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Lay in bed Saturday morning, all I could hear was the sound of the rain smacking against the window. Time to roll over and go back to sleep… A quick snooze later, and upon opening the curtains I was greeted with glorious blue sky and drying roads - time to ride.

The text was sent - 10.30am to the local bike shop for coffee and then onwards. Meeting up with Olav en route we encountered a couple of problems…

Whilst the sky was now clear of any threatening clouds, they had definitely done their job overnight of emptying as much rain as possible onto the Warwickshire countryside.

A few detours later and we safely made it to Dynamic Rides. Coffee, catch up and back on the road we were greeted by cyclist after cyclist our on their Saturday training rides - albeit ‘training’ mainly meaning heading out for cake!

50 miles later, it was time to head home with the satisfaction of getting in some base (junk?!) miles in and seeing around 60 happy local cyclists out on the roads. Roll on summer I say!

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Last week snow and ice, this week 15 degrees and very humid!

After taking part in the Dynamic Rides 12h Wattathon yesterday, we decided it was time to go for an easy recovery ride and enjoy the warm weather (no gloves warm!).

Out for 3.5 hours, we covered 35 miles at what felt like 300 watts again! The wet mud turning into thick clay making it impossible to turn the wheels as the following photo shows…

It may have been an average speed of 10mph, and with at least an hour of bike cleaning the other end not to mention the clothes - but it’s one of the best ways to spend the day on the bike. Takes us back to our childhoods exploring random trails and getting extremely muddy!

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Rainy days

When you don’t feel like riding is the exact moment you must put your clothes on and go. Next time you feel like putting it off, you’ll remember that it’s always worth it. You’ll remember the amazing landscapes you enjoyed on your last ride, the people you met, the road you discovered or how nice it feels. It’s the feeling that you’re doing something really good for yourself.

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Snow day!!

Saturday afternoon; with the threat of snow on the cards Sunday's ride was called - knobbly tyres and lots of fun down the snow covered trails.

The snow came, and quickly went on Sunday morning - however undeterred we headed out in search of some powder for our CX bikes to tackle.

We found lots of mud and some snow to play in, with all going well until that call out came “puncture!”. Not what anyone wants especially in freezing temperatures and on a muddy / wet bike.

20 minutes later and we were on our way to Costa for some well earned caffeine. All in a great day out on the bike - we found some new routes and had some great fun in the freezing temperatures.

(Being helpful as usual during the quick puncture stop!)

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At the end of 2014 we rode from Birmingham to High Wycombe, a windy and sub-zero temperature day of just over 100 miles. For 2015, we wanted to do something a little more epic and as I type this I have no doubt we achieved that.

The route was set based on direct trains out of Birmingham - and Taunton fitted the bill perfectly. It is SW of Brum, so the prevailing wind seemed ideal to help us finish the 230km route.

This is where my fellow rider and accomplis for the adventure James chipped in: “how about if we did it though the night?”. It seemed rude to push back on this frankly ridiculous proposal - if he was willing to do it I was too!

8.12pm on the 30th December and we found ourselves on the train down south. Storm Frank has been (and still is) battering the country, so we were expecting to get wet at some point. 

With backpacks filled with fuel and extra clothes we hit the lanes of Somerset for our first stint; including taking in the stunning Cheddar Gorge climb. Clear skies greeted us, and with the moon and stars shining down we were making good progress. The first stop was scheduled at the 24h McDonalds just north of Bristol - after a slight detour (sorry!) we made it after covering the first 90km of our journey.

It's worth adding at this point that although we had the luxury of Garmin GPS for navigation, we actually printed off a route with KM markers (which was the reason for many of the slight detours!) which added to the excitement.

As we left the warm confines of McDonalds, it was the same time the clouds decided to form above and drop its contents on us. We powered on north to Tewksbury where we had to stop in a bus shelter to put on the extra layers we had brought with us.

Freezing and soaked to the bone we changed course to knock off a few KM’s. Heading east to Evesham we had one final stop (another 24h McDonalds!) where we knew we only had 40km to go. At this point we were 190km in and knew that the finishing line was just around the corner.

We headed out to the final stretch just as the sun was coming up. With daylight came an even greater level of wind chill, leaving us really fighting to finish the final 20km. With Birmingham in sight we gave it everything we had (for those who seen our Strava - that wasn't much at this point!) and finished up at home just 8.5h after we had set off from Taunton. 

Along the way we passed through county after county, district after district, these small victories along the way kept us sane (although we probably looked far from it high giving reaching Worcestershire!). 

The final figures:

30th December 10pm - 31st December 8.30am 230 km Taunton - Birmingham 1500m of climbing 3 degrees average temperature

Time to recover now, feet up and enjoy the start of the new year. Happy 2016 all! Now, where to next year?

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Roll on tomorrow night...

50 in 3. Standard winter training? 

How about 3 cafe stops in 50 miles? That was the order for today’s ride! We met at the local Costa in Knowle at 9am before heading south to Kenilworth. The coffee stop of choice was Time for Tea; a great independent cafe where cyclists flock to from the surrounding villages. It gets so busy some days you need to pre book a table!

With 30 miles done, it was time to turn around and head home. One final stop at local bike shop Dynamic Rides (well it would be rude not too huh?!) and we heading back into town and home.

That was another 50 miles ticked off the Festive 500. Only 125km to go now, and as I type this we are finalising the plans for tomorrow nights epic through the night ride from Taunton, through Cheddar Gorge back up to Birmingham. It looks like the storm forecast has changed, so the plans are go go go!

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The ride was called; 10am at the local bike track. A few mumbles of varying commitment came back, but at around 10.10am three of us set off north to tackle 100km of the local lanes.

10km in and “toilet stop!” Was yelled from behind. Another 10km and another shout for a nature break…! It looked like it could be a long day in (or out) of the saddle.

At 50km in, we stopped for our coffee and some fuel at what has became somewhat of a regular haunt - McCafe! We then ventured back out on the return leg, into somewhat of a headwind featuring even more toilet breaks (OLAV!!).

The final cafe stop at 90km, this time at the local Costa. @rideupgradesjim caught us up (he missed the 10am start!) after his very similar but solo route. 

Another 100km ticked off the Festive 500 - just 210 to go! Oh and the weather for Wednesday night is looking a little on the bad side…

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Today a few of us headed north from Solihull up and through Maxstoke (a decent climb on the best day!) before stopping for coffee in Kingsbury.

The winds have lapsed from the past few days, however those clouds that were threatening us yesterday soon closed in. The return 40km was into a face full of mist. You know the type - ‘it doesn’t feel like it’s raining’ mist. The sort of mist that soaks you through after a few minutes of riding.

What was great to see was around 100 cyclists out and about - both solo and huge groups. That may not seem a lot for you Londoners, but us in the midlands that’s a big deal! 

All in a great ride. 80km ticked off this years Festive 500. 310km to go!

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Boxing Day 2015. Today was the day I had entered the WMCCL cyclocross at Kenilworth - the conditions could not have been better. 13 degrees and dry, albeit with a raging south westerly wind.

My mates James and Laura were racing. I planned to ride out, race and ride back - achievable with the course only being 15 miles away. Sadly my mind didn’t want to come with me and race today, so as I stood and cheered them on from the sides I knew that perhaps a day of recovery was for the best.

Sometimes you just need to listen to your body.

This brings me to the next few days, where I will attempt to complete the #festive500 - topped off with a mega 145 mile ride through the night from Taunton to Birmingham… Will we make it?

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Here is to even more adventures in 2016!

Christmas Day 2015, and my #fbf to when me and my best mate drove an epic 1800 miles to take part in the l'etape du tour. The summit finish up La Toussuire was almost the end of us, as we struggled in 40+ degree temperatures.

An amazing adventure, with incredible memories. A full write up to come in early 2016.

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Merry Christmas from us!

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TT Season Draws to a Close for Middleton

We sat down with him after his last race to see what he thought of his season.

My first year on a TT bike has been a real eye opener. From the highs of winning my first race and competing in the national TT events, to the lows of putting myself over the bars (one more than one occasion!) and exhausting myself from racing too much. Its been a learning curve, and one that has been helped massively by the guys at Dynamic Rides.

My final race of the season was on Sunday 18th October, the National Closed Circuit TT Championships held at Thruxton race circuit. 5 laps of this windy and freezing cold course would see me finish my season on a high, placing 16th from almost 200 entrants.

The build up to this event was going well, a new PB of 50m 40s over 25 miles a few weeks earlier with the plan to race one final 10 mile TT on October 11th to set me up for the Nationals. Sadly this event was cancelled, and it is very difficult to replicate the pressure and intensity of racing when there is no number pinned onto my back. Something to work on for 2016 perhaps?

The morning of the 18th arrived, and after a few practice laps around Thruxton circuit it was clear to see that the wind would play a big part in the days racing. The pit straight was into a direct headwind and slightly uphill - nightmare! Thankfully my team mates were there to cheer me on, and along with the noise and support from the rest of the crowd I managed to keep my legs turning through this tough part of the circuit.

As the laps ticked down, I was caught and passed by the defending champion Josh Teasdale of UCI team ProRace Cycling. Racing against the pros gave me the final push I needed to get myself to the finish line, meanwhile Josh went on to put a minute into me over the 11.7 mile circuit as he placed 5th overall. The winner was Brett Harwood in 23m03s, with my time of 24m29s good enough to place me 16th.

With my final TT of the season complete, it leaves me looking towards 2016 and beyond. I want to try my hand at some Cyclocross, purely for fun... I promise! A huge thanks again to Dynamic Rides for their sponsorship and support. Thanks to my team mates at MediaVelo and to everyone who comes to cheer me on at races. I really couldn't have performed as well without this support.

Kudos to all the MV riders this year for an amazing season. Here to next year!

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L’Etape du Tour - Route Profile

Thank you to A.S.O Challenges for the Route profile and map. Looks pretty flat to us..... The stage kicks off with an immediate incline taking on the Col Du Chaussy at 1,533m, the next lump starts at 62km and lasts for 20km reaching the Col de la Croix de Fer at 2,067m via the Col du Glandon. The Col du Mollard at 1,638m is the 2nd to last climb and lasts just 8km. The final climb tops out at 1,705 at la Toussuire les Sybelles.

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MediaVelo off to the Alps

In partnership with Le Col and British Cycling, MediaVelo will be taking on the Etape du Tour on the 19th July. Keep up to date with the Road Trip from Birmingham to La Toussuire by reading our travel diaries. 

Set in the Alps, along a 140km route we will be climbing nearly 5000m, tackling 4 mountain passes with a summit finish at La Toussuire.

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New commute for my daughter?

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W̶a̶t̶t̶ ̶B̶i̶k̶e̶ Pain Bike Session review - 8th January 2014 - 20:00h!

W̶a̶t̶t̶ ̶B̶i̶k̶e̶ Pain Bike Session review - 8th January 2014 - 20:00h!

19:30 - The final group of the day slowly turned up sporting various mixed cycling and normal attire. From iDubs roaming around in his cleats, lycra shorts and puffer jacket, to me in full skin suit and traditional cotton cap.

19:45 - Five nervous looking men waited patiently, stretching and wondering what we had let ourselves in for. We were also pondering where puncture Pete was, looks like he will have to catch up next week!

19:50 - The countdown was on. The last sips of coffee being taken, before the assorted coats and jackets came off. Game face on.

19:55 - Toddy and Luke came out to see who awaited the cave of pain. We were greeted by the previous session who were just leaving. They were smiling, chatting and looking like they had enjoyed themselves. Great stuff, we all thought.

20:00 - After some quick introductions, and most importantly the setting up of the connection between the Garmin and the W̶a̶t̶t̶ ̶B̶i̶k̶e̶ Pain Bike, we were quickly under-way and into the warm up.

20:10 - Toddy and Luke were explaining how todays session would work. A warm up of about 15 minutes, followed by three super fast sprints before we all did the important 3 minute test. Having done this before I knew the intense pain I was about to go though, I'm not sure the others did though!

20:25 - Warp up complete, we set off into the first of three sprints. Looking over at Russ I could see his towel being used to full effect for the sweat that was pouring from him, and over my shoulder Mr Dorney was also looking very hot and sweaty. Apologies to the Rapha clad gentleman behind me, I didn't quite see how you were doing!

20:30 - Feeling very warmed up, we did a 1 minute 'test' of the 3 minute test we were going to be doing. Not wanting to over do it, I worked to a pace I knew I wanted to target and quickly got back to recovery mode so I didn't waste any energy.

20:35 - Machines all set up, on Toddy's word we all entered 3 minutes of torture. I was too focussed on my output to catch the others, but Luke was doing a fantastic job at shouting and screaming at me to keep on going (I had requested this at the start!).

20:36 - One minute down, two to go. On target, legs feeling okay. Luke's shouting at level 3/10.

20:37 - Two minutes down, one excutiating minute to go. Legs sceaming at me, Luke sceaming at me, I was screaming at myself! 30 seconds... On target... 20 seconds... On target... 10 seconds... Out of the saddle for that final push! And relax....!

20:38 - Head down, I was done. The pain coming from my legs was over. Well done legs. My heart pounding, my face full of joy. 'Keep your head down James' I tell myself. And breathe.

20:40 - I regain some sort of awareness of what's going on around me, and continue to spin my legs in recovery mode. 10 minutes of this and I'm done.

20:45 - The others begin to do some zone work based on their 3 minute tests, I bail having given every last bit. These legs weren't giving out any more watts tonight.

20:50 - Into the Flying Squirrel cafe. Recovery shake, lots of water and I could relax. Job done!

A massive thank you to Toddy and Luke for a fantastic evening. The programme looks great and I couldn't recommend it more. The great thing about the programme is that you can do them at your own pace. You could be sat at 150 watts, while the person next to you is pushing out 360 watts, and it doesn't matter. Its all built around you and what you want to do. Top work guys!

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings!

James Middleton