ANZAdventures

LEJOG - Day 9 Update! All done!!!!!

2009-06-18T01:31:00.000-07:00

Finished! Well, you didn't think I wasn't going to.. Did you? So it
rained nearly all day, which involved riding through cloud, battling strong
cross and headwinds, but that wasn't going to stop me. I was now armed to
teeth with enough chocolate and other sugar substitutes to fuel a brewery.
AND.. it was that thought that enabled me to happily reach the end. Now I
have a marathon train journey to survive... See you all soon!
~GC

Team Cooper Gareth: VICTORY

2009-06-18T00:13:00.000-07:00

Cooper Gareth has cycled his way to the other End (JOG) of the End to End ride. WOO HOO.

Thus bringing to an end this epic journey by one man going solo, an amazing test of the human spirit. Unfortunately our attempts to reach Team Cooper Gareth have not come to fruition. They planned to provide their regular, incisive and insightful commentary on his achievement, but we received only a tweet that "champagne arrived early for the air audax weekend mission and celebrations have begun, CHAPEAUX, CHAPEAUX, CHAPEAUX!!!". Sounds like some serious celebrating will be continuing in the Team Cooper Gareth camp today.

Team: Cooper Communique #4

2009-06-17T02:11:00.001-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's all happening today. Forget the Tour de Dauphine, Evans didn't win anyway, our very own ANZA cyclist, Cooper Gareth is still out there, with well over 1200km's of cycling completed, he is absolutely cranking along with only today left to ride his way into John O Groats (the other End). The weather has come at all angles, enduring a severe storm over the highest mountain climb on the route, but in true ANZA spirit he has pushed through and is now pedaling his way toward his last day of riding. We have once again the esteemed Team Cooper Gareth to share some insights on how the lad is going to get through the final day.

Manager Silk: No doubt by now, that beer is calling. It's like coming back into Singapore after a 300km ride and you know Brewerkz is not that far away. He'll be charging through his final day. It doesn't matter how tired you are on the final day of an epic ride of this nature, the human soul is still able to dig into it's depths and find a newfound drive to get you across the finish line. This will be a tremendous achievement for Gareth and shows he is well out there in front in preparations for PBP 2011. A few team members may need to start to step up their training! The team wishes him all the best on his final day, he has ridden an outstanding ride, there is absolutely no doubt he will make it to John O Groats now. The team, although far away in Singapore, will help celebrate this victorious moment.

Super Domestique Callan (the Flunky with a chip on both shoulders ;-):
Yes well, it seems like, against all the odds, the Boss might just make it.....never one to bear a grudge (well, not for long) I am prepared to mutter a muted "Chapeau" when (if) he crosses the line in JOG. His most recent reports from Scotland have taken on a curiously spiritual (perhaps even romantic) tone though. Perhaps it is the thin air up there in the highlands of Scotland, or the effects of the Scottish Whiskey which he will have been imbibing copiously to protect against the elements - or perhaps he found amour in Gretna Green - but he now appears to be more focused on the scenery and nature of things up there, than he is on the road.
This has always been a problem with Cooper....without a wheel to follow, and a continuous stream of instructions in his ear, his mind tends to wander. Do not be surprised if is reports today tells stories of having stopped to pick a bunch of flowers or heathers, or to paint a quick a quick water-colour of some nostalgic scene (he brought his paint-by-numbers kit along just in case)......the real question now is not whether he will have the legs and strength to make it to JOG - but rather, whether he can stay interested and focused enough to stay on the bike, instead of joining a back-to-nature hippy commune in the highlands....;-)

Ah, more humbling tales from his team mates. But today is in fact D-day, the finale, the other End of the End to End, everyone is on the edge of their seats. Stay tuned for the final update tomorrow.

LEJOG - Day 8 Update!!!!!

2009-06-16T16:07:00.001-07:00

I'm losing count! A cracking ride through the Great Glen and passed Loch
Ness. Now having dinner in glorious sunshine. When it shines up here
there is some truly splendid countryside to admire - if it rains tomorrow,
then I might change my mind! Last day tomorrow, so looking forward to
finishing it off and then celebrating down pub.. :-)
~GC

LEJOG - Day 7 Update!

2009-06-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

The scorecard reads: Rain - 1, Gareth - 2, as our boy from the warm stuff
battled against the elements to victory! The forecast was so poor it
contained local Severe Weather Warnings - a storm on top of the UK's
highest mountain is serious stuff. Regardless of getting soaked early
on,the short route over the mountains was taken and it proved to be a
winner into Fort William. Now we have good weather as we head towards
Tain. Tomorrow looks like a shocker!!!
~GC

Team: Cooper Comunique #3

2009-06-14T22:31:00.001-07:00

The drama continued to unfold over the weekend, Team Cooper Gareth surviving a horrid torrential storm on the 300km route causing 8 riders to abandon at about 230km mark. Cooper Gareth on the other hand is continuing his ride where he has now entered the very ancient, regal and proud country they call Scotland. A dried off team Cooper are here now to talk us through the weekend riding by the fearless young lad.

Super Domestique Callan (the Flunky with a chip on both shoulders ;-)

Fearless?? As we have seen from his updates, Cooper is already having to come to the terms with getting over the hills - unassisted. This will indeed be a new experience for him.....with no willing Flunky to sacrifice himself on the slopes for The Man, and no possibility for a "sticky bottle" to help the momentum ;-).
We heard from Soigneur Kragelund last week, that Cooper fitted a triple chainset at the last minute. Actually, such is his confidence in his own invincibility, it was not easy to convince him to do that. What is NOT so well known is that he also had a 28T "dinner plate" fitted to his cassette. This is a snippet of gearing news which The Boss prefers to keep secret - but I believe that his loyal followers have the right to know. And, even with practically a 1:1 ratio, we can see from his reports that he is having "fun" on the hills. Hope you are enjoying the experience Boss.

Soigneur Kragelund:
Too true, Peter! His gear ratio range is worthy of any RSL bingo caller. There is everything on his bike from Legs Eleven, Baker’s Dozen and the Duck and a Crutch to Droopy Drawers, Snakes Alive and two Fat Ladies. I was on a Kranji ride a few weeks ago with Cooper G when all of a sudden I heard him yell out “Clickety Clicks”. I knew instantly that his front chainring was in the 42 and his rear was in 17. It is such attention to detail and perfection that has me believing Mr Gareth will pull through with flying colours.

Talking Gear, I just wish to point out the most unusual feature of his bike. I hope Denise can supply us with the photo here. He’s riding with a large… no let me rephrase that, GINORMOUS rear rack. Fully loaded this veritable Beast of Burden actually prevents Mr G from starting his rides in anything BUT the high gear ratios, as a low ratio such as the Legs Eleven or Two Little Duckies would see him pop spectacular wheelies.

As he’s now north of the Scottish Border, he’s on the home stretch. Legs would be toned and there would be a slight stubble on his rosy cheeks. I’ve heard that Scottish Highland Lassies can find that combo very irresistible? My only hope is that he’s got a Zefal ZX4 frame mounted pump, as it extends to a full metre and as such can give a good whack over the snout of any canine that dares to prevent our young adventurer form completing this epic undertaking.

Manager Silk

Well speaking of Gareth's rack, it is a beauty. But with the rain clouds looming let's see how impressive it is and whether it manages to keep his gear dry!! The reports in have been a bit sketchy in terms of his distance, but we are estimating he has done about 925km to date. He's covered the flat terrain like a man on mission, the hills are now calling and so is the stirring sounds of the bagpipes as he transcends the hills of Scotland. But should any form of tartan appear as kit on route, that would be a style infringement level 5, with a yellow bike, clearly a big NO-NO. We can only hope he also remember to pack a razor and isn't starting to look like something out of braveheart, otherwise we fear panniers may be next. Long distance riding is one thing, but you still need to look good out there.

And so the battle continues with the hills insight and the clouds opening up, there appears nothing that will stop this fella from pushing through. Stay tuned for more End to End coverage.

LEJOG - Day 6 Update!

2009-06-14T22:17:00.001-07:00

Good news and bad news... Good news was that we are now in Scotland. Bad
news is that it is raining and Monday is set to rain all day. Had a bit of
a drama trying to find somoewhere to stay so ended up a little off course
and an hour shy of original destination. Weather is so bad today that will
ahve to detour and stick to the lower, but longer, coastal roads. Fort
Williams or bust today!!!
~GC

LEJOG - Day 5 Update!

2009-06-14T00:57:00.001-07:00

A beauty of a day. Lots of sun, semi-favourable wind and some good roads. Going near the Lake District was great, nearly ran out of water climbing Shap Pass but made for it with a cCoke and a beer at the nearest pub on the descent. I am in Carlisle and now head into Scotland. Forecast is rain and difficulty understanding local people speaking :-D

~GC

LEJOG - Day 4 Update!

2009-06-13T01:50:00.001-07:00

What a day! First I have a flat to sort out, delaying my start. Then my computer gives up the ghost, so I have no idea how far I've covered. Then I find out I have left my club shorts behind at my last night's lodgings. At least the weather was OK and I made it up to Level with Manchester in the end. Another decent day ahead with less incidents I hope....

~GC

LEJOG Day 4 - Update

2009-06-12T02:33:00.001-07:00

Weather looks good and my pink arms could sure get a bit red later today.
A long ride today and through more built up areas. Plenty of chances to
get lost then. Breakfast was nice so time to get going!
~GC

Team: Cooper Commique #2

2009-06-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

TEAM COOPER GARETH - Day 4

Good morning, nice to have representatives with us again today from Team Cooper Gareth. We understand they are busy with final preparations for a big 300km ride tomorrow, so we appreciate their time with us. It is great pleasure to introduce the Super Domestique - Mr Peter Callan, who has only been on the team for a couple of years but brings a wealth of riding experience from all over the world and has first hand knowledge of the northern hemisphere conditions where Gareth is riding.

Super Domestique Callan (the Flunky with a chip on both shoulders) : It is not easy being Super Domestique (aka. Super Flunky) to Cooper "Lance" Gareth - but it has been my mission and dubious pleasure to serve this Great Man on a number of his heroic cycling challenges. It is most unfortunate that he did not feel me worthy to accompany him on this, one of the greatest of all cycling challenges. It is not for me to reason why - just for me to ride or die. I just hope that Cooper does not come to regret that rather short-sighted decision to go it alone.

Having trained extensively with him in Singapore, my aim is to provide a well-balanced insight on Mr. Gareth's (as Cooper prefers me to call him) performance from the perspective of a faithful (albeit unappreciated) Domestique - who has given years of thankless servitude to the "Great Man".

Over the past couple of days, Cooper Gareth will have had to come to terms with a couple of the unpleasant realities of cycling without his Super Flunky. First of all: Welcome Cooper, to the world of pain called "headwind". Yes, it is a very, very, very long time since Cooper actually led a peloton (much less set any kind of impressive pace) into the wind. I am always sent up front, to provide shelter and a wheel for the Great Man. I hope that he can cope with the wind-burn on his delicate features, which will already have begun to erupt from the biting cold Northern European Summer headwind.

Secondly: Cooper will have realised by now that, the continuous stream of nutrition, which he normally takes for granted on these epic rides, does not appear in his pocket, or in his hand or in his mouth by magic. Without his faithful servant there, to fetch and carry his special 98 Octane bananas, Overstims, fish and chips and Earl Grey tea from the team bus - and practically feed it to him - Cooper will be having to GO AND GET HIS OWN FOOD. A shock to his pampered system.

That's it from me today perhaps I'll offer some insights into Cooper's hill-climbing prowess ;-) next time, in addition to my totally objective "insiders" analysis of his progress so far.

Soigneur Kragelund - Thank you Super Flunky, or as I nicknamed you in the showers after we’ve surveyed the Paris –Roubaix parcours in ‘94: “Super Fly”

Headwind indeed… this English invention is as British as Scones and Jam and queues at Buckingham Palace. No matter what route you take on the LEJOG, the headwind always seems to come from a 0 degree angle, i.e. straight ahead. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with Mr Gareth’s choice of mojo voodoo. He’s reportedly to have visited Stonehenge prior to his “grand depart” and performed a series of stretches that would have put even Pink Barry to shame.

But I do digress. I want to briefly touch upon Mr Gareth’s most well known attribute: “The Hand of God” If you have ever had the pleasure of riding with Mr Gareth you could have been blessed with the famous “Hand of God” touch. Some would go as far as calling it a “feel”, but those of us who have been fortunate to have had multiple occurrences know that it is a religious experience. The Hand of God is Mr Gareth’s way of assisting riders less fortunate than himself, especially on the hills. A firm grip on especially the left buttock of the rider in front of him and Cooper G is able to literally impart up to a whopping 44 watts and an extra 26 heartbeats per minute to the affected rider. Now those numbers you ain’t getting from CERA or EPO… and it’s highly legal.

Manager Silk - Try riding with these two!! But they do make a good point about headwind. Gareth has not really had the opportunity to train in those conditions recently, Singapore has made him a bit soft with minimal winds and warm rain, but his endurance will for sure push him through, but not sure which "hand of god" that will be. Today and tomorrow will be a couple of the most important riding days for Cooper Gareth, to really get some distance under his belt. He is a bit sensitive to the weather, so we hope it stays good, with some flatter terrain on the horizon we should really see him stretch his legs and crank out some miles. Navigation though is not one of the team's strengths, we have had our fair share of incidences over many a ride most notably between dueling Super Flunky and Cooper, but if he manages to stay on course we expect some good riding to come. To date his total distance is 415km.

So there you have the latest updates and more insights then you may have bargained for.. Looks like the "hand of god" will be missed by a few riders on the 300km ride tomorrow, but stay tuned for some more team insights as we continue to follow Gareth Coopers progress from End to End.

LEJOG Day 3 - Update

2009-06-11T14:52:00.001-07:00

A good 'un. Tailwind and sun for most of the day. I am now in much
flatter country and covered about 175km. Was tempted to do more until I
hit a headwind. My lunch stop had an ad for a guy attempting Lands End -
John O'Groats AND BACK in 6 days! Puts me in the shade. Mind you, bet
he doesn't have to navigate for himself! He was raising money for the
local air ambulance, which was put into perspective when I passed a fatal
crash later on.
~GC

LEJOG Day 3 - Update

2009-06-11T00:13:00.001-07:00

Start is looking good and sunny. Will really find out what shape the legs
are in. Hoping for smoother, flatter road as have a little more distance
to cover towards Worcester way.
~GC

LEJOG Day 2 - Update

2009-06-11T00:10:00.001-07:00

After all the fuss about the weather, it turned out to be a cracking start
with plenty of sunchine. It was a tough start with the hills never seeming
to end. You had climbes at 10-12kmh lasting for 1-2km, followed by a rapid
descent at 50-60kmh; not much recovery time. Apart from a minor
navigational error near the end, it was a good day covering 160 to
Wellington.
~GC

Team: Cooper Gareth Communique

2009-06-10T22:29:00.001-07:00

TEAM COOPER GARETH - Day 3

With the official forecast being on the chilly side, a mere 12 degrees, Cooper Gareth has a tough task ahead as he prepares for Day 3. Coming from the tropical climate and humidity sweat bath of Singapore, this will be a monumental challenge. His team are here though to offer us some interesting insights into the training, tactical game plan and how this man will master the ride SOLO. I am happy to have Rene Kragelund - official Soigneur to Gareth as well as the overall team Manager, Denise Silk with us today. Peter Callan, Super Domestique was unable to join us today due to - quote - lack of time for creative juices to flow - but promises some insights tomorrow.

Manager Silk - Blimey, the lad is unstoppable - if he's not riding 24hrs around Singapore he wants to join the ranks of some 2000-4000 other nutters who take on the LEJOG ride each year. This is all part of his PBP base training, even though it's still 2 years away. He left Singapore fully prepared, already capable of doing 400km in less than 24 hrs! He could do this ride in a couple of days but instead will take the "leisurely option" and tackle this over 8 days. Day 1 though looks like the train ride was the highlight of the day!! Not a day for sprinters with a 15km treacherous ride before the official ride even started. He appears to be resting well after day 2 and taking on 170km+, not quite an audax brevet distance, but good training nevertheless. We can only hope and pray that style standards have not been breached whilst the team is absent.

Soigneur Kragelund - You are right on the money there Denise, the lad is a Duracell bunny with rechargeables instead of Lithium Ion’s. Gearwise he should be on 23mm tyres. I think he’s gone Veloflex on his rear wheel and Michelin on his front. Old Gareth has a way of mixin’ his style, which suits him well. I do believe he also has managed to acquire a triple crankset before his departure. Not knowing what to expect from the road ahead, he’s had to bet his money on a few horses, so to speak.

I’ve watched Gareth ride over the last 12 months and he’s an endurance powerhouse. However, the End to End has a knack of throwing the best and the worst at you, in short it is a test of sorting the Vegemites from the Promites and Marmites. Which brings me to his fuel consumption. Gareth is riding on leaded, 98 Octane bananas, Overstims and fish and chips and Earl Grey. Proven technique by several endurance athletes, like Reinhold Messner, who climbed Everest 4 times on bananas and chips from the only Nepalese MacDonalds.

There you have it folks, fish and chips and Earl Grey tea may be the next sought after meal for riders! But will an uncle on a corner be selling banana's in the UK? These questions and more will be answered tomorrow as we continue to follow Gareth's ride through the UK.

LEJOG update #2

2009-06-09T22:51:00.001-07:00

After getting off the train at Penzance, I had only 15km to Lands End. Man
it was tough and I hadn't officially started. Well, the much promised rain
held off so I was at least comfy as I tackled the great Cornish game me
going uphill then downhill. Still, managed to get to St. Austell and
cover 80-odd kilometers. Day 2 is gonna hurt with about 170km lined up.
Weather still not looking good.

~GC

LEJOG update #1

2009-06-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

So, journey has started. On the train and realise my camera isn't working so may struggle to record the ride. Maybe I should get my map chocked like on an Audax?!... A short ride today of about 60 miles (80km) to St. Austell. Weather will be yet (I think he mean "wet") with 15km headwind.. Great start! ~Gareth

Go Gareth Go!

2009-06-09T08:21:00.001-07:00

Our very own Gareth Cooper will be riding from one end of Great Britain to the other over the next eight days. Join us here on www.anzacycling.com for live coverage of his epic journey across the land best known for rain and bangers...