Cycling
Cycling has never been a pastime that I particularly enjoyed. However, it is the only one of the three modes of transport on this trip that I have any experience of doing for so long. In 2012, I cycled coast to coast across America, effectively learning to cycle whilst I went (Read here). Prior to this, I had as much guile on a bicycle as a baby Giraffe running through the African bush. As I grew more confident on the bike and certainly as I grew fitter, I began to enjoy it a little more. Cycling is a great way to travel, you move slowly enough to appreciate every inch of the land, the sights, the smells, nothing eludes you. However, you also travel fast enough so that you actually feel like you are achieving something (this is where it differs from swimming). As a result of my USA trip, I am now relatively assured in my cycling ability and confident that both cycling sections will physically provide little trouble.
John O’Groats to Dover
Section one of the JOG to the Black Sea, starts at John O’Groats (JOG), located about as far north as you can go in the North of Scotland. From here, I will travel down through the Scottish highlands, the Cairngorms national park, the Scottish central belt, across the border into England, travelling down past the Yorkshire dales, before finally skirting past London on my way to Dover. Cycling the length of the UK is something I have wanted to do for a while and will hopefully prove to be a pleasant way to start the Jog. This section should be approximately 900 miles.
Section three will start on the beaches of France where section two finished. My only previous experience of cycling in mainland Europe is a few inauspicious Velib rides in Paris, however, I am confident that this journey will prove less troublesome. From Calais, I will travel south east into Belgium and continue on the same trajectory through Luxembourg, back into France and then into Germany before reaching Donaueschingen, the source of the Danube. The distance from Calais to Donaueschingen is approximately 800km.
Calais to the Danube
Motivation
Cycling from the top to the bottom of the UK is something that I have wanted to do for a few years now. I have been fortunate enough to travel to a vast amount of countries, all over the world. However, it is remarkable how little I have seen of my own one. The UK is such a beautiful country and cycling its length will give me the chance to witness its splendor and charm first hand. It would be harsh to call the cycle from Calais to Donaueschingen a transitional stage but in reality that is exactly what it is. It’s true that it is the only stage that I haven’t planned to do but to call it that would in many ways be a huge injustice. Europe (France is particular) has a rich cycling history and this will be my first real experience of it. My final motivation is to get back on my trusty bike, my best friend for 10 long weeks across the USA, it will be good to get reacquainted.
History
Between the ages of 12 and 23 I could probably count on one hand the total number of times that I rode a bike. However, this all changed in 2012 when I decided to cycle across America. At first training was tough, I was trying to improve my fitness whilst simultaneously trying to learn to properly ride a bike. In all honestly, when I arrived in the States, I was probably not physically ready for the challenge ahead. The first few weeks were particularly tough but as the weeks passed by, I became physically stronger and more at ease on the bike and after 10 weeks on the bike, I completed my 3,800 mile trek across the USA. Aside from a week long trip in the Outer Hebrides, this remains my only real cycling experience. The majority of my cycling experience has been on the right hand side of the road and I have at times been known to drift unwillingly across to the right when my mind has wondered over to another subject, this is something that could prove quite interesting (and dangerous) in the UK cycling section.
Training
Describing Dubai as cycle friendly would be a grossly false statement, therefore most of the cycle training has been indoors. This doesn’t mean that I am underprepared, in fact my cycle training for this trip has been on another level compared to that of my USA cycle. Since the idea of the JOG first appeared in my mind, I have attended on average 4 spinning classes per week, a 45 minute high intensity work out that prepares the body perfectly for road cycling. Once I return home, I will recommence outdoor cycling, including many trips up my infamous training hill. Long distance cycling can be extremely mentally tough, it’s vital to focus simply on the day ahead, looking too far into the future can be enormously demotivating. This aspect of cycling is very difficult, even impossible to train for without actually facing it. Fortunately I now have extensive experience of this, therefore physically and mentally I feel extremely prepared for both cycle sections of the JOG.