Bye bye bike.

I have waved goodbye to my Marin bike. Not for long though. My brother has taken it with him to France in the back of his car. It's an awful lot easier than me taking it in a cardboard box onto an aeroplane. Fortunately I have other bikes I can continue to ride prior to me going on the trip. I have managed to keep getting out for rides despite the bitter cold and the strong winds. I hope that its not going to be this cold when I set off but looking at the French weather it looks very cold right across the north half of the country. I may have to take the thick winter gloves after all!

It's getting very close now, less than 2 weeks before I go. Seeing that I don't have to take my bike I have allowed myself the luxury of travelling first class on the train to the airport. I will look very strange in my casual cycling gear sitting amongst suited business men. I hope I get a complimentary breakfast.

Charity

I have mentally worked through my dilemma about raising money for charity and have decided to go for it!  I will support St Mary's Hospice at Ulverston as it was Sue's favourite local charity and it needs lots of support.

Please donate online by following the link below:-

http://www.justgiving.com/R-Vernon

Thanks

More preparation.

On Tuesday I took my bike for a service so that it is in tip top condition for the trip. New disc brake pads, new chain etc. of course it came away running nice and sweetly so I went for a ride and after about an hour and climbing up about the third hill it all of a sudden doesn't like to drop into the 3rd (smallest) crank ring when climbing up a hill. It's is OK when you are cycling on the flat when no pressure is applied to the pedals when changing gear. Anyway I'll have a little go at tweaking it or else it will be going back. I think these things happen as the wires slightly stretch after a service. Anyway, that's enough technical stuff!

Last night my younger brother, Peter, had organised a group trip to Manchester Velodrome. We had a two hour session to ourselves with a coach to give us advice as well. I confess I have been before about 3 years ago but it was really good. For those who haven't cycled on a velodrome before it is a very strange feeling because the bikes are fixed gear bikes that don't let you freewheel and there are no brakes. Also it is a bit of a confidence challenge to ride up the banking on the corners because you think gravity will make you fall off. Well, there was only one crash on the night and I'm pleased to say it didn't involve me. We did a bit of fun racing with a timed one lap competition and a 4 lap team time trial and I was very average in both but it was good fun. Thank Peter for organising it.

Maps are a problem.

Over the last year I have been thinking about how I am going to navigate on my journey. There is very few cycle route maps for the routes I am travelling so I have purchased a pile of different road maps, cycle maps and guide books for the whole of the route. Yes, you've guessed the problem! If I took all the maps with me I wouldn't have any room in my panniers for clothing or anything else for that matter.

So I've been looking for a technological option that will help. There are GPS mapping devices that might do the job. As far as I can tell the Garmin type GPS mapping equipment is expensive and it would require me to buy mapping downloads for large parts of Europe on top of the cost of the device. I suspect that this option might cost ver £400+.

Instead I have downloaded a 'view ranger' app onto my iPad. It allows me access to download the relevant grids of free OpenCycleMaps that show cycle the cycle routes that I will use. The downloaded maps mean that the iPad can use its GPS link to the satellites without needing a broadband or wi-fi signal. I won't have the iPad strapped to the bike handlebars but I can have it available for an easy reference in the same way as I would with a map, in fact it will be easier than a map because I won't need to unfold it and struggle with it I the wind and also the iPad map will tell me exactly where I am and show the compass directions.

I will carry some of the guide books I bought because they will help in finding some accommodation as I travel. I suppose the main issue is that I need to avoid losing my iPad and I need to keep it charged everyday.

Sponsorship?

I did not intended to do the ride for charity for a few reasons. I didn't want to have too much pressure to complete the whole route when there is a possibility that I may get injured or I might just want to change my plan and I want the freedom to do that if I wish. The purpose of the ride is for me to have an adventure and the freedom to go with the flow. Whilst I am publishing this blog and it is open for anyone to view I don't care too much to deliberately seek publicity to maximise the raising of charity funds.

On the other hand it is a great opportunity to raise money for my favourite charity St Mary's Hospice at Ulverston.

So, I'm in two minds over this dilemma. You can't expect a clear decision after all I was a Police Inspector!!

I could raise some money as long as it is clearly understood that any money is raised is not dependant on me getting to any end point of the route. Also, I am funding the whole of my trip and not using any donations to pay for my expenses.

Someone asked me what I was doing about carrying my clothes etc. I replied that I had forgotten to mention that I was doing the cycling naked so I wouldn't need to carry the luggage but no-one would donate any money and they would only donate on the basis that I put some clothes on!!

So, I would welcome anyone's thoughts on this subject (sponsorship, not the nude cycling). Should I do it for charity?

Training!!

Well, I suppose it would be sensible to do some serious training before setting off across Europe.

I should be pretty fit seeing that I am a Personal Trainer, so I'm hoping that my general fitness levels are going to put me in good stead for the ride. During a ski holiday over the New Year period I injured my left knee. It never stopped me training but I was constantly conscious of it. It has improved over recent weeks and it seems fine when I run or cycle, so I'm hoping that it is not going to be a problem.

January was a terribly wet and cold month and therefore I never got out on my bike. I tried to substitute the lack of road cycling with setting a bike up indoors on a turbo trainer and to relieve the boredom of riding indoors I watched youtube videos of Mark Beaumont cycling the Americas and the World. It also provides me with some inspiration for my journey, except that I do not aspire to break any records.

February has been much better for outdoor cycling and I have upped the cycling frequency. Although I am conscious to step it up gradually because the last thing I want now is to injure myself before I get started. My main philosophy is to get on the bike on all days that are dry and get myself (and more importantly my backside) used to time on the bike.

I had a lovely days riding last week. I set off with the intention to cycle to a Lake District pub for lunch and cycle back. However, I got to the pub too early and decided to push on a bit further. I took a series of random decisions and then headed to Bowness and then caught a ferry across Windermere and then getting my pub lunch sitting in sunshine outside a Hawkshead pub. I cycled back via Newby Bridge and quiet back roads to Cartmel before getting over the last hill home. It was a lovely sunny but cool day and it encompassed the spirit that I am trying to achieve on my journey. I want to have an overall aim but still want to adapt the route and the timescales so that I get a real feeling of adventure.

Last Sunday I did the Eden Valley 60 mile Sportive ride along with 1000 other cyclists. I set off with some good club cyclists and realised that they were too fast for me after the first 10 miles. They disappeared into the distance but I caught them twice though after two of them had crashes (maybe it pays to be a plodder). Anyway I had a good ride and managed to average 15 mph over the very undulating course. It confirmed for me that my training priority is not speed!

Anyway, I will keep the training going steady and probably tailing it off in the last week so that I do not start the journey jaded.