Spot the Hedgehog

www.justgiving.com/john-bakewell

Thanks to the sponsorship by Supernova http://supernova-lights.com/ of the TCR and its riders, I have jumped into the world of modern dynamo powered lighting.

The provision of an independent power source that does not rely on a constant source of batteries and charges my GPS and phone into the bargain will be invaluable. Navigation and the ability to keep you all posted via this blog will be assured, as will the spotting of hedgehogs,        potholes and drunks with the E3 Pro 2 front light.

 I shall have a new wheel built to take the dynamo that will allow for complete interchangeability with the existing wheel. The Canyon Inflite's minimum spoking configuration did not allow for the fitting of the hub dynamo into the existing wheel, but the quality and power of these lights makes them an excellent choice for long distance night time riding.

Not wanting to do a less fortunate hedgehog impression I have completed the set with the E3 seatpost rear light and expect to be seen from afar.

Chicken pen construction and sponsorship from a tattoo removal man.

You never know where the next good deed might lead, so it's always worth offering  a helping hand whenever you can.

With an impending house move just around the corner, I had been forced to give away my 6 faithful and productive hens. It is surprising how much paraphernalia goes with a few chooks and so I was really delighted when Phil agreed to transplant their run and palace (cluckenham palace) to the field behind his house.

For the last two weeks, we have carefully dismantled and then reconstructed the pen and moved the hen house two miles down the road. I shall remain on standby when the new birds arrive as non-expert foul consultant and be forever grateful to Phil and Lindsey and their tattoo removal business for the enormously generous sponsorship of the Alzheimer's Society and the Supernova hub dynamo that is now on order.

Two miles short!

The 59 miles prior to reaching my father this morning, were, in the end part of a total of 134 that I completed today. I am of course pleased to be stretching the distance, but could not hide the disappointment at being two miles short of my farthest daily tally of 136.

Two summers previous I had set out to attempt to ride non-stop from St David's, Wales, to Lowestoft. A total of 360 odd miles, I was to travel just ahead of a team of guys from the East of England Ambulance Trust, cycle Paramedics based in Norfolk. As a fund-raiser organised by Darren Rutterford, the Team Lead,  (pictured below,) they were covering the distance as a relay. Four cyclists per team. Two teams.

http://www.cycleresponseunit.co.uk/

I was confident since they planned to give themselves 48 hours to reach their goal, that I could stay ahead of them. They said that if they got ahead of schedule, they would stop to raise money and talk to the locals on the way. What I did not account for was the 'red mist' of the blue light drive that descended on them the minute they started to ride. By Hereford at 3 the following morning, after riding all night, they

caught me up. With my rescue plan now about to leave me behind, I had no choice but to quit and fell in with them. 136 miles in one hit, therefore, remains my longest day.....to date.

Nice Legs....apparently

I dropped into see my father part way around my training ride today. It was a beautiful if cool day and the sunrise coming across from home to Beccles was stunning. A light mist clung to the fields and the bright orb of the sun appeared to visibly ascend and brighten, even as I thought about stopping to take a picture.

Head down, I carried on.

The decision to change the saddle, despite its weight has definitely been the right one. It might be a pound or two heavier, but the comfort far outweighs the.....weight. This was never about ultra light in any case. There are still things to add to the bike, all of which will take it further away from a road-racing machine, but it will, I hope, be equipped to last the distance and rigours of the Transcontinental.

I journey to Bungay and then Beccles, before heading East to Westleton. By 08:45 I was sat with my dad in the morning sunshine, in the courtyard outside his room. He smiled to see me. That million dollar moment of recognition, that makes each and every stop worth every ounce of effort.

It interests me that within the confusion, I know that I can still say, I heard a Nightingale this morning on my way over', or, 'the Swallows are back' and he will make the connections. He said that he thought that he had seen a Swallow too, outside his room and I am certain that he had.

As children and teenagers we had spent many happy weekends frequenting the birdwatching way-points of East Anglia and it gives solace that we can still communicate through this love of wildlife and an experience shared.

I took him back inside and was assaulted by one of the lady residents who spotting my be-licrad legs cried, 'Oh my, look at those legs!' You're mine!' She said, and shortly thereafter and every two to three minutes, 'they are some legs!'

Take your pick. I'm obviously the one on the left.

The stable

Ha ha. Since I keep talking about 'The Horse' and 'The Stable', I thought that you might like to see it.

Since I am not about to leave this bike in a shed, for fear of losing it, here she is in her....'stable.' In the kitchen. For those of you wondering how that goes down with at home, I hasten to say that it was Mrs B's idea. Result!

340 Miles in the week and a sore butt.

What the heck does the Reedham Ferry have to do with the price of bread? Well quite frankly nothing, but then on a beautiful Wednesday morning, I wasn't buying bread.

I was, however, part way through my second hundred in a week and beginning to feel as though training had turned serious at last.

Starting the previous week I had completed a 60, a 120 and another 65 mile over four days and on this day I left home at 05:50 heading for Norwich and then further East to the sea at Dunwich. (That reminds me, I must look up the dates for the next 'Dunwich Dynamo', a 120 mile night ride I have yet to complete, but certainly on the radar.)

On the two longest rides, I have made a point of calling in to see either my father or mother, or both. My father still smiles in recognition when I pitch up. A fact that makes every mile worth a thousand times more than just a training exercise.

I took a chance by asking him if he would like to see the new bike and was delighted when he said 'yes.'

I was also very grateful to the staff, who agreed to let me put one of my posters up in Fox Earth. If I can finally work out how to allow people to follow me on this blog, I shall be a lot further along the fund-raising path than I currently am, but in the mean-time I have been learning plenty about long hours in the saddle.

Talking of which, here are two things that I shall be taking.

 After the 120 miles and the 65 two days later, I determined that the saddle that came with the new bike was never, ever going to see me through one 200 mile day, let alone 14!

This Brooks Flyer saddle on the other-hand, is advertised on their website for long-distance use and has come off the converted mountain bike that I did Land's End - John O'Groats (LEJOG) on, in 2010. It is well worn in and super comfortable

Ideally I would buy another, the Team Pro, which is
essentially the same style without the springs and therefore considerably lighter.


I may yet, but since I have a good seat, there are other more important purchases that will come ahead of it.

Not least the small matter of the hub dynamo, lights and new front wheel that I have discovered will likely have to go with it. (All to do with spoking apparently.)

The other associated item, will be a small but perfectly formed tub of this well known product. Hopefully I don't have to spell it out, but I can cope with tired legs and thirst, but I can't cycle with a sore butt. (Sorry mother!)

Aero bars and that's not chocolate.

It has been quiet on the blogging front which I know is neither good for publicity or progress, since it is a sure sign of general inactivity. Man flu some might call it, all I know is that you can't train with it and so another forced break in the training schedule has passed.

With half the family away in America, however, I have finally given the new bike a decent outing.

I popped into Norwich on the morning of the 31st determined to investigate the options of stem length and aero-bars. For cyclists please forgive me, for the rest of us, who are just learning, the stem joins the steerer, topmost part of the front forks, to the handlebars. Its length varies according to the responsiveness wanted from the steering and this in turn I believe is affected by such things as the fork angle, but now I'm way out of my depth.

Anyway, having ridden the Inflite for the first time about 2 weeks ago, I was aware that if I was to rest my forearms on the handlebars, then as it was, they would be too far away and therefore incredibly uncomfortable. Unaware that aero-bars came with adjustable elbow rests, I was all for changing the stem for a shorter one, until that was, I was presented with an 'fait accompli' when a guy in a bike shop kindly offered to sell his bars to me secondhand for about half the price of a new set.

What a revelation. I haven't used them before, but 180 miles later, I am absolutely sold on them.