Monday: Arrival at Castorama

Castorama's Bruno arrived at the hotel this morning to guide us out of the city center to Templemars where Castorama is based - a short 6 mile ride.  We wanted to arrive in Castorama when people would be at work - and so we could meet our colleagues as the objective of the Ultimate Commute.  Just outside, we moved into an arrow formation & turned a corner to see - and hear - so many of Castorama's team welcoming us over the finish line.  Cheers, clapping, flags, horns - and I suspect a few tears.  It felt so good to finish, but all of us were on a high.

So many people were asking us about the trip - how was it, had we enjoyed it - and congratulating us.

Bikes onto van, goodbyes & back to the UK.

Sunday: Dover to Lille

Vicky was up early this morning - taking this shot of the sunrise near the hotel.  We got the bikes loaded onto the van last night, so all that was left to do today was to squeeze the bags in there too.  The support crew then headed for vehicle boarding whilst we went to the foot passenger entrance.

I was determined we were going to have a better day from a navigational perspective today, so bought a map the minute we boarded - and we spent plenty of time working out the route.  Meanwhile, Tracey was working on yet more massages, making use of one of the benches on the ferry.  Not entirely sure what our fellow passengers thought about half naked men being massaged in front of them! Calm, sunny and surprisingly quick crossing.

I had a mini crisis when we arrived in Calais - Sarah & Victoria couldn't get the car to the foot passenger terminal.  Luckily Roy could in the van, so we all had our bikes and most people had kit - however, my shorts, shoes and GPS watch were in Victoria's car.  It was looking as if I'd be either doing the first bit of the ride balancing trainers on SPD pedals or getting a ride in the van, but Vicky had a spare pair of SPD shoes that just happened to be my size.  Happy days.

Despite route planning, we had a false start trying to find the right road out of Calais which led to a few extra miles and taking a different road parallel to the planned one to Gravelines.  Very agricultural, very flat and despite even more roadkill rats, picturesque.  We whizzed along, making much better progress than I anticipated.  Eventually met the car by Bourbourg where I changed into my own kit (thanks again Vicky) and Sarah led the cyclists through the rather complicated town southwards.

There were a couple of glitches.  Victoria & Sarah couldn't find an open supermarket - so refuelling was limited to what was left from yesterday.  We were to have a break in Cassel, a picturesque village on a hill, but the roads into it were all closed.  There was a benefit as the road up to Cassel would have been extremely steep - instead, we had more gradual climbs.

In Bailleul, Victoria and Sarah finally found a patisserie open so we enjoyed some very tasty bread and pastries.  Hayley was so relieved to have "non oat based food" - there's a great photo of her with french bread in one hand, a banana in the other, with her legs getting a quick massage from Tracey to be added here.

The villages and towns were fairly easy to navigate - and very attractive.  As we got closer to Lille, the villages merged into its suburbs and the support team took the very brave decision to guide each group in.  Maneuvering a Luton van around busy city streets slowly enough for bikes to follow on the wrong side of the road required some impressive driving from Roy - helped out by Tracey and Julia!  The final bit through the old town took us over cobbles - I was pining for my mountain bike.

Got to the very basic budget hotel, all in by about 7, and we decided that the bikes would be safer in our rooms than in the van.

The final night so we went out for a meal and lots of Flanders beer, celebrating effectively completing the ride.

Saturday - Paddington to Dover

2 new cyclists joined us today, BioRegional's Hayley and Kingfisher's Net Positive Director Nick Folland. Nick took on the job of getting us out of central London - with a little sight seeing on the way.  Hyde Park, the Mall - and we took a moment for photos outside Buckingham Palace.  Past Parliament & along the Embankment to Tower Bridge which we crossed.

Then it all got a bit complicated trying to get onto the Old Kent Road - including getting a bit confused in Deptford.  Bexleyheath was a bit of a shock - hills!  Shooters Hill was a killer - and at least a couple of us took a walking break there.  Somehow, we got split up into about 4 groups.  Matt & George managed to find a very pleasant sounding cycle route - and got to B&Q Gillingham with comparative ease.  Hayley & I lost the others, only to find them recovering form a couple of sense-of-humour-failures on discovering that there are few bike friendly ways to cross the Medway.  Getting lost is not good - getting lost & doing unnecessary hills is just unfair.  We all found the store eventually, climbing up Chatham Hill, but much later than we expected to.

Another wonderful reception from Pudsey & the B&Q store team - thanks so much B&Q Gillingham.

We made a couple of decisions over our lunch.  The speediest cyclists, including B&Q Dover's Shaun, would set off separately, aiming to get to B&Q Dover so that the store could welcome them at a sensible time.  Shaun would lead so that they could avoid the A2 when it is at its dual carriageway worst after Canterbury and see some of Kent's countryside.  The rest of us would see how we split based on speed.  Despite some amazing speeds of 40mph, the speediest cyclists were actually beaten to the store by George's group who opted to face the A2.  The support team got a bit panicky as Ben vanished for a while - but he found George's group OK.

B&Q Dover welcomed the 2 lead groups and Nick headed off home after chatting to the store's team about Kingfisher's Net Positive programme - a great way to highlight the sustainable transport aspects of our challenge.

At the back, we knew we wouldn't get to the store in time, so headed straight for the hotel in Dover.  We tried a bit of the nasty A2, but got a sense that we may end up joining the vast quantities of roadkill we were passing (how many rats have died there?).  We headed for the hills instead, and felt instantly happier and safer.  Mike's chain broke & he opted to wait for the support van to pick him up, kept company by a couple of kids & their dogs.   The light was fading as we cut back onto the A2 for a less than pleasant push onto Dover, with David doing an amazing job, keeping us together and navigating all at once.  Vicky kept Rick going with some really impressive coaching.

Tracey worked hard all evening with a queue of cyclists benefiting from her sports massage skills.  She didn't get to finish until gone 11 - definitely dedicated.

88 miles for me & Hayley - but everyone ended up with very different distances due to the navigational challenges!

Friday – Setting off from B&Q House

What a send off!  I don’t think any of us expected to see so many of our B&Q House colleagues come to cheer us on our way – and I don’t think I was the only one to feel quite emotional to receive such amazing support.

We’d started the day early with breakfast & a briefing in the canteen, followed by a warm up session ably led by B&Q Gym’s Tracey Prynne.  Bags were loaded onto the van, maps handed out – and some photos and filming, before going into B&Q House’s Heart Space – and seeing all the balconies and floor space packed full with supporters.  Pudsey was there too of course!

Ian Herrett, B&Q’s Commercial Director wished us well on our ride.  He mentioned the bit in our briefing notes about how cyclists take an average of 18% fewer days off sick.  The Mayor of Eastleigh, Rupert Kyrle,  decided that Lille was in France and was really complimentary about our efforts to promote sustainable transport.  And Pudsey waved.

Our colleagues formed a guard of honour down the cycle path from the offices to the road – and we were on our way.  So many different speeds in the team – we’ve got keen club cyclists like Richard and Andres, ultra fit cyclists like Vicky – and steady-but-not-quite-as-speedy cyclists like me!  We split into 2 groups.

Glorious sunshine as we worked our way north east through Winchester and then through beautiful rolling Hampshire countryside – the Candovers and Ellisfield. Through Odiham and then up to Fleet, we arrived at B&Q Farnborough to an enthusiastic reception from the store team.  Pudsey was already there – raising more sponsorship from colleagues and customers.

After lunch, the rain began and we set off, following Victoria in the support car to negotiate up to the A30.  The support van came into its own as Mike got his first puncture of the day by Virginia Water, rushing to his rescue, only to find that he’d pretty much fixed it!

We regrouped at Royal Holloway to face the entry to Greater London – figuring we’d be safer as a big group.  I can’t pretend that it was my favourite part of the day, with planes landing over our heads by Heathrow – and then getting to navigate London streets and London traffic in the wet.  Julia had a toe clip incident, falling off, but luckily no harm done & she bravely jumped straight on her bike again.  Mike had yet another puncture near Bayswater –and Julia had one yards from the finish point.

Just as we got to Paddington, the sun came out again.  Our CEO Martyn Phillips and People Director Fraser Longden were there to greet us along with a surprising number of Kingfisher colleagues, given that it was late-ish on a Friday.  Mary and JV from Kingfisher had cakes and tea lined up for us – and we were allowed to store our bikes over night in the canteen.

Dinner at an Italian restaurant.  Very intrigued that a beautiful young woman materialised to chat closely with Andres!

Training in public - with Pudsey

Banners up, spinning bikes borrowed, surprise bake sale - and Pudsey in attendance. We launched the Ultimate Commute today in B&Q House, catching colleagues as they made their way to the canteen at lunch time.

Lots of interest, questions about our training, the route and the ride - and about chafing!

It's all about me!!!

David Griffin's team surprised him by bringing in a selection of home made cakes for sale - with all proceeds going towards our sponsorship target.  The chocolate refrigerator cake was particularly appreciated by David!  He did his best to burn off the calories when with Julia, he took on an hour stint on the spinning bikes.

Sarah, Pudsey & Vicky

Sharon and Ben took over the bikes at 12:30, Gin and Victoria at 1, with Sarah and Vicky picking up the final shift at 1:15.
Sarah & Victoria are in the support team on the actual ride - so it was great that they had the chance to do a little cycling!

Ben, Pudsey & Sharon

Smarter Travel in Action

Rather than jumping into cabs to get between design shows, the B&Q lighting team tried out boris bikes in London this week - great to see imaginative business travel!

Surviving London on a bike!

So, the trip is looming and I promised to pen some thoughts about cycling in London based on my 2 years as a London cyclist.

There's probably a few key principles:

• Be assertive
• Get to the front and utilise the cyclist boxes
• Use the cycle lanes when they're available
• Make eye contact with drivers 

Nearly every junction in London has a big green box at the front, dedicated to cyclists. This is the safest place to be when waiting at traffic lights as you get out ahead of the cars / buses behind you.

As you approach a red light, aim to get to the cyclist box and be ready to pull out as soon as the lights change. If you're not sure if you'll get to the box in time, hang back and give yourself some breathing space from the vehicle in front of you.

If you're waiting at a box in poor light, I try and make eye contact with the drivers behind me to make sure they've seen me.

Watch out for doors opening from taxis etc, especially if they've pulled over.

Be assertive and make sure you've clearly indicated to change lanes.

Watch out for any vehicle turning left. If in doubt, hang back and give yourself some space at junctions.

Otherwise, it's just like any other cycling but a lot busier!

Lille, here we come.

Vic

Meet the support team - part 1

It sounds so simple - get on bikes and ride to Lille - but the closer we get to 28th September, the harder our tour manager Victoria is having to work!  Victoria's an events manager with a wealth of experience that includes sports events.  From negotiating train tickets for the return journey to persuading Tracey from B&Q House's gym to come along and advise on training, she's already busy with planning the challenge.

You may not recognise Victoria on the day we leave as she is also odds on favourite to be donning the Pudsey outfit!

Roy's also pictured here - he is going to be driving our support van - so here he's getting in some practise with heaving bike baggage around.

Roy and Victoria are to be joined by Sarah (as a driver) and Tracey (our challenge's fitness guru).

Did you know - cycling and walking can help with weight control

30 minutes of leisurely cycling will burn about 300 calories* - depening on your age, gender, weight and speed.  5 times a week, that'd be 1500 calories.  And assuming you do this 40 weeks a year, that's 60,000 calories - enough to lose 17lb of weight.**

30 minutes of walking at 3.5mph will burn about 140 calories.  Again, this will vary depending on your age, gender and weight.  5 times a week, that's 700 calories.  Assuming you do this 40 weeks a year, that's 28,000 calories - enough to lose 8lb of weight.**

Of course, these estimates assume that you don't eat any more calories!

* Source: World Cancer Research Fund
** Based on 3,500 calories to lose 1lb

Did you know - your journey may not be necessary

The quickest way to get to a meeting is reaching it from your desk!  Many of us already use telephone conference calls when a face-to-face meeting isn't possible.

Webinars are a simple way to take a group of people through a presentation.  Participants see the slides as the host talks and they can ask questions through audio or text chat based systems. 

But you can get get the benefit of face-to-face meetings virtually too.  Many businesses now have facilities for a huge range of video conferencing options ranging from Skype and similar desk based technologies all the way through to virtual telepresence meeting rooms.  Video conferencing allows participants to see body language and feel more involved in the meeting process.

Less time travelling, less cost of travelling - and it can be easier to get everyone you need together if you meet virtually.

Find out what your company can do to help you to cut back on business travel.

Did you know - flying might become 30% of UK's carbon footprint

If trends continue, flying may account for up to 30% of the UK's carbon footprint in the future.*

If everyone in England who takes three or more flights to Europe cut one return flight we would save enough carbon dioxide to take 200,000 cars off the road for a year.*

Take the train instead - the award winning  Man in Seat 61 website has a wealth of helpful advice on travelling by train in the UK and across Europe.  Get the details on how to take a sleeper to Edinburgh for example and learn how to get cheaper tickets.

* Source: Energy Saving Trust

Did you know - we could save £1.1 billion every year?

If everyone in the UK reduced their car mileage by just five miles a week it would collectively save around £1.1 billion and 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.* 

Look at how you travel for short trips - for example, walking to the paper shop or cycling to the post office.  You'll get fitter and benefit from some fresh air.  You're more likely to get chatting to yoru neighbours on your journeys.

Walking or cycling your children a mile to and from school each day would save around £120 and 250kg of carbon dioxide each year compared to doing these journeys in the average car.*

* Source: Energy Saving Trust

Did you know - it's easy to plan a bus commute

Take a look at Transport Direct's website - it has a great door-to-door journey planner that shows how to use public transport - complete with times and a comparison to driving.

Did you know - car commuting costs £1200 every year

According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average car commute takes 30 minutes and costs around £1200 every year in fuel alone - that's 5% of the average UK salary!

Give yourself a 2.5% payrise by sharing your commute with a colleague who lives locally. 

If every commuter in the UK shared a car with two others collectively it would save £5.4 billion and 11.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.*

Smarter driving can save you between £250 and £300 and between 500kg and 600kg of carbon dioxide a year if you’re a commuter*. That’s a 15% saving on your fuel bill, which is around two months’ worth of fuel a year.  Click here to check out the EST's tips. 

When you are choosing a new car, opt for the most fuel efficient model - this will take £515 off your fuel costs every year, £150 off the first year's road tax and £120 off subsequent years' road tax.*

* Source: Energy Saving Trust

Did you know - cyclists take less time off sick?

If you commute by bike you'll take less time off sick than non-cycling colleagues - they will take 18% more time off than you according to the CTC.

60% of men & 70% of women don't currently achieve the recommended minimum level of activity - 30 minutes 5 times a week - according to the CTC.  Cycling to work can really help to achieve this level, boosting our health.

Vicky gets the yellow jersey!

Vicky cycled 147 miles last week - so is the very deserving recipient of the yellow jersey.  She's been combining the gym (see her setup here for Friday eve!) with a turbo trainer, commuting and longer rides.  A turbo trainer BTW is a handy gizmo that enables you to cycle on your own bike in the comfort (and light!) of inside. 

Shaun did a very creditable 120 with a single ride of 70 - but he claims that his legs gave up at 60!

And Richard did 110 - very much back in the saddle after his injury.

You can see where we all are virtually on the map link.

George is leading the way though for total distance - he's now just outside Avignon and I think he'll get to Marseille this week virtually.

£1330 in sponsorship so far.

I turned a 4 mile commute into a 19.5 mile ride home by going via Winchester on Friday (evidence photo is to the right....). 

And on Saturday, on a rather good little off road ride near Ellisfield,  I managed to twist my knee as my bike got stuck in a very claggy muddy bit - the joys of a mountain bike.  Hobbled the rest of the weekend, but it seems to be healing well.  I'm applying the tried & tested technique of resting it for a few days - to be honest, if we weren't so close to the date of the challenge, I'd probably be cycling again by now, but I really don't want to be carrying an injury!

David on Drafting

Being a touring cyclist of old, I’ve had some experience of long distance riding and riding in groups.  Having started cycling again after a 15 year break I’ve been quietly please at how I’ve been able to get back into it and I can still remember many of the techniques that help keep you going on a long ride (i.e. past the shop at the end of the street).  Not saying it wasn’t hard work, but its coming together.  Julia is totally new to this and has had a steep learning curve, how to use toe clips, how to use the gears etc.  I think she has found our practice rides hard work.  She hasn’t been able to keep up if I lead, or ride hard for more than 15 to 20 minutes, meaning we’ve needed regular stops (not that I’m complaining about the stops!). 

Over the last few ride’s she’s just about mastered the toe clips and the gears so this week we a new trick, Slipstreaming (or Drafting).  Julia tried to stay within about a metre of my back wheel, thereby keeping in my slip stream and hopefully making it a little easier for her.  In return I kept an eye out to make sure I didn’t pull ahead and she could stay close.  I also made sure I didn’t do anything last minute, like swerve  to avoid potholes etc and off we went.  This time, a very different story.  On a 10 mile ride we didn’t need to stop and we were able to keep up a moving average or 14mph, with flat road speeds of 17mph to 20mph.  It also meant I didn’t get carried away kept my speed down so didn’t burn out early so win win. 

Its all about team work J

David Griffin

George Gets The Yellow Jersey

Last week’s yellow jersey was a close contested affair – Vicky completed 90.5 miles, I did 97.9, but George just pipped us both racking up 104 last week.  King of the Mountains goes to Richard who is back on his bike, starting with a “gentle” 46 miles on Sunday!

I’ve updated the map (finally!) and it’s me, Vicky & George who are ahead, getting close to Dijon.  Ben and Richard are both just south of Paris.

http://goo.gl/maps/TuKfW

It’s really good to see some longer rides appearing on the tracker – both Vicky and I managed rides of over 50 miles last week and George’s longest recorded pedal was 43.5.  Julia, David, George & myself are planning a group ride on Saturday from Bishops Waltham – let me know if you’d like to join us.

It’s also good to see some after work rides appearing – somehow, David & Julia squeezed 10.5 miles into Monday evening on top of lawn mowing & other exciting jobs.  George has also been managing to ride into work a couple of times a week from Bishops Waltham, which helps with the miles.

On the sponsorship front, we're just over £1,100 with just over a month to go before the challenge commences!

Gin

Gin's first long ride

I do a fair amount of mountain biking - but I think the last time I did a longish road cycle ride, it was from Glasgow to Edinburgh back in 2010 for a Start challenge.  For that, I was on a mate's (unfamiliar!) racing bike & I knew my training hadn't been right about 2 streets into the ride!

So this time, I have a bit more experience to draw upon!  I'm going to be doing the challenge on a hybrid - and I suspect I'll be the only one to do so!  It's the bike I use to commmute most days & the only nods it makes to hybrid-ness are a mountain bike frame and disc brakes.  I have tried it on gravel paths - and it is so not suited to non-tarmac.  I love the more upright posture it gives me than a pure road bike & since switching to discs on my mountain bike, I've not been a fan of rim brakes - it's not what I'm used to.  I will be fitting clipless SPD type pedals to make it a bit speedier and have already changed to stronger tyres.

So the bike is going to be more familiar - how about the training?

On Saturday, I set off from my home in Eastleigh to Rockbourne - a lovely chocolate box village near Fordingbridge that's home to my boss Sarah.  My route planning was OK, but there was one nasty hill going up a dual carriageway where I needed to turn right - poor views of speeding cars & no speed for me due to the hill!  Having survived that, I enjoyed fantastic views of the north bit of the New Forest.  I got to Sarah's about 45 minutes earlier than I thought which was a good confidence booster.  Quaffed vast quantities of homemade elderflower cordial and refused offer of a sandwich as (unusually for me) I really wasn't hungry. 

Heading back, it felt harder.  The day had got much hotter and I really regretted not sorting out a bottle holder for the frame or taking my rucksack that has a water bladder built in.  To drink, I had to stop & dig the bottle out of my pannier so it wasn't surprising that I wasn't drinking enough.  My stomach was also hurting.  Legs were fine though! I pulled into a tea shop & made myself eat scones & had a drink - this seemed to make a difference & I got home OK.  Stomach still not good that evening - I think due to dehydration & not eating the right stuff at the right times.  I will be stocking up on M&S Veggie Percy Pigs for the challenge as they've worked well for me on long runs in the past.

58 miles pedalled, averaging 10.6 mph.  I won't be in the same league as Ben, George, Richard & Nick for speed, but I think that's a respectable pace.

Gin

Thanks to Whitbread and Kingfisher

Victoria Johnson will be our tour manager - as organising events is her USP, this radically increase the chances of everything running like clockwork during our challenge!  She's at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta at present running the Start/B&Q Energy Saving Shop Roadshow.

Whitbread have very generously offered us big discounts on hotel costs - we're very grateful for this support.  Kingfisher will be sponsoring windproof gilets for the team - we wanted something that would go over waterproofs & other layers but still look distinctive.

New riders to add to the team too: Ed Wilton from Kingfisher and a colleague from Brico Depot.

Ben's set us a new target of £6K for sponsorship - this is what M&S Plan A's team raised on a similar event & we'd like t at least equal their efforts.  £270 raised so far - so we have some way to go - check the latest total here.

Last week's yellow jersey goes to (drum roll!) Ben who clocked up 73 mile last week:

• Ben 73
• Gin 62
• George 38
• Vicky 12.5

On the tracker, I've gone past Paris, with Ben & George not too far behind. 

No news on Richard's leg - except that Caroline reckons he's hard to keep up with on crutches so I guess recovery is going OK!

Training Update 31st July

Sad news – Richard Cowley has torn ligaments & is currently on crutches – not sure if he’ll be fit for the ride or not.  He was well ahead on training & was going to be up front with Nick for speed – Froome to Nick’s Wiggins perhaps? Here’s hoping that Richard recovers very soon.

               

And controversy – David was claiming 600+ miles, but further investigation revealed that this had been completed on a bike with a motor – a rather lovely Triumph Tiger – so his ranking has been reassessed!   I’m claiming I should get more credit for the miles I did last week on the basis they were all off road & therefore subject to greater rolling resistance than for the roadies amongst you – but suspect I won’t get far with that argument!

Anyway, after all that, last week’s yellow jersey goes to Mike who racked up an impressive 122 miles:

122 Mike

77 Matt

69 Ben 

57 Vicky

55 Rick

55 Gin

54 George

50 Hayley

14 David

14 Julia

I’m awarding King of the Mountains to Hayley from BioRegional – great to see you on the tracker.  On the map: http://goo.gl/maps/cbk86 you’ll see that Richard, me, Matt, George & Ben have passed through Lille, Vicky is in the middle of Lille and Mike has also made it across the Channel.  Slightly unfairly, I’ve only logged 50 miles for Hayley so far…

The previous week’s yellow jersey appears to go to me, but I think that may be down to lack of tracker completion by others!

Sponsorship – we’re at £250 so far: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/bqsrpedal

Gin

Training progress - Weekly Update

George pedalled 73 miles last week, so he gets the metaphorical yellow jersey - a shock result made possible by Richard's training easing up!  Vicky gets "King of the Mountains as she's just updated the tracker with 110 miles since it started.

On the map tracker, I'm very happy to be second on the way to Lille - Rick, Vicky and Mike are now on here too: http://goo.gl/maps/rBtv

Welcome to Shaun Terry from B&Q Dover who is joinng the team for the full ride - some of his colleagues in Dover are also interested in doing at least a stage.

 George's training thoughts
35 miles through the fantastic Hampshire countryside and for the first weekend in a long while the sun shone.  Rode out with 10 others and managed to get some decent hills in - Hampton Hill near Swanmore, Beacon Hill from Exton, and to finish the day back up the South Downs from Cheriton.  You can certainly tell we have had months of rain with the amount of mud and stones on the roads.   

More on cycling in the rain....

A quick poll of commuters in the bike shed reveals that cycling to work in the rain isn't as unpleasant as you might think - however, given that the number of bikes in the shed plummets as the rain falls, maybe I'm only talking to the hard core cyclists!
There's nothing wrong with being a fair weather cyclist - after all, it's still another car journey saved - but I found this article that gives some advice on making rainy pedalling a bit more pleasant.
I'm a big fan of waterproof socks - it might be a bit psychological, but if my feet are dry, it gives me the illusion that things aren't too bad.
Now - time to surf for a bike/boat hybrid....
Gin

287 training miles this week...

... over 2 thirds of which were pedalled by 3rd week yellow jersey wearer Richard!  On our map, Richard has virtually whizzed through Lille & is now on the outskirts of Paris.

Matt's appearing on the tracker now - mostly gym mileage - but that most certainly counts! 

However, Ben Earl gets King of the Mountains this week following a very soggy pedal to Warsash with me on Monday to an SR team event.  Many thanks to Caroline for arranging access to the yacht club showers – so very much appreciated!  Ben also his bike out over the weekend – some good solid mileage knocked up.

Ben on another rainy bike ride

On a Smarter Business Travel subject, Monday really illustrated the facilities that make a difference to cyclists that go beyond decent bike sheds/racks. 

Showers, changing room - and somewhere to hang up soggy kit to dry all help to make cyclists feel better about their ride and able to arrive at work looking, well, work-like.  B&Q House also provides towel loan which cuts down on kit to carry as well as solving the dilemma of where to dry a damp towel.

I've heard of other employers getting imaginative with facilities - providing ironing equiment as well as hair straighteners and dryers!

And an additional benefit is that all of these support colleagues who walk or run to work or who pop out for lunchtime exercise too - all helping to support a healthy workforce.

George is King of the Mountains, Richard gets 2nd Yellow Jersey

Richard managed some amazing distances in training last week, racking up 185 miles.  He gets last week's Yellow Jersey!  Richard has also completed the team challenge - which is to accumulate the 234 miles we'll all be needing to pedal.

George gets the week's King of the Mountains jersey, thanks mostly to fitting in a loop from his home through the Hampshire countryside that included some killer hills. 
Well done to Julia and David for 25.5 miles - although it sounds like Julia's bike may need a bit of tweaking to its setup to prevent future back pain.  Ben and I just managed to commute - 3 days for Ben and a pathetic twice for me!  I'm still waiting for Matt to start adding his mileage - he did some cycling at Richmond Park at the weekend plus some gym stuff. 

Team news - Mike Hawes has joined and Rick Jones is going to try and rustle up some French colleagues to join us.  Sponsorship is up to £120 - thanks to all who've donated so far at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/bqsrpedal .  I suspect Julia's been most instrumental in our fundraising so far.

And on Smarter Travel news, Sherry from B&Q's Facilities ran a second Bike Doctor free cycle servicing session for B&Q House cyclists as the one she organised during Bike Week was so popular.

Gin

And the training begins....

We've started to record our training miles - and last week's yellow jersey goes to Richard (on the left of the photo) who clocked up 55 miles. 

Richard's a keen club cyclist who also goes to spinning classes - but he isn't able to cycle to work as he is field based and lives in Suffolk.  Richard was part of the team who cycled from Glasgow to Edinburgh in 2010 as part of the Start Royal Train challenge - and is expected to be leading the way with Nick on the big pedal.  Availability of porridge will be a key factor for Richard as it's his preferred cycling fuel - at Glasgow station, very kind station staff supplied hot water to add to our pots of instant stuff.  We need to tap into Richard's experience of road club cycling to improve technique and the way we ride.

King of the Mountains is being awarded weekly to the most impressive performance in training by a no-so-regular cyclist.  Julia's this week's winner - she's quite new to cycling and managed to get the bike out twice, building up 23.5 miles - a great start!  Julia's more used to bikes with engines and has done some epic road trips with her husband David.  Julia and David use more methods than most to get to work, sometimes walking, sometimes sharing a car or one of their motorbikes - and I believe that cycling will soon be added to this mix.

Here's hoping for some good weather this week so that we can cycle in the sunshine as we train....

Gin

Bike Week at B&Q House

The bike sheds filled up this week as our colleagues joined in with Bike Week.
A free bike service offer on Wednesday was so oversubscribed that a second date is looking likely! And we also had the chance try out Giant's electric bikes - from a commuting perspective, as well as making the pedal to work easier, these could help to remove the need to shower & change once at work.
However, we are extremely lucky to have excellent showering/changing/drying/storage facilities at B&Q House.  And there are solar PV panels on the roof helping a little to charge bikes plugged into the electric recharging points.

Many Thanks to Start

Start have very kindly talked about the Ultimate Commute on their website - and it's in good company with some great articles on Biking for Beginners, fabulous cycling holidays, loads of inspiring ideas - and you can sign up for regular positive sustainability updates.

I've found an older Start article from 2010 about a challenge that Nick, Richard, Phil and I undertook from Glasgow to Edinburgh.  We left Glasgow on bikes at the same time as Prince Charles did on the royal train and the idea was to get to Edinburgh in about 3 hours - in time to see the Prince before he headed out of Edinburgh.  I was way too slow & I remember having a break in a tea shop with fabulous scones when we got the call from the guys to tell us that they'd made it!

Gin

BioRegional Join Our Pedal

Hayley Baines-Buffery and Phil Shemmings from the charity BioRegional are keen to join our Ultimate Commute - and as it is BioRegional who assess our efforts in promoting sustainable business travel at B&Q, it seems very appropriate to welcome them on board.  They work with the full Kingfisher group - so travelling to Lille represents a normal business trip for them - albeit normally completed by train.
There's more about BioRegional here: http://www.bioregional.com/
Phil teaches young people to cycle safely in his spare time so I'm hoping for some great training tips from him to help us along.  Hayley's a very keen cyclist and has taken some impressively green cycling based holidays in the past - so lots of experience to share.
The only thing they need to decide is where to join us.  As both are London based, they may opt to join from Paddington to Lille as a more realistic commute.
Gin

First Training Ride

Only 2 cyclists for our first training session and as Ben & I both commute on our bikes, we simply extended our pedal home up to 12 miles. 

I've discovered that I'm as slow cycling up hills as I am running up them (my hill speeds are legendary at running club!) - although I didn't appreciate a bloke leaning out of his car to yell at me to get a move on (paraphrased).  So hill training is very much required for me.

It was a surprisingly pleasant evening and we stopped on all River Itchen bridges to admire the view.  There is a photo of Ben to add - just having some format issues....

The turn round point was determined by Ben's bike picking up a puncture and I got to appraise his puncture repair skills - really good, especially as he's a road cyclist (mountain bikers tend to get more practise).

So a good start - just need to get more of the team with us next time.

Gin

Bicycles made for 2

I was hoping that David and Julia might go for a tandem for the bike ride - but instead they've gone for the more adaptable option of 2 new individual bikes instead. 
It's great news that Julia's husband David has joined the team as it means that Julia has a regular training partner.  They already have mountain bikes - but "proper" road bikes will make the 234 miles whiz by much quicker! 
Mountain bikes have wide, knobbly tyres - great for gripping on mud or scree, but also great at slowing up pedalling on nice smooth tarmac.  Gearing for mountain bikes is designed to get up steep slopes off road - not for speedy road ascents.  Positioning is also different.

In other news, Victoria is contemplating joining the cycling team - a brave move for someone who's not been on a bike for a couple of years!

Linking with Start

Our Ultimate Commute project will be linking up with Start - and I had a great chat with Lauren from Start about it yesterday whilst we were working on the B&Q & Start stand at the Royal Bath & West.  She was particularly impressed that Richard & I still have our jerseys from a Start cycling event we took part in 2 years ago (Glasgow to Edinburgh)!
We're going to look into getting the Start team actively involved - perhaps even getting one of the team to join us.  We also talked about Start & social media support - did we have a blog, were we going to blog... job done!

There's nothing like some inspiration....

...and this isn't really like inspiration!  Ben's sent in this picture of himself battling the elements on his bike:

Our first sponsor

I sent around the Virgin Money Giving site to be checked for errors - and we now have our first sponsor!  Thanks so much Alex and Bryce for getting us going.