Hints And Tips
For anyone considering a similar trip, some wise words from old man rich.
1. Don't do it. There are much better ways of spending your holidays. Trust me, find a nice hotel on a tropical beach and take a good book. Long distance cycling is for idiots.
2. Do some research. At first glance it seems sensible to go North - South. Its not. Its into the wind. Your going to be bloody miserable enough without that.
3. Do some training. If you've not been on a pushbike for more than 10 minutes in the last 20 years assuming that you can cycle 50 miles a day still is an error. Also note that sitting in a pub in cycle shorts is not training.
4. Get sponsored. Not only do you raise some money for good causes but it makes it hard to chicken out on day two. The only thing more depressing than cycling long distances is cycling long distances and then giving up.
5. Know what a bottom bracket is. Not just so you have some idea of how to fix your bike if it falls apart but also because your fellow cyclists main topic of conversation appears to be bottom brackets. (and no, I have no idea what one is).
6. I had seven gears. Three were superfluous. Most bikes these days seem to have about three hundred gears, disk brakes, computers and weird suspension. This will all go wrong at some point.
7. Wear the padded shorts and gloves. Yes, you'll look like a tit, but lets face it if your going to do this you are a tit. Trust me, the pain will be much reduced by some good shorts and gloves.
8. Assume that most car drivers are out to kill you.
9. Take plenty of imodium. You may have the best constitution in the world but at some point you will get the runs. This is not good on a bike.
10. And finally, good luck. it will hurt, it will be miserable, it will be grim. You will finish and discover there is no great feeling of achievement or triumph, just a relief that the pain has stopped. But time passes, memory fades and eventually the bike will lure you out once more.
1. Don't do it. There are much better ways of spending your holidays. Trust me, find a nice hotel on a tropical beach and take a good book. Long distance cycling is for idiots.
2. Do some research. At first glance it seems sensible to go North - South. Its not. Its into the wind. Your going to be bloody miserable enough without that.
3. Do some training. If you've not been on a pushbike for more than 10 minutes in the last 20 years assuming that you can cycle 50 miles a day still is an error. Also note that sitting in a pub in cycle shorts is not training.
4. Get sponsored. Not only do you raise some money for good causes but it makes it hard to chicken out on day two. The only thing more depressing than cycling long distances is cycling long distances and then giving up.
5. Know what a bottom bracket is. Not just so you have some idea of how to fix your bike if it falls apart but also because your fellow cyclists main topic of conversation appears to be bottom brackets. (and no, I have no idea what one is).
6. I had seven gears. Three were superfluous. Most bikes these days seem to have about three hundred gears, disk brakes, computers and weird suspension. This will all go wrong at some point.
7. Wear the padded shorts and gloves. Yes, you'll look like a tit, but lets face it if your going to do this you are a tit. Trust me, the pain will be much reduced by some good shorts and gloves.
8. Assume that most car drivers are out to kill you.
9. Take plenty of imodium. You may have the best constitution in the world but at some point you will get the runs. This is not good on a bike.
10. And finally, good luck. it will hurt, it will be miserable, it will be grim. You will finish and discover there is no great feeling of achievement or triumph, just a relief that the pain has stopped. But time passes, memory fades and eventually the bike will lure you out once more.
posted by Old Man Rich at 5:08 AM
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