The summer has gone so fast and yesterday - 29 July - meant that there's just one month to go until I start cycling away from Land's End on 29 August. Despite being fitter than I've ever been, I don't feel ready. I wonder if one ever does?
The packing has been done and now the tweaking and sorting of gear has begun. The panniers weigh about 6 kgs each, the tent 2.5 kgs in its waterproof bag and the front bag another 2 kgs. 17-odd kgs plus the weight of the bike plus two water bottles... it's a lot. I've gone through my washbag, first aid kit and clothes bag and taken out luxuries like soap and spares. I cannot carry heavy food and will have to buy it on route - or eat out. Even things like the sunglasses case, the case for my headtorch and the stuffsack for my sleeping bag have been left out.
The route planning is still a work in progress; I've made it as far as Derbyshire so far. The tricky bit is aiming for 60 miles and finding a campsite nearby at the end of the day, leading to some days which are a lot shorter and some a lot longer. One day's ride is a proposed 72 miles ... I'll have to see about that! The training is in full swing and I'm doing well over 100 miles per week with full gear as well as the run and swim plus the usual daily life stuff that is necessary. At least if I cycle to work it only takes an hour longer than normal (there and back) so doesn't significantly add to my day. But I am getting rather bored of the same roads.
I think all the technical gear is in place - this includes a new Cateye bike computer, as my current one, which I will admit was very cheap, has a distressing habit of resetting itself on long journeys, which is a bit bad if you want to add up the week's mileage. Thirty days to go now, so much still to do... but come 29 August, ready or not, I need to start cycling!
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