Firstly I would like to thank everybody who has sponsored me - Thank You - I have now reached my target of raising £500 for WaterAid.
Things are starting to get quite exciting now.
Had a great weekend in Aberdeen catching up with some people I had not seen for 10 years.
Dropped the bike and pretty much all of the rest of the kit off with my parents
I have had a couple of emails from some people enquiring about how they can keep up-to-date with my progress during the ride. I have a twitter account and have linked it to the blog, so I will endeavour to send regular updates via text message.
Other than that not much to report, finish work at lunchtime tomorrow before flying up to Inverness tomorrow night. Then it 's just the 2.5 hours ish drive to Duncansby Head and I can actually get on the bike and do some cycling!!
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
The Route
My maps finally arrived last weekend, which allowed me to sit down and finalise some route decisions. The overnight stops have now all been confirmed and accommodation booked.
The fine detail route for each day has not been set in stone as I think it will be nice to plan in more detail as I travel down the country.
I have decided to start with a fairly short day to ease myself into the event, so day 1 will finish in Brora.
Day 2 is from Brora through Inverness to Newtonmore where we are staying with family friends.
Day 3 is down to Perth to stay with some more friends.
Day 4 ends in Selkirk and back to camping, route will probably head over Forth Road Bridge and through Edinburgh.
Day 5 is across the country to Kendal.
Day 6 is through NW England to Whitchurch.
Day 7 is down to Hereford.
Day 8 ends in Cheddar either via Severn Bridge or Gloucester.
Day 9 to Umberleigh.
Day 10 to Perranporth.
Day 11 to Lands End.
The biggest change is heading down the A9 route rather then the A82.
I have made this decision for 2 reasons:
1. The option to stay with friends and get a bed instead of a tent for a couple of nights.
2. The vast majority of the A9 between Inverness and Perth can be avoided by using a number of B roads or cycle paths which use the old A9 road surface. I am hoping this will result in a couple of quiet days cycling through the centre of the country instead of dodging the HGVs on the A82.
I have never been to Perranporth or Cheddar but thought they would be nice so added them to the list.
The other locations just seem to fit into the route as overnight stops.
The fine detail route for each day has not been set in stone as I think it will be nice to plan in more detail as I travel down the country.
I have decided to start with a fairly short day to ease myself into the event, so day 1 will finish in Brora.
Day 2 is from Brora through Inverness to Newtonmore where we are staying with family friends.
Day 3 is down to Perth to stay with some more friends.
Day 4 ends in Selkirk and back to camping, route will probably head over Forth Road Bridge and through Edinburgh.
Day 5 is across the country to Kendal.
Day 6 is through NW England to Whitchurch.
Day 7 is down to Hereford.
Day 8 ends in Cheddar either via Severn Bridge or Gloucester.
Day 9 to Umberleigh.
Day 10 to Perranporth.
Day 11 to Lands End.
The biggest change is heading down the A9 route rather then the A82.
I have made this decision for 2 reasons:
1. The option to stay with friends and get a bed instead of a tent for a couple of nights.
2. The vast majority of the A9 between Inverness and Perth can be avoided by using a number of B roads or cycle paths which use the old A9 road surface. I am hoping this will result in a couple of quiet days cycling through the centre of the country instead of dodging the HGVs on the A82.
I have never been to Perranporth or Cheddar but thought they would be nice so added them to the list.
The other locations just seem to fit into the route as overnight stops.
Friday, 15 May 2009
Update
The cycling is now at ticking over volumes - concentrating on keeping body and bike healthy.
The last couple of weeks have mainly been spent writing lists and ordering last minute bits n bobs.
Everything is pretty much sorted now - most of the kit is sitting in the house, just got to make the final decision on which flavour(s) of carb drink I want to take with me.
The training will effectively finish this weekend - as I am taking the bike to Aberdeen and dropping it off at my parents the following one.
I have been quite busy with route planning, the overnight stops are pretty much sorted and on most days I have a few options on how to get from the start to the finish. I will leave the final decision on route choice to each morning. Got a few little things to sort out and once they are done I will publish the rough route on the blog.
Other than that things are going well, the excitement is building and I am raring for the next couple of weeks to fly by so that I can just get out on the road and get started.
The last couple of weeks have mainly been spent writing lists and ordering last minute bits n bobs.
Everything is pretty much sorted now - most of the kit is sitting in the house, just got to make the final decision on which flavour(s) of carb drink I want to take with me.
The training will effectively finish this weekend - as I am taking the bike to Aberdeen and dropping it off at my parents the following one.
I have been quite busy with route planning, the overnight stops are pretty much sorted and on most days I have a few options on how to get from the start to the finish. I will leave the final decision on route choice to each morning. Got a few little things to sort out and once they are done I will publish the rough route on the blog.
Other than that things are going well, the excitement is building and I am raring for the next couple of weeks to fly by so that I can just get out on the road and get started.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)