tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74049994160577377352012-02-16T09:26:55.632ZOur Quest to Follow the World's Greatest Cycle RaceIan Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.comBlogger581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-64339671284279200442008-08-03T23:14:00.008+01:002008-08-07T16:45:32.841+01:00

Photos PARIS - The culmination of 23 days of hard cycling through some of the wettest, hottest, mountainous terrain we had ever experienced. After 9 months of training, through the bleak British winter (and sometimes equally bleak spring), after thrills, spills and bellyaches (sorry), we were approaching the finish.I remember being sat on my stationary trainer in my flat in December - pitch

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-27222164354268727772008-07-28T22:53:00.006+01:002008-08-07T16:44:32.796+01:00

Photos After a night spent at a rather impressive Chambre d’Hote with swimming pool in the finish town of Saint Armond Montrond, we drove to the start at Cerilly which meant back tracking. Schumacher, who had won stage 4’s time trial in Cholet, had also won this one in just over 1hour 3 minutes at over 30mph average. We wanted to beat the 2 hours and yet keep our heart rates down to promote

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-20411358986114581372008-07-28T22:50:00.007+01:002008-08-07T16:43:34.726+01:00

Photos This was quite fortunately a shorter stage as we were by this time totally knackered and a little jaded. With only three days to go to Paris we were by this time feeling that we’d broken the back of this Tour and it was almost a little hard to motivate ourselves this morning on leaving Roanne.We left from the hotel adding on about 12km before reaching the start (we agreed to cut this

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-47199847646804500322008-07-28T22:46:00.004+01:002008-08-07T16:41:58.183+01:00

Photos After a night spent in a hotel with magnificent mountain views, we awoke at 7am for breakfast prior to starting stage 18. We decided that as we had done an extra 5 miles the previous day, we would knock the last 5 flat miles off of this stage to avoid having to travel into busy Saint Etienne. Yesterday’s stage was really the decider and once through that, we were confident that

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-53435032844029539102008-07-28T22:40:00.005+01:002008-08-07T16:40:57.879+01:00

Photos An epic stage in Tour de France circles and the day we had been dreading! 130 miles over 3 of the most famous climbs in Tour history, the Galibier, Croix de Fer and Alpe d’Huez.Christine had kindly set out our breakfast for us the night before as were had to be up at 5am. We knew the pro’s had taken 6 hours over this stage so we were looking at 11-12 hours plus stops. We shoved

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-20554367202815437752008-07-24T21:26:00.009+01:002008-08-07T16:37:58.586+01:00

Photos After spending a splendid night at Malcolm and Steph’s (in the secret location we are not allowed to disclose!) we headed off following our hearty breakfast feeling well rested.Many thanks to Malcolm, Steph, Carl and Sue for their exceptional hospitality and helping us to recharge our batteries before our assault on the Alps over the coming two days.So – to the stage itself.

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-74393275891251574922008-07-24T21:26:00.008+01:002008-08-07T16:37:09.214+01:00

PhotosWe had been looking forward to this rest day after some long, hot days in the saddle and we were blessed with perfect weather this time. We spent the day and evening with Malcolm and Steph, Carl and Sue in a small town near Cuneo. They asked me to keep the exact location secret as it really is an idyllic spot not yet discovered by British tourists! In fact, even the ski resorts, such as

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-42850815959456167882008-07-24T21:24:00.005+01:002008-08-07T16:36:20.212+01:00

Photos We woke up for a 7am breakfast, nervous about today’s stage and its early-on HC climb (Col d’Agnel) that would take us over the border into Italy. Christine put on a great spread and we felt fuelled up for the stage.Rather than drive to the start, we decided to cycle from our accommodation as it would only add a couple of miles to our ride. The first bit was along the busy N94

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-47211791599241620612008-07-24T21:23:00.004+01:002008-08-07T16:35:19.584+01:00

PhotosWe struck gold with our accommodation last night. The welcome, location and food was excellent. Its funny how variable Logis de France can be.We anticipated today’s stage to be tough. The profile looked uphill for most of the 121 miles. This coupled with a long transfer to Embrun in the Alpes ready for tomorrow’s stage required an early start.After a very humid night, we awoke at

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-63744048005501033452008-07-24T21:22:00.003+01:002008-08-07T16:34:07.706+01:00

PhotosWe awoke early this morning for a 6.45am breakfast at the hotel. With thunder and lightning outside we were less than keen but it turned out that the rain had passed. The reason for the early start today was to try to cover as much distance as possible before the heat of the day because we suffered yesterday.We gave our support crew Peter and Liz a lie in as the route passed close

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-48789079411364963142008-07-24T21:20:00.004+01:002008-08-07T16:33:01.109+01:00

Photos We started today outside of Lidl supermarket – very glamorous! There is nothing like the odd looks you get from people as you remove your outer garments to reveal nicely fitted lycra in the middle of a supermarket car park!Team Kate were due to fly back today and so we arranged our first meet for only 2 hours into the ride just outside of Quillan. On the way we had passed through

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-25163688607857430332008-07-24T21:19:00.005+01:002008-08-03T23:39:40.234+01:00

PhotosIt was to be on this stage that we were to meet up with our final support team (Ian’s parents - Peter and Liz) and so we all carted into the van for the last time and headed off for the outskirts of Lannemezan. A small town lying just in the foothills of the Pyrennes. The ride headed due East today so we always had that nagging feeling from the mountains on our right hand side.

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-10428741245834352162008-07-24T21:18:00.001+01:002008-08-03T22:56:08.763+01:00

PhotosWhile the pros had spent their rest day at nearby Pau, where the previous stage had officially started, we spent ours based at Bagnerres. I had booked three nights accommodation here so that we could relax and not have to pack and unpack the van so much. It was also near the start of the following stage in Lannamezan.After the previous two day’s glorious weather, we had high hopes of a

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-72754040898577643882008-07-24T21:16:00.004+01:002008-08-03T22:52:18.733+01:00

PhotosThis was a fairly early starter as we had our first two Hors Categorie (above categorisation) climbs – the most climbed Col in the tour – the Tourmalet (2,115m) and then the Hautacam (1,520m).As we had overhit the distance the previous day, we decided to start a little way from the real start (about 10km in) in the small town of Rebenacq - very close to the pleasantly named

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-28195175993248670112008-07-24T21:15:00.003+01:002008-08-03T22:51:27.708+01:00

PhotosLeft hotel at 06:10 due to length of stage. Also Team Kate’s first day of supporting and they had to get van from Toulouse.Really didn’t want to get lost today and unfortunately the road numbers disappeared after about 25km and we added an extra 2km by the time we corrected our mistake.Shortly following this Matt punctured on a roundabout and the replacement tube used was faulty

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-62176017659802326702008-07-24T21:13:00.004+01:002008-08-03T22:49:08.053+01:00

PhotosWe set off in straight from our hotel in the morning and in thick, thick fog. This necessitated an extra climb out of the town of Figeac before we actually reached the route which was a shame but did help on the old warm-up (though the downhills were distinctly cool!). Matt’s parents set off later (after finding a launderette to try and dry some of our clothes which we had

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-67822104975653448432008-07-23T08:49:00.002+01:002008-07-23T09:09:22.433+01:00

Matt & Ian have not been able to update the blog due to lack of internet availability at their various overnight stops. Everything is on schedule with over 1600 miles behind them in just 15 days! They have successfully negotitated the Cols of the Pyrenees and 40 degree heat on Stage 13 to Nimes. Today they are enjoying a well earned rest day after completing Stage 15 to Prato Nevoso (Italy).

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-37677027677866612722008-07-13T22:37:00.005+01:002008-07-28T23:37:39.930+01:00

PhotosAfter a night in a rubbish Logis de France (really wouldn’t recommend them – unless you are a fan of restaurants that close at 8:30pm and have no staff present between 10pm and 8am the next day). Anyway enough of my moaning.We set off from Besse at about 8:50am for the 70km trek down to Brioude aiming to start at about 10:20am for what looked like a shortish stage which we could

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-14924937266220278472008-07-13T22:35:00.005+01:002008-07-28T23:39:41.129+01:00

PhotosToday was my (Matt’s) Dad’s birthday and as a present he had decided that he wanted to ride the stage with us. This was very welcome as it gave us someone else to ride with and share the load and it had been a long time since I had been able to spend his birthday with him.We drove to just outside of Aigurande and Mum saw us on our way on forgivingly rolling roads. After yesterday’s

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-50213027208937500492008-07-13T22:30:00.004+01:002008-07-28T23:41:36.750+01:00

PhotosThe longest stage of the tour today and we predicted 9 hours in the saddle for the 145 hours. We awoke at 6am to a miserable morning – rain and a little wind. The forecast was for a south westerly which would help us on the route which travelled almost due east.After a good breakfast and saying our good byes to the Dugast’s for their generous hospitality we headed out to Cholet

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-48958549304389949582008-07-10T20:56:00.006+01:002008-07-24T22:00:57.647+01:00

Just a 29km time trial course to cover today so we didn’t need to be up early. Therefore, we were able to take full advantage of yesterday evening with our hosts M and Mme Dugast. We arrived late at 7.30pm at their “Chambre d’hote” near the town of Cholet, south east of the previous stage finish in Nantes.Immediately very welcoming, they showed us around there abode, a converted barn with

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-23992327970683812022008-07-10T20:33:00.008+01:002008-07-24T22:03:25.454+01:00

PhotosToday looked like being a tough day – 208km due South from Saint Malo on the northern Brittany coast to Nantes in the Loire-Atlantique region.We were accompanied by my Dad for the first 3 hours of the day which was of great assistance for both pacing and a wind-break! We set off at 9:00am (one hour later than intended after a rather leisurely breakfast).After 11km we passed by the B&B from

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-35753770803813674132008-07-10T09:09:00.008+01:002008-07-13T23:00:06.583+01:00

Photos Well, we’re just settling down for the night after a splendid dinner courtesy of our hosts Rosie and Paul (www.aupontmevault.com/uk/pages01.php) and a German family who were also staying in the Bed and Breakfast. A sumptuous four course meal has fully sated us and prepared us for the forthcoming day of 208km (thankfully with no hills).So to the story of the day. Having stayed overnight in

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-51640959654071854992008-07-10T08:43:00.008+01:002008-07-13T22:50:15.936+01:00

PhotosAfter a very rough crossing on Saturday night, we drove down from Roscoff to arrive in Saint Renan, near Brest yesterday afternoon. Most of the afternoon was spent snoozing after a really tasty lunch in our hotel, catching up on disturbed sleep from the crossing. A brief walk around the village revealed what felt like a ghost town. There was nobody around but that evening we found

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-18731764955013291502008-07-05T08:59:00.003+01:002008-07-05T11:41:53.977+01:00

Well, we've ordered the food and drink from SIS and Powerbar to ensure we can keep going on the bikes, we've pestered people for sponsorship, we've plotted the route and directions, we've bought (some) new kit, we've cleaned the bikes, and we've packed - well, nearly - the car is being hoovered out as I type!We head off from Hereford at 13:30 to get to Bristol to pick up Ian, then on to Yeovil to

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-65680854178858720762008-07-03T23:48:00.007+01:002008-07-04T02:51:26.924+01:00

Well folks, the time has come. We've cycled over 8000 miles between us over the last 6 months, come rain or shine. We have got up early at weekends when most sensible people are enjoying their nice warm beds. We have driven thousands of miles getting to events all over the country. We have ridden some of the most picturesque roads in the country. We have crashed and have the scars to prove it. We

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-55566822412108725142008-06-23T20:36:00.002+01:002008-06-23T20:57:16.565+01:00

Firstly, some more interest in our tour from the media. We have been contacted this week by the Daily Record, a Scottish national paper, and the Evesham, Cotswold and Tewkesbury Observer. Hopefully this will spread the word a bit more.Saturday was supposed to be the local Avon Cycleway 130km for me but on rising at 7am the weather looked less than settled and set to be a bad day. I decided to

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-83308716336912239882008-06-19T15:25:00.003+01:002008-06-19T16:08:08.709+01:00

Apologies for the delay in updating. As the Tour draws closer, much time has been spent tying up loose ends. We are almost sorted now for accommodation. Ferries and flights have been booked. Van hire has been looked into and we are finalising our nutrional requirements so that we can order in supplements for the big event. Little things like insurance and european breakdown cover for support

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-55262183673405050832008-06-04T21:14:00.003+01:002008-06-04T21:58:20.441+01:00

Well I've missed updating a couple of rides on here which is a bit of an oversight. Now that the old work-life balance is being restored I have more time to get my thoughts down on paper!The Tour route has finally been fully disclosed on the Tour website and we are in the process of mapping it all out so we don't get lost! It's all getting a little close now!After my last update I've managed a

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-50568464625461677972008-06-04T15:55:00.002+01:002008-06-04T16:14:14.092+01:00

After a wet weekend where not much was done cycling-wise I made up for it this week with three training rides.Thursday I headed out with Dad from Portishead and we negotiated our way across the Avonmouth bridge by way of the cycle path and headed across the old Severn bridge into Wales. A gorgeous day in the Welsh lanes through Caldicot to Caer-went and then back through Shirenewton and across

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-23117798970906182152008-05-20T13:25:00.002+01:002008-05-20T14:01:59.894+01:00

A busy weekend. After getting on well with the "new" bike last weekend I thought it was time to test it out of some long distances. So sliced up Coke can wedged between the saddle pin and seat tube to act as a shim to stop the saddle slipping down again, I was ready to test it out.Up at 5am on Saturday for the drive up to Meriden near Coventry for the start of the Cotswold Challenge 160mk (100

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-84283427482141233772008-05-16T20:20:00.002+01:002008-05-16T21:24:37.275+01:00

OK, so I appear to have stopped cycling judging by my lack of update here. This, unfortunately is partly true.I did another stunning 200km down in the Borders a few weekends ago shortly after we got back from Majorca and I was toddling along quite nicely with a couple of guys from the local club (Gala CC) and went past them coming down a very steep (20%) hill which I had ridden over in the other

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-34436687038295420612008-05-12T13:04:00.003+01:002008-05-12T13:20:36.139+01:00

Since the Dic Penderyn a couple of weekends back I got out last week with Dad and did a very scenic and hilly route through Somerset which added another 75 miles to my total. A testing route for both of us and I was pleased at how well I was going on the hills. Unfortunately Dad had a nasty crash with 10 miles to go. He hit a rock in an otherwise empty rode and went over the handlebars injuring

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-49158824769647950822008-04-28T11:00:00.005+01:002008-04-29T21:57:42.367+01:00

This weekend was supposed to be another double: The Milford Haven 203Km starting from Carmarthen on Saturday followed by the Dic Penderyn 150km starting from Merthyr on Sunday.On Thursday I got out with Dad again and we put in 40 miles. We headed out along the lumpy lanes from Portishead across to Butcombe where they brew my local favourite. After a good deal of looking, we were unable to find a

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-11568933172515394652008-04-21T12:53:00.003+01:002008-04-29T21:59:47.690+01:00

This has been a tough week's training. Following on from last week's 307km ride where I rode the furthest distance in one day for several years, I decided to set myself another challenge: to ride two 200km rides back to back.Along with some light turbo training early in the week, I decided to do a short (60 mile) ride on Thursday. Having put together his racing bike after moving to the west

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-12207079915418584422008-04-14T13:30:00.002+01:002008-04-14T14:07:23.505+01:00

Since coming back from Majorca I have been spending a fair amount of time on the turbo, gearing my workouts to building muscular endurance and power. I feel that these are areas that need improving.After much deliberation I decided to enter this 191 mile event on Saturday. This is the longest distance I have ridden in one go for several years. It would be a real test of mental and physical

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-14182466583148546132008-03-29T16:53:00.002Z2008-04-04T13:51:57.154+01:00

Apologies for the delay on this - first week back to work has been a bit manic!Anyway, what an amazing week in Majorca. In the 6.5 days we were there we managed:553 miles1 rest day1 broken rim1 broken rear mech (fixed by Ian's Dad Peter in 30 seconds!)1 puncture1 crashPlenty of dodgy SpanishCopious quantities of beer (the local shop started giving us discount we drank so much) - all in the name

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-69192077825402348062008-03-16T22:26:00.003Z2008-03-16T22:57:01.456Z

This ride started through in Edinburgh so I travelled through to stay with an old school friend, Simon, and his girlfriend Anna the night before. A big thank you to Anna for a splendid dinner once again - she looked after me before I did the marathon 3 years ago as well!Simon's friend Ben came along as well for the ride which worked well - the more the merrier! The route started just shy of the

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-4660331058928335832008-03-09T13:13:00.001Z2008-03-09T13:13:27.133Z

After hearing about the weather conditions Matt was facing yesterday up in Scotland, yesterday’s drizzly, miserable weather in the Southwest really didn’t compare! At the time of writing this, I have heard on the radio that it looks like the weather is moving down this way with storm warnings and forecasters advising people to only travel to coastal areas if absolutely necessary!Yesterday I

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-28402748400059399832008-03-08T11:22:00.002Z2008-03-08T11:29:28.890Z

Now as you may have realised through some of my earlier blogs, I cycle mainly because I throughly enjoy it and because of the sense of achievement you feel at the end of a ride.Today, however was not one of those days! I set out to do about 100 miles heading due South on one of the routes I did a few weeks ago down towards Sanquhar. However, after 2 hours of trudging into what must have been a

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-81556322404733232632008-03-07T21:33:00.002Z2008-03-07T21:51:32.819Z

Well, apologies for the delay in getting this post up as I rode this event last weekend. I'd had a nice long weekend with my old uni friend Chris coming up from Warwick with a Thursday night gig seeing Eels (who were fabulously quirky, by the way!) and relaxing Friday and Saturdays before an exceptionally early rise on Sunday to drive to the South of Edinburgh (near the now infamous Roslyn Chapel

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-17753643762244294702008-03-02T17:02:00.001Z2008-03-02T17:02:59.688Z

Firstly, well done Matt for having the balls to appear on live radio! Must have been a fairly nerve-wracking experience but you sounded good matey! This week training has been somewhat limited as I had a wedding to go to. Congratulations to Chantal and Doug! Twas a very nice day!I did a couple of turbo-training sessions mid week, and thought that I’d better make up for the lack of training this

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-8427149372214171052008-02-27T20:22:00.000Z2008-02-27T20:23:51.706Z

All listen in to Macaulay & Co on Thursday on BBC Radio Scotland at about 10:20am tomorrow - Matt is being interviewed together with recent Round-the-World Record Breaking Cyclist Mark Beaumont!I shall be sure to get plenty of tips!!

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-74665511666434543122008-02-25T12:09:00.003Z2008-02-25T12:39:48.800Z

It was a hectic one this weekend, with a meeting arranged with my parents to exchange bikes around Lancaster (about halfway between Glasgow and Hereford). After Christmas, my Dad (my perennial mechanic - thank you Dad!!) had decided that my training bike needed a bit of a sprucing up and had kindly taken it upon himself to do this (knowing fine well I'm incompetent!)So this midway meeting was

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-7603520866668026892008-02-24T17:31:00.003Z2008-02-24T18:00:23.000Z

Firstly, I'd like to second what Matt said, and say a big thank you to everybody who has sponsored us and helped us raise £1000 so far. This is really motivating us to train hard!Following on from Thursday's hilly 65 miles, I decided to make it a weekend of hilly events:Saturday's "Gospel Pass" 100 mile event started at 8am in Chepstow, just over the bridge from me, and headed out to Hay on Wye,

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-58585713478516862302008-02-22T16:20:00.001Z2008-02-22T16:22:25.588Z

Thank you very much to all the people who have sponsored us so far - on the 22nd February we have surpassed £1,000 in money pledged.A heartfelt thanks from Ian and Matt and all those at CLIC Sargent and Macmillan Cancer Support.Keep those pledges coming - the training is getting harder all the time, and it's really keeping us motivated!!Matt and Ian

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-5971946816120446572008-02-21T15:16:00.001Z2008-02-21T15:18:13.825Z

This week Evans Cycles have kindly offered us 10% off all cycling components and accessories from their stores.Today I adapted the “Tasty Cheddar” 101km Audax, that starts near my house, to make it a little tougher. This is a fairly undulating route anyway but I thought I would stick a long, hard climb in right at the end to really hurt the old legs.A very scenic route (scenic = hilly!) starting

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-45629949665456894932008-02-17T22:18:00.002Z2008-02-17T22:55:36.389Z

Ah, the joys of cycling of a weekend - eating excellent (and plentiful) amounts of food to make up for it.This weekend I intended to have two shorter rides and so on Saturday I went North over the Campsies which involved a good long climb out of Lennoxtown. Once over the hills I ended up heading towards Stirling on very flat (if exceptionally bumpy) roads. After about 2 hours I was rounding a

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-61603963149587210512008-02-17T21:39:00.005Z2008-02-21T15:24:08.128Z

Two good bits of news off the bike this week:Firstly, Science in Sport (SIS) has kindly offered us 40% discount on energy supplements which is a great help because we will be going through a hell of a lot of it!Secondly, the Bristol Evening Post published a three-quarter page article yesterday covering our plans to ride the Tour route. This can be found here.Before I got to see the article in the

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-43574430815402909332008-02-14T21:00:00.002Z2008-02-14T21:47:04.970Z

Well it's taken me a while to update the blog from my ride at the weekend but I managed just under 112 on Saturday starting just after dawn and heading South on a new route which took me through Darvel, Sorn, Auchinleck, Cumnock and New Cumnock. This was all into a headwind (for a change) but I prefer to go out in to the wind to get the easy ride back.I'd planned the route in advance on the old

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-64158129233312614402008-02-09T19:39:00.001Z2008-02-21T15:26:31.765Z

This 130 mile Audax officially started near Cardiff and followed a figure of eight route through Chepstow, across the old Severn bridge to Malmesbury in Wiltshire, heading back via the old Severn bridge, Chepstow and Cardiff. As the route passed close to Bristol I decided to start it here and then follow it all the way round back to where I started. (We shall ignore the fact that I slept through

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-42418731227121666362008-02-07T21:54:00.000Z2008-02-08T09:35:09.038Z

This morning, I headed along the A38 all the way to Gloucester and, surprisingly, this turned out to be a very nice, quiet road. The fun started after turning off the A40 for Monmouth where the road became fairly undulating with long climbs, but a nice final sweep down to Monmouth. This was followed by a lovely ride through the Wye Valley past Tintern Abbey to pick up the M48 (cycle path) over

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-84729469639602505982008-02-04T20:59:00.000Z2008-02-04T21:25:04.944Z

That's Linlithgow, Livingston and Lanark - and were the three major towns on my route yesterday which took me over the 100 mile mark for the first time in about 8-9 years!On the Saturday night I'd driven over the Campsies (hills to the North of Glasgow) on my way home and had encountered what can only be described as a blizzard - this had led me to rethink my route for the next day which involved

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-38601927290756050222008-02-04T11:22:00.000Z2008-02-04T23:58:06.129Z

After a week of training on my indoor trainer due to inclement weather, I rode this 102km/64 mile event yesterday. This event is one of the many "Audax" events organised by various cycling clubs nationwide, and infact worldwide. They vary from 50km to over 1000km in length and they are good rides for building endurance. They always seem to be hilly and are well organised, using mainly minor roads

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-69698351223653324842008-01-27T11:28:00.001Z2008-01-27T11:47:30.206Z

So far we have placed 3 posts on here, all of which make us sound like we are cycling disaster stories! But that's half the fun of cycling...as well as squeezing into figure hugging lycra and hobbling around in cycling shoes, there is a certain amount of unpredictability. Pretty much anything can happen! Mechanical probs, mad car drivers, getting lost, potholes... we are hoping that the roads

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-57190611562316759852008-01-27T11:28:00.000Z2008-01-27T11:37:22.539Z

Well I went back to see my parents this weekend and to pick up a wheel so that I could start training again. While I was there I found an old route sheet for a local 75 mile cycling route, organised by a club about 10 years ago. In fact I think I rode it back in 1995.Lovely route and all. Got to about 25 miles into it and followed the directions to the T. Unfortunately after a little while I

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-70336925336890051302008-01-27T11:17:00.000Z2008-01-27T11:30:35.183Z

Well after some late night Burn's night celebrations I set out somewhat bleary eyed on Saturday morning on what was a pleasantly mild day. I made it just over an hour before riding through some standing water into a wheel-sized hole at about 20mph.This caused an instant puncture and threw one of my bottles across the road. I ground to a rapid halt and set out to replace my inner tube. (Now,

Matt Ulyatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06952826182158742248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7404999416057737735.post-8680024583812195262008-01-23T23:05:00.000Z2008-01-24T00:34:25.697Z

Two-thirds of the way round an 85mile ride last Thursday, I noticed a rather disturbing wobble in my rear gears.On return, examination by a cycle mechanic revealed the bearings had disintegrated in my freewheel and I would need to order a new freehub and have it fitted before I could use the wheel again.This is a real blow because it will take days to get this part and I do not have a spare wheel

Ian Callaghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00836194221710883642noreply@blogger.com2