Credits

Group 3 role call Lee Dixon #002 Graeme Le Saux #014 Pat Brennan #110 Trevor Back #512 Andrew Bathe #541 Steve Knights #573 John Savidge #574 Steve Tarling #566 Paul Gascoyne #588 A big thanks to all the support/organisation staff, Halfords mechanics, Catermasters food, Rob Cox photography, the Discovery Channel boys & Taylor Murphy (Slam Insider). Recommend searching You Tube for Warren Smith's video blog/footage (search under "cycle slam 2012"). I use a Garmin Edge 800 and have found it invaluable on training rides, the Slam itself and actually reviewing routes/data from Sunday rides with the Evesham Wheelers. I trust you have enjoyed the blog, I'll endeavour to keep it going with various ride updates. You still have a little time to sponsor at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RobertNewrick

Stage 5 day 4 (18th May)

Ashford to Stratford, London (62 miles). Last day of the Slam & the rider count swelled to approx 140 today with competition winners and some previous stage riders joning us. Photo call outside the Halfords store before the start with Lawrence & Freddie. Group 3 rolled again and headed towards the North Downs via country lanes, single tracks, school traffic & the occasional climb. Nothing that compared to the climb that was Vigo Hill, now that was steep at approx 20% gradient at the top. Some of the more peaceful country lanes were home to some lovely houses and we were blessed with another dry day. Group 3 had separated on the climbs and once again I rolled alone to the lunch stop at the Skoda garage in Dartford. The excitement of the last day was really starting to build. Unfortunately for Group 3 we had to wait to get Lee's first puncture of the Slam repaired (or rather tyre replaced). Cycling to the Woolwich ferry was difficult given the number of cyclists mixed in with London traffic. Can't say I enjoyed it really. We amassed to cross via the Woolwich ferry together ready for the final few kilometres as we headed for the finish line. With the Discovery helicopter filming from above we made our way towards the Westfield shopping centre, next to the new Olympic stadium. What a feeling. Honks on car horns lead to cheers from approx 400 people at the finish. Had a looped finish and spotted my Dad with his camera at the ready. The Core Riders held back as we held our bikes on rear wheels creating a form of arch or wheel(s) of honour for them to pass through. Felt quite emotional and it was great being greeted by Sarah and my parents, big hugs all round! Needless to a glass of Champagne was not too far away! The Stage was rounded off by watching the Amlin Euro Challenge Cup final at the Stoop and a trip on the pitch at half time as Lawrence was interviewed. A great way to finish the week, even though Jonny Wilkinson's Toulon side could not overcome the strength of Biarritz, in the all French final. The stats: rode 336 miles ridden in 21 hours 41 minutes with a total average speed 15.7mph, burning 18,617 calories and rode approx 95 miles solo on a Boardman Team Carbon. Thanks to Halfords for the opportunity to raise £2,863 and experience something which will never be forgotten. Looking forward to 5th & 12th July when Discovery Channel will be showing the programme at 9pm (2 parts). What's next for me....maybe a ride up Mont Ventoux in August?!

Stage 5 day 3 (17th May)

St.Quentin to Roubaix (77 miles). Another 7am start..ouch! Roger Hammond joined the Slam today. Ex pro and Paris-Roubaix specialist. Although Welly introducing him as Roger Taylor was an obvious candidate for a fine later tonight! Group's pace was strong again and took its toll within 15kms for me. A beautiful day, albeit a little crisp to start with. A tail wind for most of the morning was greatly appreciated & loved the ride by myself. Good pace at approx 27kph, I think, til lunch at 65kms. Made a decision to take a longer lunch break and let the remainder of Group 3 go. The ride afterwards was a notch slower, although gave an opportunity to speak to other riders. 10-15 miles later, I took an opportunity to roll on again and lead a group onto the 3kms section of cobbles or pave. No sign post or warning, and not helped by a van pulling out and then stopping just in front of us! Could not have prepared for the experience that was endured for the next bone jarring 3kms! Took a bit of getting used to and even the "smoother" bits in the gutter were as rough as! Proper hard core and huge respect for the professional riders who race over 65kms of pave during the Paris-Roubaix at 40kph+! Rolled hard to the velodrome & what a 2 laps on the banking. We were privileged to use the same shower blocks as the Pro riders, each changing cubicle has a brass plaque with a previous winners name. History itself... and in my case Fabien Cancellara (2006). Had a nice chat with Roger Hammond, having admired his bike he rode on today. The coach journey to Lille was certainly memorable: Bollie, Bohemian Rhapsody & lots of head banging! A quieter transfer by Eurostar to Ashford followed. Heard Sarah's & the girls' voices for the first time since leaving, nothing fills the heart quite like it. Great to see everyone at Pizza Express as they hosted what was another great night on the Slam. Unsurprisingly another early start in the morning! Not sure how that alarm clock has survived so far! Last day tomorrow, how quickly this has passed so far.

Stage 5 day 2 (16th May)

Chalons s/ Champagne to St.Quentin (98 miles). The 2nd day brought better weather and something very different from the start....Graeme & Lee on the tandem, which they had modified to have a circular bar tray attached to the front handlebars. The tray had 9 holes drilled out to hold plastic champagne flutes! Graeme & Lee had additional attire over their cycling gear, namely white shirts & bow ties: suitable for serving Bollie I think! We were the last Group to start and not long into the morning we had the Discovery van for company, filming & providing a little shelter from the minor head wind. The pace was still quite strong this morning. We were told last night that the route would change slightly to accommodate Group shots on the steps at Bollinger, about 30kms into the ride, in Ay. Shortly afterwards Graeme cracked open a bottle of Bollie and passed on a glass to each of us in the Group. Nice touch. Although it wasn't the first bottle of the day...one broke whilst negotiating a bumpy crossroads and another was successfully distributed to some of the other Groups as we passed them on the way into Bollinger. I did say it was a fast Group! The glass went down a treat & was just finished before the biggest climb of the day. Scenery was a great deal better than yesterday and particularly when winding our way through the vineyards out of Ay. Made it to lunch with the Group intact but the first big hill afterwards, the parachute came out again! Couldn't quite hold onto the wheel in front and with less than 100m of the climb to go lost touch... Couldn't catch the tandem on the descent afterward, even when pedalling full boar. The next 50kms were spent rolling along by myself, enjoying the countryside, giving the thumbs up to passing support vehicles & still managing to keep decent enough pace to catch/pass other Groups. The food stop at 120kms allowed me to refuel & briefly catch up with my Group. However their pace was still strong, although giving them 100m head start didn't help! Caught up when the tandem had a puncture and stopped with the Group by side of road. Heard that "Limpet" had carried on. Poor John got the nickname from sticking to the tandem's rear wheel all morning. Got dropped again shortly after but rolled onto St.Quentin, catching a couple of other Groups on the way. We had stopped for about 15mins with the puncture, allowing others to pass by. Have to say that I loved today's ride. the morning with the film van was fun but managing to keep good pace by myself in the afternoon was really satisfying. Ate out en masse, with our Group sharing a table and a few glasses of Margaux! Good kitty management & Group this! Told that we would have a couple of laps at Roubaix velodrome to finish tomorrow's ride....well excited! Last night in France. Alarm set for 5.15am zzzzzzzz

Stage 5 day 1 (Tues 15th May)

Nancy to Chalons-sur-Champagne (103 miles). Less than 5 hours sleep is perhaps not the best preperation and trying to force courses of breakfast down before 6am also goes against the grain a bit! So Group 3 rolled out in relatively good conditions, not quite the same blue sky as the previous day and in the knowledge that rain had been forecast. I soon realised how quick this group might be as we rolled at a "slighter" faster pace than I'm used to and it didn't take very long to pass the first 2 Groups on the road. 2-3mph average doesn't sound a lot and it was good fun rolling through the first 40miles til our lunch stop (10am!) at around 19-20mph average. A welcome stop to refuel & the food didn't disappoint. The next 30 miles were a bit tougher as the morning's exertions were starting to have an impact as I drifted off the back on the climbs, all because I couldn't keep that pace up. Sleepy towns, some uninspiring countryside and the company of John Savidge, who was also suffering the same fate, lead the way to an impromptu coffee stop in a town (whose name I didn't even see) but at least it had people and spotting 7 bikes together on the right hand side wasn't difficult. The remaining 30-35 miles were to tell a different story as the head wind increased, the rain that was forecast became very apparent & the uninspiring countryside that typified Day 1 continued only to be broken up the occasional wind farm. Some practice of a rolling peloton helped pass the time but in truth my legs started to struggle and as soon as I hit the front of the group from the fourth time onwards, I just went backwards every time and as Graeme was quick to point out (and correctly) it was like a parachute had been pulled. Only I thought he was referring to the "boil in the bag" jackets, that we were issued with, filling with air..... So when he shouted "tuck in", he meant "stick to the wheel in front" and gave me a gentle push to assist. I, on other hand went to pull down the back of my jacket.....Muppet!!! So the nickname "Parachute Bob" was created. Not long after, on one particular climb, I felt like I was going backwards and was given 2 helping hands, literally! Lee on one side & Graeme on the other, each having a hand on my back as I cycled up in a very slow 1st gear. Weather conditions aside (the rain hurt at this point), it's times like this when you have to dig deep....very deep! It wasn't the only climb til our destination and whilst I had a chaparone to keep me company & provide moral support, the effort was all mine. I wouldn't have had it any other way. Arrived at 3.15pm and was able to shower, wash gear, find food, rest up & reflect on the day's achievements knowing that many others would be suffering more than I. My roomie for the week didn't get back til 6.15pm! Somehow, the thought of trip to the caves at Bollinger followed by dinner made the recovery process a bit easier! Bollinger is a champagne house that does not open it's doors to the public, so to have the opportunity to taste some of its wares & enjoy a delightful meal was a great privilege. It didn't disappoint. Getting the chance to enjoy the company of Graeme & Lee in a more relaxing location was pretty good too!! I only saw him at dinner but Servais Knaven (former Paris-Roubaix winner & current Team Sky DS) was the ex-pro that joined the Slam. Coach back to hotel and the thought of sleep was really welcome...albeit with the alarm set for 5hours later. Zzzzzz

Transfer time

It's only when you start to travel somewhere that the reality of the adventure you are undertaking starts to sink in. All the fundraising, training & preparation soon fall to the back of the mind, or at least they did for me as I travelled down to Heathrow with Steve on the Sunday afternoon (13th May). The thought of City gifting the Premiership title back to United also provided distraction for about 35 mins, only for that hope to disappear as quickly as it took Utd to dash Bayern Munich's hopes back in 1999 Champions League Final. So a couple of cheeky beers were had whilst overlooking T5 with the sun setting ever lower. I know it's not the most glamourous of scenes but was enjoyable nonetheless. Checked in at 6.45am and have to say that my only experience of T5 was far better than had been described in the press over previous days. It wasn't that quiet either. The flight to Luxembourg was quick and was spent talking to Andy Neill (fellow Stage 5 rider & Tweeter). Always good to put a face to a name! The sight of the team bus upon arrival put a great smile on everyone's face....as if the blue sky & proposition of meeting Messers Dallaglio & Flintoff et al wasn't enough! The sight of the roadshow that is the Cycle Slam at the hotel in Nancy started to put the logistics of managing such an event into perspective. Bid Vest lorries x 2, Skoda support cars (a few), an ambulance, Halfords mechanics big van & Catermasters' food wagon...all in the car park and that was before all the bikes were made available to check over. A meet & greet session plus the first meeting to go through the next day's route, weather & what to expect preceeded an evening meal & drinks. Never had a 3 course meal before starting with spaghetti bolognese! At the end of dinner, we were told our groups for the week; how exciting.....a group lead by Lee Dixon & Graeme Le Saux, which also included fellow Evesham Wheeler (and Halfords colleague) Steve Tarling. The fast boys...and me! Time for an early night then ready for the first 100 miles...perhaps not as early as it should have been and not helped by someone's dulcet tones giving a rendition of Cockles & Mussels at 1am out by the pool!! The only relief being that would be one more person suffering more than myself as the alarm clock was set for 5.15am! Zzzzzzzzzz

Coming, ready or not!

I made it out this weekend, albeit 50 miles only on Sunday with the Evesham Wheelers. Nice little route up Stanway and good to see that the road had been re-tarmac'ed in the last couple of weeks. Made the descent immediately afterwards into village of Ford less intimidating. Great views too. Thankful it was dry, always good on Bank Holiday weekend! Felt good to be in the saddle again having not ridden for 3 weeks and most importantly no major reaction from my knee. I did give the cold bath treatment...15 mins bbbrrrrr!! Think I may have to be doing more of that madness next week. Yes next week! Wow it has come round quickly. This time next week I will be in Nancy with a lot of other excited Stage 5 slammers, contemplating the 103 miles that follow the following morning! Pedals taken off bike ready for transportation, clothes on spare bed ready for packing and just 4 days to work (albeit with a lot to pack in those 4 days)! Less than £200 to break the £3,000 sponsorship (incl Gift Aid) and it's proving ever illusive. http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RobertNewrick to help some great causes. Can't wait to tell you about the next bike ride I have..... :)

Stage 5: Here I come!

Now that was some good news! I am officially a Stage 5 rider. A great £2.3k raised before Gift Aid and £2.8k in total. I am still overwhelmed by the level of support received so far. I know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, with experiences that will never be forgotten. I am soooo excited!! The journey starts in a week and a half and begins with my first trip through T5 @ Heathrow. This weekend is my last opportunity to cycle and intend to get out at least once. Test the knee out too. Hoping the cold water treatment is doing its job. Cold bath after the rides this weekend me thinks. Brrrr! Chapeau to the Stage 2 riders. 14hrs in the saddle for a single day through thunderstorms, hail and serious climbs deserves recognition.... And a large Perroni! Very jealous the first day in Italy saw Claudio Chiapucci join The Slam (3 times on the podium at Le Tour). Wonder if any ex-pro's will join us through Northern France?! If you have yet to look, suggest http://dallaglioflintoff2012.com to track riders progress & some inciteful Slam updates.

Countdown

Just 5 more days until I find out if I have successful in getting an "upgrade" from riding just the last to riding all of Stage 5. By now you will have realised just how much that means to me. I know that there are fund raising events taking place by my challengers this weekend. If you have enjoyed reading my blog and want to support one of the standout non-pro cycling events of the year and some great charities.....all sponsorship greatly received at http://uk.virginmoneygiving/RobertNewrick I have received 2 stickers with my name on for my bike, which I'll add Saturday. Not long til I get a Boardman helmet too. Hope to get out for a ride this Sunday and check the knee out. Hope its dry too; been awful this week! Good start for the Stage 1 riders. Great rider tracker on www.dallaglioflintoff2012.com Fingers crossed.

Alternative training programme

Chose not too ride this weekend. Went to docs about knee and told that it's a touch of bursitis (or inflammation of he tenden to the rest of us). Cure being rest and anti-inflammatories. Seems that the more I've applied ibuprofen gel, the more I can feel my knee!! Hopefully ok for a ride next weekend. So enjoyed a couple of beers yesterday (alternative training!) & the briefest of lie ins this morning instead. 30mins is still better than no lie in!! Was strange not being out on a ride today but time spent with Sarah and my beautiful twin girls more than made up for it. Plus I spent a small amount of time in a cycle shop! Liege-Bastogne-Liege recorded to watch at some during the week. Sponsorship had a good boost on Friday and now passed the £2,500 mark, including Gift Aid. Well chuffed and continue to be humbled by everyone's generosity. Should know for certain this time week regarding riding all of Stage 5; quite away ahead of the others competing for the Stage "upgrade"! Would be off in 3 weeks time - very excited. I wonder what the mixture of excitement, nervousness & anticipation is of all the riders embarking on Stage 1 tomorrow. You can follow their progress on http://www.dallaglioflintoff2012.com Good luck Cycle Slammers!

It starts next week!

A good ride out on Saturday. Solo ride of 62 miles including climbing up Fish Hill. First time up as have always found a route that took me down. Temperature difference at the top surprised me. Was already in winter gear. Am actually looking forward to some sunshine and start getting the tan lines! The downside of the weekend was that my knee said enough after 10 miles on Sunday. Better part of valour, would rather rest it a bit now to ensure its ok for a 4 day ride which starts in under 4 weeks! How exciting! Already thinking about what to take and what to do on weekend of return. Still looking strong on the sponsorship front but still have to wait until the end of next week to have final confirmation. Although still a little bit shy of target. Really hoping to get to £2500. So close but not there yet! Monday afternoon included a conversation with a journalist from the Redditch Standard. Should hopefully see the article in this weeks edition! Photo too! Hoping that's not the only local paper running a story about he Cycle Slam and me this week. Exciting times ahead! Good luck to all the riders starting Stage 1 in Greece on Monday. Wow it's really happening.

Countdown continues!

So with two & a half weeks to go until I hear whether I have all of Stage 5 to ride and not just the last day, the sponsorship edges ever nearer my (revised) target of £2,500! I really find people's generosity amazing and very humbling. Weekend saw 125 miles covered in 2 days. Which I'm happy about as target was to ride over 100 miles in consecutive days. Easter Sunday's ride went as far West as Ledbury before coming back up to Malvern. Nice ride up Colwall Hill prior to a coffee stop with magnificent views of the Black Mountains. Visibility was great & views rewarding he effort of the climb! Nice rolling ride back home and good pace too. Forgot to mention that the training ride last week from Mitcham was actually resistance training. Resisting all the nice country pubs we passed was definitely hard!!! Here's hoping the opportunity of 3 days cycling in France comes to fruition. Can't wait!! I'm sure the girls are wondering whether it's normal for Daddy to be wearing lycra! Http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/robertnewrick

Buenos tardes. Buenos noches.

That was certainly a hard ride. First time out in the wet. You know when pleasure rides turn into training when you're prepared to go out when it's raining. Today was that day! Solo ride & 57 miles completed in 3.5 hrs. Chuffed with that considering back brake got a lot of abuse on the downhill sections, especially where there were some turns ahead. Comin down Fish Hill was a little nerve racking to start with. Wet roads & the occasional step out of the back wheel lately means braking is the better part of valour!! Love the Garmin Edge. This was the first time I had created a course and loaded it. What a great piece of kit & the stats afterwards once connected back up to the pc. Nice! I have to say that the conditions today quickly took my mind off what happened just before I started the ride. Had to give CPR to an elderly woman/neighbour. A strange feeling especially knowing it was probably too late. Ambulance & paramedics arrived shortly afterwards. Very sad. And so my longest ever solo ride ensued. Tomorrow brings a ride out with Evesham Wheelers to Malvern. Hope the legs survive. Paris - Roubaix being recorded & hopefully get a chance to ride over the cobbles to as part of the Cycle Slam 2012. Sponsorship going well but will be happy knowing that I will definitely be riding Stage 5. Still 3 weeks to go before knowing for certain. Also waiting to find out when photo shoot pictures will be used in local paper(s). Ideally no later than coming week. And now for a Sat pm film: "The Motorcycle Diaries", which is one of the best films ever! And a glass of red wine too. Training after all!!

What a week!

Now that was a week that lived upto, if not exceeded, expectation! A photo shoot with Lawrence on Wednesday. Whilst a quick PR style shoot in the glorious sunshine was enjoyable, it was followed by an excellent speech. Lawrence's that is! Saturday's Cycle Slam training ride was brilliant. A well organised day with a great lunch! Started at Mitcham (Halfords store) with approx 70 other riders including Lawrence. The temperature had dropped a bit from the sun induced days we've had this week so back to the winter gear. A 65 mile ride including Box Hill (part of Olympic course) plus a couple of other steeper climbs and a head wind for the final 20 miles. Met some great fellow riders & cycled with 3 of them for most of the day. Coming back into London was harsh: buses, angry traffic and feeling like we caught every red light! I don't miss the big smoke! A very rewarding day & loved it. What's more is that the sponsorship fund is now over £1500 - wow! Think that could mean that I'll be riding all of stage 5 not just the final day. Meaning an additional 300 miles in 3 days! Bit more training needed me thinks but what an incentive knowing how much has been raised. Looking forward to consecutive rides over Easter weekend. Time to ramp it up. Http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/robertnewrick

A week of anticipation

First ride after 2 weeks sidelined. Knee feels better but won't really know until the morning. The bike was a dream to ride, although I could tell that the last two weeks coughing and splattering had an effect on leg strength. Happy with the 55 miles completed which included a nice long climb up past Stanway. Forgot about the clock change and happy that there are two little girls who still wake up around 7.30! How did they know! Was good to start wearing the shorts and dispose of the winter gear! This week brings some exciting times, I hope! Firstly I should break the £1000 mark in sponsorship. Really chuffed with what's been raised so far but conscious that still 5 weeks to go and more still to be raised. Hard to compete with the legend that is John Bishop & Sport Relief! Secondly a photo shoot with Lawrence Dallaglio on Wednesday. Think I'll be looking up! Finally a training ride on Saturday with Freddie Flintoff. Wonder what he's like & how comfortable he's feeling on the bike! Certainly a week to look forward to.....can't wait! Http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/robertnewrick

Motivation

Motivation for this ride comes in many forms. Firstly just being part of a great adventure, even if I'm only playing a small part. This captures my imagination. Secondly, the chance to get to back to some proper cycling. I know I've missed going on longer rides. Spending time with girls growing up brings so many joys but it's very different from previous adventures cycling in Southern France to the Spanish border or around Northern Ireland (more about that another time)! The opportunity to raise some money.....icing on the cake! And just when I think that's all I need to focus on. I find out that if I raise the most money of the 8 competition winners who are currently riding the last day, I get to ride the whole of Stage 5!!!! This includes a 150kms day riding over the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix. Oh yes please! Motivation :)

Lessons in blogging!

1) When raising money for charity and using a blog.....always good to show the link to the sponsorship page!  Also the homepage for the event in question
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RobertNewrick

http://www.dallaglioflintoff2012.com/

St.Patricks Day

Well it may be a happy day if you're Irish (except for those visiting Twickenham!) but I've a dose of man flu. Means no cycling this weekend which I'm gutted about, particularly having had a couple of really good weekends previous. Consolation being some rugby on TV & Milan-San Remo being recorded.
Got bike back yesterday having been repaired after last Sunday's impact. Knee needs a couple more days recovery too.
Have photo shoot with Lawrence scheduled for 27th March. Excited already! Followed by training ride on Sat 31st.