Race manual issue 2

The final issue of the race manual has thrown up a few interesting little facts that had eluded me previously. Like this one...France has made it illegal for cyclists to wear headphones from the 1st July.

It would under most circumstances seem a no brainer, except that a.) when you're cycling for 18- 20 hours a day, a little light relief goes a long way and b.) just because you can hear the car behind you, is absolutely no guarantee that they are either going to give you a wide berth or indeed make any allowance for your presence at all. Begs the question. If you're going to get blown off your bike by a passing truck, why not make it a surprise whilst listening to Stairway to Heaven.

I jest. Please do give me some room.

I booked my train tickets from the Hook of Holland to Geraardesbergen, but have no assurance that I can take my bike on the train. The only exception being the possibility that I have to take it to bits and box it up first! I think I'd rather cycle into Belgium.

I also visited Boots trying to find the smallest packets of wet wipes, suntan cream, sudacrem
and toothpaste. In the end, I actually emptied the toothpaste tube, washed it out and filled it full of chain oil, thereby reducing the volume for that item by threefold. I also wound half a roll of black electrical tape around the seat post, reducing the volume of that item by over half.

Space of course is only half the equation. The danger of making space is that you fill it with more stuff. Stuff that you don't really need. The issue is really about weight and although as someone pointed out to me last year, that chopping your toothbrush in half is pointless, cutting a lot of thing in half, suddenly adds up. Remember all those hills that everything you carry has to be dragged up too.

Another 40 miles this evening in light drizzle. Not too many more miles to go, but by then I will have passed through 4500 miles of training and I guess that that will have to do.