So we’re into the final straight of 2013, and another epic Tour de Soleil here on Planet Cycling draws to a thrilling finale with a sprint finish through the hype of December, bursting through the finishing tape on Christmas Day before a triumphant victory lap and a kiss on the cheek from the glitzy podium girls of New Year’s Eve and January first.
I’ve watched enough Christmas TV to know that tis the season for taking stock, savouring re-reuns of the year’s highlights and making plans for the future. I can’t remember what I had for dinner yesterday, but luckily being plugged into a support system of social media sites means I’ve a digital record of what I got up to over the past year instead of memories.
According to Strava I’ve cycled 4,953.2 km so far this year, even if most of it was clocked up trundling between London Victoria and Camden on a rusty folding bike. There were some decent rides in there too, including riding my first ever sportive, but the highlight was probably completing London to Paris in 24 hours.
L2P24, as we vets call it, was one of several overnight rides in a row, which I now remember I’d promised to tell you about (sorry about that). The details of those rides are already lost in the mists of time, but I love night cycling and the 280 miles of road between Blackheath in London and the Champs Elysees in Paris were special. I remember chatting to a young Scottish guy shortly after dawn, with maybe 100 miles still to go, and convincing him to hang in there, that it would all be worth it at the finish line – and sure enough, the satisfaction and sense of achievement that comes with pushing yourself to achieve new limits is immense.
As a teenager my friends and I would set ourselves similar challenges, like drinking four bottles of Buckfast in a single night and the discipline that such innocent games instilled in us as youths simply can’t be bought. Come to think of it, Buckfast would probably be a useful pick-me-up for the bidon on these all-nighters.
The Dunwich Dynamo in July was another epic overnight spin. Raspberry picking duties down the allotment (true story) meant I arrived in London a few hours after my ride buddies had left, and set off in hot pursuit alone. I soon caught up with a few stragglers, one of whom proved such decent company that we ended up riding together the whole night through. The atmosphere along the way was fantastic, from the fairy lights and late-night pub gardens packed with happy cyclists to the ransacked food vans and bleak humour in the cold mists of morning.
I never managed to catch up with my friends, but when the coach arrived back in London around lunchtime the sun was shining so I hopped back on the bike and rode home to Brighton. I may have stopped for a huge pub lunch en route, there’s a suspicious gap in my Strava time around Ditchling…
As a teenager my friends and I would set ourselves similar challenges, like drinking four bottles of Buckfast in a single night and the discipline that such innocent games instilled in us as youths simply can’t be bought. Come to think of it, Buckfast would probably be a useful pick-me-up for the bidon on these all-nighters.
So what about next year? Well, in the spirit of impending Christmas I have gifted myself the promise of pain, by signing up to ride the Ronde van Vlaanderen Challenge in April. Otherwise known as the Tour of Flanders, this sportive follows the cobbled route of the iconic Belgian spring classic and suffice to say is way out of my league. But I’ll give it a shot, and I promise to tell you all about it. By way of training I will be attempting the Rapha Festive 500. The challenge is ride 500km in a few days over Christmas, which will be tricky as I’ll be home in Ireland and don’t have a road bike there. I recommend you check it out though, it’s the perfect antidote to all that port and stilton. And stuffing and mince pies. And turkey, chocolate and pudding… OK, I’ll be lucky to manage 5km.
Finally, as Christmas is a time for family, it wouldn’t be right to let a column pass without mentioning young Felix, my adopted cyclist. We have grown close over the past year, in a one-sided sort of way, and even though he’s in Australia training right now we still keep in touch by me checking out his Strava and Instagram feeds from time to time. I wish him every success for next season.
Wherever you are and whatever your cycling plans for next year, I hope you have a great break over the holidays and look forward to seeing you out on the roads again in 2014.
