycles, The Bike Shed and of course my wife for making 2014 another wonderful cycling year .. Happy New Year to all!

Festive Family Tour

With the acquisition of the Yeti back in April, I've been able to carry my bike with me on many an adventure and this year's festive family tour was no exception.

After celebrating Christmas in Milton Keynes, my sister and I decided to take a late Boxing Day spin just as the heavens opened! Sticking to the Red Way cycle paths, my sister on her mountain bike and I on my Roubaix, rode 5 miles out to Melbourne. The plan was then to cross over to Loughton and complete a circuit via a northern loop of the lakes, however, with the route unclear, darkness rapidly falling and only one of us having lights, we had little option other than to make our return along the outward path. Icy sleet and rain drove into our faces and froze my fingers numb, I've not been so cold in some time!



From Milton Keynes, we headed over to Norwich. By the Sunday, the weather had remarkably cleared following my earlier wintery ride out with my sister, such that I was able to head out on a longer ride with my brother-in-law.

It felt a little bit unfair, however, with my brother-in-law both unaccustomed to cycling and having to ride his classic Sun GT10 Tourer while I was on my tried and tested carbon Roubaix! We, however, took our time and completed a very respectable 20 miles, 2x our last ride together back in 2013 and enjoyed both fabulous weather and scenery. The Roubaix even coped well on the muddy "cycle path" following the old railway line, although it had picked up so much mud and debris that shifting between cogs became a little troublesome and a worrying grating noise from the running gear accompanied us on our return journey .. a deep clean will be required on our return to Seaton!

Atlantic Mountain Biking

November is the month of my wedding anniversary and traditionally this has been a time when we head off for a relaxing break in a small cottage somewhere on the British Isles. For 2014, it was decided to be the turn of Cornwall and a converted barn, just outside of Padstow. This year I also had the wherewithal to bring along the Crosstrail, chosen in favour of the Roubaix due to the mile long dirt track leading from the barn to the closest piece of metalled road.

 

Much of the week was dedicated to some fine walking along the coastal paths and was not until five days into the holiday that I got the opportunity to lycra up and hit the lanes around Padstow. My afternoon's cycle was a one which took no set path, it was more a case of following roads until I hit the sea or a no cycling sign!

At one point I came across a herd of bullocks being driven down the road towards me. "I'd pull off the road and out the way", I was advised, "they don't like yellow" one of the farm hands commented ... with me there all decked out in AVP colours! 

At Trevone, I even made an attempt at cycling on sand but I soon saw why those bikes I've seen with the big tractor styled tyres are so designed; even the thick Crosstrail's tyres were brought to an abrupt halt in the looser stuff! 

It was great to be out on the Crosstrail after spending most of the spring and summer months on the Roubaix. It was a wonderful holiday feeling free to splash through the potholed puddles and slide through the muddy lanes, proving there is still a place for my hybrid in my ever growing collection of road bikes!

AVP Remembrance Ride 1914 - 2014

How quick the year has past. This time last year the weather was equally beautiful as Andy and I headed out on our club's  annual AVP Remembrance ride to Rousden. Today, Andy otherwise indisposed, I met up with fellow cyclist, Kelly for a similar quick 10 mile circuit out to Beer before joining the rest of the Pedallers for the main club ride.

With the weather so clear and sunny and the roads dried out from the previous weekend's quagmire, I could not resit taking the new Specialised Tarmac out for a spin before resting it up for the winter.

The Tarmac on Seaton seafront

In all, there were around 10 pedallers who finally headed out of Seaton and up to Rousden for the Remembrance service where we were again so warmly welcomed by the locals.

Team photo

Following the service, coffee and biscuits, Kelly, Richard and I decided to cycle on to Lyme Regis to check out their new and impressive beach promenade before then climbing (there's no other way out once you've cycled into Lyme) back to Seaton for a final coffee at the Broom Wagon.

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The Trials and Tribulations of a Kit Master

Back at the end of August, I somehow secured myself the role of Kit Master for the Axe Valley Pedallers. This was not a role that existed before nor one that I was actively looking for, but you know those situations when you raise a question and end up being the source of the answer ... well that's how it happened.

It took me around 10 months after joining the AVP to get my first club jersey, so knowing how we were not the most proactive club in sourcing kit, with the summer months coming to their inevitable end, I raised the request for an order to be placed for winter Jerseys. Having loved the ride out we completed earlier in the summer .. Les Maillots Jaunes .. where we were all dressed in our yellow jerseys, I had thought it would be wonderful for us to be able to continue this through the winter. Having raised the request, I was asked to canvass the club on numbers and it was just a short step from this for the suggestions for me to take on preparing the whole order. I accepted the challenge and my role of Kit Master was confirmed .. after all, how hard could it be!

Our kit supplier at the time was Gear Club; we'd had others in the past, but Gear Club had provided our most recent summer jersey. The introductions were made with sales manager and the seed was sown for a Club Winter Kit Evening. The venue was secured, our coffee shop, The BroomWagon where owner Glen kindly agreed to open up on a Monday evening. I had envisaged rails of kit in all sizes for the members to try and place orders. As it happened, Gear Club had an event in Germany that week and at the last minute pulled out of providing me the kit I needed. I could have postponed, but having delayed my 2 week main holiday to September because of a summer of sportives, it would be October before I could run the next event. Meanwhile, I had been talking to another supplier, Akuma - new to the cycling apparel, but major players in the market and even better, wholly British designed and made.

Meeting Gear Club

Akuma, were great in providing me samples for the event and just in time. The quality of their kit was very pro-cycling but so too was their pricing. The Kit Evening was a great success, mainly for it being a good club social rather than the fashion show I had intended. It did, however, advertise the fact that a kit order was being placed and gave me the opportunity to seek feedback as to the level of interest in a winter range. When it came down to placing the order, however, the total cost of Akuma kit was a bit too eye watering for the committee, also the sales manager with whom I'd been negotiating with abruptly upped and left the company, leaving me high and dry with no where to go on improving the deal. This fortunately coincided with Gear Club calling me to say they were back in the UK and would be at the Cycle Show should I want to see what they had to offer. A trip up the M5 to the Birmingham NEC proved to be time well spent. Not only did I get to see a good cycling friend of mine, I also got to meet the Gear Club team face to face and see the full range of their kit first hand. I couldn't also believe how many other kit suppliers there were promoting their wears ... note to self for next year.

Happy days, the box of kit arrives

Back in Devon, I had no hesitation in drawing up a fresh order with Gear Club for the 20+ winter jerseys and assorted garments. When it came down to it, cost has to be the key influencer in choosing a kit supplier for a small self-funding club. I had to put to one side my moral aversion of buying from a supplier using low cost Asian labour. My mission was, first and foremost, to get people in yellow on our winter rides and when members are raving over the latest range of low cost Lidl cycling kit, I'd never get close to achieving my goal by buying in a set of Rapha styled, 'made in the UK', jerseys!

That said, I've not totally given up on the idea of providing a premium range .. indeed I even purchased for myself a one off set of kit from Akuma to try along side the Gear Club range, although even this was not without its tribulations ... see if you can spot why in the picture below!

Spot the difference

Who would be a club Kit Master?!

AVP Sunday Ride to Broadwindsor

Richard, Shaun, Kelly, Gwyn, Jason, Handbag and I met at the TIC this morning for the 'impromptu' AVP Sunday Morning ride out to Broadwindsor; a route we had done with Buster on a steamy Tuesday evening back in July.

The ride did not get off to a good start as one of Kelly's SPD pedals self destructed. Fortunately, me having a spare set hanging around at home meant we were able to effect a quick swap, delaying us no more than 30 minutes.

Climbing out of Lyme brought us our second mechanical as Jason punctured and sticking to these things coming in threes, Richard completed the pitstops with a puncture climbing towards Marshwood.

The lanes which we'd made such good time over back in the summer were coated today in thick mud, such that bikes and unprotected backs .. for those with no guards .. would be needing a deep clean on our return.

The coffee and cake stop at Broadwindsor Craft Centre, 25 miles in, couldn't have come soon enough and I think all would recommend it .. having loads of space, a friendly and efficient greeting and a very extensive cake selection!

The weather stayed clear for most of the 45 mile circuit and it was great to see most of us wearing the new AVP winter jerseys

My New Specialised Tarmac

Yes.. we have the patter of new tyres in the household. Today, I collected my new Specialised Tarmac SL4 Expert Mid Compact (there's a mouthful) from the Bike Shed cycle shop in Exeter.

I had to take a day off work to do this as I'd promised myself, for my next bike purchase, to have a Specialized Bike Fit and these are not done on a weekend. While I had decided to go for the basic £100 3 step 2D experience and not the £200 5 step pro video 3D fit .. after all, I'm not planning on entering the Tour de France any time soon .. this bike fit, or "Body Geometry Fit" as Specialised call it, was amazing. Let me take you through the 3 steps to cycling comfort ad performance perfection ..

Tarmac setup for the bike fit

Step 1: PRE-FIT INTERVIEW AND FLEXIBILITY ASSESSMENT
Here, my Body Geometry Fit specialist talked with me about my riding experience and goals, and evaluated my strength and flexibility .. or lack of them! Apparently 30 years of flying a desk had done nothing for my body's flexibility, but it's good to know ones limitations. I was scored against 3 areas:
(1) Hamstring Range. Here I scored 4/10, not a good score even when I was at school, so as expected I slipped into the Red zone on my assessment chart.
(2) Hamstring Isolated. This is where each leg is independently scored having been stretched to its limit of painless movement. Being very much right handed, there was no surprise that my left less well and at the end of the exercise, my chart read, L 42/90 (Red) : R 55/90 (Yellow) .. is it too late to take up yoga?
(3) Hip Flexion. Not sure what this was, but think I may have been fighting back as I was being manoeuvred in this position or else I should be booking my hip replacement surgery soon! Yes, I was in the red zone again.

Step 2: PRODUCT SELECTION
During my assessment, my fitter had me sit on a pleistocene pad and stand on a heat sensitive board. From these he confirmed my saddle was OK for my boney behind but that I needed more arch support in my cycling shoes .. ka-ching! £20 for a new insole, but it did feel better.

Step 3: RIDE ANALYSIS
Here, I pedalled like a possessed thing as my fitter visually assessed my position on the bike and adjusted seat, shoe cleats and handle bars accordingly in order to determine my best and most efficient ride position. This is where we made the greatest gains. My seat hight was raised by at least 2 cm, both cleats were adjusted so that the float (lateral movement) was centralised and the handle bar stem was shortened by at least 1 cm .. I can't tell you how much of an improvement this has made since replicating these changes on my Roubaix.

So, I feel this has certainly, so far anyway, been money well spent.

Ready for our first ride

Back home, as I was already all kitted up, we went our for our first ride together to see the Axe Valley highlights .. the harbour cafe for lunch, Soanes Cycles to check in on Sid and the team and then the Broom Wagon coffee shop for a strong black Americano .. what a perfect end to a perfect day of cycling treats!

Soon to be seen in Vogue

6 road riders met on Thursday at the Kings Arms for the 6:30 pm AVP club ride depart; Jolly, Tigger, Handbag, Richard, the Near Naked Man and yours truly. For once, rain was not forecast, so we were looking forward to a dry ride. 

Tigger led us out setting a quick pace along the estuary, someone had their Wheetabix! As we turned into Axminster we suffered our first mechanical when my rear mudguard departed company with its top bracket and locked against the wheel. No amount of coaxing was going to get it reaffixed, so it had to be left by the road for later collection. Our next mechanical befell us as we climbed Leggetts lane and Richard suffered a rear puncture. This is certainly the a sign of us entering the winter months, in that a night of perforated tyres becomes the norm .. how I miss summer already! 

A professional tube change by torchlight

Luckily, I was wearing the AVP winter collection .. long sleeved jersey, Roubaix bibtights and Windex jacket .. and so felt no chills while waiting for the tube to be replaced. Unfortunately, I had somewhat overdressed for the unseasonably warm 14 degrees, the ensemble chosen being more befitting for a sub zero outing! That said, I can confirm that the new line fits well, is very comfy, the bibtights are excellently padded and it was the first time I've longed for a downpour or at least a bit of frost on verges! See picture for further details on the kit (now available from Soanes Cycles) 

Soon to be seen in Vogue

Back to the ride .. Handbag left us at the puncture site to return for the 7:00 pm group ride and then there were 5. We road on to Hawkchurch, returning via Axminster, dropping the Near Naked Man and Richard off at Kilmington and Jolly at Musbury. Tigger and I steamed (getting even hotter under all the layers) back to Seaton into a headwind along the Axe Estuary to meet up with Handbag and Barley, back from their 7:00 pm ride, at the Kings Arms. It was there that our numbers were eventually doubled by the arrival of the MTB riders who themselves had a tale of mechanical woes of their own .. the beer never flowed so well!

Force Autumn Storm 2014

A number of Pedallers, met up at the Fingle Glen, Tedburn St Mary early this morning for the Force Autumn Storm charity ride: Quiff, Bobble, Andy, Shaun, Richard, Kelly and yours truly. This ride took us west from Fingle Glen; over to Yeoford, up to Winkleigh, across to Broadwoodkelly, through Monkokehampton and along beautiful cycle routes with stunning views before returning to our start point - a circuit of 56 miles.

Early morning start .. it was cold!

The organisers reported the hills being slightly more testing than the previous years' route, hence calling it the Storm!

As you may have anticipated .. I did manage record some of our riders on film .. those who stayed around long enough to be captured!

Cycling on Mull

Oh it has been a while since my last blog! This has mainly been because of a much needed holiday and a break from the trappings of technology, something I would recommend form time to time for all!

Back in April, I acquired my Skoda Yeti, the perfect vehicle within which to carry my bike where ever I chose go, and my two week late summer holiday in Scotland was to be the ultimate test. It was a close decision to be made between the Roubaix and Crosstrail as to which bike was to accompany me, the decision being made by one of my good friends, Mike, with whom we would be staying a few days and who was competing in a triathlon on the Sunday and suggested we get in a few miles at the same time!

The RideLondon man on Mull

The Friday before the grand depart, I was returning from a business trip to Dublin and so many of the final preparations had been very much left to the 11th hour, one key activity being to clean and ready the Roubaix following the previous week’s AVP 100 miler. Thick with road dust, cow dung and grubby bar tape, the Roubaix was in need of a deep clean and re-oil. Luckily the saddle bag was still complete in its contents of inner tubes, CO2 canisters and tools, such that it was just the cosmetics which needed to be taken care of.

Once in Scotland, the Roubaix’s first outing was a 20 mile circuit, a solo out to the triathlon start, followed by a brisk return ride with Mike a few hours later. Mike had just swam a mile, ridden 20 and run 7 and we still managed an impressive average 18 mph, but then again, I did let him draft me the 14 miles home! Jokes apart, it was great to have this first ride out with Mike, a guy who definitely inspired me to getting back into the saddle and begin my tour de fitness all those months ago.

Our final destination north of the boarder was to be the remote Isle of Mull. It was here that I managed 3 wonderful short morning rides, soaking up the unseasonably warm sun rises and taking in the amazing scenery. This video I took on one of the rides should give you a taste of what I was privileged to experience.

I had planned a circuit from our cottage and managed to ride it in both directions ..  

2014 AVP 100 Miler

What a difference a year makes in cycling. Froome sweeping the honours in last year's TdF to crash out of this year's, and the 3 posts I recorded on the 2013 AVP annual 100 miler reduced to this one passing comment in 2014. Following an amazing year of cycling exploits; the many long sunday rides out with my fellow AVPers, the disastrous Primrose Path, the elation of completing the Dartmoor Classic and the biblical RideLondon, my second 100 mile club run was to be just a follow on  act, albeit a highly enjoyable one.

This year's ride covered a route I'd been keen on doing for some time, a coast to coast, from Seaton in the south, to Watchet in the north and back again. Leaving an hour later than the previous year, the plan being to shorten the lunch stop, 20 Pedallers rode out of Seaton at 07:00 am. An hour later catastrophe befell one of our number when, in the tire tracks of Froomie, he crashed out of the ride. On the decent into Honiton, with a skittish back wheel, he lost control and was catapulted across the road. Having to be extracted from the scene via ambulance with a broken collar bone, we were reduced to 19 riders and our later start was looking less of a good idea. After the restart, we lost a further 3 riders, two having only planned to do a short ride and my RideLondon buddie, Jason, who foresaw a later than scheduled return.

Jason was right in his projection, 8,700 ft of climb, 2 coffee and one lunch stop, a series of punctures, a broken gear cable, an incident with a cow and a ravine to cross took its toll. Although we were 30 minutes quicker over the 100 miles, our idle time exceeded all expectations as we coasted back into Seaton thirteen and a half hours after our morning depart!

Check the video out for some of the highlights.

Press Coverage of My RideLondon

Diabetes UK linked up with the local press to publicise my RideLondon event. Here area few of the links and stories:

Midweek Herald
Seaton man plans 100 mile cycle ride for charity
Hurricane Bertha fails to halt Seaton cyclist

JRB braves torrential rain to complete the 100 mile cycle race

Seaton Today, Pulman's Weekly News 25 August 2014 - Jonathan's big ride

... and the Midweek Herald in paper

Midweek Herald 20-Aug-14 

Thanks to the Diabetes UK press office for the publicity and I'm hoping that this will attract a few more donations.

To sponsor me go to www.justgiving.com/Jonathan-Read-Bone/ and to find out more information about signing up to a fundraising event for Diabetes UK visit www.diabetes.org.uk/Get_involved/Fundraising-events/ or call the Events Fundraising team on 0345 123 2399.

A Week of Post RideLondon Club Rides

Well, I've been a little tardy in writing up our recent AVP evening club rides of late.

A week last Thursday, 5 pedallers braved the rain, first sheltering under the entrance to the Kings Arms and then in the Shrubbery garage forecourt Rousden while the only two real downpours passed over. I did have a great shot of Grinch, Handbag, the Near Naked Man and Airfix at this last sheltering point, but alas finger trouble got the better of me and it was no more! Oh bring me back my 35mm Minolta!

Anyway, we had a pleasant 27 mile saunter out to Hawkchurch and back and a very enjoyable beer and chat in the White Hart listening to some good old R&B .. still think this should be our new regular  It was also great to be joined by Bar bunny and Barley who had been out for the later gentle spin.

A pause at the top of Sutton Climb

Tuesday's AVP ride saw the usual suspects, our leader, Buster, together with sportive junkies Shaun, Richard S, Kelly (hero), together with Quiff on his time trial machine plus myself and others bringing the peloton to 7 or 8 .. I ran out of fingers, head out on quick circuit to Yarcombe and back. The weather forecasters were not wrong in stating that temperatures were dropping this week, as by the time we rode into Musbury at 10pm it was a tad on the cool side! I also had my first taste, in a good few months, of speeding through the dark country lanes .. soon be time to charge up those 2000 lumin search lights again!

On Quiff's wheel

Thursday evening's ride saw two P's; one from the off resulting in Richard being left at the start and the other at Honiton Golf Club when Tigger's rear went soft! video on how to replace an inner tube will be available soon  This unscheduled pitstop resulted in a curtailed ride but still a good 21 miles completed - and we were back at the Kings arms in good time for beer and some more good banter.

Fixing Tigger's soft rear

RideLondon-Surrey 100 2014 in 3 Minutes

By popular demand, a 3 minute version of my previously published RideLondon video



...and just to recap

On the 10th August 2014 I cycled the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 for Diabetes UK, raising over £1500. The ride was shortened to 86 miles removing Box and Leith Hills due to bad weather and was completed in 6h:10m (with a cake stop!)

The deadline for getting my sponsorship money in isn't until Friday 10th October, so there's still plenty of time to support me. https://www.justgiving.com/Jonathan-Read-Bone/ or text JJRB64 £amount to 70070. Thank you!

You can check out the official Team Diabetes UK photos here ..

First Cut of the RideLondon Surrey 2014 Video

First cut of the RideLondon video ... I'd like to rework some of the transitions and may look out for another backing track, I've used my favourite TdF medley for the time being (seems to be becoming my theme tune) plus an iconic London track 

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100

Déjà vu, the alarm clock rings out at 05:00 am for the second day running. One glance out of our 6th floor window shows what a difference a day can make. Dark clouds fill the sky, cars splash noisily  along the rain soaked streets and shimmering light dances off wet pavements .. hurricane Bertha has arrived on cue.

We jostle for breakfast amongst lycra clad cyclists, topping up with protein, carbs and caffeine ahead of what is likely to be the cycle ride of a lifetime. The Pru organisers have wrestled through the night with decisions on route changes and whether the course can even be safety run in such conditions. Their final decision, having consulted with the Met Office, is that Box and Leith Hills must be cancelled, being just too dangerous for the volume of riders to traverse over such slippery and steep terrain. The course is shortened to 86 miles. Jason is disappointed that this cheats him out of his first 100 miler, while I'm disappointed that my only edge over Jason - hill climbing - is removed from the ride!

Our two jerseys ready for the ride

It is important, however, to remember why we're here at all and this is to raise money for our chosen charities. It is not to race for personal gratification but to show endurance and personal sacrifice, undertaking an activity that one has trained long and hard over, for the benefit of others. For Jason, this is for Help the Hospices, and for me, Diabetes UK. Our two jerseys hung ready for the ride say it all.

Our start times are 10 minutes apart and the distance between our Yellow and Blue starting pens around 15 minutes cycling. We've heard that the marshals may turn a blind eye to us leaving together, so I risk joining Jason for his earlier start time, in that I could make a mad dash back to the Blue sector before they leave. At dead on 07:45 the gun goes for the start of the Yellow group of riders with celebrities: Amy Williams and Dominic Littlewood and a gate crashing Blue rider, your's truly! Coincidentally,  Dominic Littlewood was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes almost 40 years ago and today is riding with Amy and other celebrities in support of Bliss, the charity for premature babies. 

At the time of the start, the rain is spotting lightly and all hopes are that the main force of the storm blew over during  the night and we'll be lucky. I'm even wondering whether the two hills would be reopened, but as riders had been leaving their pens since 06:00 am this morning, this would be unlikely as they would already be too far around the course. Shortly after leaving the Olympic Park, taking up both lanes of the A12, we see the first of many falls, a sobering thought that one must take extra care in these conditions, as from the sight of one lady's bloodied face, her ride is over before it really began. I've also never seen so many punctures, something Jason and I take care not to talk about until we are safety home again, the 'P' word to cyclists being as the 'Scottish play' is to actors!

Head down through the driving rain

It is not long before Bertha puts in another appearance and I echo Chris Boardman's comments following his ride, the rain fall was truly biblical! At least, I thought, my 2013 AVP 100 miler gave me some experience of riding in such conditions and ensured the bike had mud guards and I was wearing overshoes, a good waterproof race cape and a peaked cycling cap under my helmet - the latter being the best decision of the lot as the mix of salty sweat and rain in the eyes is a painful and debilitating experience!  

I could go on waxing long and lyrically over the professionalism of the feed and drink stations, the marshals lining all 86 miles of the route, of the few brave and hardy souls, charity cheerers and public alike who stood for hours in the pouring rain. Of the sorry open and empty parks and fields with lonely and slightly deflated bouncy castles, empty roped off squares and tightly closed marquees that no one would be visiting today. As we pedalled on leaving the villages behind, it was hard not to spare a thought for all those who had put so much effort into preparing for this day and how if the sun had shone, what an amazing carnival atmosphere they would have created. 

At the 40 mile Ripley Drinks Station, we are invited into a club house to partake in the various and delicious cake offerings that had been intended for the supporting masses that were expected to be attending. Hot coffee and carrot cake is food of the gods to most cyclists and this is one who certainly appreciated the opportunity that the rain had delivered.

A surprise offering at Ripley Drinks Station

After the coffee and cake stop we have to venture back out into the rain for the remaining 40 mile loop through Surrey, omitting Leith and Box Hills. Prior to moving on, I have one mechanical task to attend to. Having originally selected this stop primarily to change my GoPro camera battery, there was one factor regarding the elements that I had not accounted for. While being able to extract the camera unit from its waterproof case to complete the change in the warmth and dry of the building, high humidity + rapid drop in temperature = fog and this is just what happened as I resealed my GoPro .. it fogged up badly! So, as we ride on I am unable to shoot any film between Ripley and Newlands Corner hub, which is where I'm finally able to source paper towels to remove the misting. 

We now make no further scheduled stops, pressing on through Dorking, Leatherhead, Oxshott, Esher and crossing back into London at Kingston upon Thames. Newlands Corner marks a steady improvement in the weather as the rain starts easing and as we start our northerly return to London shadows appear and the sun starts to burn through. About 15 miles out Jason gets a new wind, and storms up Wimbledon Hill as if he's on his way to a fire. I'm now overheating in my rain cape and have to stop to stow it away. Jason by now is a dot on the horizon and so I sit back and take a short "Hamlet moment" ...  happiness is a banana flavoured gel under a warm sun - am I showing my age here? 

Passing the Houses of Parliament 

My final 15 miles are perhaps the best.  Reflecting on the ride, the purpose, my mum, the support I've had to get here and the generosity of my sponsors. The sun has also brought more people out onto the streets and ear to ear grins are now being seen not just on the riders. 

Entering the final straight on The Mall

Crossing the line at 13:55, 6h:10m after setting off that morning is an incredible feeling such that the only suitable reaction is to thrust my arms into the air in celebration .. only then to have to bring them swiftly back onto the bars to make the double hop over the cable trunking, containing the timing sensors, spanning the road and avoid an embarrassing crash into the crowd. I'm sure the pros don't have that issue!

A proud moment outside Buckingham Palace

Awaiting us, as we feed our way further along the Mall towards Buckingham Palace is a line of greeters with an endless supply of medals. It is their job to place the medal over the completing riders' heads just as you imagine grass skirted Hawaiians would greet you with a garland of flowers. What a great way to end a ride.

The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Adventure Begins

At 05:00 am the alarm on my phone chimes. The sun is also only just thinking of rising as I head for the shower, the first task in what I know is going to be a long day. My RideLondon buddie, Jason, has stopped over so that we can get a quick start on our 180 mile drive to London. We loaded the bikes in the car last night, I just finishing fitting mud guards to the Roubaix before darkness fell, a decision triggered by the ever worrying reports of heavy rain for Sunday's ride.

By 06:00 am the Yeti and its two excited passengers are driving east along the picturesque A35 for London. The RideLondon soundtrack filling our ears and bringing a smile to our tired faces. The anticipation builds.

We make amazingly good time, hitting the outskirts of London within 3 hours and spotting that as the congestion charge does not apply over the weekend, we set a new course to take us through the centre of the city. Our destination is the Holiday Inn Express within a mile of the Olympic Park, the start of Sunday's ride.

Taking the last remaining space in the secure car park, after an interesting challenge gaining access via the high security gate, we check in, greatly relieved as to how smoothly the day is panning out. We waste no time in heading over to the ExCeL centre, via the Light Docklands Railway, to register with the Prudential team and collect our rider packs. This is also very well organised, such that by 11:30 we are back at the hotel, not first without having also acquired a few cycling goodies from the cycle show that had also been put on within the centre. Marketing genius! With the sun beaming down outside, it was incongruous to see the major interest in clothing being around the waterproof overshoes and capes! Jason joined the Kask club, coming away with a professional looking new helmet, both of us picked up a set of RideLondon red, white and blue souvenir water bottles and Free Ride goodie bags containing an an eclectic mix of sweets, sunglasses, sports foods and vitamins, oh yes an a packet of Grand Depart Yorkshire tea!

The question now is to lunch or cycle and in which order. Decision made, we'll ride into the city for the FreeCycle, via the Olympic Park to check out our starting positions for tomorrow, and then we'll eat.

The weather is beautiful and there is a real carnival atmosphere across the city. The centre's roads are closed and the parks turned into festival sites. The FreeCycle route takes us along the Embankment to the Houses of Parliament, around St James Park, back to St Paul's Cathedral and out to the Tower of London.

We could have cycled the circuit all afternoon, but it being 7 hours since breakfast, a stop for food was required and Green Park offered the lure of a Rotisserie which, I for one, find it difficult to pass up even on a full stomach.

Jason relaxes in the shade over lunch in Green Park

After lunch in the park, it is back on the bikes for another gentle ride through the car free centre before the 7 mile battle with the weekend traffic on the return ride to the hotel.

It would have been great to have been able to have returned later to see the RideLondon Women's Grand Prix from the roadside, but a plan to meet up with group of friends for dinner and the need for an early night meant that we had to make do with the hotel TV. It was a strange sensation watching the riders race over the same closed roads we'd be cycling just a couple of hours before.

At 7pm we're walking through the ExCeL hotel complex to meet with our friends when we came across a number of ProCycling Team vehicles. The teams are obviously based here for the night and although we see no riders, the Sky mechanics and management were out in force making last checks and cleaning the bikes ahead of tomorrow's RideLondon pro race .. the one which follows the 24,000 cyclists, Jason and I will be riding with.

Following an enjoyable bit of banter and a pre cycling plate of pasta carbs, by 10:00 pm lights are out and our phone alarms are again set for another 05:00 am start!