With just a couple of days to go until the big depart we thought it would be a good time to reflect on a few lessons we've learned in the past months:
Spare inner tubes - one is not enough, especially in damp
weather when it's impossible to repair punctures. A rainy ride to New Alresford
resulted in 3 punctures between us and a call to the cavalry for rescue.
CO2 canisters are a must - trying to pump up tyres in the
cold and rain is not fun!
Spare tyre section - tyre walls do split so take a spare
piece of an old tyre to line the damage and stop the replacement tube
puncturing again (Jeff's lesson) Another call to the cavalry (Ian this time).
Take some duct tape rolled on to a small pencil, you
never know when it may come in handy.
Garmin 800 - if you can afford it then buy one. It's the only way to navigate long rides plus
you get loads of data to stare at and you can satisfy the masculine urge to accumulate
gadgets.
Riding tips from our LBS, Cyclezone in
Crowthorne - keep the knees as close to
the cross bar as possible to ensure all of the downward power of the pedal
stroke goes straight down through the pedal and is not wasted out to the side.
Keep the elbows turned in and under to provide a natural
dampener for road vibration and to keep tension out of the shoulders (the usual
cause of shoulder/neck stiffness).
Lubricate - the essential parts on the bike but equally
if not more importantly the essential unmentionables. However no amount of lubrication will
compensate for the cardinal sin of wearing underpants underneath cycling shorts
as Ian did during the London Revolution Ride in May. Unless of course you want to test the
perineum's pain threshold - ouch! Robin
now refers to Ian as "Saurus Arsicus".
Be careful when
unclipping feet from cleats to stop at traffic lights. Make sure you put the
unclipped foot down before trying to look back over your shoulder as this will
shift your weight and can tip you to the unclipped side resulting in a slow
undignified fall in front of hopelessly giggling drivers (as Jeff can testify
to on more than one occasion).
A HUGE THANK YOU TO:
- All those who have sponsored us - we have been
overwhelmed by your generosity and support
- Eagle Radio for mentioning us in their hourly news
bulletins yesterday
- Surrey & Hants News and
who will be publishing articles about our ride next week.
Roll on Saturday!
Everyone at The Neuro Foundation would like to wish you good speed, fair weather and good cycling!
ReplyDeleteWe look forward to seeing your updates and pictures along the way and will share them with our Facebook community, who are always interested in challenges such as yours.
Good Luck!