Next year, 1st week of July 2010 to be precise, I will be doing another coast to coast bike ride.

And this time you are invited too.

[urlhttp://jerrychicken.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/hadrians-wall-lets-go-fishing/[/url

Newcastle to Carlisle (well, Bowness on Solway actually), or probably the other way around actually, its about 130 miles over three days, downhill all the way (honest) and its in aid of a Huddersfield charity [urlhttp://www.thejosephsalmontrust.org.uk/index.htm[/url which aims to help parents with financial grants when a child of theirs dies - no-one ever plans for that to happen, there are no insurance policies that you take out, it happens then you are left with the grief and a huge bill - thats where the Joseph Salmon Trust steps in to help - read the web site, I guarantee you'll want to help afterwards.


So who's up for it then ?

You don't need to be a racing snake, anyone wearing lycra will be scoffed at, all I need at the moment is a tentative "yes" and we'll sort the details out later, I'm working on it taking three days at the moment and those days will probably be mid-week so you'll need to book a few days off work, everything else will be organised for a cost to you of around £100 and a lot of sweat, tears and fun.


Go on, you know you want to...

[uTentatively[/u....yes.

Ditto.

(I want to see a route map first)

I have a vague fancy of buying a road bike but can't afford one.

This would provide a suitable excuse in a few months time - but only if work start paying salaries in full again!

Excellent chaps.

Map and route guide here [urlhttp://www.hadrian-guide.co.uk/[/url don't be frightened, those hills aren't really as big as that you know - oh, and it won't be the full distance, it'll be just to Bowness on Solway and not right down the coastline.

Oh, and another thing - like the C2C route that we've just done you don't have to do it all, it can be done in relay and we'll have a support van to pick you up or drop you off when you've done enough.

Simples (squeak)

I did the C2C on a Dawes Tourer which is bike properly built for long distance touring, not a racer, certainly not a mountain bike, but a bit of both, it managed perfectly well on 20 miles of loose-topped ex-railway tracks but has the big gears to p[iiss[/i all over the mountain bikes when you get on proper surfaced roads - didn't do too well when we cut across a farmers field or when we came down a scree slope out of Wythop Woods but it wasn't really designed for off road anyway.

One of the lads did the C2C route on one of the common "hybrid" bikes that you can buy cheaply anywhere now, it coped very well and is a good compromise.

The rest of them did it on true mountain bikes on knobbly tyres and they suffered om the road sections - looking at the profile for the Hadrians Wall route it is mainly on-road so I'd avoid mountain bikes or at least get the tyres changed for slicks. "On road" in Sustrans terminology means either very quiet "B" roads or completely disused roads, they do their homework well and signpost everything so theres no fear of you ending up under the wheels of a truck on the A69.

maybe

given other charity work next year might have fingers in other projects

Come along for a ride Loz, we'll buy you a red helmet.

Hmmmmm, might be interested.

In Loz in a red helmet?

Of course you are, get yourself signed up, I think I know where to get one of those ride-along kiddie seats for Danny if you can't get a babysitter for him.

it'll match his thong!

I can just see it now - Loz in nothing but his red satin thong and shiny red helmet.








Sitting on a bike with no saddle.

How about late 80s/early 90s style cycling boots?

You know, the ones that looked like Billy Connolly's banana boots.

I told you to cancel that eBay account

At least they're slip on.

OK, I'm going to un-sticky this now, the plan at the moment is that the first ride of next year is to be in April and is the 127 mile route along the Leeds Liverpool canal from Anfield to Elland Rd over two days.

Hadrians Wall route is in July - more on both routes next year, plenty of time to get practising for all those who expressed an interest