DEL BOY and the Trotters did ‘to Hull and Back’, but I’m planning something more difficult. ‘Wrynose or Bust’ on a bike: 100 miles in the hills of the Lake District, with a major climb up Wrynose Pass somewhere in the middle. This blog will report my progress. I shall log my successes and failures, my ups and downs, and the inevitable injuries.

One hundred up-and-down miles over Wrynose would be no big deal for your average club cyclist, but for an overweight, underfit guy (me) it is a tall order. My next-door neighbour John, who is very fit, does this ride every year, and in a mad moment and because I hit 60 next year I decided I would tag along with him. John, incidentally, is 71. We thought we’d do it sometime around May 2009, weather and courage (for my part) permitting. 

It seemed like a good idea to use the ride to try and raise some cash for a few of the charities I am interested in. I need all the incentive I can get and generating some support for these charities may be just the spur I need.

Rotary Club of Lancaster
Rainbow House
Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC)
The Dystonia Society

I’ll explain in a later entry about each of these charities and why I am interested in them.

The training is about to start. First of all, clearly, some weight will have to go. It’s all very well for people like John, who is naturally lean and who has cycled four or five times a week for his whole life, but I have a full-time job managing Pagefast Print & Publishing Limited, a commercial lithographic printer in Lancaster, I have a vast appetite, and at heart I am a bit lazy. It’s not a good formula. I eat and drink too much and most of my energy goes into thinking about work. 

That said, I’m not a total lounge lizard. In John’s company I cycle 20-30 miles every Sunday morning and have been doing so for a few years. But clearly this needs to be stepped up. 

This is where Greg comes in. He’s going to get me into shape.

I’ve never met Greg LeMond, but I have just bought one of his indoor trainers, which comes complete with a fitness programme designed by the great man. If I have any chance of success it will be all down to Greg and his equipment (and John). And if I fail, I’ve got someone to blame.

I’ve been an admirer of Greg since 1985, when I used to cycle home from work and watch the Tour de France on Channel Four. American cyclists do things the hard way: Lance Armstrong tackled cancer as well as Le Tour, and Greg, obviously finding his first win in 1986 too easy, won it twice more rattling with shotgun pellets, courtesy of his brother-in-law on a hunting trip. He would have won even more titles had it not been for some underhand treatment by the French. (That last bit is my view and I’m too old to change now.) You can read more about Greg here.

Anyway, Greg LeMond is very much into innovative bike building – he needed to be, having lost 20 pounds of muscle in the shooting incident – so in addition to his trainer I also plan to ride one of his bikes on this adventure. A double whammy all round. I have a Fausto Coppi bike, but the gearing will be all wrong for the Cumbrian hills; my LeMond is a specialist etape bike with great gearing that should give me a better chance. There is also a nice synergy, using Greg to help my training regime and doing the deed on one of his bikes.

Can I get fifteen and a half stone down to fourteen? Will I be fit enough? Will it all end in tears? Watch this space and, if you feel the need, feel free to contribute to one or all of my chosen charities.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 12th, 2008 at 5:55 pm and is filed under Wrynose or bust. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.