In March, we caught up with Frank Tiddeman, occasional contributor to RCUK, and a man on a time-pressed mission to prepare for a ride up Mont Ventoux.

Here are some despatches from Frank’s training rides through Westminster and Blackpool. 

The ride up the Ventoux  is arranged through Bart and is sponsored by Mercator  insurance. One of the other prospective climbers, who is a friend of Bart’s, collapsed with a heart attack on a training run recently.

Perhaps because of this, or because it’s sponsored by an insurance company, I have been asked to undergo a medical before cycling up the Ventoux.

I’m not sure how this will work. My doctor says, “What’s the question I need to answer for you?” I guess it’s, “Am I okay to cycle up the Ventoux?” Hopefully, he restricts the answer to my physical rather than my mental condition.

My wife has also suggested that I get a heart rate monitor to make sure I don’t overdo it. Although I am not known for pushing myself particularly hard, it’s easy to get competitive.

During the Spring, I was working in the Westminster area and cycling in to work. When younger and fitter men were overtaking me, it was very hard not to start racing – not the best idea on busy London streets.

Spotting the occasional politico such as Boris is a better game to play; his large frame certainly gives me hope. I’m sure I could leave him straggling behind me going uphill, although as a politician he seems to be able to defy gravity. Descents would be a different matter.

I was supposed to go and do some training recently in the Welsh hills but unfortunately I’ve got myself down for a couple of fairly intensive courses one in distilling and brewing and another in information security. They have cut into my time and made it impossible for me train as planned.

At the weekend I went for a ride in the Kent Downs and managed to climb over 600 metres according to my cycling app. Unfortunately, as my friend Jon pointed out, this was little more than one per cent on average over the whole ride!

“You’ll have to do better than that matey!”

Jon has also been infected by the Ventoux bug and has been worrying me as to whether I really have low enough gears for my weedy legs. Let’s hope the experts at RoadCyclingUK gave me the right advice for a not particularly good cyclist rather than advice for a virtual professional.

I recently started some work up in Blackpool area, which has added a little difficulty to getting out and cycling. I stay in a hotel with a really good gym and that allows me to cycle on a machine. I crank up the wattage to the highest I can sustain and pedal away in a pool of sweat for an hour or so.

This week, I’ve brought my bike with me. Last night I cycled along the Fylde Coast with a colleague Phil who is going to do the London Night ride in a week’s time and also needs training.

Of course there are no hills around Blackpool; it’s all flat. It’s the wind that gives you some kind of resistance. Still, a couple of hours cycling in the evening was not a bad run.

Cheers,

Frank