Llanthony Priory

A frosty day on Saturday put paid to my cycling plans but thankfully it was a bit milder today so I set off at around 11am, round the back roads to Abergavenny, up a stinky hill on the Old Hereford Road and through some very pretty lanes, lapping up the scenery and saying hello to several sheep and horses on the way. I arrived red faced and sweaty (lovely) at the Priory just in time for an absolutely fabulous cheese and ham toastie and a cheeky half of pear cider - lush. The ride home was a whizz - the roads I had found a bit of hard work on the way there must have been deceptively uphill, although they looked straight enough to me. Or perhaps it was the cider that gave me a boost. .. I was musing on the way home about the effect that 2 paniers + tent + sleeping bag might have on my ability to manage a decent pace, but in theory by the time I'm fully loaded I should be a bit fitter. On with the training plan then.

Tent!

Very excited - after months of umming and ahhing, I finally committed and ordered a tent - yay! It's super lightweight, has good reviews (well I read at least two) and although there's room for two in theory its all for me me me. Am feeling upbeat and inspired thanks to the fabulous Vogel family - click and read, its just brilliant. Am also thinking I should get into the 21st century and pick up an iphone or something like, to serve as camera / internet / email for the ride, as my lovely camera is sadly too heavy to cart around. Am sure by the time May comes around the next new gadget will be on the market and I could pick up a second hand one for peanuts - or doesn't it work like that...? Also making plans for a weekend-in-wales practice run in April across the Brecon Beacons with my son and husband - lets hope we get on, or it won't bode well for the big ride! Hoping weather warms up a bit tomorrow so I can get out for a decent ride, it's been freeeeeezing cold this week. Fingers and toes crossed...

Free my mind

My poor little brain is suffering from planning overload so I've gone all 1980s career woman and created a mindmap - I feel a little calmer now. Planning now proceeding apace on several fronts:

- PR

- fundraising events

- route and timetable

- equipment: bike, camping and clothing

Need to get that last bit pinned down so I can try packing my panniers, which are still wrapped up in the boot of my car - however I want to get a bit further into the training plan before trying them out, don't want to upset the delicate balance between enthusiasm and despair at this stage.

Clothing's my biggest challenge; getting cold and wet will, I know, be the biggest de-motivator for me. I've always been a wimp on that front and although I can tough it out with gritted teeth on a day ride, that's with a warm bath and cosy bed waiting at the end, which won't be the case on the Big Ride. So far, I have listed one lightweight casual outfit, 3 changes of cycling underwear/tops, waterproof trousers & jacket, 1 pair of leggings and one thermal sleeping outfit. I'll try that in the panniers and see how it goes. As for bike equipment - just how many inner tubes should one take when likely to only hit a bike shop every 4 or 5 days??

As for PR and fundraising - am roping in the help of my younger daughter for a launch party in London in the spring and to spark off some other ideas - that's the thoroughly good fun bit I am looking forward to!

4 and a bit months to go

Righto, festive fun is all done, back to work and on a countdown to May (130 days to be precise - gulp) and the big ride. Had a bit of a mental hurdle to get over to start planning, flipping between excitement and a quiet sense of dread, which was a little tiresome so I'm shaking myself out of it by getting off my arse and doing something about it.

Back on my bike last week on the one day it got a decent amount above freezing and had a good whizz round the lanes and over a few little hills. Changed my gym training to challenge some different muscles, and on the practical front booked our airport car parking.

Things on my essential must-buy list:

• 2 man super lightweight tent (all for me - I need to wriggle)
• extremely lightweight but extremely warm sleeping bag - am thinking down rather than synthetic, as reputedly warmer as long as it doesn't get wet
• maybe some eVENT waterproof trousers - reviews say they are actually waterproof AND breathable, unlike the ones I bought last year for a cool £70 which are useless
• more cycling shorts
• nappy rash cream - no cycling shorts can be that good
• ibuprofen gel

Things on my to-do list:

• Make a list of who to contact to put the word out and get a spot of publicity
• Set up a UK donation website for Brigadoon
• Ask Brigadoon if we can call in on them on route through Aylesford
• Review the route map and work out where we'll be when in case anyone wants to join in the fun
• Double check the campsites
• Plan a fund raising / launch party in London
• sort out a bike rack for our buddy Chris to transport us from Halifax to Cape Breton / Clarks island back to Halifax

That'll do for now I think.

Cabin Fever

I do love the snow, but its cramping my style... Christmas decorating is on hold due to kitchen remodelling rendering the rest of the house a temporary storage area, my bum is numb from being marooned on the sofa with my laptop for what seems like days on end, my brain is numb from working all day on said laptop and I can't even remember the last time I went out on my bike. Hubby kindly fixed up his bike on the turbo trainer in the greenhouse for me yesterday evening - my wheels don't seem to fit - and I slogged away a happy half hour or so, but its not quite the same as hitting the road. Went for a brisk walk at tea time along the canal to clear the cobwebs and came back for tea and crumpets which cheered me up. Roll on spring time and the open road!

Well that was the understatement of the year...

Cold? It was positively tropical compared to the -10 glowing on my dashboard while driving to work yesterday. But it is oh so pretty and very festive so I'm not complaining, although over here in Wales we haven't had the fun and games going on in the rest of the UK. Personally I love getting snowed in but I sympathise with those poor souls stranded on motorways for hours and hours through the night, and for anyone who's old cold and lonely. Quick rant here - why oh why is the media falling over itself to relay doom and gloom and to flash up in neon lights the country's inability to cope, when it could be helping us to find our fighting spirit and get to grips with things? Apart from a few tiny tales of heroism (actually only one that I've heard - a farmer ferrying midwives to work on his tractor) its all 'look at other countries coping so well, aren't we rubbish?'. Where are the public information campaigns with tips for safe driving, how to keep warm indoors, alternative ways of working, helping out friends and neighbours, and so on? Where is the inspiration we need to pull ourselves together? Grrrrr. End of rant. And as for cycling - its back in the gym for me, I fall off enough when its not even slightly frosty. But very soon it will be Christmas and not long at all until May and long happy days traversing Nova Scotia on my trusty bike - yippee!

Brrrrrr....

It's COLD! And wet and windy and very slippery. The countryside looks amazing, mysterious misty mornings, sparkling frosts and colours galore, but boy is it hard getting out of bed at 6am and pulling on layer after layer to keep the frostbite at bay. Fell off en route to work a couple of weeks ago, darkness and a carpet of leaves hid the edge of the path so off I wobbled and then skidded frantically before hitting the tarmac - those leaves didn't do much to cushion the impact! Which all seems to have dented my confidence a bit, although heaven knows I should be used to falling off by now, I do it often enough. It was my birthday on Sunday and a lovely day so we went for a pootle along the canal, cut short when my lovely husband mentioned that, given the time of day and my slow progress, we would be returning in the dark. With my second rate lights, mud, leaves and a cold dark canal lurking menacingly -no, not brave enough. But a lovely birthday anyway, and very pleased with my new Flip, which will come in dead handy for a video diary of our big bike ride in a few months time!