It’s looking like March will be one of the driest months on record (in the UK). Buoyed by the good cycling weather and with typical English optimism / hubris / stupidity, have recently planned to have my very own ‘micro-adventure’ starting next week, when I’ll attempt to cycle from Canterbury to Stoke-on-Trent.

Obviously, the wettest April since Noah decided to open a floating branch of Longleat is forecast…

I had originally promised myself that when the winter months were slowly receding into memory, that I would head out on a short but sweet tour of the famous breweries of Belgium. A few too many debauched nights on the ‘Leffe’ had convinced me of the neccessity to undertake such a trip.

However, I recently found out that my passport had expired -and so the booze cruise of Belgium will have to wait until my shiny new biometric, 1984, thought crime, tracking device/passport arrives.

The opportunity to gain much needed spring fitness, and a desire to re-affirm that England still remains an incredibly attractive and rewarding place to cycle meant that a mini-trip was still very much on.

I expect that the trip will take 4 days, with evening stop-overs in London, Bedford and Birmingham along the way.
(Having family and friends positioned equidistant along the route ensures a cheap and hopefully very cheerful few days riding!)

Mileage is looking to be 240-250 miles, and the amount of training done for this ride is… zero. (Planning for the ride so far has involved thumbing through an old AA road map, and buying a new chain)

I do hope that I haven’t under-estimated the demands of the ride. I feel that I know my way around the roads in the UK well enough, and have several back-up plans if neccessary (jumping on the train being the one that first springs to mind. Phoning for a lift from my good wife a close second!).

However, if the weather turns really bad, the 60+ mile days could turn into a very rude awakening and not very much fun at all.

A friend and his brother cycled from London to Stoke a few years back, and raised a staggering £6000+ for charity (plus getting their photo in the local newspaper – ‘The Sentinel’). I think I need to inquire as to their PR and profile raising techniques; dragging my bike up the slopes of the Pico Veleta had nearly killed me, but raised less than a tenth of their London to Stoke ride!

Anyway, it’s all good experience, and I’m looking forward to being back on the bike proper, after a long winters abscence.

Will keep you posted.

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