I received a lovely present at Christmas, my next biking adventure in the Summer. A four-day trip to Scotland and its surrounding islands. I can’t wait.

To make the most of the trip I want to get as ride fit as possible. I decided not to embark on a full-on fitness plan as I won’t follow it, what with a busy work and family life. So, I simply set myself a target of riding at least 40 miles a week. This could be one long 40-mile ride at the end of a busy week, or hopefully smaller rides in the week at lunch or after work. So far so good…but this week hasn’t been the best week

Wednesday : Having had a really busy start to the week at work and with clubs after work, I didn’t get chance to have a free hour or more until Wednesday. Even then I was really limited to an hour, so I had to do the longest loop I could in the hour. I chose a fast paced less technical route so I could get the most miles in the hour.

The weather was horrendous with constant rain and cold. As I left I thought it was perfect practise for a Scottish trip. I headed past Portland Park, up the steep mutton hill and across Derby Road toward Mansfield. The most technical section was down to Cauldwell dam, before heading home. A quick total of 9 miles.

Saturday : The next opportunity to bike was Saturday afternoon having finished pick up and drop offs of kids to clubs. I still had a tight window as we had plans in the evening.

Having about a two hour window, I opted for the loop around Hardwick. It’s doable in an hour and a half which allows contingency for any mechanicals. The window ended up being perfect as it was dry and relatively warm during the ride, with rain starting after I got back.

This route cuts through Sutton-in-Ashfield, to join the group of trails around Hardwick, with the Skegby trailbeing the first. I passed Hardwick Hall opting to go around the edge of the grounds, before returning on the Teversal trail and back through Sutton-in-Ashfield. It felt a fast ride even though the average speed didn't reflect the feeling. I felt good and the climb up to Hardwick didn’t seem so much of an effort. All in all a good 17+ miles.

Sunday : I managed to tag another 4 miles onto the total doing a short afternoon ride with my youngest. We did a couple of loops around the local trails and developed pit tip, a good recovery ride for me actually. Every mile counts.

So, with a difficult week done I’d managed to clock just over 30 miles, not the 40 planned but a good total towards improving my fitness for my summer trip. Let’s see how next week goes…

Check out some of my other articles:

Clumber to Newstead Abbey

Clumber Park loop

Carsington Water

Newstead Abbey Route

Hardwick Hall Route