Training update #3 (part 2): Lost in London

While Frank was trying to cope with freezing temperatures up in Scotland, I decided to go out for a cycle around south London on a beautiful Saturday morning. Yet again, disaster (okay, more like mild misfortune) struck within ten minutes when I realised my front gear shifter was broken. Ach well, 4 gears for a flat urban cycle should be fine I figured (they quickly became two as the rear shifter got upset as well!) Two minutes later I was busy enjoying the sunshine when I realised it was in fact not as warm as the sun and my toasty warm cycling gear would imply and that black ice was still possible. Unfortunately I realised a little late and found myself sliding over some ice once more and onto my side. I basically added a bruise just under the bruise I managed to get myself last week.

Jings.

Still, onwards and upwards and I jumped back on my bike and continued my wee trip around South London upon which I discovered the following things:

1. There aren't wombles at Wimbledon Common just wombling free. I think you have to actually search for them. Or they've been locked up.

2. There are some amazing huge houses on Kingston Hill. Which you can ogle as you pass and some lovely villagey bits in Wimbledon, Putney and Kingston. I think quite a bit of money and/or a pram to push and clothes from Boden are a pre-requisite for living in these places though.

3. A couple of gears makes Kingston Hill, or any hill in fact, quite hard work

4. Cycling along the A3 is not fun.

5. There is no other city I'd rather be on a lovely, crisp and sunny day than London.

I had planned to take lots of photos on my cycle this time round and if I had you would you have seen horses on Wimbledon Common (no wombles though, curses!), kids playing football on Clapham Common, mist on Tooting Bec Common and some fancy big houses by Richmond Park. Unfortnately I didn't stop much and when I did it was to consult the GPS on my phone as I was lost again.

Oh, that reminds me

6. London is big and very easy to get lost in.

In the past five weeks I've cycled a total of 200 miles, danced for 15 hours, spent 6 hours in the gym and 14 hours doing physio exercises. Eek! I need to be able to cycle 280 miles in 4 days and there are only 10 weeks to go. Must step it up from here on in!

Thanks again if you've already sponsored us. If not, visit our justgiving page and sponsor us now! Every £10 that is donated will help Book Aid International to send 5 more brand new books to libraries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Here is a lovely quote from a refugee in Kenya about why books are important to her:

“My adventure with books has been on for as long as I can remember! I have cultivated passion for reading and become an ardent reader. Reading has changed a lot of aspects of my life. Inspirational books of brave people facing extraordinary challenges, give me an idea about how to improve a way of doing things, a reminder to treat the people we love better than we did the day before..."


Thanks!

Lesley xx

Training update #3: The other Pinder speaks

Afternoon all.

Well, seeing as Lesley has updated the Blog on a semi-regular basis thought it was about time I rambled a bit...Training has been non-existent so I will tell you about work and trying to move house instead!!

Ok, maybe I won't as it'll bore you to death. Weather up here has been well sort of, em, crap really. Loads of snow and if no snow loads of ice so have managed a couple of 40k road rides in the last month. Mountain biking hasn't happened period and new mountain bike is feeling very neglected. if work goes to plan i'll be off this Thursday (25th) and will get a day at Glentress for some mountain biking. Will see if it's any less icey from when Les was there!

Road ride on Sunday was ok, 40k but water bottle froze which gives you an idea of how cold it was, as it wasn't caused by my speed!! Fingers crossed weather improves. Less than 3 months to go!! Yikes.

Thanks to everyone who has sponsored us so far, if you haven't you know what to do or Les and I will stalk you in spandex (I worried that some of you might like that!!) www.justgiving.com/pedallingpinders

In a while croc!!

Frank (eldest and most sensible Pinder!!)

Training update #2 - Ultimate cycling faux pas

Went out cycling with Dulwich Paragon Cycling Club yesterday and tested out my new fancy road pedals.

It didn't go well.

Within one minute of getting on my bike I managed to keel over whilst attempting to clip in to the pedals. In front of the whole club. It wasn't a spectacular fall - more a slow motion topple on to the kerb. I ended up like a beetle on its back desperately trying to get up.

Any cyclists reading this will no doubt appreciate the horror.

Imagine the most embarrassed you've ever been. Multiply that by 10. And add lycra.

Can't write any more as I am still getting flashbacks.

Still, hopefully it will all be worth it when we make it to Paris this May. Thanks to lots of lovely friends and family, Frank and I have raised over £1,000 so far! Just £2,000 to go! All of which will be helping to send books to libraries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sponsor us here! www.justgiving.com/pedallingpinders

Here's a film about how and why Book Aid International do what they do.

Behind the Scenes at Book Aid International from Book Aid International on Vimeo.

Training update #1 - Glorious glentress

I'm pretty much a diehard road cyclist but this weekend I was up in the bonnie Borders visiting my folks (and to watch the rugby - the less said about that the better) so I thought it would be quite frankly rude not to make the most of the amazing mountain biking that the "Best area in the Scotland"* has to offer.

*according to me.

So, I donned my ninja black lycra as standard, borrowed by Dad's mountain bike (a 60th present from the Pinder siblings) and headed up to Glentress. Glentress is part of the 7stanes network of mountain biking routes in the south of Scotland and is pretty much one of the best mountain biking ranges in the UK, nay the whole of Europe. You should go! And pop in for an icecream in Innerliethen when you're done.

Anyway, Scottish Borders tourism speel over...

I decided to take the slightly less hardcore blue route for my first foray "off road." Basically you cycle up hill for a good hour or so and the prospect of flinging yourself back down with joyful abandon is pretty much the only thing that keeps you going. Imagine my horror when I got pretty much close to the top to find:

1. ice
2. Snow
3. fog

All at the same time! Mountain bikes are not so much fun when you have to get off and push believe me, and cycling downhill with your legs stretched out like very rubbish and ineffectual skis is not a good look. Thankully, despite a very full carpark, there weren't many other cyclists near me so I managed to traverse the snowy slopes with some dignity. And about half way down the snow dispersed so a good amount of "wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" was enjoyed. Still a bit of a chicken with the banked corners but managed a few jumps and didn't fall on my face once. BONUS!


Here is a picture of the spooky fog at Glentress. I was told that the views were amazing. I didn't see any. No photies of the snow either as my phone ran out of batteries! Which is slightly alarming when your front tyre decides to explode in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully my bike repair skills are better than I thought and it turns out a Skoda key is a splendid replacement for tyre levers. (don't tell my dad that though...)


One cheese and ham toastie and a splendid cup of tea greeted me at the end of the ride along with some great eavesdropping of some phenomenally geeky mountain bike chat. I think if I didn't live in Londons, not renowned for its mountain biking, and if I actually had a mountain bike, I'd be hooked... but thankfully the road has not lost this cyclist yet! Lucky road.

Back onto the road this weekend with Dulwich Paragon Cycling Club...more of them later!

Coming up soon....some rambling from my brother Frank!

And just to remind you, I'm doing all this cycling malarky for a very good cause - Book Aid International.

You can sponsor me and my brother to cycle from London to Paris here:

www.justgiving.com/pedallingpinders

All of the money raised will be helping to send books to libraries in some of the poorest countries in the world. One of the libraries we support is in Mathare Slum in Nairobi. You can watch a wee film about this amazing library and its members here:

Mathare North Community Library from Book Aid International on Vimeo.