Challenges on the road

Now someone has suggested that I should write about some of the challenges I have faced along the way so far...  Well, I don't want this to sound like a blog of moans and groans but then again I don't want you all to think I've spent each day swanning along promenades and esplanades with the sea gently crashing on my right, a tangy sea breeze in my face.  Truth to tell, there has been a fair bit of that the past few days but the overall journey has not been without its challenges, the biggest of which has been:

• The weather: glorious sunshine, blue skies who could complain about that?  But with temperatures in the high 20s/low 30s for most of the first week at times I was genuinely concerned about heat exhaustion.  The hottest day for some years was apparently Monday and that was the day I zoned out on the heathlands running into Corfe and arrived at the castle in a zombie-like state, despite plenty of water and electrolyte drink. Pushing those pedals uphill in heat with no discernible breeze was hard work indeed when you're carrying about 30lbs/13.5kg in the panniers and the bike itself weighs another 30lbs.  But I made it each day, and safely too, so that's all that matters.
• Another challenge has to be the sat nav - never before in the history of mankind has a mere machine evoked so much frustration and rage!  I think I've got the measure of its limited brain now, and to give you just one example of its idiosyncrasies, it maybe gives me the instruction "turn left" which I obligingly do it then promptly tells me "make a U-turn". However, if I think I'm on the right road anyway I will just carry on regardless and half a mile later it flashes up "course found".  At times, and especially in city centres, it gets so confused it just takes me round in circles getting nowhere.  My favourite has to be the time when I was cycling along the cliff track towards Dover and the sat nav threw a wobbly and told me to turn right!!!  In fact, for a brief second it flashed up three different options to the right - which way shall I jump?!  But it is really like the girl who had a curl right in the middle of her forehead and when she was good she was very very good but when she was bad she was horrid.
• Another challenge has to be other drivers.  I'm refining the technique of raising my hand to oncoming cars in a gesture of acknowledgement, just to say hello I'm here.  As they get a bit closer I raise my hand again as much to say, in case it hadn't occurred to you please beware of me.  And then I raise it a third time to thank them for slowing down whether they have or not in the hopes that even if they haven't slowed down for me they will next time they encounter a cyclist.  90% of the time this method works, the key is getting the timing just right and I'm getting it down to a fine art now :-)  It also works for traffic coming up from behind if you hear them in time.  Some respond really well and give you a wide berth, others shave the buckles off your panniers but my guardian angels are working overtime and no one has knocked me off yet.
• Another challenge is getting enough food down me.  As some of you may know I'm hypoglycaemic (probs spelled that wrong, sorry) which means my blood sugar levels drop more readily compared to most people.  That, combined with very low blood pressure makes it quite easy for me to feel a bit woozy.  When you're on a bike leaning forward holding dropped handlebars the last thing you need is a full stomach so the knack seems to be hourly, or max 2 hourly, snacks like energy bars, nuts & dried fruit, bananas, chocolate, lucozade and my protein milkshake midday.  I'm worse than a newborn baby really - can't even go more than a couple of hours without food!  When I feel my concentration going, then I know it's time to stop and refuel and have a snack break (as opposed to my other sorts of roadside break which consist of phone break to text or tweet, camera break, pee break, drink break!)
• The final challenge is probably how my nearly-56-year-old body is bearing up under the strain of all this.  Well, I have to say remarkably well.  Probably the sorest thing is the pads on my hands, you know, the paddy bit along the outside of the hand below the little finger and the pad under the thumb.  They are both carrying a lot of my weight as I lean forward and the nerves are getting compressed which means that by the end of the day my fingers feel like 5 fat sausages!  I've also discovered that as well as being thoroughly left-handed I am also completely left-legged!  Which means that I always clip my left foot into the pedal first, push down heaviest with my left foot to get me going, take most of the strain with the left leg up the hills etc.  The net result of all this is a bit of tenderness just under the left knee-cap now.  So prayers for my knees would be welcomed!  Some people have asked me how my bottom is bearing up and all I can say is very nicely thank you, no problems so far in that department apart from some initial bruising on the left gluteous maximus which has now worn off.

Well, I'm sure that's enough of the downsides of this event for one post :-)  The main thing that keeps me going when things are hard is the wonderful generosity of all you lovely people who have housed me, sponsored me, prayed for me and generally supported me in other ways so that I can reach my target and provide something worthwhile and lasting for the people who African Vision Malawi are supporting - a bit thank you to all of you.

LESSONS FROM THE ROAD

Well, I've been on the road for a week now and yes, I've been sitting on the same bike, laden with the same panniers, pushing the same pedals around but no two hours have been the same.  I have met some lovely people with amazing stories to tell, stories which I can't tell here because that would be breaking trust.  The one common thread which lies behind these stories is people who are outward-looking and therefore have spent much of their lives making sure that others are included and not left on the fringes - which is probably the attitude which prompted them to "get" what I'm doing with this Around the Coast venture and to offer me such a warm welcome.

So what are some of the lessons I've learned?  Well, here goes:

• use sun protection factor on your ears, and even behind your ears - yes, I know my mother told me always to wash behind my ears, well now I have a reason for it.
• bug attacks - these are frequent, unpredictable and best managed by breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, aiming the stream of air downwards.  A bit like the breathing exercises pregnant mums are taught (I always knew they'd come in handy one day)
• on entering a cafe, head straight for the ladies toilets and take a good hard look in the mirror.  There's nothing worse than ordering a pot of Earl Grey tea and a toasted teacake and wondering why the otherwise charming waitress can't take her eyes off you as she stifles her giggles.  Reason: bugs that have met a sad end in oily sun protection factor 30.
• remember what gear you're in.  There's nothing more frustrating in the moment when you're pushing the pedals for all you're worth and you think - just got to drop down a gear - but you're already in 1st :-(   Then 5 minutes later, with chain back in place, fingers black with grease you realise it's time for a snack break - hmm, packet of crisps with added oil?  (The extra calories must be good for me).
• the views, ahh the views.  Whether it's shades of blue from the sea merging into a misty indescribable colour as it meets the sky or the infinitely varying shades of green of the vegetation, you can't help but be awed by the beauty of the landscape.  And if the landscape is this awesome, how much more awe-inspiring must its Creator be?
•  Well, I've been told to keep these blogs short and sweet so that's all for now.  Feedback, comments welcome, don't be shy!

On the road

Ok, so how did this madcap idea start?  Well, right from when Heather founded African Vision Malawi a few years ago I've been seriously impressed with what they've been achieving out there and I wanted to be part of it but didn't know in what way.  Then when  David became a trustee I became increasingly aware that their vision is far bigger than their budget so the idea to raise funds seemed the way forward. But how?  It seems that plenty of people are doing fundraising events but I wanted to raise a significant amount for African Vision Malawi and realised that I would therefore have to have a significant undertaking.  It was about that time that David Walliams was swimming The Thames for charity, ok so it helps that he's famous and could attract loads of media attention unlike me but nevertheless lots of support from friends and family and from local churches could go a long way, couldn't it?  So I thought, well I hate taking my clothes off and getting wet and cold but I can cycle a bike... and that's where it all started :-)

And then what happened?  Well, it's taken months of planning that's for sure!  Heather, the founder of African Vision Malawi, and her husband, Nigel, live in the diocese of Kingston and the bishop is supportive of the work they are doing and agreed to write a letter of recommendation to his fellow clergy asking them to support me in finding hospitality on my way round the country.  This letter has been like a magic key which has swung many doors wide open and I've been simply overwhelmed by the generosity and positive response I've had.  So far I've only had to book myself into two B&Bs and there are only a few churches we've yet to hear back from towards the end of the trip but I've every confidence it will all work out.

So armed with the Bishop of Kingston's letter I was able to start planning my route.  Now there's a relatively easy train journey from Bookham to Looe in Cornwall (via Guildford, Reading and Liskeard) so I plumped for Looe as my start point and approached a parish church about an afternoon's cycle ride east of Looe.  This turned out to be in Yealmpton where I was warmly welcomed by Rev Murphy and his wife.  The rest of the ride was planned on the basis of:

• location of parishes
• contour lines - how many hills, how high and how steep
• distance from a to b
• availability of national cycle routes
• proximity to the coast

and not necessarily in that order!

So far I've cycled from Looe to Yealmpton to Paignton to Exmouth to Bridport and tomorrow I head on to Poole and then Hayling Island on Tuesday.

So that's the nuts and bolts of what I'm doing and if on my next rest day, which is Wednesday, my host has a computer I will write more about what it feels like to be on the road each day.

Until then, fare well and do post any comments, questions etc and I'll try to respond