Ride Across Britain

The Finsh Photo

2010-06-21T02:13:00.000-07:00

This is a snap of David and I at the iconic signpost just before Ric came in.

Just to point out one more thing.... the distance between Land end and JOG is 874 miles but the RAB route was 1050.

That is one and half more days of, hill climbing, leg burning, saddle blazing cycling pleasure.

Day 9 The Finish

2010-06-21T02:07:00.000-07:00

After 1050 miles and 80 hours of pedalling over 9 days we crossed the finishing line in Landsend at around 3.15pm yesterday afternoon. It was a brilliant moment. The sun was blazing, there was a big crowd and a huge cheer as we crossed the line. Sheridan, my wife and kids, Charlie and Daisy, were in the welcoming committee and we received our medal and had our photos taken. We had a shandy and a pasty on the grass bank and cheered the other cyclists over the line for the next few hours. There was a great party atmosphere and all of the finishers were elated. One of the great things about cycling is that it does not seem to damage your body in the way that other sports can do. I remember hobbling away from the London Marathon with legs that would hardly move for a day or two. After 9 days of cycling I feel physically good. Both of my knees seemed to sort themselves out although they did ache throughout the ride and needed frequent doses of ibuprofen.

Would I do it again....? Well, now is not the time to ask. I would certainly do another long distance cycling event and I would certainly do it with David and Ric who have been great fun through all of our ups and downs.

Finally a few folks to thank (sorry of it sounds like an Oscar speech....).

Thanks to all of you that supported the Dreamflight fundraising, thanks to Sheridan who organised all the accommodation and has been a unfailing supporter of the cause, it was her idea in the first place. Thanks to my cycling buddy Sean who dragged me around Bucks in the deep dark days of winter. Thanks to Mark who flew us up to Scotland – what a great way to start. Thanks to Jason who drove the support vehicle and was able to do the heavy lifting when we were walking wounded. And thanks to all of the blog followers for your moral support.

Thanks

Jonathan

Day 8

2010-06-19T12:50:00.001-07:00

What can you say about Day 8 of 9? It’s the day no one wants, it is an orphan of a day, it has no saving graces. The day is without the optimism of the earlier days where the bulk of the work is to be done and the miles get eaten away and yet it’s not the big final day with the ecstasy of the finish line. And so it was that we embarked upon Day 8 with nothing in the plan other than to get it over and done with. This was a longish day at 117 miles and with over 10,000ft of climb it was always going to be hilly and potentially difficult. In the light of all this we decided to change our nutritional strategy and stop for a bacon sandwich in the morning and find a decent place for a proper lunch. Previously we had forced down the unchangingly boring baps and wraps at the pit stop and then survive on gels and energy bars but we had had enough of that and the lure of the bacon sandwich became the focus of the day. I can recommend this nutritional approach to all aspiring athletes, it may be very inefficient in terms of glycaemic index but it sure made us feel 100% better and in the end it was a great day. We cycled strong and hard and fought our way up the hills with some fight in our legs. Let’s hear it for bacon!

There is some great news on the fundraising front. It looks as though we have enough money pledged to get to the target of UKP 9,000. The justgiving page is still a little short but the balance has been promised. Thanks to everyone who has supported the fundraising I have been really touched at the generosity people have shown and that is what it is all about I suppose. You can see the very best in people (and maybe in yourself) in the face of a real challenge and it reflects in the mood of all the participants , helpers and those of you who have been so generous donating. Thanks again.

Talking of real challenges this has certainly been the hardest thing I have ever done and it looks as though there will only be around 350 people who will finish all the stages out of a starting group of 600. I am sure this event will become an annual occasion as the prime long distance cycle event in the UK and will develop a reputation as a tough event that is accessible to average people in the same way that the big city marathons have now become. We will see.

Oh..... and the photo, well its amazing how attractive things become after 8 days on a bike.

Day 7

2010-06-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

(I am in some dodgy pub with no WiFi and no network coverage so I m not sure when this will get posted and I have skipped the photo to speed download)

We are a bit worn out now. We have covered just over 800 miles and if we had taken the quickest route we would be close to Landsend but the event takes us an extra 200+ miles so we can “enjoy” features such as yesterdays horrendous climb. I am feeling low on reserves and I think that we are all suffering now from the sheer grind of cycling tough terrain for this number of continuous days. It would have been great to take a break for a day maybe during the event – but that was never in the plan.

David and I have been cycling together and we try and pull each other through the lows. We have completely run out of conversation and talk total rubbish with each other as we cycle along. We do laugh a lot at not very funny things but we get a lift from each other. The third member of the team, Rick, cycles at a different pace to us so life is even harder for him as he spends most of the ride battling along on his own. Well done Rick and keep at it mate.

My lowest point is usually late morning. I struggle to eat enough breakfast as I am just not hungry at all when we get up at 05.00am and I try to snack on the energy bars during the morning but they are beginning to taste like something small pets nibble on. So, as I was feeling a bit sorry for myself this morning, I saw something inspirational. It was a Dad and Son team on a heavy tandem. Dad was well over 60 on the back and Son was probably in his mid thirties. They came powering past us all putting is to shame on our lightweight carbon fibre bikes. We recognised the pair as Dad is representing the Paralympics charity here at the event and Dad is totally blind. How about that.

Day 6

2010-06-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

The day started perfectly. Great weather, a good breakfast and we were on our way from near Manchester to Ludlow, about 110 miles. We knew that the first part of the course would be easy as we cycled through the Cheshire Flats. The highlight of the day was a massive hill in Shropshire called the Long Mynd. We had been warned by the organizers to pace ourselves and make sure that we had enough “gas” to get up “The Long Mynd”. The problem with this hill was that it came 90 miles into the ride when we were not at our strongest. So at about 3.00pm this afternoon we rumbled over a cattle grid and looked up at the near vertical climb that stretch off ahead. Generally, it’s pretty bad form to get off the bike mid-hill. If you are a proper cyclist you recite “pain is weakness trying to get out” as a mantra under your breath multiple times and get on with it. David is very strong on steep hills and generally finishes well ahead of me but as I looked ahead, up the hill, I could see he was in trouble. He said to me afterwards that the hill was so steep that the idea of pulling his brakes to stop the bike rolling backwards was an option while he was still standing in his pedals trying to head up. And then the collective ignominy of it all….we ended up off the bikes pushing the whole show up hill. David even took his slippery cycling shoes off and walked in his socks to get more traction. It was a vaguely comical sight and the only consolation was that no one else could stay in the pedals. What goes up must come down and the heat generated by David brakes exploded the inner tube in his front tyre during the descent. Luckily it was so steep that we were both travelling gingerly at the time so it was a drama not a crisis.

Only three more days to go and for the first time we seem to be getting a little stronger rather than weaker so we are (almost) looking forward to tomorrow.

Day 5

2010-06-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

We passed a large sign on the side of the road at about noon which said "Think Bike” and I was struck by the irony. At that stage my saddle was so uncomfortable that I thought my cycling shorts were just about to burst into flames. I was being advised to “Think Bike” and the truth was I could think of nothing else, however hard I tried.

The day started early with an 07.15 departure. We were keen to get going but had no idea of the challenge that we faced just a few miles into the ride. The route had been planned to take in the infamous Kirkstone Pass. This is the picture in this blog post although it gives little idea of how steep and how hard this road is to cycle up. It takes about 30 mins of gut wrenching, pedal standing effort to get from the bottom to the top. This would be a challenge on a good day but with 500 miles of cycling already in the legs it was a formidable challenge. I had scrambled eggs for breakfast about 30 mins before departure and I am proud to say that it did not make a return appearance but it was touch and go by the time we made the peak. This was hard cycling at the very limit of my ability and in impact was felt for the rest of the morning. We cycled on but with no energy left and no fight in our legs. By mid day we were fully depleted and decided that we would skip the usual organised pit stop and opted for an attractive looking pub at the 75 mile mark. We sat in the sun and recovered with the help of a fresh ham baguette and a large orange squash. After 45 mins we pressed on and felt a lot better. By 2.00pm we were back in the grove cycling at pace with a group of other lads. We arrived at the base camp just after 4.00pm in warm sunshine and ...perversely enjoyed the day. I would be keen to see the Kirkstone Pass again – but in a Porsche.

That was another 115 miles completed today and it means we are well over half way - whoopee.

Day 4

2010-06-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

What is the key to cycling long distances in when you are no “spring chicken”......the answer: Ibuprofen. It seems we have added Ibuprofen to our daily diet of energy drink, bananas and performance gels. In fact there are times when Ibuprofen just won’t do the job and the team is baying for Volterol (a grown up painkiller). If any of these were addictive, and I am sure they are not, we would not need to worry as the Pavlovian association between taking the pills and the general level of discomfort that we have all now reached would be too much to bare. David, Ric and I are all walking wounded. We are specifying ground floor rooms as walking up stairs is just too much of a trial at the moment and to watch us all walk looks like a Monty Python sketch. I can leave you to make your own judgments about the state of our bums but there is no amount of lycra or cream that can ease the pain.

Despite the growing physical discomfort of another 130 mile day moral is still high amongst the troops. We enjoyed another day of stunning views and breathtaking scenery. The weather has been almost perfect and we have enjoyed some hours of following wind. The bikes have all held together better than we have and the accommodation has worked well. It was another 9 hour day and amazingly the time does not drag.

We cycle through the Lake District toward Manchester tomorrow and it is a slightly shorter distance tomorrow and although we are planning an 06.00hrs start we are all looking forward to the day.......sort of.

Day 3

2010-06-14T13:14:00.001-07:00

What is the appeal of slogging your guts out all day long on a saddle that is clearly uncomfortable the moment that you sit on it , a riding position that will make your neck and back ache within half an hour all in country side with some of the most brutal hills in the UK. It’s a compelling question. The truthful answer is that there is not much appeal at all when he weather was as ill tempered as it was on Day 1 and Day 2 of the ride, in fact it is generally pretty miserable. There is clearly a sense of achievement and the more malevolent the conditions the greater the sense of satisfaction in achieving your goals. However, it takes a day like today to make the equation add up. The sun shone, the mountains were breathtaking, the road alongside Loch Lomond was spellbinding and the miles, all 130 of them whizzed by. We had a great day with over 9 hours of cycling and some spiky hills around the outside of Glasgow to finish, this was cycling at its most appealing.

I feel great, tired but very content. Amazingly my knee problem which looked at one point as though it might end the ride seems to ease as I warm up on the bike and as the rest of my body starts to suffer the stresses and strains of trying to keep up with my speedy cycling partner, David. I am not sure if it is just being masked by all the other aches and pains but, either way, it won’t stop me cycling tomorrow.

Day 2

2010-06-13T12:04:00.000-07:00

There is a certain irony in the fact that it has hardly rained in the south of England over the last few months. This has been good for us as our preparation rides were mostly in the dry during the spring this year. Well, Scotland has made up for it now as it has rained constantly from the moment we arrived on Friday night and it is still raining now – at 8.00pm on Sunday night. And it has been cold – really cold, in fact the gadget on my bike was showing 8C this morning. This is not too much of a problem when you are cycling but it is shocking how quickly you can cool down when we take the schedule breaks and these come up every thirty miles or so.

Today was a relatively benign stage. It was on the shorter side at 99 miles and not too hilly. The scenery around Loch Ness was stunning and Sheridan has booked us into a wonderfully comfortable cottage in the grounds of a posh hotel called Inverlochy Castle. Morale is high within the team and we have just finished a great supper.

One last thing...I have to thank Hamish and Cheryl for making us so welcome at the Invershin Hotel, near Dornoch. They are a great young couple who are in the middle of renovating this hotel but they opened a few rooms specially for us and we enjoyed a special breakfast amongst the construction. Thanks again Hamish and Cheryl and if you fancy some salmon fishing or mountain biking then track them down.

Tomorrow is a tough day, 130 miles and 10,000ft of climb so its early to bed.....

Day 1

2010-06-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

I suppose that it would be fitting on the night of England’s first world cup game to use an old footballing cliché but our ride today was truly a “game of two halves”. We set out from the hotel at 06.30am into the remnants of the overnight weather. The sky had cleared but it was still cold and very windy. The start was well organised and it turns out that there were over 600 people starting the event. The whole group was split into four starts of 150 a piece and these went off in waves of 30 every three mins. It hardly gets dark at all in JOG this time of year and we left in soft morning light through the start line and down into the harbour where a small group of bagpipe players were` playing us out. Then the hard work began as we cycled into a very strong (25knt +) headwind. We probably were a little over enthusiastic as we departed with a fast group and kept the pace up through to the first stop art 30 miles. The next 45 section was tough. It was hilly windy and we were soaked from the frequent, cold, squally showers. The last section of the ride was much easier as we rode down the line of a river and then a lock into the Kyle of Sutherland. We cycled 105 miles in 7 hrs 18 mins and this slow time was a reflection on just how tough the conditions were today.

The RAB team had built another village in a field which had all the bases covered including a vast tent showing the English football game. I have had ice packs on my knee all evening and although I will be OK to cycle tomorrow I am a little concerned. Fingers crossed.

Tomorrow we do it all again.

Flying along Loch Ness - Video

2010-06-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

Heading North

2010-06-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

At approx 12.00 noon today we departed from Denham airport for Wick on the west coast of Scotland. Mark Farmer had flown up from Bristol in his Columbia 400 aircraft to collect us and take David Rick and I up to the start camp for the 2010 Deloitte Ride Across Britain. The flight was a brilliant event with improving weather conditions. As we flew over the Western Isles of Scotland we could see for 30 miles around us and as we headed east across the Caledonian canal we could see Loch Ness stretching out and on to the eastern coast of Scotland. By 3.45pm we were on the ground in a cold and windy Wick airport. The day continued to go to plan as we were met by Jason who is driving the support van for the whole event.

John O’Groats is much what you would expect. A gently shabby northern Scottish village with lots of heart and little charm. Today it had been transformed. The RAB base in the heart of JOG is home to 600 riders and at least 100 further support staff. It is an impressive operation, more of a mini village than a camp site. We had decided months ago to stay in hotels rather than camp – on the grounds of old age. This turns out to have been a smart decision as the weather deteriorated and by the early evening we were in the teeth of a full North Atlantic Storm with driving rain and a bitter NW wind. Camp sites have a charm of their own but in these conditions I would take the hotel option every time.

The start is at 07.00am tomorrow so it’s time for some sleep. I am still worried about my knees, they still ache and feel fragile but I won’t know the real prognosis until the day is over tomorrow. Fingers crossed. Oh..... and if you’re wondering why the photo is in black and white it is a consequence of incompetence not an outbreak of broody creativity.

The Last Supper

2010-06-10T14:17:00.001-07:00

This is our final day of preparation before departing for Scotland tomorrow and I think we are in pretty good shape. The bikes have been packed up in the van and have departed for Scotland this afternoon. Rick has arrived at my house and we have enjoyed the regulatory pasta dinner.

Unfortunately, the weather prospects for tomorrow are not great. We are planning to fly up to Wick with our good friend Mark Farmer in his Columbia 400 plane. For those of you who are not followers of such things this is a single engine but high performance light aircraft. Mark has all of his instrument ratings and the aircraft is equipped so it can take off and land in poor weather but we may delay our departure to let the rain blow through. Hopefully the weather will buck up.

There are various events scheduled tomorrow night by the organisers and we are expecting to get an early night in preparation for our 7.00am start.

Here is an interesting fact for you, the total distance we travel uis 1050 miles but the killer fact is the amount verticle feet we climb during all the hills over the route. All in all we we climb about 73,000 feet. To put that in perspective it will be like cycling up and down Everest 2.5 times!

Reasons to be cheerful

2010-06-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

There are something’s in life that can really cheer me up and can be an antidote for call centres, congestion charging and Simon Cowell. One of the things that cheers me is really good personal service and I have had two great examples this week connected with the ride. The first is Andrew Jackson at Cycle Fleet Ltd. He runs a business located in a somewhat unlikely location near Great Missenden and principally supplies and services large bike fleets for the police etc. He also provides a maintenance service for people who want to keep their bikes in tip top order. Last week he serviced my bike and when I collected it the bike looked and felt brand new. Not bad since its done 2,500 miles in the last year. On Monday I decided to try out some new wheels which I liked and wanted to take on the ride but the rear cassette spacing was different, meaning I could not get the gears to index correctly and it would be tricky to swap back to my original wheels if I had wanted. This presented an engineering challenge that was way beyond me. Andrew to the rescue. At short notice he arranged for the bike to be collected and is working on a solution for me so that I can take the bike tomorrow. I strongly recommend him www.cyclefleet.com.

The second example is my local GP. I visited him this morning to try and sort out my knee problems. Instead of giving me that...”well you are 55 years old, what do you expect” look and some ibuprofen....he had me up on the bench for a thorough and intensive examination. As a runner himself he was diligent and empathetic and administered a well thought through plan with several options. Thanks Dr Theobald at Penn Surgery...even though he and I both know that we will probably get to know this knee issue in more detail over the coming months/years.

Fundraising

2010-06-08T04:31:00.000-07:00

I have been very impressed and grateful at the level of generosity that people have shown in supporting the event. I really like the idea of small charities where there is a direct connection between the donation and the people that get help. This is certainly the case with Dreamflight where we know the founder and many of the helpers. Sheridan and I will attend the departure party at Heathrow in the autumn and I will send some photos to you all of the children that you have supported.

I had originally planned to raise UKP6,000 which we achieved at the weekend and have been inspired by David Carratt who agreed to further donate if I would take on a "stretch" target. So lets see if we can get to UKP 9,000. Thanks David.

Four Days to Go

2010-06-08T04:23:00.000-07:00

The final countdown has begun and the team are busy trying to make sure that all the bases are covered. We are taking our own support car and we will try and be self sufficient as best we can be. This means that we will be taking enough spares to re-build the bikes if we have to and have spare wheels and tyres that we can adapt to the conditions. My major concern is my left knee which feels very dodgy. I am seeing the doctor tomorrow with the hope that I can get some short term fix and I know that he will tell me that the only sure cure is rest. I will just have to keep my fingers crossed.

Most of the other riders are staying in a tented camp but we have opted for hotels. Its an age thing really after all who wants to share a tent with one of your snoring friends after 8 hours of pedaling. Not me!

Swaying Palm Trees

2010-06-08T04:17:00.000-07:00

Swaying Palm Trees etc

This just shows that not all cycling has to be done in the pouring rain with a freezing cold headwind. This is a snap of Mountain Biking biking in Tarifa last week and I like to look at it as I contemplate the hostile northern coast of Scotland. There is an argument to say that northern Scotland is an ideal place NOT to cycle. The weather is moody, there is a high risk of rain and the inevitable headwind. There are no long flat roads in that part of the Highlands (the clue is in the name) and if that’s not enough then there are the mutant mosquitoes – the only known thing to fly in a volcanic ash cloud.

Maybe it will be sunny and warm as we glide through the Peak District (the clue is in the name) or through the Malvern Hills. We can but hope.

Top Secret ......Fantastic Hotel

2010-06-03T02:39:00.001-07:00

Things have been a bit quiet on the blog as we have escaped to Spain for a few days. We are staying at one of my favourite hotels called The Hotel Hurricane in Tarifa. It is small, about 30 rooms, and quirky but it is totally charming. The beaches are all unspoilt and it sits on the edge of a national park. The main attraction is kite surfing and wind surfing and as part of my ongoing mid life crisis I have been try to learn to kite surf. To be honest, it has been a bit frustrating as the wind has been nonexistent over the last few days. However, I did bring my mountain bike and have had several great expeditions up into the hills. It has been hot here, at least 35C which can be a struggle when you are trying to cycle up the side of a small mountain but I prefer that to the cold and as long as you have plenty to drink its good fun.

Although Tarifa itself has some good restaurants we have chosen to eat in the hotel each evening. The food is sensational with a wide variety of fresh local sea food and great BBQ steaks and how many places in Europe do we know where the wine list starts with some great local wines at 10 euros a bottle. Its like going back in time but with all the modern touches that make a hotel comfortable.

We fly back tonight and I am looking forward to a few gentle trips out on the bike before the big event which is now just over a week away. As for the knees... they ache.......which is not great and making me a bit nervous.

Who'd have thought it?

2010-05-29T00:46:00.001-07:00

David and I both took the day off on Thursday and took advantage of Sheridans kind offer to drive us and the bikes to Bath so that we could cycle back. This was an ideal training trip. It was just over 100 miles and generally could be considered and easy ride as the route is fairly flat and we had a forecasted tail wind.
By the time we had travelled to Bath and fiddled around in a cycle shop it was 1.00pm so we decided to get cracking and stop for lunch after the the first 30 miles. This seemed to work well as we were approaching Marlborough at about 2.45pm and spotted a pub sign that looked very welcoming. We turned off the main route onto the country lane but could still not see the pub. We went down the road, down the hill, round the corner but could still not see the pub. By this point we were a bit frustrated but in the distance we could see a village. Sure enough we arrived in the village and saw the pub despite it now being well out of our way.. However, it looked good and we were ready for our late lunch after a couple of hours of cycling. The garden was sunny and we found a place for the bikes but the backdoor of the pub was closed. And then....would you believe it the front door was closed and it turned out that the whole pub was closed at 2.45pm on a sunny Wednesday. When we saw the name of the pub it all made sense.

The trip was routine and we finally arrived home a little weary in the early evening and I am glad to report the the kitchen at "The Beacon" was not closed.

Fundraising

2010-05-26T22:59:00.000-07:00

Fund raising is going really well. We have raised over UKP 4,500 and still going strong. One of the donors has offered to donate again if I get to my UKP6,000 target which I am fairly confident of doing. A huge thanks to everyone who has donated and a quick scroll down the justgiving page shows how generous people have been. The UKP 6,000 that we are planning to raise will send two very sick kids on a holiday of a lifetime which is just fantastic.

I have taken the day off work today so that we can do a long training ride. My wife Sheridan has arranged a day out in Bath and is taking David and I and our bikes down with her in the car. This is great as we get to ride a pleasant 110 mile one way trip. With luck the weather ( and my dodgy knee) will hold out and we will get to enjoy a ride that is roughly equivalent to a day of the Ride Across Britain.

We will let you know how it goes.

The link is www.justgiving.com/Jonathan-McKay1

The Fox and Hounds makes your heart beat faster

2010-05-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

We had an brilliant ride out on Sunday morning. It is only the second time that I have cycled during the weekend with warm sun and encouraging air temps. This is our normal Sunday loop that is between 50 and 60 miles depending upon any small variations that we make to the route. There are several climbs that get your attention. The first is a long slow grind between High Wycombe and Stockenchurch. This is a 5.7mile stretch of which two thirds is probably uphill with a mile and a half needing some commitment. The gradient is not quite steep enough to get you standing on the pedals but the distance is enough to get your heart rate up to max by the crest. I have a new Garmin (Edge 500) gadget on my bike that measures all manner of things. It is the size of a match box but contains a GPS, Altimeter, and sensors that measure speed and pedal cadence (pedals revs per minute). The rough guide to your max heart rate is 220 less your age. In my case this is 220 – 55 = 165 and although I used to be able to get my heart rate up to 182 on the rowing machine a couple of years ago I think 170 is a good working max for me now.

The route takes us out through Turville and up to Christmas Common with a much steeper hill through an idyllic country lane. David gets to show his climbing prowess on these types of hills and manages to leave me for dead. There is a great pub at the top of the hill called the Fox and Hounds but we have not managed to get beer and serious cycling to work well together – yet.

Follow my Ride Across Britain http://oldmeninlycra.blogspot.com

2010-05-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

Every week we try and get out in the evening for a session of night mountain biking. This involves fitting a very powerful light to the bike and then heading of into the woods for some scary high speed trails. It is amazing fun and hard to describe the sensation correctly. I think its a bit like skiing as you"zone" into the light path in front of you.

Last night it was such a warm barmy evening that David, Matt and I left at 7.00pm which is well before it gets dark and cycled through the woods in the twilight. There are still bluebells out in the woods and the warm, calm night was hard to beat. We are creatures of habit on our night ride and tend to do the same route every week. One of the highlights is a steep climb out of Little Missenden. It is a stony bridle path that gives you 5 mins of very hard climb. My heart rate gets up to max (180 bpm for an old guy) but it does mark the end of the hard stuff and once we are at the top we can glide back down thru the woods to the pub.

When we had completed the climb and worked our way into the woods my chain snapped which can be a big problem if you don't have specialist tools with you....and we did not. However we did manage to limp to the pub and as we pulled in to the court yard two other drinkers looked over and offered to help. They both happened to be bike mechanics from Cycle Fleet in Great Missenden. Even they could not fix the chain without the tools but they did give me a lift home and we lived happily ever after. So thanks to Andrew and Nigel from Cycle Fleet and we will come out and see you as new customers!

how about this

2010-05-20T03:28:00.000-07:00

Just by coincidence....... it turns out that one of my colleagues, Calum Noble at Tribold has a good friend who also travels with Dreamflight (he is the guy on the left) as a helper.
I thought it was a great picture that really captures the spirit of the event.

Thanks Calum

Fit that bike!

2010-05-20T01:24:00.000-07:00

We spent and interesting day yesterday with a guy called Mike Veal of Bike Dynamics in Leamington Spa. Mike runs a small business that takes all of the guess work out of fitting a bike to a rider. Over the course of a couple of hours he videos and measure you so that a series of small adjustments can be made to the bike.

Correct bike fit is the key to minimising injury and I wished I had done all of this a year ago. My left knee is a problem currently and I hope that the changes that Mike has made are enough to sort me out.

The picture shows how he measures the rider geometry and can therefore calculate the modifcations to the bike set up. He also discovered that my left leg is 8mm longer than my right leg and suggested that I dont get lost in the desert.

2010-05-20T01:03:00.000-07:00

In the begining

2010-05-20T00:16:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than a full english breakfast, on a sunday morning, when the kids are out of the house and you have time for the third cup of tea and a good read of the weekend papers. This was the scene in the late summer of last year when Sheridan, my wife handed me the "weekend" section of the newspapar and said."....here, this might interest you". It was a large article about the 2010 Ride Across Britain and it captured my imagination. This was going to be the first large event, sponsored by Delloitts (the large accounting firm) that echoed the hugely popular ride across America. Sure, the distances are a lot less but the US event is usually completed by relay teams of 8 people that cycle about 400 miles each and the RAB was an event that you could do solo and cycle the whole 1050 yourself.

After a quick ring around I found there were a bunch of friends and aquantainces interested and we booked our places. Just as well as the event was sold out by September 09 as more people found out about the event.

And so started the slog to prepare. I had cycled to Paris earlier that summer and so I had my taste of long distance cycling and knew that I would have to cycle through the winter to get in shape.