Cycle Slam Stage 5 - Day 4

Alarm set for 4:20am!! & off we go again - a cracking Premier Inn breakfast set us up for the day & after a swift session with Andy the Physio we headed off to the start at Halfords in Ashford! As this was the last day of the whole event, we were joined by a number of previous stage riders, competition winners & a team from Skoda who had supplied the support cars, including my colleague Pete from Westover. My guess was there were 150+ of us!

We'd all done nearly 300 miles in 3 days, but felt surprisingly good & with only 60 or so miles to go, spirits where high. The only dampener on the horizon was Vigo hill - an 18% climb over about a mile with 20+% in places - you can tell i was looking forward to that!! I was determined to do my best & as long as my knees let me - I'd give it a go!

Out of Ashford, then, about 7:25am and into the lanes of Kent which look remarkably like Dorset lanes, especially when we were continually passed by Range Rovers and the road surface wasn't much better!!

Vigo Hill appeared before us, having passed under the M26 & I took it as steady as I could - It is mind over matter & somehow I got relief from my knee pain & steadily & surely made it up the monster of the hill - fantastic! After a brief rest, we headed down the other side - resting our legs & then hammered onto the lunch stop at the Skoda Garage in Dartford. Our last time in our groups then took us to Woolwich, where we, eventually, piled onto the ferry & crosseed the Thames.

Once across we rode on mass to Stratford - which was a challenging experience - although we did blitz through quite a number of red lights along the way!

What joy to reach the end & see Linsey & Sam & Jack as i approached capped a great week! Luke was at Lords & hit is first 2 sixes at Lords in the lunch interval while playing Quick Cricket!

We made a guard of honour for Lawrence & Freddie and saw the 2 immensely talented, humble and likeable sportsmen across the line. The money raised is fantastic but there's still abit to go to get to the £2,012,000. I spoke to both Lawrence and Rachael Flintoff along the way about the work they do with their foundations and it really is inspiring! If you're reading this and feel at all inspired then please add one more donation to www.virginmoneygiving.com/AndyNeill & i'll be extremely grateful.

Thanks for your support - until next time............

Andy

Cycle Slam Stage 5 - Day 3

Deadlines, Deadlines, Deadlines - there's a train to catch & a velodrome booked, so get up early again & head off by 7am!! Well that was the plan, anyway - We got away closer to 7:30 as we were waiting for Freddie. I had tracker fully functioning today, but forgot to turn my Endomondo on until lunch time!!

This was the flatest ride of the 4 days & boy did we motor - One of the greatest buzzes of the week was our peleton tearing through pretty French villages, in perfect formation & harmony, at 25 mph with just the sound of rubber on tarmac & the odd bit of banter in the background - great team - great experience!

We averaged over 16.5 mph this day, compared to around 13.5mph on days 1 & 2. The weather was good & the wind in our favour and the lunch break was aided by a sip of champagne as it was Malcolm's birthday!

Onwards to Roubaix & after a thankfully brief trip along the famous cobbles - They were truely bone-shaking & how the Pros can ride for miles & miles on them i'll never know - I took advantage of the gutters for a while but I have to say that as long as you kept a good pace, I never felt that I was going to fall off.....- we made it to the velodrome for a couple of laps each!

After a steaming shower in the famous showers we caught the bus to Lille to prepare to catch the train - that'll be going in about 2.5 hours!! Given this large window, Terry, Martin & I headed into the town for the meal of the week - Steak, Chips & a glass of red!!

Eurostar to Ashford & Premier Inn for the night! We took the bus to the Pizza Express in Ashford for a great evening with excellent service & yellow jersey for Yogi who's raised nearly £30k for our great causes!

Cycle Slam Stage 5 - Day 2

A change in route for day 2 with a chance to return to the Bollinger House in Ay. So after the early start & a bus ride back to the town square we set off in better weather than Tuesday, but still a hint of rain. Throughout this day & Tuesday we were all surprised how quite France is - not much activity in the towns & villages and the roads were kindly quite too. The trip to Ay was flat-ish & reasonably quick, although I's left my tracker in my saddle bag overnight, so the battery was flat & it was useless for day 2!



No champagne this time, so after some pictures & a snack we headed off from Ay. A little unexpectedly we soon found ourselves climbing quite a hill out of the town, which flattened out for a while & then shot up again - my Endomondo counts it as 600+ feet in elevation. Unfortunately Freddie had issues with a spoke & his back wheel which the Halfords boys fixed & in the meantime another group had become somewhat splintered, so Freddie & Rachael & Terry supported them as the rest off us continued onwards to lunch stop.

I was still struggling abit with my knees & consequently my pace but after a chat with David, he convinced me to push on. I came to the conclusion that at least 50% of this challenge is mental & although I had my moments of self-doubt, I was pleased that I did push myself on & with the brilliant group around me all supported each other - when we reached St Quentin, to make it 200 miles in 2 days, I felt both elated & a little bit emotional!

It was The Grand Hotel in St Quentin, so the only cold bath of the trip was here & of course it was a delight!!

The meal out in the evening was in a local restaurant where the Lasagne caused abit of a stir as it appeared to be covered in strawberry sauce and the salad was interesting too!!

So 2 days done, over half distance & the pleasure of some fantastic slammers to ride with!!

Cycle Slam Stage 5 Day 1

Good first night in Nancy & the best bit was finding out that I'm cycling with my twitter buddies, some other guys who we'll get to know plus Freddie & Rachael Flintoff - result!!

The alarm came early at 5am & after a quick shower the daily routine began with an early breakfast - not easy eating alot at 5:30am - get the bike ready; fill up the drinks bottles; set up the tracker & then wait around for abit until it's time to go!

We began our stage at 7:05 in the dry, not really knowing what either this day or the days ahead would bring. Pretty soon we hit a head wind which never lightened for the whole day but it was a good first stint to the snack break - only dampened by my first bit of knee trouble. A session with Andy the Physio eased my concerns but unfortunately both knees were to trouble me for the whole week which was both frustrating and painful - especially as I'd covered 1,200 miles this year with no issues at all!

We motored on, interrupted by Terry's one & only puncture, across the rolling hills with our leader David Butler soon arranging us into a rolling peleton which got slicker & slicker as the week went on. After the lunch break & some more physio the weather started to turn & the headwind got stronger & we had the pleasure of rain, hail & the occasional clap of thunder to contend with!! Indeed when the headwind became a crosswind, i was struggling to keep my front wheel from turning! Freddie had the best plan, as he & Lawrence were frequently being filmed by Discovery Channel & for a long stretch he rode up close to the camera van, which gave him amble shelter from the elements - not sure Rachael was quite as pleased with him though!!

Having covered just over 100 miles, we reached Chalons & we're all very happy!!

After some more physio of my left knee we headed off to our hotels - disappointingly there was no bath in mine, so i had to have a cold shower & hose my legs with cold water, before doing the afternoon ritual of legs in the air up the wall - I'm sure it did help!!

Back on the buses in the evening for a trip to The Bollinger House which has never before been opened to mere mortals such as a bunch of amateur cyclists - it's ordinarily left to wine experts & aficionados! The evening was great & after the facinating tour we had a excellent meal and a drop or 2 of champagne!

Cycle Slam - Arrival!

A great day on Sunday with Sam's 16th birthday & Luke's 2nd match for South Dorset cricket! 35 overs as wicketkeeper is immense at his age & a great catch & super awareness & anticipation is becoming the hallmark of our young chap! He batted we too, but overall the team fell 11 runs short..

After Sam's birthday tea, we all headed off to Ringwood to send me on my way on the bus to Heathrow! After one false start I got away, but my idea of a kip on the bus was dashed by a full on chatty driver who happened to know some people I know in the motor trade! It was great for Linsey & Sam & Jack & Luke to wave me off xx

I made the Premier Inn at T5 by about 10:45 & managed to meet up with fellow Slammer Simon Russell for a beer & a chat before a few hours sleep & the early bus to the terminal.

We got the 6:09 bus to T5 & soon checked in our bags & bikes for those who brought them with them! Met up with Martin & Terry & Paul & everyone else and after a relaxing breakfast courtesy of Martin & Terry we taxied away a out 8:30 for a smooth flight to Luxembourg. With bags collected we loaded onto the bus, waited a while for the excess baggage to be loaded into a taxi (!) & got on our way to Nancy - beautiful weather, for a change!!

So we're at the hotel now - swoped rooms already & ended up with Simon, which is great, had a spot of lunch, unloaded & checked the bikes & refitted everything ready for tomorrow! We've just had our intro briefing - breakfast at 5:30 every morning for 7am starts - every day!!! - tight schedule, apparently!! Got my tracker too, so you'll be able to follow on the main website & I'll also have my Endomondo on too for those with the details! Dinner at 8pm tonight & we'll have the groups confirmed plus our core rider - hopefully we'll be with who we want to be with!!

It's nearly time & getting excited & a little bit of trepidation too!!

Looking forward to dinner tonight - bumped into Lawrence & Lee & Graeme so far - be great to see them all + Freddie this evening!!

Forecast for tomorrow is switching between rainy & sunny - so we'll have to wait & see - either way it'll be a great day!!!

Cheers!

Cycle Slam D-4

Good session on the turbo tonight using Sam's bike - thanks's Sam! Odd to be on ordinary pedals & no cleats!!

Testing doing the blog from my mobile tonight instead of my laptop - practice for next week!

I found a weather app last night for France - wish I hadn't as it shows rain all next week :( except Monday! Hopefully it'll cheer up before then!

Forgot to say yesterday but Luke's had a better offer for Friday 18th, if you can believe it!! A trip to Lords with 20 classmates from school to see day 2 of The Test between England & West Indies & then they get to play a game of Quick Cricket on the pitch in the lunch interval!! - wow - can't blame him really! Good luck Luke!!

One more day at work, a lovely family weekend including Sam's birthday & then it's time!!

Andy

Cycle Slam D-5

5 Days before we leave for Nancy!! The momentum is building: viewing the http://www.dallaglioflintoff2012.com/ website, it's been great to see the amazing tracking technology at work each day & following all the riders progress through stages 1, 2 & 3 - what's been achieved so far is tremendous, especially by the core riders - such determination & drive is phenomenal - I only hope that we can replicate it all on Stage 5!

The weekend past saw my last couple of training rides on my Boardman: I did 42 miles on Saturday on my own & then went out with Sam & Jack for a very nice ride on Sunday - just 24 miles because we wanted to get back & changed to get out to Luke's first South Dorset cricket match that day. I took my bike upto Twickenham this afternoon to be loaded onto the lorry that'll take the bikes to Nancy. I also picked up my 2 Slam Cycling shirts, at last - they fit fine & the waterproof is a good fit too.

Last week, I was luck enough to get an airing on Forest FM - a local radio station based in Verwood. A lovely chap called Stephen Long, who is married to Marie, who used to work with Linsey - invited me onto his afternoon show - it was great fun & when we played back the tape - even I was surprised how well it sounded! Thanks Stephen & www.forestfm.co.uk - a lovely, genuine & local bunch of people who support the local community!

The rain is back in abundance, so my planned outing on my mountain bike was curtailed tonight..we'll see how the rest of the week goes.. I may have to borrow Sam's racer & pop it on the turbo......

Needless to say & due to a lot of hard graft & team effort - Luke's team won his match on Sunday - it was his first 'if you're out, you're out' 35 over cricket match & as ever he rose to the occasion - his wicket keeping gave rise to a number of positive & generous comments from the spectators; he got a wicket with his first delivery & batted well, although was unluckily run out...but you can't be exceptional at everything in one game!! As ever, Linsey supported us all with a delicious picnic & continues to be a tremendous support for the whole cycle slam build up & training - there are certain people in life you can't do things without and Linsey's my one :) Thanks Linsey xx

It's nearly time!!

Andy

Cycle Slam D-15

It's raining again!!

I missed updating my blog last week - life's been as hectic as ever & with the ever-disrupting weather & plenty going on, I've not found time to sit & write....

Weekday evening rides have been abandoned for now - the last one we did was way back on April 4th, however the Turbo has been a godsend & well worth the investment! When the New Year began, Sam set me a challenge, which you may remember, of putting the bike into top gear, then from a standing start, get the revs upto 100 rpm & hold for 10 seconds - that was quite a task 4 months ago, but I'm pleased to say that last week I managed 130 rpm for 15 seconds - thrice in one session - with the help of Sam & Jack's grey matter, and a calculator, we reckon that top spreed reached nearly 45mph - and it also takes a few revs to get upto 130 too! It's amazing how the extra fitness comes almost without you noticing!!

So last weekend was to be our last workout before the BHF Dorset Bike Ride on Sunday 29th - Sam & I headed out on Saturday for a steady 25 miler around our first organised ride's route - a few years ago for Menigitis - Unfortunately Sam managed to pick up a couple of flat tyres during the ride, so we were somewhat distrupted - but it was a great all the same. On Sunday it was Jack's turn to join me & we covered the same route, but this time with no punctures & I upped my cadence from Saturday - so another good trip. Luke's first outdoor cricket match was due that day too - It was with South Dorset & we were all looking forward to 35 overs each - however, the weather meant it was cancelled, so he played the final game of the season for Wimborne. Luke played the first half in goal & although he pulled off a couple of fantasic saves, he couldn't cater for the defenders who went missing.... 2nd half he played midfield & despite a tremendous effort & one Messi-like run at the defence, they went down 3-2.

Onto this weekend & Saturday April 28th will go down as my first 100 mile ride! I joined up with 2 of my fellow Stage 5 Slammers, Terry Burwell & Martin Young, for our own New Forest adventure. Terry & Martin started from Winchester & I from home with the aim to rendezvous in Redlynch, south of Salisbury. The forecast all week was for a dry day Saturday, with rain possible from 4pm; so you can imagine my surprise when I got up Saturday morning to make coffee & Tea to see the decking wet & the rain falling (or should I have not been surprised!). Still, there's nothing to say it's not going to rain in France, so off I went. It was just over 25 miles to get to Redlynch - I chose a direct route via Verwood & Fordingbridge, which was a good ride, but the wind & rain was in my face for most of the way, particularly going north! Terry is far more eloquent than I, so have a look at http://www.terryburwell.blogspot.co.uk/ for Terry's fantastic review of the day!! After we split on the way home - i was tempted to pop into the High Corner Inn, but the gravel track probably wasn't ideal for my racing tyres!! I did manage to have an incident with a couple of galloping horses that couldn't decide which way up the road from the Alice Lisle they wanted to go - but I don't think they were quite as scarily as 30 black Texas Longhorn Cattle that Terry & Martin had the pleasure of! Getting home was hard, especially north up the A338 to Fordingbridge, but with a pit stop in Alderholt I cracked on - I felt good on the flats & the speed was good there, but the hills were more of a challenge - but I did it - 103.73 miles to be precise & it was brilliant that I had my family waiting at the top of the road to greet me - they'd been following our progress on Endomondo - so knew exactly where we were - no hiding in this world!!! Thanks Terry for mapping the route & organising lunch at your sister-in-law's & thanks to both Terry & Martin for your company, support and encouragement!!

It was home for a cold bath (10 minutes max) then a hot shower & a lovely evening with my family, with pasta for tea, of course!!

Today was due to be the Dorset Bike Ride, but it was cancelled (rightly) on Friday due to the weather - disappointing for all, but there's no point putting anyone at risk. Hopefully we'll have a new date soon. The top of the backs of my calves are abit achy today, but that's all so i had a good session on the Turbo this morning - I didn't, and was expecting to, make 130rpm for 15 seconds but i was really pleased with 115rpm for 10......you've got to get there too....!!

On the sponsoring front, I had £500 come in from Kia UK this week - that is thanks to my former colleague Beverley Packwood - many thanks, Bev! My younger brother chipped in a very generous donation too - thanks James & Sandra & Liam & Ryan - so with gift aid I'm now over £4.5k - I'd really love to get to £5k, though!!

So, 2 weeks today, I'll be catching the bus to Heathrow, to fly out on Monday 14th! We've got Headteacher approval for Jack & Luke to be off school on the Friday 18th, when we cycle to The Olympic Park - so it's all getting very close & very exciting! I'm really glad I've got my first 100 under my belt - in 2 weeks time we'll be doing 3 of them on consecutive days!!!

Cheers

Andy

Cycle Slam D-29

Just over 4 weeks to go! Stage 1 kicks off a week on Monday, April 23rd & to send everyone on their we a Send Off party was arranged for last Thursday at Pizza Express in the Olympia complex in west London.  It was a great night & Freddie & Lawrence gave us a fun few minutes on stage with the auction later raising some strong money for the £2,012,000 target! The auctioneer was hilarious - not sure who he was, but he was good!!

On Saturday Sam, Jack & I headed out for a warm up for the 50 mile British Heart Foundation Dorset Bike Ride on April 29th - we did 34 good miles & it was great to be out again with my training buddies!!

I needed a long ride this weekend, so I headed out this morning, just after 10 - it was chilly most of the day & the wind strengthen as the ride went on with some of the cross winds feeling abit treacherous! I aimed to do 80 today & use my Endomondo on my phone as the main mile & stats counter & as the speedo on my bike tends to count slightly more than the Endomondo, i was hoping that 80.7 miles on the speedo would be enough - but Endomondo clocked 79.65 - but that rounds to 80 & i wasn't going back round the block for anymore!!! I was very pleased with the ride, but felt it abit in the headwinds after about 50 miles, but persevered through them & kept a good pave throughout - 80 miles on your, though, is lonely!!!

We were all delighted with Liverpool's win in the FA Cup semi final yesterday & now we know the final will be v Chelsea - can't wait!!

Fellas are all back to school tomorrow - have fun guys!!

Cheers

Andy

Cycle Slam D-35

I'm glad we chose to get out on the bikes early on the Easter weekend as today has been chucking it down all day & the wind's got stronger & stronger!

Without any extra days off from work for me this Easter, we've made sure we've had a lovely family break! Sam & I had a good ride on Saturday, tracking just under 57 miles & we were both really pleased with our speeds on the flats which we were holding for good stretches at 18-20 mph. I had a minor mishap at the bottom of Tarrant Rawston hill - it's quite a steep one, so i decided to pop myself down into 1st & give it a good spin up - unfortunately i gear-shifted into less than 1st & off came the chain & got stuck & everything jammed - with the joy of cleats the only way was down & my knee took the first hit!! Sam gave me a hand & we were soon sorted, although starting on a steep hill up is never easy with cleats, but off we went & soon we were back in the groove! Cheers, Sam!

Yesterday we headed off with picnics packed for a glorious day at Durdle Door & beyond!
The cliffs to the west of Durdle Door undulate steeply to a number of peeks & troughs & we climbed & scrambled up and down all the way to a spear-like Obelisk where we stopped for lunch - just under 2 miles walk & then back we came for a further couple of miles, intermingled with a game of stones vs barbed wire fence from 10 yards (Luke won, of course!) for a refreshing ice cream! Great Trip - good for the calves up & down them steep hills!

Jack & I headed out, once home for a nice 12 miler. Jack's asthma's being playing up abit, so this was a good outing for him after the walking of earlier - we both enjoyed the ride, although the uphill cattle grid near Holt Wood is never a joy!! Thanks, Jack!

Back to work tomorrow & forecast isn't great for the week. The Cycle Slam Send Off Party is on Thursday night up at Olympia in London, so that should be a good crack & then I need to step it up abit for the next 2 weekends as the big day approaches!

Great news on Saturday with an email to say that Land Rover's £1,000 sponsorship has been confirmed! Many thanks to Richard Harris at Land Rover UK for sorting this & great news for both my fund and the overall Slam sponsorship!

Finally hat's off to fellow slammer Martin Young who completed his own mini-slam over Easter - doing 200 miles over the 4 days including the route of a sportive that Sam & I did in the New Forest last year - good on ya, pal!

Cheers

Andy

Cycle Slam D-40

Firstly a big well done to Luke who had his first matches on Monday in the South Dorset Colours! He had an indoor tournament against Dorsets North, East & West and it was his first venture into 'if you're out, you're out' & not the 'bat for 4 overs & lose 6 runs if you are out'. How proud are we to say that Luke wasn't out anyway - he retired in the first match after scoring 25; didn't bat the 2nd as he was last in & got another 25 in the 3rd match! Behind the stumps he mustered a catches, a run out & and alround cracking performance! Oh, and the results - his team won all 3 games & got a lovely trophy each!! Well done Luke!!

I felt like I short-changed my blog on the training ride on Saturday - however there's three very good blog from fellow slammers: http://terryburwell.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/surrey-hills.html?spref=tw - Terry used to play for Leicester Rugby Club in the 70s & 80s; http://charityride.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/surrey-hills-cycle-slam-training-ride/ - Paul does triathlons! & http://nancytolondon2012.blogspot.co.uk/ Martin who doesn't like hills but actually is better than he thinks!!

Popped out for a quick 10 miler tonight on wet roads but with sunny skies - took it steady tonight in the conditions as the rain set in out around Holt - but still managed an average of 16, so that was ok.

Hotel & coach now booked for night before we fly off to start Stage 5 in May; I had considered getting an early bus up from Ringwood on the Monday, but leaving at 3:45am was beginning to get less appealing - so I'll get a late one up on the Sunday & stay at the Premier Inn at Terminal 5, which i didn't think was too bad at £39 for the night(or few hours I'll kip there!)

Easter approaches so we're all looking forward to 4 days off work with my lovely family!

On the fund raising front, i've gone over the £3,000 barrier including gift aid, which is great & thanks to everyone whose sponsored me so far! My next target is the £3,000 excluding gift aid - I need another £300 for that landmark - so if you're up for a donation - the link is at the top of the blog & I'll be really grateful!!

Best Wishes

Andy

Cycle Slam D-43

A very enjoyable ride yesterday through the Surrey hills - we did Box Hill the easy way - down the Zig Zags - although the climb just afterwards was far steeper than Box Hill! Great company throughout with groups merging & demerging throughout the ride! The two climbs after lunch were particularly tough, but we managed them & we had anoth 64 miles in the bag!

A chilly Sunday morning today took Sam & Jack & I out for a nice 30 miles - we headed out early so that we could see Luke's football this afternoon - I've missed a few games lately - It was an excellent game finishing 1-1 against the 2nd in the league - Luke was in goal & did a number of excellent saves & couldn't do much about the excellent header that Poole Town Wessex drew level with - great game Luke! Thanks too to Sam & Jack for a nice ride & most importantly to Linsey who supports us all with our challenges!

And now it's April!!

Andy

Cycle Slam D-47

Out in the lovely Dorset countryside with Sam & Jack on Tuesday evening for a cracking ride, just under 10 miles & no lights required! We got a good average for Jack & good cadence for me & Sam!

I extended the Tuesday route tonight on my own, but it was as far extra as we'd thought it would - so it was just over 10 miles - Endomondo seems to have got a little un-reliable in the last couple of weeks as it says it was just under 10 - anyway I managed to average somewhere between 16.7mph & 17mph - so that's good progress!

I'm looking forward to the Cycle Slam Group Ride on Saturday - starting in Mitcham (South-ish London/Surrey) - there's going to be 60+ of us and the 64 mile route includes Box Hill - so I can't wait for that! Hopefully they'll be plenty of Core Riders there & The Discovery Channel are doing abit of filming too!!

This weather is fab & great for the final few weeks before I'm off to France - I hope it doesn't turn to cold next week!

Cheers

Andy

Cycle Slam D-49

Weeks are flying by at the moment with now only 7 weeks to go!!

The weather was stunning this weekend which gave us ample opportunity to get out on the bikes: First ride was our first one out with Luke - hurrah! Us 4 fellas took our mountain bikes on a 16 mile round trip, off road and on with a stop at Barford Farm http://www.barford-icecream.co.uk/ for delicious ice creams - goof value too! Luke then had South Dorset cricket practice at Lychett school between 5-7pm, so i took my bike & headed out while he played - i wasn't really sure where i was heading, but went north through Lychett Matravers onwards for a couple of miles & then saw a sign for Wareham & decided to go there - 23 miles in all as the sun was going down - enjoyed the ride & got a good speed throughout!

Sunday was always planned to be a 60 miler day with Sam - we got delayed going out as the Grand Prix was slowed due to rain in Malaysia!! We decided to extend our 50 miler from 2 weeks ago - it was great to be out in just bib shorts & top and not all the layers of the past few months!! We climbed our big hill at Iwerne Minster (no singing, not even Bon Jovi, for me up there - so it must have been hard graft!) & then headed off towards Handley - poor Sam had a twinge in his calf, so we cut short & headed home via Horton & still got a good average and did just under 49 miles - good shout! Still determined to clear 60 for the day, i headed out for what we call the Bidy ride & added another 14 miles to the tally & i was pleased with my average there too. As ever, our riding was rounded off by a fabulous Tea cooked by Linsey - thanks!!

So over 100 miles for the weekend, but as someone said at work today, you'll be doing that on your first day!! :)

Now the clocks have changed this week's evening ride with Sam & Jack can be out into the countryside, so we're looking forward to that!

With Gift Aid, I'm upto £2,900 so I'm really close to £3k - thanks everyone!! If you still want to sponsor me, the link is www.virginmoneygiving.com/AndyNeill

Best Wishes

Andy

Cycle Slam D-55

It's getting closer - 8 weeks today I'll have finished my first day - 103 miles & recuperating in the Champagne Region of France!!

Good update on Fund Raising - we had a family get together at The Farm over the weekend & I received some very generous contributions to the cause & Sam & Jack got some very generous donations to the BHF Dorset Bike Ride at the end of April - thanks Family!! - It was a cracking weekend too! I popped another email out at work today & my very generous colleagues across a number of sites have added £125 plus gift aid into the pot - so i'm edging closer to the £3k - now under £500 & that's before the Gift Aid!

Training-wize - I did the looping 10 miler last Tuesday in good time & then went out on friday afternoon, as we were away at the weekend - I did 47.5 miles & squeezed my average upto 15.6 mph - which is the best of the year so far, although still abit short of last year's efforts! Tonight I was out with Jack for our 10 miler again - I was thinking as we went round that I'll have a pint of what Jack's on, please!  He was buzzing tonight & we got our best average together and I also got my average cadence into the 90s for the first time - 94 today - thanks Jack - great stuff! As ever Tuesday night's are always rounded off by a great tea from Linsey & tonight was no exception :) !!

Although there was no training at the weekend, i did have the opportunity to pump up an air bed at my Mum's - she got it all out & I pumped away for 20 minutes, thinking that this was good exercise, but this bed should be looking a little fuller than it is; only to turn the damn thing over & find half a dozen holes in it - aargh!!

Thanks for your support everyone

Cheers

Andy

Cycle Slam D-64

Out with my lead out man Jack today! We did our 'Menigitis Ride' in reverse today, for the first time which was fun - It took us out through Wimborne, Shapwick, Tarrant Keynston, across to Witchampton & then home via Hinton Martell & Holt - strange doing it in reverse, but a good ride - thanks, Jack!

We drove down to Studland this afternoon & had a lovely walk - 2 miles on the sand to Knowle Bay - Mr Whippy Ice Cream for Luke (that means it's a proper cafe!) & Purbeck Ice Cream for Sam & Jack & lovely rock cakes for Linsey & I; Although we've walked this beach before, the naturist section had never been populated before - today it was but thankfully there was nothing outstanding about any of the gentlemen on parade!!

I forgot to say, yesterday, I've had a piece about me on the main Dallaglio-Flintoff website this week - have a look: http://dallaglioflintoff2012.com/articles/2012/03/publicity-stories/

Enjoy your week & this lovely weather

cheers

Andy

Cycle Slam D-65

Only 65 days to go - crikey!!

This week's Tuesday night was moved to Wednesday & we decided to try a different route, to give the hills a rest & build up some stamina on the flats! From Canford Bottom roundabout to the mini-roundabout by the doctors in Wimborne is about 2 miles, so with this in mind we dropped down to the Texaco garage (or is it Esso now?) & off we went! Happy days when we got to Brook Road where there's temporary 4way trafic lights!! So all the good momentum we'd built up on each stretch was knocked for six - we got through them once without stopping!! Never mind, all three of us got out & it was good fun!!

This morning, just Sam & I headed out to extend the 40 miler we did a couple of weeks ago - Sam did really well & the 1 mile hill at Iwerne Minster we climbed together today - nice one Sam! We dropped back onto the Salisbury road & made it to the Sixpenny Handley roundabout today then had a really good run for the next 10 miles averaging 17.5 mph (good for us anyway!) Endomondo says 3,923 feet of climbing today, so that's not shabby! Weather ended up being excellent, so we were both down to short sleeved tops - great to get the arms out in the sunshine!!

Freddie Flintoff's on tonight's Jonathan Ross - so hopefully that'll be fun & hopefully out tomorrow with Jack!

Keep Pedalling & enjoy the sunshine!!

Andy

Cycle Slam D-71

I know we need the rain, but this is ridiculous!! Luke's football this afternoon in Weymouth has been cancelled & it would have been madness for me & Sam & Jack to go out this morning on the road - however, thank goodness for the turbo!

I drove upto Richmond yesterday, leaving at 6:30am for the 8:30am start - there were only 9 of us this week & we headed off on a similar route to my last time up there, although we did the hill climb the other way round. It was a good outing, quite a lot of stop - start will all the traffic (busier on a Saturday, than a Sunday) & we totalled just under 47 miles. I was happy with the cadence of 78 but i wasn't overjoyed that a fella & I got dropped at a set of temporary traffic lights & had to find our own way back!!

Turbo was hard this morning, but i saw the 3lc.tv dvd through to the end & managed the 130+ cadence over the line - although i guess i was a little way behind at that point!!

So, just over 10 weeks to go until I head off the Nancy!

Some-one send in the sunshine please!!

Andy

Cycle Slam D-76

Out with Sam & Jack tonight - first time in ages we've all been out together - thanks, fellas!! Colehill double loop again with Bully's Special Prize of St John's Hill too! As ever when it's the 3 of us, we had bottle, pedal & lights challenges - but it would be boring otherwise!!! Average cadence of 82 tonight too.

A special sponsorship today from an old pal from my previous life - Bruce Hallam of GMAC - many thanks Bruce & very generous - Bruce is lucky enough to be a Liverpool supporter too!

Short & sweet

Best wishes

Andy

Cycle Slam D-78

It's been a week since my last update, but that doesn't mean it's been quiet! It certainly wasn't quiet this afternoon watching the Carling Cup Final - well done Liverpool (and Cardiff too!) - I can't say I enjoy penalty shoot outs, but who cares when you're team win!!!

So, Tuesday night I went out (alone again! Homework!!) - with Canford Bottom Roundabout's side roads now fully shut, i varied the route with a loop back up St John's Hill - I'm a sucker for punishment. 9.9 miles in all with 559 feet of climbing. Thursday night was a Turbo session with Bon Jovi, all set up for the weekend!

Saturday morning I headed out with Sam to do a 40+ ride - Sam's first big one this year, so I think, on reflection, we were a bit ambitious but we cracked 40, took in an extended route up from Blandford towards Shaftsbury, with a right turn at Iwerne Minster for a climb of just over a mile & just about 400 feet - that's the first time I've beaten Sam up a hill for about 2 years!! We dropped down through Stubhampton & onto the Salisbury road before coming back via Long & Moor Crichel - 40.2 miles & 2,900 of climbing - well done Sam & thanks for your company!

Out again this afternoon, this time a similar route to last Sunday, but without the hail! I shortened it to 31.4 miles, but still took in the 1.5 mile climb to Ashley Wood Golf course, but I wanted to get back before the football started!! 79 cadence today & 0.7 mph faster than last Sunday - so I was pleased with that.

In total 5,000 feet of climbing this weekend - my 4 stages of the Cycle Slam are 15,000 feet of climbing, so I'm building well for that!!

On the Sponsoring front, I raised another £325 this week, plus gift aid, so I'm nearly at the £2k mark! You can now sponsor by text: RIDER5 or RIDER10 (for £5 or £10) to 70300 followed by my rider number of 504. Feel free to text & share this with whoever you can!!!

Luke's team had a good mid-table game today, coming out on top 3-2 - Luke had a solid game in goal & continues to make us proud!!

Looking forward to a Tuesday night ride with Jack +/or Sam!!

Well done, again Liverpool!! & thanks to my wonderful family for an enjoyable afternoon in front of the final!

Keep pedalling

Andy

Cycle Slam D-85

Jack's back from his school skiing trip - he returned mid afternoon yesterday - weary but full of good stories - glad to have you back, Jack!
It was a beautiful sunny Sunday morning today, so I had a short ride out with Sam, followed by a longer one on my own - although once I'd got to 19 miles I realised that Sam had probably read the weather forecast & not told me - I had the first of three hail showers which happened to coincide with a nearly 2 mile hill climb! So i had a good soaking, & once I got back home the roads were dry & not a drop had fallen from the heavens!! So just over 42 miles today & a good route to build on.
Great victory for Liverpool this afternoon against Brighton - aided by three OGs, the third being quite comical! Roll on the League Cup final next Sunday!
Fellas are all back to school tomorrow - already into the 2nd half of the school year!

Best Wishes!

Andy

Cycle Slam D-88

Another good fund raising day with £155 + gift aid from more colleagues at work & my first money in from one of our manufacturer partners - £300 from www.renault.co.uk, again thanks for you help Chris Swain! If you want to donate online it's www.virginmoneygiving.com/AndyNeill - just in case i've not said it before!

Out on the road again tonight - same double loop as last night with an extra 1/3rd of a mile on the end - I increased my average speed by 0.3mph over yesterday (doesn't look much when you write it - but it was quicker!) & managed to have Bon Jovi back in my head not Rick Astley!!

Jack's had loads of snow on his Ski trip over the last couple of days, but managed to get up the mountain today to do three good slalom runs, amongst other things - sounds like he's had a great time - he starts heading back tomorrow afternoon!

Now i'm off to paint the ceiling!

Best wishes

Andy

Cycle Slam D-89

First a confession - the last song on the radio tonight before I went out for my first ride on the road this month was Rick Astley - Never gonna give you up! - and could I get it out of my head - no! - what's all that about!!

More importantly after a request to all the slammers a little while ago if any of us had any contacts with vehicle suppliers, via my colleague Chris Swain we put the organisers in touch with www.skoda.co.uk & they have now concluded what I think is three Skodas to support the Slam - thanks guys!! - glad we could help!

Anyway, after all the cold weather, i got back on the road tonight - on my own though - Jack's off on his Ski trip & Linsey, Sam & Luke have gone upto Linsey's mum & dad's for a few days - It's Dennis's birthday tomorrow - Happy Birthday Dennis! I did our 9.25 mile double loop this evening - great to get out & I managed 78 average cadence..

I've started collecting sponsors at work this week - there's some very kind & generous people that I work with - so thanks to all of you who have pledged me money so far..

Best Wishes

Andy

Cycle Slam D-93

The days seem to be counting down quicker than ever, but with the cold & icy weather, it's been a case of turbo turbo turbo!! but we do miss being out on the road!

Thursday evening was a Bon Jovi Turbo Night - which included 5 sessions in top gear for 15 seconds at 100+ cadence - i got it upto 110 - so i was happy, but my legs weren't!!


Friday came early with Jack off for a week on his school ski trip - got him to school at 6am & he went on the coach to Austria & got there this morning! It won't be long & this'll be our Jack:

We'll miss him this week, but he'll have a great time & bring us back plenty of stories!!

This morning Luke played up a year again for the U11 cricket at Parley - as ever he & his partner scored as many in their 4 overs as the rest of the team in there 8, but it wasn't enough & Bashley took the honours - a solid stint behind the stumps though & a very good run out!

Back on the turbo this evening with www.3lc.tv - it was hard but i'm always in the top box now - gotta keep pushing!!

Right, time for a darts match with Luke!

Keep Pedalling!

Andy

Cycle Slam D-98

Under 100 days to go!!
Firstly more thanks for sponsoring me - to M & M - brilliant, thankyou! Also, does anyone know 'A musician' as a very kind musician sponsored me today & i'm really not sure who he/she is - but many thanks - drop me an email if it's you andy.neill2@btinternet.com
With the cold weather i've not been out for a week, but i squeezed in a good turbo on Saturday & again tonight, so I'm still cracking on...
But now it's back to the football 0-0 at HT with Spurs, so hopefully we'll get a win this half!

Best Wishes

Andy

Cycle Slam D-104

Firstly thanks to the anonymous star who kindly sponsored me on Sunday evening - the www.virginmoneygiving.com/AndyNeill doesn't let on who you are - but many thanks anyway!!
Secondly a big thanks to my lovely wife, Linsey, who cooked some super chops for tea with mash & gravy after my tuesday session on the turbo - fabulous!! - you always come up trumps!!
Finally, here's the link to some of the pictures taken by http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/ on the photoshoot:
http://bournemouthdailyecho.newsprints.co.uk/search/bykw/p/u/0/1/Andy%20Neill - there's 8 & a couple are quite good - thanks again Sam & Jack!!
Short & sweet tonight
Cheers
Andy

Cycle Slam D-106

First the headlines: FA Cup: Liverpool 2-1 Man Utd - cracking result - 2 Manchester teams knocked out of 2 cups in 1 week - happy days!!
Now back to the cycling! - I squeezed in a 22 miler yesterday afternoon on my own - I worked on staying in my top box as much as possible to keep building on the power in my legs - cadence dropped abit, but i still averaged 77 & got my average speed upto 15.7 - not too bad for January!
This morning Jack & I had a trip out - similar route to Saturday, covering 21.5 miles - The Met Office App said it was 4 degrees but 'feels like' minus 2 - and it was right!! Jack did well in the cold & I got cadence back up to 82! Jack carried out one of his famous 'Jack Attacks' just before Holt - I was practicing staying on his wheel when he had a drink, when he put his bottle back on his bike, he had a slight malfunction & it fell to the road; I swerved to avoid the bottle, while Jack slowed to stop to pick it up & guess what - we came together & fell gracefully onto the verge!! No major damage thankfully!
So January to date I'm over 160 miles for the month - so good start for the year - in May - I'll be doing that in 2 days!!
In case you missed it Liverpool 2-1 Man Utd!!

Don't forget www.virginmoneygiving.com/AndyNeill

Cheers

Andy

Cycle Slam D-109

Cracking week - 2 x turbo sessions, met Lawrence Dallaglio & Andrew Flintoff & it's still on Thursday!!
I booked a half day on Tuesday in readiness for the Cycle Slam meeting & squeezed in 52 minutes on the turbo - I completed the www.3LC.tv Road Race DVD up until the cool down (had to go & get Sam & Jack from school) so i was pleased with that - the last 7 minutes is a minute by minute build up to a 130+ cadence for the final 60 seconds - hard work!
I drove upto Stamford Bridge for the get together for just after 7pm - it was great - met some riders particularly doing Stage 5 - we had stickers that were different colours depending on the stage - & had good chats with both Lawrence & Freddie - great guys! They both explained about their foundations & what the fund raising is for & we also heard an emotional speech from a gentleman whose got through cancer himself, but whose wife and daughter both have had it too - unfortunately his wife died after the 3rd bout - but his message was that it's funds like we're going to raise that really helps!www.virginmoneygiving.com/AndyNeill
Good night - plenty of beers going round (i was driving so not much for me!) & well worth the trip!!
Back on the turbo tonight & this time got to the end - a full 62 minutes - all in my top box - so i was really pleased with that

Cheers

Andy

Cycle Slam D-113

Cracking game of indoor cricket for Parley on Friday - Wimborne got just 275 (it's U10 indoor & you start with 200 because when you're out you lose 6!) & Parley mustered a hearty 372, with Luke & Harry batting last scoring 95 off their 4 overs!! Well done team & well done Luke! :) We had a lovely get together afterwards with all the team & parents at the Christchurch Ski Centre - nice food & good company!!

Up at 6 this morning for the trip to Richmond Park & first ride out with fellow slammers - we got away at about 8:40 & did just over 45 miles in a loop towards Guildford & back - met some good folk & it was a nice atmosphere -I've got abit of improving to do to get my speeds up - but overall I was pleased & great to start to learn how to ride in a group! I got back in time for Luke's Wimborne ftty league match - he took a couple of knocks from a huge defender, but as ever, played really well although the team went down 2-0 - I was really glad I got back for it though!

Next up is our first meeting which is Tuesday night - looking forward to that - although the venue is interesting - Stamford Bridge!! aaarghh!

Happy Days!

Andy

Cycle Slam D-118

Nice picture in the Daily Echo today - here's the link http://www.thisisdorset.net/news/9475589.Colehill_cyclist_s_Olympic_dream_comes_true/?ref=rss
We had a super photographer here on Saturday who took loads of pictures with me & Sam & Jack but for reasons that I can't imagine, they put one in of me & my bike!!! I have requested any copies of us three
together - so here's hoping!!

Good to know that I've now found the spell check button on the blog, so I'll no longer be having 'busty' days, just 'busy' days!!

Good turbo tonight - Jack had a session too, as did Linsey this morning - what a family!!! 2 degrees when I got home tonight was really just too cold!!

Cheers

Andy

Cycle Slam D-121

It's been a bust few days but I managed to get out in the searing 6 degree heat this afternoon & clocked up 30 miles - It was a bit cold for Sam & Jack, so I was lonesome today - The last 4 miles knocked my average, but I my cadence was 82, so overall I was pleased!
On Thursday I had my Bikefit at http://www.primera-sports.com/ in Charminster - a chap call Paul stuck various monitors to me & the laptop turned me into a stick man & checked how good my riding position is - we ended up moving the seat up just over an inch & adjusting the angle of the saddle - great job from Paul & a great price too - thanks, Primera!
Also on Thursday I popped an email to the Bournemouth Echo http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/ & within an hour I had a call from Harriet Marsh who was interested in the story! Suffice to say we had the photographer round this morning at 9:30am (Sam & Jack were delighted!) for some pictures in the sunshine with me & my training pals! Hopefully we'll be in the Echo & maybe the Avon Advertiser soon!
I also send an email out to all those lucky people who've strayed into my contacts list of my home laptop - hopefully it will generate some more interest & my sponsor pot will continue to grow!! If any of you who got the email are now reading this - HELLO! & your next visit is to www.virginmoneygiving.com/AndyNeill - don't ask, don't get as my Mum used to say!! Thanks for looking!!

Keep Pedalling

Andy

Cycle Slam D-125

That's what it's all about!! A night ride in January is quite unexpected but it's so mild Jack & I headed out this evening for our 9.25 double loop of Colehill & it was great (Sam was feeling abit under the weather, so he stayed at home - but we did miss him!). We got a decent average of 14.5, not bad considering the traffic lights & Middlehill hill x 2 - we climbed 680 feet in that 9.25 miles - really proud of you tonight, Jack! Great cadence too - got my highest average of 86!
Details have come through of training rides with other 'Slammers' - starting this weekend in Richmond Park at 8:30am - We're busy this weekend, but hopefully I'll be there for my first one on Sunday 22nd!

Keep pedalling!

Andy

Cycle Slam D-127

Out on the road today - hurrah!!
Sam & Jack & I headed out this morning for an extension of one of our favourite routes that we did a few years ago with the Menigitus Trust - we aimed for 30 miles, but we weren't counting on Sam's puncture after about 25!! Happy Days - it was his back tyre too so my hands weren't very pretty once we'd replaced the inner tube! It's quite a hilly ride & we did 28 miles together back to the Stocks Inn & then Sam & Jack took the 2 mile route home & I carried on for another 8 miles for a total of 36.4 today! Total climbing, according to Endomondo was 2,642 feet so a healthy & challenging workout!! Thanks fellas!! After all the adjustments on the speedo - it recorded the miles at exactly the same rate as before - I think i need to make contact with the makers!!

Haggis for tea - cracking!!

cheers

Andy

Cycle Slam D-130

Happy Birthday to Luke who was 10 a couple of days ago - As a fabulous extra birthday present he got a letter yesterday to say that he's been accepted to the South Dorset U10 cricket squad!! Well done Luke - we're all immensely proud! Training starts later this month & matches start in April!!
Back to the cycling & I had a good turbo session yesterday - 40 mins including 6 mini sessions in top gear at 100+ rpm. The dvd has arrived from http://www.3lc.tv/ (a company that Mark Cavendish works with) for training sessions for the road on the turbo - we had a look at it tonight for a few minutes & it looks great - i'm looking forward to cracking on with that soon!
Can't wait to get back on the road though & hopefully the weekend will see us clocking up some miles!
Exciting day on Tuesday on Twitter as I exchanged tweets with former Arsenal & England footballer Lee Dixon @LeeDixon2, whose cycling the whole of the slam with Lawrence & Freddie. We've got our first get together on January 24th & it'll be great to meet everyone then!

Cheers

Andy

Cycle Slam D-134

Happy New Year!!
Another wet & windy day outside so 40 minutes on the Turbo this morning - I continued the routine of song at cadence of 100, change to a harder gear for the next song interspersed with 4 mini sessions in top gear - get upto 100 rpm & hold for 10/12 seconds - good stuff - legs felt it - but then that's the idea!!
So no mileage count yet on the 2012 miles in 2012 target - can't really count the turbo......
Great to see Liverpool win at home the other night - does that mean I need to do a turbo session before every home match to make sure they win??!!

Cheers

Andy