It’s been a funny old year. A year of changes in my life. I have – in mid-life (if I survive to 112 that is…) – become a lot fitter. I have become a ParkRun regular. I ran the Leeds 10k in 53 minutes, 39 seconds last Sunday. I have shed 20 kilograms of weight. I have started attending spinning classes at the gym. Somewhat ironically, I have started baking bread and have never eaten so much butter in my life. I passed my annual medical review yesterday with flying colours. The nurse even gave me a badge (albeit one leftover from COVID that referenced vaccinations…). I will, later this year, start to ebb towards retirement by extending my weekend to three days. I will also embark upon my first non-solo cycle tour in August. (More of that soon.) I have also embraced a new style of cycling and tonight it has brought me to the shores of Lake Windermere to a camping pod owned by the National Trust.

You may recall that back in April I cycled up to Skipton and onwards to a campsite close to Appletreewick in the Yorkshire Dales. The weather was fantastic (albeit a bit chilly in the tent at night) and, cycling my touring bike Wanda, the Koga WorldTraveller, I headed off along Wharfedale to Buckden and back (via a few pubs). As I pedalled and puffed my way north then south, I was constantly being passed by cyclists who had been liberated by their lightweight bikes. Back at the campsite there were a good number of cyclists who had arrived in their camper vans and who had their carbon or titanium bikes stowed inside, ready for action. Mmm… Pause for thought.

When I returned home, I started to formulate a plan. I have no wish to abandon traditional cycle touring on Wanda, but I am keen to embrace travel by bike sans panniers. So I purchased a new bicycle (see previous posts) and looked forward to short escapes around the country. The bike was delivered a few weeks ago and after work this afternoon, I loaded her (she’s called Rita) on the back of the car and set off the 100 miles to Lake Windermere.

It’s now Friday evening. In the morning I will drive around the lake to take part in the Ambleside ParkRun. Then it’s back to Low Wray Campsite from where I plan to head off into the hills on my own titanium bicycle. The hunter has become the gamekeeper.

I love it when a plan comes together… And what better a day for a cycling plan to come together than on the day of midsummer itself.

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Le Grand Tour on a Bike Called Wanda, was published in May 2024 and recounts Andrew P. Sykes’ journey around France, into the Alps and down the Rhine in the summer of 2022. It is available as a paperback and as and eBook from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com (and other international Amazon sites). The paperback is also available from Waterstones or Foyles and the eBook from Apple iBooks.

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