Thursday, August 9, 2007
Ride like lightning
Sitting on a park in Vienna after a huge thunderstorm during which I feared for my own life, I find a moment of tranquility and reflection.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Getting Into A Rhythm
Its been six weeks now and I'm settling in to the lifestyle. Each day is is a mind expanding experience. The creature comforts such as shower, comfortable bed, etc that I was once used to are now an occassional luxury. Each day is limited only by our own decisions in each moment, leading us off down a new path of chance meetings and opportunities.
When I last blogged we were still in Belgium. We travelled through France to Switzerland and stayed with our WWF contact in Geneva where we took the opportunity to rest for a couple of days. The arrival to Geneva was suitably dramatic with a knee poppingly steep ascent of the Jura Ridgeway and a bitterly cold heart-in-mouth nighttime descent, with view over moonlight alps, towards an illuminated buzzing Geneva.
When I last blogged we were still in Belgium. We travelled through France to Switzerland and stayed with our WWF contact in Geneva where we took the opportunity to rest for a couple of days. The arrival to Geneva was suitably dramatic with a knee poppingly steep ascent of the Jura Ridgeway and a bitterly cold heart-in-mouth nighttime descent, with view over moonlight alps, towards an illuminated buzzing Geneva.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Turn On, Tune in and Pedal On
Another day on the road. I drink a large coffee, pack the trailer and panniers pedal on to the next big adventure. Each new experience is challenging my preconceptions and leaving me with an excitement and anticipation for the next one.
The most difficult thing so far is the challenge of working in a team and sharing responsibilities as a group, taking into account three sets of ideas. However it is ultimately a very rewarding experience.
What is completely unexpected is the amount of hospitality we have received.
The most difficult thing so far is the challenge of working in a team and sharing responsibilities as a group, taking into account three sets of ideas. However it is ultimately a very rewarding experience.
What is completely unexpected is the amount of hospitality we have received.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
National Bike Show located at secret venue called the NEC
Today we drove to the National Bike Show at the NEC after generously being giving some tickets by the organisers. I was up early and went over to pick Tom up at 8.30am to drive down. We collected our previously prepared (at midnight last night) press packs and printed a couple of cheap t-shirts with the Ride Earth logo and website on them. Eventually after the usual faffing about we headed off with some circa 2000 Pete Tong tape playing in the car.
We cruised on down the A14 and M6 then missed the turn off for the NEC by just the 5 junctions. To make things worse when we turned off in order to turn round, the southbound direction was closed and the traffic was diverted so we had to drive another junction up the M6 just to come back again. After an intense session of cursing about the lack of clear signage, we managed to find our way to the NEC by using the sun and the art of tracking.
On arrival we milled about for a bit, before being walked in by the organiser and left to do our thing. We spoke to a few different companies who had stands including Chain Reaction, Extreme.com, Pace/DT Swiss, Merlin, and dropped press packs off with Singletrack, DIRT, MBR and a few others with a view to getting some regular coverage on our trip.
We cruised on down the A14 and M6 then missed the turn off for the NEC by just the 5 junctions. To make things worse when we turned off in order to turn round, the southbound direction was closed and the traffic was diverted so we had to drive another junction up the M6 just to come back again. After an intense session of cursing about the lack of clear signage, we managed to find our way to the NEC by using the sun and the art of tracking.
On arrival we milled about for a bit, before being walked in by the organiser and left to do our thing. We spoke to a few different companies who had stands including Chain Reaction, Extreme.com, Pace/DT Swiss, Merlin, and dropped press packs off with Singletrack, DIRT, MBR and a few others with a view to getting some regular coverage on our trip.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
You only live once...
Coming along with us to the One Life Live exhibition in Earl's Court, London next weekend will be Project Carbon.
Project Carbon is a UK based, not-for-profit carbon reduction service that aims to help one to understand and reduce one's carbon footprint and compensate for non-reducible carbon dioxide emissions.
The Foundation is dedicated to preserving and promoting the value of the world's last remaining wild areas by through lobbying, education and, wherever possible offering direct experience of wilderness itself. They support projects that conserve wilderness and those seeking to re-establish it in Great Britain and overseas.
Project Carbon is a UK based, not-for-profit carbon reduction service that aims to help one to understand and reduce one's carbon footprint and compensate for non-reducible carbon dioxide emissions.We are extremely pleased to announce that we will also be joined by The Wilderness Foundation UK (blog).
The Foundation is dedicated to preserving and promoting the value of the world's last remaining wild areas by through lobbying, education and, wherever possible offering direct experience of wilderness itself. They support projects that conserve wilderness and those seeking to re-establish it in Great Britain and overseas.We share the belief of the Wilderness Foundation in the irreplaceable value of wilderness, which contains the wonders of pristine nature, and enables us to return to our origins and draw a deep sense of belonging and inspiration and that by visiting the unspoiled places where nature has been allowed to exist since time began, this connection is rekindled.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
A million thoughts
Time is ticking away from us in the count down to leaving. Thinking about all aspects of the equipment, navigation, etc... Which bike frame, wheels, brakes? What combination of clothes? Do I really need to take a dinner jacket?
We have been kindly donated a stand at this year's One Life Live Exhibition.
This is a huge exhibition backed by the Independent newspaper, with a massive PR and marketing campaign behind it including national newspaper, magazine, London Underground posters Radio and TV and a year round website. One Life Live 2007 (2nd – 4th March) will take place at London’s most prestigious exhibition venue - the Grand Hall, Olympia in Central London.
Tom and I will be going along with some expedition kit, hopefully with a presence from our charities and some equipment companies, reciting poetry and talking to people about the aims of our trip to encourage sustainable living, promote bike use, and hopefully inspire others.
If you have a company who would like to be represented and help us with our trip please email me.
On another note, I recently watched a couple of documentaries. An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. Al Gore combines the science of global warming in an easy to understand way, with the potential consequences in a positive and strong, rallying cry to protect the one earth we all share and how we can take action without getting too evangelical about saving the planet. I also watched Who Killed the Electric Car?. This is a lesser publicised documentary, about how the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate and emerging electric car in California was quashed by government, the car companies, Big Oil, even Eco-darling Hydrogen and consumers who turned their backs on the car in favour of the SUV. Both highly recommended and interesting.
We have been kindly donated a stand at this year's One Life Live Exhibition.
This is a huge exhibition backed by the Independent newspaper, with a massive PR and marketing campaign behind it including national newspaper, magazine, London Underground posters Radio and TV and a year round website. One Life Live 2007 (2nd – 4th March) will take place at London’s most prestigious exhibition venue - the Grand Hall, Olympia in Central London.Tom and I will be going along with some expedition kit, hopefully with a presence from our charities and some equipment companies, reciting poetry and talking to people about the aims of our trip to encourage sustainable living, promote bike use, and hopefully inspire others.
If you have a company who would like to be represented and help us with our trip please email me.
On another note, I recently watched a couple of documentaries. An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. Al Gore combines the science of global warming in an easy to understand way, with the potential consequences in a positive and strong, rallying cry to protect the one earth we all share and how we can take action without getting too evangelical about saving the planet. I also watched Who Killed the Electric Car?. This is a lesser publicised documentary, about how the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate and emerging electric car in California was quashed by government, the car companies, Big Oil, even Eco-darling Hydrogen and consumers who turned their backs on the car in favour of the SUV. Both highly recommended and interesting.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Rutland Water
On Saturday I biked around Rutland Water and went windsurfing. The biking was great. 16 miles in about 1.10 hours. The wind was not in the right direction for the launch beach. I think it was North Westerly and therefore blowing offshore. The wind started about 8 mph and dropped. Not ideal conditions but I spent most of it helped my mate learn.
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