THE LAST DAY .

Well we have done it. John and I finished our ride at Ringwood at about 1715 hours today. We arrived to a suprise reception with a huge support - a lot to take in when you have been stuck to a bike saddle for four days. All very welcome though and it certainly made the gruelling effort very worthwhile. I even got to meet Dawn who apparently is the number one fan of the Purpletraveller Blog . Nice to meet you Dawn! ! For anyone who thinks riding 100 miles a day is easy just take a look at the state of Johns saddle at the end of the ride. I promise you it was pristine before we started. John tells me his posterior is in an even worse state- just doesnt bear thinking about does it? Its not a picture any sane person wants to be stuck with! As on previous days we have had support in the form of a brother cyclist joining us for a couple of stages of our route. For everyone who rode with us for sections of our route a huge thankyou - your support and help really did contribute to the total success of the ride. As always it was a great adventure riding with John and I really enjoyed being part of a superb ride for such a worthwhile cause. Before i sign off from this posting i must mention the vehicle escort we had from Fordingbridge all the way to Ringwood. Hazard lights flashing the car led up all the way carving a safe path for us. It was just like being in the Tour de France talking of which i will now settle down and catch up on the recordings of the first two days of that great sporting event. As a nation we might not be able to play football but we have eight guys in the Tour who can certainly ride bikes.

Day three .

Today started early at 0600hrs and out on the road at 0715. We did a huge loop taking in Borden - Alton - Farnham - Aldershot - Farnborough - Basingstoke and finishing at Andover, We even had other riders meet up with us and lead up to each of the centres which was a huge help not having to navigate- thanks guys it was great riding with you! I did manage a 14. Per cent hill fully loaded with panniers- i was the only rider who managed it- but then i really love hills. A ride is not a good ride if it doesnt have a mountain to climb! The section between Basingstoke and Andover coming at the end of the day was hard as by this time we were tired and the road was a bit lumpy. Also the road surface was difficult to roll on properly. Still we are here now- tired but feeling good for tomorrow which is our last day.

Day two

We have now completed the second day of the ride. Everywhere we have been we have had loads of support. The picture shows our two faithful steeds leaning against the exit gantry of the ferry from Fishbourne to Portsmouth. The deck hand assured me that they only lose two or three bikes a week when the gantry is lowered. We are now at PETERSFIELD and tonight we are sleeping indoors at the Masonic hall. The biggest problems we have had have been the humidity and the country set in their 4x4 driving little Jessica home from school!

First day.

Here is a picture of John with just a few of the envelopes he is delivering over the next few days. Today he had loads of support from cyclists on the Isle of Wight. I have met up with him at a campsite near Wootton Bridge. Tomorrow we head back to the mainland to continue the ride.

JOHN'S RIDE FOR CHARITY.

Over the next four days JD is embarking on a charity ride that he has devised. It consists of cycling to about forty locations throughout Hampshire delivering letter's requesting support for a childrens charity. The ride starts in Bournemouth and then goes on to locations that stretch from Shanklin/ Sandown / Newport etc on the Isle of Wight in the south of the county and Aldershot and Farnborough in the north - lot's of other places in between as well.

I have agreed to ride most of the route with him in order to give him support and I am meeting up with him on the Isle of Wight tomorrow. I hope to send the odd posting back to this blog as we make our way along the route.

After all the really good weather we have been having recently- tomorrow's forecast is telling me about rain! I don't get much pleasure cycling in the rain so I am keeping my fingers crossed that the forecast is wrong- let's face it they are 50% of the time.

LET THAT BE A LESSON !

On one of my recent full day rides with JD he had a couple of very hairy moments. Creech hill is one of our favorite 'cheeky little numbers' that features in a lot of our day rides with a 16% on one side and a 20%+ on the other. On this particular occasion we went up the 16% (see picture of JD at the top of the 16% side). We took a break at the top to take in the view and then headed on down the 20% descent. (Since my accident I am very cautious on my descents so JD usually goes down ahead of me.) JD was off like a cyclist with a rocket stuck up his saddle. He went down at breakneck speed. I caught him up where the road levelled out and about a mile along the road just as we were going to take a left turn he pulled over and stopped. I heard a noise that sounded like a broken spoke. We checked all the spokes both back and front on his bike and found nothing. We rode on about another mile and stopped again with the same spoke tinkling sound in our ears. Further investigation revealed that the two legged stand had worked loose and was swinging into the path of the revolving spokes (see picture). JD had been so lucky on that descent. He was touching 40mph with the stand swinging loose near the spokes of the rear wheel. If the stand had swung across just a small amount further it would have been dragged into the wheel and ripped out all of his spokes causing a total wheel collapse. At that speed it doesn't bear thinking about what would have happened to JD. I managed to break a collarbone and a number of ribs at 27mph last year so at JD's speed he would probably have launched himself into the next life. John admitted to me that he doesn't normally check his nuts/bolts and screws on the bike for tightness-well let that be a lesson ....!

Later that same day towards the end of the ride JD was descending the 'hill of death' at about 40mph. He was in a very bright hi viz gilet and had taken the centre of the road. About 2/3rds of the way down there is a road which joins from the right. Yes you have guessed it- some muppet with a driving licence decides to pull out right in front of JD. How this driver didn't see JD I will never know. You couldn't miss seeing him-you can see his hi viz for hundreds of yards. JD pulled hard on his brakes in a vain attempt to slow up - the driver tried to accelerate as fast as he could and somehow a collision was avoided. If JD had hit the car it would have been a major impact. Drivers really must THINK BIKE.

All in all a very lucky day for JD as he had managed to avoid being launched into the next life not once-but twice in one day..!

NEW BIKE-FIRST RIDE

The first ride on my new training bike (nicknamed 'Tiffany' the Tifosi) seemed to go well. I rode for 44 miles over hilly country and the bike proved pretty good in all areas. The Selle Italia saddle is very comfortable and will not need to be changed and my choice of Conti Gatorskin tyres at 25mm was a good one.

The bike is not as eager on the hills as my Felt Z1 but lets face it - it's a sixth of the price but on the downhills it was very stable and felt well planted.

One thing I did notice was a clicking sound that seemed in time with the chainwheel. When I checked this out the following day I traced it to the seatpost. Although I had tightened it up I had not torqued it to the proper setting-my torque wrench solved the problem.

The retro good looks of the bike have already attracted attention and got me in to conversation with other cyclists whilst waiting at the Studland ferry. One guy was very suprised when I told him what the bike had cost as he thought it would have been about a thousand pounds more - It just goes to prove that not all attractive ladies cost you loads of cash.......!!!