Awesome, amazing, gruelling, lunacy, painful – all words that can be used to describe the 4 day challenge that the team undertook to raise money for Unicef and celebrate 10 years of business for Uniline Safety Systems.

The event itself seemed a bit surreal. The intensity of the challenge left little time for reflection and what reflection there was had to be quickly countered with a display of mental strength to move you on to the next stage.

After the event however, the enormity of what was achieved by everyone has really begun to sink in and I have to say I feel tremendously privileged to have been able to take part in the event and to have done so with such a great team of people.

The highlight of the whole event for me, was not the scenery, or the individual sense of achievement, nor even Ursula’s wonderful cake that kept us all going when the legs were getting tired, but the amazing team work and spirit displayed by everyone. Especially on the last two days, where the more experienced cyclists really helped to keep us all on the move and the support team, were always on hand to make sure we were fed and watered and suitably dosed up with pain killers.

I am personally very grateful for the support given to me personally and to everyone for giving up their time to take part in the event and raise money for our charity.

Some key memories that really stick out are:
- 45 minutes in to Ben Nevis thinking “What have I done?”
- Ranoch Moor in the rain and wind dreaming of a bed and a hot drink.
- The bed and hot drink in Paisley.
- Racing through Keswick toward the campsite with hot fish and chips stuffed in my back pocket.
- The scree slope on Scafell – cursing Stuart for not telling me their was an easier route! But felt great when I got to the top.
- The cycle out of the Lake District. Just majestic.
- Looking up Llanberis Pass and thinking I could not go any further, but finding one last bit of energy to do it.
- Ursula’s cake.
- Cycling more miles than Rob has ever done in a single day!!

Finally a word of advice for anyone daft enough to do something like this. Never, ever put Compeed Patches on your bum unless you have had a ‘Brazillian’ first. More painful than the blisters when it is time to remove them!

Thanks again to everyone for a fantastic time and great memories.

Simon Luke

Finished!
Started at 06:00 on Thursday in Glen Nevis and ended at 19:00 on Sunday at the top of Snowdon. 85 hours.

Went up the Ben in rain, with snow still on tops.
Returned to camp (aka Midge City Central) and riders changed and moved off on their 450 mile journey.

Start of ride in Glen Nevis

Rode to Paisley.
On second morning off on longest ride, 150 miles, to Seathwaite.
Up early and to top of Scafell Pike, with riders going over the tops to come down to their bikes in Langdale.
The Tent Fairies headed back to camp.

The Tent Fairies

The riders finally arrived at the Last Chance Saloon Wild West Ranch for the final night before another early start to get through the Mersey Tunnel before the 8am deadline.
Tough ride, as it was hot and sunny, but all riders completed.

BIG RESPECT DUE.

Finally up Snowdon, in glorious sunshine

On the way up Snowdon

30 seconds before getting to the final ridge the mist came in and so you will have to take our word that this IS the summit.

Don't look so fresh now, do they?

After a (weak) cheer all returned to Pen-y-pass and then home.

Just before the End, near Pen-y-pass

A FANTASTIC JOB WELL DONE

I’m not sure how I feel this morning knowing that we are about to leave for the challenge. I’m excited and also slightly nervous not knowing the route completely I don’t really know what’s ahead of me, but maybe it’s better that way.

So all the training is over and all the preparation and waiting.  In about 2 hours the cars and the van will leave on the long drive up to the first camp site for the start of the challenge. As I’m writing this the all the gear is being packed up and the last bit’s of preparation are being done to make sure we have everything we need.

I am still excited and still looking forward to tomorrow even though the closer I get the idea of actually doing it seems more and more daunting.

Wish us luck, keep following us on here (I will try and post progress reports in the evenings) and of course if you haven’t already, don’t forget to sponsor us .

Finally thank you to everyone that has already we be out their trying our best to complete it !

In recent months (maybe even years) my rear shifter has not been all that snappy, I thought I should sort it for the challenge so bit the bullet and took it to a bike shop. It seems that my chain is hideously over stretched and cassette is completely worn out. I guess that happens after 10 years and several thousand miles of riding. Had to spend some money for once and get a new drive train in, chain, cassette and jockey wheels.
Spent last night truing the gears and now she runs beautifully, like a Swiss train. Also put some new tyres on which run nice and smooth, hopefully they provide some puncture protection too.
The bike’s in good nick, not so sure about the rider!

With the big day drawing closer I have begun to increase focus on the event in a number of areas other than training.
Firstly, donations. We have now secured pledges for about 2500 pounds, for which I am extremely grateful. I gained a few more commitments yesterday which I hope will help the total past 3000 pounds by the start of next week. I would urge everyone to get their personal sponsors to log on to the site and register their pledges, as the sponsorship is a big motivator for the event. Remember Uniline will match whatever you raise.
Secondly having read Rob’s blog about preparation and cycle maintenance I started to think about anything we could do to take away some of the pain that we may incur during the event, so I have purchased a few communual goodies to help us on our way. Most imporatnt of these, Chamois Cream (for us laymen, bum cream), to reduce soreness and aid fast recovery at the end of the day! Also some energy drinks and bars and muscle recovery massage cream. (You will have to rub this in yourself though as we have no willing volunteers! Well none that I would let rub cream on my legs anyway.) I will also be ordering some extra provisions next week, such as water and bagels to keep us alive.
With the big day drawing near, I have been increasing my exercise programme and was interested to see how I could speed up muscle recovery, especially as we will only have about 7 hours rest between the stages of the challenge. I found the following tips;
1. Continue to drink after we finish each leg. A sports energy drink within 30 to 45 minutes is good and water.
2. Eat plenty of carbohydrates within 2 hours of finishing each leg and ensure that only about a quarter of your food intake is made up of protein. Avoid fat and fibre as this can slow down muscle recovery.
3. Vitamin C or supplements.
4. Sit in a pool of freezing water (numbs your sore ass as well. Bonus!)
Although nervous about many aspects of the event (mostly the pain aspect and being left for dead on Ben Nevis) I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the start line and to what I am sure will be a once in a lifetime (for me anyway) event.
Best regards
Simon

So the countdown really has begun, in just two weeks time we will be beginning the long drive up to Scotland to start the challenge !!

I’m still getting the Miles in, I feel my training is still going well.  Although I think I am now beginning to realise quite how much pain I may be in when I get to the end of it.  But it wouldn’t be much of a challenge if it was going to be easy right.

Update on the Bike, new tyres are excellent, and have made a big difference to my riding, I don’t feel like I’m fighting the bike anymore which has to be a good sign.  Also ended up spending more money as my cycle computer died on me, so I am waiting for the new one to turn up so I can find if I really am doing any better.

If you’ve been following us (or even if you haven’t), please feel free to donate and support us. I’ve said it in my first post but it’s worth repeating, UNICEF do excellent work and really make a difference to people. They are definitely worth while supporting =)

Steve

Reverted to Imperial.
Fact – For any given distance there are fewer miles than kilometres.
Hence 6 (.2) miles is both psychologically and numerically smaller than 10k and therefore seems easier.
Eat your heart out Simon Williams; I bet our mate Ranulph never thought of this one!
Any way last week did 4 x 3miles and 1 x 6.2miles.
Weight still remains the same, at 93.8kg.

Dear Fellow Bikers,

Stu has asked me to prepare a list of bike checks, tools and spares that will be required for the 3 peaks challenge.

 Bike Checks

You may want to do this yourself or go to a good bike shop. ( epic, cult racing cycles, fred williams etc..)

If you have a brand new bike don’t assume everything will be fine. The bike will bed in, things will move etc  etc… plus they are often put together with little care or attention to detail.

For those of you who know all about bikes you may choose to ignore my advice and im sorry if it may sound a little patronising.  Numerous volumes have been written about bike maintenance so i wont try to cover all of that just a few gems I have picked up over the years.

If you decide to do any modifications to your bike try to do them at least 1 week before the start so that you can ride it and check it is all working correctly.

Robs Gems

1. Clean your bike regularly, most problems become glaringly obvious when you are trying to remove grime.
2. The majority of grit and oil on the chain congregates around the jockey wheels. Use a small flat bladed screw driver to clear this out whilst rotating the chain ring backwards.
3. Take the wheels out and spin them, feeling for play in the bearings and any nasty noises.
4. Grab the front brake, rock the bike back and forth, is there any play in the headset?
5. Check everything is tight! But not too tight. I lightly grease  fasteners and use a torque wrench. ( more important on carbon bits)
6. Take the seat post out, turn the bike upside down. Clear all of the dirt out and wipe the inside with a clean cloth. Lightly lubricate the post before reassembly. Make note of your perfect seat height.
7. To clean a cassette, use a good brush and a degreasing agent. Then take the wheel off and use an old cloth to drag it back and forth between the gears….. looks sparkly.
8. Invest in some good tyres with puncture protection. ( you will normally have to spend about £15 each to get something good, i am currently running some panaracers and some contis) I have found both to be excellent.
9. Assos shorts are expensive but nothing comes close for comfort, quality and fit. 130 – 150 miles in a day over 10 hours is a long painful time.
10. Stu had his rear hanger smashed off by a squirrel, (not in a sexual way) so he would suggest buying a spare. I have not been that lucky yet.
11. Get some cushy bar tape and fit it well, cuts down on the vibes.
12. Review your bottom bracket, if this fails your are out of the running.
13. Stretch, stretch stretch
14. Cycle easy for the first 10 mins and gradually increase your effort.
15. Cycle easy for the last 10 mins then stretch, helps for the next days efforts.
16. Keep an eye up the road and an eye on the guy in front.
17. When you look like you are going to hit a pot and there is nowhere to go, get out of the saddle and take the shock in your legs. Tyres that are running at the correct pressure are less likely to puncture when the pot scenario occurs.
18. Some of the roads we will be riding are busy A roads, cycling side by side and in groups of more than four can prove dangerous. We will split the group into a 5 and a 4 and set off 5 -10 mins apart.
19. Save yourself, go at a pace you feel comfortable with and you can maintain.

What to carry?

When cycling i will have the following items with me:

1. A mobile
2. Cash
3. Cards
4. A basic multi tool, racing bike specific
5. A mini pump
6. 2 x inner tubes
7. 1 x puncture repair kit
8. 2 good tyre levers
9. A spoke key
10. A banana & an energy bar ( Uniline will provide sports drinks and energy food)
11. Small emergency lights.
12. A quicklink for my chain ( you can buy brand specific items)
13. Two 750ml bidons

I will put the following items in the back up car:

1. Track pump
2. Spare spokes
3. Oil
4. A spare tyre
5. 2 x spare tubes
6. A basic tool kit
7. Maintenance Stand
8. A yellow bib, in case of bad light.

Clothing

This is a difficult one to judge as the weather can vary greatly but I will be packing the following:

1. Light weight waterproof cycling jacket
2. Lightweight gillet
3. Arm warmers
4. Knee warmers
5. Short fingered gloves
6. Long fingered light weight gloves
7. 3 pairs of good cycling shorts
8. 3 cycling jerseys
9. Overshoes waterproof
10. Overshoes lightweight
11. Helmet
12. Shoes ( check the condition of your cleats)
13. 3 pairs of short socks that have some padding to comfort the load your feet are putting through the pedals
14. Suncream
15. Sunglasses with interchangeable lenses.

100 miles is a long way and it hurts but it hurts a lot less if you work together, you can save about 30% of your energy sucking the wheel of the guy in front. Practice this with someone you know, before the start of the event. ( any sudden movements can cause disaster)

Good luck with the rest of your training. If you have any questions give me a call.

Thanks

Rob

Last weekend a group of us went walking to get in some training hill walking, (Stuart, Chris and Myself from Uniline, and Simon and Steve who are also joining us on the challange).  We met up in the morning and drove across to the Breacon Beacons.  It’s not a part of the country I have had much experience of, but there is some beautifull views, and it was a great day to be out walking.

Starting off at Blaen-y-Glyn  we followed the river, this isn’t the traditional route onto the ridge, but we did get to see some great waterfalls.  However we did pay the price a little later for going off the beaten track climbing straight up the side of Crag y fan Ddu which is about 220meters of rather vertical hill side.  I guess you have to get your legs warmed up some how.  From there we linked back up with the Breacons way and followed the traditional route along the ridge scalling Fan y Big, Cribyn, and Pen y Fan.  Then followed the ridge round before decending at the Neuadd reservoir, and following the valley back to the car.

Despite being used to mountian walking, having only really been training on the bike so far, I think my legs got a bit of a shock from the change in muscle usage. Especially getting up the next morning! maybe need a little more training on the walking side ..

Last bit for now, I have some new slick tyres for my Bike, Continental Ultra’s, the are a little bit narrower as well so hopefully this will reduce my rolloing resistance, and help my endurance.  I’m going out to for a ride later, so i’ll post how it goes when i’m back.