Day 1 – 8 May – New Orleans to Gonzales
65 miles ridden - 220 feet climbed Finally it starts. After a couple of days nearly getting over jet lag and mooching around downtown New Orleans today we all got on our bikes and started riding. New Orleans is much more genuine than I imagined and really has a very...
One week to go…..
I fly next Saturday 5th May, briefing and orientation is on Monday and the ride starts on Tuesday 8th with a 61 mile ride to Gonzales. Very exciting! Here's the summary map and plan: The first three days are a nice warm up for 91 miles with 4000 feet of climbing on...
Training with sun protection
After being able to practice in icey, wet and windy conditions, I was able to fill a serious gap in my preparations last weekend by cycling in warm, sunny conditions! Friends Terry and Julie who Sue and I cycled with in Italy last year, and with whom we will be...
Spring is finally here!
Saturday - 48 miles ridden, 720m climbed. Sunday - 33 miles ridden, 480m climbed. At last! It's not raining, it's kind of warm and I've got a couple of pretty clear weekend days. Saturday's ride criss-crossed the Chiltern Hills with over 700m of climbing. As you can...
It’s 2018 – cold, windy, snowing…..
Training has commenced for my 2018 rides. Mississippi Ride: Between 8th May and 1st June I will be cycling from New Orleans to Minneapolis following the great Mississippi river. Covering just over 1726 miles with stops in Memphis and St. Louis this trip will give me...
Day 12 – Ferrara to Abano Terme
62 miles cycled - 1350 feet climbed. What can I say? Another beautiful sunny, warm day. Our first 40 miles was as flat as a pancake as we crossed the River Po Plain with only the occasional rise as we went up on to a dyke or crossed a river or canal. Today we covered...
Day 11 – Castrocaro to Ferrara
78 miles cycled - 3100 feet climbed. Today was fabulous. The sky was blue and the view from our hotel room was the perfect start to the day: Aside from the fact that there were a lot of lifts and very few signs we hadn't noticed much about our hotel until we went in...
Day 10 – Villagrande to Castrocaro Terme
58 miles ridden - 5400 feet climbed. I had forgotten how much noise frogs make when there are a lot of them in a calm, safe pond with lots of insects to eat. They started at dusk and finished at dawn - I just hope all the noise was worth it! Much of today was overcast...
Day 9 – Citta di Castello to Villagrande
63 miles ridden - 5900 feet climbed Boring isn't it? Another fabulous day cycling in the sunshine. Last night's hotel was very luxurious and we both slept very well indeed so it was a rude awakening to go in for breakfast and find ourselves squeezed into a table...
Day 8 – Siena to Citta di Castello
73 miles ridden - 4800 feet climbed. It's a clichè but another fabulous day's riding which followed breakfast in the garden of the hotel which was a lovely start to the day. The first 40 miles or so was rolling hills - nothing too extreme either up or down and...