My first ride alone

New Years Eve, and I figure I should get out on my bike. I decide to try the same route as we did for the kickoff meeting. 22 miles later, and I'm feeling quite pleased with myself. My average speed is up, my average heart rate is much the same and my cadence is up.

Over the past few weeks I've had to learn a lot about cycling (I'm a complete novice at road riding; my only experience being on a heavy, but comfortable mountain bike). Here are a couple I had never previously heard of

1. Cadence - this is the speed the pedals are turning. Apparently at the moment I need to stay in a low gear and keep my cadence high
2. Turbo trainers - this is a machine you mount your bike on such that you can ride all evening in the comfort of your own home....must get one
3. Zertz inserts - these are inserts to the frame of your bike which apparently absorb some of the vibrations and make the ride more comfortable. I bought these. Compared to my mountain bike, my new road bike is not as comfortable!

The website is live!

One of the main pieces of feedback from the kick-off meeting is that we should get the website live. Hences it is done (ok it's basic....) - take a look www.raceforchase.co.uk

It's real

Today a group of people met for a quick bicycle ride (22 miles) followed by some lunch and a discussion about a much longer ride this coming summer.

Everyone seems up for it, and suddenly this mad idea I had after my son, Fraser, passed away seems very real. We agreed that in 26 weeks time we will cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise money for CHASE childrens hospice where Fraser spent much of his 2½ years and in particular his last week. The tough part is we will be doing it in 5 days as if it is not challenging enough.