YesHesMad - Paul's Official Blog

Boston Marathon/TDA Reunion

2012-04-16T06:55:00.001-07:00

Now there's a confusing title. No I am not running the Boston Marathon as I am in Kefalonia, Greece for a TDA reunion organised by fellow rider Bastiaan. More about that later!!

Would like to offer support to an amazing person - Janice St Hilaire, who is running in the Boston Marathon today. Janice has always supported all my ventures - but today is facing her own challenge! She has trained hard for the last 4 years to get to this point and I wish her every success today. Enjoy the day, Janice and take care in this heat - the elite runners have already set off at a slowish pace in respect for the conditions today! Janice is wearing Bib # 21804 and is running to support the American Liver Foundation!

Get Up and Ride

2012-03-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

Today in Washington at the National Bike Summit Kimberly Clark Corporation announced its Get Up and Ride bike initiative - encouraging people to sign up and log in their cycling miles using endomondo. You can sign up beforehand but the miles start counting from May 1 2012 to August 1. Was a great experience to be there in Washington and I met up with some great people (more later) but I was especially proud that it was my dad who announced this challenge today on behalf of Kimberly Clark!!

"We're pleased to be the national sponsor of the Challenge as it supports the wellness of our employees and the communities we serve, while contributing to improved air quality by replacing car travel with clean, healthy bicycle trips," said Jan Spencer, K-C's senior vice president of continuous improvement/procurement/ sustainability. "This year, K-C is providing an extra incentive for our global team members: The Kimberly-Clark Foundation will donate 10 cents to the League of American Bicyclists for every mile logged by a K-C employee during the 2012 Challenge."

And I'd like to add that my dad definitely acts as well as talks - he and my mum completed their own challenge last November when they cycled their very first century together (and yes thats 100 miles not km).

I know they will both be signing up for this challenge - who will join us?

Click here for the full press release or link to it via my facebook page.

Facebook

2012-03-20T15:27:00.005-07:00

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Get Up and Ride

2012-03-19T08:55:00.001-07:00

Just coming to the end of my season in the mountains working on the ski slopes! Ready to get back on my bike and really looking forward to it! Tomorrow am attending the National Bike Summit in Washington DC, where among other things Kimberly Clark Corporation will be launching its Get up and Ride National Bike Challenge along with Endomondo (cycling app), the League of American Bicyclist and Bikes Belong. More news about that later!!

National Bike Summit

Paul's 100 Mile Challenge - Colorado, Nov 26 2011

2011-12-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

The 100 mile challenge I think is a great idea - though it started off as mum's challenge - so she had most input! However when she picked the date in November I knew it was not going to be a very good time for me - right in the middle of World Cup set up in Beaver Creek (my paying job heading up the dye team!) However it was mum's challenge after all - and she didn't want to leave it too long and lose momentum - she gave herself three months to train!! In the end it worked out OK as I had the day off - I had been wondering how I would fit in 100 miles after a day on the mountain! Only trouble was I had worked every day up till then and my bike had no chain. I had tried to go to the bike shop twice but had been caught out by Thanksgiving closing!

So on the day of the ride my first task was to buy a chain. The first shop I tried at 10am was still closed - but fortunately the second was open and so I was able to buy and fit my chain. I also wanted to buy some overboots for my shoes as I knew it was going to be pretty cold out there - however they didn't have my size so I had to settle for toe caps instead - assured they would work just as well!! It was then pointed out that I had snow tyres on my bike - which as it wasnt really that snowy out might not be a good idea - they would really slow me down! So I headed back to the apartment to change tyres and was finally ready to set off.

I headed off on the bike path and immediately found some snow!! Interesting riding through it with my road tyres! I took it easy to start with - just having fun and enjoying being out on my bike again - and being entertained by Richard's tweets telling me how mum, dad and the Roswell crew were doing!! The bike path became a little confusing and so I had to go on to the road. I realised that I was going mainly downhill and that my idea of riding out 50 miles and then back again might not be such a good one - 50 miles back all uphill? Maybe not!! So I decided to turn around when I got to Eagle. After about 10 miles I stopped to put on more clothes - it was much colder than I had expected - colder than it had been up on the mountain all week!!

32 miles at Eagle and I was feeling pretty good! It was uphill now when I turned so harder work of course! However I miscalculated the distance back to Edwards so by the time I arrived my feet were really freezing - to the point I was worried about frostbite! Anyway this made me ride even quicker to try to warm up! So at 55 miles (10 miles further on that I had intended to stop) I was freezing with an empty water bottle - so I had a huge hot chocolate and some water and started to recover - although it took ages for my feet to warm up! Then I rode another 5 miles back to my apartment to get a load of extra clothes.

Then I was ready to head off uphill through Vail to do the 18 miles out, leaving me the final 18 miles downhill - another good plan, or so I thought. Halfway to Vail and the bike path was closed and so I had to take the Highway - but I noticed a shortcut through a gate back onto the bike path - however I ended up riding through 2 inches of snow (again very interesting) only to reach another gate which was closed! So, back to the Highway! It was getting dark now so I exited the Highway into West Vail once again back on the bike path, covered in snow, headed towards Lionshead. At Lionshead to go any further it meant taking a very icy road which I decided was probably not a very sensible thing to do in the dark - I really didnt want to fall on the ice! So once again I turned round and as I was beginning to get cold again I stopped a couple of miles downhill at McDonald's for another hot chocolate and the chance to warm up again! Ended up sitting here for quite a while to let my feet warm up again.

After this McDonald's stop I had another 25 miles to go - in the dark - but I knew the first 8 at least would be downhill! After that I decided to turn uphill towards Minturn - just a few miles - a lovely little village - it was kind of cool to ride through it in the dark! Then I turned round to go back towards the apartment, realising I still wouldn't have done enough miles. I was thinking of stopping for a while but my toes were now only cold and not frozen and I really needed to get finished! So I carried on past the apartment and did a loop through Avon and back to Eagle Vail and then back down the main road - until I was finally finished!! It had taken 7 hours 15 minutes of riding - which is pretty slow - but then half of it was uphill at altitude and it was extremely cold!! I was pretty tired at the end - wished I had started earlier without all the delays - there were times when snow tyres would have been useful but overall the roads were clear so they would have slowed me down further! The most important thing was that I didnt fall. And it was a great challenge - really was a 100 mile challenge for me - not easy - but a great thing to do!! I am very proud of mum, dad, Julie and John for finishing their first century - a really great effort - and I look forward to the next one! But let's make it in the summer - please!!

25 Hour Race Frog Hollow, Utah

2011-12-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

A bit late with this blog - the race was back in October! With hindsight I still wasn't ready for such a challenge, but I wanted to give it a go and was excited about the prospect. I arrived in Utah with Meg as my support in a rental car - looking around most people had far more support - RVs, tents, tool racks, spares etc etc. There was my hint I wasnt as well prepared as I should have been. Maybe I needed a little more gear! Woke up that morning not feeling great - the antibiotics are still making me feel sick - probably the anticipation of the race as well!! Was going to try to use the Hammer Nutrition through the day!

I had never tried a 24 hour race before and was looking forward to it but not sure what to expect. What I definitely hadnt expected was it to be so cold - with 2 inches of snow on the ground that morning! Made me a little worried straight away! But it did feel a little warmer as we arrived at the start and the sun came out. Maybe it wouldnt be so bad!

There was a 100 m dash to the start where I grabbed my bike and hopped on. I had no idea what the trail would be like beforehand! There was a fairly easy 5 mile uphill to start followed by an easy 5 mile downhill - disappointing - not the type of course I was hoping for (I prefer more of a downhill). Then there was about 3 miles of rolling hills with a steep, rocky, more technical section towards the end. The first three laps were good and I rode well - despite not feeling great - stomachwise. At lap 8 however I was in 5th place only 1 lap behind the leaders and was feeling pretty pleased with myself, especially as I was feeling so ill! It was getting dark at this stage so I put my lights on - excellent - really pleased with them. However on the 9th lap on the downhill section my front light went out and I couldnt see properly! My helmet light worked but this wasnt so great - I would turn a corner and see into the bushes rather than the trail head - not good! Then on the steep part of the course my front tyre popped and I fell, bruising my hip. But I fixed the tyre and went to use my CO2 cannister, screwed in the valve only to find the connection wasnt long enough! Never mind - I would use my pump - but no that seized up on me! So I ended up hiking along the trail until I could borrow a pump from a check point guy! At last I was on my way again! Although I pumped it up a little too much in the dark which didnt make for a comfortable ride!

I got back to the car and immediately set off for the next lap hoping to make up some of the lost time! I was not particularly enjoying the course, especially the rocky section at the end. I had been hoping for more of a downhill section - on the last lap I only had to touch my brakes twice on the whole of the downhill - so overall I was a bit upset with the way things were turning out! Not how I had imagined and my stomach was feeling dreadful!! I hadnt eaten properly and was struggling with the cold! My water bottle was frozen by the end of the next lap! I would get too hot on the climb up and too cold on the downhill! When I got back to the car I decided to sleep for a while - but after an hour I woke absolutely freezing - shivering like crazy - so I decided to put the heater on, take off some of my biking gear and sleep a little longer! Well - that was it - although I did eventually warm up I decided not to go back out again!!

I actually completed 12x laps though because we were parked just before the Finish line I forgot to check in on the last one so am recorded as only completing 11!! Never mind! Despite all this I still placed 9th overall - much better than I thought - though I was obviously disappointed in my overall performance! It just wasnt my day! I could have coped with not liking the course but not with being cold and sick!! I will keep taking the antibiotics and hope that when the course is finished (6 months from end of August!!) I can get my stomach sorted out and be back to full power for this sort of race!! I will definitely try another 24 hour race - and be better prepared all round next time!!

100 MILES

2011-11-26T18:27:00.001-08:00

Sorry the tweets and facebook updates didnt show on the website!!!! But yes the Roswell crew have had a wonderful day in Georgia and completed the century in approx 8 1/2 hours. Just waiting to hear from Paul that he too has finished in Colorado - where he not only had hills to contend with (ie mountains) but also temperatures of 28 degrees!!! So proud of him and his support as ever, Miriam

Paul's 100 Mile Challenge

2011-11-25T08:09:00.001-08:00

First group in Roswell are setting out early tomorrow morning on the Silver Comet Trail. Hopefully we will be able to follow their progress on twitter/facebook. Good luck to mum, dad, Julie, John and Janice - take care out on the trail!

Hammer Nutrition

2011-11-10T08:09:00.000-08:00

Something all of you attempting the 100 mile Challenge might want to consider - the correct fuel and nutrition for training as well as the event! I am now using Hammer Nutrition - good products and good information. Follow the link if you are interested!

Hammer Discount Referral

Training Ride - October 3, 2011

2011-11-07T07:23:00.001-08:00

Disappointingly I found out that my Guinness World Record would not appear in print in the book after all - so I decided I had better go set another one! Having a look at some options there was one possible one that took my notice - riding across Australia from Perth to Sydney. This will be a difficult one to beat as it has been hard fought several times in recent years - the current one sets an average speed of about 320 miles per day! I thought it might be a good idea to go for a test ride and see just how many miles I was capable of in a single day - I had a spare day in the UK and Dean was available to help. Time to put myself to the test!

There were a couple of factors that I didn't really give enough consideration to. One being the bike I was using - not really the best one for road distances. I had my cyclocross which I had used for the Scotland Coast to Coast the previous week. In Australia I would probably use something more like a time trail bike with disc wheels etc. - a lot more aerodynamic and quicker! But I wanted to give it a test anyway!

I started at midnight and rode for about 7 hours in the dark. During this first part of the ride my GPS bike computer just didn't seem to be working properly however eg I would be pedalling pretty hard but looking at the monitor it was only recording about 14 mph - I don't think so!! My aim was to keep at a constant 16 mph so this was all very off putting. I would look at the dial,and think I had better pedal faster and then the speed would drop! I ride enough to know the approximate speed I am going and the readings just didn't seem correct! However when the sun came up it seemed to settle down and work a lot better??

Dean slept for a few extra hours ( we didn't want him to be driving tired) and so met me after about 4 hours as I knew I had enough food and water with me for about that time! The route was basically along the south coast via Brighton traveling east initially - I didn't want anything with too many hills although there were a few sections past Brighton where it was a lot hillier than I had expected but back towards Eastbourne and it was lovely! Looking at the flags on the coast there I could see that there was a slight tailwind blowing - not much - all very pleasant!

When it started to get quite hilly again I decided to turn around and head back - it seemed as soon as I changed direction the wind really started to pick up - in fact when I got back to those same flags they were now blowing around violently - a headwind now of course! So we decided to change the route and headed inland - bad decision as this was a dreadful,road - and very hilly! I felt pretty good in myself at this stage but was annoyed at the conditions - not quite what I had planned. I was fed up and decided I didn't really want to drag this on any more for no real reason. I also realized it was probably still,too soon after my illness to push myself so much so maybe better to stop,while I was still feeling good! It would be silly to continue - according to my GPS I had covered at least 215 miles though with the earlier problems I think it was probably a little more! Not bad all things considered - I was pleased enough with my performance. Obviously in Australia I would have to cope with hills and bad weather but I still have a lot of training to do before then!! But no more for today. We will of course try again later!

Lupus Butterfly Gala - October 11, 2011

2011-11-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

Just playing 'catch up' with my blogs!

I was very pleased and honored to be invited to the Lupus Butterfly Gala in New York in recognition of my support for the Lupus Foundation. I flew to New York from Denver on the Monday to meet my mum who was also invited and we enjoyed dinner with Morgan that evening. I had first met Morgan when I completed my Guinness World record and it was good to catch up. Tuesday morning was spent buying a suit for the occasion ( not something I owned) and then we spent a fun day sightseeing - I loved the New York Public Library - what a fantastic building and we accidentally crossed the Brooklyn Bridge on the metro giving us a view of the statue of Liberty - and some happy memories of my ride into New York to set my world record last year! We even found a great Italian restaurant with a gluten free menu!!

The Gala was held in The Pierre Hotel near Central Park - very nice! There were a lot of people there including Julian Lennon and the CEO of Sa

ks Fifth Avenue - it was really great to hear all the speeches - very inspirational. As always with all the lupus sufferers I have met since I started supporting the Lupus Foundation they are all really brave and all really fighting this disease - just like my sister! Great! It was a really fun night - I met lots of really nice people and it was especially good to meet some of the Lupus staff we have been communicating with over the last few years - and to be able to put faces to the names ( and have our photos taken!) Great people! Made my mum smile to hear me introduced as Paul - you know - the cyclist!!!

It was a really good evening with wonderful people working for a great cause - and I look forward to continuing to support them more in the future!

Frog Hollow in the Snow?

2011-11-05T01:05:00.000-07:00

25 hour race starts today at 10 am local time - that's 4 pm UK time and 12 midday there in Roswell. Am still trying to get the SPOT up and running - will twitter if it works!

25 Hour Race at Frog Hollow, Utah

2011-11-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Ski season has started in Beaver Creek for me but I am taking a few day off to compete in the 25 hour race in Utah on Saturday. The clocks go back at the weekend so what better way to use that extra hour?? Its a 12.8 mile mountain bike lap and the aim is to do as many laps as possible during the longest day! I am really looking forward to the race and seeing how well I am able to stand up to such a test!! Follow my progress on twitter and facebook via my website!!

Frog Hollow

Coast to Coast, Scotland, 17th September, 2011

2011-10-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

That was a good race - very, very hard but great fun!! I kind of planned for the race but forgot about the other stuff like somewhere to sleep the night before so ended up sleeping on the floor in Ruth And Alice's room - not the best sleep and a little late in the morning running down to the start in Nairn. I did quickly go dip my toes in the ocean though before setting off at 6.30 am for the first 7 mile run. The run was actually quite cool - alongside a river and then zig zagging through the woods - surprisingly I felt really good considering I am terrible at running - but I did run pretty well - slightly slower than i wanted to but that turned out to be quite good - I was at the back of one group for a while then skipped ahead to the back of another! Anyway I did pretty good and made it to the Cawdor Castle OK where all our bikes were ready for the first transition. I was a bit slow making the transition but as soon as I hopped on my bike I felt really good and started overtaking other riders. I was flying by and felt awesome - finally (been a while since I have been able to say that!) Surprisingly the route was pretty flat - not a great road (thought it would be more hilly) - but it was actually pretty easy and I was having a great time!! 48 mile road ride in two and a bit hours - so was doing really well! Then the next transition was to the kayaks (Loch Ness) - after leaving my bike there was a little run which was rather difficult/painful in bike shoes - about a mile or so! I was then a little surprised to discover the kayaks were all doubles - you just jumped in with whoever was ready - kind of cool as we were able to have a little chat along the way and it was nice to have some help - not as difficult as being solo! Enjoyed that! This brought us to Fort Augustus, which would be the end of the first day for those taking the two day challenge (Alice and Ruth)

But for us it was back to our bikes for the off road section - though it wasn't really off road initially. However there was soon some single track through the woods where it was bumpy, sloppy and muddy - also some very steep hills which I had to hike up. My calf muscles had started hurting about 30 miles in and now they really hurt - but I tried to ignore it. I did go through a bit of a bad patch here - maybe paying the price for trying to go too fast earlier.

When we started that morning the weather had been pretty miserable and it was raining - however as soon as we really got underway the weather just got better and better - of course that meant I soon had too many clothes on and as I stripped off I had to find somewhere to put them - shoved in pockets and sticking out of my top - so that was a bit of a pain! Also I had had the brilliant idea of zip tieing my running shoes to my bike as I didn't have any space in my backpack - however it turned out to be not such a good idea as they were continually in my way, especially when I had to stand for the steep parts where they just bashed in to my knees!! A good idea that didnt really work and made the single track section annoying!! After some time on a gravel road we were back on the single track and the bolt fell out of my water bottle holder making my bottle rattle all over the place - quite funny really! Back on the road again and I realised I had overtaken quite a few people by now as I couldn't really see anyone off in the distance any more. Felt good though. I had ridden as hard as I could on the first ride but took it a bit easier on the second as I knew I had a hike up a mountain ahead of me! At the end of this bike ride we had our times recorded - the clock was stopped to give you a chance to get organised for the last section. So I left my bike at Glen Nevis and was surprised to see only 5 others there before me - I was in a really good position. So I was now able to get changed and get rid of all the extra clothes ready to head off up the mountain - Ben Nevis. I tried running for about 5 minutes but decided that hurt too much and that I would fast hike instead!

I felt pretty good the whole time except for one bad patch - I decided my goal was to finish and still feel good rather than try to run to gain a few places and then collapse half way up the hill. So a few people overtook me on this section but as we got into it a bit more I could see others in front of me also struggling to run too so I didnt feel so bad. Wasn't just my complete lack of running training - everyone was feeling the same. We hiked up a gravel road for a while, then a path and then up the mountain side - we zig zagged around and got all bundled up at one stage - and approached a steep rockside which I managed to scramble up faster than some of the others in the group - however they then overtook me going down!! The down was awful - wet grass - I fell over a few times as did others ahead of me - in fact you could see the marks of where they had fallen! That section was pretty hard! By now my ankles, calves and knees were all burning and I was ready to be done. You could see Loch Leven at the bottom - but it was really difficult to get to it down a very steep and awkward hill - but eventually we did with another very painful 1 mile run along the road to reach the final kayak. Once again we paired up with the closest person - I was with a guy from the RAF - was quite cool chatting with him. When we reached the other side of the Loch we ran for the Finish line and I was told I was in 16th place! So I was very happy about that!!

I felt good that I had done so well despite not having been able to put in the training I should have - especially with the running. Today was the longest run/hike I have ever tried and the longest bike ride I have been able to attempt for quite a while, having been feeling so ill since Africa. So yes - pretty pleased with myself. The scenery was very cool - breathtaking, and the weather has been awesome - a glorious day, which really helped! Absolutely shattered when I finished! Great fun!!

My time was 10 hours 40 minutes - not too bad all in all. Average heart rate was about 170 - very high in the morning but I slowed down a little in the afternoon! Great fun!! Did I say that already?

Only trouble is I originally thought Dean was coming so didn't really organise the transport very well. So looks like I will have to get up in the morning and cycle coast to coast again to pick up my car. Then I will drive back here again to see Ruth and Alice finish tomorrow.

PS.
I did indeeed cycle back the next morning - 98 miles! And got back just in time to see the girls finish. I was absolutely exhausted!!

Coast to Coast, Scotland 2011

2011-10-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

Still waiting for Paul's official blog of the day to arrive - but just to report briefly on his behalf that he finished in 16th place - a fantastic effort considering he had only just been diagnosed with Tropical Sprue and had just begun treatment. The gluten free diet obviously has had immediate positive effects - great to see Paul getting his energy back after all this time!!

Next Saturday

2011-09-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

Only 1 week to go till the Coast to Coast in Scotland!! Check out the website for more information: http://www.scotlandcoasttocoast.com/

Gluten Free in Denver

2011-09-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since writing anything here - I've had a few things to sort out! Basically have been feeling really ill and tired ever since returning from Africa. The two races I attempted (Tour Divide and Breckenridge 100) turned out to be the most difficult and exhausting things I have ever done because of this. I was initially advised that I just needed to give my body time to recover. So I tried resting up but that didn't really seem to help. Eventually went for loads of tests here in Denver and have just been diagnosed with Tropical Sprue, which is a disease very like Coeliac disease which prevents the absorption of nutrients in the stomach and intestines. Kind of explains a lot - especially the stomach pains and the chronic fatigue. So - this means a gluten free diet and antibiotics for the next 6 months or so!! The good news is that I started the diet a few days ago and already am beginning to feel a lot better - hopefully when I start the antibiotics tomorrow I will feel even more so!

I still plan to participate in the Coast to Coast Race across Scotland next week (September 17) - though it will probably be a bit of a struggle still. Then when I return to Denver I can now think about doing some local races - which was what I had originally planned to be doing all this summer!!

As well as this I am working on my truck and getting ready to start work on the ski slopes in November. Check in for further updates and to see how I get on in Scotland. Looking forward to seeing some fellow TDA'ers there as well!!

One Hell of a Race - Breckenridge 100

2011-07-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

What an amazing race!! The hardest race ever!! 100 miles of off road up a couple of mountains! Had to register the night before - after doing so Scott and I had a quick look at a couple of the loops - to me it looked like about 10 good climbs - ~ 12000 feet of climbing - not much point in checking it out further at this stage. It would be a hard day! There was a riders briefing meeting at 5.45 am and then we set off at 6. I was trying out my new Hammer products - a selection of supplements and I had sorted the gels and shakes into hourly packs - and was hoping they would do the job! As soon as we started I felt sick - maybe the food for breakfast - maybe the altitude. Even here at the start I was higher than I had ridden my bike this year! Almost immediately we hit Breckenridge Mountain - up the steepest ski trail!! Unbelievably difficult! My heart rate was immediately through the roof - I just couldnt seem to calm it down! So painful all the way up! Then the down though - really cool - the part I love! Real fun - right across the hill - if you'd fallen off the side you would have tumbled all the way down the mountain!! I managed to overtake a whole load of riders here - very cool! Then up and down again along a few bike paths - and then back to the starting point and the end of the first loop. Scott asked me how I was feeling - pretty terrible was the answer!! We did a great switch over with supplies and I was off on lap 2. Seemed a little easier climb at first - more of a dirt road to the top and then an incredible down - the next climb was harder - more like a 4 wheel drive track - and ended up with quite a bit of walking. At mile #4 I was so exhausted - at mile # 44 I really didnt know how I was even going to finish!! I was pushing, walking, hiking, riding - anything to get up that mountain! Another guy was struggling similarly along with me and declared he was going to call it quits after the second lap - but no way was I going to quit - I was determined to finish even if it killed me!! We chatted and yo- yoed our way along - he seemed to walk while I rode and vice versa! It was a killer hill - there were so many people walking!! The trouble with this section was all those doing the 32 or 68 mile courses joined it with us and so if you stopped to let someone by you ended up having to wait for another 10 or so. Bit of a pain!!

There were two really good downhills on this section though - but all I could think of was getting back and finishing lap 2 - I needed then to reach the cut off point on the third section in time!! I switched camelbaks etc with Scott again and set off on the final lap. The bike was doing really well - Scott lubed the chain for me. Lap 3 was really one peak - straight out and back again! - so up, down, loop round and return. We had to reach Borea Pass before the cut off time otherwise you would not be allowed to continue! This was a killer - climbing a 4 wheel drive track with huge boulders all around. At one point I turned around and could see about 40 people all hiking!! No one riding!! We were tired and it was a hard trail!! Finally got out on the road and reached the aid station at the top of the pass in time. It was good to have a rest! Then we headed off down the road turning off road onto an amazing single track through the woods - down into the bowl - almost like a roller coaster - up and down - great fun! It lasted for ages but I felt good and was enjoying it - I thought this would turn out to be my best lap!! Caught up with a load of people - the supplements seemed awesome and although I still felt sick I was used to it and could cope fine and had some energy!! Then as I reached the bottom of the mountain I started to crash!! Maybe dehydration? I dont think so - maybe just the altitude?? But my body could no longer cope!! After the rest there was a 12 mile climb up a gravel road - should have been easy! I set off at a decent speed but then just got slower and slower - I could barely go for a mile at a time! The really disappointing thing is that at least 40 people passed me on this final climb. But anyway I eventually made it to the top where I practically collapsed and ended up just sitting there for 10 minutes! Trying to drink and eat. Decided it wasnt really making me feel any better and there were only 10 miles left which would be mainly downhill so I should get it over and done with!!

So I went flying down another great single track and then my front suspension went. The air in the fork had leaked out and this caused the spring to rebound too much. I had to take it steady now as I didnt want to do more damage. Now I was just wanting it to end! Every now and then there was a little climb - each one killed me!! Eventually I crossed the finish line - it was great to see Scott! It had been an ordeal in many ways. The toughest 12 hours ride ever - in fact my time was 13 hrs 45 mins including the rests and me dying by the side of the road!!

But all in all what an amazing race!! Such a cool day - such a cool race. I just wished I had felt a little better! But I absolutely loved it. I would be surprised to find a harder race than that. And I do need to train a lot more at altitude - even the start was higher than anything I had ridden since Nepal. But the weather had also been pretty good - I just cant wait to do it again next year - and beat my time!! Disappointing that I ended up last in my age category - I lost at least 6 places in that final climb! Never mind - that doesnt really matter. To be honest - the way I felt at the half way point it was amazing just to finish! One hell of a race. The winner had an incredible time of 8 hours 10 minutes - no idea how he does that! Overall an awesome day - great fun (OK I am saying that as I am collapsed here on the couch just trying to recover). I will be back next year - hopefully on a different bike more suited to this type of race!!

Breckenridge 100 Today

2011-07-16T04:33:00.000-07:00

Article about today's race:

Summit Daily

Course Description: Featuring an inspiring, sprawling course nestled between 3 ski resorts, participants will face a unique challenge of strength and fortitude. The distinct clover-leaf loops offer team competitors the opportunity to strategize their efforts and pick which loop each participant will tackle. Our goal is to provide you a unique and rewarding experience in cross-country competition. Our renowned course architect has linked together an amazing, interconnecting network of backcountry trails, dirt roads, double track and bike paths that will take you far beyond the typical boundaries of endurance racing. From start to finish, you will be both pampered and pushed to your limit at the same time. You’ll cross the Continental Divide three times, climb 12,000 foot passes and forge high mountain streams while all the time returning to the support and encouragement of our staff, friends and teammates who are waiting for you at Carter Park in historic downtown Breckenridge.

Off to Denver

2011-07-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

Have had a busy two weeks since Tour Divide. Returned to my old school in North Wales, UK (St David's College, Llandudno) to present the prizes to the leavers and talk about my Guinness world record - many thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome - I had a great day and managed to meet up with a few friends while there! Not sure about inspiring others but certainly managed to motivate myself into further preparations and planning for my ultimate adventure - to pedal round the world - more on that later!!

After that returned to Roswell to organise my collection of bikes and parts (sorry about the mess mum!) - and how to get them to Colorado. All ready now - my flight to Denver leaves in a couple of hours - my new home for a while!! Plenty of races to keep me occupied. First one - the Breckenridge 100 - is next Saturday! Am not feeling 100% fit still so not expecting a great result - but intend to finish!! Sounds a great race - this incredible course climbs 13,719 feet over its 100 miles and features a sprawling course nestled between 3 ski resorts. It crosses the Continental Divide three times and climbs 12,000 foot passes over a snow field, ending back in Breckenridge!!

Breckenridge 100

Looking forward to my TdA reunion with Scott - thanks to him and Tori for offering to let me crash at theirs for a while.

St David's Speech Day

2011-07-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

Loved my school in North Wales! 13 years ago I attended Speech day as a leaver and today I am presenting the prizes!! Good luck to all the Upper Sixth leavers!!

News from Rawlins

2011-06-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

After a long chat last night Paul has decided to withdraw from this race. He has been suffering every day since the start but has still managed to complete 0ver 1400 miles in less than 10 days and I have no doubt he could struggle through to the finish if he had enough time. However this seems pointless as he is not able to enjoy the ride as he would want! He has achieved an experience of the trail and learnt a lot and can always compete again next year when he is not battling sickness as well as everything else! I know he is a little disappointed but there are plenty more challenges out there!!
He plans to try to visit Scott and then return here to Atlanta to prepare for his trip to the UK next week!!

Day 10 - Father's Day and McIlroy wins the US Open

2011-06-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Woke up in my bivvy this morning - it was great - I was nice and warm and not at all wet! I woke at about 7.30 am and as I was so cosy decided to stay in a little longer - but about 5 minutes later it started to rain. I was going to try to wait it out but eventually got up at about 8am with it still raining a little - bit of a nuisance trying to pack away wet things! But all was well. Had some cold pizza for breakfast - really missed the ice on my ankles and the shower for my saddle sores - a baby wipe shower is not quite the same!! Riding was a bit slow but at least there was a tailwind. The trail turned east then south, then east then south and so every now and then would turn into a cross wind for a while. Really rolling hills again but no climbing today really. Scenery is amazing! A huge basin where you can see for miles and miles - huge mountains in the distance! But it seemed to be taking me a long time to cover the miles. The road got a bit sandy and I was slipping around a bit - some of the small downs were a bit scary!! But I carried on and reached a supposed reservoir - although I didnt see any water (and I was getting a bit low) Then the trail headed south into a bit of a wind for a while and then east on to a paved road with a tail wind - so that was good! It was the loneliest paved road I had ever been on - not a single car for about 20/30 miles. Then I reached a busier highway with cars (which I'd seen from about 10 miles back!) then a nasty little climb and across the basin towards Rawlins. It was now beginning to rain heavier and I was pretty much out of food and water. I needed to get there - also had the added incentive that I wanted to watch the final few holes of the US Open!! Finally rolled in to Rawlins - was going to stop at the first motel but it looked as though it was going to fall down - so I carried on to something decent looking with a name that I recognised - a Travel Lodge! Got myself a room and a shower!! Also managed to see the final three holes and McIlroy win the golf!! Ordered a pizza and am ready for bed!!

I need to evaluate this trip and what I am doing! I have to be in the UK the end of next week so have a fairly tight schedule even if things were going better. I have cycled 1400 miles in 9 1/2 days despite having felt ill since Day 1 so to be honest am not enjoying the trip as I had hoped - I always knew it might be more a training trip than anything else and I have certainly learnt a lot!! It is an amazing trail and challenge!! I think I just have to decide how much more I can get out of it by continuing!!

Day 9 - A Night in my Bivi Bag

2011-06-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

After a good long sleep in Pinedale I enjoyed a very lazy start - after breakfast I wrapped up last night's remaining pizza to take along with me for later!! Heading out to cross the Basin I knew there would be long stretches with no extra food or water available. My plan was an 85 mile ride to Atlantic City - get there nice and early and stock up again for the next section. Anyway - that was my plan!! Left Pinedale and rode the few miles to Boulder where there were supplies - then headed off into the basin - after about 20 miles reached a sandy road - rolling hills as far as you can see - the Teton Mountains off to the left hand side - amazing views and cattle everywhere. Slowly climbing up towards the Divide - bit of a tailwind for a change which is nice! The trail ran along the top for a while before hitting a paved road and slightly steeper hills. Then I went down into South Pass City - an old Gold mining town with supposedly a supermarket but I didn't see it!! I was relieved to reach Atlantic City nice and early - thinking it would be good to rest here. I passed a run down B & B and then found Dave and a few others in the restaurant just down the road - they tell me the B& B is indeed closed - some of them have managed to find a room for the night - one guy is going to continue. So what to do? the lady there offers me her wig wam to camp in but I think if I am going to do that I might as well travel a bit further so i am closer to supplies for tomorrow's ride. So I continued - its kind of easy riding aa it is quite beautiful but still kind of tough going. So i stocked up with sandwiches, drinks and chocolate bars and headed out. It was an easy enough ride with a good wind to help me on my way - I plodded along for another 20 miles before needing to get my night light out and had something to eat. Finally at midnight I decided to stop and camp for the night - I pulled over to the side of the road where I had seen a group of bushes about 2 feet high. I found a gap, positioned my bike and got myself ready. Took my shoes off and stood on a cactus - the only one in sight!! Just where I planned to sleep - ended up having to dig it out as it really was in the best place for shelter - I was afraid I had popped my bike tyres!! Anyway I made my little bed - cosy but eerie - lots of strange animal noises around! But I got comfy and slept pretty good - woke up a few times but not too bad!!

Day 8 Pizza and Golf!

2011-06-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

Got up early this morning and had a breakfast burrito at the supermarket. It was still dark when I left and I was finding it difficult to even keep my eyes open. Along a really nice flat bike path - but even so was really struggling after yesterday. Did about 10 miles and then stopped at a petrol station for coffee and a muffin and then carried on again practically falling asleep while riding! After another 10 miles I stopped again for coffee and hash browns and finally managed to get myself going a little bit! The path zig zagged back and forth until we got on to the highway and started one hell of a climb over the Teton Pass towards Jackson Hole. Finally reached the top and put all my clothes on as I was freezing - really think I must be ill today as I had all my clothes on and was still cold whereas other people seemed to be wearing a lot less quite comfortably. There was a good downhill though to a village with a bike shop where I bought myself some warmer socks! They were really nice in there - I needed some chain lube which they just gave to me which was really kind of them! Then I carried on to Jackson. My bum is really killing me - I got the saddle sores a few days ago when we hiked through the snow and have been suffering ever since! I have tried all sorts - even nappy rash cream. Today I decided to buy some hemorrhoid ointment - we used it in Africa and it seemed to be pretty good. So did that in Jackson and then went to McDonalds. For a long time I was umming and ahhing as to whether to stay in Jackson and find a hotel there but I decided that would just put me too far behind. Really took a lot to persuade myself to get back on the bike and continue but I finally did. I was really slow again - the bike path went alongside the highway with great views over the river and then it turned away from the major river to another as we started a very slow climb, traveling alongside the river the whole time. Sore throat, feeling sick, struggling to ride - what a state I am!! Finally after about 30 miles I reached the top - another very gradual downhill - couldn't get up any speed and had to pedal hard still. The scenery was great though - great plains as far as you could see dotted with a few meandering hills. Struggled through as best I could and managed 125 miles in the end. Found a hotel here and have just had pizza delivered - have just been watching the golf with Rory McIlroy and am ready to go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a short day - about 85 miles which should give me a chance to have a good rest. Am trying to arrange things to avoid camping as I don't thinking will do my cold any good - it was literally 0 degrees earlier today. I am not going to set an alarm tonight - just let myself sleep and see when I wake up! Good night!!