Rider biog: Clark Povey

I have always had a passion for road cycling and was amazed at an early age watching the Tour de France, and the sheer determination and endurance demonstrated by those cyclists and childhood heroes – Miguel Indurain, Greg Lemond and Eddy Merckx, all of whom pursued a common goal and a desire to be the best. At the age of 12, I received my first "real" racing bike and that was it – hooked.

Over the last number of years, I have pursued a number of cycling events with the biggest and longest being a charity ride from Belfast to London, 511 miles in five days called the "Virgin Media Big Ride". This was a huge success and able to raise a substantial amount of funding for the charities we were supporting and a great feeling of being able to give to others whilst challenging myself.

The invitation to ride with Geoff Thomas and support Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research at this year's London to Paris was a great opportunity and couldn’t be missed. I clearly jumped at the chance to not only raise money and awareness for the charity but also being able to push myself to cycle the 520kms, and you never know, I may pick up a yellow jersey along the way.

Membership:
British Cycling Club member – Gosforth Road Club

Planned activities for 2011:
Great North Bike Ride
London to Paris 2011

Future cycling goals:
Mont Ventoux
Alpe d’Huez

Clark's JustGiving page

Food on the move

Chaps, hope the training is going well. I personally started in earnest on Sunday which was difficult; lingering chest infection is playing havoc with me. For anyone who hasn't done long rides before here is some general advice (not mine) on keeping nourished during the ride. This will be even more important for us as we have to get up and do the whole thing the next day............. and again the next day! What you eat in Paris is your choice but I know the fat content will be higher for me! My advice is pack light on clothing and high on food and equipment etc. These are the real necessities for this outing. I have done a few 3 day stage races in my younger days and you cannot eat enough good food. The advice was for someone about six foot and average build. As part of you training now test different foods and see how your body reacts...Fig rolls and bagels do it for me. ' from the beginning to the end of the ride: have a few big bites of something high in carbohydrate, with a small amount or protein or no protein at all and minimal fat every 15-20 minutes. Someone your size should be able to absorb about 300 Calories per hour. In 15-20 minute chunks, that's 75-100 Calories per chunk. Do not go more than 20 minutes without a bite. Forget the cheese. You can use athletic energy foods, or choose from among these long-time cyclist favorites: pretzels, fig bars, bananas, potatoes, PB&J, crackers, bagels, rolls. Eating every 15 minutes is going to require carrying several hours worth of food. Recharge your pockets at your store stops, but don't do your eating there. Eat on the bike to save time. Drink enough that you need to urinate a few times during one of your long rides and that when you urinate, the color is pale, in the lemonade rather than the apple juice range' Andrew

Latest Justgiving comments - Naughty but nice!

Just received a kind donation via JustGiving website with the following comments:

Now the full body wax has been done
and the Lycra is tight round your bum
Give it your best, in leading the rest
and do not forget to have FUN

Naughty but nice!

Rider biog: Andrew Lewis

Following the end of my rugby career where I regularly trained two or three times a day, six days of the week, 48 weeks of the year a desk job came as a welcome change. Over the following years however, this more sedate way of life was manifesting itself in an ever burgeoning waist line. As a proud member of the ‘front row union’ dieting was out of the question and therefore exercise was the only solution. So I investigated my options…

The options however when you suffer disc problems in your back, have knackered knees and arthritic hips are limited and essentially come down to swimming and cycling and so I took to my bike. At first this was nothing more than a couple of miles here and there but in the last couple of years this has progressed to something a bit more serious.  As a New Years resolution I vowed to enter an organised cycling event this summer as a goal to which I could apply a more vigorous training regime.

Therefore when the opportunity arrived to apply to ride in the L2P event it was the perfect choice and one for which I’m very grateful to have the chance to take part in. On the cycling front it appears to be a superbly organised event that friends who are cyclist enthusiasts are already envious of and representing the Geoff Thomas Foundation gives me the chance to raise money for a very worthwhile cause. What more motivation could anyone want?

Andrew's JustGiving page

Spring Ride #3

Morning all, I went to the Spring Ride on Sunday morning after a very unreasonable amount of sleep, not helped by the cruel timing of the clocks going forward. I arrived at about 8:15 and this seemed to be when most people were arriving, although if you fancy a coffee and a chat I would aim to get there by 8 as I didn't have much time between sorting my kit out and getting on the road.

Then came the crunch time... which group do I go in? I opted, safely, for group 5 as I thought I'd rather be held up than be the one holding people up - this was a mistake! The aim was to do 62 miles in 4 hours; this turned into 53 miles in 5.5 hours. I spent 3h46m cycling and the other 1h44m stood around waiting for the slower people to catch us up. After around 5 or 10 miles, one of the ride captains (who are very helpful and gurus on all things bike) took the slowest few back to the start as they were too slow and were going to hold us up. The next slowest few were allowed to stay with us but were asked to try and stick to the front, but they struggled, particularly on some of the more difficult climbs.

I now find myself in something of a quandary, do I make the bold move up to Group 4 next time and risk being "that guy" holding everybody up or do I stick with Group 5 and hope that it's better next time. The ride itself was great, I met some wonderful people, most were first time L2P'ers but some had done it before and one chap, Finlay, was a fellow Geoff Thomas rider and this was his third year. Sorry, no photos. I must buy a compact digital as there were some amazing views over the Surrey countryside.

Sunday Time Trial - 28.5 miles

My first attempt at a time trial today - managed to complete a 2 lap undulating course of 28.5 miles in a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes (average speed about 35km per hour). I wore my 'Sonic the Hedgehog' cycle helmet, not sure if it helped, but I felt the part - what do they say 'All the gear - no idea!'.

I have the Brighton marathon in a couple of weeks after which I need to start putting the miles in on the bike.

Look forward to hearing what everyone else was up to on the weekend and if anyone took part in the L2P spring ride.

L2P 2010 Video and other musings.....

First things first, David - thanks for the discount code voucher. I think they've now publicised the discount, but we all know we can never have too much kit and it's great that people are watching out for offers and discount codes so we can all look good whilst in the saddle!

Thought I would also add a video to the blog (if it works). For those that weren't at the meeting in London (and anyone else viewing from outside the team of course), Geoff, his team and the Hot Chillee guys prepared a presentation which included the video below. I think many of those there found it a bit of a "hair standing up on the back of your neck" moment - I know I did!

You will also notice that I am posting this at 8pm on a Saturday evening - great will power. Ok, I lie, I have an exam next week so I am being forced to take it easy tonight. Anyway, enjoy!

LONDON PARIS 2010 from HotChillee on Vimeo.

Discount code for Wiggle - 15%

Wiggle is offering a 15% discount when you spend £50 or more.

Voucher code: REWARD15

Offer ends 2pm on Tuesday

Website link: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/

Aluminium, Carbon or Titanium?

My current road bike that I use for commuting has an aluminium frame - do I spend a bit of money and upgrade to carbon and more sportive geometry?

Alternatively, I have a nice titanium time trial bike that I could tinker with to make it more suited to the London 2 Paris event, but the geometry is probably a bit aggressive.

Decisions, Decisions.... (Money, Money.... Should I tell the wife?)

Please let me know what you will be riding on the day - pictures would be good

Anyone out there...?

Just thought I'd join the blog and show some support for the BD team...where is everyone? Perhaps they're all busy training in the sunshine....

Commute to work - what a drag!

After commuting to London for over 20 years (sometimes a 4 hour round trip!) I finally saw the light and made some life changes with a new career in Brighton.

Today my commute involved a gentle 40km cycle ride over the South Downs (a bit of a climb over Ditchling Beacon - see picture at base of hill). Going home I am going a more direct route (approx. 30km) along the sea front - what a drag! (NOT)

Rider biog: David Pegler

Age:

43

Married:

16 years in May

Children:

4 (youngest aged 9)

Time at Brewin Dolphin:

Joined in Sep 09 as Head of Brighton Office

Sporting background: 

Played sports at school (rugby team) but did not excel at any one sport - bit of an all-rounder

 

Current sporting interests:

Previously I did very little sporting activities with the exception of some mountain biking as I am fortunate enough to live very close to the South Downs. At the age of 39 I remember being a little on the heavy side for my size (14 stone) - too many corporate lunches. This was really brought to my attention when my youngest daughter innocently said to me one day: 'Daddy, I still love you, even though you are a bit fat'. With my 40th birthday approaching I decided to make a few changes. I tried running but found it quite hard on the body, so a friend suggested swimming for cross-training, I also made every effort to increase the time on the bike. With a bit of determination to get off my backside and be active together with some better food choices the weight finally started to come off. Once I felt my efforts were being rewarded I suppose I got the 'sporting bug' and wanted new ways to challenge myself and keep in shape. The obvious jump was to find a local triathlon club and train with like-minded driven individuals. After only a relatively short time at the club I was entering some short distance events and enjoying the sport, most importantly my fitness had improved and I was the correct weight for my size (12 stone) - the new improved 'Fit Daddy'. Now certainly going through my mid-life crisis but more interested in carbon / titanium bikes than fast cars. Proud member of the 'MAMILS' Group - 'Middle-aged men in lycra shorts'

Best sporting achievements:

Running the marathon in under 4 hours was always a long-term goal. I achieved this last year - Brighton 3:51. However I am most proud of my completion of the 2010 Antwerp 70.3 Ironman event (1.9km swim, 90km bike; 21km run - half marathon), with a time of 5 hours 27 mins.

Future sporting goals:

Now I have started in the triathlon world I feel I must have a go at the full Ironman distance - 3.8km swim, 180km bike and then a full marathon. The plan is to have a try in 2012 (Olympic year) - watch this space!

Planned activities for 2011 (main events):

Just completed the Brighton half marathon in 1:38 (PB); Full Brighton marathon – Apr; Triathlon training camp in the Alps – May; Ironman 3.8km river swim – June; London 2 Paris charity bike ride – June; New Forest 70.3 triathlon - Sep

Charitable support:

The Brighton Office continues to be keen supporters of Chestnut Tree House, the only Children’s hospice in Sussex. It will be a real privilege to also support the Geoff Thomas Foundation at this years L2P event. I have had some family history with cancer so feel that the ongoing support into the research and development of new treatments is vital in helping to understand the disease and ultimately provide a cure.

Rider biog: Nicholas Guest

I started my cycling "career" riding mountain bikes - having grown up in Yorkshire, there was never a shortage of trails to ride - and progressed to road cycling at around the age of 16. Mainly due to my Dad's passion for the sport I have, for the most part, remained a relative enthusiast, although I haven't ridden consistently (if at all) over the last couple of years. My last ride of note was the ascent of the notorious Mont Ventoux in France way back in 2008 (like Lance I only ride the "big ones" these days), which I would recommend any cycling enthusiast completes. I am thoroughly excited about training for the ride and getting to know my fellow riders over the coming months.

Having received the invitation to apply to ride for the Geoff Thomas Foundation at this years L2P event, I was determined to grab a place. 99% of Britain's cycling population has heard of Geoff and his charity and this event will not only provide me with the opportunity of riding alongside the man himself, it will more importantly allow me to play a part in both raising awareness of the charity and through fundraising, have a direct impact upon the projects being undertaken to help battle blood cancers. Although I have never been directly affected by the consequences of cancer, I passionately feel that the ongoing support into the research and development of new treatments is vital in helping to understand the disease and ultimately provide a cure.

Nick's JustGiving page

London-Paris 2011

Brewin Dolphin is delighted to field a team of ten riders for the London to Paris 2011 Cycle Ride in aid of Leukaemia ad Lymphoma Research. Please support our brave and dedicated team as we have an ambitious target £50,000 and there are many people who need the support from this worthy cause.

Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research is the only UK charity solely dedicated to research into blood cancers, including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Its life-saving research is focused on finding causes, improving diagnosis and treatments, and running groundbreaking clinical trials for all blood cancer patients.

As part of the Geoff Thomas Foundation team, our riders are from offices across the Brewin Dolphin Group and many have local hospitals involved in the clinical trials which are to be funded by the proceeds from the race this year.

Geoff Thomas is an ex-Crystal Palace and England player who was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia in 2003. Unlike many who do not survive this illness, Geoff battled back to health thanks to a life saving bone marrow transplant from his sister. Since recovering from his illness, Geoff has dedicated his life to raising money to fund blood cancer treatment.

Meeting our team target will be not be easy, but with your support for such a life changing charity, we can help Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research to continue supporting sufferers of blood cancer. Thank you.