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Spinal Fusion Guy On A Bike

ernestex — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 12:47:49 +0000

“Its just a constant battle; me against my body; my passions and my dreams and what I want to do with my life, against what I’m physically able to do”. Austin Carlile.

My name is Paul Franklin, and close to forty six years ago, I fractured my neck at C3. It was November 30th 1971 and I had just turned a teenager with so much ahead of me. I then endured close to two years of wearing a collar, physiotherapy throughout my school years, and little did I know there was so much more to come. Fast forward to 2000, I was having severe nerve pains and numbness in my arms and fingers, and was gradually loosing feeling from my waist down. It was my neck again. Things were going from bad to worse. I had the relevant tests; MRI and X-rays and it showed that I needed urgent surgery, or I would become a quadriplegic. Subsequently I had a Anterior Cervical Discectomy Fusion (ACDF); a surgical operation to replace a part of a vertebra and place a titanium H plate; four screws, and a fusion of my C4 to C6 into a single mass. I also have advanced osteoarthritis.

Cycling has always been a part of my life and I've always wanted to go touring. So in 2012, I cycled for two charities (Cancer Society and Cure Kids) and toured the south of the South Island of New Zealand for. With my mother passing away from cancer, these were charities I wanted to support and cycling was a perfect way to do so. After this first tour, I headed back to New Zealand in 2013 to continue exploring, and I headed to the north of the South Island of New Zealand. It was during this tour while heading back down the West Coast that I experienced bad lower back pain, and had great difficulty in even walking let alone cycling. Unbeknown to me my lower discs were bulging, and in April 2014 I had neurosurgery L5/S Posterior Lumbar Inter-body Fusion, and L4/ L5 Lateral Decompression, with eight screws, two plates and two rods!

Towards the end of 2014 I met a truly amazing beautiful lady Elizabeth O’Connor. She was cycling the length of New Zealand, and unbeknown to me had cycled toured 17 countries on her own for close to two years. Now thats inspiring! It was Elizabeth who gave me the inspiration to think “big”. Just one year post lower spinal fusion operation we were both off cycle touring together. How was my back going to cope with all this cycling? It held up rather well! Amazingly we cycled half of Japan, including up to Station 5 on 2Mt Fuji, then flew to Istanbul and cycled across Europe via the Danube River, before heading to the Netherlands, and across to the UK.

After wintering 2015, we flew to Morocco with our bikes and panniers, and spent close to three months cycling across Morocco, Spain and France, before returning to the UK in June 2016. We had covered close to 10,000 kms, and (for me) 17 countries. What an adventure and such memories of what I thought would have been impossible only a year ago. I again returned to New Zealand where in the very first week I was longing to return to Europe. My spinal issues were settling down and becoming much better, but it was the cycle touring that had helped me. Standing and sitting were not good for me, and it seemed that the only good thing for me was to somehow use my bike as therapy, both physically and mentally. Strange as it may seem I wanted a greater challenge. To challenge myself beyond what I thought possible, so I planned to walk a Camino Walk - From France to the West coast of Spain in April /June 2017. The Camino Walk was to be my biggest challenge, not only post spinal operations, but probably my entire life! To walk over 900 km's with a 10kg backpack on my back. I trained for 6 months walking to work and back, testing and strengthening my lower back. I successfully completed the Camino, walking 942 kms in 54 days.

I was longing for my next cycle tour just a few months after finishing the Camino. I was to do the Wild ( “wet” ) Atlantic Way in Ireland, a 2,500 kms road trip. My original intention was to do just that, but it turned out to be a full circumnavigation of Ireland, with 2,738 km's on the bike. And to date, I have now covered over 3,000kms in Ireland. I have never been so encapsulated by a country, touring by bike, the history, the music, the raw landscapes, and of course the people. I arrived mid September and finished two months later. It rained for forty out of the forty six days I was cycling! But what is this paradox we endure? And the richness that comes with struggle. When on my last day cycling into Rosslare, I looked at the place where just two months prior I had started my tour with such fond memories. I wanted so much to continue around again.

Having now had two major spinal surgeries and numerous other operations, I long for so much more. Perhaps cycle touring is the great “seducer”. It is an addiction that becomes you. I am always aware that others are less fortunate as I am. I am so very thankful and blessed I can at least walk and cycle, and at the same time knowing that it will eventually take its toll on me. I like to reflect on on what I have achieved. The countless countries I have seen, the amazing people I have met, and the long & truly amazing friendships I have made. One thing I hope I have achived with all my adventures, one very precious thing, and that is to hopefully motivate and inspire people who have gone through, or are going through similar issues as I have. If I was given one thing that would encapsulate my life from now on, and whatever life I have left on this amazing planet we live in, it is simply this. If I could do what I love doing, tour by bicycle and help others in need, whatever it may well be, then I will be content.

Fat Wrap Handlebar Tape Review

ernestex — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 16:39:51 +0000

Hands up

f your hand is in the air, then you will understand how painful and frustrating this can be. At one end of the scale it can be annoying, with the other end ruining your ride, and even causing you to take time off the bike! Time off the bike is that last thing any of us wants to happen.

It can manifest itself in different ways; common symptoms are numbness, stiffness, tingling, feeling weak or struggling to hold the bars, and in some cases, just bloody painful! Sometimes there are reasonable explanations; a longer than usual ride or maybe you haven't been out riding for a long time. And if that is the case - take it easy and ease your body in gently. It is sending you a message! If you don't fall into that bracket, then you need to delve a little deeper, as no one should have to endure pain as part of a normal day to day bike ride. There are a range of options to help. Now, before you start spending money on the latest equipment, there is one thing you need to get checked out. Make sure your bike setup & position is spot on - and use a professional bike fitter if required. You cannot under estimate the importance of this. If you tick that box and are happy, then it is time to try to make your cycling that little more comfortable.

There is a market

for handlebar grips and tape. These come in all shapes, sizes, colours and materials. Some of these are thicker than the norm, and are specifically that way to improve comfort and help prevent pain.

And if you haven't already guessed from the title, this article is all about a handlebar grip I was sent earlier this year to try out. It is called Fat Wrap, and as you can imagine, this stuff is pretty fat, designed to give any cyclist (not just touring cyclists) greater comfort and hopefully prevent and reduce or eradicate any discomfort when cycling. And if you double wrap your handlebar tape today, then do read on - Fat Wrap could mean an end to that. Lets find out!

Fat Wrap

I first heard about Fat Wrap when Kent, the owner of Tasis Bikes (creator the Fat Wrap bar tape), got in contact to publish a great article he wrote about the many handlebar choices for Bicycle Touring.

fantastic article that talks you through all the weird and wonderful handlebars choices out there, with a steer towards cycle touring. Do check it out if you are thinking about handlebar choices, or would just like some general advice.

Fat Wrap is aimed at a multitude of people; those who suffer with the discomfort I mentioned earlier, and for people who are looking for a way of preventing it from ever happening, or those who just want a little extra comfort. Fat Wrap is marketed at the bicycle touring market, which by the nature of the hobby, often entails multiple days cycling long distances. Even those of us that don't suffer discomfort when out cycling our regular local rides, may still be susceptible, especially when you throw in a sudden change to distance or consecutive days in the saddle.

What Kent didn't realise when he kindly sent me some Fat Wrap was that I suffer from pain when riding my road bike over longer distances (60+ miles), and when I steer away from the road to slightly off road. I don't use my road bike for touring, however longer Audax or similar rides are something I enjoy and can mean 8+ hours in the saddle. For me it starts with mild stiffness in the wrists and across the top of my hands, and if I don't keep changing position it can result with a little numbness. Nothing too serious and it never stops me riding, but all the same, a bit of a pain (excuse the pun!). Changing position, stretching and taking regular breaks works well, but the only real way to stop it is to stop riding. And I don't want to do that! I have tried different tape products in the past, and to be fair the slightly thicker varieties have been okay, especially when they are brand new and haven't lost their newness. I know my bike fit is pretty good, it is just the extra long distances when it happens. And especially when I ride long tracks and badly kept paths - not ideal for a road bike I know, but good fun all the same!

Yoga for Cyclists | Q and A with Alice McNeil from Hope Yoga

ernestex — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 20:56:53 +0000

Many of us cyclists are guilty of only taking care of one thing - your pride and joy that is your bicycle. We invest hard earned cash to buy the bike and carry on this trend throughout it's life to make sure it is running in tip top condition. But what many of us overlook is our own bodies. We put our bodies through mile after mile of sitting in the same position, often carrying our equipment in panniers or similar bag. And if you are like me, you sometimes bring along a little too much!

I recently attended the Cycle Touring Festival where I had the pleasure of going to a yoga session with Alice McNeil from Hope Yoga. It may have only been an hour session, but i really felt the many years of aches & pains from cycling and constant computer use (I work in IT) coming out. Now Alice isn't your everyday yoga teacher; Alice is a keen cyclist and her honeymoon was a 2+ year cycle tour from the UK to New Zealand! An injury during that trip drove her to become a qualified yoga instructor and physiotherapist. The session Alice delivered at the festival was aimed at us cyclists and you can download the routine right now. Once you are up to speed, it should take around 10 minutes. Please note that this routine is to only give you ideas and is not medical advice. Always seek medical advice when starting any new exercise to ensure it is appropriate for you.

Alice has kindly agreed to answer a few questions about yoga for cycle touring and yoga in general. Let's get started!

I trained in Rishikesh in India, and despite being a little bit commercial on the yoga front, it was a magical place to learn more about yoga. My course was from a school called Chandra Yoga and it was in some ways one of the hardest, yet most rewarding, things I have ever done.

Spain to Norway on a Bike called Reggie | Q & A

ernestex — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 21:52:48 +0000

I would like to introduce you all to Andrew P. Sykes. Andrew is writer, teacher, speaker and long distance cyclist with three fantastic travelogue books about his cycling adventures under his belt. His engaging, informative and humorous style of writing will have you hooked and back onto Amazon (or other equally good book retailers!) to swiftly order Andrew's other books. And you may find yourself with a serious case of wanderlust too!

I had the pleasure of hearing Andrew give a cracking talk at the recent Cycle Touring Festival in Clitheroe, and he has kindly agreed to answer questions about his latest book, Spain to Norway on a Bike called Reggie (Summersdale, 2017) and maybe a few others thrown in for good measure too!

Lets get started!

1

Where did the idea for the Spain to Norway cycling adventure come from?

Having already cycled across the continent twice, I was looking for a third and final route to complete the trilogy. Examining the map, the northern parts of Europe were a blank canvas in terms of my travelling so I came up with the idea of cycling from the continent’s southernmost point at Tarifa to its northernmost point at Nordkapp in Norway.

2

Your book begins by explaining the challenge of reaching the most southerly point of Europe. What happened?

Accessing Tarifa itself is no challenge whatsoever. You can drive or cycle there no problem. But the issue I encountered was that Tarifa is not actually the southernmost point of the continent. There is an ‘island’ attached to Tarifa by a long causeway – that has been there for 200 years – so the real southernmost point of Europe (in my mind at least) is the southern point of the erroneously named ‘island’. Alas the ‘island’ is occupied by the Guardia Civil military police so it took a lengthy exchange of emails before they granted me permission to access the island and set off from what I considered the real southernmost point of the continent.

3

As touring cyclists, we often attract the attention of others along the way; from questions about our journey, comments about our sanity for cycling such long distances, to acts of wonderful kindness. Is there anyone who stands out from this journey?

Many people stand out; most for good reasons, a handful for less good reasons. I suppose the two people who I will never forget are Hans and Veronika. They were a father and daughter from southern Germany and I met them for the first time very close to the Arctic Circle. They were good company and I continued to bump into them at campsites, cafés and occasionally whilst cycling during he final two weeks of the journey. It was good to see familiar faces as I was nearing the end of the ride and it also meant I had a couple of people with whom I could celebrate upon arrival at Nordkapp.

4

During this trip, where were the best and worst places you slept? Feel free to adjust names to avoid offending!

The best place I slept in terms of a campsite – and I camped for about two thirds of the time – was probably the remote Norwegian island of Andøya near the town of Bleik. A wonderfully atmospheric place next to a sandy beach with mountains in the distance. It was just about as good a place to camp as you could find. The worst place to camp? I wasn’t a great fan of the campsite in the forest just outside Montargis in France. It was far too creepy for my liking.

5

What was the funniest situation you found yourself in?

There are many funny situations and hopefully these come across in the book. Very often the situation isn’t that funny at the time but when you look back upon it, it was quite comical. Running over a Japanese tourist in Paris? (It was entirely her fault…) Being attacked by a rough-legged buzzard in Norway? Taking pictures of the signs in wonderfully named Båstad in Sweden? (The Båstad School, The Båstad Police…)

BikeRoll – Planning Bicycle Routes

ernestex — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 19:55:11 +0000

My name is Botond Bócsi from Transylvania, Romania. I like to spend my free time in nature hiking, rock climbing, or biking. Transylvania is the perfect place for my mountain bike with a lot of hills and mountains. Many desolate roads go though small villages where you can rarely encounter any tourists, thus, you can enjoy the local culture and nature.

Botond Bócsi - Creator of Bikeroll

nteractive games and pre-show tournaments with winners taking home exclusive Imagine Dragons merchandise gifts Snack and Candy bar Cash bar plus two drink tickets* Interactive photo opportunities with iconic pieces of Imagine Dragons show sets and memorabilia

After biking a few thousands of miles (that is not that much at all if you think about it) I realized that the planning of a bicycle route is more important than one would imagine. Of course with good attitude any bike track can be enjoyed. But as people get older, with more and more miles in their legs, they become more and more picky and they want to spend their valuable weekend time as good as possible. As an answer to this, I created a simple to use planning application https://bikeroll.net to help with planning bike routes. Let me introduce you to the features it has to offer.

I am kind of a budget guy, who does not like to waste money on things that can also be done for free. BikeRoll is completely free, it has no ads, no premium plans, not even user registration.

In 2017, simplicity and user-friendliness should be the key features of any website. Just be honest, nobody likes over complicated sites with hundreds of links and thousands of buttons. Simplicity is exactly what BikeRoll offers. After opening the site, not a single click should be made before planning can be started. Even more, a random route is already generated and is waiting to be explored. Although, usually it is not the best route ever but it gives you a glimpse about how the site works.

The planning phase is straightforward. BikeRoll is based on Google maps so route planning is very similar to the usual Google Maps setup. Using right click, you can select the start-point, end-point, and intermediate points (so called mid-points) to define the route. Then, these points can be dragged to make adjustments on the route (or double clicked to remove). Note that routes can be generated also by typing the origin and destination location into the top left input boxes (tip: add only origin or destination and a random route will be generated in the given area).

BikeRoll offers bike routes both for mountain bikers and road bikers. Well, it is not as simple as that. There are three kind of route types you can chose from: (1) Road bike routes assume that any route available for cars can also be done on bikes (although this is not entirely true, it works very well in practice). (2) Mountain bike (MTB) route type assumes that any route possible on foot also can be done on a mountain bike (this is not entirely true either, but a real mountain biker should not be scared of carrying his bike for a few hundred feet). (3) Google Bike generates routes which are defined as official bike lanes on Google Maps. This features is not available in all countries, thus, (although, it sounds to be the ultimate route type), it cannot be used anywhere.

The feature of BikeRoll I like the most are the shortcuts. Basically, all the actions presented above (and much more) can be done using shortcuts, e.g., the undo and redo possibilities are very useful. To get the full list of available shortcuts, take a look in the ‘Tips and Tricks’ menu.
A distinctive feature of BikeRoll is its altitude profile. Most of the bike route planning sites neglect the importance of this information. Even though, the altitude profile is shown in most of the websites, having it mono-color does not give enough information about the real difficulty of route. For example, when I see a steep climb on a non-colored elevation profile, I have no idea how difficult it is and I must deduce it by looking on the altitude differences. BikeRoll does this step for me by showing a color-coded elevation profile: (1) green means steep descent, (2) blue is a comfortable ride, (3) yellow is not that difficult climb, (4) red is a more steep and serious climb, and (5) gray is an impossibly steep climb where you certainly have to get off the bike. After getting used to with the colors, just by a quick look you can decide how difficult a route really is.

Save your routes

Once a route is planned, it is important to be able to access it any time (ideally also anywhere while riding, but I will talk about it later). BikeRoll does not have users per se, but saving route requires the identification of the person who created it. This identification can be done using a Facebook or Google account. Using the save button from the top right corner, you can save the planned route. These routes can later be listed (renamed and deleted) along with some basic statistics about them.

Real-time route access

An all times important challenge is how to stay on the planned route (especially when you are in the wood or on the mountain). BikeRoll offers three solutions. The first one is for more old fashioned people who prefer cycling without any digital gadgets. They can export a PDF summary of the route (and print it) that guides them along the way. Just a bit more advanced is the real-time tracking using a smartphone. After opening the site in a smartphone’s browser, your actual location is shown (and updated), thus, you can check if you on the track. Note that no app install is needed, only a simple browser. The third and most advanced way of not getting lost is to export the GPX track and upload it to some special tracking device.

Weather support

Weather is a factor over what we have no control and can easily ruin a weekend ride. To avoid such inconveniences the planning phase should include the checking of the weather forecast as well. However, it is very easy to get distracted by the thrill of the route, assume that the weekend weather will be just as sunny as it is, and simply forget this crucial step. On BikeRoll, instant weather support shows a five day weather forecast for the area where the route is planned. There is no need for additional search or any clicking and the chance of being caught in a rain is minimized.

Multi-language support

BikeRoll is currently available on eleven languages and new languages are planning to be added. I am sure this feature may not be appreciated that much by English speakers but for those who do not speak English can help a lot.

Final thoughts

BikeRoll is not going to revolutionize cycling. It has a single purpose, that is to make bicycle route planning as simple as possible. The site's main goal is to easily plan your bicycle routes. The color coded altitude profile gives a general (though accurate) overview on the difficulty of the planned route, while the weather forecast helps to avoid rainy days and extreme heat. Furthermore, the planned routes can be accessed any time even while being on the route, thus, the change of being lost can be minimized.

Cycle Touring Festival 2017

ernestex — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 18:01:52 +0000

On the late May bank holiday for the past three years, a group of around 200 to 300 people get together to talk about bicycles, listen to engaging stories of amazing cycle touring journeys, learn, eat, sleep, drink a few beers, go cycling and have a bloody good time in the company of like minded people. It is called the Cycle Touring Festival and I had the pleasure of going this year. This is what I found.

It was the day before the festival

@Festival

It was the day before the festival and time had been moving way too fast and I was faced with getting my bicycle and kit ready whilst trying to work from home! I had told myself there would be plenty of time, but as ever that was wishful thinking as I frantically packed my car. I was leaving later that evening and was picking up another attendee on route, who had put a request on Facebook for a lift to the festival the night before and I was happy to help out. A quick detour and we headed north on our 250 mile journey. It was good to have company along the way - with lots of bicycle talk, it wasn't long before we arrived.

Trying to be very quiet!

@Road

We set about unloading and scouting around for a gap in the busy camping fields. With a gap successfully found, we set to work whilst trying to be very quiet! With the head torches shining here there and everywhere and a little banging around probably didn't make us any friends, so apologies to the other festival goers!
Morning soon arrived and I was awoken with beautiful sunlight filling up my tent. I love camping at this time of year - the sun rises are often spectacular, giving you a real spring in your step for the day. The bright yellow sky against all the tents made for a postcard perfect shot. Remembering that I packed fresh coffee and my jetboil was an added bonus. Life was good

I had planned to go cycling, but instead went for a walk to get my bearings. Off I went exploring.

The festival is held at a Girl Guide Camp Site, just outside a town in Lancashire called, Clitheroe. The site is surrounded by stunning countryside, a central house with outbuildings, beautiful grounds with plenty of space to chill. It is shame we couldn't access the high and low ropes area, as they did look fun And there is the river Ribble if you fancy a dip! A great setting to get away from everyday life and host a cycling festival.

Get Outside and Explore the World by Bicycle!

ernestex — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 14:03:47 +0000

Hello and welcome to a guest blog post from Stephanie Lindqvist. Stephanie went on an awesome bike tour to USA & Canada, and has started to write a blog all about it. This post is all about getting out there and exploring the World by bicycle!

”You did WHAT?” Yes, most members of the bike touring family will get this phrase thrown at us at least 100 times in a lifetime, it’s a fact. What we do - ride our two-wheeled besties across landscapes, countries and continents - is obviously not the first thing normal people would associate with the term ’holiday’. Adding up the number of times I’ve been asked to explain the phenomenon of bike touring, it would have been more efficient to record myself repeatedly saying ”it’s not that far” or ”no you don’t need to be in great shape, I barely moved my butt of the couch for 6 months prior to sweating up the infinite hills of the Canadian Rockies”. But then there is the joy of satisfying my ego, and we all know how the heart beats a little faster every time you get to tell the audience about your trip.

It’s a tricky task

@Tour

How do I compress two life-changing months into one blog post? It’s a tricky task, but before I tell you about it I have to rewind the tape a little.

In August of 2014 I was working at the Disneyland resort in Paris. I was 22 years old and had a blast learning French and meeting up with my new friends most nights for the after-work beer. However, after a few months my contract came to an end and I realized I had spent more time and money partying than actually exploring my surroundings and learning something. The realization hit me hard, so I went to the sports shop and bought the cheapest bike I could find and started pedaling from my home outside of Paris. About a month later, with barely no planning and a way too heavy backpack I arrived in the south of France with a new diagnose called bike touring. That was it, I was in love. No turning back. I needed to do this again, but in a bigger scale.

I started my big trip from Victoria, BC in early May last year. The amount of preparation in terms of gear, route planning and training, again, was close to none. Since it is impossible to find and try out a touring bike for a tiny person like me in Sweden, I had to order one online, have it shipped to Canada and hope for the best. Luckily, it was a perfect match.

On my journey, I met loads of curious people everywhere I went and received the typical questions I assume anyone on a bike tour has heard. They would ask me what the heck I was doing and why I did this voluntarily, where I started and where I’m headed and responding with the mandatory ”wow that’s a long way!”. There’s always a bunch of things to find out about someone's journey, so here’s a little compilation of facts:

As mentioned above, my trip started in Victoria, BC and finished in NYC. The total mileage was roughly 6000km, 4100 of those spent on my bike and the rest in a train, in cars and one tow truck (so sue me for cheating!). I went through 6 Canadian provinces and 7 American states. I mostly passed through small communities, forests, prairies and mountains, but also got to see the bigger cities of Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Boston. I slept in a tent in the beginning, but pretty soon I realized it’s so much more rewarding to take help from Warmshowers and Couchsurfing members. We would have dinner and breakfast together while sharing life stories and inspiring each other. During the days I’d mostly eat hamburgers and whatever was offered along the way, accompanied by gas station snacks and pepperoni sticks. Is this an ultimate diet for bike touring? Hell yeah. Oh and let’s not forget the countless pit stops at Tim Hortons for donuts and free wi-fi. I think I’ll try to get a sponsorship next time..

Anyway, the most important thing here is that I freaking made it. And so can you! Seriously. Just do it. Here’s some advice that will help you get through your days when you’re finally on the road:

Warmshowers. Pretty obvious for some of you, I hadn’t heard of it before. I saved loads of money on accommodation and food, but the part that I’m most grateful of is that I met so many people (and dogs, shout out to Hubble the pug) that were willing to share their stories with me. Thank you thank you thank you. Also, local people are better than Google maps.

Don’t overthink it, not in the planning nor in the moment. It will be fine. My chain fell off in the Rocky Mountains while a bear was looking at me from across the road, still I am alive to tell the story (thank god I had bear spray with me though).

Cheat, it’s fine. I took the train all the way from Winnipeg to Toronto because I was bored after the prairies and didn’t feel like spending another couple of weeks away from civilization. Did I feel bad about this decision? Before boarding the train, yes. It ended up being one of the coolest experiences ever. Spending two days on a train with the same bunch of people was like summer camp for adults where we played music, sang and laughed together. So do it, bike touring isn’t about mileage but the adventure.

Music! I had a little speaker in my handlebar bag, and started every morning with Lou Reed’s Walk on the wild side to enjoy some soft tunes before the caffeine kicked in. Hours on the road can get lonely and boring, and listening to the nature is only cool for so long, am I right. Listen to a podcast or your favorite playlist, or don’t. Ah, you see, it's all up to you because there is no other time in life you will be as free as you are on a bike tour.

So enough of me ranting about how awesome bike touring is, now it's your turn to start your own adventure. As long as you have the will, you're good to go I promise. Don't let the internet scare you off with posts about how much money it costs or how important it is to have the latest gear because in the end it's all up to what's in your heart (cheesy but true). And if you need motivation or advice, I'm here for you. See you on the road!

Off to have a Cycle Touring Adventure in Dartmoor

ernestex — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 23:35:16 +0000

I think of myself as rather fortunate to live in the South West of England. Perfect for cycle touring with being nicely placed in between two awesome National Parks; Dartmoor and Exmoor. With the bits in between filled with endless country roads and superb views from all directions. I have the luxury of heading in any direction for a cracking local ride, and if I want to go further, I hop on the train. And on this occasion, my target was Dartmoor for a couple of days chilled out riding.

Hopping out of bed early, I had that feeling of not being entirely prepared for this trip, which is completely out of character for me. After a busy week at work, I needed to get away for a couple of days, and instead of preparing the night before I did my best to finish my work to clear my mind before heading out on my bike. A mind free to enjoy the surroundings is always preferable. In a blind panic, I swiftly ate, packed, checked my touring bike over and said goodbye to my family and started peddling to Taunton train station. I had booked myself a short ride to a town called Newton Abbott on the edge of Dartmoor. No real plans, apart from a night camping at a Youth Hostel (YHA) in a town called Okehampton on the other side. All that was left was to pick a few points on the map to gently find my way across and explore the beauty of Dartmoor.

I enjoy catching trains. Not so much for work, but when on 'my own time' I especially enjoy daydreaming; watching the landscape whiz by me, I go into my own little world. Marveling at the beauty of Devon, I began to think about my mini cycle tour. Digging out my good old paper map, I started to explore on paper. Choosing to ignore the tight contours on the map, I started to think about my first destination. Dartmeet seemed a good a place as any I thought. With the River Dart Country park along the way, it seemed like a good place to start my cycling adventure.

Arriving in Newton Abbott, I maneuvered my bicycle off the train and then had the pleasure of up and down two flights of stairs. Thank you Network Rail! First task was to get out of this busy town and head for the hills. I had a rough idea of the direction of Dartmeet and after a brief moment of being totally lost, I found an unexpected cycle path by Jetty Marsh that weaved me around this local beauty spot and river. I was soon cycling along quiet country lanes and found a great spot to fuel me for the afternoon of riding ahead.

Did I mention the tight contours on the map? Funny how I always tell myself that it cannot be that steep a hill when sitting down planning. Wow! Dartmoor has some serious hills. From short and sharp to the those winding, never ending walls of pain! I found myself on a couple of serious climbs in Newbridge and by the River Dart that nearly brought me to a standstill on more than one occasion. I guess the 25% warnings were there for a reason! But were they worth it? Oh yes. The views across Dartmoor after each climb were amazing. Untouched landscape for miles and miles, with villages dotted here and there.

I never did quite make it to Dartmeet - I often find myself everywhere else apart from where I intended! All these hills were slowing me down and the realisation I needed to at least head in the general direction of my pre-arranged bed for the night. I could have wild camped, however I had booked a camping pitch for the night and wanted to make it before darkness set in. With my direction changed, I started heading north towards Changford. And it was much of the same. Hill after hill, followed by some awesome downhill sections. Speeding down 20%+ gradients was fantastic. And with all the camping gear on the back of the bicycle, I was maxing out at well over 35mph on occasions! I love my converted MTB touring bike for terrain like this. The position on the bicycle is perfect for me, making it really stable ride when maneuvering left to right whilst going downhill. And my Brooks saddle is well and truly molded to my backside these days, making the long days on the bike a real pleasure, even with my legs are burning from all these hills.

Mile after glorious mile, taking in all the picturesque villages along the way, and occasional stopping to make a cup of tea and biscuits with my trusty stove, I was almost at the YHA Okehampton, my final destination for the day. I'm a big fan of the YHA (Youth Hostels for those who don't know). They provide a great service to the U.K. with a good choice of accommodation. Don't get me wrong, they are by no means luxurious, and don't come with room service. But you can camp, stay in a dorm, or hire out a private room or varying sizes. You can even hire the whole hostel! For a £7.00 camping pitch I got access to the campsite, kitchen, lounge, games rooms, hot showers, toilets and for an extra few pounds they even cooked me up a breakfast! That is what I really like them - when camping you get access to the whole building and facilities. If you have never tried them, please do check them out next time you are our adventuring.

I got checked in and swiftly setup my tent and unpacked all the essentials. I'm getting pretty handy at getting myself setup these days - really is second nature to me. Next pitch along were a French couple who had made a similar journey to myself. Having caught the ferry to Plymouth, they had cycled their way across the South West and found themselves in Dartmoor on a little adventure. With my French being worse the useless and their English not that much better we said our goodbyes and I headed off into town. Hungry as ever, I went on the hunt for high amount of calories to replace the reserves after so many hills. The smell of meat cooking over hot charcoal soon had me won over! Not something I often see in the UK, especially as Kebab shops don't always have good reputations! Please to say this little restaurant were doing it a little differently, and if wasn't looking so grey, cold and miserable outside, I would have thought I was on my holidays somewhere exotic! I cycled back to the campsite in record time. The smell of what was dangling from my handlebars was driving my legs up the hill to the YHA entrance. Grabbing a plate from the kitchen, I swiftly devoured my food, trying not to look like I have never eaten before. But those hills had really gone to work on me and my appetite had taken over! Taking advantage of the facilities, I sat in the lounge and enjoyed chilling out on a comfy sofa for an hour, letting my dinner work it's magic.

I woke early the following morning to a reasonably clear day. Certainly no rain, which is always a plus point to us cyclists. Today was a head back in direction of home and take all day about it kind of day. I was under no pressure to be anywhere. I felt a little sleepy, stiff legs and strangely hungry after the day before, so I headed over to the YHA canteen to order my full English breakfast, before packing up and heading off.

Heading in the rough direction of Tiverton, initially I found the terrain pretty similar to the day before, but moving further away from Dartmoor it chilled out and the roads begun to level off a little. The clouds began to clear as I meandered through the quiet Devon country lanes. It was certainly a warmer day and I was in good spirits as my body enjoyed plodding along without a care in the world. Stopping every now and then to have a little food and firing up my stove for cups of tea. I was enjoying taking in the world at a slower pace.

My only real plan of the day was to head in the direction of Tiverton. There is a fantastic cycle path along the canal that leads all the way back to near my home in Wellington. This cycle path runs all the way from Tiverton to Taunton and was man made back in 1810. It was named the 'Grand Western Canal'. It is simply a joy to cycle along - mile after mile of flat, well maintained cycle paths for everyone to enjoy. It is an addiction of mine to get onto this canal path every time I'm anywhere near. Diverting to take this route avoids busy roads and allows you to take in it's beauty, plodding along daydreaming. Do check pay it a visit if you are ever in the area.

Returning home, I was pleased with my mini cycle tour of Dartmoor. I had achieved what I wanted to and was excited to head back soon to Dartmoor and explore new areas. I know I missed so much during such a short ride. But I'm fortunate to live so close and will be back very soon. Watch this space for future rides and hopefully some of you can join me!