The Long and Winding Road

Thats All Folks!

2008-09-24T03:01:00.000-07:00

I've decided to make this my final post.

Cycling from London to Paris in July was a great experience. Thank you to everyone who supported me. With your help I raised £2,200 for Christian Aid. As a team we raised over £110,000. Thank you also to everyone who has visited my blog over the last few months, its been quite humbling to think that my innane ramblings have been read by 700 people in 44 countries around the world.

If you have been inspired by my adventure you may be interested to know that Christian Aid are doing it all again next year. So if you feel like donning your lycra and cycling from London to Paris in July 2009 why not follow the link below.

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/getinvolved/events/fundraising/cycling.aspx

So in the words of Dave Allen, "Good night, thank you and may your God go with you".

London to Paris Bike Ride - Day Four Reflections

2008-08-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

Our last day today, 69 miles from Compiegne to Paris. The route today was very good with only two major hills which came early on. We started off with a really nice run out throught the Forest of Compiegne. We had our only rain of the ride this morning with a shower for the first half hour as were going through the forest after which the weather cleared up and was quite hot by the afternoon.

Some nice villages again today and a couple of stunning chateaus including the one above. The run into Paris was relatively flat and fast. We formed up into two groups about 12 miles from Paris and came in behind one of the support vehicles. What was really nice was that as we rode through Paris lots of people at the roadside applauded and cheered us. So then it was across the Place de la Concorde, up the Champs Elysees, round the Arc de Triomphe and down Avenue Kleber to the Jardins du Trocadero overlooking the Eiffel Tower where we finished. Riding up the Champs Elysees in the group was a fantastic thrill although I must say that crossing the Place de la Concorde and going around the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe were two of the scariest things that I have ever done in my life.

So we made it, all 73 of us! After four days, 16,000 feet of climbing, no punctures, 20+ energy bars, 15 litres of energy drink and countless bananas I was sipping champagne with Mrs Claudius in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. I am proud to say that I rode all the route and made it up all of the hills without having to walk up any of them. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I had the privilige of sharing it with a team of 73 wonderful people. That evening we had a fantastic celebration dinner and the following day we watched the Tour de France come into town before heading home.

So well done to everyone in the team Thanks to Alison, Amanda and Hannah from the Christian Aid events team who arranged it all for us. Thanks also to Pete, Brian and the team from Global Adventures who looked after us superbly throughout the event. Thanks most of all to my fellow riders, we did it together folks!

And the best bit of all is that together we raised over £100,00 for some of the poorest people in the world.

Index to Photos (click on the photo for a larger image)

Top to bottom

A Chateau
Me at the finish
The Team at the finish
The Tour de France comes to town

London to Paris Bike Ride - Day Three Reflections

2008-08-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

Today we did 79 miles from Arras to Compiegne and I am relieved to say that it was a much easier day than yesterday. There were just two main climbs and they were not too tough. We also had a fantastic fast descent after the last climb which went on for about 4 miles, it felt like manna from heaven!

We've been riding through the Somme valley today which has been very poignant. We have passed lots of memorials and cemetaries from World War One including the very striking memorial to Scottish soldiers above. We also passed a German cemetary, I had never seen a German war cemetary before. This one was the last resting place of over 22,000 soldiers, it was very moving.

We had a great spot for our lunch stop today by a lovely lake. The girls served up some fantastic smoked mackerel for lunch and followed it with what have to be the best chocolate brownies in the world.

Some lovely scenery again today with some nice towns and villages and some beautiful chateaus. What I don't understand is why don't the French ever paint their houses? You see absolutely beautiful houses which are spoiled by shabby and peeling paintwork. Surely Monsieur it must be worth getting the Dulux out at least once every hundred years! Best detour of the day was by some of our riders who missed a direction arrow and ending up cycling an extra 16 miles including a hill which was worse than any of the other hills on the route.

The drama of the day for me came as I was coming in to Compiegne when I fell off my bike! I tried to go up a high kerb onto a cycle path (the French don't seem to believe in drop kerbs) and the bike failed to negotiate the kerb and went down taking me with it. Fortunately both the bike and me were ok with the only thing hurt being my pride. The main casualty was the tube of sun cream in the back pocket of my jersey which split in the impact covering my jersey with sun cream which I suspect will not wash out.

I thought I had missed the hotel because I passed a sign saying that I was leaving Compiegne but then I saw the hotel across the road. The hotel was right on the edge of Compiegne which was a shame as it meant that I wasn't able to explore the city. Strange meal tonight consisting of a piece of meat with spaghetti and pasta sauce! I was rooming with Dorin again tonight.

Index to Photos (click on the photo for a bigger image)

Top to bottom

Lunch by the lake

Poppies in the Somme valley

Memorial to Scottish soldiers

German war cemetary

(far left) My room mate Dorin

London to Paris Bike Ride - Day Two Reflections

2008-08-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Day two was the longest and toughest day of the ride covering 80 miles from Calais to Arras. We had another early start with 6.30am breakfast and an 8am start. The morning was one of the toughest sessions of cycling I think I have ever had. Our ride manager Brian described today's route as undulating which has to go down as one of the great euphemisms of all time. It was rather like when your dentist tells you that you will just feel a little scratch and then pushes a huge needle into your gum. After a fairly gentle roll out from Calais the hills started coming thick and fast. The hills were not particularly steep but some of them seemed to go on forever. We had every type of road surface going as well. We thought we were on the Paris Roubaix race when we went over a cobbled section coming through one of the villages. Some of the roads were very hard to ride on, the worst was an uphill section of about 5 miles on loose chippings. For some reason the worst road surfaces in France usually seem to be on hills making them doubly difficulty to climb. The countryside was very open this morning so you could see the full glory of the hills ahead of you. To add insult to injury there was a strong headwind for much of the morning making the hills even harder going. I really was running on empty by the time I made it to the lunch halt after 40 miles and wasn't sure how I would cope if the afternoon was as tough as the morning.

Fortunately the afternoon was less hilly and I managed to slog my way to the finish. It was blisteringly hot though and I kept having to stop every five miles to find a bit of shade so that I could cool down. I tried a new tactic today of wearing my cap under my helmet which was really effective at keeping the sun off my head. The scenery was stunning today. Rolling hills of wheat fields and sugar beet. It was harvest time and the combine harvesters were out in the fields. There was also lots of calves in the fields and I met 6 lovely white horses this morning who were very friendly. There have been some interesting monuments along the way including the one above to 3 American airman who were killed during World War 2. Some lovely little roadside Christian shrines and chapels as well.

We stayed at a nice hotel in the centre of Arras. My room mate tonight was Dorin who is from London. Arras is a lovely town and I had a nice walk around and stopped for a beer in the main square. We all went to a local restaurant tonight for a very good dinner of chicken supreme before collapsing in bed for a very well earned sleep.

Index to Photos (click on the photos for larger images)

Top to bottom

A Roadside Chapel

Memorial to 3 American airman killed in WW2

Friendly horses

Wind turbines on the road to Arras

The old square in Arras

London to Paris - Day One Reflections

2008-07-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

Well I'm safely back home in York having survived the London to Paris ride. It really was a great event and between us the team will have raised over £100,000 for Christian Aid.

There were 73 of us in the team and we covered over 300 miles and climbed over 16,000 feet during four days of cycling. We all made it to Paris on Saturday and we had the great thrill of riding up the Champs Elysees just like our Tour de France heroes. Unlike the Tour de France there were no positive drugs tests although some of us could have used some EPO at times during the ride, particularly on Day Two!

I thought that over the next few days I would reflect back on each of the days of the ride and give a bit more detail , and some more photos, of what happened.

Day One - London to Calais

Day One started bright and early with a 5.30pm breakfast before a 7am start. The previous evening I had a good look around the assembled bikes and felt quite intimidated by the quality of them, Cannondales, Specialized, Bianchis, Trek and Scotts were there in abundance. If these guys legs were as good as their bikes I was going to be in trouble!

The route down to Dover was surprisingly hilly but I think we were all pumped up with adrenalin and we set a cracking pace. First water stop was at Rochester and it set the pattern for the coming days as we fuelled up on bananas and energy bars.

The route had been well signposted with yellow and black arrows by our support team and we set off along the Kent lanes to our lunch stop in a lovely village called Old Wives Leas. A great lunch was served up by the catering crew who were able to conjure up wonderful food out of the back of a refrigerated Transit van. One of the odd aspects of the ride is that a lot of the time you have no idea where you are, you simply follow the yellow and black signs. Apparently at one point this afternoon we were only two miles from Canterbury but I had no idea, I could have gone to the Lambeth Conference if I had known!

My fears about the high quality of the bikes were not borne out. There are some good riders here but fortunately not too many super fast riders. I have a theory that you get mid life crisis bikes in the same way that you get mid life crisis cars. Whereas some men hit their forties and go out and buy a sports car others hit their forties and go out and buy a flash road bike. I'm ashamed to admit that I have fallen into both of those categories over the last two years!

I cycled most of today with a lovely lady called An. She is a vicar's wife, originally from Belgium but now living in Harwich. She cycles like a true Belgian and sets a cracking pace up the hills!

The afternoon was really hot and the fast pace of the morning was maintained. Before we knew it we were in Dover at about 1.30pm. In fact we had ridden too fast and we had to wait three hours for a ferry. We had a good calm crossing which was followed by what should have been a short ride to the hotel in Calais. Unfortunately the group that I was in missed a sign and we ended up taking a 6 mile detour through the back streets of Calais. I saw parts of Calais that I have never seen before and I'm not sure that I want to see again.

After that it was a healthy supper of steak and chips washed down with a beer before settling down for a well deserved nights sleep before what would prove to be the hardest day of the ride. My room mate tonight was David, a really nice South African now living in Weymouth. He told me that his wife was expecting a baby in a few weeks time so he was hoping that it wouldn't arrive early while he was away on the ride.

Index to Photos - From top to bottom (click on the photos for bigger versions)

Me at the lunch halt

The lunch halt at Old Wives Leas

An - My cycling companion for today

Waiting for the ferry at Dover

Finished at Long Last!!!!!

2008-07-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

I have now completed the ride, it's not been easy I'll tell you that. The last day was brilliant we rode up the Champs-Elysees and (scarily) round the Arc de Triomphe and finished with champagne at the Eiffel Tower. It's been a fun and tiring ride but we have raised a fantastic amount for a excellent cause.

3rd Day

2008-07-26T00:35:00.000-07:00

Today was not as bad as yesterday. The morning session was rather pleasant as it was moderately flat roads and nice scenery. But this afternoon there was a nasty climb which was hard in the blistering heat. As we got into Compiegne there was a cobbled section and I was relieved that nothing fell of the bike. Unfortunately just near to the hotel I hit a big curb trying to get onto a cycle path and fell off. nothing was damaged apart from pride and a tube of suncream so it's o.k.
Last day tomorrow. It'll be a lot different tomorrow still a good 70 miles to ride but Champagne in Paris to finish with.

The hardest ride

2008-07-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Update from Mrs Claudius.........

Claudius phoned at 4.15pm our time to say he'd completed today's ride from Calais to Arras, 79 miles of the hilliest terrain he'd ever experienced. In his words "the hills go on forever, you can see them rolling on endlessly in front of you".

For much of the time Claudius was riding into a headwind which didn't help nor did the poor road surface on a number of the roads used today.

Claudius actually admitted to being totally wasted by lunch-time and didn't think he had anything left to give for the afternoon ride but just dug in and thankfully found enough reserve to make it to Arras unaided.

Another hot day in the saddle through idyllic scenery - fantastic countryside and pretty little villages. Claudius decided to ride for 5 miles and rest in the shade for 10mins - a good strategy given the heat and difficulty of the ride. He said the group were splattered across the hills, only about 20 of them are at Arras at the time of writing this, the remaining 50 odd will hopefully arrive later on. Clearly Claudius's training has paid off enabling him to complete his hardest day ever in the saddle.

Now he's off for a shower and to have some time for R&R before the evening meal.

Made it to Dover

2008-07-23T06:07:00.001-07:00

Update from Mrs Claudius....

Phone call received 13.30 Wednesday 23rd July

Claudius phoned me from Dover at 1.30pm to say he'd made it to the ferry port. He was with about a dozen other riders waiting for their companions to join them before boarding the ferry to Calais. I could hear the seagulls cheering away in the background as another group of riders rolled in. They'd set off at 7am this morning and had had stops for refreshments along the way after riding approx 20 miles each time.

Claudius was amazed that he had made it up a number of particularly difficult hills this afternoon. His legs did what they had to do and he slogged his way to the top of all of them - none of them defeated him.

His average speed was 15mph this morning but due to the more difficult gradients faced this afternoon the average speed for the day was 14.5mph.

Once in Calais the riders have a short 10min ride to their hotel where they can freshen up, relax and if necessary do bike repairs. Hopefully they'll get in some sightseeing as well. Claudius is a bit disappointed that there isn't going to be a masseuse there to help ease away their aches and pains!

Le Grande Depart

2008-07-23T03:44:00.000-07:00

The day has finally arrived. No time for any more training and if I haven't packed what I needed then tough - I'd have to do without. My wife came down with me yesterday to the Holiday Inn, Bexley. Thankfully we made it in time for the evening check in. There are some seriously nice bikes here - probably worth a bob or two!! About 75 riders in all, of all shapes and sizes, rolled up to the start line this morning. In the briefing we were informed that together we had raised £73k for Christian Aid - an excellent effort all round.
My wife has taken a few photos of the start. The first part of the ride was fairly hilly and there's more to come before we reach Dover. I'll keep you posted as to how the rest of the journey goes.

Cold, Wet and Miserable

2008-07-19T01:08:00.000-07:00

I had my final training ride on Thursday and what a miserable affair it was! I set off in my summer waterproof and after a mile turned around and came home to get my winter training jacket because it was so cold. Then I got about 7 miles out and the heavens opened and I got absolutely soaked. The rain did stop after about ten minutes but by that time I was wet through so I had to do the rest of the ride in wet shorts and absolutely drenched socks, not the most comfortable experience I've ever had. Anyway I managed to get 44 miles in at an average speed of 15 mph.

I noticed in the local paper the other day that one of the houses that I pass on my training rides is up for sale. Its a lovely 14th century castle (see picture above) in a very pretty village called Crayke. The only problem is the price £3.5 million, a tiny bit out of my price range I think!

The Brits are continuing to have a good time in the Tour de France as Mark Cavendish has won the last two stages. This means that he has won four stages so far on this year's tour which is the most a British rider has ever won in a single Tour de France. Well done Mark.

Well I'm taking it easy this weekend in preparation for the big ride. I'll spend the weekend cleaning the bike and stocking up on energy bars. The Tour de France goes into the Alps this weekend so I will be watching the professionals suffer on the hills, I know how that feels!

One Week To Go

2008-07-15T02:00:00.000-07:00

Just over a week to go now until we set off for Paris. I managed to get two decent training runs in over the weekend. On Friday I did a 33 mile ride and on Sunday I did 71 miles. The Sunday ride was over some quite hilly terrain and the legs felt quite good which I was pleased with. I averaged 15.3 mph for that ride which is OK for that distance. I will probably try and get one more long ride in this week before taking a breather ready for the big ride.

Spare a thought for my fellow London to Paris cyclist Pete who is nursing a sore head after trying to ride his bike through two trees instead of round them. Needless to say I won't be following Pete's wheel when we cycle to Paris. Get well soon mate.

I've been watching the Tour de France this week and we had another great stage win by the Brit Mark Cavendish on Saturday. Its a really good race this year and after over a week of racing there is still only one second separating the first two riders.

I've included a couple of photos of York at the top of this blog which I thought you might enjoy.

Sunshine and Rain

2008-07-09T02:39:00.000-07:00

Well two weeks today we will be setting off for Paris. So am I ready? To be honest not as ready as I would have liked to have been. Training has been very frustrating the last few weeks owing to a combination of ill health and bad weather. I managed to get two decent runs in the last few days. On Sunday I had a 56 mile run across to Scarborough. It was quite a hilly route so I had a good workout. Yesterday I did a 39 mile ride out on my usual training route through Brandsby and Crayke. Other rides have been less successful. On Saturday I set off for a long ride but only got 10 miles before a really bad thunderstorm started. I managed to find a church porch to shelter in and Mrs Claudius came to rescue me in the car. Monday was even worse . I had only got 5 miles when a torrential shower of rain forced me to take cover in a bus shelter. I would have been able to continue if a big trailer had not passed by and absolutely soaked me through. So I had to head home looking like a drowned rat! The one thing that I have learnt from these experiences is that my waterproof cycling jacket isn't as waterproof as I thought it was.

Training for this ride has been quite an interesting experience. I'm finding that I'm riding in quite a different way now. I used to be quite a head down, flat out pushing a big gear rider. You can't do that for long distances though so now I'm riding lower gears and pedalling at a higher cadence. I feel that my hill climbing has improved quite a lot but I still hate hills! I've also had to take nutrition a lot more seriously. I've started using an isotonic energy drink which helps stamina. I've also become quite a convert to energy bars which really give you a boost when your energy is getting low. I'm still not sure about the energy jelly beans though!

My son and I had a good time in Berlin last week. It was really hot there, aroung 32 degrees, a bit too hot for my liking really. We did all the usual tourist sights, I particularly like the new dome on top of the Reichstag. It was my second visit to Berlin and once again I was struck by what a friendly city it is. When you visit you also become very aware of how much suffering the people of Berlin endured in the twentieth century. In World War Two 90% of the city was destroyed and the photos of the devestation in the city at the end of the war are really shocking. Then of course the city was torn in two by the Berlin Wall. The regime in the East really does sound horrific in the way that it treated people, you could be sent to prison for four years and have your children taken off you for just applying to leave the country. Having said all that there is a fantastic air of optimism in Berlin now and it really is an exciting city.

The Tour de France started last Saturday and I have been enjoying the racing so far. One of the Brits David Millar is just a few seconds off the yellow jersey so I'm hoping he may be able to get it in a few days. The other Brit Mark Cavendish will also hopefully pick up a stage win. I love watching the tour, its almost like a three week soap opera and you really get into the characters and the dramas that happen along the way. Having cycled a lot the last few months I realise more than ever what a hard existence it must be being a professional racing cyclist doing 100 miles plus every day for three weeks over some of the toughest terrain in Europe. It certainly must be one of the hardest ways to make a living. I'm looking forward to seeing all the riders in Paris for the finish of the tour on 27th July, the day after our London to Paris bike ride finishes. I think there will be a lot of aching legs in Paris that day.

Tough at the Top

2008-06-30T01:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went out to watch the British Road Racing Championship which was being held near York. It was a real treat to see Britains top riders suffering on the same hills that I suffer on every week! It was a really good field which included some of Britain's top international riders such as David Millar, Mark Cavendish, Roger Hammond and Jeremy Hunt. It was a good course and we managed to see the race 9 times in all during the day. It was very agressive racing right from the start and at the end Rob Hayles emerged a worthy winner.

Its been another frustrating week for my training. I came back from my weekend at Wakefield Police College with another cold, my colleagues really are an unhealthy bunch! So I've been off the bike all week and still have a hacking cough. I'm off to Berlin for a few days tomorrow for a holiday with my son so I'm hoping that by the time I get back the cold will have gone and I will be able to get some serious training in before we set off for Paris. Only 23 days to go. Am I panicing? Of course I am!

Does My Bum Look Small in This?

2008-06-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

Its been a very windy day in Yorkshire today and I've really got blown around on my training ride. I did 68 miles today which in the wind felt more like 100. I went out through the Castle Howard estate (picture above) and up to Kirbymoorside and Helmsley. I then came back through Ampleforth,Coxwold, Crayke and Tollerton.

I thought that I was being shot at on the first part of my ride as I could hear lots of gun fire as I rode along. I then realised I was cycling alongside an army training area and they were obviously having shooting practice today. Then I was cursed with a puncture as I came out of the Castle Howard estate. I was doing about 30 mph down a hill when I hit a pothole and the front tyre immediately lost all its air. So after a roadside repair I was on my way and the rest of the ride was fairly uneventful although I suspect I may have done some damage to the front of the bike, I will need to get that checked out.

Mrs Claudius made quite a dramatic observation as I was getting dressed the other morning. "I think your bum is getting smaller" she said. I have to say that I agree with her, my trousers seem to have a lot more room in them round the back end just lately. It must be the result of all those hours in the saddle. Why is it that we always lose weight from the wrong places? I didn't particularly need to lose any weight off my bum but could really do with losing some off my stomach. There's no justice in the world! Now I know that a number of you have been concerned about my aching bum and I am pleased to report that the situation is much improved. I think the new saddle and new shorts have helped. Also I finally took the brave decision to "go commando" which a number of people had recommended. I must admit that I thought that there was something slightly obscene about not wearing anything under your shorts but it really does make them much more comfortable.

I'm off to "vicar school" tomorrow at Wakefield Police College so I won't be able to do any cycling this weekend. I'm really looking forward to catching up with my friends who I haven't seen since Easter.

And finally, a joke from my daughter, A man goes into a fish and chip shop with a large live fish under his arm. "Do you sell fish cakes?" he asked the owner who replied "of course". "Oh good" said the man pointing at the fish, "because its his birthday!"

Now It's Getting Serious

2008-06-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

The good news is that my cold has finally gone and I've been able to get some serious training in this week. I did 26 miles last Sunday followed by 46 miles on Tuesday. I decided that it was time to do two long rides in succession so yesterday (Friday) I did 56 miles and today I have done 70 miles. Todays' ride was a good one. My wife took me up to Hawes in Wensleydale in the car and I cycled back from there. Its a lovely route passing through Wensleydale and pretty towns and villages such as Askrigg (where All Creatures Great and Small was filmed), Bainbridge, Leyburn, Bedale, Thirsk and Coxwold. The village in the photos is a place called Crakehall which is between Leyburn and Bedale. Its a typical English village, even down to the men playing cricket on the village green. Its been hard going today though as my legs were very tired from yesterday and its been quite a hilly route. I averaged 15.7mph for the 70 miles which I was really pleased with, its been quite a confidence boost.

Last Saturday saw one of the more unusual events in York's social calendar when the third annual naked cycle ride took place. About 100 people took part to protest against the world's dependency on oil and the car culture. They rode naked around the city centre much to the bemusement of the tourists. And before you ask, no I didn't take part, I like to have something between my bum and my bike saddle' even if its only lycra!

PS. Doorman Priest thinks that I've made this up about the naked bike ride. If you follow this link you can read about it yourself.

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/search/display.var.2327309.0.naked_ambition_of_green_cyclists.php

Back in the Saddle Again

2008-06-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Well its been a frustrating time the last couple of weeks as my cold has stubbornly refused to go away which meant that I couldn't do any training. Finally last Wednesday I started to feel a little better and managed to do 13 miles on the bike followed by 26 miles on Thursday. I'm still not feeling 100% though so I'm having to take it steady and not ride too hard, its a good excuse to avoid the hills for a while. Its not really been great for the training with only 45 days to go until we set off for Paris.

I've entertained myself during my lay off from training by watching the Giro D'Italia bike race on television. The Giro is the Italian version of the Tour de France and lasts for three weeks. Its a really tough race with some incredibly hard mountain stages. I really take my hat off to the riders, I just don't know how they get up some of the hills. It was a good year for the Brits with the highest number of British riders there have ever been on the Giro. And whats even better the British rider Mark Cavendish won two stages of the race, the most stage wins a British rider has ever won on the Giro. The overall winner of the race was the Spaniard Alberto Contador. His team was only invited to the race at the last minute and eight days before the start he was lying on a beach on holiday when he got a phone call to tell him he was racing. So I suppose I shouldn't complain about lack of preparation for my ride.

Bruce Springsteen was excellent last week. He played a great set which unfortunately didn't include Thunder Road but was still brilliant. My hearing hasn't been very good this last week and I can't decide if it a side effect of my cold or the after effect of the Bruce concert.

Today has been really hot in York so we had a drive to Beningborough Hall (see picture above) which is a stately home about ten miles north of York. Its a really nice place with lovely gardens, well worth a visit iif you are ever passing this way.

Robinson Crusoe and All That

2008-05-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I'm having to take an enforced break from training at the moment as I have a really bad cold, very frustrating.

Its been exciting in York during the last week as we have had a film crew in town shooting scenes for a new TV series of Robinson Crusoe. The series stars Sean Bean and Sam Neill and they have been filming at various locations around the city. Its been very interesting seeing parts of the city transformed into how they must have looked in the eighteenth century with the actors in costume and the old horses and carriages (see photo above). In the original book Robinson Crusoe was born in York and apparently in the TV series there will be flashbacks from the desert island to his childhood in York.

We had a nice afternoon on Sunday when we had a drive across to Fountains Abbey (see photos above) which is a lovely old monastery about 30 miles from York. The abbey was founded by a group of Cistercian monks in the 12th century who left St Mary's Abbey in York because the regime was too soft! Fountains Abbey was closed down as part of the dissolution of the monasteries in the sixteenth century and later on the ruins of the abbey were incorporated into the gardens of a stately home called Studley Royal. It really is a beautiful spot, its no wonder that its a World Heritage site.

I've got another exciting day tomorrow as I'm going to see Bruce Springsteen in concert at Old Trafford in Manchester. If you're reading this Bruce, do us a favour and play Thunder Road.

I Must Go Down to the Sea Again

2008-05-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

We had a great day on Sunday. We went to see one our friends Phil being ordained priest at York Minster. Phil's a great guy and I'm sure he will be a fantastic priest. I love these big occasions at the Minster, they are always very spectacular with all the clergy in their fancy cloaks and the Minster makes a very grand backdrop for these celebrations.

On Sunday afternoon I cycled from York to Scarborough which is on the coast. It was just over 50 miles and was a very hard ride with the last 20 miles being mainly hills. I was plagued by a strong headwind again which made the flat bits seem like they were uphill. It was a lovely ride though. I went out through the Castle Howard estate which is a very grand stately home and then cut across to Pickering and then had a break at Thornton le Dale which is a very pretty village. The rest of the journey was across the top of the Vale of York before heading down to the sea. I finished at our good friends Nick and Liz's house and they were kind enough to feed me and my wife who had come to take me home in the car. The ride took me 3 hour and 31 minutes at an average speed of 14.21 mph.

The good news is that the saddle felt much more comfortable but that might have been due to the new cycling shorts that I was wearing!

64 days to go!

The Jury's Out on the New Saddle

2008-05-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

I did 50 miles yesterday and I can't make my mind up about the new saddle. It does feel slightly more comfortable than the old one but not much. Its the difference between sitting on a sharp spike or a blunt spike!

I did the same run as last week out to Oswaldkirk and back through Byland Abbey, Coxwold and Crayke. There was a nasty headwind again which made it hard going. It has to be said that these long rides do get mind numbingly boring. Perhaps I should take a book to read! I tried out a new energy drink yesterday. I'm not sure that it gave me any more energy and it tasted disgusting. The place in the photo is called Gilling and its one of the many pretty villages that I pass through on my route.

The York City Gospel Choir concert last night was brilliant and we raised £311 for Christian Aid. Many thanks to everyone in the choir. Follow the link below to hear what they sound like.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HRasaDsbnms

Oh I Do Like to Be Beside The Seaside

2008-05-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

Its been really nice weather in Yorkshire the last week so we've taken advantage of the good weather to go to the seaside twice. The coast is only an hours drive from York so its easy to get to. On Sunday we went to Bridlington which is a nice fishing town where we always used to go on holiday when I was a child. Last Tuesday we went to Whitby which is the place in the photos above. Whitby is a beautiful old fishing village with a lovely old church and ruined abbey on the clifftop. It was the setting for a scene from Bram Stoker's Dracula and it was also where Captain Cook set out from on his voyages of exploration. Its a great place for a relaxing evening and has some really nice bars and restaurants.

I had a frustrating training ride on Monday as I got a puncture which meant that I wasn't able to go as far as I had hoped. I did 28.2 miles in 1 hour 47 minutes at an average speed of 15.77 mph.

Today I went to the bike shop and bought a new saddle which hopefully will be more comfortable than the present one!

Tomorrow night (Thursday 15th May) we are having a charity concert at our church to raise money for Christian Aid. The concert is by the City of York Gospel Choir and starts at 7.30pm at St Clements Church, Scarcroft Road, York. If you can get to York you would be very welcome to join us. Admission is £4 which includes an interval drink.

That Saddle Has Got To Go!

2008-05-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

I had another long ride yesterday. I rode up to Oswaldkirk which is north of York and then along through Ampleforth and Wass to Byland Abbey before heading back to York through Coxwold, Crayke, Tollerton and Shipton. It was just over 49 miles in total and took me 3 hours 19 minutes at an average speed of 14.8 mph. The last 12 miles was into a headwind so I felt pretty tired by the time I got home. The worst thing was the saddle on the new bike. I was OK for the first 30 miles or so but then the saddle started to get really uncomfortable. I think I will have to invest in a more comfortable saddle. It was a good ride though, a lovely warm sunny day with all the spring flowers out and lambs in the fields. The photo above is of a lovely little village called Wass which is near Byland Abbey.

Today I just did a short run of just over 12 miles which I did in 47 minutes at an average speed of 15.7 mph.. I didn't feel too bad to say that I'd had such a long run yesterday. I think doing four long rides on successive days in July is going to be very tough. The first day is OK, its when you have to get up and do the same again the next day that it gets hard.

Tonight I'm running a quiz night to raise funds for the school where I used to work. It should be fun, I've got some really tricky questions lined up for them. Here's a sneal preview of one:

What is the connection between the sixties pop group The Monkees and Tippex? Answer next time.

New Bike - Same Old Legs

2008-05-04T05:13:00.000-07:00

I made a momentous decision this week that I would change the bike that I'm going to use for the London to Paris bike ride. I've decided to abandon my trusty old Raleigh Banana that I've been riding for nearly twenty years and move into the 21st century. So I shall be riding the bike in the picture which is a Giant OCR roadbike. I had my first run on it yesterday and was very impressed. Its certainly much quicker than my old bike and it has gear levers on the handle bars which makes life a lot easier. It also has three chain wheels at the front whereas my old bike only had two so it should be a little easier getting up hills. The only downside is the saddle. To say that its uncomfortable is an understatement, its feels like sitting on a spike!

I had a good training run yesterday. I did 39 miles in 2 hours 30 minutes at an average speed of 15.4 mph. My legs felt quite good and I conquered Brandsby Hill again.

We had a nice drive out last night to the Yorkshire Dales and stopped for tea in a place called Leyburn. There is a lovely walk at Leyburn called the Shawl which is a ridge that runs from the village out into Wensleydale from which you get the most beautiful views across the dale towards Pen Hill. There were lots of sheep along the Shawl and I found one that looked as exhausted as I felt (see picture above).

Veni, Vidi, Vici

2008-04-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

I suspect most cyclists have a hill that is their nemesis, one that always defeats them no matter how hard they try. For me this year it has been a hill at a place called Brandsby which is about 13 miles north of York. Its not a particularly long hill and its not too steep but given my pathetic state of fitness it has defeated me every time I have attempted to climb it on the bike so far this year. So this morning I set off on a beautifully sunny morning to do battle with it once again. And this time I came, I saw and I conquered! It was a great feeling to finally get up it and it put me on a high for the rest of the ride. Conquering a hill that has previously defeated you gives you a great psychological boost and for the rest of the ride I raced up all of the hills like Lance Armstrong, I felt like there was no hill that I couldn't climb today.

I did 40 miles today which is probably the farthest that I have ridden in one go for about 10 years. The legs didn't feel too bad at the end of the ride, I could probably have squeezed a few more miles out of them. The odd thing when we you cycle is you get days like today when your legs actually feel better after 25 miles than they did after 5. The 40 miles took me three hours which is not tremendously fast but at this stage I'm more interested in increasing my distance than how fast I'm going.

I had a good day last Saturday when I went down to Christian Aid headquarters in London to meet everyone else who is doing the London to Paris bike ride in July. We met the Christian Aid team and the folks from Global Adventures who are organising the logistics for the ride. there were about 25 of the riders there too and everyone seemed very friendly. We also found out more details about the route. I was expecting it to be quite flat once we got into Northern France but the profile for the three days in France looks decidely hilly. I suspect that I'm going to have to train harder than I had planned! 85 days to go.

Martyn Joseph - The Welsh Springsteen

2008-04-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

We had a great night last night. We went to see one of my heroes Martyn Joseph in concert in Otley. Martyn is one of the finest singer/songwriters around today. His influences include Bruce Springsteen and Woodie Guthrie and he writes great songs that have real meaning. He's not afraid to be political and a lot of his songs reflect his Christian faith.

Last nights show was one of his best, I've seen him five times now. The show was at Ottley Courthouse which is a small arts centre which holds about 120 people. The place was packed and Martyn played for over two hours. Its a one man show, just him and his guitar. What I like about Martyn is that he always takes time to come out and chat with his fans after the show, you really feel that you get to know him.

Otley was a pleasant surprise too. I'd never been there before but its a really nice little town surrounded by some lovely countryside.

If you want to find out more about Martyn his website is http://www.martynjoseph.com/

If you would like to know what he sounds like, I've put some links below to some of his videos

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CwNWf7oTJjk&feature=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mAJ3K5OKkkc&feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Fls_LX2C8&feature=related

Three Months to Go

2008-04-24T01:31:00.000-07:00

Well three months today I will be cycling through Northern France on my way to Paris and I'm really looking forward to it.

I finally managed to get back on the bike this week after a two week lay off due to a really bad cold that took me ages to shake off, really frustrating! I've had a couple of decent 12 mile runs though the last few days and the legs have felt pretty good, but then again there wasn't any hills on the route! I thought that my bike had major mechanical failure on Tuesday when the most horrible metallic noises started coming from the back wheel whilst I was riding. Fortunately it was just a spoke that had become detached and was rattling around so after a bodged roadside repair I was able to carry on. The weather has been really nice this week so I've enjoyed being able to shed the winter training gear and dig out my shorts for the rides.

I've been watching the spring classics pro bike races on the television the last couple of weeks which have been really good. Paris-Roubaix was my favourite as ever. How the riders can ride 160 miles in a day over roads that a lot of the time are barely better than farm tracks is beyond me. And they still average 25 miles an hour! It makes doing 80 miles a day sound like a walk in the park.

Well now the weather is improving (its torrential rain outside as I write!) and with the lighter nights I'm hoping to step the training up over the next few weeks. I'm trying to work out a good 20-25 mile circular route around York so I will keep you posted on whether I find one. The problem is always finding a route that doesn't involve cycling on busy roads, perhaps that's why they use farm tracks on Paris-Roubaix!

If you have found this blog via the link on the Christain Aid Week website, welcome. Please leave a comment and say hello.

Sunshine on my Shoulder

2008-04-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back from a week with Doorman Priest and all my other Northern Ordination Course friends at our Easter School in Wakefield. It was an interesting but very tiring week with our days starting at 7.30am and not finishing until after 9pm most evenings. I've never quite worked out why people think that there is Christian virtue in getting up early in a morning, surely 9am is early enough in the morning for anything!

On Monday morning I was up bright and early to take a group of young Americans on a walking tour around York. They were part of a choir from Indianapolis who are on a concert tour of England and they were a lovely bunch of people. I felt rather sorry for them though as they were on a rather hectic schedule and were only in York for 2 hours before continuing on to Lincoln at lunchtime and London in the evening.

Later on Monday I was back on my bike after a weeks lay off. It was a lovely day and it was great to feel the sun on my back as I rode the 22 miles up to Byland Abbey from York. I'm pleased to say that my legs are beginning to feel stronger and although I didn't make it all the way up the hill at Brandsby that was the only hill on which I had to get off. I also felt that I'd still got quite a bit of energy left when I finished so I think next time I will try to extend my ride by an extra ten or so miles to finish in Thirsk. I pass through some really nice villages on my route and I will try and share some photos of them with you over the coming months. The village in the photos today is called Stillington which is about 14 miles north of York. It's a typical English village with a lovely old church and daffodils on the verges along the high street.

One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure

2008-03-23T04:14:00.000-07:00

The weather is still not very conducive to cycling in Yorkshire. we've had more strong winds this week and we woke up to a blanket of snow this morning. I'm praying that the weather will improve soon so that I can get out on the road.

Meanwhile I've been focussing on fundraising for the ride. Things are going well and so far, thanks to the generosity of friends and family, I have raised over £500. I've always been a keen ebayer so I've been having a clearout to see if I could find anything to sell on ebay to add more money to the bike ride fund. I seem to have struck gold with something I found in an old cupboard the other week. I used to go to lots of rock concerts when I was young and I recently came across a bag containing all the old ticket stubs from the concerts that I went to. They are all rather old and a bit tatty and I wouldn't have thought they would be of any interest to anyone. But I had a look on ebay and discovered that there are people out there who buy them. I've put a few of them on ebay and to my amazement they are selling like hot cakes. The best result so far is a ticket stub from a Kate Bush concert that sold for over £10. Overall I am hopeful that these old ticket stubs will bring in over £50 which will be a great fillip to the fundraising. What is really good is how far this money goes when Christian Aid use it. The £10 from the Kate Bush ticket could provide an emergency survival kit for a family who have lost their home in a cyclone or a mosquito net for a child in Angola to prevent them getting maleria. So I will keep clearing my old junk out in the hope that someone out there in cyberspace will think it's a treasure!

I'm off to Easter School this afternoon for a week so there will be no postings for a short while. We use a Police College for Easter School and the catering there is all geared around feeding big beefy policeman so I will probably come back a stone heavier and have to work even harder to get in shape.

A Host of Golden Daffodils

2008-03-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

Its one of my favourite times of year in York when the daffodils come out on all the bankings around the city walls. It really makes you feel that spring is on the way, even if the weather makes you feel that we are heading back into winter.

I had a good training ride yesterday on the roads out by Marston Moor. I just did 50 minutes but the legs were feeling strong so I really pushed it. I was hoping to go for a long ride today but the strong winds have returned so I had to give it a miss. It did give me chance to fit a new bike computer though so I will be able to gauge my progress more accurately in future.

One thing that I am really enjoying about keeping this blog is the number of people who are visiting it. I am always amazed that anyone finds it at all. I would love to know who you all are so please introduce yourselves and say hello.

Cycling with the Cistercians

2008-03-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

After a few days when very strong winds have prevented any cycling I did manage to get out for a ride today. I had a great ride up through the Hambleton Hills to Byland Abbey. It was 22 miles but with a strong headwind it felt twice that distance. It was very cold today but nice and sunny. I felt a bit better than my last long ride but the legs are still feeling very heavy when I get to the hills.

Byland Abbey is a lovely place. It dates from 1147 and was one of the major Cistercian houses in Yorkshire along with Rievaulx, Fountains and Jervaulx abbeys. At its height it had over 200 monks but by the the time it was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1538 there were only 25 monks left. I 've always thought that the Cistercians knew how to do things properly. The choir monks employed lay brothers to do all the dirty jobs such as cleaning, cooking etc for them so that they could concentrate on being holy. That was there excuse anyway! I like the quirky rules in the Rule of St Benedict, the monk's rule book. Monks were only allowed a bath if they were sick and were not allowed underwear except when they had to go on a journey. Even then they had to return the underwear as soon as they got back to the monastery. On the bright side they were allowed half a pint of wine a day.

Byland Abbey is in a really nice spot nestling just below the hills. The abbey must really have been something in its day and I would have loved to have seen the great rose window when it was complete. There are still monks in this valley, just over the hill at Ampleforth Abbey.

Spring is in the Air

2008-03-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I've not been able to get out on the bike this last week for various reasons. I hope to do better next week - only 144 days to go until we set off.

Spring was definitely in the air in York earlier this week and I thought I'd share with you the above picture which I took in St Cuthberts churchyard in the centre of York.

Battlefield Bike Ride

2008-02-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

One of the great blessings of living in York is that you are surrounded by historical sites. On my training ride today I rode across Marston Moor which is about 8 miles outside of York. Marston Moor was the scene of one of the most decisive battles of the English Civil War which took place on 2nd July 1644. The battle was between the Royalist forces led by Prince Rupert and the Parliamentarians commanded by the Earls of Leven and Manchester and Lord Fairfax. The battle started in the evening around 7pm and over the next few hours the outnumbered Royalist forces were routed by the Parliamentarians. Over 3000 Royalist troops were killed in the battle compared to 300 casualties for the Parliamentarians. As a result of the battle the Royalists effectively abandoned the North of England. Its a peaceful spot today but the obelisk in the picture serves as a memorial to the thousands of men who lost their lives in the carnage on 2nd July 1642.

It was a good training ride across the battle field today. Despite having had a week off my legs felt strong and I did about 14 miles. Although the sun was shining it was a bitterly cold day. I can't wait for the warm sunny spring evenings, far more conducive to training!

Prague Ponderings and Dumplings

2008-02-16T04:38:00.000-08:00

Unlike my friend Doorman Priest who has very conscientiously used the half term holiday to write an essay, I have been on holiday!

My wife and I have just come back from a very cold Prague. It was my first visit there and I was very impressed, its a very beautiful city with lovely friendly people. Apparently in the summer it gets very crowded but there were only a few hardy souls braving the freezing February temperatures so we were able to wander around a very quiet city. There are some beautiful buildings and the castle on top of the hill with its lovely cathedral is very impressive.

One thing that struck me was how quickly the city has shaken off the years of communist rule and is now a vibrant modern city. The communist era is clearly not forgotten though as we discovered when we made the mistake of buying a communist poster from a bookshop and were subjected to a rant from the bookshop owner on the evils of the communist system. (Its strange that even though he hated the communists so much he was still happy to make money out of communist artefacts!)

Dumplings are very big in Prague! Perhaps its got something to do with filling yourself up with stodge to ward off the freezing temperatures or maybe its a hangover from the communist era when there wasn't much to eat. Whatever it is you can have dumplings with your starter, dumplings with your main course and dumplings for your pudding. We did try some fruit dumplings as a pudding and they were, well, very interesting! Lets say they had a consistency that Goodyear would be proud of! You have to try these things, but perhaps just the once. Having said that the food generally in Prague was great and the service was really good everywhere.

We had a great trip and we would definitely go there again, but maybe next time in summer.

Back on the Road Again

2008-02-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

Unseasonably mild weather in York has meant that I have had no excuse not to train the last couple of days so I've been hitting the road.

Yesterday I had a gentle run of about 10 miles north of York on fairly flat roads and felt pretty good.

Today was a different matter! I decided to go for a longer run and did 20 miles up to Oswaldkirk near Helmsley. Its a lovely run up through the Howardian Hills with some really nice countryside.The only problem is that about six miles north of York the road starts to go upwards and stays like that for the next fifteeen miles. Thats when you discover how fit, or not, you really are. I didn't do too bad I suppose, I only got off one one hill and even then only for about 200 metres. There was also some glorious long descents where I could get my breath back and recupperate a bit. But it was a struggle and made me appreciate the enormity of what I'm trying to do. I eventually arrived in Oswaldkirk 95 minutes after setting off and was very relieved to see my support crew (aka my wife) there with the car to take me home.

Time for a rant now! I was really shocked by the amount of litter on the grass verges at the side of the road out in the countryside. I have to say that beer cans and discarded McDonalds drinks cartons were the main culprits. What I can't work out is how come you get discarded McDonalds cartons and wrappers in the middle of the countryside 14 miles from their nearest outlet. Do people drive out into the country just to throw them away? Better stop now before I become a grumpy old man.

Its Grim Up North

2008-02-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

Well the weather has been a bit cold, damp and horrible in Yorkshire over the last few days so not much chance to do any training. Before you say it,I know that I'm a fair weather cyclist!

So lets tell you a bit about the route for the London to Paris cycle ride.

Day One

We make an early start from Bexley in south London on Wednesday 23rd July. This is the longest and toughest day as we travel 80 miles through Kent to the white cliffs of Dover. We pass through Rochester and tackle some of the climbs that were used on the first stage of the 2007 Tour de France. Once in Dover we catch a ferry to Calais where we stay the first night.

Day Two

After a hearty french breakfast, (surely that's an oxymoron!) we head out through the green meadows of Northern France to Arras. I love Arras, its a beautiful historic town which was one of the main battle areas of the First World War. Today we cover 73 miles and no doubt our legs will all be aching after our strenuous first day.

Day Three

No doubt the tiredness will really be settling in now as we travel 73 miles to Compiegne. En route we will pass through Bapaume and past the battlefields of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. My Grandad fought at this battle so I will be remembering him as we go along. Compiegne is the start town for one of the most famous one day professional bike races; Paris - Roubaix which runs every April. Its known as the "Hell of the North" and I'll tell you more about it in a later blog.

Day Four

It's now Saturday 25th July and on our last day we journey 66 miles from Compiegne to Paris. We finish by riding up the Champs Elysees and around the Arc de Triomphe before finishing at the Jardins du Trocadero overlooking the Eiffel Tower. The Tour de France will be finishing on the same roads the following day so all the banners and bunting will be out for that and we will be able to dream of being Lance Armstrong as we ride up the Champs Elysees. I think this will be the scariest and most dangerous part of the ride as anyone who has seen the traffic on the Champs Elysees will know. After that we finish off with a celebration dinner.

So plenty to look forward to and only 168 days to go.

This here is the place where I will stand!

2008-01-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

Well as Nelson Mandella once said, "the longest journey starts with the smallest step" so today I started training for my London to Paris bike ride in July.

Having barely been on my bike for months I donned my lycra and did a steady 8-10 miles along the lanes around York. The sun was shining in God's own county and it was an enjoyable ride. The legs didn't feel too bad and I made it around without needing emergency medical treatment.

So with 176 days to go before I set off from London the big questions are:

Will my body stand the pace?
Will my old bike make it?
Is France ready for the sight of me in lycra?

Only time will tell!