Bike vs train

Its official: bikes are faster than trains.

Sometimes, at least.

Last week, faced with a 55 minute wait for a 15 minute train ride to carry me the 10.1 leafy miles between Coventry to Warwick, the challenge was set.

You would too, right?

If you've spent 2 years waiting for trains in Coventry - yes, you would.

So it was best wheel forward on my trusty Brompton, needing to make only 8 mph to beat the unfortunately timed train...

Riding through the fresh, leafy autumnal countryside, 
I couldnt wipe the child-like grin off my face. it felt so good to be flying through the countryside after a few weeks in the city.

As hoped, the ride got me there earlier, warmer and considerably happier than the train. job done
:

Planning

Moving on swiftly, I think spring might be my favourite time of year.

Fewer chances to use the excuse that it's too cold, wet or windy, and time to think about where might be fun to ride later in the year. Fortunately the decision is made easier this year since a good friend is taking a year off work to cycle through Europe and across North Africa (and wherever the wind takes him beyond that...). Myself and J plan to meet him in the South West of France for 2 weeks of gentle adventure: Pyrenees foothills, west coast surfing, Bordeaux cuisine - it should be a welcome break.

I've enjoyed following his progress building a bike from scratch for his trip - at fair cost I assume but built to last a lifetime. Knowing the ins and outs of the object you rely on to travel isn't too bad an idea. Especially since mechanical things have a habit of going wrong at awkward moments, and having put the thing together in the first place gives you as good a shot as possible to get yourself out of trouble.

I'm writing this in part to get some ideas down of places to ride this year:

• South West France
• Bruges to Lille
• London to Brum?
• Brum to Brambles (Ed did Sheffield to Brambles, 180 miles ish, in 1long day to reach concert!)
• Lots of commuting (£150 a month season ticket to avoid)
• Welsh hills - just brilliant and not too far
• Peak District - on my doorstep, be rude not to...
• Scotland - remember thinking how much more time I could spend exploring as I rushed through LEJOG
• (See top 100 UK hill climbs xmas book!)

So apologies for the boring post - more for my benefit than anyone's interest! I hope exciting memories and amusing photos will stem from it...

A tribute to the big man

Slight change of tack here...

I will never have the pleasure of cycling with a fine friend I met this spring at my local tennis club. As a similarly young engineer with a love of bikes, he and I thought we'd try our luck as a doubles pair over the summer. His passing is a great loss to all who were lucky enough to know him, and the following is our team's tribute:

In spring 2013 Stan joined Moseley Tennis Club where his warm, sociable character and excellent standard saw him quickly gain friends, regular playing partners and a place with us in the Moseley 5^th team. He was a core team member in what’s been our strongest team to date, ending the summer season with promotion to the highest position we’ve ever reached. Stan himself achieved the best match stats of any player in the league:

As a player he was prolific and reliable, and would start each match with a hearty “Good Game!” followed by a booming serve we came to know as one of his ‘bombs’. He played a clever game, always composed and managing to tuck his shots into impossible gaps with a fine touch you just don’t expect from someone with his power.

Stan’s quest for the perfect racket setup never failed to amuse us, with an ever-growing collection of rackets (12 at the last count, we think) and his experimental approach to restrings seeing him try a new tension practically each week  - a luxury the rest of us might only indulge a few times a year! We’re sure this experimentalism in pursuit of improvement led him to become the brilliant player he was.

More than just being a successful player though, he was great to have around.  You couldn’t miss him coming with his bright yellow cap, big headphones and England shirt. He always met us with a smile, was sociable, easygoing and warm hearted - happy to play with anyone and happier still for a catch up afterwards.

Stan the Man, it won't be half as good without you.

How to not get hit by a falling tree

Sometimes I get myself into sticky situations. Most recently this happened during what was to be a delightful weekend cycle-camping in some of the UK's oldest woodland - the 'New Forest', named by somebody who lacked foresight. That weekend, I learned some new things:

• The New Forest is not new
• Trees sound like deer
• Clothes from Asda feel disgusting

Here's how I learned these things...
Planned to perfection, J, D and myself arrived early one November Saturday in the metropolis that is Basingstoke and set off west into the fresh autumnal wind for warmer climes. Anyone who has ridden a bike in the cold knows that the only way to get warmer is to ride faster, but doing so makes it windier, which makes your fingers, nose, ears and toes colder, at which point you reconsider and decide you'd rather slow down and enjoy the scenery. Fortunately, the scenery was delightful:

Eventually, with daylight all but buggered-orf we reached the New Forest, where I realise I have lied - coffee and cake is another perfectly acceptable way of warming up a winter ride. With lights that could dazzle Flash Gordon himself we ambled further through the forest in search of a hearty meal and couldn't help but be drawn to the curiously named 'Nomansland', where we were not disappointed...

Three gargantuan meals later we hit the road in search of a camping spot, and a few ill-thought turnings was all it took to find ourselves rattling down a sludgy dirt track (respect to D on a road bike) towards National Rail's excuse of choice - a fallen tree lying smack-bang across our path.  It seemed like a good idea at the time; well fed, cooling down, tired and unable to pass, we weren't going anywhere else -why not camp here?

Here's why not:
A lot of people know that the New Forest has many deer, and that in the Autumn the deer rut - crashing their antlers against each others in competition for the ladies. What not a lot of people know is that a tree trying to fall down sounds remarkably similar to rutting deer in the run up to a tree actually falling down. We learned this subtle distinction in the middle of the night when the deer rutting around our tent turned out to be an ancient tree falling down not too far away.

If your alarm clock ever stops doing the job - try going back to sleep in a wood on a windy night after hearing a tree fall down. Had it fallen on us, how would we have fared? It's hard to say - it was sold to me as a strong tent but I have my doubts.


So how not to get hit by a falling tree? Pitch your tent a little to one side.

It's been a long time a-coming...

Over 2 years have passed since we traveled to Norway and started this blog, writing enthusiastically as we pedaled south from the Arctic Circle.

Since then I've been ignoring a treasure chest of videos we took as we traveled, all along having the best intentions of creating a brief video documentary of the sights, sounds and souls we encountered and loved.

A couple of weeks ago, 2 years on, I stumbled across one of these videos and in a moment of excited optimism decide that this is it - the month of the video! It also dawned on me quite how easy it has been to postpone this creative stage for fear not doing justice to the trip (and our videos).

So in the spirit of the trip - now or never - I proudly present: Norway!

Norwegian solstice from Jeremy Woolley on Vimeo.

Next instalment: To Oslo...

With sunny Bergen done and dusted our bikes boarded the HUGE guards carriage whilst we sat in what can only be described as first class seats (for a very standard price...) for the next 6 hours over mountains and rivers, through cloud, sun, lashing rain, lighting, more sun and then cloud on arrival in Oslo.


IT WAS DARK! Well, nearly.

4th time lucky!

They grow up to be tough...

Norwegian awards: Top prizes go toooo............ dry bags and Lycra!

Not cheap, so worth it.

A quiet corner for some bicycle magic

Mission accomplished!

And again!

Claus and Kilian, thank you!

So long! I'll be back without a doubt...

So there was Norway; 5 weeks of...

• Stunning scenery- so many amazing mountains, fjords and rivers and so few people there...
• Memorable people- Our flight with Jonas, the midnight eclipse with Micka and Thomas, crewing a luxury spa boat with Chicago chef Ben, fishing with Kine & Atle, (and that was just the first 2 days!)... A massive thank you to everyone who made Norway feel like home!
• Daytime- From English soil I can confirm that night time does indeed still exist...
• Fish- We would have gone hungry without that rod- thanks Jonas! (Though we don't miss the smell of the fish racks)
• Ferries- A comfy seat and a break from scorching sun, driving wind and rain, tired legs etc., they were always eagerly anticipated and enjoyed
• Hussman crackers-(Norwegian Ryvita)- Kept us going strong but won't be buying any more soon!
• 24hr Sunshine- The weather worked out a treat for us with only 4 or 5 days of really wet and windy weather, win!
• Empty roads-  With possibly the most patient drivers in the world and only the occasional motorhome to share the roads with it really was stress free riding, and we won't forget the 'European Plastics Industry Motorcycle Club' in a hurry! 

In a nutshell: We loved it, and think you would too (just dont drink river water south of Bodø!)

A long overdue catchup... To Bergen!

Hey all! Along with the comfort of a *REAL BED!*, the novelty of home brings a fast enough internet connection to fill in the complete absence of photos since before Bergen, hope they're worth the wait!

Pasta fail

Late after dinner ferry

wetwetwet

Scorcher of a waiting room!

decisions decisions...

Celebratory Calzone in Bergen, woop!

Fine dining #2

Famous fish!

What it is to be dry!

Bob, how he struggled!

Bergen=awesome

Bergen= more awesome

Bergen: 275 rain days a year, but not today!!

Thank you Ukraine!

Dunphy; King of antlers!

Loris!

Oh yes, it's a dinosaur, boom!

So Bergen was done in style, now on to Oslo!