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Last updated 11:42, Wednesday, 09 July 2008

ANYONE who regularly reads this column will know I am a dedicated road biker who particularly loves hill climbing and distance cycling.

By CarolWestmorland

Living in the foothills of the Eastern Pennines, I enviably have Hartside as a training ride on my doorstep. Hartside is an area of outstanding beauty and our local cycle club, Border City Wheelers, hold its annual open hill climb from Melmerby to the Cafe at the top in October.

It’s so special to me that I have dedicated a trophy in memory of my grandfather, Bob Armstrong, to the club winner. The fastest to the top currently stands at a lung- bursting sub 18 minutes.

Hartside climbs to 1,920 feet and will therefore be memorable to the 15,000 plus people who participate yearly in the UK’s most popular cycle route The Sea to Sea.

The clever and responsible people at Sustrans are passionate about encouraging people to cycle. They even monitor those who participate with electronic markers en route.

When the average person spends £38 during their ride it is a win-win situation all round. Not only does it encourage people to participate in an activity that promotes good health, it is sociable and fantastic for the small hamlets on route.

Participants are encouraged to split the journey of 136 miles over a number of days to make it achievable and more to the point enjoyable. The average person takes three to four days. Whitehaven is the most popular start with Tyneside the most popular finish. You can choose Workington to Sunderland as I did.

I am from the school of science when it comes to preparation. I strongly believe that preparing the body will not only have you mentally prepared but make the physical task achievable.

I eat to live. Whatever passes my lips has a job to do. I limit my choices to allow my body to tell me what it needs. My fuel of choice is pasta, rice, bread and my favourite – mashed potatoes. I keep my food plain which allows me to eat more. I also eat a lot of dried apricots, peaches and bananas.

I have often wondered what must go through the minds of the cyclists I pass as they lumber up the Renwick to Hartside road during their Sea to Sea. Always good humoured but invariably taken by surprise.

Paradoxically they seem to think that a mountain bike is more useful on the road than the aptly named road bike. Wrong. Personally I would return to the bike shop and ask for a faster one.

As soon as the body is put under extra physical pressure it heats up. An effective cooling system is achieved through training. Anyone unaccustomed to physical exertion needs to be very wary of overheating. Unfortunately, inexperience can bring with it a certain need for comfort. Ascending in light breathable fabrics and descending in a windproof/waterproof lightweight is ideal. Having to get off and walk your bike up the climbs can be avoided if it has been caused by overheating.

The perfect waterproofs are high visibility and lightweight. They can be folded up and put in your back pocket. Cycle tops all have good sized back pockets for such things.

If you are not used to exercising for more than an hour you need to remind yourself to drink every half an hour to replenish. The human body cannot adapt to dehydration. On warm days I put salt in my water to replace lost electrolytes and I also eat bananas and citrus fruits too. You should avoid protein as it produces extra heat.

Visitors to the Lakeland hills are often accused of carrying too little and being ill-prepared. Not so with the avid Sea to Sea cyclist. Being prepared is one thing but as the ascents total a little under 9,000ft adding any unnecessary weight can be regrettable.

My chosen Sunday was accompanied by gale force south westerly wind and driving rain. After a 3am wake-up and a big bowl of muesli we are off. With a 5am (tradition dictates) back wheel dip into the Irish Sea I’m away. With a back light flashing, my helmet firmly in place and a high visibility jacket I feel very safe.

Forgive me but as a road cyclist I choose the quickest route along the A66 and quickly found a steady pace joining the A686 to go up Hartside from Melmerby. I came into my own once I dropped into Garrigill and came across my first Sea to Sea cyclists.

Sadly they were already on foot having just started day two from Garrigill. Overdressed and possibly under nourished it seemed a great shame.

The route to Nenthead along to Allenheads to Rookhope was breathtaking not only the scenery but in effort. With the sun beginning to shine I was making good progress.

The road was an honey pot with cyclists battling to stay upright in the increasingly exposed terrain. Climbing out of Stanhope quite literally opened my eyes. Crawley Bank has been used for a Cycling Time Trials National Hill Climb and quite rightly too.

Onto Waskerley Way I passed many cyclists plugged in to iPods which I would have thought was a risky business. Hills over I dropped downhill all the way to the sea dipping into the North Sea at 1pm. With well earned, fish (husband) and chips (me), on the Prom after my enjoyable eight-hour.

n Carol Westmorland is a champion cyclist who tries to ride every day for at least two hours.

She holds the 2004 National 12-hour Championship with 243.19 miles and the 2006 National 24-hour Championship with 445.41 miles. Her personal best for 10 miles is 23 minutes 18 seconds.