April: Week One Check In

April is the deep breath before the plunge (to quote Gandalf), a slightly odd balancing act, a lot of umm'ing and err'ing on my part with my eye on events in May and June.

After booking a non-cycling related camping two-nighter (for my partners birthday) I've dusted the tent off and started rifling through my bikepacking gear, salivating at the thought of a few wild-camps this month, with my eye on a few spots in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. 

Positively - I'm in good shape. April week one started as a tempo/threshold week, out on fast club and solo rides, which should probably be the flavour of the month - I probably do need to top up the endurance base with some extra gears, with one eye on the Cotswolds and possibly Norway in June. Those are going to be tough days, and the extra push now will likely pay off.

But - I'm tired. Mentally I'm fatigued with my career/future, and the thought of some slow cycling, phone-off, book and a spot in the woods/river would probably do me the world of good. I've got a weekend away at the Grand National with Dad this weekend, which will be a welcome (if not expensive) break from in-sanity. Decisions, decisions.

March - A Mega Month.

March - what a month! After taking winter training quite seriously this year (indoor FTP tests, intervals, and a lot more bike time), last month was the first real test of that. I'm really glad (and slightly relieved) that it stuck - my legs feel good!

The first and main highlight of March was my first gravel sportive, a long-route around Sherwood Forest with Glorious Gravel. It was a good first target for a few reasons - it's local(ish) to me, early enough in the year to encourage solid winter training, a push to get outside on the mucky stuff, and, as a by-product, creating and collecting some valuable routes for a gravel club I am (tentatively) putting together...

Off-piste in the fields, Ketton Quarry in view

Sherwood Forest Recap: After a super-early get-up time and a two hour drive we made it Sherwood. Initial forecasts in the week suggested the weather would be fair with some gusty winds. Well. I wish I owned a Dryrobe. Hailstones, rain, really gusty wind whipping across the field. Fun.

Excited (and chilly) at the start line

The aim was to have a fairly social paced sportive, going with some club members, many who prefer to take it easy and enjoy the views. With it hammering down at the start and very cold, I was really eager to setoff and warm up, but unknown to me, my club friends weren't behind me at all... I cycled on, setting a decent pace (aiming to meet them at the first feed stop), bumping into a chap called Mike, who, I could tell, was of a similar ability to me, and we paired up and got chatting. After a natter we kicked on, setting a great pace and I quickly decided (competitive streak activated...) that I'd race this one, and test myself, rather than wait around. After missing the first feed completely, hitting some CX-type patches and not wanting to stop for coldness, we literally caned it for the first 30 miles. It's hard to summarise the in's-and-out's, but everything about the cycling and route was brilliant - real mixed terrain, very stimulating and technical lines, something I just do not feel road cycling often.

Mike (who I met and paired with for the sportive)

We stopped at the second feed gasping for a coffee, some warmth and respite from the wind. Cafe legs kicked in back on the bike, and with the headwind in our faces again we pushed on pretty hard to to the finish. After picking up our medals, uploading to Strava and demolishing a hot breakfast wrap, it was a quick pack up and leave, which was a shame as the weather stopped the post-race enjoyment, which I'd heard was one of the best parts of a gravel event. Oh well, one goal ticked off the list.

Results: To my complete surprise - I did really well, coming 4th in my category, and only narrowly beaten by second and third place (although the guy in first place put nearly 30mins on me - machine). It's probably a bit arbitrary and silly to put that much credence into being '4th', but it feels like a really good payoff and dedication. As someone who considers themselves relatively new to cycling, and not very good at all, it has really encouraged me to train harder and see what I can achieve. Results really do help, no matter how they present themselves.

Outside of the result, I loved riding my new Standert. I'm so pleased with the way it feels (steel is probably not the obvious choice), with absolutely no issues in terms of speed, comfort and overall ride feel, with a bonus few nice comments about it from other participants making my day. Can't wait to do it again. Recap complete.

Nothing beats official pictures! 

Outside of the Sherwood sportive, the other milestone (and big test of the winter training) was our first structured club training ride, a really lumpy 100k ride at 1200m+. Knowing quite a few of these hills, and struggling up some of them last year on a similar ride, it was a pleasant surprise to really enjoy the day out, feeling strong and not suffering. With a few big days out in late April and May coming up (an Audax in the Peak District and our second club training ride in the Cotswolds), I feel i'm on the right track.

March also saw me complete my first Strava 600k badge; another pleasant surprise. Tick, tick.

Now to look forward to April. The days are longer, the sun is poking its way out more often and its finally warmer, so hopefully a fair few days in shorts and short sleeves and many evening rides in the light.