Dry Run (Day 1)

Pierre arrived Bromley around 9:00am so after sorting out bikes etc and a rapid repack by me to try and reduce weight a bit (failed miserably) it was time to go. We left just after 9:30am bound for Ashford (Kent).

The weight of all the camping equipment, clothes etc on my bike (18Kg in total) was a bit weird at first and getting up hills needed a bit of work but things were going well and we were making good progress. I had been nervous about getting up Wrotham Hill but it was easier that I expected. Coffee stop en-route, somewhere on top of a Kent hill was very welcome, picture below.

The sun was shining, the Kent countryside was fantastic and we stopped for lunch in a pub (Five Pointed Star : see http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/31/31429/Five_Pointed_Star/West_Malling ) at West Malling more or less on schedule. A pint (or two) of bitter shandy, a sausage sandwich for me and a Tuna Baguette for Pierre went down really well. In the pictures above and below, my bike is the one with the yellow packs on the back.

After lunch we were hoping the terrain would flatten out a bit – it didn’t. Hill after hill with the odd down hill bit so steep I needed to go slowly to avoid losing control. Pierre went off at some silly speed – 52km/h was mentioned, but not for me. After about 60km out from the starting point, my legs started to lose power – going on the flat was OK, but going up hills was seriously hard work. Around 80km mark, the printed directions proved to be hard to follow (lots of “local roads”,what ever they are), so resorted to GPS. This took us a bit of a roundabout route up Charing Hill (very steep), then down to the campsite. However, getting to the campsite before dark was the important thing at that point.

Next job was putting up the tents for the first time. Now that we had stopped cycling, it was freezing cold so needed to dig out some warm clothes. Tents were soon up (before dark) and then it was off to the pub (the Wheel Inn at Westwell) for a well earned beer and some dinner.

Campsite was a farm with chickens, baby lambs and lots of other animals. Lots of Owls hooting in the evening trees and lots of birds the following morning. Owners of the Campsite were very friendly and amazed we had cycled from London in a day carrying all the camping equipment. Site facilities were reasonable and I reckoned it wasn’t too bad at all. See http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=2732 for more info.

Just before we arrived at the campsite, Pierre had some problems with the rear derailleur gear change on his bike. Further investigation for tomorrow.

Long day today, time for a good nights sleep.

Link showing details of route :

http://sites.google.com/site/joewillisinfo/JW11Apr2010.kml?attredirects=0&d=1

Vital Statistics : 86.5km, average speed 11.4km/h, Max speed 39.3km/h

Dry Run - Packing

Spent this afternoon packing kit for “Dry Run” tomorrow.  At least the weather forecast is good so wet weather gear should not be needed.

Having added up all the weight of the  kit, it  came in at 18kg – way too heavy.

Having tried my bike with the 18kg on board, it was seriously heavy and a bit unstable when starting off.  Here’s hoping  It will be OK, bit nervous about all the weight on the bike and the distance we have to cover tomorrow.

April Showers

Wind blowing a gale, temperature 9C and heavy showers – time for a quick cycle ride.  First trip, 2km (very short) with Guy (a French Friend) to collect a few daffodils.  Second trip 6km with Lorraine to look at a Chateau at Jarze – dark and forbidding, won’t go back there again.  Only just got back before the heavens opened.

So, short trips but proving wet weather and thermal gear works well.

Doing a 165km round trip over two days on 10th, 11th April – now getting scared as have not done anywhere enough training.

Only seven days to 10th April – eek…..

Terrible Weather

Looked out the window this morning and the sky was dark, the wind was howling and the rain was pelting down – perfect me thinks for a test of my wet weather gear.  So after a lunch of Steak Frites and a glass (or two) or red wine, it was off to cycling.  By now the sun had come out and the wind had dropped and it was quite a nice day.  Even so,  Lorraine (a friend) and I set off for a short cycle run with a planned stop at a local bar.  Well the bar was closed and on the way back, dark clouds appeared,  hail stones followed by heavy rain started to fall and the wind got up.  Lorraine got soaked but my wet weather gear seemed to work and I got back reasonably dry.  So a tick in the box for the wet weather kit.

Short run, so vital statistics : Distance 12.8km, average speed 8.1km/h and max speed of 32.1km/h.  (Google Earth) kml file below.

http://sites.google.com/site/joewillisinfo/JW2Apr2010.kml?attredirects=0&d=1

Shopping

Been out shopping over the past days and together with birthday pressies, I (think I) now have all the kit I need for camping and cycling.

We are planning a “Dry Run” on the 10th and 11th April.  Probably cycle down to Ashford, Kent and stay in a campsite there.  This will allow us to check equipment etc actually works and try out cycling with all the kit onboard.  Approx distance 82km each way, so approx 165km round trip over two days.   Here’s hoping the weather will be kind – and I must really do something about starting training.

More details later

Not quite cycling but…

Over in Brittany for a few days and one of the Hotels has a Gym.  So not exactly cycling but it’s an exercise bike.  Did one hour yesterday and 15 mins today plus a bit of swimming in the heated pool.  Also did a bit of hiking over the hillside yesterday and around the beach today.  So sort of training I suppose.

At last – a decent cycle run

Arranged to hire a bicycle this morning as the weather forecast was good.  Temperature was 25 degrees Celsius, winds were light, so a good day for a run. My planned route was a mix of off-road and on tarmac (about 30% off road).  Sun was getting hot, so after a liberal application of sunscreen, it was time to hit the road.

First few K’s in town were on cycle tracks so easy so far.  Then I  moved off road where it was a bit bumpy and rocky and apart from a few 4x4’s I had the track to myself.  Then the sun started getting hotter, the wind got up a bit, the track started getting really rocky and interspersed with sand – even some 4x4’s started having second thoughts.  Cycling on sand was hard, bike sliding a bit and generally unstable.  The (few) towns I passed through were not named and there were no signs.  Lot’s of 4x4 drivers studying maps and trying to work out where they were – thank heavens I had GPS.  So only about 5K’s to the next town so persevere with the sand, potholes and rocks. Then the road turned to tarmac as I passed a lighthouse – relief.   Using my GPS managed to work out the correct route and soon was setting off to pass the volcanoes.  Sun was really hot now, so after covering a bit of distance, stopped off in a roadside bar for an ice cold beer.  Barmaid seem impressed that I had cycled the long way round.

Now moving on to main roads so a bit more traffic and got overtaken by some Germans on flash racing bikes,  my rather clunky mountain bike could not compete.

Now moving on to the home straight on a main road.  Wind was behind me so an easy run back.  A cold beer at the end of the run, followed by a dip in the pool really hit the spot.

Vital statistics : Distance 43km, Duration 3 hours 2 mins, Average speed 14.2km/h, max speed 37.7km/h.

Some pictures taken on route below.  The originals contain Geotags so should show location information.

 

(The small white creature on the saddle is a Teddy Bear (Polar Bear) which accompanied me on the trip).

So where was I?  Look at the KML file (link below) on Google Earth to find out….  First person to comment on this blog with the correct location wins 5 “Cycle Points”

http://sites.google.com/site/joewillisinfo/JW04March2010.kml?attredirects=0&d=1  (You will need Google Earth to view this – see below.  This is a text file, open in Notepad if concerned)

So after 43km I didn't feel too bad.  Legs a bit stiff for an hour or so after the run but recovered quickly.  So a run just under half what we will need to do each day – well it’s a start.