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.