Why Dont You Drive Instead?

A question I often get asked is 'why by bike?'. It's hard to sell the idea of bicycle touring to a non-cyclist. The idea of cycling to the local shops is often a frightening thought to them. So upon hearing of my upcoming 4500 mile journey, they damn near explode trying to process it. Truth is though, the physical act of biking 60+ miles a day is often the easiest part.

Yes I could drive and probably complete the journey in a few weeks as opposed to a few months but where would the fun be in that. Driving at 50 mph the scenery just passes you by in a blur and is gone in an instant. Whereas on a bike going 10mph you are a part of the scenery and you appreciate it a whole lot more. You smell the smells, hear the sounds and feel the wind, rain and sun upon your face.

Travelling by bike means you are exposed to a whole lot more and are instantly accessible to the local people. Who are often curious about the crazy guy on a bike and are only too willing to help you out and wish you luck.

On my last tour countless people came up to me just to ask where I was headed and helped me with directions, I had beers brought for me, food and drink given to me, a pair of cycling shorts donated to me and even a handful of condoms given to me for 'the Scandinavian girls' as he put it. I never got the opportunity to use them sadly.

I had a much richer experience by travelling on a bike and I still think about that tour almost everyday and it was 8 months ago. I don’t think I’ve thought of any other form of holiday that I've had for more than a week after returning. I am officially hooked for life.

Shakedown Tour to Llangollen - Wales

It was the coldest Easter weekend in Britain for the past 25 years. It brought with it ferocious winds, relentless hailstorms and intrepid snow showers. The first day of spring would not have felt out of place in the Arctic. Well it'll be good practice for the Arctic I told myself.

Me and Lee decided to go on a weekend tour to Wales to test ourselves and our gear. We covered 40 miles each way. I can assure you it was absolutely freezing, dont think it got above 5 degrees C all day and it must have dipped below freezing at night

My bike performed faultlessly, it handled well, felt stable and just ate up the miles. I was very impressed with the ortlieb panniers. As for my body it to performed quite well, my legs felt strong and the cold didn't really bother me too much. Going up the training closer to departure just to be sure.

Lee suffered a puncture on his bike and we later found that his back wheel was buckled causing the back brake to rub along the wheel. So he did extremely well to keep up.

I have got a Coleman Avior X2 tent for the trip. It claims to be a 2 person tent but it was a very tight squeeze. It's perfect for 1 man though. So Lee will bring his own tent for the big trip.

New Bike - Anna

Purchased a new bike a while ago for this summers tour. Thought I would post some pics. She shall be decked with tubus racks, ortliebs panniers on the back and carridance on the front.

Current Situation

Many moons have past since my last post, many sleeps slept, many many hours worked. In a previous post I mentioned that I was thinking of going on another bike tour. Well I am definately going on another bike tour. I couldn't think of a single reason not to.

Olso to Istanbul via the Arctic is the plan, I land in Oslo on June 8th, from there it is 4,500 miles to Istanbul. I shall have a bit of company this time around though. I am meeting a friend in Tampere, near Helsinki on July 22nd. So I have 42 days to complete 2,200 miles and you know what I can't wait.

You can see a rough version of my route here http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l137/elduderino12/europe-map1-1.jpg

Things to take next time, that I didn't take last time.

Travel pillow, gloves, head torch, cycle computer with altimeter, thermometer, spare inner tube, extra pair off cycling shorts, mini washing line, bike stand?, duct tape, spare spokes,

The Tour

Not long ago returned from my first bike tour, from England to Denmark. View the route here http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1396782. There were some tough times but overall I loved it, seeing a country on a bicycle is just unbeatable. You go fast enough to actually go places, but slow enough to smell the roses and be a part of the scenery. I loved the sense of adventure, the absolute freedom and the demand of getting places under my own steam.

I've got itchy feet to do another trip, at the minute I'm thinking of doing this next summer http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1396937, just depends on how much money I can save.

This was the bike I did it on. Russell aka The Black Panther.

Laters Sammy Lee

So Little Sam and Bolton have finally parted company, to be honest it has been a long time coming. I was one of the few who had faith that he could turn it around. After the way we played against Chelsea I thought our season was back on track. Guess we'll never know. I would like to see Paul Jewell appointed as soon as possible, think he would be perfect and would see us finish mid-table.

My tips:-

Paul Jewell
Aidy Boothroyd
Peter Reid
Gary Speed (?)