Well I can't really say I've done the best preparation given that it was quite a whimsical idea. But I feel as ready as I could be given I'm not even sure what to expect.
I amended my already pretty hectic training plan to incorporate one off road ride a week, which became a 25 - 35 mile loop of the Ridgeway one night after work either alone and hammering it as fast as I could or with a friend pottering around having a laugh.
My friend Martin was one of the people I'd spoken to with regards to entering TransWales although he reassured me that although it was a "tough and challenging event" that I'm a strong rider and have the mental strength. I think as with all endurance sheer bloody mindedness is a big factor - this I have in abundance.
Something Martin did suggest however was entering some sort of event beforehand, and said "Sleepless in the Saddle" would be a good option, although it was only a week before the start of TransWales it might be a bit close to be doing a 24 hour off road relay race. However, as always, sensibility doesn't come into it so I agreed to join one of Martin's teams riding for Kenda, as well as this I did one of the chain reaction MTB Marathons up in Shropshire - it was more to test if I could cope with the mileage as I'd not ridden that far off road in one go before.
The marathon was great fun, although pretty challenging, lots (and lots) of long climbs, me and Simon got round, pretty steady; I waited for him at the top of the climbs, he waited for me at the bottom of the descents, but there were thoughts going through my head that I'd be doing this sort of tough ride not just once, but 7 days on the trot, no recovery days.....
ah, what doesn't kill you eh?
Except for 2 days wincing when I was going down the stairs. Stop whining Bucks! You're doing t for the challenge, if it was easy there would be no point.
So the MTB Marathon behind me, miles in the bank, a few more rides on the Ridgeway, once more I asked Martin for advice, this time on training. I had thought maybe back to back off road rides would be the answer, but he said to get the miles in on the road and work on technique off road. This suited me better, I ride on the road everyday and my mileage is already pretty high, so not much adjustment was really needed here. The technique however was a totally different kettle of fish!
Last Saturday Martin and I took a drive to cwmcarn trail centre in Wales, I had only ridden it once before, in the wet, on my hardtail, when very new to mountain biking. I recalled the tough climb in the first few miles, but I thought my riding should have come on enough to help me clear it easily!
Man, was I wrong! The first section was fine, then came the steep ascents with big rocks to manoeuvre, gargantuan roots to lift over. I was getting stopped at every lump and bump. Having to push over things because the ascent was too steep to get the pedals turning over and the wheels rolling again.
I was getting really cross, swearing at myself calling myself terrible names. Martin was really patient though, whilst I picked my way up the hill, swearing. By now I was pissed off and hated cwmcarn, I was over thinking everything, the roots, the rocks, the climbs, the big drops down to the sides, my feet being clipped in, worrying I'd not unclip quick enough before I rolled sideways off the mountain.....
Finally we got clear of the ascent and onto a brilliant descent and single track. The rest of the ride was fantastic - what was I whinging about? I think that first half is like childbirth - the sort of unpleasant experience you forget because of the reward the other side. (so I've heard)
So with my confidence partially restored the final piece of training is Sleepless in the Saddle which starts tomorrow.
Other preparation for the event of course is the bike. I'm not known for my high level of skill at maintaining my bikes. After getting a serious bollocking for the state of my bike a few weeks ago, I've made a concerted effort to keep things running smoothly, keep the chain and cassette the colour it should be (not caked in black filth) To be fair to myself I do try to do my own bike maintenance when I can, there's nothing I like more than diagnosing a problem with the bike and fixing it, but it's something which comes with practice and knowledge.
My beloved Giant Trance X2 hadn't yet been in for it's first service, so I booked it into my favourite sports shop - The Big Adventure Store - who had also kindly agreed to sponsor me in TransWales, and generously serviced my bike as part of this for me. It came back running better than ever before, smooth gear changes, no rubbing brakes - I just needed to keep it that way!
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