5. Elevation

There was much faffing to be done with the Garmin, since I hadn’t put the maps on it before leaving. Who knows why; I mean, why didn’t I do it? The cottage had no WiFi, and only a tiny bit of 3G if you stood in the right spot, with the moon in the right place, etc.

4. Rule #9

“Got to get the miles in”, I thought. “On longer, multi-day rides, I’m not going to have the luxury of choosing nice weather, and what if I get ill?” “Need to get it done, need to stop thinking of the 600cc motorcycle only a few yards away.”

3. How I got into long distance cycling

It was November in 2016, so just over a year ago at the time of writing this when I got bitten by the ultra-distance cycling bug, after stumbling across a post on a cycling forum called CycleChat, that I have used a lot over the years.

2. The Commute

You will get close-passed, sworn at, threatened, and if you’re not careful, worse. Hop on a bike and ride the roads through one of the busiest cities in the world and you give up your right to be treated as a human being – suddenly, you’re the enemy.

1. How I got into Cycling

I remember the freedom the bike gave me, it was just such a huge, unexpected freedom – I really thought I could go anywhere on my bike. I spent many hot summer days as a kid, out exploring on my bike.