Category Archives: General blogs…

General rants about this and that

Thanks for all the donations!

I finally got the time this morning to send hundreds of emails to friends, colleagues and family and the response has been amazing! So many people have been so generous, it’s really quite amazing, and humbling, in fact. So I just wanted to say a huge thanks to everyone for their support and I can’t wait to set off on Sunday and begin the epic journey!

As for the last minute preparations, well there is still lots to do but I managed to get the bike cleaned and serviced and fit the improved lugs that Azzurri kindly sent me. I also fixed up my MTB which I will be taking as a spare. I started going over the route again and downloading the parts to my iPhone, and printing small day by day maps I can take as a backup. Just need to finish that off tomorrow and get everything together before we hit the road!

Thanks again for the support – it means a lot!!

High viz kit

I started  getting a little concerned about how visible I was to drivers the other week, especially as I keep hearing stories about cyclists being hit by cars. I decided I needed some fluorescent kit. So I ordered a Montane Featherlite Velo jacket for a start. This is a truly excellent shell to have with you – it packs down into a tennis ball size bag and yet is comfortable, water resistant and highly fluorescent. Trouble is that I would only be wearing this if it was colder or wetter weather. The standard issue Shipham top that I wear is orange but its still not eye catching enough. I had a search around and came up with a high viz vest type thing make my Brookes. Its light as a feather and wont make any difference to your temperatures, but it has fluorescent netting and large reflective panels. Just the job. So I am now pretty much kitted out. I’m tempted to go even further with some fluorescent reflective strips on the seat stays…

For the next two months I’ll be mostly consuming Sci-Mix and Tangfastics!

Lee gave me a tub of Sci-Mix Recovery powder for my birthday (we call it ‘cheating powder’ at the club) which I thought I may as well give a try. I’m not really into these supplement powders but I was finding myself a little knackered the day after training, and amazingly it really helped that problem. If you take it the moment you come back then you definitely feel less knackered the next day, as it supplies your body with the stuff if needs right then, rather than your body taking that from your own tissues.

Anyway.

So I ran out. I figured I would get some more, and since the tub i got last time was only half full I went for twice the weight (assuming they would completely fill it this time). Wrong. It just came in an even bigger tub, and we are talking HUGE. So, I apologise in advance to my wife for when she comes back from work and sees that I have taken over even MORE of the house with my bike bits and pieces.

But yes, my strategy for training rides is simple: Tangfastics half way around and some of the magic powder when you get back. Sorted. By the way, it just dawned on me that readers who dont know better might think I am referring to an illicit substance when I say ‘magic’ powder. Its not that exciting I’m afraid, and boringly available over the counter as its just a mix of protein and carbs and vitamins and stuff.

A recovery weekend!

I would have liked to have gone for a long training ride this weekend, but it just wasnt to be! I have put this one down to a recovery phase – it is important to have a day or two here and there to allow your body to recover from the training you do. This week I need to write letters to the major hotel chains (i.e. travel lodge etc…) to see if they are interested in supporting the challenge. Fingers crossed!

I’ve found the charity: Somerset Sight!

I didnt particularly want to raise money for a huge organisation and not know what the money would be used for, yet I had been struggling to find a local charity that I felt I could get to know a little for this challenge. Luckily Pete suggested an organisation he found on the Charities Commission’s website, called ‘Somerset Sight’ and I thought they might fit the bill in terms of size and what they do. My grandfather was mostly blind and also very deaf, and I was always amazed at how positive he always was and how much he managed to achieve. I seem to remember that he always liked listening to talking books and that he had some regular help from local volunteers. I think its super important for people who have lost their sight to be able to get on with things despite their disability, and there are some great charities out there who help this happen.

I phoned up Somerset Sight yesterday to have a chat, and got through to Lina Bridges who suggested I come and and see the facilities and hear about what they do. So I snuck out at lunch to go visit them, stupidly letting the satnav take me through Pilton on the way (oops – Glastonbury Festival), and had a good long chat with Lina (pictured left) and Linda (director) about the way they support people with sight loss and where their funding comes from. As I was sat there talking to them about their structure and funding I did think for a moment that if I had a camera videoing the whole thing they might think they were on the Secret Millionaire (sorry thats not the case, Lina). One of their biggest assets is the large facility they operate from, which is a grand old house in Taunton that has recently been updated. They organise and run a great deal of leisure activities all over the counties, and provide services and training, and have computer facilities loaded with the latest software for the visually impaired. The most interesting part for me was their Resource shop, which has everything in it that a person with partial or no sight could possible need from talking clocks to devices which tell you the colour of a garment, to amazing computer systems which scan and redisplay articles in large black and white format. Impressive.

Anyway, it seems that like a lot of charities, Somerset Sight are finding fundraising difficult in these hard times, so I decided that if the sponsorship money raised from my challenge could help then it would be a very worthy cause. I was thinking about how important sight really is to us, I mean seriously, think about all the best times you have had in your life, I bet in most of those what you saw was a pretty important factor? And then just imagine going about your daily life not being able to see what was around you, where you were, who was at the door etc.. It just doesn’t bear thinking about. I think that sight based charities are probably under-represented when compared to many others, yet it seems that organisations like Somerset Sight can make a real and very genuine positive difference in peoples lives.

I have made a page on the virgin money giving website, which means you can easily donate sponsorship money which will go straight to Somerset Sight, and I’ll get a link to that page soon. And don’t worry, nearer the time, I will be pestering YOU for your money ;-). I’ll also put up more information about Somerset Sight and their upcoming events on one of the main pages here.