Week twelve – Sunday

Cycling 3.5 hrs 

A steady paced group ride – try not to get out of breath. 

Pedal at 90 – 90rpm. 

Ride with friends or a group. Include a café stop but also eat and drink on the bike and remember your recovery routine at home. 

This Sunday I went on a Sky Ride organised bike ride. 

 It was listed as ‘Challenging’ and was to be 32 miles, starting at Sixfields Stadium in Northampton and riding out to Silverstone Racing Circuit, having coffee and cake, then returning to Sixfields. 

I had decided to do the ride on my hybrid as I wasn’t sure of the route and the website mentioned canal towpaths. I have not done a ride like this before and was a little nervous the night before. I didn’t know how challenging ‘Challenging’ would be and it’s obviously always a little nerve wracking to meet new people in this way. 

I needn’t have worried! Unsurprisingly everyone on the ride was really, really nice. Lianne, Vic and Dave were our leaders with Lianne taking the lead role. She made the instructions very clear at the beginning and was very clear about how the ride would work and the sort of speeds we would be doing. There were 10 other cyclists in addition to the leaders which made for a nice little group. 

 The 16 or so miles to Silverstone absolutely flew by and although there were a few hills these were not particularly onerous and I kept up with the pace easily. 

    Bit of a hill in the middle

It was fantastic to be chatting to other cyclists who were all massively reassuring and encouraging when discussing my August sportive. 

 The cake and coffee at Silverstone was fantastic quality and it was great to have the opportunity to chat to the whole group. 

 We set out for home and again, the miles flew by. 

 The whole ride was a massively positive. The organisation was fantastic, especially the way the leaders ensured everyone could cross major roads safely and that any slower rider was looked out for and not left behind. It was fantastic to ride with a group and to chat as we went. It was also great to realise at the end on 32 miles I was not exhausted. I could have continued, especially as I was having so much fun. 

 This all puts me in a positive frame of mind about August and I am keen to continue the momentum. 

 You can find details about Sky Ride here. You can search for a ride near to you and if you’d rather go with just ladies they also have details about the Breeze rides. 

I can’t praise the ride, the leaders, or the cake enough!!