From the training diary of rider Zoe Rutterford

Gearing up for the Norwich 100 mile burn.

Months before we launched the Varsity Triple Crown Challenge (VTCC) I was made aware of the startling amount of time and effort we would invest in team Light Blue whilst fundraising for the ABF and Combat Stress. Frankly, the expectation of a great power-endurance challenge is what drew me to discuss the event further with Col Seb Pollington and RSM David Shaw.  Certainly their preparatory regime has not disappointed - perhaps I should thank training coordinator Emma Byatt for that.  I have begun to realise that it would have been wise to cajole myself out of the swimming pool or off the fencing piste and onto a spindly road bike a little earlier in the season.

Last week our RSM delighted me with a team bulletin that described how our Cpt Trevor Aslan had:

a)      Test ridden Stage 1 of the Challenge course.

b)      Survived to report back to the TA Centre on Coldham’s Lane.

Encouraged by this excellent news I decided it was time to hammer out a decent length ride at the weekend.  Now I’m not the kind of girl to cycle inane distances without at least some kind of purpose, and could possibly be mistaken for the world’s greatest ‘cycle to work’ fan.  The looming threat of team selections and the prospect of a bag of fudge from the Essex Young Farmers show near Chelmsford proved more than enough reason to devise a 90 mile trip through Herts, Essex and Cambridge... I’m still in denial that my main incentive for the excursion on Sunday was a large box of Clif bars... but they were rather good (thank you Clif).

Things started well.  After 50 miles I could almost still pretend that my headache was due to all the bright sunshine (...it was raining) and that the 20 mph headwind would soon ease (...I used to row. I should have known better).  My 35 L rucksack definitely wasn’t getting me down; alas it wasn’t really getting me up the hills either.  Long story short, yes, I did finish the ride without motorised assistance.  Yes, I actually loved it.  And no, of course I won’t go to another black tie birthday celebration the night before.  Definitely no.  Ahem.

Having achieved this staggering personal feat I decided I was definitely competent enough to join ranks with the Cambridge chaingang riders.  Every Wednesday evening they meet at Wilberforce road and peel off into streamlined pelotons ranging from ‘quite fast’ to ‘stupidly fast’ in ability.  Despite having just reached rather dizzying heights of fame in our local newspaper I was still vaguely in touch with reality and had the sense to slope off with the steadiest group.  Our instructor guided me through the range of hand signals that team riders use to warn one another of changing road conditions and speeds.  He also suggested my handle bars were set rather aggressively.

“...But perhaps you like them like that!” He joked.

Aggressive? No, no, no, you’ve got the wrong girl. Now get out of my way, I want to beat the boys up the hill.

It’s not really the uphill climbs that I take issue with at the moment (our Scottish training camp is yet to come so maybe don’t quote me), on the contrary I quite enjoy them... almost.  What I take issue with is actually either my nervous incapacity for terrifying descents or my bike’s incredible scope for deceleration despite the irresistible draw of gravity.  I noted how Emma Byatt managed to clock 41 mph whilst cycling the Fenland flats and I am jealous. I have yet to better 36.9 mph.

Apparently my great grandfather was known as the ‘Flying Farmer’ for negotiating his light aircraft under East Anglian bridges; I’m beginning to feel like a bit of a coward.  Our delightful pentathlon club’s mantra of finding a time and place to ‘MTFU’ is beginning to clang audaciously at the back of my conscience.  Somewhat conveniently, it is the Tour of Wessex this weekend: Two days, 200 miles and several near-vertical slopes to tackle.

Oh goody.

Survivors’ photo to follow next week...

Training from Team Captain Trev

An excerpt from Team Captain Trev Aslan's training diary. As you can see, he's working hard and "getting the miles in" but we still need your support!

“This week the team got the confirmation that two brand new Garmin Edge 800 GPS units had been ordered and would be delivered to us soon. These will be essential to guide us through every twist and turn of our 1,000 miles around England, Scotland and Wales whilst racing against the Oxford team, and is another good bit of news for us as the event really starts to takes shape. We also took delivery some more Clif Bar products who have been a great sponsor from the offset.

With this news I decided to do a confirmation ride of the route I had plotted for Leg 1 from London to Peterborough (just to make sure we wouldn’t be sent the wrong way down a one-way street!). Starting from Wellington Barracks (which is home to the various Foot Guards Battalions whilst conducting public duties) the route out of central London takes in plenty of sites including Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Big Ben before heading out of north London and eventually getting into the countryside. These rolling and quiet roads of Hertfordshire made quite a difference from the rush and 500 sets of traffic lights in London and it’s outskirts, but I had a sense of excitement throughout knowing that in a couple of months time we’d be riding this same route as hard as we can endure. Just before the 50 mile mark I turned back and headed home (and got a puncture!).

The online website that we have used to plot our route is MapMyRide and it is free to use its basic features.”

Hot Off the Press!

A local newspaper for Cambridge has featured Cambridge University Officer Training Corps and their bid to win the Varsity Challenge. It features information about the launch as well as some more information about how to donate. If you want to take a look it is featured on Cambridge First's website and is free to view online. 


Remember to donate text ARMY CAMBRIDGE to 707000 for a donation of £5. 

The Varsity Challenge is Officially Launched! An Entry from Team 2IC Rich McLellan

110 miles and lots of smiles (for the cameras) :) 

Rider Emma Byatt 

Tuesday 3^rd May marked the greatly anticipated launch of the Varsity Triple Crown Challenge 2011. The Imperial War Museum, London, was chosen as the location where the teams would meet face to face to officially bring the event into the limelight.

The day started early for Emma Byatt, Zoe Rutterford and myself as we left Cambridge on our bikes for the 55 mile training ride to London. As the sun had only just begun to rise, we were met with numb fingers and toes for the first hour or so which required a brief stop to layer up with some warmer clothes. The route took us mainly along minor roads which allowed us to practise ‘riding on each other’s wheel’ (riding close behind another rider to benefit from less wind resistance). This is a skill which we must all be confident with in order to ride most efficiently as a group during the challenge in September. The pleasant road conditions turned out to represent the calm before the storm, the storm being London! After stripping off our warm clothes to reveal the glorious light blue of our training kit, the last 10 miles of the ride tested our skills riding through heavy traffic. We managed to do this safely, and arrived at The Imperial War Museum for a well earned break before the launch.

The two teams meeting at the launch

The launch was a grand affair. It was attended by representatives from both our supporting charities (ABF The Soldiers Charity and Combat Stress), famous faces such as Corporal Terry Byrne (a world champion track para-cyclist), and members of local and national press. Retired Brigadier Robin Bacon from ABF The Soldiers Charity opened the event with a speech outlining the nature of the challenge. This was followed by a statement by each team giving their motivation behind them taking part in the event. As well as raising the profile of our two charities, and much needed funds, both teams had something else in common... the desire to win! Following the official launch, there were opportunities to speak to Corporal Byrne to get some tips such as ‘get your tyres up to 140psi and just take the punctures if you want to win’, as well as to pose for the numerous press photographers (I think I’ve found my new calling in life!).

Riders Byatt, McLellan and Rutterford

Following the launch, Emma and I set off for the return leg of our training ride back to Cambridge. Although much warmer now, we were faced with a strong headwind, and the route turned out to be a bit more uphill than anticipated. Despite this, and with the help of our sponsor, CLIF Bar and some Nobbys Nuts from a village pub, we made it back into Cambridge in good time. The focus was then on recovery, which for me included applying Mint-Ease to help soothe the legs.

In all, the day had been a great success. The launch allowed us to really raise the profile of the event, and get us pumped up for beating Oxford. The training ride reminded us that nutrition is key, and that there is still a lot of work to do before September.

Richard McLellan