Mary Starts Altitude Training

Alan's Preparing for the "Three Rivers Route"

Many thanks to Beth for the card.

Thanks

Hi from Alan & Mary

As we begin to think of our next challenge, Mary and I would like to take the opportunity to say a big THANK YOU.

First of all our heartfelt thanks to those who supported our charity “Doctors Without Borders” (Médecins Sans Frontières). With so many natural and man-made disasters on our planet, their medical expertise and your money are badly needed. MSF, with your help, is truly changing the lives of millions of people around the world. For those of you who would still like to donate (and every pound counts) – just click the “VirginGivingMoney” icon on the right of this page.

Then there are the many who have helped us complete our journey down the length of Europe:-

Dean and Anne who still don’t know how they volunteered to drive our car all the way to the UK from Nordkapp. Without them we would never have got there or back.

Deborah and Brendan and John and Elizabeth  for their encouragement before the trip and keeping our real lives in good order while we were away.

Ev and Sophie and Kate and Tony for taking such good care of the house

All our family who offered words of encouragement, kept the phone topped up and especially those who thought we had lost the plot.

To Kate’s colleagues in the Assembly  (you owe us two Welsh flags).

The grandchildren who collected our postcards and enlightened their friends with tales of Mamgu and Grumps

Those who contacted us on the blog, by email and on the phone.  It was always a boost to hear from you.

Wendy for her valiant efforts to post a comment  and her baggage allowance on the return flight.

Ben and the guys at Up and Under for their advice on kit

All those who made the effort to put their cycling experiences in Europe on the net.

All those from around the world who took the time to read our blog and share our experiences

All the wonderful people that we met on the way who went to extraordinary lengths to help us out of trouble and encourage us to achieve our goal.

 “Merci” to all those talented and dedicated people in our local medical team who “fixed” Mary after her fall from the bike while in training.

To all of you, we are so grateful to have met and known such wonderfully friendly, kind and generous people.

Alan's Boring Bits - The Kit

Comments on the Equipment- For those planning a similar journey

A great part of the fun in preparing for any big trip is researching the kit and convincing yourself that you really must have all the gizmos and latest gear that you’ve secretly been longing for. Listed below is the heavy load that we dragged  from one end of Europe to the other. Most did the job. Where it was particularly good or bad, I’ve made comment.

Bikes

Specialized Vita Sport

Specialized Sirrus Elite  (Both bikes not necessarily designed for the pounding that we gave them but they stood up well to the test)

Shimano A530 Pedals (spd one side and flat on the other)

Schwalbe marathon plus 700 x28   (No punctures in 7000Km!!!)

2 Crud Race Guards mudguards

2 Smart Lunar 35 Lux Front Light  

2 Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear 7 LED-3 Mode

Trailer rear lights

2 Sigma Cycle computers

1 Garmin 750. (told us exactly where we were lost)

1  bottle cage and bottle. 

Trailer flags (required guy ropes fixed to the trailer to stop them taking a swipe a passing cars. Snapped in 1^st week and held together with Gaffa tape for rest of journey)

Trailers and bags

2 Carry Freedom - Freedom City Trailers (excellent kit which we gave a real hammering with a heavy load sometimes over difficult terrain. 1 polymer hitch failed after 4000km and the second showed wear. No big worry but need to check daily and carry  a spare. They are easy to replace)

2 x Palm River Trek 50 dry bags  (Robust but heavy. Also right size for hand luggage on plane)

Plastic sheeting and elastics to hold it all together (cheapest bit of kit -worked well, keeping kit clean, dry and protected from abrasion)

4 x Exped Fold Dry Bag XL (22l)

2 x Exped Fold Dry Bag M (8l)

1 x Ortlieb A3 map case (Useless – sticks to itself and tore easily -  changed to a clear document wallet at 1/10 of price))

1 x Lowe Alpine Mesa Runner bumbag. (In constant use – on and off the bike)

Total Personal Kit (for both of us)

2 Cycle helmets

2 prs Padded cycling - shorts / longs .

2 x2 Helly Hansen Stripe Crew base layer

Marmot driclime windshirt

2 xRab Vapour-Rise Lite Jacket

Rab women's microlight vest

2 xBuffalo fibre pile shirts (Used  buffalo kit for 20 years: sailing, mountaineering skiing, canoeing and now cycling. Best winter kit ever.)

2 Rab goosedown duvet jackets

1 Montane Velo H2O Jacket  (Useless – wet through in 10 minutes)

1 Montane Quattro DT Womens Jacket

2 x Buff s (very versatile protecting neck, ears or head)

2 pr Endura Gridlock waterproof over trousers.( heavy but very functional)

2pr Waterproof cycling enduro overshoes. (Mary wore hers, I preferred wet feet)

1 Pertex top (Callange).

1 x Seal Skinz Mountain Bike Gloves - pair Small

1 x SealSkinz Ultra Grip High Viz Winter Gloves

1 pair fingerless sailing gloves

2 karrimoor  reflective jackets

2 welsh cycling jerseys

4 prs Cycling socks and 2 pairs of thick wooly socks

2 pr Cycling shoes. Shimano & MTB SPD (MTB stank like cat’s pee, very little traction on steep ramps and soles wore through. Shimanos just stank)

Trainers & sandals

 Rab Downpour shell jacket (This long mountain jacket with full wired hood proved invaluable on and off the bike)

1 Endura FS260 Pro Womens Shorts  

1 Endura Firefly SS Ladies Jersey

1 Endura Hummvee Baggy Shorts inc Liner

2 x short sleeve shirts.

Rohan Expedition shirt (built in anti midge!)

2 prs expedition long trousers

Wooly Hats

1 pr Cycling sun glasses. (lost and replaced!)

Underwear (Guess you know what works for you)

Swimming costume

Wash kit

Aids /batteries/glasses/sun glasses

1 x Life Systems Expedition 50 100ml Deet Spray (Dissolves plastic and leaks)

2 x Life Systems Mosquito Head Net

1 x Life Venture All Purpose Soap 200ml

2 x Life Venture Soft Fibre Trek Towel Large (Brilliant)

1 x Life Venture Soft Fibre Trek Towel Small

Watches

1 Deuter Compact EXP 6 SL Backpack

Bike Repair & Maintenance Kit

Schwalbe durano folding tyre

2 Spare inner tubes.

Puncture repair kit

2 Rubena Angled Valve Tube – for trailer

2 Schwalbe city freedom tyres  for trailer

Topeak Alin 3 Multi (Excellent kit)

Gerber suspension multi tool (Essential and excellent))

Adjustable spanner

Spanner to fit trailer wheel and pedals

Topeak Morph turbo mini pump with gauge  (good kit although fold down plastic bits are fragile)

Small plastic bottle of general lube.

Selection of cable ties .

A 3m length of thin strong cord.

1 Clarks Pre-Lube Universal Brake Kit (Remember you need wire cutters)

1 Clarks Gold Pre-Lube Universal Gear Kit

A small selection of nuts and bolts

Gaffa tape

Other kit carried

Kindles loaded with manuals, country guides and good fiction (one of our best buys)

Sony Netbook

Smartphone with skype (rarely used outside Fr –cost!)

cheap mobile phone payg on UK card with Europe travel option activated (Not cheapest option but saved messing about buying sim cards)

Digital Cameras + memory cards and battery charger.

A bag of wires for above (Why can’t we have 1 universal charging wire and 1 connecting wire?)

Small "hotel" type sewing kit.

Notepad and pen.

Passport, travel insurance documents, E111, ATM and credit cards

2 bike cables and locks.

1 First aid kit (plasters, paracetamol, etc.).

 Sudacrem  bum cream (soothes, smooths and ……..)

Panty Liners (I used them for extra padding on the really sore bits)

1 Large lightweight nylon bike cover. (never used)

2 CamelBak Unbottle 2009 - 1.5L (Too fiddly to fill on the road)

1 Stainless Steel 0.5 litre vacuum flask

Sunblock

Camping Equipment

1 x Wild Country Duolite Tourer tent (Fit for purpose and it took the trailers)

1 x Grounsheet protector (footprint ) for above

1 x Primus EtaPower EF (heavy but v efficient)

2 x Petzl Tikka Plus 2 head torches

1 x Snugpak Travelpak Xtreme SB (I hate nylon bags and this one also has a built in self strangulation net.)

1 xRab Ascent SB

1 xExped SynMat Pump 7cm DLX

1 x Exped SynMat Pump 7cm standard (v comfortable but you work up a good sweat pumping them up)

Exped chair kits to fit the Exped Synmat  (innovative and surprisingly comfortable)

1 x Ortlieb Waterbag 4L

KFS

2 Plastic plates.

2 Plastic mugs.

1 Small sharp knife.

Washing up liquid and sponge.

Matches and gas lighter. 

1 x McNett Tenacious Tape

Total weight between two trailers (with food liquid and fuel) was around 55 - 60kilos.

More Route Notes

Alan's Boring Bits

Through Denmark, Germany, Czech Rep, most of Austria, and northern Italy we followed the EV7. A route full of interest and variety with some dramatic scenery and spectacular towns and cities. From a purely technical point of view, anyone who is looking to cycle this route and has read the criteria for a cycle track to be included in the Eurovelo 7 scheme will be expecting asphalt surfaces, no steep hills and continuous signposting. They will be disappointed. All countries had sections that conformed and all countries had sections that were almost uncyclable when laden with kit. Germany and Czech Rep were very fond of cobbles in all sizes. Gravel surfaces varied from dust to 5cm rocks but in the main were good. In Czech Rep. one section of a signed national route had a notice (on leaving) to say that the track was very dangerous and you used it at your own risk. Yet, in the same country, we also came across a 5km section of baby’s bum smooth asphalt with shaded stopping places, taps with drinking water and the only Eurovelo 7 maps we saw in 7000 kms. In Northern Italy, we cycled on one of the best tracks of the journey. A converted railway line where, at the entrance to all the tunnels, they had put sensors that activated the lights. This was immediately followed by the most undulating section of the ride with most of the ups and downs well in excess of 10%. Spotting shortcuts became an art but on this occasion we missed the quiet road that gently followed the valley floor below us.

It was impossible to rely on the signs throughout this part of the journey. Again inconsistency is the key word. It was not unusual to have no signs at one junction and, at the next, more signs than there were exits. Good maps /guides were essential but these were not always readily available and often could only be found in bookshops in the larger towns or cities. On the more popular sections of the route, a lot of touring cyclists had very detailed and voluminous guides.

In Northern Italy, we had to decide whether to follow the EV7 down the west coast or to follow the east coast down to Sicily. We chose the east and, in the main, it was flat and relatively easy cycling but with very few cycle tracks. Some sections in Northern Italy are worth repeating whole some in the poorer areas of Southern Italy are definitely worth missing (see blog). I suspect that the western side of Italy may have a lot more of interest. I look forward to reading about what we missed when Neil Gander gets round to completing the sequel to his book “Kök and Tvät” (Still the funniest book I have read in a long time and an inspiration to get on your bike and “just do it”).

Navigating the roads on the tip of Italy and Sicily proved more difficult than expected. On several occasions roads suddenly became motorways forcing us to take long, complex and unsigned diversions which invariably took us back to the same road only a couple of kms further on. In one instance there were no warning signs, only a diversion sign and a ramp onto the motorway with no way of going back! In Sicily, diversion signs for missing bridges and road works almost always took us back to the motorway.

When on the roads, drivers were generally courteous and, despite comments to the contrary, the Italian drivers were brilliant to the point of giving us so much clearance that they would drive vehicles coming the opposite way off the road.

Accommodation was not a problem down to Rimini and when we decided to stop for the day, we rarely had to pedal for more than 20km to find something suitable. Those looking to rely on campsites and budget accommodation will need to do a lot more forward planning than we did. Arriving in Rimini on the busiest holiday week end in Italy was a mistake. Every hotel, guest house and campsite prided themselves on being full for the fortnight. Further south and away from the coast many of the smaller hotels and b&b’s were closed for the holidays but the chain hotels were never far away. Every establishment made an effort to secure our bikes and trailers for the night to the point of one hotel giving the bikes their own room free of charge.

Malta was a disappointment as it does little to cater for cyclists. The road surfaces are in a very poor state and drivers in the main, are not cycle aware. Despite our flags, fluorescent jackets and flashing lights, we had more near misses in the 12kms from the ferry to the hotel than at any other point in the journey. The grating across the drive to our hotel was designed to swallow cycle tyres. So alien were cyclists that we were threatened with security as we approached the hotel entrance even though we had booked and arranged for our bikes to be stored. As with the rest of our journey, the majority of the people that we met were friendly and helpful but the only other positive I can find to say about Malta is the flight home. Excellent service from Air Malta and only £12 per bike. No fancy bike boxes were required. We simply had to remove the pedals, turn handlebars round and deflate the tyres.

Hope this helps if you’re planning a similar journey. Remember I’m a grumpy old wrinkly and many of the moans above proved really memorable highlights to our journey.  There were no major insurmountable traumas and when we needed help it was provided in abundance. We made business cards with a map of our journey and these proved invaluable in changing the perplexed look of the many people that we met into a smile and gushing words of encouragement.

Post a comment with your email address if you have any specific queries. I’ll do my best to help.

Overall a wonderful, wonderful journey.

The End (Part II)

Alan’s Boring Bits

It’s been a memorable journey. While travelling across a range of landscapes from the frozen tundra above the arctic circle, through Scandinavia and central Europe, over the Alps and down to the arid mountains of the South, we have been provided with a fascinating insight into the cultural differences that still exist across Europe despite “globalisation". In world where only negatives make the news, the one constant has been the many wonderful people that we have met along the way who have been friendly, supportive and generous. We have never felt threatened and whenever we have needed assistance people have gone to extraordinary lengths to help. The hundreds of cyclists, bikers, motorists and lorry drivers who tooted, flashed their lights, waved or yelled words of encouragement, provided constant motivation to grind out the miles while on the road.  The 5000 plus hits on the blog and a constant stream of emails and texts lifted our spirits. To all who have been so supportive and to those who have donated so generously to “Medecins sans Frontieres” (just click the “Virgin Money Giving” icon on the blog)  – many, many thanks.

A very special thanks I reserve for Mary who, at the end of each (often very tiring) day, sat down, made notes and completed this blog. I am very lucky to share my life with such an incredibly talented and determined lady.

THE END

Pozzallo – Malta  (mostly by boat)

Well, the ferry did leave at 0930 and we were in good time. There were a few moments of nervousness when the ticket office was still closed at 0745. But this was Sicily! Our tickets were purchased and now we had to wait for the ferry to arrive. During this interval, we had a long conversation with an Italian, who spoke only Italian, about the virtues of some parts of Italy and Sicily and a conversation in English with a gentleman who had secured a job in Malta and was with his family in two cars. We learned, in detail, of the various mishaps which had befallen them on the way from Cowbridge. We wonder now if those continued on his arrival in Malta! I will explain.

We thought we had travelled some pretty hairy roads, but our introduction to Malta was as scary as it was unexpected. We had planned to avoid the major peripherique but it seemed we were left with little choice. Unsympathetic traffic, driving on the left, tunnels and hills all conspired to leave us pretty tense and drained on our eventual arrival at our hotel. Now, we had been extravagant in our choice of final hotel as a prize for completing our journey, so we were somewhat taken aback by our reception; an irate man in a suit waving his arms energetically and shouting that we could not leave our bikes there. At this point Mr. Angry lost it, marched into the foyer, confronted the management and succinctly explained that after more than 6500 kms and numerous stops at everything from campsites to posh hotels, this had been an unforgettable welcome for all the wrong reasons. Much boot licking and apologies followed but the damage had been done. A shame but it is still a very nice hotel!

So we end our adventure after 100 days of cycling and I will miss talking to you all. It has been a comfort to know that we have not been alone. So here is to the next time?!!!!!!

Last Full Day

Augusto – Pozzallo      105.3kms              1160’ascent (which I think is understated!)

This was to be our last day of cycling. As a result of all the excitement and fatigue of yesterday, we had completed fewer kilometres than planned, so we knew that today would require a good effort –just how good, we were soon to discover. A second deviation resulted in another 20 or so extra kilometres in order to avoid the MOTORWAY! Temperatures had not diminished and our route, while safe, took us through huge industrial areas (not very beautiful but, I guess, jolly useful for the well- being of the country). Mr. Master Navigator performed faultlessly and it wasn’t his fault that the last 30 kilometres of a 100 kms ride were uphill! We passed through towns which deserved more observation than we had time to give; Noto and Ispica both of which had ancient citadels perched on rocky bluffs. Our schedule allowed little time for anything except pedalling and refuelling with fluids.

We reached Pozzallo eventually, in the early evening, and thought it prudent to check on the actual whereabouts of the port. (Pozzallo was just a little dot on the map but in reality was a huge muddle of buildings which stretched for miles.) As we were still in Italy mode, we had little expectation of large, well defined signs for Porto, but none at all was an achievement even for Italy. After several sets of directions provided by the local populace, several more kilometres, and a few well-chosen expletives, we did eventually discover the embarkation point. In the knowledge that we had to return by 0800 the following morning, accommodation nearby was going to be useful. There was still some doubt as to sailing times as a member of the dock staff said, “Tomorrow at 0930.”  Another said, “At 1500.” We made the decision to be there for the 0930 and hope.

A sign, at last a sign, this time for an albergo just 500 metres up the road. A fee was negotiated, a room allocated and we performed our end of day routine – wash the clothes and then ourselves. I had asked the signora if there was any wine or beer to be had but she shook her head and generously gave us two bottles of very cold water which was magic. At a point when I was halfway through our routine and thus totally naked, there came a knock on the door. Throwing a towel over my nakedness, I pulled open the door and there, the signora presented us with a nearly full bottle of local wine. No charge. There are so many kind people in this world. This must include all those of you who have been good enough to take an interest in our undertaking. We thank you for your comments, emails and phone calls which have often provided encouragement when things have been tough.

Tomorrow should see us at journeys end – fingers crossed.

Fire in the Sky

Reggio  -  San Leonardello (on the slopes of Mt. Etna)  74.8kms     1460’ ascent.

Nobody mentioned just how mountainous Sicily is. Very beautiful but not the easiest of cycling country. On one particularly steep climb, Alan suddenly stopped. On the roadside was something which resembled a small snake  -  his chain! He pushed to the summit, a space and a little shade and Mr. Fixit appeared and did just that.

As it was Sunday, the ferry ran a reduced service and so it was almost lunch time before we dropped anchor in Sicily. Surprisingly, Messina was not difficult to traverse but it did mean that by the time we began our hunt for the night’s accommodation, it was quite late and, as ever, the hotels which had been so prolific, disappeared. A little desperate, we spotted a large gate with Agriturismo on sign and a bed diagram, so I pushed the bell. A voice answered the call, said something in Italian and  the gates slowly swung open. In for a penny, we pushed the bikes over very rocky (lava stone) and were met by a gentleman who spoke a lot, but none of it in English. After a little confusion we managed to convey our requirements. Referring to a little book, he informed us that there was a room available. Great. It was. An old property with many interesting features and a cracking view of Etna. Our arrival coincided with a French registered car being driven along the drive and a voice shouted, “Have you cycled all the way from Wales?” “No, Nordkapp.”  “I’ll catch you later,” was the response. So much later, we enjoyed the company of two very good English speaking Parisians.

You would suppose that with all this exercise, we would sleep soundly but my night was disturbed by a bout of cramp. Needing to stretch my legs, I thought to view Etna at night. What a sight! It was really a fire in the sky. Magnificent! 

Police to the Rescue

San Leonardello  -  Augusto   74.7                   1372’ascent.

The down side of Etna firing so spectacularly was that the following morning (today) the air was full of fine black ash. In a very short while we were very mucky and all the cars were the same colour – grey. The other downside of a volcanic environment is that the street are paved with square lava cobbles! Very bad for the trailers.

However, today’s highlight has to be the manner in which two policemen sympathetically and sensibly dealt with two old age pensioners who found themselves on the motorway! The story goes like this; we were trying to follow the ss114 through Catania. We did follow the signs. What we didn’t realise was that the ss114 had lost a strategic bridge and the road signs were following a deviation. We climbed out of the town and finally up a steep ramp onto, what we mistakenly thought was the ss114. After about 1km, we were flagged down by a man in a van with a blue light! The penny dropped; we were on the motorway! Sh…..t. After much arm waving, and a call to the police, the man in his van escorted us to a nearby service station. Here we waited in some trepidation, for the police to arrive. We explained in our best English that it was a genuine mistake and that we were trying to get to Siracrusa. Having established that we were just a couple of rather stupid, old English, they instructed us to follow the car with the blue lights flashing. We did - at speed for about 10 kilometres! Not only did they see us safely off the motorway, they ensured that we were put onto the right road which we would never have found ourselves. Finally, as our strength gave out, they stopped, we thanked them profusely and after much hand shaking we were on our way, absolutely exhausted. Until that point, we hadn’t been sure whether we were to be booked or fined and the adrenaline was pumping along with hearts and lungs. Many thanks to the Sicilian Police force.