I am so excited to share with you my next big fitness challenge. It started off as a plan to meet for social laps in the park (ending with cake) between a few fitness blogging friends and evolved into an international trip on two wheels. For most of my crazy adventures (World Marathon Majors, cage diving with sharks) I end up participating alone. Sharing this journey with close friends is going to be ace! Plus it corporates several of my favorite things- travel, exercise, exploring new cultures, and eating cake.
Elle, of Keep It SimpElle
Departing on 14 July, 2017, Sophie, Elle, and I will be cycling from London to Paris unsupported. These ladies are also both personal trainers and fitness bloggers with a similar attitude towards health and fitness as me. We all live very busy lives between working and training but super exited for this challenge.
My husband will be joining us as the official #InstagramHusband of the trip. He loves cycling and I am happy to be doing something he enjoys too. His tolerance for running is limited to Parkrun so I know I will never see him train for a marathon with me. We trained for Ride London together in the past but I know I slow him down (and I would slow him down for running too). We have each completed Ride London three times but rode the course at our own pace. Two years ago we rode to Brighton with some other blogging friends and it was a great day out.
In total, our ride to Paris will be 164 miles (265 km) over three days. On Day 1, we ride from the Velodrome to New Haven where we hop the evening ferry to Dieppe. After spending the night in a bike-friendly Dieppe hotel, we spend Day 2 cycling to Beauvais, which will be our longest leg at 65 miles. Day 3 takes us right into Paris, ending under the Eiffel Tower for a ton of celebratory photos. There is a courier service who will transport our bikes back to London while we celebrate in the evening with good wine, yummy cheese, and probably a hot shower. Monday we have the day set aside to do some sightseeing before taking the Eurostar home in the evening.
Sophie, of The Fitology Way
How am I going to prepare? I am continuing with Julia B Fit’s home workout videos twice a week and aim to get out on the bike for a long ride on the weekends with James. Gradually, I will increase the weight of my saddlebags on the weekend training rides. Monday nights, I teach spining and #tracktuesdays with Advent Running will also stay in my diary. This ride will take me right into the start of Chicago Marathon training, which is perfect to avoid oversue injuries but keep my cardio fitness up. Win win!
Me!
I am confident I can make it to Paris based on my experience with the #FitbitFifty. But this trip will require me to make my own way on open roads while carrying everything I need and probably change my own tire. Travelling with friends under an extreme phsyical challenge should be interesting too. Having this date in the diary is a great motivator too. There is even discussion if this trip goes well, we will plan a longer excursion in 2018.
Fingers crossed, I hoping in the next few weeks there will be more opportunities for me to share with you that involve traveling and cycling. Keep checking back for updates.
Have you ever ridden from London to Paris? Leave your tips for us on what to pack in the comments below and watch for #3PTsToParis on social media as we make our final preparations. If you are a brand that would like to support us on this epic adventure, please get in touch.
What a whirlwind this #fitbitfifty journey has been. The Coach magazine article was out a few weeks ago and the next issue of Cyclist will delve deeper into the experience. It was truly an unforgettable experience and I will try do it justice below. Grab a cuppa as it will be a long post.
Ready to go!
I applied for Fitbitfifty in the summer when I saw an advert on Facebook. It seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity and I never thought I would be even considered. I know so many more athletes in London alone who were better qualified than myself. Then I was shortlisted and had a phone interview. Then I was made a reserve in case someone became injured in the six week lead up to the event. Days before the Berlin Marathon, I got a call that one of the athletes was injured and Fitbit requested me to be their replacement.
I was buzzing all weekend in Berlin and petrified too that I would be the weak link on my team. My worries were that I don’t cycle with clips, I was just coming back after a month of marathon training with limited cycling incorporated into it, and I don’t consider myself to be a fast runner. But there was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity like this.
After returning home from Germany, I only had a few days to unpack and repack. Participants were given a long list of what to bring with them and I quickly realised I was missing a few key items for cold weather cycling. The good folks at Altura kindly sent me ax express care package that contained my night ride kit (long sleeve jersey, sleeveless baselayer, a waterproof jacket that I slept in). All my running kit fit into my Workplay Bags Goddess II and my cycle kit went into my Adidas bag. My fuel (MyProtein energels,Energy Bits, and various granola bars) went into my ruck sack.
A photo posted by Mollie, the Happiness PT (@ptmollie) on
All athletes, Andy Cook and his team, reps from FitBit and Dennis Publishing met at the hotel Thursday night and shared a meal together. After dinner, the teams decided we would work together for the duration of the challenge, rather than competing against each other. Riding four-up seemed easier than two-up. We matched our pairs into fast, medium, and slow (guess which one I was on?). These groups were perfectly matched, both in terms of ability and personality which made the entire challenge remarkedly calm (no drama, no breakdowns).
Breakfast was served at 4.30am on Friday morning and we headed over to Buckingham Palace by 5.30am. A bunch of people from Dennis Publishing and FitBit met us on the Green Park side for a few photos and for official start. We aimed for 10 min miles but everyone was so excited, it was a bit faster than that. The route was 12 km, winding through London streets to the Olympic Park Velodrome. There, the tour buses awaited our arrival. The group of four gentlemen would start off on their bikes while the rest of us would be transported in the bus to the first transition zone.
All my stuff in my bunk
Life on the bus was cramped. There was lots of kit and tons of food. The loo was smelly and for liquids only. The bunk beds were comfy and dark, but a bit small for the taller guys on the team. We started off being modest when changing kit but by the end, it just didn’t matter anymore. We were tired, sweaty, and short on time when it came to transitions.
The majority of the #fitbitfifty was on the bike and for me, it was hard. I don’t cycle with cleats, instead I used my Salomon trail shoes with toe baskets. However, after this experience, I vow to learn how to use my clip-ins. In the past, I have fallen off one to many times and was worried about doing it again during this challenge, especially while riding in a group. I just fantasized about a giant crash in the middle of nowhere.
My view of Ozzie’s Angels
Even though I found the rides challenging, I am so happy I still have the Forza Stratos RC23 wheels that Merlin Cycles let me review during this year’s Ride London. My cycling is so much more effortless with these wheels even though my bike is entry level. My teammates had super fancy bikes, but my BTwin got me to through it.
During the first ride regment for my team of four (‘Ozzie’s Angels’- Ozzie, Natalie, Elise, and myself), we only tried changing leaders a few times. Elise had never drafted before and Natalie had just learned. Elise also wasn’t that confident riding in traffic, so Ozzie was kind enough to let us ladies draft him the entire segment. On the flats, we were able to stay together at a good pace but hill climbs seperated us out as Elise and I were able to climb but Ozzie and Natalie loved a fast decent.
After we made it to the Scottish border, Ozzie switched with Jer so our trio of ladies came ‘Jer’s Gems’. We kept the same order and strategy, and experienced similar disconnect of pace on the hills. I was loosing my ability to climb by the last 2 cycle segments. Exhaustion was setting in even though I tried to sleep as much as I could on the bus.
My group did a lot of run-bike segments. It was hard, but it was also to match us with short flat cycle segments. I was usually bringing up the rear of our group. I didn’t mind as I have a fair bit of experience cycling on open roads and I can’t hear very well on the bike so there wasn’t any point in me being close to the other riders for a chat.
Meal by FitHQ
Fuelling on this adventure was tough. I knew I needed to eat but my body clock was off from lack of a routine. We had meals from Fit HQ (which I ate most of) and sport drink powder from SIS. There were also crisps, candy bars, ginger biscuits, and full-fat Coke. Every stop we made, we ended up doing a bit more shopping as people experienced different cravings throughout the weekend. I enjoyed chocolate milk after my segments, along with toast, Nutella and bananas. I was never starving and often times forces myself to eat something. It was tough to figure out what to eat and how much that would allow you to fall right asleep and be ready to workout only a few hours later.
Here is a breakdown of each of my segments (hopefully the formatting isn’t too weird). You can also check out my Strava page for the routes we took and other nifty stats. My Fitbit Surge did a great job picking up GPS quickly no matter where we were and gave me the actual and average speeds which was really helpful on the bike segments. I also kept an eye on my heart rate but did the best I could with each effort regardless. It is only when my heart rate gets up to 160+ that I feel like I am going to die.
Discipline Time Day Distance Elasped Time Elevation Average Speed 1. Run 6am Friday 7.4 miles 1:24:41 103 feet 10:21 min/mile 2. Bike 10am Friday 34.5 miles 2:22:14 817 feet 14.9 miles/hour 3. Run 8pm Friday 6.6 miles 1:06:32 42 feet 10:04 min/mile 4. Bike 9:20pm Friday 26 miles 1:43:24 270 feet 15.5 miles/hour 5. Bike 5:15am Saturday 23.9 miles 2:08:08 1623 feet 11.7 miles/hour 6. Run 11am Saturday 5.9 miles 59:35 86 feet 9:57 min/mile 7. Bike 12:30pm Saturday 29.7 miles 2:19:56 1560 feet 13.6 miles/hour 8. Bike 9:50pm Saturday 27.1 miles 2:07:25 809 feet 13.5 miles/hour 9. Run 2:05am Sunday 6.0 miles 1:20:44 0 feet 12:48 min/mile 10. Ride 3:30am Sunday 28.8 miles 2:03:22 37 feet 14.8 miles/hour 11. Ride 9:40am Sunday 31.9 miles 2:27:43 937 feet 14.2 miles/hour 12. Run 4:30pm Sunday 7.3 miles 1:18:27 150 feet 9:46 min/mile
Waiting for the fast boys to join us for the last run.
I really hope that our team of 12 can continue on with other events over the next year. We are a diverse group that demonstrates the average/part-time athlete is not something to mess with. We train hard but play hard too and have kept in touch since the epic weekend (God bless Whatsapp).
If you have any suggestions on events or races we should attend in the UK, please leave a comment below.
Big thanks to Coach Magazine and Fitbit for this unforgettable opportunity. All opinions are honest and my own.
What a whirlwind this #fitbitfifty journey has been. The Coach magazine article was out a few weeks ago and the next issue of Cyclist will delve deeper into the experience. It was truly an unforgettable experience and I will try do it justice below. Grab a cuppa as it will be a long post.
Ready to go!
I applied for Fitbitfifty in the summer when I saw an advert on Facebook. It seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity and I never thought I would be even considered. I know so many more athletes in London alone who were better qualified than myself. Then I was shortlisted and had a phone interview. Then I was made a reserve in case someone became injured in the six week lead up to the event. Days before the Berlin Marathon, I got a call that one of the athletes was injured and Fitbit requested me to be their replacement.
I was buzzing all weekend in Berlin and petrified too that I would be the weak link on my team. My worries were that I don’t cycle with clips, I was just coming back after a month of marathon training with limited cycling incorporated into it, and I don’t consider myself to be a fast runner. But there was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity like this.
After returning home from Germany, I only had a few days to unpack and repack. Participants were given a long list of what to bring with them and I quickly realised I was missing a few key items for cold weather cycling. The good folks at Altura kindly sent me ax express care package that contained my night ride kit (long sleeve jersey, sleeveless baselayer, a waterproof jacket that I slept in). All my running kit fit into my Workplay Bags Goddess II and my cycle kit went into my Adidas bag. My fuel (MyProtein energels,Energy Bits, and various granola bars) went into my ruck sack.
A photo posted by Mollie, the Happiness PT (@ptmollie) on
All athletes, Andy Cook and his team, reps from FitBit and Dennis Publishing met at the hotel Thursday night and shared a meal together. After dinner, the teams decided we would work together for the duration of the challenge, rather than competing against each other. Riding four-up seemed easier than two-up. We matched our pairs into fast, medium, and slow (guess which one I was on?). These groups were perfectly matched, both in terms of ability and personality which made the entire challenge remarkedly calm (no drama, no breakdowns).
Breakfast was served at 4.30am on Friday morning and we headed over to Buckingham Palace by 5.30am. A bunch of people from Dennis Publishing and FitBit met us on the Green Park side for a few photos and for official start. We aimed for 10 min miles but everyone was so excited, it was a bit faster than that. The route was 12 km, winding through London streets to the Olympic Park Velodrome. There, the tour buses awaited our arrival. The group of four gentlemen would start off on their bikes while the rest of us would be transported in the bus to the first transition zone.
All my stuff in my bunk
Life on the bus was cramped. There was lots of kit and tons of food. The loo was smelly and for liquids only. The bunk beds were comfy and dark, but a bit small for the taller guys on the team. We started off being modest when changing kit but by the end, it just didn’t matter anymore. We were tired, sweaty, and short on time when it came to transitions.
The majority of the #fitbitfifty was on the bike and for me, it was hard. I don’t cycle with cleats, instead I used my Salomon trail shoes with toe baskets. However, after this experience, I vow to learn how to use my clip-ins. In the past, I have fallen off one to many times and was worried about doing it again during this challenge, especially while riding in a group. I just fantasized about a giant crash in the middle of nowhere.
My view of Ozzie’s Angels
Even though I found the rides challenging, I am so happy I still have the Forza Stratos RC23 wheels that Merlin Cycles let me review during this year’s Ride London. My cycling is so much more effortless with these wheels even though my bike is entry level. My teammates had super fancy bikes, but my BTwin got me to through it.
During the first ride regment for my team of four (‘Ozzie’s Angels’- Ozzie, Natalie, Elise, and myself), we only tried changing leaders a few times. Elise had never drafted before and Natalie had just learned. Elise also wasn’t that confident riding in traffic, so Ozzie was kind enough to let us ladies draft him the entire segment. On the flats, we were able to stay together at a good pace but hill climbs seperated us out as Elise and I were able to climb but Ozzie and Natalie loved a fast decent.
After we made it to the Scottish border, Ozzie switched with Jer so our trio of ladies came ‘Jer’s Gems’. We kept the same order and strategy, and experienced similar disconnect of pace on the hills. I was loosing my ability to climb by the last 2 cycle segments. Exhaustion was setting in even though I tried to sleep as much as I could on the bus.
My group did a lot of run-bike segments. It was hard, but it was also to match us with short flat cycle segments. I was usually bringing up the rear of our group. I didn’t mind as I have a fair bit of experience cycling on open roads and I can’t hear very well on the bike so there wasn’t any point in me being close to the other riders for a chat.
Meal by FitHQ
Fuelling on this adventure was tough. I knew I needed to eat but my body clock was off from lack of a routine. We had meals from Fit HQ (which I ate most of) and sport drink powder from SIS. There were also crisps, candy bars, ginger biscuits, and full-fat Coke. Every stop we made, we ended up doing a bit more shopping as people experienced different cravings throughout the weekend. I enjoyed chocolate milk after my segments, along with toast, Nutella and bananas. I was never starving and often times forces myself to eat something. It was tough to figure out what to eat and how much that would allow you to fall right asleep and be ready to workout only a few hours later.
Here is a breakdown of each of my segments (hopefully the formatting isn’t too weird). You can also check out my Strava page for the routes we took and other nifty stats. My Fitbit Surge did a great job picking up GPS quickly no matter where we were and gave me the actual and average speeds which was really helpful on the bike segments. I also kept an eye on my heart rate but did the best I could with each effort regardless. It is only when my heart rate gets up to 160+ that I feel like I am going to die.
Discipline Time Day Distance Elasped Time Elevation Average Speed 1. Run 6am Friday 7.4 miles 1:24:41 103 feet 10:21 min/mile 2. Bike 10am Friday 34.5 miles 2:22:14 817 feet 14.9 miles/hour 3. Run 8pm Friday 6.6 miles 1:06:32 42 feet 10:04 min/mile 4. Bike 9:20pm Friday 26 miles 1:43:24 270 feet 15.5 miles/hour 5. Bike 5:15am Saturday 23.9 miles 2:08:08 1623 feet 11.7 miles/hour 6. Run 11am Saturday 5.9 miles 59:35 86 feet 9:57 min/mile 7. Bike 12:30pm Saturday 29.7 miles 2:19:56 1560 feet 13.6 miles/hour 8. Bike 9:50pm Saturday 27.1 miles 2:07:25 809 feet 13.5 miles/hour 9. Run 2:05am Sunday 6.0 miles 1:20:44 0 feet 12:48 min/mile 10. Ride 3:30am Sunday 28.8 miles 2:03:22 37 feet 14.8 miles/hour 11. Ride 9:40am Sunday 31.9 miles 2:27:43 937 feet 14.2 miles/hour 12. Run 4:30pm Sunday 7.3 miles 1:18:27 150 feet 9:46 min/mile
Waiting for the fast boys to join us for the last run.
I really hope that our team of 12 can continue on with other events over the next year. We are a diverse group that demonstrates the average/part-time athlete is not something to mess with. We train hard but play hard too and have kept in touch since the epic weekend (God bless Whatsapp).
If you have any suggestions on events or races we should attend in the UK, please leave a comment below.
Big thanks to Coach Magazine and Fitbit for this unforgettable opportunity. All opinions are honest and my own.
On the way to the airport on Thursday, I got a call from Coach Magazine. Mind you, I was headed to Berlin for my first World Marathon Major and was running late. But I was thrilled when I got the news. I was being drafted up from my reserve position to a member of Team Adventure for the Fitbit Fifty Challenge. Along with five teammates, we will run and cycle our way to Edinburgh and back with the aim of finishing in 50 hours or less. Team Challenge will be giving us a run for our money, but I am so excited (and petrified of course) to take part in this once in a lifetime experience.
Since Ride London, I switched over to marathon training with spin classes to suppliment my training. I am replacing a male Ironman triathlete and have a Team GB member on my team. These athletes are amazing, and I cannot believe I will be working alongside them this weekend. I have been recovering all week since the marathon and am keeping a positive mindset about my abilities after running a marathon less than a week prior.
We start out Friday morning at 6am from Buckingham Palace and head north for 400+ miles. After running around Edinburgh Castle, we will retrace our steps and end up back at Buckingham Palace on Sunday morning.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for live updates on our progress. Also search for #fitbitfifty for perspective from all the athletes.
Massive thanks to Coach Magazine and Fitbit for this incredible opportunity. I would also like to thank Altura Cycling for providing me with some autumnal weather kit last minute. They were lifesavers!
On the way to the airport on Thursday, I got a call from Coach Magazine. Mind you, I was headed to Berlin for my first World Marathon Major and was running late. But I was thrilled when I got the news. I was being drafted up from my reserve position to a member of Team Adventure for the Fitbit Fifty Challenge. Along with five teammates, we will run and cycle our way to Edinburgh and back with the aim of finishing in 50 hours or less. Team Challenge will be giving us a run for our money, but I am so excited (and petrified of course) to take part in this once in a lifetime experience.
Since Ride London, I switched over to marathon training with spin classes to suppliment my training. I am replacing a male Ironman triathlete and have a Team GB member on my team. These athletes are amazing, and I cannot believe I will be working alongside them this weekend. I have been recovering all week since the marathon and am keeping a positive mindset about my abilities after running a marathon less than a week prior.
We start out Friday morning at 6am from Buckingham Palace and head north for 400+ miles. After running around Edinburgh Castle, we will retrace our steps and end up back at Buckingham Palace on Sunday morning.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for live updates on our progress. Also search for #fitbitfifty for perspective from all the athletes.
Massive thanks to Coach Magazine and Fitbit for this incredible opportunity. I would also like to thank Altura Cycling for providing me with some autumnal weather kit last minute. They were lifesavers!
I want to go back though and tell you about the kit I was given to test during Ride London. First off, Merlin Cycles were kind enough to send me the Forza Stratos RC23 Road wheelset. At a price point of £149.99, they are a good example of how you can replace certain components on your entry-level bike to make your riding more efficient and enjoyable. My new best friends at Bike Trax kindly squeezed in my wheel swap days before Ride London. I took my bike to Victoria Park to try them out and I how amazed at how easy it was. I didn’t know if it was the adrenaline or excitement that I might actually be able to go fast enough to ride all 100 miles this year, or just the fact that I had rounder wheels.
The wheels themselves have Shimano hubs and Mach1 spokes. Noah the Wheel Smith was surprised at that quality components were put under a different name as the brands stand for themselves in terms of reputation.
On the day of Ride London, I felt like I was faster than my previous training rides. You can see my training log, along with Ride London files (segment 1, segment 2, segment 3) over on Strava. I didn’t have much of a chance to draft anyone but feel I did well enough on my own. After all, I did get all 100 miles in. 🙂
Of course I had to get a manicure to match
I can’t wait to get out on the bike again once Berlin Marathon is over. James and I are headed to Cape Town in February and plan on touring on bikes for a few days while we are there. It will be a good time to break out my Altura cycling kit again. Zyro and Altura sent me some fab pink kit for Ride London, including the Women Peloton Progel Bib Short. I have never had such padded cycling shorts (all mine are for triathlons and indoor cycling) and what a difference it makes! Holy cow. Plus, I never had to adjust the shorts from riding up on my legs. They always stayed in place. I am not a huge fan of bib shorts because going to the loo requires disrobing in a small gross port-a-loo. But what can you do when nature calls?
I was between sizes on the jersey so I ordered one size up which meant it ended up being too big for me (as compared to a traditional slim fit jersey). It was still able to hold all the food I needed and my wallet without anything falling out of the back pockets. The zipper was easy to adjust as I rode, which helped me regulate my body temperature. I was also sent new gloves and a base layer but I received the items too late to try out properly before the big ride. I tried the shorts, socks, and jersey in a spin class, and also on the test ride for my wheels but felt I was still breaking the ‘nothing new on race day’ rule. When I changed out of my bibs at the end of the day (after a tube ride to Olympic Park where we collected our bikes and rode home) I noticed the webbing of the suspenders (braces for you Brits) had left a light impression but the marks were gone the next day.
My husband said the pink made it easy to spot me in a crowd, and it totally goes with my branding. This kit still has plenty of life left and I cannot wait to get back on the road and in the saddle.
Did you try any new kit this year that contributed to your success at Ride London? Leave a comment below and let me know!
Thanks again to Merln Cycles for providing the wheels and Zyco and Altura for the pink kit. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.
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