Training 16 February 2008

It was a bitterly cold morning (-6 C the night before) when we hit the roads of south Cheshire with the sun still low and frost on the ground. We were looking to put some km’s on the bikes (and legs) as well as tuning up techniques. It turned out to be a lovely sunny day, with no wind but very frigid. The lanes were all but empty and the most traffic we hit was a hunt at Cholmondeley castle.

The ride was not without incident. While descending a hill just outside Marbury, we hit a patch of just-cut hawthorn hedging. Steve (the puncture magnet) got a thorn straight through tire and tube. After a quick patch we were on the way again. We made it about 20 metres and he was flat again. It turned out the thorn had managed to put not just one but three holes in his tube! Another tube patch and we were on the way, until Steve’s computer sensor got caught in the spokes and broke into little pieces. Not much to do there but pick of the pieces and carry on.

By the time we made it back to Nantwich (37km) we were both chilled through and having trouble feeling our toes. A quick pot of coffee and some of Maile’s warm apple and raspberry crumble fixed us up a treat. In all we did manage some distance but more importantly we had more than enough practice fixing punctures, which should come in handy as we make our way across England this summer.

Chuck

Welcome

Welcome to the LOW2LE blog page! Here is a quick FAQ:

Who are you?
We are Chuck Belanger (nearly 40) and Steve Welsh (past 50).

What are you hoping to achieve?
We want to cycle from Lowestoft to Land's End. Hopefully in about a week.

Why Lowestoft and not John O'Groats?
Because we are old and in not such great shape! We wanted to do something geographically grand, not too difficult, and fun. Lowestoft is the easternmost mainland place in England and Land's End is the westernmost, hence LOW2LE.

Just for fun?
Yep! Oh, and we are hoping to raise some money for charity. More on that later.

Are you taking everything with you?
Nope, too much effort. We are lucky enough to have a support team to help us along (and find all the good pubs). Chuck's wife Maile and Steve's son John will be our guardian angels.

How far is the ride?
As the crow flies, about 360 miles. On our bikes it will be more like 450, with detours.