Will and Katie's Blog!

Meet Will and Katie – our cycling guinea-pigs who’ve stepped up to the challenge to enter Tour de Broads and go from beginner to winner in the region’s biggest and best cycle sportive.

The final preparation stages:

So we've just arrived home from a holiday, which I can confirm, not the best training technique when preparing for a lengthy bike ride.
Well I suppose we did the carbo-loading part well, but who wouldn't with an all you can eat buffet?

The race is under a week away now so we are getting a final few bike miles in, aiming to do at least a 30miler, as our training plan, which was provided by pedal revolution, has suggested. It mentions if you can do 10 miles less prior to a big event the adrenaline will easily carry you through the extra distance... Not only that, we are also stocking up on various things that will help make the ride as easy as possible, my partner has finally purchased us some of the padded shorts, which we're hoping should resolved the bum ache!
We are getting our water bottle attachments fitted as hydration is key, furthermore I am stocking up on the enrgy gels, partly because I think they have quite a fruity refreshing taste but more importantly, when your legs begin to feel fatigue they really do just give you the extra boost and make you feel more capable, I suppose the pros do take them for a reason, not just for show!

Well I guess the next time we write to you all will be post race day, if we make it.
Until then,

Katie and Will

Our first big ride...

Having woken up with the realisation that Tour de Broads was only 3 weeks away, panic started to set in - up until now I'd only ridden around the estate or to the shops and back, a maximum of 3 miles. So we allowed ourselves to be talked into going out for a bike ride with some friends, we need to get our butts into gear and do some training for this event!

We were taken through some lovely little villages I never knew existed, along quiet lanes surrounded by beautiful countryside. The ride itself was ok but soon realised how many slow inclines Norfolk had! Who said Norfolk was flat?! Half way through I was ready to go home, but was quickly outvoted and I convinced my tired legs to keep going. Luckily the friends we went with (who are very into their cycling) had some supplies that would keep me going, they introduced me to the wonder of Gels, the staple diet of endurance cyclists. I can only describe it as the consistency of melted jelly that tasted like a warm berry yoghurt (I thought this flavour would be a safer option than the banana). I don't know (or care) what was in it or how it tasted because it helped to make my legs feel a lot lighter and I was able to keep going!

That Sunday I think we covered 24 miles, which I was massively impressed with. Will on the other hand thought it was a piece of cake.

We soon realised how important it is that we both get a pair of padded shorts, the next day neither of us were able to sit down properly... How pathetic!

As new cyclists, we found the Tour de Broads Survival guide massively helpful, we've started the training guide, and have planned a visit to Pedal Revolution armed with a shopping list of essentials. Top of the list is padded shorts but we realised the importance of hydration, we don't have any bottle cages on our bikes!

We are hoping to have another successful ride when we return from our holiday, where of course, we will be resting our legs ready for the big day.
Keep cycling!

Katie and Will

Cycling...

Let's start with this... I was about 10 years old riding around my road, bumping into cars and constantly falling off... Here I am now signing up to the Tour De Broads. What's wrong with me?!

Not only that but I have my foolish partner, Will joining me out of 'supportiveness' when really he sees it as a competition because he believes he's the next Bradley Wiggins. I didn't even know who Bradley Wiggins was, that's my cycling knowledge in a nutshell.

So the first step was of course to acquire our bikes, we headed down to Pedal Revolution in Norwich, the organisers of Tour de Broads... We met a very helpful professional who matched us up with specific bike frames and what not, letting us trial out the bikes and not letting us leave until we were in the best position possible in terms of posture. This was so helpful and reassured us that we were in good hands and not actually completely crazy to take on this challenge. Having received such good service we felt justified in our decision to support a local, independent store.

Now that we had the bikes it was time to ride, or as for some reason Will keeps saying 'putting the pedal to the metal'. It was suggested that we were not too over the top on the first few rides to just familiarise ourselves with the riding style, so that we did. A nice little trip to the local shop and back...

We had heard rumours of road bike seats being, let's say, not the most comfortable on your buttocks, however we woke up the next morning, neither of us feeling the effects thinking smugly "that's not so bad". However, it was when we went back out on the bikes that following day! My god, it was like sitting on a brick.

Pedal Revolution hosts regular workshops and discussions about various bike related issues, so I signed up for their Ladies Night to learn more about cycling. The evening covered bike fitting, nutrition and general maintenance. I feel less like a newbie and am confident I'll be able to undertake any roadside repairs to get me and Will home.

So that leaves us with the next step: getting some padded shorts. Definitely a necessity!

Until the next time,

Katie and Will