Long Distance Hot Ride

So that is it, 46 miles in 27 Celsius heat at an average speed of 15 miles per hour (although that does include some walking bits and shock horror - some hills!!!).

I feel great, sweaty and I have muscles of jelly, but great...

We started early and cycled out to the spit, which is the other side of Toronto Island, my geography is a bit rubbish but it was nice and only about 8 miles so an easy warm up!

After this it was back along the spit and up to the beaches, it was still early so the recreation path was being used but not too crazy this early, at the end of the beaches we turned around, I was hoping a beach volleyball competition would have started (with girls - not like Top Gun)

Anyway, we headed north on some awesome cycle paths and after a little rest at 20 miles turned left and headed out west.

Suddenly at 25 miles my body decided this was enough, every slight incline felt like a mountain and my average speed dropped by 10 miles an hour, the only possible solution was a cake break...

I am not too proud to admit that I was drinking an iced chocolate drink and a chocolate brownie with a small milk chocolate on the side, it had the desired effect and I was almost back to full strength. Of course the next 10 minutes was hills going up on a main road so there was a little muttering swear words under my breath but at least I had enough energy to do this...

Turning left into the posh part of town we witness some pretty ostentatious housing, we could tell it was where the elite trontons live as the white Range Rover Sport count went through the roof, suddenly the first and second car on every drive was european, I am guessing all the domestic cars belonged to the live in help.

Briefly I saw the CN Tower in the distance, this is a homing beacon for me,  so of course we turned right and cycled away from it, and towards Liberty Village. We got to the Humber Bridge and despite my best sad face and almost tears I was told we were continuing to the point. Now we are on Waterfront recreational paths again and they are now full of cyclists slow enough to obey the 20km/hr speed limit and lots of roller bladers, this was good as it slowed us down (a little)

We made the point despite the head wind, probably as I knew we would turn around and this would mean we would be on the final stretch and have a wind behind us.

Ye, this is Toronto from a different angle, a whole 15 miles as the seagull flies from the first picture, of course we managed to make this journey 38 miles but then we are gluttons for punishment. After a brief paddle to sooth my aching feet we were off again, tail wind and knowing it was the last leg meant we matched and exceeded our early morning pace of 18 miles per hour and made it home before 1pm.

I do feel quiet accomplished and I would like to thank Paul for the ride, I'd like to thank him but I will wait and see what my legs feel like tomorrow morning.

More of these to come I feel as this is only as far as the shortest day we have on the London to Paris in September!

Faster faster, harder harder

So I had been riding the morning 10 miler with a colleague on a fixed langster, we chatted and made it to the Humber Bridge and back in 42 minutes.

This has all changed.

I have now been joined by a much fitter colleague and on the first morning ride out (which may have been a little macho fitness competition) we zoomed along at over 20mph and managed the whole ride in 32 minutes...

Now this is a very good thing for my training, I felt like I had been for a ride... hopefully he won't kill me too soon, although saying this he has suggested going looking for hills at the weekend on 'an Epic ride' somewhere in the Don Valley.

When and if I return from this I will blog about which bits of me hurt the most!

Bad bad Guido

I haven't blogged for a week, this is mostly because I feel bad having only cycled for about 20 miles this week. I have mostly avoided cycling through some of the following weak excuses;

1. It was wet outside
2. My saddle is a little too low
3. I have a hurty head
4. It's too hot

But then today I got another £50 sponsorship and this has made me realise I need to get off my ass next week and ride so I have a 6am ride planned for the morning. Hopefully this won't make me too tired to move into my 'water view' condo tomorrow evening. Being the cynical Brit I am guessing water view means there is a persistent puddle outside in the road... perhaps it is like the sea view hotels in Brighton where you have to lean out of a window to just about catch a glimpse of a sea gull.

One thing that has made me happy is the beards album, good honest songs about good honest beards, can't be beat!

Anyway off to cook real food...

More Canada

So cycling in Canada is very opposite, so far it has been about 50% whisper smooth roads and cycle paths and 50% of the time it is on roads with potholes so big I would personally just dynamite the whole street and start again. Luckily I am learning where these bad roads are and am avoiding them.

Today included 40 miles of cycling, 26 early morning miles up the waterfront path and then 14 miles round Toronto Island, which is sweet, has few motorized vehicles and a lovely view of the city.

This is my bike on a ferry.

And thats the view!

So anyway, got to go get my washing, hotel cycling isn't so bad, just wish I had a washing machine in my room!

And here it is - My first ever Canadian ride!

And as much as I love London, Toronto so far has it beaten hands down for cycle lanes and just being pretty, most of the ride all I could think of was how I need to take a camera next time! wow...

3400 miles, unfortunately not on a bike

Well I am here, after seven and a half hours in the air, all of which I spent worrying about the bike. Luckily I am now in my hotel room and I have managed to put most of the bike together, just need to get a couple of tools from a local bike shop here in Toronto and I am ready to roll, hopefully tomorrow I can get the tools and I'll be rolling Canada style.

Of course as it is almost summer here it looks like 13 hours of sun and 30 Celsius so I will also be investing in some factor 50 before I head out on anything of a reasonable length, within a couple of weeks I want to be riding 60 mile days - which shouldn't be too difficult as Toronto is flatter than London! no hills is fun but not great training!

Last London Ride

So that's it, the Cannondale is going to be packed up soon, ready for a 3,000 mile flight to Canada.
My last ride was a doozy, which is why I am lying on the sofa. 42 miles, taking in Notting Hill, Oxford Street, Shoreditch, Tower Bridge, Sloane Sq and much more! After lunch it is off to the excellent Bicycle to get my trusty stead bagged up, I will take pictures, for my sanity as well as showing off!

One good thing I did find out on this ride, the tyres, come off much easier than the single speed and so fixing the puncture was surprisingly easy, I even used some patches rather than changing the inner tube for a spare, I feel like a proper cyclist now! Although the tiny pump I had only managed to get me to 80psi, I was wishing I had my other, slightly larger, high pressure pump!

Anyway, need to chill as this is the furthest I have ridden since I was skinny and young.