End of the beginning
"Now, this is not the end, It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning'" W. Churchill November 1942
The planning is over and the journey is about to start.
This week started with the Tor Divide which as expected was a grueller. 200km sounds kind of ok but when you mix in limited stops, rain, chilly temperatures lots of gravel and night riding, it was a real effort that saw me seeking refuge from the pouring rain in a (some have said) ‘posh’ bus shelter. It wasn’t posh and there was no heating - it did however give me full cover from the deluge and allowed me to set up my bivvy and sleeping bag in the dry. A few hours kip later and I was able to finish at 8:20 the next morning. Times haven’t been validated yet but that should put me at around 24 hrs and 10 minutes. Not as impressive as last year but I was still delighted to be a finisher after the poor conditions saw many riders scratch.
A chance to visit up North for some goodbyes and a couple of school assemblies has filled this week along with (as predicted) the final pack, and repack, and just a small adjustment, and another repack and a final adjustment followed by a reshuffle to collect essential items for the ferry crossing into a thin ruc-sac. I have checked through my packing lists and can confirm that I have everything that I planned to take but it turned out to be too much. I had added some tins of fish, pasta and a number of small food items as a basic stock but this was all very heavy and bulky - had to go. A friend (thanks Steve) had bought me a super memory foam pillow which I have used and found to be excellent - too bulky - had to go. I had planned to take a small teapot and a jar of loose tea for a luxury brew in the mornings - too bulky - had to go. I had realised that my drone (courtesy of Ethan) would have to be posted back at some point because Uzbekistan and India have strict policies that ban the use of drones but to cut down weight and bulk I’ll use it to film our ‘grande depart’ only. I had included an old but really thick and warm down jacket for cold days but that has been swapped for a thinner down jacket. I dare not weigh the full set up but I am confident that it’s trimmed down to the minimum that I can feel comfortable with.
Day one looms and I will be accompanied by Ethan, Steve and Gordon. Ethan is along for the ride to Hull and Steve and Gordon are joining for the first few days in the Netherlands before returning for work. The weather is set to be scorchio; sun cream is packed and short shorts plus T shirts selected.
Nothing more to do but chill tomorrow, take Luna, our dog for a last walk and be ready for an early start on Saturday. I’ll do a live feed on FB using my Cycle Touring https://www.facebook.com/share/19nNwFAc6F/?mibextid=wwXIfr profile so watch out for that around 8:00 am (ish).
Thanks again for following.
Looking forward to following you virtually every pedal stroke of the way. Bon Voyage!
So looking forward to seeing your journey & places I’ve never seen. Most of all, take care so you can bore me face to face with all the details when you get back 😉.