Bike of Wight – Friday 26^th and Saturday 27^th June

The 1^st summer outing of 2009 was eagerly awaited, coming as it did at the end of June and in Southern England, meaning decent weather was surely guaranteed.

Once more they came from all corners of the UK to rendezvous at Chez Greenleaf, Matt and Leon came from the north, via a deluge in Birmingham, Steve from Reading, Andy from London and Martin from a day at Wimbledon.

Friday evening took the form of a delightful barbeque provided by Mr and Mrs Leaf, and a rather entertaining game of WipeOut which became a bit addictive. Martin arrived a close to midnight, with no lights and having ventured onto the dual carriageway on his way. The things people do for extra miles!

Saturday came and, after Leaf and Leon had completed the obligatory morning run, allowing Gaunt to faff to his hearts content, we almost left on time.

Steve ‘Two Jeans’ Woonton had two problems however. Firstly he wasn’t convinced his fitness would allow him to cover the proposed (Winchester, remember) distance of 80 miles. Therefore he had decided to tag onto the autobus to Winchester station, and train it into Southampton, meeting us at the docks. Secondly, he had new shoes and pedals, which were a bit unfamiliar. To prove this, after two pedal strokes he promptly keeled over to the ground a mere 5m into the cycle.

With Steve dispatched to Winchester, the pace began to wind up, and there was ambitious talk of beating him to the Docks. This went out of the window when Leaf swerved, without warning, around a large stone, allowing Baptiste the pleasure of the resultant puncture when it became unavoidable. Team MMX is adept a dealing with such incidents now, though Gaunt took on a strictly supervisory role, whilst returning texts to the on-the-move Woonton.

Following this delay, we were soon on the outskirts of Southampton, and an electric pace was set on the road into the city, the smooth tarmac proving ideal. Machine had helpfully purchased two walkie-talkies for this trip, and as Steve had one, this proved useful for communication as to which dock to go to. Over the course of the weekend, they also proved useful for intercepting the internal boat communications, and somebody’s Motorcycle Driving Test!

The weather to this point had been overcast and cool, but once the boat drifted into the Solent, this incredibly changed for the better, and the clouds dispersed and the sun stuck down, so it was time to apply the sun cream. More Wipeout was played, subjects including Rivers of Britain, Car Makes, Supermarkets and other thrilling genres.

Before we knew it, we disembarked onto the island at East Cowes and we were off. Or we would have been had Martin not picked up the days second puncture within half a mile. Following another quick change (what would we do without Machine?), it was off onto a good 90 minutes of solid cycling pre lunch, which took us east and out onto the coast near Brading. It was a very undulating ride, with long ups and solid downhills, really proving a good test early doors, and this set the scene for the rest of the day – there was not much flat to be gained. Come 1pm, thoughts turned to lunch, and whilst we were looking for something more substantial than a teashop, the quaintness factor was still high on the agenda.

As a result, despite the town on Sandown being a couple of miles away, Leaf decided that the sign for a pub/restaurant at a left turn was worth pursuing, three previous outlets having been rejected. What wasn’t immediately obvious was that the pub was over a mile away, up a long, long hill. This blew the team apart, and led to much cursing and weaving on the road. I would say the views were worth it, but that would be a revision of the facts, as at the time that wasn’t the primary opinion.

Then came the ‘dog shit’ incident. Martin, having taken his shoes off, to reveal his pristine white socks, went to retrieve something from his bike. A squelch, and the sock was soiled. In typical Gaunt style, there wasn’t the back up of sockwear that, say, 2 Jeans would carry, and so this did prove a problem.

Following a hearty lunch, it was back on the road, and through the seaside town of Sandown and the adjacent Shanklin, and up a really big climb of Church Hill. It was quite hot at this point, which made a change from previous MMX outings, but really added to the exertions! A long down hill and a trip round the Ventnor one-way system, were shadowed by the thought that the must be a long up hill coming soon…

There was, after we had paced through the non-PC village of Blackboy, and hit the southern coast for good, travelling parallel for a good 10 miles. Some good speed was attained on the downhills, and a very good rolling speed for all the team on the flat bits.

This deserved reward, and it came in the shape of an ice cream van in a car park by the beach. Some of the car park had fallen into the sea previously, which led to an interesting recap of GCSE geography.

It wasn’t far to the hostel now, but there was, predictably, one more hill to overcome. We then came across some other cyclists in the lanes near to the Hostel, which meant one more surge to overtake these ‘rivals’. But the drive into the hostel car park was far too steep to negotiate.

An evening meal in the local gastro-pub rounded off the day as the sea fog rolled in from the coast, and Martin had some trouble getting what he ordered. An early night was called for and didn’t prove much of a problem, with Gaunt predictably snoring before some of us had even shut our eyes….

Day 1 Stats:

• Miles: 65(shoddy)
• Casualties: 0
• Breakdowns: 0
• Punctures: 2
• Trains: 1
• Forecourts: 0
• Quaint Tea Shops Pubs on top of big hills: 1
• Haziness Rating: 1, but that was only the fog
• MMX Training Rating: 8/10 – Great weather and hills, though slightly lacking in mileage

Useful Phrases:

• ‘That Geordie Guy’
• ‘Undulating’
• ‘I’ve just stepped in some dog shit’
• ‘Crackle….Machine to Two Jeans…over…where are you…crackle…’

Bike of Wight – Sunday 28^th June

Day two was to be complex, involving as it did a ferry back to the mainland, some additional early morning colouring in on the Lymington Pier to god-knows-where branch line for Leon, a cycle (what we were there for after all!) through the New Forest back to Chez Leaf’s, before we all disappeared back to the four corners of the country. Leaf had also scheduled a morning 8 mile hilly run (to The Needles and back), but that goes without saying.

Such days require substantial breakfasts, but nobody had told the YHA (certainly not Greenleaf who failed to book us breakfasts the night before). Undeterred, the pioneering Two Jeans eventually struck a cereal deal with the less-than-enterprising battleaxe of the hostel manager. Gaunt and Leaf did likewise, not without conflict, though several mid morning pastries would prove necessary for Gaunt to safely reach lunch.

The morning’s Totland to Yarmouth 5 mile prologue behind us, we caught the ferry to Lymington, notable only for the captain’s insistence on navigating extremely close to several junior sailing boats. Perhaps Machine’s walkie-talkies were jeopardising shipping communication, but they did prove useful relocating Leon at Lymington Pier, fresh from his railway exploits.

Heading north out of Lymington, a peloton- in the form of another group of lycra-clad cyclists- soon swallowed us up and then, well, dropped us. One can only assume they were planning a less challenging route than our own (slightly modest) 55 Winchester miles back to Winchester. Egos were soothed once we accelerated past an old woman on a shopping bike.

Our route cut a swathe across the New Forest, with Leaf recalling his half marathon victory on these roads a year or two prior. We passed through a few towns, including Lyndhurst, which led to an inevitable discussion of Rodney Trotter. It was serene progress, in glorious sunshine, and with the company of the wild horses that roam the National Park. This of course meant plenty of cattle grids, which Gas Man insisted on walking across. This left him off the pace on occasion, particularly when Machine was the tete de la course, and setting a ferocious pace.

On one such occasion, motoring along a main-ish road, Two Jeans suddenly veered off onto the verge. For once, he was not citing human breakdown but, as Machine licked his lips in anticipation, a major mechanical breakdown. This was not of South Walian-Forecourt proportions, but it was serious nonetheless. The fact that Gaunt is unable to provide detail on the precise mechanical fault itself points to his lack of hands-on support, but he can recall Machine suggesting breaking the chain and then putting it back together. This sounded like something our mechanic would do for fun in his garage on Sunday mornings, and Two Jeans was right to veto it in favour of another solution (not sure what). 45 minutes later, with Machine and Leaf covered in so much oil they looked like residents of Blackboy, the problem was fixed. In the meantime, Steve had busied himself trotting across the road in a camp fashion, much to the amusement of Baptiste.

The mechanical delay meant that the proposed tea shop stop was cancelled, and we pushed on through the forest. Progress was briefly interrupted by the need to cross the A31 at Stoney Cross. This was practically like running across a motorway, and provided some useful, if dangerous, running-with-bikes transition training. There was then the usual heated debate over lunch venue and timing. Gaunt was keen on a kind-of upmarket garden centre cafe, the landscaped gardens raising the quaintness quotient, which also made it attractive to Woonton. Baptiste was holding out for a working men’s club serving spam and chips, but relented once he heard (via walkie-talkie communication from the advance party) the cafe was licensed (before then inexplicably deciding against a beer). Lunch was good, certainly better than the triple grot-burger of the day before, and we were on our way again.

But not for very long, as the unambitious mileage for the day meant that we were soon heading into Winchester. Gaunt broke off from the group so as to catch the train back to the big smoke, while the others continued on down the road to King’s Worthy. Farewells were said: Next stop Lake District: the Third Annual Training Week, sponsored by Pete Bland Sports and the Met Office.

Day 2 Stats:

• Miles: 55 (sure, we’re ironmen...)
• Casualties: 0
• Breakdowns: 1
• Punctures: A rare clean sheet overshadowed by the breakdown
• Trains: Numerous, esp for Leon
• MMX Training Rating: 2/10 – If we think a 55 mile canter through the New Forest will prepare us for the enormity of Ironman France, we’re kidding ourselves. Good fun though.

Poor day for quotes:

• “Nicholas Lyndhurst”
• ‘We could break your chain and put it back together again’

Lake District 2009 Blog: Return to Waterfall View

Present:
Steve 'Two Jeans' Woonton
Leon 'Baptiste' Foster
Matt 'Machine' Kilpin
Martin 'Gasman' Gaunt

Day Zero - Pre Helvellyn Night

After Steve and Matt rendevous in a dry (!) Ambleside, Leon arrives having been to a football match in Carlisle. It is decided to visit the ubiquitous Booths, which makes a welcome return to the shopping haunts of the Southeners. Here a trolley is quickly filled with all the requirements for a week's heavy training, which leads the arriving Martin to comment that this is clearly a Woonton oriented Training week, rather than a Greenleaf oriented one. The trolley totals £170, and a 6 foot long reciept.

Martin arrived suited and booted from a wedding, and came with news that Greenleaf has pulled out of Sydney Marathon and taken up the option of 2 x 13.1 instead. As you do.
In other news, the lesser-sighted Davies is engaged, thus locking in the first WAG in the lovely Laura.

Prior to the arrival of Gaunt, Leon, Matt and Steve watched Phillip Schofields cube, and re-enacted some of the challenges in the living room of Chez MMX. Most difficult was the landing of the kit kat foil ball and the coffee table held 5 foot in the air.

Steve produced a lovely chicken and pasta, though Martin had already eaten his usual cauldron of carbs on the Lake District Express. After this Steve set packing all the things he decided he needed into his Camelbak, whilst Machine fixed several bikes at once.

Day One - Helvellyn Triathlon (for some)

In a break with 2008 convention, the triathlon was scheduled at the beginning of the week. But before any MMX competitors so much as wet their toes, there were considerable logistic/faff issues to contend with. In fact, at 6.30am, Baptiste produced one of perhaps the top ten MMX moments. We thought he was joking, but he wasn't: "I've forgotten my wetsuit".

Despite this setback, we pressed on, with Leon potentially hiring a wetsuit. With Gaunt and Leon in different wave starts, we briefly considered a wetsuit handover in transition. However, although Gasman's swimming has improved, even he had to admit he couldn't do a mile in ten minutes.

But there was more. The Machine-mobile and the Woonton runaround took different exits from the Falls, Two Jean's choosing a controversial route via 'Edinboro'. Machine and Gaunt were sure they were leading the two car peloton up the kirkstone pass, and hence waited for Woonton and Leon at the top. And waited. And waited.

Gaunt killed some time by changing into his wetsuit on the side of the mountain, while machine considered how he would be able to compete, given that his wheels were in Steve's car. Eventually we gave up and headed for the start- at least this way Gaunt would take part- one of the four- a sorry state of affairs. As we descended into Glenridding, we then struck on the idea that perhaps they were ahead of us after all.

And they were, leading to only the third ever tantrum by machine (throwing his bike helmet to the ground now joins 1) when nobody helped take the course down at Ed Prickett Relays and 2) drinking game toys out of pram incident last year. Angry Machine now leads Angry Wasp 3-2.)
Nevertheless, everyone just about managed to make the start line, except Leon, who was looking a little underprepared with no wetsuit and one wheel (his frame and other wheel were in Matt's car.) At this point Baptiste gave up on the triathlon, and declared he would "punish himself" with a long run to watch the race. He managed 17 miles.

Logistical chalenges behind us, the ironmen-wannabes crept tentatively towards the ice cold Ullswater- the swim course had again been shortened due to the 11 degrees temperature- to approx 1200m. Gaunt was first off, clearing rating himself on the entry form with his ambitious predicted swim time, and finding himself out of place amongst the top swimmers. Machine and Two Jeans followed shortly after, and Lakes Training Week 2009 was properly underway.

Swim Times:
Honours to Channel-Swimmer Woonton here with 20.51, not far behind was Gaunt with 22.12, and an encouraging swim debut from our latest breaststroker, Machine with 28.28.

Machine’s Debut Swim

Onto the bike after some of the slowest transitions ever witnessed (Gasman got stuck in his wetsuit, and then had difficulty putting on his vest. Machine inexplicably took 4 minutes 20). It was the same 38 mile course, including the dreaded "Struggle" up the Kirkstone Pass.

Bike Times:
As expected, Machine dominated here, finishing in 2.05.17, Gaunt struggled on the flat, but would like to point out that not one person passed him on the Kirkstone Pass, and he took great delight in passing two cyclists with expensive aerodynamic helmets: 2.12.37. Woonton a creditable 2.29.43, putting him in a decent position going into the run.

Woonton breezes up “The Struggle”

Run Times:

And then the fell run, this time to the top of Helvellyn (or very nearly- Steve still hasn't quite crested it after two attempts). 9 miles, but so steep on the way up you had to walk and, memorably, scramble, and steep enough coming down to make it less than comfortable.
After victories in the earlier disciplines for the Steve and Matt, Gaunt was pleased to complete the set with one of the fastest run times of the day: 1.28.47. Machine no doubt powered his way up, but lacked experience on the technical descent, finishing in 1.46.00. Woonton did not have his finest athletic moment: 2.30.19. It was noted that this was slower than Leaf's marathon pb, despite being 17 miles shorter. It was England's third highest peak though!!

Gaunt descending back to Glenridding

So the final times: Gaunt- 4 hrs 9 mins, Kilpin 4 hrs 28 mins, Woonton 5 hrs 28 mins. Well done team! A celebratory ice bath back in Ullswater. Hmm...lovely.

After more logistical difficulties getting home, the team then crashed out on the sofa, before Matt, Martin and Leon locked in the fist spa session of the week. And then for curry.

Day Two - The Recovery

With the pain of Helvellyn over day two began with 4 atheletes waking up struggling to even get down the stairs, so any sort of intense excercise was completely off the cards today. Instead a trip to Keswick was scheduled to browse the outdoor shops and grab a spot of lunch. A pleasent surprise started the Keswick visit when we bumped into Lizzie and boyfriend (Ross, Graham...?).

Before long Gannet Gaunt's stomach was ready for it's 15th meal of the week, the rest of us are on 6, so the quaint hunt was on for a lunch spot. Enter the Gallery, after a pleasant feed including Gaunt's top MMX lunch to date of duck platter, it was time to split for some more shopping. Steve ventured one way to buy some walking shoes whilst the other three went in hunt of a jigsaw puzzle.

All parties returned to meet in a tea shop (where else) to discuss the jigsaw findings, only for Steve to discover that the venture had been sidelined by a proposed boat buying escapade. Enter the dragons den. Steve and Martin offered a 15% stake each for £6 with machine proposed as majority shareholder, but Machine rejected the offer and insisted on a 4 x 25% purchase. All parties were required to make the purchase possible, but in a shock move Baptise declared himself out which meant the deal was off. Back to the original focus of the puzzle and a 1000 piece European map was decided upon.

After departing Keswick a swim in Grasmere was in order, the "swim" being short lived before a version of "the cube" was created using a ball, two bats, 4 MMXers, multiple rocks being thrown and many attempts to defy science in retrieving the ball, of course, Physics wouldn't let us.
Home bound were the team, Gaunt cooking up an excellent spag bol, with the remainder of the evening dominated by our geographical puzzle.

Where is Nice, Cote d’Azur?

Day Three - Slowly getting back to it

The morning plan being a leisurely run followed by the hardknott challenge was short lived. It started so well for all MMXers embarking on the run, but was the usual north west rain being particularly heavy and a trial of a sharp decent performed by the Gasman it was decided by Gaunt, Woonton and Foster that the Hardknott challenge was too much for today.

Machine refused to be put off and set off in a personal mission to give it a go. The other three took a trip to the spa. Upon their return they found that Machine was already back, doing what he does best and servicing his bike. Having reached the challenge and tackled a third of the first incline Machine determined that a malfunction was highly possible and turned back.

A quick turn around and it was off to Barrow for the highlight of the week: Barrow FC VS York City. Billed to be a top match after a 7 goal thriller for Barrow at the weekend. Hearts broke up some of the journey, the MMXers taking up 9 seats of the rather full bus. Into Barrow the team arrived almost rivaling Whitehaven and Workington on the run down northern town league table (Martin fitting in nicely wearing his piss stained white coat, still...) but this didn't stop the MMXers squandering time touring Barrow before the match, giving us just 15 minutes to eat and make the 10 minute walk to the stadium. Machine's meal was last to arrive, managing to knock back a panini and the hottest chips ever in just 2 minutes. This left the team running down the street to the match with stomachs full.

We arrived at the match just a few minutes late, luckily we didn't miss a goal. With the bets being on for 2, 3 or 4 goals, half time came and after a mixed first half with limited chances the game was goalless but we were confident that things would improve. It didn't. Still goalless at full time after a dire 2nd half the highlight had to be the 50p bovril, nice and salty (and it definately wasn't the toilets).

Back on the bus, the anticipated rush not being a problem, and it was home to Ambleside. An early night was had by all ready for our first hard days training tomorrow, the week's long cycle, starting at 8am (yeah right!)....

Day Four. Bike Ride Day…

Wednesday morning dawned early for the MMXers (well, sort of) with a slight air of trepidation. Ahead lay what was planned to be a whole day of cycling over some particularly scenic countryside.

The route, planned by Baptiste, (I think) (Actually by Gasman – ed.) was to take in not only a good chunk of the peak district, but also a healthy loop of the Yorkshire dales. The estimated distance? A cool 100 miles and the gradient profile was really not for the fainthearted! Everyone hoped Baptiste hadn’t taken his Geography GCSE in Winchester… (Gaunt had taken his in Cardiff-ed.) Several shortcuts had been also been duly noted in case the terrain proved too much for our already ‘Helvellyned’ legs.

At the flat, hearty breakfasts were had by all, before the usual departure faff commenced. After a few minor bike tweaks the peleton set off... and straight into the Struggle. The biggest hill of the day. After 15mins or so of what can only be described as hard labour, it was good to take a brief pause at the Kirkstone inn to admire the view, before hurtling down the Kirkstone Pass towards Brothers Water and Glenridding. What a way to wake up!

From Glenridding, the route followed the side of Ullswater as far as Pooley Bridge. So far the cycle had proven uneventful, with no breakdowns, injuries or other miscellaneous mishaps. Even the sun had come out. It was shaping up to be a first for Team 14ac MMX! Only a slightly suspect road surface hindered progress.

At Pooley bridge, Two Jeans was keen to have a stop, having spied a particularly quaint looking tea shop. The general consensus was that 15 miles wasn’t really far enough to warrant a tea stop (given the 100mi target) so, keen to rack up the miles the peleton headed for the hills (sorry 2J!).

From here it really did start to get undulating, though the picturesque scenery of the East Lake District and sunny weather helped to make up for it. The route gradually turned south-east here and after passing through a few quaint villages the country lanes gave way to the A6. At just under 30 miles (I think) a suitably quaint tea shop was located in Shap for the first stop of the day.

The route was discussed over a coffee and some particularly nice cakes (this teashop scored high!). At this point 2Jeans opted to head down the A6 to Kendal, knowing that some pretty savage hills lay ahead (A wise move in hindsight), while Gas Man, Baptiste and Machine opted to head east across the M6 and out towards the dales.

30 Mile Thoughts / Observations
- What a beautiful day!
- Nice caramel shortbread that.
- Isn’t ‘fell’ Northern for ‘big hill’ or something!?
- We’ve done 30 miles, but it doesn’t look like 30% distance on the map… Ah, must be an optical illusion or something.

From here on in, the going got distinctly hillier and the cattle grids more numerous. Spirits were high though, as were energy levels, so good progress was made through the sunny countryside. There was even a multi-award winning quaint tea shop in one of the villages (strangely passed by this time...). Things were going well until…. Somewhere near Crosby Ravensworth, Baptiste suffered the first mechanical malfunction of the day. The horrible clanking sound was soon traced to a broken spoke on the rear wheel of his bike. Perhaps it was caused by the cattle grids or bad road surfaces. Who knows? But with no spare, the only option was to tape it to a neighbouring spoke to stop it flailing about.
With visions of the ‘fourcourteen’ incident firmly in mind (see Chester to Cardiff day 2…. )Baptiste was issued with an emergency radio and it was back in the saddle.

The roads from here onwards really got interesting, weaving through the hills. Good progress was being made too, with no further breakdowns and only one near miss with a motorbike!
After a couple of really fast hours in the saddle on a road following a railway line the three made it to the A684 near Garsdale Head. Here at a pub, an old boy with pint in hand, told us that a steam loco was running this line today… Gas Man and Machine began to wonder if Baptiste’s (Gaunt’s-ed.)choice of route was entirely coincidental…

From here, with lunch stop in mind, the remaining 8 or so miles to Hawes were taken at speed. It was here though that disaster nearly struck. Cruising at 30-35 Mph, Gas Man and Matt saw a horse box coming up a farm track to the road. It stopped, the driver looked both ways, paused, then pulled out blocking the entire road right in front of the two bikes. With no escape route Matt and Gas Man slammed the brakes and managed to slow down just in time. It was a close call though. After a bit of light abuse hurling the adrenaline was pumping and Hawes was reached in no time.

Lunchtime Thoughts / Observations:
- Great road that. Shame about the horsebox.
- Dales are beautiful.
- Still going well…
- We’ve got how far to go?!
- A BLT in Windermere you say Steve?

At Hawes, a great little café was recommended by an old lady. This proved to be a top tip, serving delicious burgers… the fuel of all top athletes as I understand it!
After lunch and a quick snooze for some it was back on the road, and straight into a monster hill out of the town. About half way up Gas man gave a shout. The magnet from his speedo had fallen off sometime around lunchtime.
While he went back to the café to look for it (unsuccessfully), Baptiste and Matt took the opportunity to recover on a convenient patch of grass.

From this point onwards, I think it is fair to say that the ride started to turn into an epic. The drag from Hawes up to the Ribblehead Viaduct (Baptiste!!!) went on for miles and miles (no exaggeration!) and was made worse by a headwind.
By the time the three of us made it to Ingleton (and the A65) it was only Gas Man who didn’t appear to be feeling the miles in his legs.

At Kirkby Lonsdale, Baptiste and Matt went off to find supplies while Gasman ‘fresh as a daisy’ Gaunt sunned himself in the town square. It was only a short stop, before getting back on the bikes for a quick loop of Kirkby Lonsdale and out onto a slightly suspect looking B-road to Kendal.

The B-road turned out to be a monster with loads of savage1st gear hills… just what we needed. Meanwhile, Gasman had his Ipod cranked up to the max and was giving it hell up the hills. Matt was doing his best to keep pace (without much success) while Baptiste was waiting for the Kirkby Lonsdale cola to kick in. Much to the relief of Machine and Baptiste, Gasman’s legs seemed to be running on the same battery as his Ipod, so when the Ipod ran out, the pace slackened off too.

After what seemed like an age Kendal loomed into view. Here the signage left a lot to be desired, taking us back out of the town and on to a 70Mph dual carriageway. This was pretty grim, crawling up a hill while the cars whistled past. The phrase ‘sitting duck’ most definitely sprang to mind. Matt was glad of his fluorescent Helvellyn top.

From here it was another B-road across to Windermere (hilly again – surprise surprise). This was pretty slow going now as the 100mi was breached and Martin had the second technical glitch of the day. Fortunately a skipping chain problem was traced to a loose connector link. This was quickly fixed and the final miles to Bowness-on-Windermere completed.

100mi thoughts / observations…
- Well, it has to get easier from here!

At Bowness it was clear that a stop was needed, as all three riders were pretty well exhausted. Handily a Tesco Express was spotted in the town centre. Just the job. After a quick shopping trip it was back on the bikes for the home straight to Ambleside. Unfortunately calamity struck Matt about 2 miles out of Windermere, when he realised that a bag containing his cash, cards and phone were missing!

This meant a quick u-turn and back to Tesco. Fearing that he might have dropped said bag on the street outside Tesco, the trip back to Windermere was a quick one!
Luckily he’d only left it on the counter, where it had been put aside by the till staff. That was a close one!

Meanwhile, Baptiste and Gasman had (very kindly) decided to wait on the road, for a united finish in Ambleside.

Ride Stats:
Miles: 114 – 118 (depending upon items lost / forgotten)
Hills: Epic
Breakdowns: 2, minor.
Punctures: 0 (!!!)
Phrases / Thoughts: Was there something in Gaunt’s burger?!
I really hope this road isn’t too hilly...
Surely we’ve done 100 by now….
Where’s my bank card!?
MMX Training rating: 10/10. That’s the stuff.

Ambleside-Shap-Hawes-Kendal-Ambleside. Epic.

Day Five – TV Fame for “Curious Visitors...”

Thursday was a slow starter, not surprising given the previous days exertions. A leisurely swim was called for, so those with wet suits ventured to Ullswater. Those without wetsuits went for a run. Following the swim, the wetsuit three went to Keswick again, where a new PB of two tea shops in 90 minutes was set.

Again the weather was very untypical and this obviously drained the energy from doing anything more strenuous.

Meanwhile back at base, Baptiste was having lunch whilst watching Look North, when an item on the strange Ullwaster Umbrellas art installation was shown. He made a mental note to tell the others, and ask if they had seen it for real on their swim.

Having forgotten this, himself, Steve and Martin were chilling whilst Machine attempted Wrynose (post week note from Leon: tougher than Kirkstone!) in a gale. Look North evening edition was on, and they went back to Ullswater for another report on the artwork. This time the millions of viewers across the north were informed the work had attracted ‘some curious visitors’. Not Martians, but our two intrepid swimmers, breaststroking up for a closer look!! Cue deliurium in the MMX house! BBC1 Fame across the region, and a second TV appearance after the Blenheim appearance behind Blondes in a boat guy.

As designated ‘lash night’ another run was pencilled in for pre dinner, but the game of Hearts, plus the obligatory faff time, added to the exhaustion of a tv appearance, soon dispelled that notion, and we were lucky to arrive at the Priest Hole in time for a meal at 21.00. More disappointingly, the Woonton Wine Cellar was not seriously damaged either. Following a fine meal a couple of drinks were partaken in the Ambleside Central Time Zone, where bars close when the till strikes Midnight and not when British Summer Time (for it was thus) does so. Hence 20 minutes of drinking time were frittered away, not that that was any great loss as we were ready for a busy Friday.

Return to the Ghyll then, where Leon and Steve re-opened the wine bar to discuss the merits of Kirsten Dunst, and of course, to finish the jigsaw…

Day Six - Winding Down

The MMXers awoke early, or at least half of them did, with Machine and Gasman planning to launch an assault on an as yet unconquered Wainwright. Before that Gaunt locked in a half hour run on the banks of Windermere, while Steve and Leon barely stirred. Then Matt and Martin were off, at first exploring the Stock Ghyll Waterfalls near the apartment, and then heading in the direction of Kirkstone, with the aim of climbing Low Pike.

Some time in, it transpired that Low Pike was anything but low, but upon checking the relief map in the Post Office window later in the day, we actually realised it hadn't been Low Pike at all, but rather Red Screes. Nevermind, we climbed it, and Machine even headed off around the ridge to conquer more peaks, ticking off High Pike and then finally Low Pike before returning. Gaunt meanwhile was ambling back the way he had come, when all of a sudden what should appear around the corner but Baptiste and the Armchair Athlete charging up the Kirkstone Pass. So we all scored some good morning's exercise.

Leon's lack of wetsuit and incoming friends from Doss AC governed his afternoon's plans - another run. Machine took his newly cleaned bike out for a spin, before more fine tuning upon his return- has a bike ever had so much TLC?! Certainly not Woonton's. Gaunt and Steve fancied one last swim for the week, and chose pastures new- Rydal Water. This was not an altogether good choice, as access to the lake required us to swim down the river which flows from Grasmere. Kind of fun, but more creepy really, given the density of the weeds and reeds, and the sheep skulls Gaunt was spotting on the river bed. The lake itself was scarcely better, but we managed 40 minutes, including practicing swimming in a straight line- not Martin's speciality.

That was pretty much that, apart from to congratulate Machine on a fine pesto pasta, Gasman on his Homes of Football subbuteo victory, and Steve on locating yet another quaint tea shop. It was also another hot day. Bliss.

Day Seven - Fleetwood, Back

Alas Training Week 2009 was coming to a close, but there was to be a sting in the tail. Leon was cycling over the Wrynose to meet his Doss mates for another few days caning it on the Fells and in the bars, while Machine, Two Jeans and Gasman headed to Fleetwood for a 10k on the way home.

Walking boot induced blisters meant Machine was a DNS, but Gaunt and Woonton lined up on the sunny promenade. Gaunt went off quick, and was one of five that had broken away by the halfway point. But the miles earlier in the week were already taking their toll and he trailed in in fourth position, in 35.03ish. Woonton had been playing down his chances pre-race, and seemed to be enjoying himself far too much in the final km, finishing in 46.05.

A quick getaway was made, Fleetwood registering off the scale on Woonton's Quaintness Rating (that is to say below the scale). Training Week 2009 was over. There is to be no such training week in 2010. 2010 is MMX. The real deal. Ironman time...