How much???

New Specialized helmet.... £99
New Oakley sunglasses... £96
Looking good on the bike... PRICELESS

LOL I wish, I'm not even sure they suit me!

Second time out on the bike today. Doesn't feel too bad. I thought my confidence would be shot but the only thing that unnerves me slightly is turning right, and that's more to do with the fact that I don't think my collar bone is strong enough to take another knock. It's not falling off I'm scared off, just falling off on my right side at the moment. So it looks like the fact that I can't remember the accident is a good thing.

How the hell I'm gonna get to Paris tho I dont' know! I've only done 20 miles and I'm knackered! and now the trip is only just over a week away and I've got to work in London next week so won't have my bike (".)

Almost there...

Well, it's now been 7 weeks since the accident and I'm feeling a lot better. Bruising from face has gone (well, almost, nothing a bit of make up can't fix, including the missing eyebrow!), but still have road rash on the knees, I reckon I'll still have that at Christmas.

As for the collar bone. Well, to say it's lumpy would be an understatement. I asked the consultant about the lump and he said... "a lump is better than a scar". For who I wonder? I'm not a bloke, I don't want to look deformed, I want to look pretty. Yes, I AM vain (".)

Physio said a "Figure of 8" brace would have helped. Shite, Shite, Shite. Asked the consultant 4 times for one of them and he said it wouldn't have made a difference. I've since found out why. Saw a picture of one and they look a whole lot more expensive than the collar and cuff they gave me. Bloody NHS. Physio said my collar bone is now slightly shorter, because it overlapped when it mended, and that I will be slightly round shouldered [cries].

Physio also said "well, the most important thing is that we get full movement back".

Er... hello???? What about all the strappy tops in my wardrobe which I now cannot wear???? They are pretty important to me too!

O well, I will at least be riding to Paris, although I haven't actually been out on the bike yet. Planning on that by the weekend.

Not exactly looking my best...

i think i need to employ an entourage to get me looking tip top, my mum's hairdressing and make up skills leave a lot to be desired (".)

at least i can still wipe my own ass which is just about all i can do LOL

That's torn it....

...or rather broken it!

I've only gone and fell off my bike and busted my collar bone!

damn it hurts! did it last sunday (excuse the typin, havin to type wiv my left hand only) when i was doin a 100 miler with Hetta, Simon and Isy. don't remember a damn thing except waking up to see a paramedic standing over me.

also have palm size gravel burns on knees, stitch in my head, grazed face and lips, elbows, hip; basically i'm pretty fooked up.

still got my medal tho and the organisers are naming that corner after me (",)

see me on tv in 10 years time. they'll be doing a documentary on me... the 50 stone woman... i'll be one of those people that is like... "well, i used to be active but then i had an accident and the weight just piled on"... (".) LOL

My knees hurt :(

I did 61 miles today. On my own too. I didn't go out until about 1.30pm and, OMG, was it windy or what?! Along one road where I normally do about 17mph I was managing about 11mph!!! That's not good. To top that, even though the wind was behind me on the way back, I had long knackered myself out and my knees started to hurt, so onto my low gears I had to go to spin it out. Hope I don't start getting knee problems like I had before. Fingers crossed my knees are just a bit strained because my legs are tired.

I even managed to get lost today (".) which was quite interesting; and the sun was shining and it was quite hot, so hopefully that will help manage to correct that stupid suntan I got the other day! (Although nothing seems to have happened yet!)

So, stats for today are:
Miles: 61.36
Average speed: 13.2 mph
Time: 4hr 38 mins
Calories: 2897
Total ascent: 2133 feet

Boo!

Oops. You're gonna laugh!

Cycling to work today, nearly there, cycling through Warwick town centre when I see Stephanie (from work) walking along the pavement. Wicked thoughts entered my mind...

Sneakily cycled up behind her on my "stealth" bike and shouts... BOO!!!

When she had stopped jumping out of her skin and turned round... turned out to be some random woman (".)

laughed my head off, shouted back, "Sorry, thought you were someone else" and cycled off quickly. She was laughing so I think she saw the funny side. Been laughing about it all day!

(another 34 miles on the clock - legs felt a bit dead today, should have done a recovery ride on Monday)

First big one of the year.

I did the Forest of Arden 60 miler today with Eva from work and Nic (Lambshanks) from the PHUK.dis Team. Simon (SBD) and Peter (Big Ears) also drove up and they did the 100 mile route. We all started together. Well, sort of, we were at the start together. A guy called Dave who is doing London to Paris also joined us. Me and Eva decided to start off a couple of minutes before them, took a wrong turn 10 mins into the ride (apparently a hedge cutter had trimmed off the arrow sending about 50 cyclists in the wrong direction) which meant the guys never caught us up and we missed the first water stop. Probably a good thing in the end bcoz I later learned that Nic got sent in the wrong direction at the first water stop adding 10 miles to his journey LOL. Mine and Eva's wrong turn knocked 4 miles off our route, but we still managed 60 (later heard the 60 is in fact 64).

Bumped into SBD and Big Ears at the 2nd water stop then unfortunately didn't see them after that. On our way to the 3rd stop saw those same little fat b*st*rd kids that I swear took the sign down last time when we got lost... and guess what... yep they were messing with a sign. Eva shouted "Leave that alone!" and they shouted back "We're putting it back"... yea, woteva! putting in back the wrong way no doubt!

When we got to the 3rd water stop Nic was havin a cuppa! so we rode the rest of the way with him. I think even Eva was slightly faster. She's pretty quick I can tell you and she did take off towards the end but I decided to let her go, although I did keep her in sight, but I was knackered, and Nic was kind of in the middle of us. And of course, they had to put one last hill in a mile before the end.

Was chatting with Nic and Oly (who works for Action Medical Research) at the end and then Nic said he thought he had seen "time trial" earlier (this total knobhead of a guy we know, "all the gear no idea" type) and did a double take. It wasn't him but lo and behold, while we are talking, the guy rides in on this bike and he was the spitting image! It was one of those classic "don't look now" moments when everyone turns round and bursts out laughing making it really obvious. Poor bloke...

Introduced Nic to Eva's husband, Dominic. Dominic is doing the dragon ride. Have a feeling that they might end up going together.

Have to say, Simon and Oly.... looking good Mmmm. heehee (",). That's the best thing about cycling... all the fit asses LOL.

So, stats for today are: 60 miles, average speed 14.5mph, 2962 calories burnt, total ascent 2289 feet.

I did wait round with Nic to see if SBD and Pete came in but Nic had to go at 4pm. I had a splitting headache by then because I'd been waiting round for 3 hours so I called my dad and he came at got me at 4.30. Found out the lads got in at 5pm but I think I would have been ill if I had waited for them. Saw Dave from work tho, he did the 100 and came in at 4.30 (he had started an hour earlier than us so the guys gained half hour on him. Dave did a 14.5mph average so I think he was pretty pleased with that).

So... next stop the 100 at Suffolk on 11th May. Watch this space.