The participation ride - post-ride analysis and comment

First co-rider joins in - Stage 5

This is how Stage 5 started. With a picnic lunch! And a specially prepared wheat-free one at that, with Tricia. Tricia and I were part of the team that rode across the Yucatan in 2003.

We'd agreed to meet at Whitminster which is (quite a bit) north of Bristol. But I got lost in Bristol which delayed me. So Tricia had to cycle down to meet me.

We didn't get going until after 4 and we did the whole stage together except for last 6 miles. When Tricia's husband, Alan,  appeared from behind us, with a car with enough space in the back for Tricia's bike, the temptation was just too much for her!

Today was great. A complete contrast to yesterday. So iTune of the day has to be the happiest of 'happy bunny' songs: Breathless by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Click here to Buy it for 79p through iTunes Music Store, or just sample it. (This isn't the best version - sorry Nick - If you want to hear the sunshine, you have to get the CD: The Lyre of Orpheus)

I think I can do this. Yesterday, if one more challenge had been thrown at me (eg rain) I would have faced a real difficulty.

Tonight was rounded with a very nice meal with Tricia and Alan. Looking forward to riding with my next co-rider, Adrian, tomorrow.

Net ascent (decent) ft: 304 Distance miles: 42.09 Average speed mph: 10.95 Time in saddle: 3:50:29

Cumulative Distance: 311.36

Oh the Somerset Levels!

The first 30 miles today were flat and were a bit of an antidote for yesterday. Just had a fantastic picnic lunch withTricia. More later . .

Net ascent (decent) ft:
Distance miles: 74.11 Average speed mph: 14.31 Time in saddle: 5:10:39

Cumulative Distance: 269.27

That cold north wind - Stage 3

Finished Stage 4 at 10:10pm in the dark.... Cycling out of Cornwall, across Devon and into Somerset was never going to be easy.

This stage was complicated by various factor:
1) I didn't get on the road until nearly 4pm
2) then there was that puncture!
3) the strong cold north wind meant loads of stops to get the clothing right
4) The photo shows how close my route was to the M5 - and I couldn't get the SATNAV to ignore it! So had to resort to maps which slowed me up a lot.

But I think I have devised a system which combines the two which will stand me in good stead for the rest of the ride. I may be knackered but at least I feel I am a long way from Land's End.

My first co-cyclist joins me at lunch tomorrow :-).

Net ascent (decent) ft: (405) Distance miles: 54.51 Average speed mph: 12.59 Time in saddle: 4:19:45 Max speed: 36.3

Cumulative Distance: 195.16

Puncture!

I told you you'd see them as they happen!

4:50pm - iTune of the moment is another offering from Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club, to go with the Windy track selected earlier: try Upside Down - Buy it for 79p through iTunes Music Store or just click to sample. It is guaranteed to make you smile in difficulties...

Participation starts! Stage 2

This is Audrey (see www.dartsculpture.co.uk), Carrie (Sister in Law) and Kanye (nephew). They met me in Okehampton for lunch. This was a great motivator! If they hadn't been waiting I might not have made it! Kanye has to grow a bit before he can reach the pedals, but I think he has potential...

While on the subject of motivators, so nice to get a good luck text from Trish this morning too. Trish joins me from tomorrow lunchtime to Bromyard.  I'll now have co-riders with me on this trip all the way from Whitminster (nr Bristol) to Glasgow. Any takers for Glasgow onwards?

Lord knows how I am going to get to Taunton before night fall but here goes . .

Heroes: Kanye (the motivator)
Villans: That strong, cold northerly wind across Bodmin moor. The prevailing wind theory isn't working!

i-Tune of the day has to be an offering to the Wind Gods - how about:
Any Way the Wind Blows - Jerry Fish and the Mud Bug Club - Buy it for 79p through iTunes Music Store, or just click on the listing to sample....

More later . . .

Stats:
Net ascent (decent) ft: 274 Distance miles: 67.44 Average speed mph: 14.03 Time in saddle: 4:48:18 Max speed: 38.2

Cumulative Distance: 140.65

One stage done - 15 to go

This is Jenny, Phil (proprietors at Treliver Farm B+B) and Tony and Tricia (fellow guests from Sydney). They are all looking so happy because we have had a superb meal and conversation. If you are travelling in this area - stay here!

This stage has been one of two halves. Land's End to Redruth was on country lanes -  Redruth to Bodmin was on the A30. Enough said!

The antidote to A30 traffic was a short loop back to St Wenn (Treliver Farm). So why the detour? Two reasons:

1) Ron Daniel is sponsoring per Cornish mile (sorry Ron!) and

2) I wanted to see if Bodmin had changed since my last visit in 2000.

I won't be moving off the trail tomorrow as I has have 112 miles to do across hilly Devon. Must go to bed and get some sleep! I want to be on the road by 8 am.

The weather has been sunny and dry with a strong northerly wind. But it has hit from the side so it could be worse.

Heroes: My trusty GPS/SatNav guided me stratight to thedoor of Treliver farm even though its right in the middle of no-where.
Villans: Caravanners who forget that their van is a foot wider than their car! Today's  iTune is dedicated to them.

iTune of the Day - Amadou and Mariam – Camions Sauvages - A fantastic track about wild African Lorries squashing chickens and elephants. Or, in translation: Bank Holiday 'Wild Caravans' trying to squash cyclists! Those with iTunes Buy it for 79p through iTunes Music Store, or click to sample it. Those without, who want an earful of Africa without going there, get the CD!

The Word: Photographer at  Land's End and me.
P: Are you just finishing?
M: No I haven't started yet. Do I look that bad?
P: Ah . . . Would you just stand over here with your bike in front of you . . .

Stats:
Net ascent (decent) ft: 215 Distance miles: 73.21 (83.62 inc Penzance to Land's End) Average speed mph: 14.20 Time in saddle: 5:09:19
Cumulative Distance: 73.21

First Pint @ Redruth

The word on the street, well, hill actually. (Elderly cornish woman and I share experiences of West Country topography)

Woman: How far are you going today?

Me: To Bodmin.

Woman: Quite a way then, and all those hills! Still you'll be alright once you are out of Cornwall.

Me: Oh I don't know. It's pretty hilly in Devon too.

Woman: Yes....So they tell me dear... so I've heard...

More later . . .

(Nearly) Live from Land's End

'We' are on our way!

Glorious day but very windy!

Redruth here we come!

Hero of the day: Bike: running really well. Mastered gear change on front chain ring.

Villan of the day: None ...so far...!

Check progress and join in at: www.ruralnet.typepad.com/endtoend/

Gadgets, trains and iTune of the Day

There's nothing like having a new gadget to bond with to pass time on the train. And the Treo 650 phone is certainly a neat bit of kit. This posting comes to straight from phone to blog. Information Age or what? And it even supplied this typical picture of a British Summer evening!

The journey from Birmingham was 5.5 hours; the train was on time, but packed (that'll teach me to start an adventure on a Bank Holiday Weekend). No problem with the bike though.

Good News: found accommodation. Bad news: The hill up to it was much steeper than anything I have encountered in training. Eeeek.

At first, I thought I must be at the wrong place. Rang doorbell; no answer. It took about 10 mins for anyone to come to the door. All was explained when I realised my hosts have survived to a very ripe old age in the healthy climes of West Cornwall. I have to admit that Julie Walters in her famous "Two soups..." sketch came immediately to mind! I hope I will be pouring my own milk on my cornflakes at 8am tomorrow morning. If so, I should be on the road to Land's End by 9.

As this is going to be a mult-media all-singing, all dancing blog, I'm going to post an iTune of the day. If you have iTunes on your computer, you can listen to it: just click the Buy it! link where you can either download it for the princely sum of 79p, or click on the listing to get a free sample...

Today's iTune of the Day: The Jam – Start! - Buy it or sample it at iTunes Music Store, where the link will take you....

My target lunch stop is Redruth....

More tommorrow with stats and all...

All stages up to date

I have updated the information on the stage descriptions to give precise start and finish points for the day and an indication where I will be for lunch. Only a couple of the lunchtimes have been fixed (and these are indicated). If you'd like to meet up for lunch, with me and those riding with me, on any of the days please send me a text on 07932 107109 with a venue suggestion and I will let you know when I/we can get there. Normally, this will be between 12:30 and 2:30.

The updated itinerary can be accessed through the links to the left or through the summary page.

As a guide the first stage of the day will start at 8am. Lunch will be between 12:30 and 2:30 and we will finish the day when we finish!

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Bike nears final configuration

I have decided to take the Pashley Moulton TSR30 and here are a few pictures of the bike nearly ready to go. Click on the images to enlarge them.

A couple of things to do:

- a second bottle clip to be fitted with pump clip on the bar in front of the chainwheel

- a big reflector will be fitted to the bag rack at the back

Any advice/tips on this set-up would be gratefully receive (please leave a comment).

'Fat Nick' was right about Chris Boardman

At the end of his excellent report on Chris Boardman's Hour Record which can be read here 'Fat Nick' said:

"Suddenly, Sally Boardman was ushered to the front of our stand, opposite from Chris. He signalled someone to help him climb the track (still in his cycling shoes!), and was helped over to his wife and family. Ever the family man, he was soon giving interviews to the world's press, as he held one of his kids in his arms and held another to his hip."

Well the family strikes again with Sally booking a surprise trip abroad to celebrate their daughter's birthday. This means that Chris will no longer be able to be with us on Stage 7. In fact he's away for the whole ride. I've just received an email from Chris with sincere aplogies and offering to do whatever he can for the cause but he just can't be with us on Stage 7.

Not to worry - we will do it anyway - and we will stick to The Wirrall route. Frankly, I am grateful anyway as Chris at least provided an excuse to lengthen the trip from 9 to 10 days! And before you ask . . . . we are not changing it back again now!

My desk

This is desk I have to clear before I leave work tonight! But more interestingly, this posting was done directly by email using the Treo 650. I took the picture with the Treo too. Cool or what?

Meet another of my supporters: George

This is the face of George created by Televirtual for the award-winning 'chatbot' of the same name.

I went to see George this morning at chat.jabberwacky.com to have a chat about the ride. You can read a transcript of our conversatiion here. Insightful is probably the kindest way to describe it.

Latest Gadget!

This little beauty has been lent to me by my work colleague, Brian. It will allow me to send new items to the blog (with pictures!) by email from anywhere (where there is a mobile signal)!

We are still testing it but it looks like it will do the trick. Better than taking a laptop!

Accommodation / Stage Points

Here is the list of booked accommodation. These locations will define the starting point for the first stage of each day and the end point for last stage of each day.

The approximate locations for lunch are given here. These are still to be firmed up but I will edit this posting as soon as full details are available. For the days with two stages, the lunch locations will mark the end of the first sage of the day and start of the second stage.

28/5/06 - Sunday
Torre-Vene
Mrs L G G Ash
1 Lescudjack Terrace
Penzance
Cornwall
TR18 3AE
01736 364 103
£28
Bike storage in garage

29/5/06 - Monday
Treliver Farm   
Treliver Farm
St. Wenn
Bodmin
Cornwall
PL30 5PQ
01726 890 286
Secure bike storage
Evening meal booked

30/5/06 - Tuesday
Yallands Farmhouse
Staplegrove
Taunton
Somerset
TA2 6PZ
01823 278 979
£35
Secure bike storage

31/5/06 - Wednesday
Richard and Helen Combe
The Old Cowshed
Avenbury
Bromyard
Herefordshire
HR7 4LA
01885 482 384
£27-£32
Secure bike storage
8:30am departure on 1/6/06

1/6/06 - Thursday
Miss J Gregory
Ash Hall Bed and Breakfast
Ash Magna
Whitchurch
Shropshire
SY13 4DL
01948 663 151
Dad, Luke, Adrian booked
£22.50 each

2/6/06 - Friday
Ashwood Hotel
11-13 Fishergate Hill
Preston
PR1 8JB
01772 203 302
Dad, Luke, Adrian booked
£46 twin £30 single

3/6/06 - Saturday
Mr and Mrs Claymore
Claymore Lodge Bed and Breakfast
2/4 Victoria Park
Lockerbie
DG11 2AX
01576 202 357
Dad, Luke booked
£25 each
Secure bike storage
Please aim to arrive at 6pm

4/6/06 - Sunday
Fascadail Country Guest House
(Seskerdale/Tarbet?)
Shore Road
Arrochar
G83 7AB
01301 702 344
£35
Secure bike storage

5/6/06 - Monday
Mrs Barbara MacDonald
81 Alma Road
Fort William
Inverness-shire
Scotland
PH33 6HF
01397 703757
£25
Secure bike storage
10% paid in advance balance paid in cash

6/6/06 - Tuesday
Selkie Bed & Breakfast
Harbour Road
Brora
Sutherland
Scotland
KW9 6QF
01408 621717
Tourist Board    01397 703 781
£26
Secure bike storage

Straight in at No. 5!

The way Google works is a mystery to me, but enter the search 'participation ride' and here we are at Number 5 already! It must help that so many people are posting comments. Thanks, and keep it up!

First woman signs up

"Morning Simon
At last managed to get on to your site last week on a friend's computer - scary or what!!
Thought I might do stage 4 on 31/05 with you - Bristol to Bromyard. Can't remember how many miles it is but at least that end of the day means I haven't slowed you up too much . . . . . .  So, if you'd like a snail for company, I'd love to meet up with you . . . . . Trish".

Hum, snail indeed. Trish cycled from John O'Groats to Land's End this time-ish last year in 12 days. Her notes, guantlet throwing and encouragement fed into the research for this ride. Cheers Trish - see you on Wednesday.

Meet the team . . .

. . . or some of them. I will add photos later if I get a chance.
Andy: Andy is the David Beckham of Estimators to the Construction Industry. He's past his peak but still pretty good and has a very attractive wife (Hi Janice, OK?) and in Andy's case very attractive daughters too (I sure he won't mind me saying that . . . but on second thoughts . . ). Andy is a veteran cyclist and is one of the reasons I am in the saddle. Andy is consistent, year in year out.
Adrian: Adrian runs West Midlands Police virtually single-handed but rarely gets credit for this. Adrian and I were part of the team that cycled across the Yucatan to raise money for Acorns Children's Hospice in 2003.
Simon: Simon is the Saachi & Saachi of the voluntary sector all bundled up in one nicely proportioned man. He works with me at ruralnet|uk.
David: David also works with me at ruralnet|uk. He is the source of the Kryptonite that powers most of what we do. David's not cycling but meeting me at John O'Groats and bringing me back home. Thanks David.
Brian: Brian has the best bits of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates inside him (and they nearly don't fit!). On Brian's 50th we raced around an indoor track on Go-Carts which appeared mad at the time but on reflection . . . Brian won't be cycling either but has offered to lend me his new (yes new) Treo so I can keep the blog up to date on the move.
Luke: Luke is a Fine Artist cum 3D Animator. He is a pillar of the animation community in Norwich where he works for our answer to Pixar -> Televirtual.
Jane & Emma: My support team. More on them later.

700 miles of training

Today I hit the 700 mile mark since I started 'training'. My training log can be seen here. The bad news is that this works out at an average of just 30 miles a day and I will have to do an average of three times this distance everyday for 10 consecutive days once I get going this Monday.

On a more positive note . . . that's all I will have to do! I will not be working!

Cyclist admits affair

I have to confess that the recent visits to see Dan at Pashley Cycles  of Stratford-upon-Avon had developed into something else. On my first trip I was introduced to the Pashley Moulton TSR30. On the second trip we were allowed out together . . . alone with no shaperone.

Well, I was seduced . . . the 30 gears . . . the stronger wheels . . . the wide handlebars. With some running around and help from the staff at Pashleys, a nearly-new light blue one was located and I picked it up on Sunday. Today was my first trip out on it. See my training log to see how the ride went.

So now, which bike do I take? The old faithful Moulton NS or the new TSR30?

Bikes on trains

No wonder cyclists get cross. I first tried to book my Rugby-Penzance trip online on 2 May 2006 using thetrainline.com. Towards the end of the lengthy booking process it became clear that I was not going to be able to book a bike this way. So I called thetrainline and they said I had to make the booking by telephone to the train operator.

I called the Virgin Trains booking service. Went through the booking process plus bike and asked for confirmation to be sent. This came but didn't mention the bike. I raised this with the 'have you any questions about your booking' service and I was emailed a huge PDF of the leaflet about taking bikes on trains. I called the number, went through the security checks, and explained that I wanted to book a bike on the journey. "I'll put you on hold". Sorry, we can't help you. You need to go to Rugby station and they might be able to help you.

Come on guys you must be able to do better than this. No wonder there are so many frayed tempers on platforms between cyclists and rail staff. The system doesn't work! This is unfair on frontline rail staff and cyclists.

Anyone for lunch?

I will stopping in or near the following places for a pub lunch during the ride. Can you recommend a pub? Can you join me? Please let me know by clicking the 'Comments' link below and leaving a message.

I expect to be at these places between noon and 2pm. I will try and give more precise timings for places where people have said they will join me.

29/5/06 - Monday - REDRUTH               
30/5/06 – Tuesday - OKEHAMPTON               
31/5/06 – Wednesday - Whitminster (nr BRISTOL)   
    Whitminster by J13/M5 between 1 and 2 pm then cycling to a picnic spot       
1/6/06 – Thursday – CHURCH STRETTON
    The Mayfair Community Centre, Easthope Road, Church Stretton between 1 and 2
2/6/06 - Friday     - to be confirmed
3/6/06 – Saturday – SHAP (or Penrith)
4/6/06 – Sunday - HAMILTON
5/6/06 – Monday - THE BRIDGE OF ORCHY
6/6/06 – Tuesday – DRUMNADROCHIT
7/6/06 – Wednesday - WICK

Accommodation sorted!

I woke at 5am this morning in a cold sweat. There is so much still to do to organise this ride and I am working! I am down in the South West today and will not be back until Saturday afternoon . . . . don't panic!

So anyway I got up and cleared a few emails and did some planning . . . The key thing still to sort out is accommodation. I was worried about this as 29/5/06 is a Bank Holiday. My daughter Emma has been working all week but today was a day off so I asked if she could help. Anyway she has done a grand job. She was on the phone on and off all day and has arranged the accommodation. Thanks Emma. I will post the details shortly.

Great Support from the industry

I just wanted to acknowledge the support I am getting from Pashley Cycles in Stratford upon Avon (Dan Farrell) and Alex Moulton Bicycles in Bradford upon Avon (Shaun Moulton) in the preparation for this ride.

The work Dan is doing to get the bike ready has been fantastic, although we still have some anxiety about the freewheel! And Shaun has always been available to give advice. Thanks guys.

Chris Boardman MBE to join Participation Ride on 2/6/06

The campaign took a real boost today when Olympic Gold Medallist, and Britain's best known cyclist, Chris Boardman MBE, signed up for Stage 7 of the ruralnet|uk Participation Ride from John O'Groats to Land's End.

I was lucky enough to spend 10 days with Chris in 2003 as part of a Charity Ride across the Yucatan pennisula in aid of the Acorns Children's Hospice. An account of the Yucatan ride can be found here. He tried to infect me with his passion for diving but I was hopeless at it!

With Chris Boardman doing his bit, what could you contribute? There are many options and for most of them no cycling is necessary! Here are some ideas.

1 You can make a donation - click here

2 You can join a part of the ride yourself - sign up here or give me a call - 07932 107109 and leave a message - numbers for each stage will be limited.

3 You might be willing to comment and give advice via the Blog. Just click on any of the 'Comment' links at the bottom of each post.

4 You can leave a message of support via the Blog - go on be the first!

Father, daughter & billboard

As you drive to work (those of you who do), have you ever wondered what keeps a cyclist going, day in day out, cycling the same route? Well this will answer the question in my case. Hopefully it will also get more people to visit this website and help with the fundraising campaign. I will be watching the website counter!

Fruits of the puzzle

Joe (of Rob & Joe fame) and I have been bouncing an Excel spreadsheet between us since Joe sent a solution to the challenge to produce a verticle profile chart from the data generated by my GPS. Here is the result! This exercise has led to a recalibration of my bike computer and revealed that I was not cycling as far or as fast as I thought I was :-| See my training log. This spreadsheet will be used to post the profile data to this blog as the actual ride progresses.

If you like a copy of this spreadsheet. Please leave a comment by clicking on the 'Comments' link below.

Marketing

I decided I should do a bit of marketing today. I made some cards and took them to local bike shops: Skinny Wheels in Long Buckby (they had one of Chris Boardman's trial bikes on show) and Thorntons of Rugby.

If you'd like a copy of the cards (8 per A4 sheet) to do your own marketing or to help me with promotion then you can download them here.

I did get on the bike and did 30 miles and had a puncture which I was able to mend on the side of the road. It's good to have a dry run of this sort of thing. You can never be sure you have all you need to fix a puncture until you actually have one! My training log is here.

The Good Cause

At ruralnet|uk we need to raise more money so that we can support volunteers in rural communities and help them have a bigger impact in their communities. So we are setting up the 'Participation Fund' which will enable volunteers to participate in our annual conference and get access to our online services like 'Experts Online' and this ride will pump-prime this fund. For more information please follow the links below.

> the multiplier effect of a donation

> how much goes to the good cause?

> how to donate

> how to join in

New PUZZLES section

I am facing various challenges during the preparation of this ride so I have started a puzzles section to see if I can get some help. The first puzzle to solve will require a Navigator with Excel skills >more

Thanks & Moulton Myths

First of all, thanks to everyone who has emailed me directly with offers of help and comments. I'd be really happy if people would also send stuff here (by clicking on the 'Comments' links at the bottom of each post) so that we could get a bit of knowledge sharing going . . .

I'd like to respond to some of the comments I have received by email:
. . . you are obviously barking to do it on a Moulton! :-) No I'm not :-). The Moulton is a very high performance bike with rock solid tyres and full suspension. Its 'space frame' construction means it is very stiff and it goes like a rocket (see my training log). It holds various speed records and has been used by Audax riders for London-Edinburgh-London, Paris-Brest-Paris etc. I rode mine from Cardiff to London in a day (~170 miles) >more.
At least you shouldnt have issues getting back home on the train, with a folder. The Moulton is not a folder. There is not a folder in the Moulton range. My Moulton separates but this does not compromise the stiffness of the frame or the conventional riding position. And although this is handy sometimes (eg to get the bike in a car boot) it is not a 30 second job to separate the bike and you wouldn't use it for a daily commute.
I have owned a Brompton and I would certainly would not have attempted the trip on that.
Does having small wheels mean you have to pedal faster? No. The gears are organised so that your feet go around at the same speed as a bike with larger wheels  but the wheels go around a lot faster.

Itinerary update and summary

I thought it would be useful to summarise the route at it now stands. For those keeping track we are on Version 4. I don’t think things will change much more now. I just need to add the details of Sections A and B of Stage 7 which I will do shortly.

DAY 1 - 29/5/06 - Monday (Bank Holiday)
Stage 1 - Land's End to St Wenn. Detail | Donate | Comment

DAY 2 – 30/5/06 - Tuesday
Stage 2 - St Wenn to Okehampton. Detail | Donate | Comment
Stage 3 – Okehampton to Taunton. Detail | Donate | Comment

DAY 3 – 31/5/06 - Wednesday
Stage 4 – Taunton to Whitminster (nr Bristol). Detail | Donate | Comment
Stage 5 – Whitminster (nr Bristol) to Bromyard. Detail | Donate | Comment

DAY 4 – 1/6/06 - Thursday
Stage 6 – Bromyard to Whitchurch. Detail | Donate | Comment

DAY 5 – 2/6/06 - Friday
Stage 7 – Whitchurch to Preston via The Wirrall

DAY 6 - 3/6/06 - Saturday
Stage 8 – Preston to Penrith (nr Shap). Detail | Donate | Comment
Stage 9 – Penrith (nr Shap) to Lockerbie. Detail | Donate | Comment

DAY 7 – 4/6/06 - Sunday
Stage 10 – Lockerbie to Hamilton. Detail | Donate | Comment
Stage 11 – Hamilton to Tarbet. Detail | Donate | Comment

DAY 8 – 5/6/06 - Monday
Stage 12 – Tarbet to The Bridge of Orchy. Detail | Donate | Comment
Stage 13 - The Bridge of Orchy to Fort William. Detail | Donate | Comment

DAY 9 – 6/6/06 - Tuesday
Stage 14 – Fort William to Drumnadrochit. Detail | Donate | Comment
Stage 15 – Drumnadrochit to Brora. Detail | Donate | Comment

DAY 10 - 7/6/06 - Wednesday
Stage 16 – Brora to John O'Groats. Detail | Donate | Comment

Route change to allow VIP to participate

Although there is not much commenting going on on this blog :-(, there is a lot going on in the background! A V.I.P. has agreed to participate (more on this later) and this has affected Stage 7 - WHITCHURCH to PRESTON. This will now be the first and only stage on Day 5 (2/6/06) and will go down the Wirral peninsula, along the bottom of the peninsula, cross the Mersey on the ferry and then on up the coast and into Preston (about 100 miles). I will post the exact route shortly.

This means that all subsequent stages will take place a day later and the ride will finish on 7/6/06 (not 6/6/06). This will also mean that we will be cycling through the Great Glen past Loch Ness on my birthday which will be perfect!

The latest version (Version 4) of the intinerary is here: Excel and PDF

I have updated the other posts that are affected by this change.

Value of handle bar Real Estate soars

One thing I was reminded of during the rides yesterday is the importance on having as much space as possible to rest your hands on the handle bars. Mine go numb if I don't keep changing my grip.

I am already constrained by the design of the Moutlton 'bull horn' handle bars (which I like) and by the fact that the front of the bike is starting to look like 'gadget heaven'. I think I have resolved things by fitting an Acor 'Tee Bar'.

For those unfamiliar with this sort of Moulton, the funny things coming out of the end of the handlebars are the brakes and the good 'old fashioned' Dura-Ace gear changer is to the right. I have fitted my trusty Sigma Sport BC800 bike computer in the middle (cheap and cheerful) and the Magellan GPS (not cheap but brilliant especially with the street by street maps loaded) is out in front on the 'Tee Bar' with the bell. I am really pleased with the GPS, not only does it track and record the route and the hills but it now guides me turn by turn along the route.

A decent day of cycling

Today was a break through with more than 75 miles covered (81.3 miles to be precise) in 4 legs: to and from work, a trip around mid/south Warwickshire and once around Draycote Water. OK, the last 11.3 miles were on the tandem with Jane pedalling like mad! Thanks Jane.

Feet: A bit tender (but nothing that a good night's sleep won't cure - I hope)
Bum: Ditto
Hands: OK

I feel I am on my way.

Bike refurb - part 1

Today started with a very good ride into work on my folding bike (Blue Birdy) and ended with me picking up my Moulton from Dan at Pashley's in Stratford with part one of the refurbishment complete. As it happens the bike was in pretty good shape. A few parts need to be ordered (new back sprocket, brake pads, foldable tyre and tubes) and the bike will go back in a couple of weeks time to have these and a new chain fitted as well.

While at Pashley's I saw one of these (see picture). The new-ish TSR (see www.tsr.uk.com) - 30 gears - made my 9 gears look modest by comparison.

I also contacted Shaun Moulton at Alex Moulton Cycles and ordered a larger luggage bag. Shaun is also going to have two replacement wheels to hand in case of emergency! Thanks Shaun.

The most participative ride ever?

To participate in this ride you don't even need a bike!

Here's how you can get involved:
- you can donate to the good cause >more
- you can read the diary, watch the video clips, look at the photos now and as the ride progresses right here
- the diary, video and photos will even come to you if you know about RSS
- you can comment on any of the postings by clicking on the 'Comments' link below each one
- you can offer advice on particular stages or recommend places to stay
- you will be able to download GPS information for each stage from here
- you can also get your bike out and ride!

Top gadget in place!

After considerable internet research I have bought the gadget to guide me! I know from bitter experience that finding your accommodation at the end of a long cycling day when blood sugar levels are low can be exhausting and soul destroying. The Magellan eXplorist should solve this problem. It will also allow you to become a part of the ride and share the pain! It will track my every move and the information on every hill as the ride progresses. And you can read all about it here. Watch this space . . .

PS: But don't just read . . . . please contribute if you can . . . . if you know something about a future stage, please let me know - post a comment on the relevant stage - fore-warned is fore-armed.

Thanks.