Elbows, hamstrings & flies - the joys of training for the Rivers Ride

Last week’s press-ups, sit ups and cycling up steep hills combo with Barry, Andy and Iona resulted in what I can only describe as the most painful elbows I’ve had in my life (and that’s including some particularly sore arms when I was playing amateur rugby league) Thanks go to my son Tom who helped me dry my back and button my shirts for work for a couple of days. He wasn’t happy about the back drying bit but I explained it was good practise for when he’s looking after me full time in a few years.

In terms of this weeks pain update I appear to have a hamstring pull which is causing a little bit of difficulty as I sit at a desk for most of the day. I’ve cycled home to Workington from Westlakes a few times this week which was very pleasant due to the weather. Last night I had a quarter mile race-off with a Jack Russell at Distington which I won but only just. Charlie-eeeeeeeeeeee! (his owner had a great set of lungs) was a hell of a sprinter but I think he was only playing with me as he stopped for a wee half way through and still caught me up.

I know that my current protein intake is more than sufficient as I’m swallowing a couple of hundred flies per night. In terms of size the flies appear to be bigger the closer you get to Workington. I wonder why that is? This weeks business idea – fly paper strips dangling from the front of your cycle helmet may stop the Workington midges knocking your teeth out? Maybe not. I’ll keep trying….

Gary McKeating

Barry Turns the Heat Up or 'Don't worry it's only your ligaments'

As the weeks tick down towards the 18th September and the 3 passes on the 85 miles Rivers Route fail to shrink things are getting more serious.

The scene – the school hall at Paddle, just outside Cockermouth

The participants – nervous and more nervous

The Boss – Barry Johnson, elite athlete and trainer

We may not have been wearing old fashioned gym shorts and white t shirts – but it felt like we were properly back in school. That sense of nervous expectation when you’re not quite sure what the teacher’s going to ask you to do. I won’t distress readers with the details but when I said to our trainer ‘this exercise really makes my elbows hurt he replied with a slight smile ‘yes it will do, don’t worry, it’s only your ligaments’.

In truth Barry was a gentleman and never asked us to do more than we could manage, but I’m still not sure why we need to have arms like Popeye for riding a bike!

We’ve had a great deal of interest in the Jennings Rivers Ride – entirely down to the wonderful efforts of Matt Whitehurst and his stunt riding on the waters of Buttermere – photo attached which has gone ‘viral’ on the internet. (Warm thanks to the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue team and the expert photography of Charlie Hedley).

The loneliness of the long distance chubster

The loneliness of the long distance chubster.


You know the problem with cycling in West Cumbria? The lack of a roof and windscreen wipers. My training this week has gone OK but the weather has been against me. Wearing glasses in the rain and the state of the roads combines to make cycling here in West Cumbria a perilous activity. If you can’t see the craters until you hit them…….


I’ve got a good few miles in cycling to my parents in Workington, complaining about my backside then setting off back to High Harrington again. The hill from Low Harrington to High Harrington is a good one for getting the heart rate up. However, I’ve found that since I last cycled in anger my lungs must have shrunk considerably and are no longer fit for purpose for a man of my comfortable build. Currently I think that a pigeon would be disappointed with their capacity. Hopefully that will improve over the next few weeks.


My new found regime has me generating questions that my personal trainer can hopefully help with: rather than an energy bar and a litre of water which can be a bit tasteless, can I replace it with a kebab and Vimto?


The exercise regime that Barry Johnson has given us is going well. As I lie in the sitting room doing planks and static press ups it also has the added benefit of cheering the wife and kids up. Who needs the Sky Comedy Channel?

The Rivers Ride - Training Diary - Chapter 1

Barry ‘the coach’ meets the three intrepid Rivers Riders

This is the story of two middle aged men preparing to take part in Cumbria’s newest cycle challenge – the Cumbria Rivers Ride. Both of us are the wrong side of 40, both enjoy good food and neither could be described as athletes!

I run the Cumbria Community Foundation, Cumbria’s special grant making charity and Gary McKeating is Head of socio-economics with NMP. Gary and I will report regularly on our efforts to prepare for the Ride which will take place on 18th September starting and finishing in Fitz Park, Keswick. We’ll be joined by our colleague Iona Frost Pennington, owner of Muncaster Castle and current High Sheriff of Cumbria.

We’re very fortunate to have secured the help of Barry Johnson who is a highly skilled fitness coach. We met Barry at Dovenby Hall one morning for a ‘fitness assessment’. There was a real sense of apprehension and nervous energy in the air. Barry trains champions and is an elite athlete himself. Nervous energy is only a few steps away from total fear. But very quickly Barry put us at our ease. After a few questions about our medical histories, a blood pressure check and a gentle warm up we began our exercises.

There’s already a great sense of camaraderie between us, but boys will be boys and neither me nor Gary wanted to fail or be beaten. Gary excelled in the static press up, his Popeye arms holding his magnificent frame aloft for the required 60 seconds. Me and Iona quickly fell to the floor …… We went onto to do ‘the plank’ and the static sit up as well as ‘the sit’. All these exercises are aimed at developing our ‘core strength’.

We were all delighted to learn that our core strength exercises will only take ten minutes a day five times a week. On top of that we have to try and cycle 20 miles in total a week. It all sounds too good to be true ……… so watch this space.

The Rivers Ride gives us three choices, an 8 mile ride, a 40 mile ride and ‘the big day out’ – 85 miles and three mountain passes. So with Barry’s help which one will we choose?

To find out more about the Rivers Ride and to book visit www.cumbriafoundation.org