Monday 29 April 2013

Final run out

SUNDAY and a final run out before packing the bike ready for the ride. Down to Weston early in the morning.  The tide is in (nice) but so is the sun (not so nice) so a bit of a chill and a nagging north easterly wind which I sincerely hope has eased off by next week.  Nothing worse than riding into a wind.

Saturday 27 April 2013

Getting fit

Both Steve and I are what I would term irregular regular cyclists. Cycling is mostly a weekend activity with occasional longer trips so both of us have been trying to cram in some extra miles to ensure at least a level of fitness that will see us through the first few days. (Stephanie ensures me that we will ride ourselves fit. Nice concept but.......)

Mine, nice road surface.....

Steve's, looks a lot smoother..


Dramatic contrast between Steve's training environment in the foothills of southern Spain and mine in the Mendip Hills. .

Wednesday 24 April 2013

finally the route

Essential Tea and cakes stops-Cornwall 2011
Time constraints meant that we needed to map a fairly direct route. It was agreed that an average of 75 miles a day was about right for us, allowing sufficient time each day for a decent lunch stop and essential (for me) tea and cake breaks.

I used earlier experience of the South West Way ride to plot a route over the first 3 days that, hopefully, avoids most of the main roads and the worst of the Devon hills, arriving home in Axbridge, Somerset for our third night. From Axbridge its over to Chepstow and a couple of leasurely 50 mile days north through Welsh Border country arriving in Tarporley, Cheshire for night 6.  Then the tricky bit picking our way through the urban areas of Widnes and Warrington to Garstang and then Shap for night 8. Then its Moffat, Inverlochy to Fort William for night 12. Finally Dingwall, Helmsdale and finally JOG on day 15.

We have booked Easyjet flights home and the bikes will follow by courier which I think is a bargain deal at £35 per bike. It would cost that much as Easyjet baggage and then would they have to survive the tender attentions of airport baggage handlers.   

and the bike


For the ride I have decided to use my late fathers 1938 Holdsworth.  The bicycle was actually in a very sorry state, but following Dad’s passing in 2009 I decided that it would be fun to rebuild the cycle to its original specification. I only had, as a guide, a photograph taken around 1939 and a memory of Dad saying that when new it had been finished in dark green.

The internet allowed me to track down many of the parts that I needed and, after sending the frame to Dave Yates Cycles for repairs and a repaint, (Dave made a lovely job of it http://www.daveyatescycles.co.uk  )  the rebuild was completed. (actually, it took rather a long time, but that's another story..) The only departure from the original specification was the fitting of a 3 speed Sturmey Archer hub gear to compliment the 1930's 3 speed derailleur gear. This delivers a much wider range of gears to deal with hills that have clearly got a lot steeper since I was young!!  and I reasoned that the change was very much a period modification. Finally, I replaced the 26 X 1¼ wheels with 26 X 1 3/8 as tyres for this size rim are more readily available, and as I intended to use the Holdsworth regularly this was an important consideration. The results look bang on and my only regret is not having carried out the work while Dad was still with us.  I hope he would have approved.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

and in the far corner


My fellow traveler for the LEJOG Steve. Steve and I go back to 1967 when, as two 16 year olds fresh from school we met as newly recruited apprentices in the RAF, posted to Cosford near Wolverhampton for our training. So started a lifetime friendship encompassing  many adventures and mis adventures   Steve now lives in southern Spain so he has had considerably better weather to get practice miles in than I have had in the UK during an appalling winter.  If he is much fitter than me he can carry my bags...



Decision made


It has been my ambition to ride LEJOG for many years, but when, in 2011 my daughter, Stephanie and her soon to be husband, Arthur, completed the ride in stunningly good weather in early May I decided that my effort could be delayed no longer. Plus, now in my 60's, (OK,  I know, its the new 50's) I could not continue to take for granted that the ride was something I could put off until another year.  So, I bit the bullet, announced to all and sundry that I would do the ride (no going back after that) and started studying the maps.  

Taking the lead from Stephanie and Arthur I too decided to complete the ride in early May 2013, which is now just a couple of week away, so the decision to start this blog is a little late in the day, but the plan is to load updates daily from my smartphone, so providing family and friends news on progress, straight from the saddle, so to speak.