A few Memories While I Gather my Thoughts!

We started training for the trip in earnest sometime in the spring after one of the coldest and iciest winters in years.

That meant none of us had done much cycling for several months. I, for one, felt pretty rusty and lacking strength. The others reported similar feelings, although all these things are relative!

I also set out with the intention of equipping myself with a good touring bike for the trip and ideally for most of my training. It's very difficult to switch bikes just before a big ride and it increases the risk of injury when the pressure is on.

So I was reluctant to get stuck into training on my old mountain bike, but I needed some basic fitness, so I decided I just had to get on with it.

Within a month or so of starting fairly regular rides around my Suffolk home, we arranged a trip to the Yorkshire Dales. This was a big step up. It meant carrying some luggage for the first time and taking on hills bigger than anything I'd seen since our coast to coast last September.

That was a wake up, but I survived. Some of those Yorkshire hills are steeper than anything we would meet in the Alps (or so I was told), but much, much shorter.

Getting the miles in was my biggest problem. John and JR managed to do more, but we all felt we needed more time on the bikes. Our wives didn't necessarily agree...

Most of my rides were 20-30 miles. I added one 60-miler and did the Bury Wheel, a 100 mile circuit around Bury St Edmunds in early Summer, but apart from the training weekends I wasn't managing consecutive days on the bike, let alone big distances.

Anyway, with another two trips to the Dales, one to the Cotswolds and only rolling Suffolk hills to test my legs in the meantime, I joined John and JR in Paris on 4th September.

The plan (mine anyway) was to build our fitness further during the first few 'easy' days as we followed the Seine southeast then eastwards from Notre Dame.

In fact, after the first stop-start day out of Paris to a 'closed' camp site, we then faced two days of strong, persistent headwinds, and then the hills started, JR's gears broke, we ran short of food and the weather took a definite turn for the worse...

And we were beginning to fall behind our very testing schedule.

But more on all that next time!

Roy

Oh, Just a Small One, Then

I finally managed a short ride on Monday, in the afternoon sunshine. I wasn't going to be fooled by a strong tailwind, but heading south towards Stanstead I did enjoy the relatively easy going!

I got to Stanstead in a reasonable time, having hardly exerted myself apart from on Hartest hill.

I deliberately took it gently - no point trying to get 'fit' at this late stage - determined to avoid straining anything before the 'off' on Friday.

Coming back against the wind was slightly different, and it was hard not to dig in a couple of times, but I was sensible enough to use the gears more than I usually do on training rides, and arrived home apparently intact.

I have no idea how long the 25 miles took me, apart from the fact it was probably slower than ever before!

Just a few days to go, though...

I'll be updating this blog by email when I can, and possibly from Internet cafes en route. Otherwise I'll be Tweeting by text when I have a phone signal, at @Paris2Venice.

Follow me if you can, spread the word, and don't forget to donate via my Just Giving widgets on this page!

Roy

Still Resting!

It wasn't the plan to take this week off, but cooking mishaps (see below) and horrible weather have conspired to keep me off the bike since last weekend.

Muddy rain splashing on burnt skin is not a good idea.

My back is just about better and I haven't hurt anything else, so I might get out later today if it dries up or, more likely, tomorrow. But I won't be doing any big mileages at this late stage - standard advice is that you can't do much in the last week or so before a big ride that will make much difference, apart from trying to stay loose and not do any damage!

I'm banking rather a lot on the first few days out of Paris being relatively easy, so we'll all have our legs by the time we reach the first real hills.

We'll see!

Roy

Two Weeks on - and Only Seven to Go!

Two weeks after our Dales trip I've finally stolen a few minutes to report on its success!

Now the midge bites have stopped itching and my memories of that horrible couple of hours on Sunday morning have faded, the weekend seems like a great success.

Friday was baking hot - around 30 deg C - when I rode across to meet John just outside Newmarket. That probably took more out of me that I realised at the time, as Sunday morning would reveal.

We did over seventy miles on Saturday, in almost perfect conditions, found all the hills we intended to climb were every bit as steep as expected, and managed to add a few more surprise ones for good measure. One, quite near the end of the day was a real killer, but we all wound our way up it somehow, and reached the hostel sometime around 5.pm.

I borrowed JR's tent and he tested out his bivvy bag. I got the better deal...

We didn't expect quite so many midges in Yorkshire, but they obviously nipped down from Scotland as the headwind died away in the evening, because there were millions of the things that evening and overnight.

Next morning the wind was back to full strength again, rain was on the way and we were headed into both. I struggled, I have to confess. Being fully loaded and battling against that wind on a long climb southwards (actually three climbs before lunch) just about did me in.

Slow progress in the morning meant we decided to cut about ten miles off the planned route.

But it's amazing what some food and drink can do, and the afternoon was fantastic in contrast. There were still some tough climbs, and the final one into Haworth saw me looking very tired as I hit the strong headwind again, but I did it. I know I could have done another twenty miles after another refuel, but we had a long drive home ahead of us.

So we did almost 130 miles in the two days to add to the twenty or so I had done in the sweltering heat on Friday. Not a bad weekend workout!

Roy

How You Can Help

I'm cycling from Paris to Venice in September and raising money for two very deserving causes that each make a massive difference to the lives of the people they support.

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MS Society helps sufferers of MS and their families to cope with the desease as well as helping research into new treatments. Hopefully, they'll find a cure one day soon.

Make a Wish Foundation make dreams come true for hundreds of seriously ill children every year. Both these causes are dear to my heart. I hope they are to yours, too.

Just go to either of my JustGiving pages to donate to your preferred charity >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

PS. Quick update on training. I've covered about 85 miles over the last three days, experimenting a little with eating versus not eating before the ride. Of course, on a long ride we all need to refuel regularly, but the initial hour seems to go a lot better for not eating carbs in the hour or so beforehand. Anyway, training is going well at last, although my old bike has developed a few more creaks. This weekend we'll be tackling the Yorkshire Dales again.

Some More Miles Added

I just did a quick twenty miles yesterday, but it was a useful workout and it felt good to get my legs moving. A little stiffness at first was gone after a mile or two and from then on I felt pretty good.

Even my heavy old bike felt lively without the panniers and I felt stronger on the hills than I have for a while - stronger than after the last Yorkshire Dales trip - so things are going in the right direction.

I had a slight tailwind on the outward leg so I didn't get carried away but I climbed Hartest hill, which is usually a reliable test because it's quite sheltered, as well as I have for a long time.

The return ride, mainly against the wind, felt quite tough but I kept my speed up anyway, to average around 15 mph for both directions. The final hill, which usually feels harder than it looks, didn't drag as it so often does.

All in all, a very satisfying 100 minutes, and very different to Sunday's 100 miles!

Roy

PS. Remember, I'm doing this for charity - for two GREAT causes. You can sponsor me for either the MS Society or Make a Wish Foundation - or both - by clicking on the widgets on the right of this page.

Where Did That Come From?

Sometimes, life brings you a pleasant surprise.

A long, cold and somewhat depressing winter should have left me seriously undertrained. In terms of hours on the bike - approximately nil from late November to mid February - I was.

But just a few rides in the last four or five weeks and I feel much the same, fitness and strength-wise, as I did last autumn. Another 24-25 miler at the weekend was just as encouraging as my ride the week before.

I haven't done any big mileages yet, but I have done two hardish rides back-to-back and was better on day two than day one. Really, I'm quite optimistic for this spring and summer and for September's awfully big adventure.

The Yorkshire Dales trip next month might put me in my place, mind you - 154 planned miles in hillier country than I've ridden since last September will be a test, that's for sure. But I'm up for it!

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UPDATE: I rode again on Thursday, but only twenty miles this time. Feeling a bit jaded and with the hint of a sore throat, I took things a little easier on the outward leg - into the wind again. Once I turned for home though, and properly warmed up now, I again made good time, averaging around 17 mph for the ten miles back to my front door.

I wasn't actually that slow on the outward leg, although I didn't keep an accurate time, but it was probably around 14 mph or thereabouts. So I'm quite happy with a 15-16 mph average speed.

I do need a longer ride soon. Writing this on Sunday, and with a slight hangover, that will probably be tomorrow!

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Now, all I need is a farsighted sponsor or two to cash in on my impending fame and glory for their own selfish ends!

In case you're unclear I NEED A BIKE to do the expedition itself that will carry me and all my kit roughly a thousand miles across France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland and into Italy, via the Alps.

Le Havre to Venice is a long way on the wrong bike - even for two great causes like MS Society and Make a Wish Foundation.

It's easily far enough for a sponsored ride. Nine months' publicity before, during and after (including the Christmas season) is plenty of time to promote the hell out of any business that wants it and isn't either illegal or immoral.

I'll do it. Who's going to help?

Roy

PS Links to the two Just Giving pages are just over there >>

Spreading the Word

As part of my attempts to spread the word and raise local sponsorship for the Paris to Venice ride I've added a couple of Twitter accounts.

@IneedaBike is pretty obvious! I want to give a sponsor, preferably a local one, loads of lovely publicity in exchange for the use of a suitable bike for the six months of training and the ride itself.

@JSmithCycling is where I'll also promote products via my affiliate links for Evans Cycles, Wiggle and Affiliate Window. You'll also see occasional products from Clickbank on there - these always come with a 60-day full money back guarantee, by the way.

Finally, you'll see I've added a Facebook page called 'Pedalling from Paris to Venice' to my account http://www.facebook.com/Roy.Everitt

Add to this my Just Giving pages, clickable from the widgets on these pages, and you've plenty of opportunities to chip in.

Speaking of which, I'll be investigating ChipIn at the first opportunity, too!

Roy

You Can Help by Saving Money

Both Evans Cycles and Wiggle are offering great deals online right now, which means you can save money just by clicking either of their ads on this page.

Better still, you'll be helping the Make a Wish Foundation and /or Multiple Sclerosis Society at the same time.

That's because I get a small commission from every sale through those links and I'll donate 50% of that commission to either or both of those excellent and worthy charities for every purchase between now and September. In case you weren't aware, those are the charities I'm supporting with my Paris to Venice ride.

That's half of almost eight months' worth of commissions. I don't know how long the sales will last or what Wiggle's and Evans' plans are for the rest of the year, but I do know they're both offering some excellent deals at the moment.

It may be end of season for them but I still reckon it's worth getting some winter gear if the cold weather still has you trapped indoors. And if you're going to buy new kit, why not give to a great cause at the same time?

Anyway, have a look. The more you spend, the more you save and the more I, or we, donate!

Roy

PS. When you buy, just tell me which of the charities you'd like to support (or I can split it) and whether you want a mention here and/or on the Just Giving website(s).

And thank you!

Paris to Venice is On!

This time there's no support vehicle so we'll be carrying all our kit

Preparations for Paris to Venice in September have begun in earnest, at least for John C, who's at week-long training camp in Lanzarote. I have a feeling that wasn't how he sold it to his other half, but that's between them!

Meanwhile, in dull and rainy England, we've realised we do actually have to book the time off work, or away from our families, or otherwise just unavailable for more mundain duties. To do that, we need to fix the dates for the trip, and it's looking like 5th to 20th September, or thereabouts.

I've added two Just Giving pages for the event and you'll see the widgets on the right that link to each of them. Naturally, I'll be delighted with any donations for either of my two charities: Multiple Sclerosis Society and Make a Wish Foundation.

I'll be supporting the MS Society again because my dad died after more than 30 years of increasing disability from MS. And I promised a friend I'd give half the proceeds from my next fund raiser to Make a Wish, the brilliant charity that makes children's dreams come true before it's too late.

My father's poor health makes me all the more grateful for my own good fortune, and anything I can do to help rid the planet of that horrible disease is worthwhile.

One more thing: we will need to get home from Venice to various parts of England at the end of the ride. One option is the sleeper train to Paris and then the Eurostar. So if you've any experience of the train services from Italy to Paris, I'd be very grateful for any advice or comments!

I don't think a slow ride home is an option...

Oh yeah. Better get training, too.

Roy