With 5 days to go until I set off to cycle the length of Britain, I thought it was time for an update on what’s been going on and what I have left to do before Sunday morning.
Route
As most of you know in prep for this cycle ride I had to book hotels in both directions so that I could leave the decision until as late as possible based on the wind conditions. I will provide a more in depth update on the weather later in this post. So the decision has been made, as per blog title “JOGLE” is on! I will be cycling from the most northerly point of Britain to the most southerly point. Now everyone that has this ride on the bucket list, or anyone that has completed the ride always say the standard joke, “well its all downhill isn’t it”. I know this is an old saying but there is something psychological about cycling in the other direction and feeling like its all uphill. So I will be taking about little win where I can as no doubt it will be something I think about daily during the ride. The main other reasons I have picked to start up in Scotland is based on weather, scenery and ease of commute back. Apparently John o’ Groats has little to nothing on offer, so the thought of finishing up there was always a negative one. Another couple of contributing factors is the scenery on offer as I head through Cornwall, really looking forward to the final 120 miles or so from Okehampton on the 14th July (feel free to come say hi if you’re near by). Finally, the distance to drive home, getting to the start point will probably consist of a 10 hour drive, something that we would rather do on the way up rather than the end. Land’s End to home will be half that time on World Cup Final day, will I make it back in time to see England lift the the trophy?
Weather
When planning this ride and booking hotels in either direction, the main reason was due to the wind conditions. Now the met office forecast only goes as far as 5 days, so I have been monitoring this daily across the last couple of weeks to see if there was any pattern to the wind direction, the answer is no! The wind swirls round the island and tends to come and go in either north or south direction. So I decided to message the met office and see if any of the team could predict further than the 5 days online. They responded and told me they couldn’t predict further, although did confirm that based on the current hot weather the wind is likely to be less than normally and very light. This has made me feel a little more comfortable with the idea of starting in Scotland. The weather forecast for the next 10 days is looking hot, hot, hot! Even in Inverness where I settle at the end of day 1 is a whopping 22 degrees, there was me thinking Scotland had potential to be cooler and that ill need arm warmers and a gilet! The rest of the ride looks to be high 20’s for the whole time, sun lotion is at the ready.
Training
My training has been going well, having to include additional swim sessions and runs due to Alpe D’Huez triathlon at the end of the month, it hasn’t been all pedal power. My legs are feeling a little heavy today though post a weekend of run and cycle, so I may need to re think my planned run this week as I was meant to get up to 10km. I will be discussing this with my masseuse tomorrow to see what is best. These final few days will include a couple of swims, watt bike session, little run and World Cup viewing.
Prep Time
This may well be my final blog post prior to me getting to the hotel on Saturday night. The rest of this week will consist of me planning my routes for each day, packing clothes and giving Camilla a little clean. I have already been to the supermarket and bought some essentials for the trip, 50 litres of water purchased, massive bag of salted peanuts and multi bag of Haribo, along with my typical ride nutrition powders and gel shots. Now to just prepare for the long car journey up north on Saturday, and fingers crossed look for somewhere to watch England win a Quarter Final! #itscominghome
I Just Felt Like Cycling 