PurpleTraveller

SCOTT TRIES ROAD RIDING......

2012-01-24T16:32:00.002Z

A LITTLE BIT ROUGH IN THE BAY...MEANS WIND.

Back in October I posted a picture of my Son-in-Law Scott and the road bike that he had purchased on e-bay.
Since then he has not done much in the way of riding it- but has told me about some of the road riding plans that he has. These included an early season Sportive and later in the year a mini Triathlon. In actual fact he has only ridden the bike on one 16 mile ride with a friend of his who is by all account some kind of super sportsman.

I thought that it was about time that he started getting some miles in on his bike so that he could get an idea of where he is bike fitness wise and to allow him to see the amount of work he needs to put in to achieve his cycling goals. (Scott is quite fit in a general sports way.)

Scott isn't completely a bike ride virgin as my daughter and he do manage to put in some mountain bike riding together but he is new to the road riding discipline.
I suggested that we rode together around my short training loop....from my home to the Bramble Bush ferry out to Corfe via Studland and then up Kingston hill down to Swanage and back to the ferry again. This is a good ride of 30 miles that would give him some idea of the type of terrain that is included in most sportives.

During the season I often ride this route on a Sunday morning before breakfast the main attraction being that it takes you through some wonderful Purbeck scenery. The ride is a reasonable test of hill climbing ability and overall endurance levels.
Yesterday morning we set off.......

WAITING AT THE FERRY

The first five miles to the ferry went well.
I had been given strict instructions by my wife Anne not to go 'too fast and show off 'as she puts it....no soul crushing allowed on this ride.... so I kept my speed down to an average of about 16 mph...a speed which Scott seemed quite happy with.
When we arrived at the ferry you could tell that there was a bit of a wind by the roughness of the water in Poole Bay....wind speed was about 15/20 mph.

After the short ferry crossing we cruised along at a steady 'touring' speed up through Studland and on to the 'Hill of Death' (HOD).
This hill is known as the HOD because most new riders feel like death on their first attempt.... Scott rode it well...managing to hold my wheel all the way to the top and shortly after I stopped to allow him to get his breath back not wanting to wear him out too soon.

A few minutes later and we were off again on the next five mile section to Corfe....a few minor climbs- but most of this section is a lumpy downhill. We then headed through Corfe village and then headed off towards Kingston....the road takes a minor climb before dropping down again before you hit the 16% of Kingston hill which is used in the local club hill climb series.

I had advised Scott to pace himself up this hill but he saw the opportunity to pass me on the approach and took it (a mistake he probably regretted by the end of the ride) I let him go and paced myself at a steady cadence for the 16%.
There are a few mild hairpins on this hill and Scott disappeared around the first one....a few cars passed me and after the bend I could see that I was already starting to gain on him. Around the next bend I could see Scott still managing to continue in an upward direction and I was even closer.

A few more bends later and I negotiated the final bend only to find that all the cars that had passed me had stopped. Stopped on a 16% hill !
No sign of Scott.
I stopped behind the cars but as there was no movement from them I decided to try and get started again and pass them.

Just as I came up behind the car at the front I could see the problem.
It was a learner driver....trying to get restarted on the hill....just as I went to pass him the learner managed to jerk and jump away on his hill start and I followed behind.
I passed the pub that marks the end of the climb and there was Scott standing at the side of the road.
When I told him about the learner trying to get re started on the hill Scott told me that it was probably his fault. He said that he had slowed so much on the hill that he had started to wobble around and had caused the poor learner to stall.

We carried on towards Swanage....mainly downhill and a lovely run with a tail wind. On arrival at the seafront we took a short break and I gave Scott an energy bar which he seemed to need. Scott told me that he felt pretty well done in.....(shouldn't have tried to fly up the 16% Scott). We still had the 5 miles approx back to the ferry and another 5 miles back home from there........

For the rest of the ride Scott struggled.....The first part of the section back to the ferry is uphill again and Scott told me that he crawled it at about 7 mph. We continued the ride with me going on ahead and waiting at junctions etc. When we finally arrived home Scott admitted to me that on the last hill about half a mile from my house he had to get off the bike and walk up.....Sounds like a touch of 'the bonk' to me.....
He told me that I might not have crushed his soul but that his body felt pretty well crushed.

Overall Scott did pretty well and he has the ability to get up hills... but if anything, our ride together has shown him that he needs to work on base fitness and endurance levels. I have suggested that he aim for an Autumn sportive and work his training towards that as a goal.....

I will keep you updated on how he does.

YES SCOTT....WALKING THE BIKE IS EASIER

BACK HOME....BACK ON THE TIFOSI.......

2012-01-20T17:27:00.000Z

BACK ON THE TIFOSI

Following the great weekend I had at the BPC Dorset Group static camping weekend...... I have packed the touring bike away again and this week I have been back out on the Tifosi Audax bike.

I am managing to put in some good quality mileage and am hopeful that this year I will take a major step up in my fitness levels and my cycling ability.
I am working on my power and hill climbing abilities and really getting a good buzz from my riding right now.

It must all be having some effect...... as I was riding back from the BPC weekend on my fully loaded touring bike I came up behind a young guy (early twenties) fully decked out in his local club colours just as we hit a very steep hill.

The twenty something club rider stood up to attack the hill and I sailed past him still seated on my tourer, panniers and all....... as I powered past him you could almost feel his disbelief.....I just hope that I don't come up against him in a local club event this year as I think I might be a marked man.

ANOTHER YEAR OLDER.....

Thursday saw another birthday come and go...

I think that as we get older we tend to celebrate our birthdays less and less....certainly not as much as the youngsters anyway.
When you think about it though, the older we get the more we have to celebrate...I mean each year becomes an achievement in itself.

I reached 64 this year and I can't believe it. I don't feel like I thought I would at 64.... I feel fit and I am doing a lot of the things that I used to do fifty years ago.....I ride my bike....go camping....indeed in a lot of ways retirement allows you to live your youth all over again.

For my 14th birthday I got a new bike....it was a BSA in a beautiful two tone blue....it was the first brand new bike I had ever owned and I can remember that I spent that year talking friends into coming on cycle touring trips with me.

I travelled miles on that bike and a passion was started that year that has never really stopped. As I start my 65th year I see that I am still doing those same things......nothing has really changed at all...just the number from 14 to 64.

DORSET BPC WINTER MEET

2012-01-15T21:36:00.000Z

PETER CALCUTT BREWING UP A DRINK

This weekend I went to the Backpackers Club (Dorset Group) Winter static weekend.

Four of us arrived by bike but I was the only one who didn't join the planned walk on the Saturday morning as I wanted to put in the miles on the bike.
I also wanted to have a go up the Zig Zag hill near Shaftesbury. This hill is reputed to have more bends over a mile than any other in the UK.

It does in fact have eight hairpin bends over it's length and the sign at the bottom shows a lowly gradient of just 10% although my Garmin did register 12%-13% on a couple of the hairpins.
It's not so much the gradient that can catch you out it is the length of the whole thing, as even after you negotiate the hairpins the route just keeps on climbing.

Anyway I had never climbed it, only ever going down it and I must say that I found going up on a bike much easier than going down. The bends are very narrow and you certainly have to keep your eyes open for motor vehicles.
With my riding to and from the event and my ride on the Saturday plus my rides earlier in the week I was able to add another 320 miles to my 2012 total so far.

HEAVY FROST ON SATURDAY MORNING

GOOD TURN-OUT FOR THE WALKS

As you can see from the photos it was a cold weekend.
Following the mild weather that we had earlier in the week, the temperature just plummeted over the Friday night and we all woke up to a very heavy frost on the Saturday morning.
On the Sunday morning we awoke to another cold day but due to a stiff breeze there was no condensation in the tents and no frost, so we were able to pack everything away nice and dry.

For a winter camping event just a couple of weeks past New Year it was really well attended with 20+ people camping overnight.
The Church Farm site at Sixpenny Handley has been one of our favorites for a number of years as it has a licensed bar on site and a cooked meal is available in the evening as well as a great cooked breakfast to set you up for your walk or ride.

SUNDAY MORNING- EVERYTHING IS DRY

ANOTHER SHOT ON SUNDAY MORNING

BIKES AND TENTS

COLD MORNING - CAR WON'T START

PETER'S MAP HOLDER - THE LARGEST I'VE SEEN

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE 'AIR BRAKE' - I MEAN MAP HOLDER

Peter Calcutt turned up with a huge map holder fixed to the front of his bike...I really did wonder what it was when he arrived.
I told him that I thought that it would make a pretty good air brake, but Peter assures me that at the speeds he travels it doesn't make much difference to his overall speed.

I have never been able to get on with looking at a map as I ride along.....I don't like taking my eyes off the road and I don't like anything obscuring my view of my front wheel.
I much prefer to just key my destination into the Garmin and let it do the work. The only time I need to glance at it is when it bleeps at me to inform me that a right or left turn is coming up. One quick glance to establish what it's telling me and....job done!

When I stop for a break is when I take a look at a paper map just to get a broader picture of how I am doing. Indeed that is the method I used for my entire Gibraltar to UK ride and it worked without a hitch.

Still Peter seems to get some pleasure in doing cycling in an 'old school' way so I should not have been surprised at the front spoiler posing as a map holder.

The whole weekend proved to be a great success and everybody enjoyed the camping walking cycling and gossip....A great first event for our new coordinator Graham Faithfull........
I must admit I enjoyed it all the more now that I have stepped down from the coordinator role ...thanks for taking the post over and well done Graham.

NO ICE CREAM TODAY

2012-01-11T21:05:00.000Z

ICE CREAM KIOSK CLOSED

The weather did a complete about turn following my last post.

All the rain and the gale force winds decided to leave my part of the south coast and have headed north or somewhere else.......what we were left with has been really mild weather with some nice sunny days as well.

I have been able to get out on the bike almost every day and start to put in some serious miles. Today I did my first 75 mile day of 2012 and in under five hours as well.

It was a glorious day just look at the picture above. The weather was so good I decided to do one of my Spring training routes - well it was just like a Spring day after all.

The route took me out to Bere Regis and back to the Purbecks in a large loop and included a lot of my favourite hills including Creech and Kingston.

As I was cycling in to Swanage the thought entered my head that an ice cream might be nice, but as you can see in the photo the ice cream kiosk was closed. It might have been a spring like day but obviously no one had informed Mr Ice Cream and I wasn't going to search the town to find a shop that might sell me one, so I settled for an energy bar and a couple of swigs of energy drink before climbing back on the bike for the last twelve miles of the ride.

According to the weather forecast the weather should stay dry until the start of next week, although the temperature is going to fall back to normal for this time of year.

This weekend is the Winter static meet for the Dorset Backpackers Group.

It is the first event that Graham Faithful has arranged since taking over as Dorset Co-Ordinator following my decision to stand down after about eight years.

I plan on cycling over to Church Farm at Sixpenny Handley on Friday on my touring bike.

Although the others will be doing a ten mile walk on the Saturday it is my intention to do a circular ride as there is a good hill in the Shaftesbury area that I want to have a go at. Of course one of the things that I am looking forward to is my first night in the tent for 2012 I am also looking forward to catching up with all the news and gossip.

Hopefully I will be able to share some photos of the weekend with you early next week.

STARTING BACK....

2012-01-06T00:11:00.000Z

Well we are now at the twelfth day of Christmas and six days into the New Year.
Anne and I have been away over the holiday period but now we are back home and all the decorations and other signs of Christmas have been packed away.
I thought that it was about time I started posting again........

Looking back at my mileage counter for last year it finished short of what I had aimed for. I had hoped to finish the year with 10,000 miles under my wheels, but after having been forced to stop riding throughout the whole of February due to medical reasons, it was always going to be difficult to achieve.
On the positive side I only missed my goal by 646 miles which is less than the average of 850 miles a month that I managed throughout the other eleven months.

Unfortunately 2012 has not started well........Storms with winds of 50 to 70 mph and driving rain have seriously curtailed my attempts to attack my mileage early..... My first weeks mileage is going to be low but it can only get better.

I am not planning to make any changes to my bikes this year.....I have got them all just as I want them......each bike is perfect for the events and style of riding that I use them for- whether that's Sportives Audax or Touring.
My love for endurance rides with plenty of hills is as strong as ever and it's those kind of rides that I will be concentrating on again this year.

No firm plans have been made for my touring rides although Euro Velo Route 6 is still constantly on my mind. As soon as I make my mind up I will let you all know.

Now all I need to do is to catch up with all my favourite blogs and then I will feel that I am really back.

SEASONS GREETINGS.....

2011-12-20T18:22:00.000Z

PROOF - FATHER CHRISTMAS IS A CYCLIST

Well if you needed proof here it is....Father Christmas IS a cyclist as this photograph taken in Bournemouth a few days ago proves.

Due to all the financial problems world wide it would appear that the 'man in red' has had to dispense with his reindeer and sleigh. The cost of feeding all those reindeer had proved to be too expensive and they just had to go.

All the financial cutbacks have meant that he has had to find an alternative and far cheaper form of transport. After all, the Prime Minister David Cameron has told us that "we are all in this together" and unfortunately this means Father Christmas too...
Going one better (or one less) than most of us, Father Christmas has chosen a Uni-Cycle and in doing so is saving the cost of having to buy two tyres. Very cost effective I would say.....

Seasons Greetings to all visitors to this blog whether you are a regular or occasional visitor.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I will be posting again in early January 2012

A TALE OF TWO .....CYCLISTS.

2011-12-16T18:45:00.000Z

A couple of stories in the Bournemouth local press this week involved two very different cyclists....
One of the stories had the heading...'Left for Dead'. It concerned a cyclist found in the road following a hit and run incident.

The 40 year old experienced cyclist was cycling to work at around 05.30hrs one morning. He was wearing high-visibility clothing and a helmet and he had a number of lights to the front and rear of his machine when a car ploughed into him.
The impact flipped him over the top of the car and apparently the cyclist landed on his back about 10 metres from the point of impact. The poor guy suffered two broken vertebrae...a broken bone in his hand and plenty of road rash. The car did not stop and just left the cyclist in the road.

Luckily an off duty fireman saw the incident and went over to assist. He phoned for the emergency services.
Later, the cyclist said..."There is no way that the driver would not have seen me...I was lit up like a Christmas tree and I'm not a small person. I did a double somersault over the top of the car and he just kept on going...I can remember riding the bike and then looking down and thinking it was going to hurt....I cracked my helmet and the bike is probably a write off".

After four days in hospital he is now at home but has to spend the day lying very still and is on morphine slow release to ease the pain...apparently he is due to see a spinal specialist but it is not expected that he will have any permanent damage . He really was a very lucky guy not to have been killed.
As for the driver of the car..well the police are still looking for him.

The next story concerns cycling on the pavement (sidewalk) which is one of my pet hates.

Apparently the police have been out in the Boscombe area of Bournemouth to remind cyclists that riding on the pavement and through the precinct is not allowed.
This follows an incident involving a four year old girl which highlights the dangers that cyclists can pose when riding along the pavement and precinct areas.

The young girl was left in agony after an irresponsible cyclist slammed into her when riding his bike in the dark on a pavement in Southbourne Grove. In the impact she suffered two breaks in her lower left leg.
As for the cyclist....well after stopping briefly to get back on his bike he then rode off ....the police have made a public appeal and they have issued CCTV pictures of the man they want to speak to. In the CCTV images I've seen, the man is cycling along no handed....

What do these two stories highlight then ? Well for me it shows that there can be some pretty nasty people driving cars as well as some pretty nasty people riding bikes.
I do hope that the hit and run motorist and the hit and run cyclist are both caught....it is a good thing that the majority of motorists and cyclists would not behave like these two...but it does the reputation of both groups of road users no good at all when people behave like this.

I trust that both the little girl and the cyclist that was hit by the car make a full and complete recovery and that their Christmas is not spoiled by these incidents.

A CAUTIONARY TALE.....

2011-12-11T14:03:00.000Z

COUNTRY LANES

Here is a little tale that had me in fits of laughter when I first heard it.

A couple of weeks ago JD and I had planned on going for a fifty mile ride over the Purbeck hills on the Monday morning.
On the appointed day I woke up to really wet and gloomy conditions and it became obvious that the planned ride was probably going to be doomed.....

The phone rang early and it was JD , "What do you think" he said. I told him that our best bet was to wait a couple of hours and see if there was any improvement.
Two hours later my phone rang again and JD said "it's now even worse". And it was....

Since our earlier conversation the weather had deteriorated even further and we made the decision not to bother and I resigned myself to a session on the turbo.

Well....a few days later JD told me that a couple of hours after our second call he had got so frustrated having a day off work and not being able to get out for a decent ride, that he decided that he would brave the terrible weather and go out anyway.
He decided to use his touring bike because it has fenders and would help to minimize some of the muck that would obviously be thrown up off the road on such an awful day.
Now as he was setting out much later than he had originally intended getting out with me on the bike, he decided not to head to the Purbecks but to save time by using one of our summer loops north/west of where he lives. The route in question is mainly along country lanes.

FARMYARD

TRACTOR

These country lanes pass by lots of farms and one of the reasons we normally only use this loop during the summer months is because during the winter the lanes can become covered in mud and muck from the farm traffic....tractors to you and I.
Anyway because JD only had a few hours of daylight left he decided to throw caution to the wind and use our summer loop because it was closer to home.....

Oh dear!
Have you ever made a decision and afterwards wished you hadn't?
Well JD has!

Apparently about ten miles into the ride he realized that somehow he had taken a wrong turn and was lost.....not only that, he was soaking wet and also freezing cold.
JD was thinking to himself what a mistake it had been to decide to go out for a ride....after all he could have been nice and warm back at home...things couldn't really be any worse.....or so he thought.

So what happened next?

Still trying to find his way back on to the correct route he took a left turn just as a farmer in his tractor with muck spreader attached was pulling off his field with the muck spreader in full flow.
JD was covered in....well....muck.
He really was covered from head to toe in slurry. Fenders didn't exactly help with this.
The thing to remember about the slurry that farmers spray over their fields, is that it is not only filthy, it also stinks and not only that it's also pretty sticky and it stuck to JD pretty much like super glue.

He did find his way home ......eventually..... and the first thing he did was to hose the bike and himself down with the garden hose. His wife wouldn't let him in the house until he had cleaned himself up and it took ages apparently to hose it all off.

So let that be a lesson to us all.....If you have a route that is designated a summer route then there is a reason we don't ride it in the winter.........

MINE'S JUST A RIDE IN THE PARK......

2011-12-06T16:30:00.000Z

TOMMY GODWIN 1912-1975

I have just been reading about the late Tommy Godwin 1912 - 1975.

He was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England and as a youngster in an effort to help support his family, he took a job as a delivery boy for a greengrocers and with the job came a very heavy iron delivery bike.......this was Tommy's introduction to cycling.

By all accounts Tommy used to ride this bike at breakneck speed on his delivery rounds. At the age of fourteen he hacked the basket off and used that bike to enter his first time trial and actually won the event with a time of 65 mins over 25 miles.

Some years later Tommy left his amateur status with Potteries CC and joined Rickmansworth Cycling Club as a professional.

Now, back in 1911 the weekly magazine -Cycling- began a competition for the greatest distance cycled in a single year. The first holder was Marcel Planes of France with a distance of 34,666 miles (55,790kms). The record has been established nine times.

Tommy Godwin set out at 5am on the morning of 1st January 1939 to bring the record home. The record had been previously set by Ossie Nicholson of Australia in 1937 and stood at 62,657 miles (100,837kms).

Tommy was sponsored by the Raleigh Bicycle Company and Sturmey Archer. He was riding a Raleigh Ace bike that had a four speed Sturmey Archer hub gear. The bike weighed about 30lbs.

Throughout 1939 for the most part, Tommy would get up at 3am and cover over 200 miles (320kms) a day and he could spend over 18 hours in the saddle. After the first two months his mileage lagged behind Nicholson's schedule by over 922 miles, so Tommy had to increase his daily mileage to claw back the deficit and edge ahead.

He managed to gain the record with over two months spare and carried on. His total mileage for the year was 75,065 miles. He also continued riding right through until May 1940 when, after 500 days he also secured the 100,000 miles record as well.

Tommy Godwin dismounted and spent weeks learning how to walk again before setting off to war with the RAF.

He died at the age of sixty three returning from a ride with friends.

The record is still open for challenge but not for entry in the Guinness Book of Records, whose editors say further attempts would be too dangerous.

I really love distance cycling, but Tommy Godwins achievements make my annual mileage look like a ride in the park by comparison...............

EURO VELO ROUTE 6

2011-12-02T17:43:00.001Z

EURO VELO ROUTE 6

I mentioned in a recent posting that I have had the maps out looking for another route to use for a cycle tour during 2012.

One of the routes that I rather like the look of is the Euro Velo Route6.

There are currently 14 Euro Velo routes totalling in excess of 66,000kms of which about 45,000kms is already in place.

When JD & I were cycling back from Gibraltar on our ROCK2UK RIDE we followed Velo Route1 up the Atlantic coast. I actually posted some images on this blog showing the wonderful traffic free cycle paths that we encountered on that route.

Velo Route 6 crosses 10 countries. It starts (or finishes) at St Nazaire on the Atlantic coast of France and goes through Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria into Romania and ends at Constanta on the Black Sea.

This is a route that passes through some fantastic countryside - it even traverses the Jura foothills of the Alps without any appreciable climbing - one of the benefits of using a route that follows rivers -and that is just what the Velo Route 6 does- it follows the course of Europe's largest rivers, the Loire, Rhine and the Danube.

The total length of the entire route is 3,653kms or in English, 2,270 miles.

Now I am not planning on riding the entire route, as time and logistics play a part in my plan's as always. I am looking at various options depending whether I end up doing this trip on my own or with another rider.

If I was riding alone with no time restraints I think that I would do the section from Nantes at the mouth of the Loire and follow the river to it's source near Basel in Switzerland.

About 70% of this route is on dedicated traffic free cycle paths similar to those I rode on the Southern Atlantic coast sections of Velo Route1.

The remainder of the route is on quiet country lanes. 95% of the surfaces are super smooth asphalt- so well within the capabilities of a standard road or touring bike.

After arriving at Basel I would create a loop back on a different route to my original ferry port, this would give a total distance of about 1800 miles.

If I decided to ride with someone else the chances are they would have time restrictions due to work - something I no longer have to worry about.

In these circumstances I would consider a much shorter route, probably the section from Nantes and then eastwards along the Loire to Orleans with a loop back to a ferry port such as Cherbourg or St Malo from there.

This would create a much shorter circular route of about 700/800 miles. Anyway these are all only thoughts at the moment and I have made no decisions and haven't spoken to anyone else about the route possibilities yet..........Just thinking out loud !........Well thinking on this blog anyway!

ACCESSORY & COMPONENT REVIEW

2011-11-28T20:47:00.000Z

BROOKS SADDLE - BAG & BAR TAPE IN HONEY

I thought that as we are approaching the month of December I would just look back over some of the accessory and component changes that I have made over this past year and update you on my current feelings now that some considerable miles have been completed.

I will start with the Tifosi Audax/Training Bike because that is the bike that I ride most often.
I purchased this bike about twenty months ago and the only parts that are original are the frame, stem, bars & seatpost - oh, and the fenders. Everything else has been replaced to either improve it's looks or performance or a mix of both.
The Brooks Swift Saddle with the Bag and Bar Tape, all in a gorgeous honey colour was a good buy.
The saddle has taken a bit longer to break in than the Team Professional that I fitted to the Revolution Tourer, but it is getting there.
The Bar Tape was easy to fit and went on nice and tight and I really love the way that it is already getting a wonderful used looking patina.If you want a bar tape to fit and forget for thousands of miles this is it.
As for the Saddle Bag...well that just seems to complete the classic look.
I really love these Brooks items...I love the way that they look and I love the way that they seem to improve with age both in feel and appearance. A good purchase and I will give it 10/10.

PRO-LITE BRACCIANO WHEELSET

The Pro-Lite Bracciano wheelset has now completed a good few thousand miles.
These wheels are very stiff with high tension & tight laced spokes.
I bought these because of all the fantastic reviews that I had read about them in the cycling press.

These wheels made an immediate improvement to the bike....acceleration improved as did the bikes hill climbing ability.
Descents feel safe and predictable with no nasty surprises through fast bends.
These wheels have proved to have been every thing that I could have wished for in a wheel upgrade.
Another great purchase and another 10/10.

I also fitted a Shimano 105 Groupset on the Tifosi a few weeks ago......still a bit early to make a full review, but the gear changes do seem to be much sharper than the Sora group that was originally fitted to the bike and I must admit to preferring the cosmetic appearance of the 105.

FIZIK DUO BAR TAPE

Now I will look at the changes made to the Revolution Tourer.
Like the Tifosi, only the frame, stem, bars, seatpost and fenders remain as original. Everything else has been changed with a top of the range touring groupset having been fitted about 21 months ago.
This years alterations have been a lot less major but significant never the less.
The Fizik Duo Bar Tape that I fitted before riding back from Gibraltar has now covered about 2,000 miles.
It feels nice and thickly padded on the bars which is a pleasure to use on a multi day tour.
It is starting to show signs of wear on the tops now, but all things considered I would say that it is a good bar tape with a comfortable feel to it and a super colourful appearance 7/10 for the tape then.

The Ortlieb Front Roller panniers and the Blackburn Custom Low Rider front racks have now been used on two extended cycling tours in France and they match together perfectly.
As far as the Ortliebs are concerned I would certainly say that these are about the very best panniers that you can buy. My advice to anyone in the market for panniers is 'Buy Ortlieb'. 10/10 for these then.

The Blackburn racks have also performed well... only one moan about these is (the same as everyone I know that has purchased these has noticed) a slight twist on the right hand side rack....this seems to occur during the manufacturing process but doesn't cause any problems in use other than the 'I know it's there' factor. 8/10 for the racks.

UNIROSS MINI TURBINE

Remember the UniRoss HY mini Windcharger that I had such high hopes for?

I have now used this over about three thousand miles.
It does produce power, but just like the massive wind turbines that have sprouted up in lots of our once beautiful wild places - not enough....!
You need to cover a lot of miles at some speed to generate enough power with this to make it worth while.
I found that I could generate more power with the solar panels that I use....This doesn't mean to say that I won't use the UniRoss Windcharger but I would say that it is really only suitable as a backup to other forms of power generation.....A pity..because I really liked the idea of this little turbine.
I will continue to use it, but as a support/safety backup only. Only 4/10 for this!

PANNIERS...RACKS & THE RSP RACKLIGHT

Then we had the RSP Racklight that my mate Peter Calcutt had told me about.
What a little winner that has proved to be.
This is a Very...Very..bright light. It has been proved to be water proof during very heavy rain in France and this little baby only cost £12.95.
An absolute 10/10 for the RSP.
I would recommend this with no hesitation at all....if you want a rear light that fits to your rear rack...a light that you don't have to remove whenever you leave your bike locked up to those railings, because it is bolted to the bike.....buy this NOW..!!

Last but not least we come to my FELT Z1 sportive bike.
Being a high end top of the range machine, this bike has not needed any upgrades at all....indeed there is nowhere you can upgrade it to apart from the Di2 Electronic Gears....but if you are a regular reader of this blog you will know only too well my views on electronic shifting.

No...the only item that has been changed is the saddle.
The bike was supplied with a Felt branded saddle....but after a few months it became obvious that my rear end and the Felt own brand perch were going to have to part company.

I changed it for a Fizik Arione and I found this to be fantastic...a good mix of comfort and long distance support....ideal for the Sportive style of events that I use this bike on.
However, after my radiotherapy treatment, for some reason this saddle just didn't seem to be comfortable any more.

I really did persevere with it but it seems that the treatment had affected both the skin and the shape of my rear (this being part of the area that the treatment was aimed at). In the end I had to admit defeat so I sold the Arione on Ebay and obtained a Fizik Aliante Gamma.
This has proved to be the right decision.
The treatment had obviously changed me from a 'Snake' to a 'Bull' (check out the Fizik site if you don't understand what I am referring to here).
The Aliante has been really comfortable on all rides of all distances and it also matches the bike better than the Arione as it is finished in Black & White.

I would have given the Arione a 10/10 before my treatment but only a 4/10 afterwards. This was the fault of me though and not the saddle.
The Aliante gets a 10/10 also and has remained so all year.

So there you have it...a look back on the items bought for my bikes this year.

I don't think that I will be buying much for the bikes next year as each bike is now perfect for the use I put them to.
The Tifosi and the Revolution have had major changes in the time that I have had them...not that anything was actually wrong with them in the first place...but the changes have just made these bikes more my own....the Felt was virtually there from day one....

Perhaps next year I will spend the money on more events and tours instead, now that my bikes are spot on for me.

TIME TO DREAM.......AND PLAN.

2011-11-23T22:32:00.000Z

A QUIET ROAD IN FRANCE

This time of year for me is very much a time to dream and plan.
That is dream of the open road on the bike and plan next years touring rides.
It is only just over eight weeks since I returned from my Rock2UK ride and I am missing the daily routine of being out on the open and quiet roads of France and Spain.
I do get out on my bike on most day's of the week, but our roads are considerably more crowded than those that JD and I encountered on our trip back from Gibraltar.
Just look at the photo above. It was taken in France on a weekday at about midday...not a lot of traffic to be seen is there.
When I get back from my daily ride I get the maps out and checkout various routes on the internet. At the moment I have got about six routes on my shortlist but making that final decision is not proving easy.
First there is the length of a touring ride...it is always nice to ride with companions, but the people I usually ride with still have to go to work so the length of a trip that they can do is dictated to them by their jobs. On top of that any trip has to fit in between other cycling events that I am hoping to do next year....things such as Club rides-Audax and Sportives.
I'm thinking that if I decide to do another ride of about 1500+ miles I might have to ride it solo, but as I have said no final decision has been made yet.

STEEP HILL IN FRANCE

As soon as I have decided on next years plans I will post it on this blog....I like to have all my plans laid down by the start of the New Year so I need to start making my mind up.
So many routes to ride and not enough time (or money) to do them all.
The second photo here shows one of the many water towers we saw in France. Although it is difficult to see in the picture, that small road up towards the tower was really steep.....something in the order of 18% was shown on the garmin....always a bit of a challenge on a fully loaded touring bike but I am missing it..!!

CATCHING THE FERRY AGAIN.......

2011-11-17T17:37:00.000Z

OUT ON THE FERRY AGAIN.........

This week we have been having a run of quite mild and mainly dry weather. This has enabled me to catch the ferry every day for a ride in the Purbecks. So far I have completed 180+ miles and if I can get at least one other ride in before the end of the week it will mean that I will be able to complete a reasonable total mileage for this third week of November.

The bike (Tifosi) has been running really well and after fitting the 105 groupset a couple of weeks ago it has not needed any further adjustments at all. The new gold chain has attracted the interest of a number of other riders, but then that is what good bike bling is all about.

As well as the bike running well ..apparently I am running well too.
At this time of year I have a number of medical tests. I have just had my six monthly cancer checkout at the hospital and I was told that the cancer has not returned, so I should be OK until the next check in May next year. In a couple of weeks time I will be having an annual scan to measure an aorta aneurysm and assuming that has not got any larger I can just concentrate on continuing to improve my fitness.

I am currently achieving the fastest times over the Purbecks training loop that I have ever done and I feel a lot stronger on the steepest of gradients. I can only put this down to my overall mileage for the year so far. If I can maintain a consistent weekly mileage over most of the winter period I am hoping that I will be at a good solid level of fitness for the Spring Sportives.

Currently nearly all my riding is being done solo, although I do meet up with various other riders out on the loop. Most of the guys I meet up with tend to be retired the same as myself....I suppose that we are the only ones who have the free time to go out on the bike whenever the weather changes for the better.
If the weather looks good tomorrow I will be catching the ferry again..........

EVERYTHING IS IMPROVED OVER TIME..

2011-11-13T22:54:00.000Z

TIME FOR AN IMPROVEMENT?

Everything is improved over time....well most things anyway and I suppose that it is only to be expected. Over my lifetime the improvements that we have seen in all manner of things has been staggering to say the least.
Look at the motor trade and just see the advances made with the automobile.The aircraft industry is another area in which we have seen fantastic steps forward.

Like a lot of people I have a number of interests....one of these is photography and again in that area there have been many changes both to systems technique and style.

Now I have no argument with valid improvements, but over the years the frequency of the so called improvements seems to happen at a faster and faster rate. I can remember, say back in the early seventies when I could buy a camera and the model would not be 'updated' for about five plus years. Indeed one model of camera ran for thirteen years before it needed an update.
When the 'improved' model was introduced it actually had some real improvements that made a positive impact on the ease of use and quality of the photographs that I could produce.

One of my current cameras was only purchased about eighteen months ago and despite having all sorts of accolades lauded on it when it was first released - they are now on model 3.
Another of my cameras is on model 5 in just over two years.
Often the improvements are something questionable such as 'touchscreen control'. I say questionable because I really do dislike touchscreen control, as despite the manufacturers telling me it is quick and easy to use I personally find that it is none of these things.
I must say that I find the Electronics Industry is one of the worst for the speedy introduction of spurious or at least questionable so called improvements.

Well, could this now start to happen in the cycle industry?
One of the 'big' things to happen in the recent past was the introduction of electronic shifting to the enthusiast market place. The Shimano Di2 (the electronic version of DuraAce) and then at a slightly more affordable price we got the Shimano Ultegra Di2 system.
More recently we have seen Campagnolo introduce a Super Record electronic groupset.

Most people I speak to still seem to be quite sceptical when it comes to electronic shifting ....they are unsure of the value of electronic gear shifting in an activity which after all, is all about personal fitness and physical ability.
Apparently I can be fit enough to cycle back from Gibraltar (for instance) and strong enough to power my pedals up a 25% hill, but I am now led to believe that I need assistance to just click on a gear lever . Well I am sorry but I just don't buy it....and I won't ....not yet anyway. I will want to see these systems demonstrate more proven performance enhancing capabilities first.

You do have to question all this when you still see many ProTour- level professional riders choosing to use the mechanical version of DuraAce over the Di2 version.

Today I even read that a wireless brake system is now upon us. Apparently a University in Germany have come up with a system that replaces the brake cables with a radio signal sender and receiver. Would I want to ride without brake cables? I don't think so.

And going back to the electronic gear shifting....will we be seeing model 1-2-3-4-etc? Well it is electronic so I think we probably will. What do you think?

MORE BIKE BLING............

2011-11-09T21:26:00.000Z

THE LATEST BIKE BLING

A post or two ago I told you about my decision to upgrade the basic Sora groupset on my Tifosi audax/training bike. The plan was to replace the Sora with a 105 group.

Well the moment that the 105 was fitted I just could not help myself. I looked at the bike and thought to myself "what does it need now to finish the job properly?"

It came to me in a flash - A GOLD CHAIN- well not real gold of course but definitely a nice gold colour. My thinking was that it would blend in nicely with the Brooks honey coloured saddle and bar tape.
Just listen to what it say's on the box the chain was supplied in.....

'The gold colour of this chain makes it the ultimate fashion product, it's high grade brass coating offers a reliable protection against corrosion'.

I mean how could I resist? The ultimate fashion product...!! I just had to have one.

I don't know when I will be able to try out my ultimate fashion product equipped bike...the weather has been fithy again, with heavy rain and strong winds. This really is not my favourite time of year.

At the start of the year I had hoped that I would be able to reach a total cycling mileage this year of 10,000 miles. With all this bad weather it is becoming more and more obvious to me that I am going to fail to reach this target. With the few weeks that we have left this year I estimate that I will miss my goal by about 500+ miles.........Oh well...there is always next year!

CAMPING LUXURY.

2011-11-03T18:56:00.001Z

TWO ITEMS OF CAMPING LUXURY

It's odd how in certain circumstances some things seem to adopt an increased value.
Water in a desert could be an extreme example , another is the humble chair when you are camping.

During our recent ride back from Gibraltar, chairs became a vital part of camping luxury.
Whenever we arrived at a new campsite JD and I would cruise around the site on our bikes looking for something to sit on.
A log- or something similar would be the very basic requirement - a patio chair would be luxury and a picnic table and chairs.....well that was camping nirvana.

It's funny how important something to sit on actually became - it made such a difference to us if we found a proper chair to use. If we saw some chairs that we could 'borrow' from outside an unoccupied caravan for instance, we knew that our comfort levels would be vastly improved for our stay at the site.

Luxury was sitting on a chair with a table to have our evening meal and breakfast on.....we could sit on a chair at a patio or picnic table drinking wine and chatting all evening......so much more comfortable than sitting on the ground.

I have been camping all my life and manage perfectly well sitting on the ground...but...what a huge difference a chair makes.
I have included with this post some photographs of just some of the various 'sitting implements' that we managed to find during our journey.

PATIO TABLE AND CHAIRS

PICNIC TABLE AND BENCHES

ANOTHER PICNIC TABLE

PATIO TABLE AND CHAIRS BORROWED FROM AN UNOCCUPIED CARAVAN

JD ON ANOTHER PICNIC TABLE

JD's BIKE WITH CHAIR

JD actually tried to fit a patio chair on his bike at one site.....he told me that he couldn't bear the thought of not finding a seat at the next nights campsite. I never did establish if he was joking or not..!!
The plan fell apart when during testing, the chair kept dopping off the bike.

THE TIFOSI GETS ANOTHER UPGRADE.........

2011-10-30T17:40:00.004Z

SHIMANO 105 GROUPSET

This past week the postman has called a number of times at 'Purple Towers' with packages to be signed for.
Yes- I have been spending time on the dreaded internet buying more bicycle confection from an ebay shop.

This time my purchases amount to a Shimano 105 Groupset (minus brakes and shifters) for the Tifosi.

Now when I bought this bike about eighteen months ago I arranged for it to be fitted with the fairly basic
Sora groupset- (apart from the Miche brakes).
My thinking behind this was that as I would be using the bike as a winter trainer, the basic kit would suffice. On top of this ...the bike had received lots of very favourable reviews with both Shimano Sora or Campagnolo Veloce kit fitted, so it appeared that it would be a good bike to purchase with that level of kit for the purpose I intended to use the bike for.

From the moment I first rode this bike I loved it.....I loved the way it looked and I also loved the way it felt to ride.The frame feels fantastic considering that it is fashioned from now out of vogue aluminium. OK- I will be the first to admit that it does not feel as plush on the road as my Felt....but hey....this Tifosi cost an eighth of the price of the Felt and on that basis alone it actually represents better value for money.

Those readers that subject themselves to the pain of reading this blog on a regular basis, will be aware that the first upgrade I gave the bike was a new set of wheels... The Pro-Lite Bracianno wheelset I fitted have proved to be a good decision making a tremendous improvement to climbing..descending and acceleration.
I then changed the saddle and bar tape, fitting a Brooks Swift in honey colour with the tape to match. I felt that this really emphasized the modern retro paint job the bike was finished in....

Throughout this past year the bike has proved to be my ride of choice...every time I ride it I love it even more and it has received lots of nice comments from fellow riders wherever I have ridden it.

The Sora kit has been fine...it has behaved faultlessly over the thousands of miles that I have ridden the bike...however compared to the Dura Ace gruppo that the Felt is fitted with I suppose it can be a bit 'clunky'.....certainly not in the super silky feel category that the DA has.
Obviously no one would expect these two groupsets to perform as equals as there is a HUGE difference in cost. At one level you could well ask why anyone would want or need anything more than Sora.......indeed on the value for money stakes it beats the DA hands down.

However.............
Having completed many many miles on the bike I just felt that maybe a replacement of a number of drivetrain items might be called for soon.....and.....if I am going to make a number of replacements I thought that I might as well go one stage further and bridge the gap between the Sora and the Dura Ace. Hence the decision to go with the popular mid range 105.

Now I don't expect to notice any mind blowing improvements.....but what the upgrade will do is just add the finishing touch to what has turned out to be a great bike.
The frame has proved to be worth the upgrades......it really is that good..!

THE ONION SELLER

2011-10-27T16:12:00.000+01:00

ONION JOHNNY

This is a sight that you don't see too often these days. This Guy with his bike and onions is a French Onion Seller commonly called an 'Onion Johnny'.
This picture was taken last weekend at the Wimborne Food Festival.
When I was a youngster we used to see these guys quite often along the south coast. Onion Johnny is the nickname given to Breton farmers and agricultural labourers who used to visit the UK selling their distinctive pink onions door to door.
As I said, they were once very common but their numbers declined from the 1950s. By 1973 the number of Onion Johnnies had to dropped to 160 people and by the end of the twentieth century the number of regular sellers had dropped still further to around 20. Apparently the numbers of these guys has started to increase again.
They used to travel out of Roscoff in North Western France and right up to the present day a 2 day onion festival (Fete de l'Oignon) is held every summer in the town. They even have a museum in Roscoff dedicated to the onion..!
I am given to understand that each bundle of onions would weigh approx 3.5kilos and a Johnny would carry about 20 strings on his bike...
It was a real 'blast from the past' for me to see this guy.

MORE PICTURES FROM ROCK2UK

BEACH NEAR BIARRITZ

ANOTHER SHOT NEAR BIARRITZ

GREAT SUNSHINE...GREAT CYCLE PATHS

When we were in Southern France we still had brilliant sunshine but it was a bit cooler than Spain. The route we chose followed the coast along fantastic purpose built cycle paths. In my opinion riding on these paths so close to the coast was the best cycling of the whole trip....It was idyllic with fantastic coastal scenery and no concerns regarding traffic. Every so often we would come across a little cafe or bar where we could stop for a drink and a bite to eat and take time to just sit and look....I loved it and would recommend this area for both a cycling and beach holiday.
There were pine trees everywhere and the smell of these just hung in the air constantly........

GREAT CYCLE PATHS

BIKE SHOP ACROSS THE ROAD

There is never a problem finding a bike shop in France...Even in the South of France we found bike shops.
John went across the road to the bike shop that you can see in this photo while I stayed at the cafe this side of the road drinking a nice coffee with a large slice of cake. John actually bought a couple of very nice blue water bottles from this shop. This was because I had been pulling his leg about the bottles he was using because they didn't match his bike(or anything else come to that). In the end John decided that I WAS right and he needed to get a couple of new ones that matched his bike........

MORE CYCLE PATH

VIEW THROUGH THE PINE TREES TO THE BEACH

MORE PINE TREES...MORE CYCLE PATH...

GREAT CYCLING....CYCLE PATH & PINE TREES...WONDERFUL.

OH DEAR....THE INFECTION IS SPREADING..!

2011-10-23T17:15:00.000+01:00

MY SON-IN-LAW WITH RECENT PURCHASE

Oh dear....Oh dear....It looks like I am in some serious trouble with my daughter. It seems that I am blamed for infecting her husband Scott with a serious dose of 'Road Bikeitus'. Yes....after years of riding a mountain bike, since I have got back from my ROCK2UK ride Scott has been going down with this very serious malaise and it is all my fault apparently..!!

My road bike enthusiasm has rubbed off on him...for weeks now he has been desperate to experience the thrill of flying down a 20% at nigh on 50 mph (I didn't tell him about the agony of grinding up it in the first place) and whipping around hairpins at almost take off speed.
He couldn't live any longer without some drops in his hands and the 'tinkle' of a well tuned derailleur as he rides around the Dorset countryside. Then there is the fun of placing his rear end on a saddle so narrow it looks as if it will cut you in half.
He has been talking about Sportives and other events....even challenging me to do a 24hr London to Paris event with him.

Yes, he has a very bad case of 'Road Bikeitus' one of the worst I have seen at this early stage....

Thankfully my daughter Verity put a nice low limit on the amount he was allowed to spend on the first road bike (just in case he decided when he had tried it, that it wasn't for him). Anyway for the last few weeks he has been logged in to the dreaded ebay almost 24/7 searching for a cheapo bike that he could start of with...

Two days ago he managed to get one. Ebay did it again..!!

Yesterday I went over to their home to view the bike. Now I must admit I really wasn't expecting much at all. Lets face it we all know how much a decent bike can cost.

Well I am pleased to report that I was pleasantly surprised. The bike is a Carrera TDF which is an own brand bike of Halfords. Now this bike was not expensive in bike terms when new and Scott managed to get it for quite silly money. It is in pretty good condition for a secondhand bike and seems ideal to start off with. I reckon one of two things will happen and both involve him selling the bike.

1) He will decide the thrill of road riding is not for him and he sells the bike.
or
2) He decides he loves road riding and wants to upgrade and he sells the bike.
I will keep you all posted whichever way it goes.....

After the hour spent viewing and playing with the bike we all set off for Wimborne Town where a Food Festival was taking place.
We saw lots of the sorts of food I love but have to try to avoid in order to maintain a reasonable weight.
I took a few pictures at the festival to share with you....It really was a very well attended event and the main square was absolutely heaving with people..

IDEAL CAKES FOR THAT TEA OR COFFEE SHOP STOP WHEN ON THE BIKE

YOU COULD ALWAYS CHEW ON A TOFFEE WHEN DESCENDING AT SPEED

MORE OF THOSE LOVELY CUP CAKES

WHAT ABOUT A SUPERSIZE STICKY BUN..?

THEY EVEN HAD SOME HEALTHIER OPTIONS...

VEGETABLES INCLUDED.....

GREAT CHOICE OF BEERS......IF YOU DARE..!

COULD BE ALL 'BULLSHIT' OF COURSE

MY DAUGHTER SAID THIS ONE WOULD SUIT ME BEST.........!!

VIEW OF THE PACKED TOWN CENTRE

TIME FOR A CHANGE......

2011-10-19T00:22:00.001+01:00

BACK OUT AGAIN - TIFOSI WINTER TRAINING BIKE

The weather is certainly on the change now. The Indian summer that we experienced just over a week ago is now well and truly gone. Instead we now have colder mornings and nights and the leaves are falling everywhere helped along by the brisk winds that we have had.

After I got back from the ROCK2UK ride I was getting out on the Felt Z1 for my daily rides but I was finding that although the weather was dry I was coming across a lot of water on the roads and lanes in the Purbeck hills where it was draining off the fields. The Felt doesn't have room for fenders so I was ending up with the inevitable muddy streak down my back and also the bike would require a good clean after every ride. Time for a change I thought, so now I am back out on the Tifosi winter trainer/audax bike with it's fitted fenders. So much nicer getting home without a filthy bike and filthy kit.

Nowadays fenders are not seen as a 'cool' thing to have on a bike but I think that fenders are great........they help to keep the bike clean and also stop all the muck being thrown up all over me. Thermoplastic fenders from manufacturers such as SKS are very light and they really don't make any real difference to my speed.
Over a fifty mile training route last week my average speed was only 1mph average slower on the Tifosi compared to the same route the day before on the Felt. The Tifosi weighs 7lbs more than the Felt so I think that probably accounts for the 1mph.
I suppose what it all boils down to is that I would rather be clean than cool...!!!

MORE PHOTOS FROM OUR ROCK2UK RIDE.......

THE LAST VILLAGE ON THE SPANISH SIDE OF THE PYRENEES

ANOTHER PHOTO IN THE VILLAGE

ROUTE TAKES US HIGHER

ROAD CONTINUES UPWARDS

WE SAW SOME GREAT VIEWS

LONE FEMALE CYCLIST

We saw a number of other cyclists on the day we went over the Pyrenees....most of them were riding in small groups, but we did see this lone female cyclist as we approached the final pass of the day. She was making great time on her bike and didn't seem bothered at all cycling in the mountains on her own. There was no way that John and I would be able to keep up with her with are fully loaded tourers, not that we tried to keep up with her.

APPROACHING THE TOP

THE ROAD HEADING DOWN.....

ROCK2UK continued.....rest day in.PAMPLONA

2011-10-13T23:11:00.000+01:00

ANOTHER CYCLISTS RIG AT THE PAMPLONA CAMPSITE

After hammering across Spain at some speed and in very hot weather we were glad to get to the campsite at Pamplona. This was to be our first rest day and we planned on being tourists for a day. We had planned on spending the day in Pamplona itself . Neither John or I had been there before and we were both keen to see the streets where they hold the Annual 'Bull Run'.

ART STATUE SHOWING THE BULL RUN

In the centre of the pedestrianized area of the city we saw this sculpture of the bull run and I can tell you that it looked pretty scary to me......Why anyone would want to run through narrow streets with huge bulls chasing you I just cannot imagine. Having said that it is all part of a very colourful festival that takes place each year and obviously brings in a lot of visitors to Pamplona.

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE BULL RUN SCULPTURE

PAMPLONA MAIN SQUARE

ANOTHER SHOT OF THE MAIN SQUARE

ONE OF THE STEETS OF THE BULL RUN

The streets down which the Bull Run takes place are pretty narrow and I could see very few places where you could 'hide' from a group of rampaging bulls......seems like madness to me.
We had a really good day in Pamplona visiting a number of places including the bull ring......back at the campsite we managed to complete most of our chores such as washing clothes and stocking up on food and other supplies. The campsite at Pamplona was the best one that we stayed at in Spain. It had a great swimming pool and also a bar and it even had grass on which we could pitch our tents. It really was a good place to stay before our next stage of the trip which would include a traverse of the western end of the Pyrenees.......to be continued....

PAMPLONA BULL RING

PAMPLONA TOWN HALL

ANOTHER NARROW PAMPLONA STREET

ONE OF THE MANY PAMPLONA FOUNTAINS

ROCK2UK continued......

2011-10-09T22:51:00.000+01:00

BOURNEMOUTH BEACH - 7 DAYS AGO

The above picture shows Bournemouth beach only a week ago....amazing weather for early October. It couldn't last of course and the following day the temperature started to plummet back down to what is considered normal for this time of year.

Mind you....this good weather was nowhere near the kind of heat that we encountered on the Spanish section of our ROCK2UK trip. Once we had made the decision to get as much of Spain covered before Dave had to return home we had a new target to aim for.
We found the roads in Spain fantastic for cycling.....in the main very smooth and very little traffic as can be seen in some of the photos below.
From a distance all the villages appeared to be very similar and some of the views between various mountain ranges appeared vast with the road ahead disappearing into the horizon.....not the kind of views that we are used to in the UK.

WIND TURBINES AND SPANISH LANDSCAPE

We saw lots of wind turbines and also felt the wind that was certainly powerful enough to turn them at some speed. As you can see in this image the landscape could become a bit boring after a while and the wind turbines did at least create a bit of interest.

WHITE PAINTED TOWNS AND VILLAGES

LONG STRAIGHT ROADS

We saw lots of white painted villages and towns however from a distance they tended to all look alike. We also came across a good number of olive and orange groves.
In the photo above you can see one of the long straight roads that crossed the plains between mountain ranges.

ANOTHER LONG STRAIGHT ROAD

Cycling in 40c on these roads needs a fair bit of determination.....mile after mile it all looks the same and you start to question how far you have actually travelled. When you have struggled all day in what seems like an open oven, you then have the wonderful luxury of a Spanish campsite as can be seen in the next photo......

SPANISH CAMPSITE PITCH

As can be seen in the picture the pitch is more like a wild pitch than a campsite.....after a day of struggling in the heat this is the sort of pitch that we were greeted with.....the ground on this one was so hard that I couldn't get my tent pegs into the ground so in the end I just gave up and didn't bother with the tent.

WHO NEEDS A TENT?

After deciding not to bother with the tent this was my bed for the night....on the face of it not too bad. The only drawback was being bitten by huge ants that decided to crawl all over me during the night...and believe me those things really knew how to bite.

ANOTHER WHITE VILLAGE

JUST ANOTHER VIEW

SOLAR PANELS

As well as the wind turbines we saw vast areas of solar panels....hundreds and hundreds of the things. These seem a good idea in Spain because they certainly have plenty of sun to power the things.
TO BE CONTINUED..........

MORE...GOOD WEATHER CONTINUES.

2011-10-01T18:17:00.002+01:00

More Autumn Cycling

Since my last post I have been out cycling every day in the brilliant Autumn weather that we have been having. The temperatures have been setting records for this time of year and the autumn colours are fantastic talking of which- now that I know about Rantwicks 'SARATS' competition I have an added incentive to get out into the wonderful Dorset countryside. Apparently this good weather is set to last for a few more days and judging from how packed the beach at the end of our road was today I think that everyone is out enjoying it before it all changes to bad weather.

Our campsite pitch near Gibraltar

As I have said before, the weather was pretty hot during the Spanish sections of our ROCK2UK ride. We stayed at a campsite on the Spanish coast about five miles from Gibraltar and our pitch can be seen in the above picture. The ground was rock hard and we had difficulty getting the tent pegs into the ground....a problem that we had throughout Spain. At one site Dave managed to get hold of some special 'rock pegs' and they certainly worked well but they were far to heavy for us to continue to use them after Dave had returned to the UK. I love nice grassy pitches and as you can see we had no grass at all. Back home in the UK there is no way that I would choose to camp on such a rough surface but throughout Spain we had no choice.

JD & I with Dave (the broom wagon)

The above shot (taken by a willing passer by) shows the three of us at the start of the ride. Being on the coast the temperature here was cooler than we were to find it further inland. At this point we had no idea how difficult this first days ride was going to be.

The Rock from the road to Ronda

As we travelled further inland you could feel the heat building up. None of us are used to this level of heat and it proved to be a major problem for us throughout Spain.

JD winching up the road to Ronda

In this picture of JD winching himself up the road to Ronda you can see that he has taken his helmet off. Now this is something that he would NEVER normally do but the heat was proving just too much for him. Because I don't really have much hair to speak of this wasn't a problem for me....and anyway since my crash two years ago I won't ever get on a bike without my helmet on. Perhaps JD should have had his hair shaved off before we started the ride...........

JD & Dave after the first day.

That evening after cycling the longest hill that I have ever ridden..(62 miles Gibraltar to Ronda) we found ourselves at another 'grassless' campsite. In this photo the strain of the days ride can be seen in JD's face. We had a meal in the campsite restaurant and discussed how best to proceed with the ride given the oven-like temperatures that we had spent this first day cycling through. Because we had Dave with us we were not having to ride with the panniers on the bikes as all our kit was in the wagon. We all agreed that we would not have managed this first day if that had not been the case. It was during this discussion that it was agreed that for the time Dave was with us...we would try and travel as far north as quickly as we could in the hope that by the time he had to return to the UK we would be far enough north for it to be a bit cooler. Also Dave was able to carry more water supplies than we could on the bikes alone....and in these temperatures this was a real and major concern........TO BE CONTINUED

IF YOU INTENDED TO SUPPORT MY ROCK2UK RIDE WITH A DONATION FOR 'CYCLISTS FIGHTING CANCER' BUT HAVEN'T DONE SO YET- MAY I GIVE YOU A GENTLE NUDGE.....
WE ARE ONLY £155 SHORT OF THE TARGET AND IT WOULD MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENCE FOR THIS REALLY GOOD CAUSE IF WE MANAGED TO HIT THE ONE THOUSAND POUNDS THAT I SET FOR THE FUNDRAISING......THANKS IN ANTICIPATION.......

CYCLING THE DORSET COUNTRYSIDE.....

2011-09-28T22:31:00.000+01:00

Within just a few days of returning to the UK I have been out on the Felt cycling around the Dorset countryside. The weather has been great for cycling with very little wind and some nice dry days. This weather is set to continue so I will be out making the most of it.
The first time I got back on the Felt it really seemed odd....after a month of riding the Touring bike the Felt was really light and twitchy but after a few miles it was business as usual and after all the hills that I have ridden on the ROCK2UK I found that I was flying up the steepest hills that Dorset can offer.. Today I even managed to speed past a couple of twenty something year olds on a 20%. I was riding behind them when it dawned on me that I was able to pull out and accelerate past them.......Oh what pleasure!
Now I have acquired a pretty high level of fitness and ability I must make sure that I try to maintain it.....

ROCK2UK..............
Wow - what a trip that was......Everything went well until we had to actually start cycling...!!! The weather in Spain was just too hot. I had originally planned to start the ride in September but John was unable to get the time off in order to complete the ride during September so we had to start the ride in mid August....Oh what madness..!!

They do say 'Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun'- well we certainly did that.
After the first days ride from Gibraltar to Ronda we really felt that we had bitten off more than we could chew...The route from Gibraltar to Ronda was uphill for the entire 62 miles....in temperatures approaching 112F the difficulty of what we had set out to do became all too obvious...

Starting in my next posting I will explain how we tackled the problems we faced and also share with you some of the photographs taken during the ride.

BACK IN THE UK...

2011-09-20T00:58:00.001+01:00

JD and I are now back safe and sound in the UK.

The last few miles to Cherbourg were covered during a gap in the wet weather....However the wind continued and some of the gusts were really quite scary. On reflection, probably not the best of days for cycling with such dangerous winds but we both wanted to get home.

One good thing was that we managed this last section to Cherbourg without getting caught by any rain.......however - the rain did get us in the end.
With a kind of cruel irony, as we were standing in the queue to board the ferry the sky's opened and it poured down. JD and I got pretty wet while all the smug car occupants in the queue remained warm and dry. Mind you- I bet that none of them had had a trip as exciting and memorable as we had experienced over the past four weeks.

After a break for the next week whilst I get some rest and try to re-adjust to life 'off' the road I will start to post on this blog again with a series of mini reviews of the overall ROCK2UK trip.

More bad weather!

2011-09-17T20:32:00.001+01:00

Last night was a bit of a wild night. Wind and rain off and on throughout the night. This morning gave us more of the same. Due to the continued bad weather we have decided to stay on for another night. The farmers wife has allowed us to move all our gear into an out building and that is where we will sleep tonight. John has even erected his tent in there as can be seen in the photo. Talking of John, he is suffering with a few problems at the moment. First he has an infected left foot. This has been caused by having constantly wet feet from all the rain. His sandals have rubbed when walking as has his cycling shoes when riding. Secondly, he seems to have caught a chill- again caused by being wet through a lot of the time. Our plan is to remain where we are until there is a break in the weather and then we will try and get a ferry back to the UK. The next posting I will make will be to confirm our safe return. I will then not make any more posts for about a week while I enjoy the benefits of R and R. After that I will post a bit of a review of the trip. Thanks to all of you who have travelled with us by way of this Blog.

Almost there!

2011-09-16T21:47:00.001+01:00

Yes, we are almost at Cherbourg. It is four weeks ago that John and I left home to set out on this journey. After four weeks of travelling we have almost cracked it. Today we gave ourselves another nice day of meandering along with no pressure of time or distance. In some ways these last few days on the road have been amongst the best. All the hard cycling has been done and we can really enjoy the last miles of the trip. Up to now there was always the thought at the back of our minds of all the miles that were still to be covered. Well those miles have now been covered and I can tell you we are feeling pretty good. While passing through Portbal we stopped for a drink and a bite to eat for lunch. We got talking to two very nice ladies called Maggie and Allison who are over here for a few days cycle camping - they told us about the great farm site that they were staying on at Bricquebec which was about 11 miles away. So that is where we are camping tonight. If the weather is not too bad tomorrow we will complete the last few miles to Cherbourg and camp at a site about 3 miles from the port. We hope to have a day or two in th Cherbourg area before our return to the UK. I will let you know our final plans in my posting tomorrow night.

The Scenic Route.

2011-09-15T20:19:00.001+01:00

Today we took the Scenic Route. We just programmed the Garmin for a Scenic cycle route and let it do its magic. We had a late start today- we didnt leave the site at Genets till about 11.00hrs. Just as we were leaving about 60 schoolchildren arrived complete with their pop- up tents and sleeping bags. Good timing on our part I would say- a campsite full of schoolchildren comes just under hell in my book. As we have so much time in hand we have decided to take the last few miles slowly and try and enjoy the scenery in this part of France. Tonight we our at a farm site at Agon Coutainville. This is near the coast and is about level with COUTANCES. We plan on another easy day again tomorrow. Somewhere in the region of 50 easy miles will put us within half a day from Cherbourg. Although I use the word Easy - make no mistake - some of the hills that we have climbed over the past three days have had a steeper gradient than anything in Spain or the Pyrenees. I have had the Garmin show gradients as steep as 22%. With four panniers fully loaded on each bike that is a real challenge. I am proud to report that neither of us has been beaten by any gradient so far- thats because our legs are like steam driven pistons- well that is what we tell ourselves as we grind up each step hill. The weather ya good today as you can see in th picture which was taken about 2 miles from tonights camp site.

Sunny and Hilly and Colder.

2011-09-14T20:28:00.001+01:00

Last night was a very cold night and today turned out to be a sunny one. However there has to be a fly in every tin of ointment and todays fly was hills. As far as hills ( rather than mountains) are concerned today was a reasonably hilly day. John described it as f':!.,@?..g torture. Problem is I love hills and John hates them so we had a mixed day dependent on your viewpoint. John told me that he had nothing left in the tank at the end of the day. We are now at Genets. We are staying at the campsite that i stayed at with Peter, Mike and Chris earlier this year. The village has a really unusual bistro. I have been getting a lot of pain from my left collarbone where I broke it in my cycling accident two years ago. Obviously something that I need to get checked out on my return to the UK. It feels like we are on home turf almost as most of the way back now is the route I did a few months ago but in the other direction. Can't believe that we have almost done this. Oh, by the way I met a nice couple from Barnstable in North Devon last night and we chatted about the rock2uk ride. This morning the lady told me that chatting last night had really inspired her husband to plan something similar. I certainly hope it has inspired him to do something. Anyway he is going to check out this Blog and hopefully he will get in touch at some point via the comments.

Weather Improving - Hopefully.

2011-09-13T19:30:00.001+01:00

Last night it rained all night long. It was still raining first thing this morning. It then turned to showers and three times I wiped my tent over trying to remove as much surplus water as possible in an attempt to pack the tent reasonably dry. In the end it was packed wet. We set off under black clouds but by midday it seemed to make a big improvement and the sun actually came out. Now we are more into the north of the country we have noticed it is both colder and hillier. We are now at Fougeres having completed 61 miles of very very hilly terrain. Everywhere we have been there are road maintenance crews out working on the roads- they seem to be doing it properly as well- no patching up like they do back home. Today we came across a stretch of road about 4kms long that was barred to traffic due to re-surfacing. We ignored the signs and the workmen allowed us to carry on through. Good job really because I have no idea which route we would have taken if they had told us to turn around. John is Ok but he did have a minor accident this evening. Not on his bike but in the showers. Apparently when he turned the shower on it was scalding hot- he leaned forwards to turn the tap to cold and slipped smashing his face on the protruding taps. When I saw him shortly afterwards he was bleeding profusely from a split lip. One side effect is that he is not talking as much as he was !

Wet and Wetter

2011-09-12T17:06:00.001+01:00

Yes the weather is not very good at all. Today we crossed the Loire which was another landmark on our route. We have reduced our mileage to about 50 miles a day because not only do we have rain but we have winds as well. After about 20 miles on todays route we saw a little cafe and thought that it would be a nice place to stop for a coffee- next thing we were both tucking into a steak and chips each. After we crossed the river it seemed to be uphill out of the Loire valley all the way to Chateaubriant which is where we now are. The picture was taken on the outskirts of the town and hopefully shows some of the wet weather we are having. A special mention for Jonathon who works at Inter Sport here in Chateaubriant . He is an ex cycling pro who two years ago replaced broken spokes on Johns rear wheel and on this trip he has re greased a dry pedal bearing for John. Looking at the weather forecast we could have an improvement about the middle of the week. John has a bar bag that he has now declared useless as the zipps on it have proved not water tight and everything in it got soaked and yes everything was wrapped in seperate plastic bags.

Eifel Tower. . . seen outside of Paris.

2011-09-11T20:15:00.001+01:00

Today started dull and we thought that we were going to get more rain. Again we delayed setting off by about an hour. When we did set out the sun actually came out. It turned out to be quite hot on the road. Along the route we even saw the Eifel tower shown in the photo above. A few miles before this we saw a sign telling us that we were close to Las Vegas and that if we wanted we could gamble all our euros away playing blackjack or roulette. Mid afternoon we stopped at a cafe for a couple of lemonades and the young girl that served us told us that there was a campsite at a place called Chemile about 10kms away. She even phoned ahead to ensure that they were open and had space for us. So that is where we are tonight. Not a big mileage day at about 50 miles. Our average daily calorie burn for the trip is 4000 kcal. We do have problems trying to eat enough calories to replace those burned. As soon as I see another cake shop I will do my bit to redress the balance.

A Big Mistake!

2011-09-10T21:00:00.001+01:00

Everyone had told us that today the weather would be Ok. Well they were wrong. We had rain from the early hours. At 08.00hrs it was still raining. Still everyone kept telling us that it would clear. We broke camp and finally set off at 11.30hrs. This was a Big Mistake! Today proved to be the wettest and most windy day of the trip so far. It did NOT STOP raining all day. We only managed 50 miles and we are now at a site in Pouzauge. No pictures taken on the road because it was just too wet. First thing we did on arrival at the site was a good hot shower- so, a picture of John entering the shower.

Rest day.

2011-09-09T21:12:00.001+01:00

Today we awoke to the sound of rain on the tents. Good excuse for a rest day we thought. Also staying on this site in Benon is a lovely couple. Their names are Lee and Jeanette and they anne from the Cambridge area. They have their caravan on site and they offered to drive us a few miles down the road to get supplies. John had not been in the shop more than a few minutes when he found a lot of cycle clothing at cheap prices. Needless to say he made a few purchases on top of the supplies we needed. This evening Lee and Jeanette allowed us to use their oven to cook some pizza and we spent a very pleasant evening in their caravan awning putting the world to rights. Lee and Jeanette were wonderful hosts and we wont forget their hospitality. This mornings rain did pass and the afternoon was warm and sunny. Hopefully it will be nice tomorrow morning when we must hit the road again. The photo today shows John showing off one of his cycle clothing bargains.

Another short day.

2011-09-08T22:11:00.001+01:00

Just another day on the road. The weather is definately changing because we had rain during the night and it is cooler. Mind you we are also still getting the sun during the day. We had only been cycling for about 38 miles when we entered a village called Benon. There we saw a sign for camping at the Chateau. It looked a nice place so we have pitched up here. The Chateau is now used as a school and the site is a municipal site and is first class. It is also the cheapest that we have had on the entire trip. We calculate that we are now only about 250 miles approx to the Cherbourg ferry port. We still have plenty of time in hand so we can afford to have these shorter days and breaks.

A Ferry Crossing

2011-09-07T21:22:00.001+01:00

Today we had a Ferry trip across from Le Verdon to Royan. By taking the ferry we have saved ourselves the trip around the Bordeaux area- we have cycled it in the past and it can be a bit manic if you are on a bike. As we crossed the estuary we seemed to be leaving the clear blue skys behind and moving under more cloudy skys. Tonight we are in Pont l' abbe-D'arnoult about 80 miles from last nights stop. We have had some wind and rain which moved in overnight but we have been lucky so far during the day. The change in temperatures over night is now very noticeable. Gone are the hot days and nights of Spain and Southern France. The weather now is a bit like May or June in the UK. I have managed to come up with a nut and bolt in my portable bits collection to secure John's pannier rack properly so with a bit of luck that problem should be sorted. Planning on a bit of a shorter day tomorrow- somewhere in the region of 50 miles- it all depends on the weather now. Thinking about it the weather in one form or another has been a major factor throughout this road trip.

Short day's riding - 48 miles.

2011-09-06T20:34:00.001+01:00

Yes today was a 48 mile day. We have now arrived in Lacanau which seems to be a village on a crossroads. Not a lot here- but it does have a campsite and a cake shop. What more does one need. The weather still good but it is now getting colder at night. John is starting to suffer at night with the colder nights and is finding out that you should not purchase a cheap supermarket special bag. One of the first things he intends to buy when he gets back to the UK is a decent bag. John has also been having problems with one of his pannier rack securing bolts. It keeps working loose. I don't think that it will fall out but we are keeping our eye on it. We realise that as we make our way north the weather will start to become more unsettled and that will feel odd after all the intense heat we had as we crossed Spain. Gibraltar is over 1075 miles behind us now. Tomorrow we will just push on and we hope to cross from Le Verdon to Royan on the ferry. We will just see where we get to. . . The best way to cycle not having a fixed daily destination- where ever we decide to stop will be our destination.

Arrived at Arcachon

2011-09-05T21:21:00.001+01:00

Although we had planned a short day today we ended up doing full 91 miles. The slightly cooler weather was a joy to cycle in. Added to that were the superb cycle tracks that we were able to use for the second half of todays ride. ( See photo) . Needless to say we are pretty much tired out so it WILL be a much shorter day tomorrow. This part of France is great with the Atlantic coast on our left and the smell of pine trees hanging heavy in the air. Unlike Spain there are campsites everywhere and they are much better than the 'building sites' that we have had to camp in when we crossed Spain. There are now clouds in the sky and rain is forecast. We will now turn in for an early night.

Another rest day.

2011-09-04T22:10:00.001+01:00

After yesterdays exertions we have had a lazy day. Down to the beach and drinking coffee all day- just watching the world go by. We have decided that we will start to do shorter days. We have so much time in hand after tearing across Spain at double quick time due to the heat that we have calculated that we can afford to reduce our daily mileage and still keep to our target time. We reckon that we can now reduce our daily mileage to about 50 a day- this will enable us to see some places along the route- have less tiring days- and still finish on time. It is certainly cooler here in France, Perhaps with the reduced temperatures and the shorter distances we will actually start to enjoy this ride. Make no mistake, Spain was tough. The first day up to Ronda set the mark for the rest of the trip across Spain. The heat was totally energy sapping and I really don't want to experience anything like that again. Looking at it with my positive head on, it is amazing that I have been able to deal with it considering that just one year ago I had only just finished radiotherapy for cancer. It just goes to show what the human body is capable of. For those of you that like statistics here are just a few: Total Mileage so far 801.43 Average speed so far 12.78 mph Although the average seems low , when you consider the heat and gradients across Spain I am reasonably pleased.

Viva le France.

2011-09-03T18:47:00.001+01:00

At last - we are in France. It seems a lifetime on the road but we are here. The route up the western edge of the Pyrenees was not as hard as the route up to Ronda on day one. Today even had some respite in the gradients and that plus the very slightly cooler weather made for a better day. We have at last got some nice green grass on which to pitch our tents. The site in Ondres is really nice. It is just up the road from Biarritz and has a bit of class about it- mind you after some of the building sites being passed off as campsites that we had to stay on in Spain anything is an improvement. John and I are so tired even after our rest day in Pamplona that we are going to award ourselves another day off tomorrow. John is finding his nights quite tough as since his thermarest exploded he is effectively sleeping on the ground and he always seems to find the lumpy bits of ground to pitch his tent. We obviously have various tales to tell about this trip that I have not mentioned yet, but dont worry all will be told on our trip review that will be posted throughout October. Various items of kit have failed such as Johns mattress - other items have been a real success and I know that some of you always like to read the kit reviews. The bikes - other than minor things- have been fine. The picture shows John taking a rest on today's ascent. Again we have lots more photos which will be posted on this Blog next month after our return to the UK.

A day in Pamplona.

2011-09-02T22:23:00.001+01:00

Our day started with chores. Bike checks - clothes washing and general sorting out. We took the bus from near the site into the city. The bus was a bendy bus and was very state of the art. We visited the main church and the bull ring and then we sat in the main square for lunch. After all the hot dusty miles we have completed so far this is total luxury. After looking at the streets where the bull run takes place in July each year we caught the bendy bus back to the site. Tonight we sat in the bar planning tomorrows stage. We had planned to cross the western edge of the pyrenees by way of the Col d' Ispeguy but because of the heat and how tired we are we have decided to make the crossing by Telleria and into France near Ainhoa taking a diversion to see the Gorramendi at 1074 metres . We feel that with panniers back and front it might be a slightly more sensible route- not that anything about this road trip is sensible and that includes us. With a lot of effort on our part and a bit of luck we should be in France this time tomorrow . If you are sat at home putting on weight and getting fatter and fatter and becoming more unfit with the passing of the years you should try a trip like this. You would not regret it and the memories will stay with you always. So many people have said to us that they would love to do something similar- if you are thinking that you would like to give it a go do it now - don't let the routine of daily life get in the way because if you do you will always stay at home. If you can help to improve the lives of those less fortunate than you by trying to raise funds for a charity of your choice as you cycle along then its a win win adventure in my book!

Pamplona.

2011-09-01T21:34:00.001+01:00

Today was another hot day. The picture shows the campsite just north of the city. Lots of other cyclists camping here as you can see. There is also a bar and a pool- oh what luxury! We deserve this after more than a week of travelling on the road. Tomorrow is our rest day and it has not come a minute too soon. We are both very tired and plan an early night. Will try and post more tomorrow. Night all!

Green . . ..

2011-08-31T20:30:00.001+01:00

Well at last we can see the colour green. Don't misunderstand me- it is still very hot and we are both pretty well exhausted but for the first time on this trip we feel that we have made some progress. We hope to be able to give you a report about Pamplona tomorrow. We intend to have a free rest day so that we can get some chores such as washing done and also be tourists for a day. Crossing Spain at speed is a young mans game I think but it is always good to give them a run for their money. If you have not donated to our charity yet please do- John and I are all but killing ourselves here whilst you are probably sat at home with your feet up - or at best cycled 70 miles without panniers. You should try this sometime- afterwards anything will feel a million times better.

More and more and more. .

2011-08-30T22:18:00.001+01:00

Today was just more of everything. More heat- more miles and more pain. I have seen on the internet link that both Mark Cavendish and Matt Goss have had to retire from the Vuelta de Espana because of the heat here in Spain. I have to ask if those young pro cyclists have retired due to the heat what are us two oldies doing- perhaps we are mad after all. . . . The extreme heat has caused John's Thermarest mattress to burst. I think he blew it up too hard and the heat caused the air to expand and BANG! John is now having to use it as it is- it's not as comfortable as it was but when he replaces it after this trip I bet he won't blow the replacement up so hard! To make matters worse he has also managed to break the zip on his sleeping bag. We hope to get to Pamplona on Thursday evening- about 150 miles- we then plan to have a rest day so that we can do some washing and also look around the place, in other words play at tourists for the day. I think we both deserve that. . . . . .

Cycling Fuel.

2011-08-30T06:34:00.001+01:00

Well we have now had our first day without Dave. As we thought hydration has been a problem - but we managed. Most small churches and chapels seem to have a water source. Most of our meals seem to consist of a tin of pasta with meatballs and a pepper sauce. A problem we have had throughout Spain is the ground is too hard. Trying to get the tent pegs in is like attempting to knock then into solid concrete. Last night I gave up and slept out under the stars without the tent. At one campsite we were plagued by groups of children riding their bikes around the site until about one thirty in the morning. Some of there kids were only about eight years old, maybe younger. They appeared to be locals and had no apparent parental control that we could see. What parent allows kids of that age out at that time of night? The campsite owners didnt seem bothered- it really was a campsite from hell. We are now north of Sacedon. We will keep pushing on for a few more days before having a day off as we want to get through Spain as quick as possible.

Dave has gone!

2011-08-29T09:00:00.001+01:00

This morning at about 05.00hrs Dave had to set off on his journey back to the UK. He had sold his soul to his employers in order to participate in the start of ROCK2UK and now they are cashing in the chips. Both JD and I feel very much alone now that Dave has gone. We are very concerned about getting enough water as Dave was always able to provide this for us. It is still far to hot and the villages seem very few and far between. (See photo for one of the few villages ) We have had to wild camp due to lack of campsites. If we can keep pushing on and get further north earlier than planned we can then treat ourselves to a well earned rest day. This is proving to be far harder than LEJOG ever was. We were looking for a serious challenge and we have got one. We really are earning every penny for Cyclists Fighting Cancer.

The never ending road.

2011-08-27T23:16:00.001+01:00

Today was a big day. We had to traverse two mountain ranges with a high plain of about 1000 metres in between. A total distance of about 95 miles. We had a headwind and it was still blazing heat. The road ahead was a straight line heading into a vanishing point. It was to hot to stop and there was no shade to enable us to get out of the sun. Dave has decided to stay with us for one more day before going back to the UK. He says that he is concerned about leaving us because of the extreme heat- but then Dave does worry anyway. We are now past Cuidad Real. We managed 12.47 mph and that was really hard going. When I looked at the map of Spain I couldnt believe how much further we still have to do before we get to France. I cannot remember whose original idea it was to cycle back to the UK from Gibraltar but at the moment it feels like madness and I am blaming JD. Tomorrow we will continue the torture- but none of us would miss this for the world.

Still like an oven.

2011-08-26T23:13:00.001+01:00

The daytime weather is still like an oven. We have decided that for as long as Dave is supporting us we will try and get as many miles done as possible. Once he has left us we will find it difficult to get enough hydration. Dave is obviously able to carry more water than we can on the bikes. The more miles we can do in Spain before he goes back the better. Perhaps the Northern part of Spain will be cooler. Currently we are north of Montero. No bike problems at the moment and we are keeping our fingers crossed on that one. Our spirits are still high even though the heat is more intense than we have ever cycled in before. Average mileage covered over the past three days is in excess of 70 miles a day.

Like riding in an oven,

2011-08-24T23:35:00.001+01:00

Our first day on our ROCK2UK was just like riding our bikes in an oven. For two UK guys who are used to max temps of about 80f today was serious heat. We were told at our campsite that it was 40c I think that equates to somewhere about 112f . We are now at Ronda which is 65miles from the Rock. It was from sea level to 1386metres at a gradient of between 6 to 9 per cent with only two sections of respite of about a mile each. In this heat it has been absolute torture - a living hell- talk about a baptism of fire for our first day. We had originaly planned to do this trip in September- after today we wished that we had. This level of heat just saps all your energy and when you are climbing hour upon hour it does make you wonder why we took up cycling. Perhaps tomorrow we will get to do some downhill. If it is cooler that will be a just reward for all todays effort.

Like riding in an oven,

2011-08-24T23:32:00.001+01:00

Setting off.

2011-08-24T09:09:00.001+01:00

Started the ride at 1000 hours this morning. Will try to post more later.

ROCK2UK - ALL PACKED AND READY TO GO........

2011-08-19T19:47:00.000+01:00

EVERYTHING PACKED INTO DAVE'S CITROEN

This afternoon Dave (the broom wagon) came round to load everything into the back of his Citroen Picasso.
Dave had assured JD and I that everything would fit into the back and still leave somewhere for us all to sit and he was right. Mind you I think that the front seat passenger will probably have a Shimano Brake/Gear lever stuck in his ear all the way to Gibraltar so I think that I will choose the rear seat. I do get the feeling that this trip has all the makings of 'The Three Stooges on Tour' and that's before we have even left Bournemouth..........

THE PLAN....
I don't like to make too many plans because they always have a habit of going a bit off course, but you need to have some sort of broad overview and this is ours........
Saturday 20th in the evening we are going to head off to Seaton to stay at Dave's holiday caravan overnight.
Sunday 21st. Continue on to Plymouth to board the Brittany Ferry to Santander in Northern Spain.
Monday 22nd Arrive in Spain at about 12.00 noon local time, and then head for Salamanca by road.
Tuesday 23rd Continue our journey across Spain to Gibraltar hoping to arrive there in the early evening.
Wednesday 24th or Thursday 25th Start to cycle back to the UK.
Dave will stay with us for the first 4 or 5 days of cycling before he has to head back to the UK.
We will then be on our own (just JD & I ) for the rest of the ride back home.
We haven't set an exact timetable beyond that as there are always so many variables that can interfere with the best laid plans....The only fixed date we have is that we must arrive back in the UK on or before the 21st of September.

The great thing about doing it this way with only very loose plans, is that if we see somewhere that we want to explore further, we can, without feeling that we are going to throw our planning out.We will have enough days to do the ride....stop where we want and still have spare days for the unforeseen situations that always seem to occur when undertaking a trip of this nature.

During the time we are away I will make short posts to this blog every few days to let you all know where we are...but don't expect long posts with quality pictures as I will be making the posts from my mobile phone. When I return I will do a review of the trip with better images in a similar way that I did with our Northern France trip about 3 months ago.

I know that we are all really looking forward to this trip, but due to the distance involved it is also tinged with a fair bit of apprehension.
I have done walking/backpacking trips of this sort of distance before (South America), but this is about double the distance of my previous longest cyclepacking trip - still that is one of the things that makes it so worthwhile....I always like to push the boundaries and this distance will certainly be a first for us both on a bike trip.

I hope that you will check in every now and again just to see how we are doing.
We both know that it is going to be a pretty tough journey......but then cancer is a pretty tough journey too, so please join us in supporting 'Cyclists Fighting Cancer'. .

MAPS, MILES & PACKING

2011-08-13T22:42:00.000+01:00

SOME OF THE MAPS FOR ROCK2UK

These are just some of the maps that I need to take with us for our ROCK2UK ride back from Gibraltar. Now I can hear some of you saying what about your GPS?

Well yes I will be taking my Garmin bike computer with me as usual and it does have mapping for all of Europe but the problem is I don't trust it....It runs with a rechargeable battery and although I am taking a solar panel charger and a mini wind generator there is always the what if.....

what if I fail to generate enough power to keep Garmin....Phone..Camera...etc going!?

Or.....

the Garmin might just freeze up or it might just stop working...it's electronic after all and my relationship with electronic equipment like the computer I am typing this on is one of love and hate.

If my computer was a Wife...let me tell you she would be an EX Wife!!!!!

Trust me......there is NO trust between me and any item that is electronic.

Anyway...there is nothing better than being able to open up a map and see not only where you are, but also where you have come from and also where you are going. A sheet map holds so much information that can be seen at a glance....and it is not electronic and battery powered.

The downside- as can be seen in the picture above- is that eight maps minimum weighs a fair bit and also takes up a fair bit of pannier space. I thought about cutting the maps into smaller strips covering just the sections we will be cycling through, but as the maps are on both sides of the sheets (apart from one of the maps) that is not really a viable option.

Of course I could help reduce the weight as I go by disposing of each map as it is used.....but that seems a bit of a waste...who knows I might decide to cycle the route again next year..*#!

However, thinking about it the best idea seems to be to slip them into JD's panniers...he'll never notice.....!!!

My mileage for the year has been going quite well. My goal was to set off on the ROCK2UK with 5000 miles already under my belt for the year.

Well I achieved that last weekend which I am well pleased with....especially as I was unable to ride a bike at all for an entire month in February due to medical advice.....By the time I get back from Gibraltar I should have added a good few more miles to my overall total.

The regular rides that I have been doing this year have been a vital part of my recovery and rehabilitation and it is my first hand experience of that which has drawn me to 'Cyclists Fighting Cancer' as a charity to help raise funds for.

If I can help some kids with their recovery from the effects of cancer, then my own illness and subsequent recovery will have had some positive purpose.

As far as packing is concerned...I am at the 'neat piles all over the spare room' stage.

There are still some items of gear that I can't make my mind up about....so I have put them in a neat pile and I will think about them for a day or two.

After the thinking.....I will complete the packing..!!

CAUGHT IN THE RAIN

2011-08-10T18:51:00.000+01:00

JD SHELTERING FROM THE RAIN

JD and I were out for a training ride together on Monday.....
We will probably only manage one more ride together before we leave for Gibraltar although we will manage quite a few more miles riding on our own.
Anyway back to our Monday ride.....the original weather forecast was for a dry day, however as we set off from Wimborne there were one or two big black clouds hovering over in the direction we were heading for.

Now regular readers will know that I like to avoid riding in the rain if I can. Well actually getting caught in the rain is one thing...I can live with that- after all there is not much you can do about it.
Where I do draw the line is if it is pelting down before I leave home....under those circumstances I probably would't bother.
To be truthful it's not about me getting wet...it's more about the bike getting filthy on the muddy country roads and all that cleaning afterwards...I can do without that..!
The big black cloud seemed to be dancing around us as we headed in the direction of the 'Tarrant' villages. At one point we rode through a light shower but after a few minutes it stopped again.....
About 30 mins later it rained again....this time it didn't stop.

Just as we were riding through Gussage St Michael we noticed a small wooden bus shelter. It didn't take more than a second for the decision to be made. A couple of minutes later the two of us plus the bikes were sat inside in the dry having a slightly early lunch break.
While we were sat inside the shelter a guy who works in a small workshop across the road came across to chat to us....I have spoken to him before...he normally rides mountain bikes but has recently purchased a road bike because he has signed up to do a charity ride from London to Paris in early September.
He was interested in our ride especially the distance that we will be covering. We joked with him that we were making the most of somewhere to hide from the rain, because when we are in Spain- if it rains -there probably won't be anywhere for us to escape to, as 'the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain' and we will be cycling across an awful lot of plain. (As well as an awful lot of mountains)
By the time we had finished chatting, the sun had come out....the roads were almost dry and we set off again suitably refuelled for the rest of our ride.....and we didn't even get wet.

CYCLISTS FIGHTING CANCER TEAM JERSEY

When I finally got home following our ride there was a small package waiting for me.It was my CFC team jersey and bibshorts for the ROCK2UK ride....
Enclosed in the package was an information sheet about the charity and I have reproduced some of that information below:-
CYCLISTS FIGHTING CANCER
Positively helping kids whose lives have been affected by Cancer.
Cancer treatments can cause a wide variety of issues, from loss of limbs to blindness, weakened hearts, lungs and muscles to depression and loss of self esteem.
Exercise is very important for rehabilitation. Bikes are the best form of activity for kids.
Our bikes and trikes give the kids a fun , exciting focus for their recovery and also provide a way to build lost self confidence.
£350 is the average cost of our awards.
500 bikes have been awarded so far.
£1050 is the cost of a typical adapted trike.
102% of the money given goes to our objective.

REFLECTIONS...

2011-08-06T19:18:00.001+01:00

CLOSE UP OF ZEFAL BIKE 'SPY' MIRROR

I certainly wouldn't consider having any form of mirror on my Felt or Tifosi bikes but it does seem a good idea if you have a regular commute or want to do some touring.

When we were in France a couple of months ago I noticed that I had less movement in my neck when I had to twist to look over my left shoulder compared to looking over my right shoulder as I do when cycling here in the UK.

Mike had fitted a mirror to the handlebars on Chris's bike and I saw that Peter had also fitted one to the downtube on his bike. Both of these mirrors were large and in my opinion a bit unsightly, but of the two Chris's seemed to be the best as it gave a clear uninterrupted view to the rear.

The one on Peter's bike was supposed to give him a view to the rear between his legs- which in theory sounds ok but in practice tended to have a view often blocked by the panniers he was carrying on the bike.
Anyway...the more I 'reflected' (sorry) on the idea of a mirror for touring, the more I liked the idea as a way of overcoming my aging neck problem.

After trawling all the usual internet sites I came up with the Zefal Bike Spy Mirror. The great thing about this mirror is that it is small - so it doesn't look as if you have a cup and saucer fitted to the end of your handlebars and you don't have to remove your bar end stops to fit it. It has a rubber fitting catch that binds around the end of your bar and can be fitted and removed in seconds... This means you can instantly swap it from one side to the other.....ideal for when you go from the UK to Mainland Europe.

Although the mirror is small it poses no problems in seeing what is behind you as you cycle along and is also easily adjusted as you cycle.... I am hoping that this will do the job well for me as I cycle back from Gibraltar.

ZEFAL MIRROR FITTED TO TOURER

When the idea was originally conceived to cycle back from Gibraltar to the UK it was not my plan to raise money for a charity by doing it...
I just wanted to do it for my own sense of achievement I suppose and anyway, each of the long distance rides I have done with JD and others in the past were for charity so I felt that I had done enough..
However the more I thought about it, the more I thought that it would be an opportunity wasted!

On the long distance rides for charity that I have done with JD it has been for a charity that was basically decided upon by him and although I was perfectly happy to support him and his charity choice (all of which were first class charities by the way) on this ride I wanted it to be for a charity that was a bit closer to me.

Being told that you have cancer is pretty bad news for anyone....for a child or young person and their families it must be devastating....after all, their lives have only just begun. At least when I was told I had cancer I had already done a fair bit of living!

'Cyclists Fighting Cancer' is the charity I have chosen to raise money for and their purpose is to provide bikes, adapted tricycles and equipment to children and young people whose lives have been affected by cancer.
The bikes provide a fun and practical way to regain lost strength, fitness and confidence.

You only need to read my blog over the past year to see what a difference riding my bikes made to my recovery process so please help me to raise funds for this really deserving cause...........
.

ADDING A BIT OF COLOUR......

2011-08-03T21:21:00.001+01:00

A BIT OF COLOUR

The preparations continue for the ROCK2UK road trip......this week the Revolution Touring Bike was taken over to Bicycle World at Longham in order for Mark to work his magic. Mark always prepares our bikes for extended trips like this one. Although I will do most day to day maintenance on my bikes I do like a professional bike mechanic to prepare the bikes properly for the longer trips.

Prior to taking the bike over to Mark I fitted new tyres...Schwalbe Marathon Kevlar 700x32.. the only new item Mark fitted was a new chain. The existing chain had only completed about 400 miles but I felt that I would be happier starting a ride of this distance with a new one. The rear wheel needed a minor amount of adjustment to make it true but other than a bit of oil and grease here and there nothing else really needed doing.

Before I left the bike shop Mark gave me four spare spokes- just in case. I am hoping that we won't need them, but on every trip to Europe that I have done with JD he has managed to break at least one spoke! Still as I say, hopefully we won't need them.

A couple of weeks ago when I was over at JD's house he was showing me his bike shed when I spied his bar tape. He had seen some Fizik blue edged duo bar tape at Bicycle World while Mark was servicing his bike. He thought that it would look good on the bike and add a bit of colour. He hadn't told me about it because he thought that I wouldn't like it and would take the mickey out of it......
He was wrong!
I loved the way it looked and I thought that it added some real colour to the bike- ideal for a trip to a colourful country like Spain.
I told Mark that I had to have some...so Mark wrapped the bars with the new tape when the bike was being serviced.
Love it or hate it, you must admit it certainly adds some colour!

COUNTDOWN FOR 'ROCK2UK'

2011-07-30T15:28:00.003+01:00

BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN

Three weeks tomorrow I will be setting off for the outward journey to Gibraltar and the start of the 'Rock2UK' ride.

It was about this time last year whilst I was still undergoing radiotherapy that the idea was hatched. The very thought of a bike ride across the entire length of Spain and France gave me great strength and a lot of hope during a very dark episode in my life's story and although the recovery process has not all been plain sailing I am pretty certain that ROCK2UK enabled me to concentrate my focus on recovery and has helped get me to this point one year on.

Since ROCK2UK was first discussed the original plan has changed a number of times due to all the variables involved in arranging a trip like this.
Dave (broom wagon) Vaughan had told us that he would be unable to accompany us as support, as his employers would not give him the time off required. This meant that we faced the extra task of crossing Spain first to get to Gibraltar before heading back to the UK...it looked like it was going to be UK2ROCK2UK.
We had also hoped that we could recruit some additional adventurous souls to ride with us.

The final plans are as follows.....

Dave HAS been able to negotiate some extra time from work by selling his soul to his employers...!!!
This means we will now be driven by Dave in the broom wagon to Plymouth on Sunday 21st August. We will then catch the ferry to Santander arriving there at about 12.00hrs local time on Monday 22nd. Dave will then drive us to Salamanca where we will stay overnight before continuing our journey to Gibraltar where we hope to arrive on the evening of Tuesday 23rd.
We will start the ride back to the UK on either the Wednesday or Thursday. Dave will accompany us with the support vehicle for the first four or five days and then he will head back home. We will be on our own as an unsupported ride for the rest of the trip.

No other possible riders came forward..........a lot of people said that they would love to do a ride like that, but were also able to put forward a score of reasons why they were unable to actually do so.....therefore it will be just JD and myself doing the pedal pushing.

For my part..although it has been a touch or go type of situation with my health all year... I have managed to continue with the training rides and by the time we set off I should have about 5,000miles under my belt so far this year.
One of the reasons for me doing this ride....apart from the pure cycling enjoyment of course....is to draw attention to the fact that even a diagnosis of cancer need not mean you cannot achieve your goals..!
Just go for it..... look at Lance Armstrong.

Both John and myself will be hoping to raise money for our respective chosen charities- more of which in another post.

As we approach the start of this trip over the next few weeks I will post more about the plans and our expectations of the ride itself.

A FANTASTIC TOUR..!

2011-07-24T20:07:00.000+01:00

A TOUR RIDER FROM THE PAST

Another year...and another Tour de France completed.
What a wonderful sporting event the Tour is. It never fails to deliver thrills and excitement and this year these carried right on up to the final line.

Cadel Evans proved a worthy winner (a first for Australia) - he had ridden a consistent race clawing back time where it was needed and battling through the mountain stages in classic style. His time trial around Grenoble was total cycling magic and a joy to watch. Overall a dogged and tenacious performance.

Mark Cavendish won the green jersey as well as that final stage( a first for the UK) .....to watch his team HTC all working together in order to deliver him to that springboard position was perfection.

As for the Schleck brothers....to get two brothers on that final podium is no mean feat as well as being another first.

We must not forget Thomas Voeckler either.....ten days in the yellow jersey and a truly heroic ride - his courage throughout the tour really was something to behold.

The only thing that I regret is that I now have to wait another year for what I think is the most exciting three weeks in the sporting calendar.

SORRY FOR THE RECENT BREAK IN MY POSTINGS....I AM PLEASED TO BE BACK.

HOW GOOD ?

2011-06-22T01:24:00.000+01:00

PRO-LITE BRACCIANO WHEELSET

I thought that I would report back to you on some of the cycling gear that I have recently been testing out.

I will start with the Pro-Lite Bracciano wheelset that I have been using on my Tifosi Training/Audax bike. When I took delivery of them they were both true and perfectly round. These wheels have now been used on the bike for well over a thousand miles and are still round and true.
They have 27mm V section 6066 Aluminium rims. In the front there are 20 evenly tensioned aero spokes and in the rear there are 24 spokes laced in a 2 cross pattern.
The freewheel makes a quite distinctive and loud noise.....but I have to say I like the sound.

These wheels have a real turn of speed as well as giving a very comfortable ride. They really are a light and fast wheelset at 1482grms.
Responsive and stiff these wheels are superb and have proved great when ascending and also on the descent. Finally they are fantastic value for money and I would say that they are almost as good as the Fulcrum Racing Zeros that I have on the Felt and those wheels are almost four times the price..!!
A great buy and a wheelset that I really do recommend.

UNIROSS HY MINI WIND CHARGER

This item I have used on two trips now. A weekend cycle camping trip...and a longer trip (11 days) to Northern France.

This neat looking bit of kit can be charged from the mains or from your computer via a USB cable or it can be charged on the bike by the wind generated by forward motion.
When fully charged it had no problems in charging my phone and my Garmin GPS cycle computer.

One drawback for a lot of people is that this charger is not compatible for charging an i-phone.

On the trip to France, most of the campsites we stayed at had facilities for charging from the mains power......because of this I am still uncertain of the units ability to charge sufficiently from wind power alone. It has proved fine when using a mix of both mains and wind and I get the feeling that you would need a full days cycling ( 6-8 hours) at reasonable speeds to charge the unit from just wind power only.
I do intend using the Hy Mini charger on my trip back from Gibraltar starting mid August and I think that will prove it's worth one way or the other.
On that trip I will also have the back up of a Solar Panel charger and a Power Monkey just in case the Hy Mini charger fails to do it's job.........

RSP TOURLITE (TOURING RACK LIGHT)

This light unit has proved a total success......
Once fitted to the rack on my touring bike I could just forget about it. Because it is actually screwed on to the rack, there is no need to have to remove it from the bike when you park up and leave your bike.
The unit has 3 LEDs and can be used in either of two flashing modes or a non flashing mode.

Peter Calcutt has one of these lights fitted on his bike and on our return from France I cycled behind him from the ferry port at Poole.
I found that if I was in line with him while cycling along an unlit area I could see nothing past him as this light is so bright. In order to reduce the glare of this light I needed to cycle slightly to one side of him.
From behind you would have no idea of the size of the 'vehicle' in front displaying this light. Believe me this light is BRIGHT.
In my opinion there is no way that a driver would NOT see you if you were using the Tourlite.
If you look at the photo above you can see how bright the light is in daylight. Along an unlit road it is unmissable and on a lit road it appears as bright as the best costing a lot more money.

Yes, this really is a first class and top value light....I paid only £12.95 for it and I think that is really cheap for such a powerful light,

BLACKBURN LOWRIDER RACKS AND ORTLIEB FRONT PANNIERS

There is nothing that I can say about the Ortlieb Panniers that has not been said before. I love them.
The way that they just drop onto the racks and are instantly secure and the ease of removing them is fantastic.

I was a bit concerned before I had used them, that they might upset the steering on the bike. I need not have had any concerns.....the bikes steering was not affected at all.....indeed I had no problems on descents in France of just under 40mph.
I certainly felt that the bike was MORE stable using both front and rear panniers than it has been in the past whilst using rear panniers only.

The Blackburn Lowrider front racks are as fitted to the Ridgeback Panorama bikes that Mike and Chris used on the French trip...Peter also had fitted the same racks to his Revolution Tourer.

Now I am a bit of a perfectionist and when I fit something I like to ensure that everything lines up with equal distances etc. One thing that I found an irritation, was that after fitting I noticed that the rack on the right side of the bike sat closer to the wheel than the one on the left of the bike. No matter how I tried I could not get them to match perfectly.
I happened to mention this to Peter and he said that he had found the same problem when he had fitted his.........on speaking to Mike he told me that he had noticed the same on the bikes that he and Chris had and remember their racks were fitted at the factory.

Anyway it seems that when Blackburn manufacture these racks...the machine that drills the hole for fitting to the front fork is very slightly out of line and that's why this misalignment is repeated on all of our front racks.....
Having said all of the above the racks perform just as they should....were easy to fit....and look good on the bike.

UNFORTUNATELY THERE WILL BE A HIATUS ON THIS BLOG FOR A FEW WEEKS.
I WILL TRY AND RETURN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

FRANCE - DAY TEN & ELEVEN

2011-06-18T18:31:00.000+01:00

COASTAL VIEW

SMALL COVE ON OUR COASTAL RIDE

The day of the Coastal Ride that Peter and I had planned started dull and very overcast. We had experienced rain over night but at about 0700hrs the rain stopped. We had breakfast and prepared the bikes and at about 1000hrs we were off.
Mike and Chris had planned to have an easy no cycling day while Peter and I were cycling along the coast. The route out of the town centre was easy to follow and as I had pointed out to Peter we only needed to ensure that we kept the sea on our left.
The route was typical French coastal road cycling ....plenty of ups but just as many downs...the road surfaces as most of the time in France were smooth and the cycling was exhilarating. The only real downside were the crosswinds which meant that you had to keep your wits about you....if you weren't careful you could get blown badly off course. After about an hour it started to rain and for only the second time on this trip I had to put on my waterproof race cape.
We visited Pointe du Grouin which seemed to attract quite a number of visitors and then we headed for the small town of Cancale where we found a small cafe for lunch. I must say that I found Cancale a bit of a dissapointment...I don't know why but I had expected it to be a more attractive place than it was. Having said that, the rain of course did not help.
After lunch we headed back to St Malo via a more inland route but the crosswinds were just as bad.
We found our way back to the campsite with no problems, even being cheered on and waved at by a coach full of French schoolchildren.
Cycling is such a popular sport in France that wherever you go you often get schoolchildren waving and shouting 'Allez Allez' in encouragement as you go past.
That evening the four of us had a look around a World War 2 Fort that was just behind our camp site before settling down for a meal.
So our cycling was now all done....apart from the five minute ride to the ferry port on the Friday we wouldn't be doing any more riding. The plan was that on the Friday morning we would have a lazy breakfast.....break camp and pack everything in the panniers....and than leave the bikes at the campsite while we had a look around the old walled section of the town just the other side of the ferry port. The camp receptionist said we could leave the panniers in the office for safety and lock our bikes up just outside the office.
We had a great day looking around the town (some pictures below) and before we knew it the day had gone and we were in the short queue for the ferry and our return trip to the UK. On it's return to the UK the ferry called in at Jersey and we arrived back in Poole just after 2300hrs.....

It had been a great trip and although we didn't cover huge distances it had been another key step on my recovery back to health after my cancer treatment. There was a point during my treatment that I didn't think that I would get back on a bike again, let alone do a trip like this, so this was a bit of a milestone for me.
It was certainly a good test of Me - Bike - and Equipment prior to the ride back to the UK from Gibraltar (UK2ROCK2UK) that JD and I plan to do in a couple of months time.

I will tell you about the success or otherwise of certain items of equipment in my next post.......

VIEW OF THE FERRY FROM NEAR OUR CAMPSITE

THE ETOILE DU ROY IN THE PORT OF ST MALO - THIS SHIP WAS BUILT AT MARMARIS IN TURKEY AND IS AN AUTHENTIC REPLICA OF THE FRIGATE HMS BLANDFORD FROM 1741

A FRENCH CUSTOMS BOAT

A VIEW FROM THE OLD TOWN WALL - ST MALO

ANOTHER VIEW FROM THE TOWN WALL

GENERAL SEA VIEW

NEAR ST MALO PORT

OUTSIDE THE OLD TOWN WALL

PETER PACKING UP ON OUR LAST MORNING

FRANCE - DAY 9

2011-06-15T21:31:00.000+01:00

TOP OF THE HILL NEAR ST SULIAC

After two nights in Dinan it was time to hit the road again.
With just three days left on this trip we felt that it would be sensible to head for St Malo. We wanted to have a complete day to look around the town and Peter and I also wanted to have a day to cycle around part of the coast from St Malo to Cancale.
That was days ten and eleven taken care of, so today the plan was to cycle to St Malo by way of the small coastal village of St Suliac. Chris had read somewhere that this was a place worth a look so the plan was laid and we were on our way.
The route seemed fairly straight forward apart from a small error made within ten minutes of leaving the campsite. This meant that we cycled in a bit of a loop before finally heading off in the right direction.

OLD FORTRESS TOWER OVERLOOKING St SULIAC

VIEW OVER St SULIAC FROM THE TOP OF THE HILL

It was another very warm day and with a bit of a breeze it made for good cycling. Just a few miles from St Suliac we had a choice.... Up and over a steep hill or take a low level route..... Apparently the route via the hill offered some great views as a reward for making the effort to grind your way to the top in something approaching the granny gear. Mike and Chris decided to take the lower level route and Peter and I went for the granny gear..!

At the top was an old fortress tower ruin and some lovely views looking over the village......well worth the struggle to get there. After taking in the views and taking some photographs Peter and I freewheeled at some speed down into the village. We headed to the coastal end of the village where Mike and Chris had already arrived. Just a little way along the coastal road we found a little beachfront cafe where we stopped for lunch.

VIEW FROM BEACHFRONT CAFE

After lunch we set off back along the coastal road and then headed up the hill out of the village....before long we were on the outskirts of St Malo.
We found a couple of campsites about five miles from the centre of town, but Mike and Chris said that they would prefer to be closer to the ferry port itself as they wanted to be within walking distance of the old part of the town.
This was because they intended to have an easy day of exploration while Peter and I were cycling around the coast on day ten.
The ride into the centre of St Malo was not too difficult although we did need to check the route a few times. After all the quiet cycling routes we had been cycling on this trip it came as a bit of a shock to the system to be back on busy traffic filled roads again.

ROUND HOUSE SEEN IN THE CENTRE OF A TRAFFIC ROUNDABOUT- St MALO

We headed for the Port area and before long picked up signs for a municipal campsite....we followed the signs and eventually we arrived at the site which overlooked the ferryport . We couldn't be closer and it really proved to be an ideal site for our needs....close to the town.....easy to cycle to the ferry (about 5 mins ride) and also well placed for the coastal cycle ride that Peter and I had planned for the following day....
That evening we found a small restaurant only about five minutes walk from the site and after our meal I rewarded myself with a giant cream & icecream confection for my efforts in the granny gear earlier in the day......

A JUST REWARD FOR GRANNY GEAR USAGE....!

FRANCE - DAY 8 a day in Dinan

2011-06-13T21:10:00.000+01:00

VIEW FROM THE OLD TOWN WALLS

WALKING ALONG THE RIVERSIDE CYCLE TRACK INTO TOWN

GENERAL TOWN VIEW

VIEW NEAR TOWN CENTRE

LOTS OF OLD BUILDINGS

ANOTHER OF THE OLD BUILDINGS

ATTRACTIVE COBBLED STREETS

ANCIENT MOTORBIKE FITTED IN WITH THE OLD BUILDINGS

OLD TOWN GATEWAY

ANOTHER GENERAL VIEW

VIEW BY THE DOCK

FOR CAT LOVERS EVERYWHERE..........

CONGRATULATIONS........

2011-06-12T16:10:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to Bradley Wiggins on winning the Criterium Du Daphine today.
Bradley has shown that he can really hold his own with the best of them in the mountains as well as being able to produce a good time trial result....
This must all bode really well for his chances in the Tour De France.....I can't wait..!!

FRANCE - DAY 7

2011-06-11T17:07:00.000+01:00

CYCLE TEAM.......

................FOLLOWED BY PETER

IN THE SHADE AS WE GOT TO OUTSKIRTS OF DINAN

RIVER ROAD DINAN

VIADUCT WE CROSSED ON ENTRY TO DINAN

OUR NEW TWO NIGHT HOME - CAMPSITE DINAN

Day seven was an A to B day.....a travel day. After two nights at the campsite near Mont St Michel it was now time to move on again. The plan was to head for the town of Dinan. We had heard that this was an interesting place to head for as it had lots of history.
The day was another of those very hot days when you only dare stop if you can get under some shade...It was fine as long as you were cycling along as the act of moving forward helped to create a breeze which in turn kept you cooled. However...when you stopped..phew..! HOT.
We had some initial difficulty finding our correct route.....Peter likes to know exactly where he is at any time on the map whereas my system is more basic. I just like to go on instinct, on the basis that every road and turn will end up taking you somewhere.....anyway, the result of our joint efforts plus some sprinkling of GPS meant that for the first few miles we seemed to travel in a big loop before eventually heading off in the right direction.
The route when we found it was really quite straightforward just following a couple of roads for the entire distance.We found another nice Cafe/bar for lunch with the proprietor showing us a safe place for us to put our bikes out of the heat of the sun.
When I got to the outskirts of Dinan I pulled over and waited for the others (in the shade)......First to come by was a cycling team followed not far behind by Peter...five minutes later Mike and Chris arrived. We then all headed down a hill and before we knew it we were all cycling across a massive viaduct. This was a very high structure and gave us a fantastic view up and down the river.
First stop in town was the tourist information office to enquire about campsites.....and eventually we were heading along the river road in the direction of one of the nearest campsites....
It wasn't easy to find and we seemed to finish the day as we started....cycling around in what seemed to be a bit of a circle before we arrived at the days destination.
The plan here was to follow a similar plan as at previous sites...stay over for two nights giving us a full day the next day to explore the town......

TO BE CONTINUED.........

ANOTHER BLOGGER GLITCH....?

2011-06-10T23:37:00.000+01:00

IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS ANOTHER BLOGGER GLITCH.......

IT SEEMS THAT A NUMBER OF BLOGS - OF WHICH THIS IS ONE- ARE MISSING THEIR FOLLOWERS LISTS & ALSO THEIR ADSENSE PANELS FROM THE SIDE BAR.

LET'S HOPE THAT THE PROBLEM IS SORTED SOON.

FRANCE - DAY 6

2011-06-10T23:15:00.002+01:00

BREAKFAST DELIVERED TO THE TENT

Day six started with breakfast delivered to the tent.....Chris had ordered croissants from the campsite reception and she had popped along there to collect them and then she kindly delivered them to our tents..... Oh the joys of camping...!
After breakfast we mounted our unloaded bikes for the short ride to Mont St Michel.....the plan was to spend the day doing the 'tourist' thing.

PLENTY OF PARKING FOR BIKES

It was an easy ride along the cycle path that followed the river to the Mont. Half a mile from the Mont the path joined the road to cross the causeway. There was quite a queue for the car park but being on bikes we were waved past by the car park attendant and just slightly further along the causeway we came to the bike parking area....lots of it....no worry about parking for us and no charge either....

CLOSER VIEW OF MONT St MICHEL

Lots of tourists of course, but then that is what we were too...tourists I mean...! The day was spent looking around ...taking pictures....eating....drinking (coffee only) and enjoying the day.

ANOTHER MONT VIEW

Mont St Michel is a lot larger than St Michaels Mount in Cornwall England. This French version has a village around the base and the Mount and the Abbey set upon it is much bigger. From a distance however they do look very similar. A lot of the 'village' around the base consists of tourist shops and little bars and restaurants but all very interesting nevertheless...If you are ever in this part of France it is certainly worth making the visit.

VIEW OF THE CAUSEWAY FROM THE MONT

ANOTHER VIEW FROM THE MONT -SLIGHT MONET OVERTONES

MASSIVE WALLS OF MONT St MICHEL

ABBEY VIEW

OUT BUILDING IN THE GROUNDS OF THE MONT - NOTE SIDE OF ROOF FACING PREVAILING WIND

We all enjoyed our visit and late afternoon we headed back to the bikes and ride back to the campsite. This was the second time that I have visited the Mont. The previous time was about twelve years ago when I went on a weeks camping trip with a classic car club that I was a member of. The weather on that first visit was not as good as the weather we enjoyed on this trip.....

TO BE CONTINUED............

FRANCE - DAY 4 & 5

2011-06-09T00:13:00.000+01:00

ON ROUTE ON DAY 4

After two nights at Coutances it was time to move on.
Target for day four was a small town on the coast called Genets. We planned to pick up the coastal route and head down toward Granville and then on to our days destination.
With a mix of both map and GPS we managed to get out on to the correct route fairly easily and it wasn't long before we started to get glimpses of the coast. Weather wise it was another beautiful day.
As with any coastal route there were quite a few ups as well as downs. Chris is not too keen on hills and on some of the stiffer climbs she has to get off and walk, we would normally wait for her at the top.
Unfortunately Chris is not too keen on the downhills either, using her brakes for most of the descent. I usually tried to get in front of her for the downhill sections as I hate riding on the brakes.
Towards the latter part of the day's ride we had some great views of Mont St Michel away in the distance...

THE BISTRO GARDEN

CAMPSITE AT GENETS

At Genets we quickly found the campsite and booked in at the reception.
Chris might be slow going up and down hills but she did a cracking job as 'communications officer' managing to ensure that what we wanted was what we actually got....She tells us that her French speaking is a bit rusty but it seemed pretty good to the rest of us.
That evening Chris was back in action at a small Bistro in the town where we had chosen to have our meal. The garden of the Bistro was so 'bohemian' with some really weird items dotted around. Unfortunately the evening was a little chilly so we decided to go inside for our meal which was served in what appeared to be old baked bean cans....so odd but oh so French..!!

VERY HOT ON DAY FIVE

The morning of day five started a bit cloudy but the day turned into a very hot day.
We were heading for a campsite about four miles from Mont St Michel and the route meant negotiating a lot of minor roads around the river estuary near Avranches.
After only about an hour Mike decided that he would have to cover his legs from the sun....he had got sunburnt on the top of his legs just above his knees the day before. We stopped and while Mike was donning his cycling tights the rest of us were putting on another coating of high factor sunscreen.

MIKE COVERING UP HIS LEGS

The route for most of the day was quite flat with no 'nasty' hills so Chris was well pleased with today's cycling.
We found a little cafe for lunch which consisted of a ham sandwich followed by coffee. The French call it a sandwich but it is actually a huge french bread roll about 18" long....and the bread is really tasty..!
At about 1600hrs we pulled into the campsite.. We were planning on staying here for two nights as we wanted to spend a day looking around the Mont.
The receptionist at the campsite was really helpful giving us advice about a cycle route that we could take to the Mont and information on tides and viewing times.

WELL I'LL SOON BURN IT OFF ON THE BIKE..!!

CAMPSITE PITCH NEAR MONT ST MICHEL

That evening we had a look around and found a reasonable place to eat and then we decided that we would walk a couple of miles up the cycle route to get a bit of a closer view of the Mont.
The campsite receptionist had told us that Mont St Michel would be lit up at about 2200hrs and we all wanted to get a good view of it before our proper visit the next day.

2200HRS - MONT ST MICHEL LIT UP

It proved to be well worth the walk and lots of other people were out to get a good view...After taking some pictures and taking in the view for about half an hour we made our way back to the campsite.....

TO BE CONTINUED......

FRANCE - DAY 3

2011-06-06T10:53:00.000+01:00

HOUSE IN TOWN CENTRE

COUTANCES CATHEDRAL

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE CATHEDRAL

MIKE BACK IN PRO PHOTOGRAPHER MODE

VIEW INSIDE CATHEDRAL

HOUSE ENTRANCE - COUTANCES

TOWN HALL - COUTANCES

FRENCH OMELETTE FOR LUNCH

TOWN CENTRE SQUARE - COUTANCES

On day three we spent the time looking around the town of Coutances.......Above is just a little of what we saw.........................

FRANCE - DAY 2

2011-06-06T09:51:00.000+01:00

PETER'S BIKE - COVERED IN RED DIRT

The second day of the trip started with an overcast sky - a far cry from the nice weather of our first day. Following breakfast we broke camp and just as we left the site it started to drizzle....you know the sort of stuff...that really fine rain that manages to soak everything. But no need to worry. I put on my lightweight Shutt Race Cape.
This great item of cycling clothing rolls up smaller than an orange- keeps you dry- and is 'see-through' so your club colours can still be seen. After about ten minutes I had to stop and take the race cape off, as the rain had stopped. Luckily that was the last we saw of the rain till the penultimate day of the trip.

The plan for this second day was to cycle to a place called Coutances. The others had found information about a cycle track that would take us the entire 42 miles to Coutances. This track was along a disused old rail track bed that had now been converted to a cycleway.
Now I must admit I am not a great fan of cycletracks. I am a roadie. I love smooth roads and France has smooth roads everywhere. However I am always willing to give things a try so I was quite happy as we pulled off a nice stretch of smooth French road on to the marked track.
It appeared to be quite a wide track and was covered with a reddish dusty gravel. Every quarter to half a mile you had to negotiate a barrier where the track would cross a road or lane. This was a bit annoying as it tended to slow my rhythm but hey...it wasn't a race so it didn't really matter.
After about 4 miles Mike and I pulled over at one of the barriers in order to wait for Peter and Chris who were just a few minutes behind us.
When Chris caught up with us one of the first things she said was 'Hey Trevor - look at your bike'. So I did. What I saw was what had been a nice clean polished machine was now covered in a reddish muck. Where it had been raining earlier it had dampened the dusty gravel and in just the four miles had made my bike dirtier than it ever got when I cycled the entire length off France in 2009.
Well that was enough for me. I made up my mind that I would be off the track at the next convenient road crossing. The others decided to stick with the track and we arranged that we would meet at the campsite in Coutances.
At about midday we went our separate ways- Mike Chris and Peter sticking with the cycletrack and me electing to enjoy the beauties of French road riding.
Enjoy it I did. Although this was shown on the map as a main road, the traffic was very light and at times there was nothing in front of me and nothing behind. I managed to achieve an average speed in excess of 15mph fully loaded and it was a cyclists dream....this is why I love cycling in France so much. France is made for cyclists..!! I stopped only once - for an energy bar and a drink - and at 1400hrs I arrived at the campsite in Coutances.
Tent up...coffee on the go....time to reflect on what had been a rather special ride. I then cleaned my bike and went for a walk to explore the area. By 1600hrs I was starting to get a little concerned as the others still had not appeared. I made another coffee and at 1700hrs I tried to make contact with them by phone but their phone was on answer phone only so I just left a message. I then left them a text message. I then decided to walk down the road to where I had seen a shop and a small cafe just to check them out and as I was walking back up the road who did I see grinding their way up the hill....yes...it was Mike Chris and Peter.
They all seemed to be pleased to be arriving at the days destination and Chris's face said it all.....she looked pooped..
They were all glad to have arrived and seemed surprised that I had been at the site for almost 4hours. They told me that the track had proved difficult to ride as it gave no respite....you had to keep pedaling....you couldn't freewheel...if you tried, the bike would just slow up rapidly. All their bikes were sporting a very liberal coating of reddish dust and apparently the track itself was surrounded by trees for much of the way so they didn't get to have much in the way of views. Their experience made them view the idea of riding on cycleways very differently......after all.....why cycle on a dusty track from which you can't see much of the scenery when the roads are so cyclist friendly...! Interestingly my total mileage for the day was only 35.5 miles the others managed about ten miles more. Not only had the track been more difficult to ride it was also further.
They put their tents up....put on a brew....then cleaned their bikes. We then all went to the shop to get something for a meal. The rest of the evening was spent chatting around the campsite.

SCENE IN COUTANCES

PETER CLEANING HIS BIKE

MIKE CLEANING BIKE - NO PICTURE OF CHRIS AS MIKE CLEANED HERS AS WELL

RIDING THE TRACK PROVED VERY TIRING....TRACK TEAM RECOVERING

OUR PITCH AT COUTANCES

FRANCE - DAY 1

2011-06-03T23:31:00.001+01:00

CHRIS AND MIKE IN EARLY MORNING MODE

For our recent French Touring trip it was an early morning start for the ferry.
Well it was 'early' if you happen to be retired..!
The ferry was booked to leave Poole docks at 0830 hours....we had to be there at about 0700hrs. Peter had stayed at my place overnight so that he didn't have the trouble of getting to the ferry from his home at Blandford.
Mike and Chris were going to cycle in from their home at Wimborne a distance of about 9.5 miles. When Peter and I arrived at the ferry port at about 0715 Mike and Chris told us that they had been there since about 0600hrs having left home at about 0500hrs.
Now that was EARLY !!.... Apparently they wanted to make sure that they didn't miss the ferry...!!! The photo above shows the effect the early start had on them both....they sat in the lounge area of the ferry for most of the trip with a glazed look in their eyes.

CHERBOURG - STRAIGHT TO TOURIST INFORMATION

On arrival at Cherbourg at about midday we set off in the opposite direction that we needed to because there was a tourist information office at the other end of town and we wanted to get some leaflets on cycle routes and camping sites.
I waited outside the TI with Mike and the bikes while Peter and Chris went in to raid the free leaflet racks.
In the 10 mins that Mike and I stood outside two people approached us interested in our ride.They wanted to know where we were from? ...where we were going?.....what sort of bike we had?.....What GPS etc etc. Apparently there was a cruise ship in the port and both these people were passengers from the ship. Both were Americans and they stood and chatted to us for quite some time.
Finally Chris and Peter emerged with the required leaflets and we finally set off back in the direction we had just come. It was a nice bright and sunny day- warm but with a nice breeze.

MIKE IN PRO PHOTOGRAPHER MODE PEERING OVER A FENCE

We soon found the route that we needed to be on and after a minor problem with routing at a roundabout we broke free of the environs of Cherbourg.
After about 10 - 12 miles Mike could be found peering over a fence.
Now Mike is a Professional Photographer.. but I never thought that he was into peering over fences to try and get a scoop shot of some French Celebrity !! As it turned out Mike was just trying to get into a good position to take some shots of a Chateau.

CHATEAU - OBJECT OF MIKES DESIRE....(AFTER CHRIS OF COURSE)

ANOTHER BUILDING IN THE GROUNDS OF THE CHATEAU

After our first of many photo opportunities we set off again heading for L'Etang Bertrand where we had it on good authority there was a good campsite there.
Now I love French campsites, as even the municipal sites offer good facilities and at reasonable cost.
When you have a small one or two man tent and no car you don't want to be charged the same as a family with a car and a six berth bungalow tent!
In the UK I think that backpackers and cyclepackers often get a raw deal at a lot of campsites where they just don't seem to cater for the lightweight camper. In France it is different....they have a good pricing policy which includes the lightweight camper....Not once during the whole trip did we pay more than 6 euros for a pitch and some of the facilities were really 5 star.

OUR FIRST NIGHT'S PITCH

After about 26 miles (I told you we wouldn't be doing high mileages) we arrived at our first nights campsite.
It was a Farm campsite and it was in a fantastic rural setting.
Three grown men pushed Chris into the farmhouse in front of us all as she is the only one who can speak French. The Farmers wife showed us all the facilities which were pretty good and told us that it would be 4 euros each.... UK campsites please note...4 euros..!!
Mike and Chris were pretty tired after their early start but we were all glad to have arrived at our first site of the trip. There only seemed to be a couple of other people camping in the field and I must say that it was a really nice and tranquil spot.
It had been a longish day for everyone...but the trip had finally started..........

To be continued.......................................

NB: I will also be posting some 'arty farty' type pictures taken in France on my Photo Site 'Aura of Past Shadows'.

THAT'S BETTER

2011-06-02T18:31:00.000+01:00

THAT LOOKS A LOT BETTER

The Brooks bar tape arrived this morning.
This afternoon I fitted and treated it and I think that you will agree it looks a lot better match with the saddle than the lighter coloured Cinelli tape that was originally fitted to the Cinelli bars. I am out riding on the Felt tomorrow, so it won't be until early next week that I get out on the Tifosi with it's increased Retro look.

A BETTER COLOUR MATCH THAN THE PREVIOUS TAPE

RETRO COOL

OUT OF THE BOX

2011-06-01T19:04:00.001+01:00

OUT OF THE BOX THE ITEMS ARE IN THEIR OWN BROOKS CLOTH BAG

Being an impatient kind of guy I couldn't wait too long before getting the Brooks items out of the box and fitted. Once out of the box the items were found to have their own cloth bags.....what class....there is certainly something about Brooks products.
I have been using a Brooks Team Professional Saddle on my touring bike for a number of years. It is a very..very...comfortable saddle. It was comfortable from the moment that I started using it.
With this in mind, ever since I bought the Tifosi I have been considering fitting a Brooks. The final decision was helped along when I noticed that my Selle Italia saddle that the bike was supplied with was starting to show signs of wear.
With a Brooks, the more miles you ride the more comfortable it becomes and the better it looks. Most other makes of saddles can start to look a little 'mile worn' the more you use them.
Having made my mind up to change the saddle the next decision to make was exactly which Brooks model to go for.
Although I love my Team Pro I wanted a more racy design for the Tifosi.
Final shortlist was a Swallow or a Swift. I also wanted to get a saddle finished in 'Honey' brown. My final choice was a Brooks Swift Chrome in Honey.
Having seen a lot of various bikes on the 'Brooks' web site I felt that the modern 'Retro' paint job of the Tifosi would look just great and classy in this classic colour. I had also decided to get a 'Challenge Tool Bag' to match the saddle.

'CHALLENGE TOOL BAG

A THING OF CYCLING BEAUTY.. .A SWIFT SADDLE FINISHED IN HONEY

I have now fitted the saddle and the bag to the bike....I think it looks good.....but Oh dear.... The existing Cinelli natural cork tape looks Ok but I know that the bike would look so much better with the matching Brooks bar tape.
So more £..ss had to be spent.
I ordered the bar tape and it should arrive in a day or two. I will not ride the bike until I have fitted the tape because I keep hearing a voice telling me that 'image is everything'. Oh! and if you are wondering what was in the little box in the last posting.....it was Brooks Proofhide leather conditioner.

SADDLE AND BAG FITTED...BUT OH DEAR...!!

HOME

2011-05-30T16:19:00.000+01:00

After eleven days in France, Chris -Mike- Peter and myself are all now back safe and sound in the UK.

For the other three it is now a matter of getting back into 'work' mode. I am the lucky one as I just have to get into'planning the next ride' mode.

Waiting for me on my return was a large brown cardboard box delivered courtesy of the Royal mail. On opening the box there were more boxes inside all marked 'Brooks'. I will share with you what exactly this delivery contained later in the week.

First thing that I will be doing over the next few days is to catch up with the recordings of the Giro d'Italia and the Tour of California that Anne made for me while I was in France - Then I will upload and sort the 300+ photos that I took in France - when all that has been done I will put together a review of our trip spread over a few postings.. and ...most important....... I will also be catching up with all you guys out there in the blogosphere to see what you have all been up to while I have been pedaling around the French countryside...............

WAITING TO BE OPENED ON MY RETURN FROM FRANCE

In the queue.

2011-05-27T23:25:00.001+01:00

In the queue for the ferry back to the UK. I will post some more detailed reports of the trip over the next couple of weeks.

The Beach area .

2011-05-27T23:18:00.000+01:00

The Beach area at St Malo. We cycled along the Beach area in order to catch the ferry back to the UK.

Bikes locked up

2011-05-27T15:09:00.001+01:00

The bikes were locked up for the day today while we spent are last day looking around St Malo.

Looking for the route

2011-05-25T17:29:00.001+01:00

Mike and Peter looking for the route to the camp site on our approach to St Malo. We eventualy found the correct route and we are now settled in camp. We will be staying two nights here. Tomorrow Peter and I plan to cycle out round the coast to Cancale. Mike and Chris plan to chill out around the St Malo area.

Lunch stop

2011-05-25T17:14:00.001+01:00

This was our lunch stop to day at the village of St Suliac. We climbed a 225ft hill for a superb view over the village and the boats in the bay and then we swept down into the village at top speed to this little bar for lunch. Another very hot day with just a light wind to keep us cool on the bikes.

Route planning.

2011-05-24T22:17:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow we hit the road again . Our general plan is to get ourselves up towards St Malo in order to be well placed for our return to the UK on Friday evening. The photo is of Mike and Peter planning the route.

CAMP SITE AT DINAN

2011-05-24T22:11:00.001+01:00

Our camping site pitch at Dinan. Th pitch is quite secluded because all pitches are divided by small hedges. Each pitch also has its own water tap something that we never get back in the UK.

DINAN

2011-05-24T16:25:00.001+01:00

We spent today looking around the old streets and sights of Dinan. Drinking coffee the way only the French can make it and eating my favourite French tarts. Dinan is an old town set up on a hill. The views from the ramparts are superb.The weather is still holding good with clear blue skys anne a cool wind.

Worth the visit

2011-05-24T14:06:00.001+01:00

Well worth the visit to France is the chance to sample some of the lovely fruit tarts, I have just eaten this one and it was fantastic. I am now on my way back to the shop for another one.

On The Road Again

2011-05-23T21:48:00.001+01:00

On The road again- this time we are heading for Dinan. The weather is blazing hot. Getting through lots of energy drink and water. Its too hot to stop anywhere unless it is in the shade. We might stop at Dinan for a couple of days as it is an ancient town with lots to see.

Breaking camp.

2011-05-23T21:40:00.001+01:00

Breaking camp at the site near Mont St Michel. We have been here for two days so its time to move on.

Today we are at..

2011-05-22T18:31:00.001+01:00

Today we are at Mont St Michel. As you can see the weather is good- dry and sunny. We are at a camp site just two miles from the Mont and it is a dedicated cycle path all the way. Last night it was a high tide and we walked up to the flood barrier to see it come in. The Mont was all lit up and it did look splendid. Tonight we will be planning where we are off to next. We are not covering many miles as there is just too much to see and we dont want to miss anything.

Bikes locked up.

2011-05-22T18:19:00.001+01:00

Bikes locked up but where are we today?

Loaded Tourer

2011-05-21T23:59:00.001+01:00

My Revolution Touring bike fully loaded here in France. The bike seems to handle well with the two sets of panniers. I was a little cautious about fitting the front panniers as i thought that they may upset the stability of the steering at speed downhill. This does not seem to be the case. My top speed so far on this trip has been 35mph and the bike felt as steady as a rock.

Farm Pitch

2011-05-21T23:43:00.001+01:00

One of the farm pitches we have camped at here in France. So far the weather has been bright and hot. No rain to speak of as yet.

At Cherbourg

2011-05-21T23:36:00.001+01:00

Mike and Chris just outside the port at Cherbourg. It took us ages to find the cycle route out of the town. Plenty of map reading required as can be seen in the first picture.

Arrived in France

2011-05-21T23:24:00.001+01:00

Arrived in France at midday on Tuesday. Have had problems uploading Blog posts. Will try and post again soon .

READY FOR FRANCE

2011-05-15T18:04:00.002+01:00

REVOLUTION TOURER LUBED AND POLISHED

As well as riding each day this week and partaking in the luxury of coffee and tea shops I have also been preparing for the trip to France. I will be using my Revolution touring bike for the trip so a full lube and a clean and polish was required. I say clean and polish - but the truth is I never let any of my bikes get to a point where they actually need a clean - I wipe the bikes down each time they have been used so I cleaned the Revolution just to out do the others on the 'who's got the shiniest bike competition'..!! Talking of the 'others' - the others on this trip are Peter Calcut and Mike & Chris McEnnerney, all three are fellow members of the Backpackers Club. Unfortunately JD is unable to be with us on this trip as he has had to save all of his available holiday days for the UK2ROCK2UK trip that we are doing at the end of August and throughout September.

SPARE ROOM USED AS PACKING CENTRE

During this week the spare room has been used as my 'trip packing centre' with all the items laid out and ticked off on my list. The tent that I have decided to use on this trip is my Hilleberg Nallo 3GT. I have split the tent between the two rear panniers rather that load it on top of the rack as I did last year. Poles,Pegs & Footprint in one pannier and the tent & flysheet in the other. The reason I have done this is because as I now have the front panniers I am able to spread more of the load evenly across the bike. Also, if I didn't load it this way I would have almost empty panniers due to the extra space that I now have. The Nallo is in fact a three man tent with a huge porch area, as this is a touring trip rather than an endurance trip the extra useable space in the tent is an indulgent luxury - I do know that Mike and Chris will also be using their Nallo and Peter will be using his Hilleberg Akto one man tent.

EVERYTHING PACKED INTO THE PANNIERS

Anyway, everything has now been packed into the panniers and for those of you are interested in weights and things the following might be of some interest.
The front panniers have a packed gross weight of 6lb each.......
The rear panniers have a packed gross weight of 12lb each.......
The Revolution Touring Bike in it's current setup weighs 29lbs......
I must admit that I forgot to weigh the panniers before loading them up but obviously this gross figure is the important one.
Some of this weight is made up of a few items of food as an emergency back up...two dehydrated meal packs...coffee sachets and three servings of an instant porridge. I am also carrying a small pot of energy drink mix and a dozen energy bars.
When I do the UK2ROCK2UK later this year I don't see myself carrying any more weight than I am on this trip, even though that trip will last for about 5 weeks and this one is only for 11 days. The reason for that is because I will be taking my Hilleberg Akto Tent on that trip and it weighs half the weight of the Nallo at about 3lb.

HELMET FOR THE TRIP - CATLIKE KOMPACT PRO

Following the comment that Steve A left on my last post I thought that I would include something for all you Cycling Fashionistas out there....The helmet that I will be using on this trip is another Spanish Catlike Helmet..this time it is their Kompact Pro model in Blue, White & Carbon - just to match my cycling jersey's for this trip you understand...!

I will be sending some short posts( with a small photograph ) every day or two from France so that you know where we are just in case you want to follow our progress....but don't expect big miles each day on this trip. This is a touring trip not an endurance ride so I don't expect to be doing much more than about 50 miles in a day.
Cycling....Camping.....and finding new places and things to photograph is what we are going for and yes we will be stopping at more than one or two of the French version of the Tea/Coffee shop....the Cafe'.

If you wish to leave any comments whilst we are in France please feel free to do so but they may not be posted until my return. Also my mileage counter will not be updated until I get back.
When I return I will be doing some in depth posts about the trip with photographs as well as various equipment reports etc....

So...! All ready to go. Tomorrow (Monday) just a few personal things to sort before I finally set off early on Tuesday morning... The ferry leaves Poole at 0830hrs and we should arrive in France at Cherbourg at midday.

TEA & COFFEE SHOP CYCLING

2011-05-13T23:50:00.000+01:00

COFFEE SHOP AT LULWORTH COVE

Following the Annual Dorset Bike Ride Event that I posted about last time I thought that I would contact Mike and see if he fancied coming for a ride with JD and myself on Tuesday. We were planning a 60 mile ride on our Lulworth loop.

Unfortunately Mike works for himself as a Photographer and he needed to work that day, so it was just JD and myself on the ride.Since then I have found out that Mike probably wouldn't have been able to do the ride anyway as his knees were still playing him up following the Dorset Ride. He even told me that he was only able to walk upstairs backwards....! So this week Mike has been resting up in order for him to recover, ready for our French Touring trip starting next Tuesday.

THE MORETON TEA ROOMS - TYPICALLY ENGLISH

I have managed to ride at least 50 miles each day this week, but I must admit that each circuit has been a bit of a coffee & tea shop ride. The Lulworth Cove Coffee shop and the Moreton Tea Rooms have figured strongly during this weeks training..!! There is nothing better than a tea shop ride....it is almost a tradition on club rides. The Moreton Tearooms are very typically English and the building is a converted old school house. I know of at least four locally based cycling clubs that regularly stop off there.

COFFEE AND FLAPJACK AT MORETON

Coffee and flapjacks are one of my favourites....Dorset applecake is another. With the nice sunny weather we have been having, it is really nice sitting in the teashop gardens enjoying a chat a coffee and a piece of cake..... It doesn't seem to slow our cycling performance either, in fact this past week JD has been putting in some good averages and he has also improved his climbing speeds. He told me that he still finds that he is grinding uphill.....just quicker.

JD GRINDING UPHILL......BUT QUICKER..!

This weekend I will finish packing everything ready for France and I plan on making another post before I leave.
I Hope you all enjoy your weekend and manage to get out for at least one ride.

IN MEMORY.

2011-05-10T18:28:00.000+01:00

IN MEMORY OF WOUTER WEYLANDT

IN MEMORY OF WOUTER WEYLANDT- THE BELGIAN CYCLIST WHO DIED FOLLOWING A CRASH DURING THE THIRD STAGE OF THE GIRO d'ITALIA.

A PROBLEM......

2011-05-10T00:07:00.002+01:00

TIFOSI ON THE REAR OF MY CITY/ECO CAR

I know....almost another week without a post on this blog...but I have a problem!!
Since I retired I just don't seem to have enough time to do everything that I want to. Cycling...Camping...Walking...Photography...Meeting up with Friends and.Family..Blogging....Etc.. etc...
I don't know why it is but I seemed to have more spare time when I was working. Well actually that's not true, I do know why it is, it's because I am doing a lot more things and more often.
This past week I have been out on the bike almost every day but I didn't ride on Friday and Saturday because on the Sunday I was riding the Annual Dorset Bike Ride with JD and Mike.
This was the 21st year of the ride, although it was the first time that I had ridden it. I usually ride the Duncton Sportive but this year it clashed with the start of my French Touring trip so I decided to ride the 'Dorset' instead.
The day started with putting the Tifosi on the back of my little Peugeot 107 which I might add is the perfect car for an eco minded cyclist. Very cheap to run and very low emissions.
All loaded up I set off to JDs house arriving there at 0730 hours. From there it was just 3 miles on the bike to the Queen Elizabeth School at Wimborne which was HQ for the ride.

ALL TYPES OF BIKES-ALL TYPES OF RIDERS

Unlike the Sportives I usually ride which are in the main Road Bikes only...the 'Dorset' is open to all riders and all types of bikes. We saw Mountain bikes - Hybrid bikes - Touring Bikes - Audax bikes - Cyclo-cross bikes- Retro bikes - Tandems - and of course Road bikes.
The two guys in the photo above had genuine old British bikes and they were decked out in the full retro clothing to match the bikes...all great stuff and as the ride is a charity ride in support of the British Heart Foundation it just adds to the fun of the day.
I had originally planned on riding the FELT Z1 but because of the torrential rain and storms we had on the Saturday and overnight I thought that it would be a bit foolish to ride my beloved dry weather bike for the ride. A bike with fenders is what I needed hence the decision to take the Tifosi.
This proved to be the right choice.

GETTING READY FOR THE MASS START

Now as I understand it there were two thousand riders registered to ride this event and as we all assembled for the mass start it certainly felt like two thousand. This was a problem in my view. Two thousand riders all at different fitness levels and riding every type of bike imaginable and just one mass start.
At 0900hrs the riders all poured out on to the main road- probably to the total dismay of other road users. After only 800yards the route turned off the main road and on to a narrow country lane which within a short distance had turned into a muddy gravel track. After the previous nights torrential rain this was a potential puncture alley and a large number of the road bike riders either dismounted or found an alternative starting route. This included JD- Mike and I.
Looking back on the ride I am surprised that the organizers didn't stagger the start. After all there were three different distances being ridden - 25 miles - 50 miles and 66 miles. (The three of us were doing the 66).

JD CONTEMPLATING THE START

On the entry form for the event it stated that the 'Route 66' was for experienced riders only, so it does seem a bit silly to send everyone off together. It was such a bad start that I gave up on the idea of doing a good time for the ride within the first ten minutes. I also think that it was dangerous....there were obviously lots of riders who were not familiar with riding wheel to wheel and I am relieved that there were not any accidents. More by luck than judgement I feel.
Funneling two thousand riders down a narrow gravel track just didn't seem very sensible and how glad was I that I chose to ride a bike with fenders. To see the state of some of the bikes and riders after riding down the gravel tracks and country lanes I would have been just a little upset if I had been riding my Z1. I know........... .....I can clean the bike after the event but the point is I paid big money for it and it is my best bike. I bought it to ride fast roads not gravel tracks..!

ONE OF THE FEED STATIONS

Having given up on the idea of setting a good time I rode the first forty odd miles with JD & Mike.
Now Mike had never ridden more than about fifty miles in a day so this was going to be a first for him and although JD is a good endurance type of rider, he describes himself as a 'chugger' and he would be the first to admit he is not the fastest of riders.
I don't know if it is just me or if others are the same, but I actually find it difficult to ride at a slower pace than my 'normal' speed. I find this particularly difficult on hills so what I usually do when riding with slower riders is to shoot off up hills and wait at the top or at the next junction for them.
Having said all this I think that I managed to ride quite well maintaining a similar pace with Mike & JD for those first forty miles. Then Mike started to get a bit of pain in his knees....nothing ultra serious but enough to slow him down a bit. At this time JD was about quarter of a mile ahead so I shot off to catch up with him. From then on Mike and JD rode on together and I set off in an attempt to claw back a bit of my average speed which was only about 13.5 miles an hour at this time.

MIKE AT A FEED STATION

From that point on I wasn't passed by anyone and all my hill training seemed to have paid off because I sailed up all the ascents passing numerous riders along the way.

I must admit it does give me a lot of pleasure to pass riders less than half my age and even more so following all my health issues of the past two years.

Knowing that I was riding strongly I thought that I would wait at the last feed station to make sure that Mike & JD were OK and my plan was that I would ride hard for the last eleven miles. Team Chugger arrived after only ten minutes and both of them seemed alright. After 'free' drinks and energy bars we all set off again but it wasn't long before I got into turbo boost mode and shot off.

From that point on I rode hard. This was the part of the ride that I enjoyed the most. There is nothing I enjoy more than riding hard and passing everyone- it gives me a real buzz....I just love it. Pure enjoyment....it is what I ride for.

If truth be told that last eleven miles were ridden at the pace that I would have liked to have ridden over the entire distance and if it had not been for the chaotic start, that is what I would have done.

I have trained at that level so I know that I am good for that effort over that distance.

JD AT THE LAST FEED STATION

During that last eleven miles I felt that I was really on song. I just felt strong, continuing to almost float up the hills and fly along the level.
I arrived back at the event HQ collected my medal and then I waited to watch all the riders I had passed arriving at the finish.
About fifteen minutes later JD & Mike arrived back...tired but happy.
For Mike it was a big first and I know that he was pleased he had managed to ride his biggest days mileage clocking 73 miles in total. (Including riding to and from the event).
All in all a good day was enjoyed by everyone- only marred in my opinion by the very poor start.
This week I will be back out on my normal training circuits and I will also be preparing the Tourer for the trip to France. I will make a couple more blog posts before I leave.....
I promise that I will find the time from somewhere..!!