This week I completed my first trial ride for JoGLE – 190km and 2,757m of elevation across the Peak District over two days.
I was so apprehensive going into this – not least because my bike weighs more than a moose and I’m using mostly untested gear. The route also included some pretty savage climbs. Incredibly, everything held up. My gear behaved, and my legs coped on the hills (Winnats Pass aside – had to walk the final 500m, no shame!).
This trial gave me a big confidence boost, but more importantly, it showed me what needs adjusting before May. Here are my takeaways and tweaks with 8 weeks to go:
Gear, Weight and Planning
- 1) Weight Matters: All in, my bike, gear and water weighed in at 30.5kg. That’s for one overnight, but I packed as if I was doing JoGLE – camping and cooking included. It’s heavy, and has made me question again everything I pack. I’ve shaved off a further 2kg. Every gram counts.
- 2) Take Less Food: Now that I’m even more weight conscious, I’m planning to rely more on shops for food. I’ll still pack some essentials that are harder to find in village shops – dehydrated meals, gels, mint cake – but ditching the bulkier snacks frees up weight and space.
- 3) Don’t forget your toothbrush: I forgot my toothbrush.
- 4) Merino Wool is ace: I’ve invested in some merino wool clothing, and I’m so happy with how they feel, both on the ride and cosy in my tent, whilst it was minus degrees outside. Lightweight, temperature-regulating, stink-resistant, and dries fast. Not cheap, but so worth it!
- 5) Bandanas are surprisingly useful: I took two – one as a wind protector for my face, one for cleaning. They weigh nothing yet very useful.
- 6) Trialling wet conditions: Are my bags waterproof? No idea. Is my hiking raincoat up to the job? Also no idea. I need to test all this in proper wet weather. Living near Manchester, I probably won’t have to wait long. I’m still undecided on overshoes and waterproof trousers. They add weight and bulk, but getting cold is a bigger risk than getting wet. Dry and warm would be ideal, but if I have to choose, I’ll settle for wet and warm. Cold and wet? That’s a trip-ender.
On the Bike
- 7) It’s not about speed: I averaged 15.6km per hour. That’s slow, but with the hills and the heavily-loaded bike, it’s realistic. Slow and steady, and remaining injury free.
- 8) Hills: There’s no better feeling than slogging your way up a long climb, legs screaming, lungs on fire, then the gradient finally eases, and you get to give that one satisfying *click* up into the next gear. Such a small moment, big satisfying win.
- 9) Also Hills: Hills ahead always appear much worse when you’re on a steep decline. I remember on one steep descent, exclaiming out loud “oh my f##king god…” followed by “oh it’s fine” when I started ascending again.
- 10) Drink more: I didn’t drink enough. I need to set reminders on my watch every half hour.
- 11) Bike fit needs work: I got mild wrist pain (aka cyclist’s palsy) and sore kneecaps. My physio has given me recovery and strength-building exercises to help with the latter. But I want to review my saddle height, bar positioning and crank length.
- 12) Check tyres daily: My cheap hand pump had no pressure gauge, yet I naively thought I’d done a good job of pumping my tyres. After the tour, turns out I’ve been riding at 22psi, not the 70+ I intended! My new Craft Cadency battery pump (that arrived the day after the trip) tells me the pressure, then fills my tyres in 30 seconds. Game changer.
Off the Bike
- 13) Don’t scrimp on recovery: After day one’s ride, I was lazy and skipped any hygiene and medication routines – muscle balm, wet wipes, shorts disinfectant etc. I was knackered. I can’t afford that on JoGLE. It must be part of my end-of-day ritual.
- 14) Time off bike adds up: More surprising than my pace, was how long I spent off the bike. Each day’s ride took 6.5 hours, but start to finish, I was out for over 9. That’s 2.5 hours of stopping – for food, faff and recovery – way more than I had factored in. On JoGLE, with longer distances, I’ll need to be more mindful of rest time and my route planning must have this in mind.
- 15) Add another day: I started planning JoGLE as a 10-day ride. Then 11. Now I’m planning for 12. Running my own business, taking time off work is difficult, but I feel this is necessary. Those extra two days cut 25km off each day, on average, giving me more wiggle room to enjoy the journey and remain fit.
- 16) Sore nose? I might have mild exercise-induced rhinitis – or a runny nose! After just 2 days, it was red. 12 days could be interesting, and I’ll need to be mindful of this.
This trial two day cycle in the Peak District was brilliant. Yes, I was very lucky with the weather, but it also did exactly what it needed to: flagged what’s working, exposed what isn’t, and nudged me to rethink a few things. I’ve learned a lot – mainly that I don’t drink enough, pack too much, hills are hard on a loaded bike and can’t be trusted to inflate tyres properly! But it will allow me to be much better prepared! Most of all, it gave me much-needed confidence. Eight weeks to go…
Pink Tutu Adventures 