Yes, you did read that right.
This morning I entered into one of those conversations which by turns seems the most natural in the world but also quite the oddest. I ended up advising an MP on how to ride a bike through London safely and without chafing and how to not have his steed nicked at the other end. The MP in question isn't quite the normal MP aside from this, which is why I am following him on Twitter, because despite not being a massive fan of the party he is a member of, he asks the right questions and listens to good sensible answers when it comes to matters IT which is something for the other blog I write but which basically encompasses the ludicrous Digital Economy Act and the fact that the man disobeyed whip instructions for the first time in his career because he believed something was so wrong and stood up and clearly stated so. I respect the man immensely for that, not all of us would be so brave in that position, thought it may be easy to catcall and deride from the comfort of our sofas.
Anyway, jokes about hiding lycra aside the bloke asked, to his credit, so I answered as best I could with helmet and glove recommendations and pointed him at either M & S cycling shorts or other makes should he get bitten more seriously by the bug. Which of course he will, because everyone does once they've tasted the joy of just getting on and going. Or at least I hope so because we could be less blessed with a vocal promoter of our favoured mode of transport, believe me.
Leaving politics well and truly behind because that's a story for another day and usually relates to public access in terms of this blog, I am having dimension issues.
You'd never believe the agonising the size of my hydration pack rucksack could cause. Actually, possibly men wouldn't believe it - I suspect those among you of the fairer persuasion may understand where this is going immediately. I am, in 1 week, embarking into hitherto unchartered territory and I haven't got a damn clue what I want to pack into where. So, because the inevitable will happen and this blog will become slightly Leeds Liverpool focused for a bit, my packing list stands at:
1 litre bottle on bottle holder on bike
2 litres water in hydration thingy
Rucksack to hold this and to also hold:
pump, basic toolkit, inner tube, waterproof gloves, spare socks, camera (?), iphone, earphones, buff, jelly babies, cash, lock(?), flapjacks, waterproof poncho thingy (?), mile matrix for the canal from town to town.
I'm going to be coming home each evening. I live 2 miles from the halfway point of the canal, my other half was supposed to be coming with me and sodding off for 4 days entirely without him seems callous, and frankly cheap is good and I want my own bed. I'm also not quite brave enough to do something entirely by myself. There, I said it :O) I'm also planning on getting in a bath full of painfully hot water & not coming out again until my muscles are convinced they'll never be cold again. I am however, utterly overwhelmed and grateful for the offers of crash space. The people responsible have been filed under 'epic' and plans are afoot for cake swapping to not be entirely 1 way (I've got to learn to bake a cake first!)
I am so excited. Honestly. There's bits of trepidation in there and I know from experience of things long ago that I shall be a pile of nausea & dizziness at Liverpool come the start, but I don't know anything quite as blissful as discovering the unknown on the back of a bike. And as someone pointed out earlier, if riding my bike normally destresses me and allows me to think and come up with bonkers ideas heaven only knows what's going to have occured by the time I get to Leeds. Probably the next idiot idea.
Still haven't decided on nail varnish colour. But it's going to have to go with pink and grey with lilac highlighted gloves.
Any way of getting more of the water on the bike at all or a saddle pack for tube/tools? One of my MTB frames is so small I can't get any bottle on at all but trying to get some of the weight off your back and onto the bike may be a good idea.
ReplyDeleteFor multiday stuff I usually use chamois cream when riding and have some sudocrem handy for afterwards just in case. My shorts/chamois and saddle/arse combo is pretty well sorted but chaffing in that area is miserable and I'd rather just take preventative measures. Also as it's canal I'm guessing you won't be stood up for technical sections as such so will have much more saddle time, remember to stand up occasionally. I know I can suffer on my road bike after a while unless I remember to move about on the bike a bit.
I clip my camera outside my rucksack in an easily accessible position,I take more photos that way than if I had to fish it out of the bag.
I'd also take two innertubes and possibly a puncture repair kit or those sticky patches, canal banks can have thorn bushes.
You don't have a lot of food listed so I'm guessing you may be stopping for food on the way in which case you may be able to top up water then rather than carrying three litres all the time. It really depends on how long you think each day is going to take you?