Planned Route

Decision day came and went and, as if there was any danger, I have decided to "get on with it". I'm pleased to report that I have had the green light from my most worthy chosen charities and have updated the DONATE page so please have a look there and see what you can do.

I will be leaving on 28th May by train (I know - what a wimp) to Frome in Somerset where I have a couple of friends who will put up with me for the night. With a moderate hangover and full of pasta I will ride to Portsmouth the next day

http://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTg1NDM=

and take the overnight ferry to Le Havre. From Le Havre I will ride diagonally across France passing South of Paris to Brig in Switzerland rising up steadily and with a few climbs towards the end

http://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTQ2NTI=

From Brig I will NOT be riding over the Alps. I will leave that to Bradley and the boys. No, I will sensibly take the train (not again?) under the Alps to Domodossola in Northern Italy and, hopefully, freewheel for a couple of days down the other side.

http://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTQ2NTM=

I will bomb along the pan flat Po valley and then follow the Adriatic coast down to Ancona where I take the ferry to Igoumenitsa on the Greek mainland. From there I will follow the coast around to Athens.

http://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTUzNzI=

That will be the end of the bike ride but from Athens I will be taking the ferry to Rhodes which is only an hour or so from my adopted home in glorious Fethiye where I will rest for a week or so before flying home early July to enjoy the remains of the English Summer hahahahahaha (cue hysterical laughter).

Here is the planned route

Stage	Day	Date	From	To	Dist	Total (km)	Gain (m)
1	T	28/05/2013	Wigan	Frome (train)
2	W	29/05/2013	Frome	Portsmouth	120.0	120.0
3	Th	30/05/2013	Le Havre	Evreux	117.0	237.0	439.0
4	F	31/05/2013	Evreux	Etampes	118.0	355.0	513.0
5	Sa	01/06/2013	Etampes	Sens	99.0	454.0	426.0
6	Su	02/06/2013	Sens	Chatillon	120.0	574.0	675.0
7	M	03/06/2013	Chatillon	Gray	113.0	687.0	723.0
8	T	04/06/2013	Gray	Pontarlier	111.0	798.0	1206.0
9	W	05/06/2013	Pontarlier	Montreux	101.0	899.0	718.0
10	Th	06/06/2013	Montreux	Sion	71.0	970.0	300.0
11	F	07/06/2013	Sion	Brig (rest)	54.0	1024.0	280.0
12	Sa	08/06/2013	Brig (rest)	Domodossola	train
13	Su	09/06/2013	Domodossola	Legnano	100.0	1124.0	254.0
14	M	10/06/2013	Legnano	Cremona	113.0	1237.0	44.0
15	T	11/06/2013	Cremona	Mirandola	105.0	1342.0	66.0
16	W	12/06/2013	Mirandola	Alfonsine	108.0	1450.0	75.0
17	Th	13/06/2013	Alfonsine	Pesaro	105.0	1555.0	192.0
18	F	14/06/2013	Pesaro	Ancona	63.0	1618.0	59.0
19	Sa	15/06/2013	Ancona dep 1500	Igoumenitsa arr 0930 nx
20	Su	16/06/2013	Igoumenitsa	Preveza	91.0	1709.0	997.0
21	M	17/06/2013	Preveza	Agrinio	97.0	1806.0	632.0
22	T	18/06/2013	Agrinio	Aigio	105.0	1911.0	818.0
23	W	19/06/2013	Aigio	Korinthos	96.0	2007.0	354.0
24	Th	20/06/2013	Korinthos	Athens	85.0	2092.0	482.0
25	F	21/06/2013	Athens dep 1800	Rhodes arr 1000 nx	boat
26	Sa	22/06/2013	Rhodes	Fethiye	boat

Decision Day Tomorrow?

Bad weather and punctures have impeded my training this week. I set off the other day but got a puncture after 2 miles and had no spare tubes so phoned home for a lift. It took me a couple of days to get spare tubes so that set me back but it rained almost non-stop anyway. To make up, I fully intended doing a long, long, all day ride with the Wigan Wheelers today but bad weather was forecast for this afternoon and I decided to restrict my efforts to a morning ride only and managed a 30 mile ride up to Preston and back. It was quite windy and I got wet near the end. Dodgy weather is forecast for all of this week but I feel I need to go out and ride every day, whatever the distance. I have done nothing like the same amount of training as for last year's ride but with a full weeks training I am confident that I will be able to "grow into" the distance and will manage OK.

So there it is. I have decided that it's on. I have quite a bit of organising to do and a number of people to contact about final arrangements but don't see a problem.