by hattenburrow | Nov 5, 2014 | Biking Adventures, Training
Today I officially started my winter training after a couple weeks off. Winter training means lots of endurance miles and strengthening up my core ready for the new season in March.
With a clear weather forecast I opted for the slightly more fun off road ride. Starting in Petersfield I headed out to Queen Elizabeth Country Park (QECP). A good road warm up climb brought me to the back of QECP and yes another climb this time a fire road climb which are the down pour over the last couple of days had left leaves sprawled out over the chalk making for slippy riding to say the least!
I headed further up and onto the new blue trail which weaved through the trees, its a good blue great for beginners as the corners are nicely spaced and the gravel surface is beading in well to make a hopefully winter resistant trail!
Making my way onto the red trail it was great to be out on my bike again, the air was cold but from all the climbing I was toasty warm as my bike swooped down the steep red sections. Dodging puddles as I went, partly not wanting to get wet and partly as my tyres were pumped slightly too hard for sticky wet riding.
Working my way back to the top of QECP the sun shone low through the trees making seeing far ahead difficult so I had to slow down. This gave me time to take in the scenery the stunning colours of the leaves burnt orange and golden brown contrasted against the bright green moss.
The trails always look different in the winter, more severe, as the leaves retreat and the trees are left bare. Winter riding brings new challenges, not only how to keep warm but the clear line through the trail has now vanished and in its place is thick layer of mud ready to swallow your back wheel should you enter a corner with too much speed. The opportunity now presents itself to be the ‘black sheep,’ as following where those other bike tracks have gone is going to end up in the goo, so the game is now find the line around the mud that is still on the trail!
With the red completed it was now time to head back up the blue and on home. The sun was fading quickly which pushed me onwards and upwards towards home.
Finishing the blue climb I took a slight wrong turn and ended on a gem of a singletrack run which soon spat me out onto the road lower down than I expected in the village of Buriton. Rolling into my drive it dawned on me how much of the trail seemed to still be stuck to my bike!
2 hours 18 miles, a good start to the winter.
by hattenburrow | Nov 2, 2014 | Biking Adventures
Not posted for a while been having a mini biking break trying surfing (badly) and coaching some great juniors more about mountain biking, more on that soon! At pedal2pedal.co.uk
Went exploring north of our house at the Devils Punch Bowl in Surrey some great trails and singletrack with my Dad.
I hope you enjoy it!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXOuZ89-Os0]
by hattenburrow | Aug 18, 2014 | Biking Adventures, Racing
Ride London 2014 – the most fun I’ve ever had in the rain!
On Friday Martyn and I headed off to London ready for the Ride 100 on Sunday.The weather was not looking promising, with thunderstorms and gusty winds forecast due to tropical storm Bertha.
We packed for rain, but could never of predicted just how much rain we would encounter on our journey.
On Saturday we picked up our race chips and as many freebies as we could possible carry before returning to our hotel in Ilford. After realising the train would not be running in time for our 6:17 load deadline we made plans to ride the five miles to the Olympic Park, after all, what’s an extra five miles on 100!
We had planned our nutrition snacks, USN protein, nuts and seeds bars and hour one and three of the race peanut butter sandwiches and a banana at hour two, jelly babies and Bounce Balls for hours four and five and more peanut goodness for hour six, all washed down with plenty of High Five electrolyte drink and water.
The alarm went off at 4am and was swiftly put on snooze, 20 mins later I shook Martyn and flicked the kettle ready for our porridge and tea breakfast.
Attaching race numbers to our bikes there was no sign of the horrendous weather that had been predicted and as we set off towards the Olympic Park we were hopeful for a dry race.
Arriving at the Olympic Park we gave in our bags which we would collect at the finish line and made our way to our wave loading. The park was already brimming with cyclists, all excited and making pre race checks to bikes and clothing. The atmosphere was really exciting, but with an added nerve of tension about the impending stormy forecast. We had been told due to the weather the course would cut out Leith Hill and Box Hill, making our journey one of 86 miles instead of 100. Standing on the start line this seemed like such a shame, later on I would become thankful of this short cut!
All black loading waves went off in quick succession meaning we started before Schedule. I think the organisers were keen to get people moving before the weather came in.
Out on the course we breezed through the first 20 miles with no sign of rain. It was just as exciting as last year, riding on closed roads through one of the busiest cities in the world with not a car in sight, you felt like you were part of something special.
I don’t recall the mile or time when the rain started, just that droplets began to appear on my jacket. The rain didn’t seem to bother us and as we entered Richmond Park we were feeling good and going strong.
Leaving the park, the scenery soon changed from built up urban areas to rolling hills and hedgerows. Entering the country side it became more apparent that it was raining as the wind funnelled through the trees. We headed for the main climb of the course, Newlands Corner. When we reached the hills the water was flooding down the road, so as well as gravity pulling us backwards we had to battle a stream flooding the road. When we reached the top and the view opened up it was one of dark grey sheets of rain! With nowhere to hide from the storm the only thing you could do was laugh about the situation. I was so glad to have Martyn there, we kept each other going and were often joined by loan cyclists taking turns to shelter slightly from the beating wind.
I think they call it “character building”!
Stopping wasn’t an option. We dug deep and kept rolling on. The marshals were great because of the rain parts of roads were completely flooded and they made sure people went through at safe speeds.
60 miles in, it’s time for a pit stop.
At 60 miles we stopped at a hub to refuel. I had been under the illusion up until this point that under my coat I was dry. Nipping to the loo and having to peal off soggy layers I found out this was not the case, I felt instantly cold and knew we needed to get going quickly to build up warmth again. I frustratingly managed to reset my Garmin at this point too! Martyn and I grabbed some High Five, bananas and urban fruit bags before heading off.
Coming into Kingston the rain had eased to a mere dribble and the sun for the first time peaked out from behind a cloud, this was a great feeling, we felt instantly energised and pushed hard for the finish.
Coming into London crowds of people lined the finish line cheering which lifted our spirits just when our legs were starting to tire.
The tar mac turned to red as we made it to The Mall and sprinted to the line together. We had made it, 90 miles in a tropical storm! 22,000 cyclists, 90 miles and one tropical storm proving that cyclists are made of tough stuff!
Thank you to Prudential and the event organisers and volunteer who made sure everyone was well looked after.
5 hours of character building riding. Another great experience and we eagerly await the 2015!
by hattenburrow | Jul 29, 2014 | Biking Adventures
At the weekend we set off in a mini adventure, to cycle around the Isle of Wight.
Armed with our road bikes, energy drinks and Bounce Balls we set off from Shanklin and headed towards Ryde heading North East along the coastal path. This part of the Island is the most built up, travelling through Sandown, Bembridge and into St Helen the scenery changed from holiday resort to quaint English sea side village with twisty streets and white painted buildings. Sea View is the next village along the coast, which offers plenty of cute coffee shops, ice cream stalls and fish and chips, a perfect place to stop and take in the view of Portsmouth, however today we were on a mission. A mission to train for Ride London, we have two weeks until the event and so today wanted to keep stopping minimal!
The sun by this point was blazing down on us and when we reached East Cowes we had a banana stop and refilled our water bottles whilst waiting for the chain ferry. Just over a quarter of the way round we were making good time and were happy with our progress. West Cowes is a bustling sea side village which on a bike will test your slalom skills as your navigate through tourists, shoppers and buggies!
Munching on Jelly babies and Bounce Balls at intervals we were feeling strong having covered a good proportion of our ride.
From here the landscape changed from coastal road to country roads with plenty of twists and turns and a great deal of hills! We made a stop in Freshwater a beautiful little bay on the west coast which today was packed with tourists soaking up the sun.
We rode up to the Dandelion café where we got a take away sandwich and sat on the cliff to eat.
As welcoming as this rest bite was, getting going again we were hit with a long hill climb this was the start of the coastal road which weaved its way up and down the edge of the Island.
With not much wind this was a sweltering part of the journey in the mid day sun and we took on a lot of water. The open road was often the only thing we could see for miles as we kept spinning towards our destination.
Blackgang with only £1 left of our money I made our last water run to a shop in Niton luckily a 1 litre bottle was 65p which kept us going on the hilliest part of our journey so far. 
A road closed in Ventnor meant a gruelling diversion before the last climb up through the old village into Shanklin.
With tired legs and out of jelly babies Martyn and I were glad to be back and in need of a well earned cup of tea!
63.23 miles, 4 hours 47 minutes, 1,352 calories burnt.
Back on the ferry to the mainland, ready for our next adventure.
by | Jul 26, 2014 | Biking Adventures
Last weekend sitting in the UK with the proposal of a wet weekend in Wales we scanned the internet to look for a better option. That option came in a three day adventure to Barcelona one of the top beach and city break locations according to Time Out Magazine, so of course, we had to try it!
Arriving in Barcelona for three days with so much to see and do pose a problem, how much time do you want to spend on sticky trams or under ground on the tube? Answer, probably as little as possible!
We stayed in the Vincci Bit hotel which was a short walk and even shorter cycle to the beach and central Barcelona. The staff were welcoming and the rooms and corridors where full of art which was brilliant. The roof top pool was more of a plunge pool, than a swimming pool you certainly had to do a lot of lengths to feel like you were exercising!
Hiring a bike in Barcelona is very easy most hotels and B&Bs have bike hire and we hired a bike for €15 a day. The bikes were delivered straight to the front door of your hotel and then your free to explore.
We ventured in land first to soak up some culture and take in the incredible architecture that envelopes this city.
The Sagrada Família Gothic church was our first bike stop it is one of the most highly decorative buildings I have ever seen and you can eat amazing Paella from one of the corner cafes while you admire the view. Designed by Francesc de Paula Villar, it was taken over by the young Antoni Gaudí, who transformed it into the most fascinating church of all time. The church is still under construction today.
Fully replenished on Paella and ice cream we set off to central Barcelona. The bike lanes in Barcelona work like the road system so you have two bike lanes together in the middle of the road which go left and right and have their own set of traffic lights. You feel very safe in these bike lanes and can go along at your own pace taking in the sites at your leisure.
Our next destination was La Rambla and the hustle and bustle of Barcelona’s most iconic street, as you can imagine this is quite congested but is still bike-able, just be vigilant and use your bell! At the end of La Rambla you meet the Columbus monument which towers overhead.
We made our way to Port Vell to the floating quater which is a massive leisure complex full of lively bars and shops. You cant bike over the bridge but once on the other side there is a path around, however its worth parking up and having a wonder on foot.
Barcelona has around 3.5km of beach to choose from and with plenty of bike racks you can wonder up and down and take your pick.
As you would imagine Barcelona was a fantastic place to try seafood and I would recommend a meal at Shoko an infusion of Japanese and Mediterranean it comes with a higher price tag but its well worth it!
Barcelona is a wonderful city there is so much to see and do you could easily spend a week or two here. One thing we didn’t do which I hope to return to do is to go mountain biking in the mountains but this is probably best left for October time when its cooler!
I would highly recommend travelling around Barcelona by bike and think Martyn and I will probably hire bikes on our next city break.
Good luck on your next adventure, share your stories with me.
Go explore.
by hattenburrow | Jun 23, 2014 | Biking Adventures
Swinley is one of the top spots for riding in the South. Swinley Forest stretches from Bracknell in the north to Bagshot in the south. A great location close to London, with good road links, making Swinley an ideal place for a blast on your bike after a hard days work.
Swinley used to be a great place to ride if you had local knowledge of how to find the best single track. However without this you could more often than not spend a lot of time getting lost riding up and down fire roads looking for single track. Although getting lost is a great part of mountain biking, the issue with this was that the single track didn’t flow as a course and there was always the potential to meet someone coming the other way to you down sections which was, at times a little scary!
Swinley Forest has recently been turned into a trail centre with blue, red and green graded routes, so there is something for everyone. The blue and red routes can be linked together to create around a 15 mile loop linking together a lot of the great old singletrack like labyrinth, a sweet section which drops from the top of the old ‘expert mountain bike’ zone into a sandy downhill section through the trees and spits you out into a clearing in the forest where you then begin to climb a steady incline, weaving through the trees. Just as you think you have reached the top the trail turns down hill, before yet another bit of up and then finally a long downhill section with plenty of berms, roots and tree gaps to play with, before you leave the forest and end up on a fire road at the bottom of the hill, ready to make the climb back to the top. The new trail sections were built by Rowan Sorrell and the ‘Back On Track’ team and add a new variety to the trail.
Now that the trail is graded more people can enjoy the trails safely and it encourages the less bike savvy to stick to the green and blue routes, leaving the red route for the more advanced biker. Its also a relief to all be going in the same direction which makes the obstacles you have to dodge of the tree kind instead of the two legged on wheels kind!
Arriving at Swinley you are greeted by “The Look Out Discovery Centre” which is great place for refreshments to replenish those calories burnt off biking the trails, I would highly recommend the lemon cake!
Leaving the car park you ride onto the first section of blue graded trail which meanders up through the trees. The incline is slight and this section is a great warm up to get the blood pumping and legs warmed up. Crossing the first fire road the track continues onwards and upwards showing you a peep of what is to come, in the form of a downhill switch back section, which leaves your heart pumping and you eager for more.
Swinley is great for all year round riding and the new trail sections have been built to withstand the British weather, draining quickly when its wet, which is a real bonus.
Swinley is great for beginner riders who want to develop confidence and bike handling skills on the blue and green routes. The green one mile loop is also a brilliant place for kids to get their first taste of single track its a flowing loop which they can really gain confidence on, before heading out onto the blue trail.
Intermediate and advanced riders will also enjoy Swinley as it has a little bit of everything. From heart pumping hills, fast and twisting flats and of course, the best bit is the downhill, which is varied from sandy and stony to compact and rooty, with lots of table tops, berms and switch backs giving every rider the opportunity to push their skills to the next level.
The blue and red trails link together to make a ‘blue, red, blue’ trail with the red starting about half way through the blue, this loop is around 15 miles long and is the best way to get the most out of riding at Swinley.
My favourite thing about this spot is the variety. You enter a forest of Scots pine and can loose yourself in the trail. It flows effortlessly through the forest linked together by a couple of fire roads but 80% is single track, this makes it one of my favourite places to train as it offers a good selection of terrains and features to make the riding different and enjoyable. Swinley’s location and variety make it a brilliant place for mountain bikers in the South East to get their single track fix without having to travel too far.
With more potential expansion of the red trail I am really looking forward to what Swinley could offer in the future, the Coed Y Brenin of the South East, Perhaps?
