Optimism and grand plans to inspire me....

Ha! Just as I am congratulating myself on progress in my training I found out about the mad antics of one Dan Martin....check him out at http://www.danmartinextreme.com/ . The sheer scale of his planned venture has left my mind reeling. I love the optimism he displays. He had already cycled from Korea to Cape Town and London to Capetown. But whatever inspires someone to think 'well now I will swim the Atlantic, cycle from France to Siberia..oh and then run to New York'. I will be following him and wish him the best of luck and good weather for his epic trip.
And I have no way of following that with anything so ambitious! But I did have a good ride yesterday. Routemaster sent me off on a road route rather than the Down's Link. I have complained the DL gets a bit boring...after 3 rides, I have a very low boredom threshold obviously. So off I went up and down hills. Difficult to cycle anywhere around here that doesn't involve what some call 'upflats'! And I will have to get used to the upflats although at the moment they are the worst part of any session. John said that the Lands End leg of the trip was by far the hilliest section for him. And we are starting off that end so I'd better just get hill fit! I enjoyed this ride and only managed to not stay on the bike for one hill. It was a steep one, I got the gearing wrong, went to stand up on the pedals and my poor wee legs had no energy left (most of it had gone to my lungs by this stage!!!). Ho hum! Something to aim for as taskmaster is determined I will cycle Devils Dyke before my training is over!!
So after one hour twenty minutes I had covered 16 km. Yay! Average pulse rate still high but a day later and I have no aching muscles at all at all.
John so pleased with my efforts he is keen to get me out on the road bike rather than my trusty mountain bike. So he fitted new pedals and saddle and we have plans to go out together some time before we head off for a week's holiday on Tues.
Apparently the man who achieved the record for the quickest End to End cycle did it in 1 day, 20 hours....yes you read that right.....ONE DAY. Well and 20 hours....wonder what took him so long...