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It’s getting on for a year since I last posted here. That’s good news for anyone who may be fortunate enough to read these ramblings.

The blogging world hasn’t been setNalight by my talk of targets or animals where the name is the name of two other animals? Perhaps twitter will be kinder to me: @ tgdp and you’ll find me there. Same rubbish only shorter.

How many times have I had the opportunity to say “back in the saddle”? This time it’s all good news though and thanks to the recent good weather I’m loving it.

The surprise came with a hangover from last summer – my garmin was lost in the crash. At the time it didn’t really bother me. But since I’ve started cycling again it’s not quite been the same.

I’ve been keeping track of my progress using the runkeeper app. Each ride a couple of seconds faster per kilometer. Still not close to last year’s speeds but progress each ride so a sure reason to be cheerful.

Last weekend, a great thing happened. That most boring of jobs, clearing out the garage, turned up gold. An old cycle computer that I’d forgotten about. An hour later and instead of having my speed and distance tracking out of sight in my back pocket, it was on the stem where it belonged.

Who would have thought that just being able to see your speed as you go would make so much difference?

From a 2s/km improvement per ride I had an instant 10s/km improvement on the first ride with instant feedback. Clearly that isn’t going to be sustainable but as a one off boost it’s something that makes me smile more than normal.

Now, what else can I find that can give me instant feedback for improvement in other parts of my life?

Ever wanted to see where is within a certain distance of point in the world?

Look no further: Radius plotter.

Enjoy!

Just like in the title, there was a full stop. Twenty-two minutes up the hill and less than two minutesdown before the gravel got under my tyres and meant that the previously comfortable speed became a bit too exciting. Especially when combined with a bend in the road.

So there I was. Flipped over the barrier. Beaten up, bleeding, broken. Luckily after throwing myself back onto the road the very first car that came across me avoided me and then stopped before the driver helped. And the second car did the same. And the third car too. After that, they surely would have continued the trend had there not been enough help already. Would the same have happened in the UK? Perhaps. Perhaps best to think that it would – keep positive!

And so my first helicopter ride wasn’t a pleasure trip over the grand canyon or through the bridges of the Thames. It was an Alpine pass to the hospital where I stayed for the next 13 days. How fantastic that my injuries were limited to one side of my body and that it was the right, my weaker.

From the bottom up, 15 or so stitches for two cuts in my leg. Contusions to liver and kidneys. Two broken ribs. Split bicep with about 25 stitches holding it together. Then another dozen or so stitches in my face. Lucky my face was attached to me when I crashed, it made sure I stopped quickly!

What lessons? Insurance is good. Adventures aren’t always fun but they do get you some good stories. Most importantly, road cycling isn’t always safe but is still a great sport.

Unfortunately JOGLE has to wait for another time. But for now, lets get back on the bike.

What have I gone and done now? Only agreed to cycle the length of the country, that’s what! It’s not my fault. It was a moment of weakness. Except I’m quite looking forward to it.

There’s a group of 100 of us, sticking together through good weather and bad, through punctures and chain breaks. By the end of it, we’ll have set a world record (although this seems a little odd given it’s something that can only be done in the UK!), raised £100,000 for Psychiatry Research and had a lot of fun on the way.

My registration was confirmed on 30th June and since then it’s been training, training, training. Ride lengths are increasing and in the last 20 days I’ve managed just under 900km of across and 5km of up. Looks like I’ll need to do quite a bit more up in time for the big event.

Did I mention, I can’t wait!

Bottle of water: don't refill!

Hi Mr Page

Thank you for contacting us to request more information on why we advise our customers not to reuse or refill our Brecon Carreg Water bottles.

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Many people do refill bottles with tap water but in doing this the water or bottle may be contaminated or tainted. When a person drinks water direct from a bottle, saliva and food particles are always washed back into the bottle. If the bottle is refilled, an unpleasant taste and smell can develop.

In addition, if the bottle is reused to store another liquid, there is then the possibility of causing real harm, so again a reason to deter the customer from refilling the empty bottle.

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Finally, I’ve done a 50 miler after work. Today isn’t too bad but I can feel that I’ve worked.

Also need to learn how to use the 705 a bit better – it wasn’t supposed to be quite this long a ride!

I finally found my mojo. It was behind the television.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been out in this much mud. Here are the top things I must remember for next time…
Bike setup must be right – it’s critical when your mech is bunged up with mud!
Tyres are better if they actually shed the mud
Select a route without too much mud (a managed trail centre would be a great choice)
Finally…

Smile.