My day started by cursing (under my breath) a French colleague for not really doing her job properly and I then spent this morning teaching French to a bunch of enthusiastic (in the main) 12 year olds (including one American). This afternoon I went to Reading University and met […]
Remember Rachel McCormack & partner Giovanni who are cycling from Ireland to Puglia for the Irish Cancer Society? They are following a sightly more easterly route than me but it is interesting to see that they used the Saint Gotthard pass to cross the Alps – see the […]
It’s getting difficult to motivate myself for work when I know that five weeks today I set off on my big adventure; it’s going to take some time to get my shirts ironed tonight.
Marks & Spencer stands out in the high street as a shop that sells things at sensible prices. I don’t mean low prices (it’s a long time since I gave up any pretence of being able to do my weekly food shop in their high-class supermarket), I mean […]
This is purely a self-imposed pressure. No advertisers to keep happy or critics to placate. But, as my subtitle tells you, this is a journey by blog and bike and I do keep a keen eye on my WordPress stats page which a fascinating mine of mathematical facts […]
It was late night opening at A.W. Cylces yesterday so I took a slight detour on my way home last night to see what they had on offer in the cycling shorts direction. One of the familiar faces greeted me and after a few pleasantries, he said he […]
In replying to Simone (from Pavia – see posts below), I asked him if he knew a god route to miss out the centre of Milan (well actually it is not the centre of the city I suppose I want to avoid; it is all those suburbs full […]
Not sure why but this morning I smashed the time it takes me to cycle to work; 23 minutes and 40 seconds. From memory that is around a minute and a half faster than the last time I timed myself. Was it the new bike? Was it my […]
A potentially very useful website as recommended by Simone in Pavia (see previous post).
Just received this message (via Facebook) from Italy; Hello there, My name’s Simone and with some friends I work in a cycle co-op in Pavia. I’m also a bike enthusiast, for all kind of pedal powered vehicles. I saw your blog and I was immediately fascinated by your […]
…back to school. Thought I would try out the panniers; the first day back of each term always means I am heavily laden on the bike so I thought I would make the most of the situation to put Reggie’s pulling power to the test. He looks good […]
What a brilliant book… but I won’t be buying it. I wandered down to Cotswold Leisure this afternoon for a general browse and to ogle at all the things I would buy if money were no object; quite frankly I could purchase everything in the store. I was […]
I have spent many pounds on many glossy cycling magazines in the last couple of years but I have to say that one of the best is the one that I receive for free by being a member of the CTC (OK, it’s not really free I know […]
Bill Vrabel has got his own site up and running. Called “Orkney To Rome – A Cycling Journey” with the subtitle “A librarian’s autumnal journey southbound through Europe on a bicycle” it does what it says on the tin! I love the clean style that he has chosen; […]
Well I did 109.3 kms in the end (that’s nearly 70 miles for the oldies!); well over the average that I will have to do en route to Puglia. I continued from Newbury along the Kennet & Avon Canal but on arrival in Hungerford, chatting to a fellow […]
But where am I? Clue: this guy is Alfred the Great and he was born here. A less helpful clue is that I have cycled 68 kms so far. Would like to hit 100 before getting back home. Update at 8pm (when back at home): I win my […]
No. Just mild annoyance and an important threshold to have passed in owning a new bike; taking it apart for the first time!
That’s what they would call it if Reggie (that’s the name of the bike btw for any new readers) were a rally car. So far so good. I am blogging from Newbury, a town which is 36 kms from my road in Reading via the Kennet and Avon Canal, […]
I like this and sympathise with the guy who has written with it; Reading is not a good place to be a cyclist because of the state of the roads. He writes in his first post at crapreading (don’t hold back mate!); Many towns have angry people who […]
My first Warmshowers guest is on the horizon; Alain from Boulogne-sur-Mer. Il écrit…. Bonjour Andrew I’m Alain and I live in the north of France. I’m cycling to my friend Phil’s birthday party in Shrewsbury later this month. I hope to be in Reading on the 27th during […]
You are probably fed up of seeing pictures of handlebars and mine in particular. Sorry 😉 . The new stem arrived this morning and I have just fitted it. For the first time I think I am approaching a point when the bike, dare I say it (?), […]
Facebook took me to happier places this morning, including Oli Broom’s Cycling to the Ashes page where I found this fab picture. Oli is currently in India – Calcutta to be exact – and you can also follow him at his website. He also has a Flickr site with […]
As I have said before, I love the fact that people all over the World read my blog and contribute either through the comments or by taking time to email me. It is no doubt the nearest I will ever come to receiving fan mail (teenage school kids […]
…but will it be available in the UK before the 18th July? On e-bay perhaps? I found the article in the London Evening Standard. The Sydney Morning Herald adds the following which verges on stating the bleeding obvious in the last line; The bicycle charger models — some […]
Comment 300 is about to be made; make it a good one!
Flavio has commented on my post of the 1st June (below in blue) and also on the CTC Eurovelo 5 forum (below in red) with the following messages; Hi Andrew, Great project! I found it only today.. two years later For the question posted in August, 6th… 2008, […]
Look out for the snail! See the original report on TF1 here.
I quote; Hello, I will be biking from London to Athens taking most of Eurovelo 5. If you are interested you will be able to find Eurovelo 5 infor on my site. I will be blogging throughout the whole ride to give more detailed info on this route.About […]
There was just a big bang in Reading. And then what sounded like a low-flying Lear jet. How strange. I have stuff everywhere and lots of little jobs to do today; the photo shows just one of the various piles of “stuff” that I have managed to create […]
Didn’t find much to say about Eurovelo 5 from Paris. Too busy herding around the kids. I did notice that one of the streets just round the corner from our accommodation was rue St. Gothard and was a darn sight flatter than the pass that shares its name. […]
The 30 students who are accompanying my two fellow teachers and myself are just out me shot!
I’m off to Paris in the morning – in five hours time to be precise and am still trying to get my washing done – with 30 students from school; I’ll post a few pictures of cycling-related Parisian things. Did my commute today with the new bars; definitely […]
…do exist, at a price! This one is 150mm, 20mm longer than the current one which is 130mm. Is 2cm worth it? I will see how comfortable the riding position is tonight when I pick up the bike after than butterfly bars have been fitted.
So far my dealings with Evans Cycles regarding the change of the drop handlebars to the butterfly bars have been good; both assistants I have spoken to have been knowledgeable and encouraging, discussing the issues I may have and finding solutions. I took Reggie down for the work earlier this […]
No bids yet on my e-Bay ad but five “watchers” (which sounds a bit creepy but I am assured this is a good thing). One person has contacted me via email asking for more detail explaining that they were looking to upgrade a Ridgeback Element hybrid bike to have […]
On a day like this it’s easy to forget about life’s problems….
Jon Scott continues his journey north – he was in Bern on the 20th so he is making very good progress – and he continues to post some stunning photos on Flickr; here is a little montage of four of his recent images. His blog is here (or you can […]
I’ve put the shifters on e-Bay; why not make a bid? 🙂 I have set the bid starting price at £80 (that’s a massive 60% reduction on the approximate RRP!) and I’ll see what happens. The handlebars are brake levers are also up for grabs. Wonder how much they […]
I headed off into town last night to chat to Evans Cycles about having the butterflies fitted. There is no way I am going within a mile of AW Cycles with the intention of discussing arranging for the bars to be changed by them; they have made their opinions […]
Some books of potential interest, especially the one in the middle; Great Cycle Journeys of the World. The blurb reads: With 34 classic cycle routes covering six continents, through some of the world’s most stunning natural landscapes, this book provides something for everyone planning their next cycling holiday. Featured areas […]
My handlebars arrived but they were motorcycle-type number plates (registration P26 something). Despite the contents of the package, the bike had been converted to an “upright” style, but looked like a Winnebago complete with roof canopy and shed at the back. The forks were very angular and had bright […]
I posted yesterday that I was thinking of removing part of the route and avoiding Brussels and most of Belgium. It does make sense on all levels apart from the one that wants me to tick the box of having followed the route of the Eurovelo 5. George […]
Jon is posting some amazing pictures on Flickr as he cycles up through Italy; this is just an example and was taken in the Cinque Terre.
I’ve discussed much on here recently; Mark Beaumont, butterfly handlebars, commuting, Twitter, Geoff Boycott(!)… but not much of Eurovelo 5 and my plans to cycle from Reading to Brindisi kicking off on Sunday 18th July, a little over two-months away. So here is a summary of progress I’m […]
I just knocked off my 200th tweet and was browsing the tweets of the people I follow, including @cyclingtotheashes (aka Oli Broom)who is currently in India (he is the guy who is, as you may have guessed,cycling to the Ashes cricket in Australia which starts later in the […]
…by filling in the box just there on the left, you can be emailed every time I post something new on http://www.eurovelo5.com .
I have to say that I have a pretty nice commute compared to some. Once I have escaped the urban wood that is Reading and Caversham (I was going to say jungle but Reading isn’t quite there yet…), I cycle along a long, quiet country road that cuts […]
I suppose his excuse will be that he lives above the shop.
…500 🙂
It will be midnight before I get home but the evening was certainly worth the trek. Mark Beaumont came across as an interesting and humble guy. Just like he comes across in his book actually and it was interesting that he said he would be writing another one […]
I’ve never knowingly been to Camberley before: it could be twinned with Bracknell if the local councillors wanted to cut down on the expense of travelling to an exotic foreign location. A row of Wetherspoon-like pubs, a drab station and lots of offices. I found the theatre not far […]
I remember being at Cologne train station years ago on a Sunday evening and it really was a circus of life and activity. This is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Mind you, at least the rail replacement bus got me here on time. In fact before […]
Jon Scott – I mentioned him a few days ago – has now set off from Rome. His blog is here and I have put an RSS feed over there on the right to keep up with his progress. For some reason his blog wouldn’t allow me to […]
In anticipation of seeing Mark Beaumont tonight in Camberley, here is an interview he has done with Touch FM in Leamington. The man himself has re-tweeted the following comment from @timmay Giving the personal insights and mental battles you faced, not depicted on tv, makes this a must see. […]
Just spent a few minutes moving things around and changing some of the settings here on Eurovelo5.com . I often change things back after a few days if I don’t like them although I thinks it’s nice to have a home page to the website. Problem may be, […]
A name from the earlier days of this blog has just emailed; Jonathan Scott is an Australian who is planning to cycle from Rome to London and he is one of the people to be listed down there on the left as a Eurovelo 5 / Via Francigena […]
Read the last post before you read this! I just looked at today’s list of searches (only three so far today!) and the expression in the title was listed. If you copy it into Google, one of the pictures you find on the first page of a Google […]
I do find the statistics of the Internet fascinating almost to the point of geekdom, hence the previous post. It is, for example, depressingly fascinating (but very predictable) that the USA dominates the list of the 100 most-visited sites and that Google tops that list. Interesting that Luxembourg (a link with […]
Click on the pic! This is from the same part of the BBC website and I like how the blog post statistic is actually a number you can visualise…
There is a lull in action on the Eurovelo 5 front; I think the election is drawing my attention away from cycling. The Couchsurfing Group has a new (2nd) member, a certain Joe Barnett but I know little about him…. On the other social networking site that is Warmshowers, […]
My immigrant handlebars (Modolo Yuma etc…) are winging their way to the UK as I type! She was a bigot in my opinion (the kind of person who starts sentences with “I’m not a racist but….”). My handlebars are just as welcome as all the other hard-working residents of our country […]
I have spent tha last week banging on about butterfly handlebars so it is a relief to post about the Eurovelo 5 again, albeit during a “nuit blanche”; I have man flu and can’t sleep…. So, as one does on such occasions, I was browsing the list of […]
It’s an Italian proverb that says that “a meal without wine is like a day without sunshine”. My postings recently have been so regular that my proverb should be “a day without a post is like….” errr…. that’s why I don’t write proverbs for a living. Answers on […]
I quote; After the Modolo Yuma designed to increase comfort for trekking riders, came DUMBO … With DUMBO you can adjust the handlebar geometry when and how you wish, obtaining the best possible riding position. Simple in adjustment, strong in its forged blockings, lightweight, DUMBO can become a […]
At last, some positive encouragement to get the butterflies fitted! Darrell, from Manchester – remember him? – he is cycling the route of the Pennine Cycleway this summer and I sent him my maps (which he has kindly acknowledged on his own website with some very nice comments, thanks Darrell!). […]
Look how these butterfly bars (which look like Modolo Yuma Traveller Multi Position Hybrid Bars) have brake levers allowing access not just from the horizontal part of the bar but also from the sides; useful. While using this picture to illustrate this, it’s worth noting that, despite what […]
I spoke to a chap in Cyclezone; he said the same as the guy in Evans yesterday. Estimated that to change to butterflies would cost around £100 to £150 minus the amount I could get on Ebay for the current levers and shifters. I then braved it and […]
I went into Evans in Reading yesterday evening after work and had a good chat with one of the staff about changing handlebars. They conveniently had a Ridgeback Panorama on display so we could chat while referring to the bike. He said there would be no problem changing from […]
I found this on Cycle Chat; I rode drops as a youth and young man, but I now ride with flat bars for reasons of comfort. What is it about drop bars? There seems to be some sort of kudos about them; if your bike doesn’t have […]
Handlebars have been on my mind for quite some time and certainly since I bought Reggie Ridgeback; he has drop handlebars and I am finding it difficult to adjust to them. This website – Handlebars for Touring – gives some alternatives which are worth thinking about. I don’t […]
Just cycled to work on Reggie Ridgeback and my feet were frozen when I arrived; George Jemmott mentioned that he had purposefully not used the cleats on his bike on his recent ride from Milan to Calais and I can see why – they are incompatible with cold spring mornings! […]
…since the move to WordPress in mid January; 17,500 including the hits when this blog was a Blogger blog!
….to the first day back at work after a long two-week holiday is receiving an email from a new blog reader that exudes positivity in the way only Californians can manage, which is useful for JJ Istrin as he hales from Los Angeles! JJ and his wife have exciting plans […]
Just realised what day it is today. There is a nice symmetry about the whole thing, no? And it’s a Sunday when I leave for Italy; Sunday 18th July 2010. It’s a long, long time since I wrote this on the 29th August 2008; 700 Days: The first numerical […]
If, on a Sunday morning at 8.30am I am spending time reading a document written by “Policy Department B, Structural and Cohesion Policies” for the “Directorate General for Internal Policies” of the European Parliament, I do wonder whether my cycling adventure along the route of Eurovelo 5 has […]
Rachel McCormack emails from Ireland; Hi Andrew, Just happened to come across your website and found it very interesting and quite relevant to me and partner Giovanni. We are finalising preparations for our bike challenge which will see us mountain bike from Dublin, Ireland to Santa Maria di […]
Pan-European cycling might catch on a bit more if this volcanic cloud hangs around much longer. Mark Beaumont is stuck in the French Alps; I did suggest via Twitter that he cycle back (see feed to your left…), as did lots of other people by the sound of […]
I cycled to work this morning and by the time I arrived, the left shoe had become very loose – it was “floating” much more than the right shoe. On dismounting, I uncleated the right shoe but the left refused to do so…. until I forced it and […]
Thanks to Massimo for some comments regarding the route south of Rome. The bit between Como and Rome remains sketchy – I have suggested on the itinerary itself that I leave the detail until I actually arrive in Italy; is that wise? You can see that I do […]
How can you make a living out of “teaching” mountain biking for 10 years? Is it that difficult? (Hey, son, push your bike to the top of that muddy hill, sit on it and release the brakes….) I want her job…. She comes across as a bit nervous […]
Just tested the shoes on the road (well the empty trading estate next to where I live) and they are brilliant! Didn’t even fall off (apologies to the bloke waiting with a video camera – where did he get that idea?). I can’t say for definite whether they […]
…but can you spot the thing that is missing? Answer: my foot! Now, that was a few minutes ago. This is a silly little comedy of errors. I eventually figured out how to fix the piece of metal to the shoes (which fit perfectly btw; may wear them […]
Making progress, but not quite there yet! Thanks to Massimo in Benevento I have some detail south of Rome but north of Rome still lacks a day by day breakdown, as does the bit between Luxembourg to Strasbourg. This latter stretch has given George Jemmott some issues on […]
Just picking up the “international” theme at the end of the previous post, I do like it when the traffic feed looks like this rather than a string of Union Jacks (note to UK readers: please don’t take this personally, I love your visits too!). Bracknell is me […]
Long-time readers will remember that last summer, in order to see if I was physically capable of cycling day after day on a long journey by bike, I decided to cycle along the Pennine Cycleway from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Derby. It took me nine days and I stayed in a […]
I’m not about to start a coal round but I could on the bike with the new Ortlieb panniers – the “Front / Back-Roller Classic”. Comically massive if you take the picture at face value but fear not, I shan’t be pedalling to Italy with them looking like […]
I put the question above on Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree forum (nope, me neither if you are asking the obvious question!). I quote myself; I’m planning to cycle from the UK to Italy this summer along the route of the Eurovelo 5. However, the route is very aspirational and […]
…but he did come across very well, answering people’s questions while stood on his soap box. My first politician of the campaign. Watch tonight on the local news, I might be on! It was interesting watching his detectives as they watched the crowd; every time I fiddled with […]
One little debate on this website can now come to an end as I have a tent! Just delivered and kind-of pitched in my living room with the help of a couple of chairs, a pair of sandals and a pot plant. I may have to use the […]
Just been to work (yes, on a Sunday!) to collect some stuff that I need to do during the second half of the school holidays; I was planning on doing the work actually at work but now I am expecting the tent, panniers and shoes to be delivered […]
Now that my detailed itinerary has hit the Italian border, my efforts need to turn to La Via dei Pellegrini in Italy itself. Regular readers of this blog will know that the Eurovelo 5 cycle route, although often associated with the Via Francigena pilgrim route does not really follow the same path. The […]
I’ve just registered the domain http://www.eurovelo5.com …but fear not, http://www.puglia2010.wordpress.com will continue to bring you here as well 🙂
Laura Birchenough writes from Greece in response to my question about how she got on Couchsurfing in southern Italy; Hi Andrew, How are your plans coming along for your trip, good luck! I can honestly say that it is my couch surfing experiences that have made this trip […]
