Bike Tracks

My Larry was leaving today on an evening flight to Denver. He was able to get a ride from Denis and Katy to Heathrow, solving the problem of how to get to the airport with all his stuff. For me, it was to be the first day on the ride alone without my best friend.

The ride out of London turned out to be alright, even without the police escort we had hoped for. I rode with Larry Dolinsky who volunteered to be my ride partner. It was nearly 3 hours before we felt as though we were out of London, it is a huge city. We lucked out leaving, the traffic was going the opposite direction. We followed the DRG closely, only missing one important turn. Of course we knew we goofed and easily corrected the mistake.

Our route was going to Winchester, home of the famous Winchester Cathedral. After exiting the excitement of the city and the heavy traffic, we dropped off onto less busy streets.

Larry Dolinsky’s rear rack fell off of his bike. He stopped to repair it by threading plastic tie downs through the rack and around his seat post. He also attached his saddle bag with bungle cords. While he was doing this I made a mental note that our bikes were really starting to look pretty bad. Others are now noticing because later that night someone was telling a story about a stranger asking them why we all bought “old bikes” for such a trip! We all had a good laugh.

Larry fixed his bike (sort of) and shortly there after my troubles began. I rode out of the city in my 52 gear (the big one), once in the country the hills started up. As soon as I shifted down trying to get into “granny” gear, the chain locked up and I couldn’t even force it loose. Larry and I had to take the rear tire off of loosen up the gears. It was a mess.

Lucky for me, Joan, Larry’s wife came along in a car, we packed my bike onto the bike rack and she took me to a bike shop. I explained what had happened the to “mechanic,” he asked me to return in an hour and he would fix it. Joan and I found a great cafe to kill time. When I returned the guy told me the three things he did to fix it, I paid him and left. Big mistake…. I never test rode the bike, since I was so far behind the group, Joan offered to give me a lift to checkpoint so I could catch up.

At checkpoint I got on my bike to ride, got barely a mile out before I discovered the bike was still skipping, the chain fell off and it was a mess. I put the chain back on and rode back to checkpoint. Jason the TK&A mechanic was there. He worked on the bike adjusting things and told me it was way out of adjustment. He had me ride it to be sure it was OK, and it was at the time.

Joan once again volunteered to take me as far as where ever her Larry was, then I could cycle the rest of the way. So that’s what I did. Another mistake.

I got no further than the first big hill when the chain jammed up and skipped again. Jason had told me the next time it happened to check every link for a “frozen” link, that was what was messing the bike up. So I did, I happened to have some wonderful surgical gloves in the panniers, so I put them on to avoid getting my hands dirty beyond recognition, and proceeded to check every link, twice. I found nothing. I even checked to be sure the little pins were all in the chain. They were all ok, but my bike was still not sounding good.

The sag wagon came along, I jumped in. Enough of this nonsense today. We were still about 35 miles from Winchester and it was nearly 5 o’clock. Along the way we picked up cyclists who were done for the day. It was so interesting to ride in the back seat and watch others try to navigate the DRG.

The English countryside is so difficult to navigate, at least where we were supposed to go. The roads are not what we would call roads, they are actually horse paths, but cars can go on them. The road is generally bordered by very tall hedges, on each side. As you travel along the only time the scenery changes is when you pass a house without hedges in the front or a road. It is very easy to get lost. The DRG does not tell you the name on the road to be on, it gives us mileage from point to point and either a left or right. One interesting instruction said to turn right at the cute little cottage at the fork. Well, if you are lost there are lots of cute little cottages at the fork!

We came to an intersection, not knowing where we should go next. As we were there two other groups of riders came, each from a different direction. The fourth direction had a local person come along. It was hilarious, we riders were all following the same instructions, but were on 3 different paths. The local asked us “why are you on this road?” We started to tell her, we were on a year long trip , she said but “why are you on THIS road?” Apparently this road was known for being one of the better roads to travel!

The sag wagon arrived safely at the campground in Winchester. I was glad to be done with the bike scene today. My next challenge was to put the tent up, by myself without my Larry.

We camped at a municipal area near the city’s ball fields. It was a beautiful location next to a park with a canal going through it. I choose a spot facing the canal so I could watch the ducks swim with their babies. It was a great setting. The tent went up rather quickly, I didn’t pay to much attention to the tightness of the fly, it was very windy and I was worried about getting to dinner.

It was a good thing, I hurried over to dinner, because when I got there, several of the male riders were calling to Britt-Simone’s attention that there were still at least 10 riders on the road that hadn’t eaten and there was not enough food left to feed who all was standing there. That included me. I find it so curious that this problem continues to occur. There have been 247 people who are supposed to eat every night, even though we have significantly less than that number, we are continually running out of food!

The lovely ladies of Winchester found more food for us. When the bread pudding disappeared it was replaced with fruit cup, when that disappeared it was replaced with watermelon. These women were obviously worried about getting us all fed. I went to personally thank them for their efforts, and the lady apologized to me, stating that they were given a wrong number as to how many would be eating that night. Shar who was also thanking them made them feel better by saying, “we cyclists have been known to eat twice our body weight in food, so please don’t feel bad.” It was a consoling thing to say to a vendor who was obviously upset about not being able to provide for us hungry folks, but still why weren’t they told?

We decided to take it easy today, do a lot of nothing and get organized for the coming segment of the trip. Larry is leaving to go back to Denver for awhile on personal business and I will be peddling forward with the group. I am going to miss him very much, he won’t be here to wake me up at 5 a.m. and I will have to do my own navigation through strange lands and about a million other things.

It’s going to be a challenge for me, but I think I can do it. The good news is I will now have 2 lockers and lots of room in the tent. I’m getting bids for installing indoor plumbing and a decent closet.

Speaking of plumbing, we were impressed with the nice condition of the university dorm rooms. We are staying in single rooms, that each have a bed, shelving, desk and a closet with a mirror and sink in it. (no air conditioning nor screens!) For shower and toilet, we (5 of us) share a single toilet and shower/bath room down the hall. The rooms are carpeted and look fresh and new. The shock came today when we discovered that what we thought was an “old” building is really only 8 years old. The building was built in 1992. I have only one question, where the heck did they get the 40 year old plumbing?

The water in the bathtub does not mix. When you put the cold and hot water on, it comes out of the tap, cold on one side and hot on the other. Lord help your poor skin if you put it under the hot side! The sink in the closet has two facets, when you brush your teeth it is necessary to mix your own water, that is unless you can stand ice cold water on your teeth. Considering modern plumbing has been around for quite some time now, why are the Brits still using this stuff? I don’t get it.

We found a bike shop today just a few blocks away from the University. It was a delightful experience having a pleasant mechanic replace my chain while we made small talk. He was a young kid, impressed with the trip and full of questions. When he finished the job, he went off and washed his hands, no complaints! The owner gave us a couple of bike trail maps of the area and sent us off with a big “Thank you”.

This poor chap endured at least 50 cameras clicking in his face, before he clicked his shoes and marched back and forth a few times for a break. Note the size of the shoes, they wear them extra big so they can wiggle their toes around inside. They stand motionless among the crowd, watching for bad people who want to hurt the Monarchy. It was at least 90 degrees outside when this picture was taken. He must have been sweltering.

London has an abundance of things to do. Since we have 3 full days, we don’t feel the pressure that we normally feel in a city. The first thing we did is take the “tube” to downtown and buy a double-decker bus ticket. It’s one of those buses where they tour the city and you can hop on and off at certain points of interest. My first goal was to see the “changing of the guard”. Since it was very early Sunday morning we thought we would be beating the crowd.

Wrong! Half of the people from America are in London. It is so crowded with tourists, I have never seen anyplace quite so busy. Our bus tour took us to a walking tour, where we went to see the guards comes out and prepare to march to Buckingham Palace. It was fun to watch and even more fun to follow them down the street, marching all the while to their music. I kept trying to take good pictures, but never fail, some bozo would jump in front, giving me a get shot of bozo’s back or shoulder etc. Once, we waiting for several minutes for the relief guards to come out of the regiment building. I had a perfect spot along the gate. I thought when the time came, the police would stop the oncoming traffic. Well the time came and traffic continued to come in the opposite direction, just at the perfect moment a driving bozo stopped his car right in front of my camera, obscuring my view. I gave up on taking decent pictures at that point.

The Big Bus Tour was actually a great way to get a broad view of the city. The only problem was the sun (NOT COMPLAINING HERE), we had left early in the morning without a thought to bringing sun glasses, hats or even sun screen. It was so beautiful, but sunny all day, both Larry and I got sunburned. You would think being outside for nearly 6 months, we would know better!

We kept drinking water to keep hydrated, but the tour was so comprehensive and the traffic so heavy, we never got to do the whole tour. I think it’s actually bigger than most people can do. We did make a full circle, and even took the Thames River cruise but by the days end we were beat. It is easier to ride a bike 90 miles! (almost).

London has over 400 parks within the city. One of the famous Hyde park has a section in it of particular interest. It is called speakers park. Here on Sunday afternoons, people who wish to speak, come set up their “soapboxes”. They stand on the soapbox and talk about the topic of their choice, while others can come and listen. They can talk about anything but they are not allowed to insult the Queen and the royal family.

This is a great idea, probably one who’s time has come and gone, but I liked it just the same. Now instead of the public park soapbox, we use the internet. Same principle, different format.

London has gone wild for the new millennium. They have constructed a giant Ferris wheel on the banks of the Thames river, just across from Big Ben. The ferries wheel is really and observation wheel, passengers only go around once, it takes 30 minutes to do so and costs a small fortune, 22 pounds! We passed on the ride, but I did take a few pictures. The wheel will be taken down and moved to a different location in a few years.

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Our ride to London was not intended to be easy, nor was it. We picked up an eight page DRG (daily route guide) at 6:30 a.m. and headed off to find breakfast at the Ugly Duckling Pub. Our first English breakfast was a delight, at least to me. My fellow cyclists were pouring salt and pepper over everything, complaining how bland it at was. Since I handle a fork like my Mother did, in my left hand so I can add 2 or three various items on it, I was not bothered by bland, I used a slice of sausage or mushroom with my egg. That way it was tasty. Well, at least I enjoyed the meal.

Some cyclists arrived late, only to find the food mostly gone. When they complained, the owner of the Ugly Ducking said the others arrived early and ate all he was paid to put out. Guess the customer forgot to tell the caterer we, who cycle miles on end, need and eat a lot of food! It was curious though, when Tim arrived the owner found a nice plate of breakfast for him. Oh well! We are now in the land of Monarchy, there are Royalty and there are peasants! Life is not equal in England, nor Odyssey.

The English countryside is very lovely. Homeowners have the delightful habit of naming their cottages. I enjoyed looking for the cute names they came up with, Thatch House, Green grove, Hidden Happiness, were a few. Larry and I are considering names for our home in Colorado, “End of the Trail” comes to mind.

The back roads are very narrow, actually bike paths in Denver are as wide! There is not enough room to pass, nor can two approaching cars pass at any speed. One always has to pull over and let the other pass, slowly. Cyclists on the road were treated with patience. We didn’t encounter impatience and speed until we got on the busier roads. Yet all considered, the view on the back roads was worth the ride. We loved seeing the endless fields of purple or yellow flowers. The fragrance was so powerful, I believe the fields were growing perfume. That is were it comes from, right?

Naturally the closer we got to the London, the closer the villages got. Before long, we were just riding in one big conglomeration of city after city. We passed through Canterbury, as I carefully cycled in traffic, I glanced left to see the old walled city and the castle. So much for “seeing the world” we still had a long way to travel and it was very late in the afternoon.

The DRG consisted of 139 turns this day. That means there are at least 139 instances to screw up! We took advantage several times to not turn, resulting in a few moments of unnecessary riding and being lost. The ride would have been a great 2 day ride. Instead we spent 11 1/2 hours on the bike navigating an 8 page DRG, while trying not to get killed by traffic that is going the “wrong way”.

We continued our trek onward toward London. Mid-afternoon, we were both getting very hungry. Not finding any normal take away places or grocery stores, we opted for a fish and chips place without seating. Instead of standing on the sidewalk eating, I packed the food on the bike and rode off looking for a patch of grass in a park. It wasn’t long before we came upon a nice big park with guys playing soccer or as they call it here, football. We sat down to have a picnic. When I opened the fish and chips, wrapped in paper, all I could see was the grease spots on the paper and the solid mass of “chips” that were melded together. Yuck! We couldn’t eat the chips and picked away at the fish. Ordinarily I would love fish and chips but this was not my favorite meal. It was nice to be able to sit for a few minutes on the ground.

It was so late, and we still had a long way to go. We continued on, crossing the river Thames on a ferry. We were lucky to get there before it closed. Several riders arrived after 8 p.m. and had no way to get across the river except through a very long tunnel that was not meant for bikes. It was risk the tunnel or take a taxi. Some did each.

Our day finally ended at Queen Mary and Westfield College University of London, an inner-city college on the very far outskirts north of London. We were delighted to get here and checked into our single private rooms immediately. Larry had his, I have mine! We had ridden 90 miles, even though the DRG had indicated our day was to be only 76.9 miles. Mistakes going in that direction are not good.

Our dinner was another scene. Since I had been riding the last hour close to “bonking”, that’s when your body runs out of fuel and you begin to shake and get over-hungry, we went immediately to dinner without cleaning up. The line was short and the attitude of the service people (wardens) in the cafeteria was even shorter. They were spooning up the portions. I asked for extra cauliflower, which I love and was given a tiny little branch and was told they couldn’t give anymore. Great. After going through the line I had what would be considered a “normal” portion of food for an ordinary person. It was not a plate of food for someone who had just ridden 90 miles on a bicycle. I helped myself to an extra roll, thinking that would help fill the void in my stomach. Immediately, some cafeteria warden, came running over to me to tell me to put the roll back. We were only allowed one roll!

Stunned, my only response was, “this is not enough food! We have ridden all day, do you understand?” She told me that everyone was being very greedy and they were only allowing us to have “what had been paid for!” I was upset, but realized I shouldn’t be upset with the vendor. Once again, it was TK&A’s fault for not being there to oversee the situation and correct it. I laughed it off and thought, if my mind had been sharp, I would have reached into my pocket and paid for the roll. Instead I got even, I helped myself to a second dessert when the wicked witch of the cash register was chatting with the kitchen staff. Success!

Our route through England begins at Dover, landing on the Hovercraft. We bike to a tiny village 7 miles from Dover, called Martin Mill to camp. We leave the next day to spend four nights in London. Or should I say 4 nights at Queen Mary and Westfield College which is rather far away from London city.

We leave London for Winchester and then onto Bath. We get another layover day in Bath, then it’s onto Wales for us.

There is a cyclist who joined us in Ensenada as an unofficial member of the group. We don’t know much about him, since he speaks Spanish, his name, is Antulio. Antulio is an amputee, having lost one of his legs in an awful car accident. When he hear about us riding through his home town, he came out on his bike to meet us. He was so excited, he asked if he could join the group. Tim said sure, but we couldn’t be sagging him or providing other services, but he was welcome to tag along.

His bike is a home made type, hard to describe but for him, very effective. His has managed to follow along with us for 15 days. Antulio’s spirit has keep us going on several occasions. He carries only a small jug of water and a little food. He propels his bike entirely with his arms, on a single speed while we have 27 speeds. I am amazed at his ambition and drive to keep up with our group. Antulio has taken on the desert with so little. We are so pampered with our gear locker, porta potties and shower trucks following us as we go. Here’s a guy who had probably everything he owns in the back of his wagon-bike. He’s happy and smiling whenever we see him. [Read more →]

Mexico: Our “first foreign” country will be our friendly neighbors to the south. We will be traveling down the California Baja of Mexico, along the “one and only” road to La Paz. After checking the topographical maps at the Denver public library, Larry has determined there are no mountains to climb. We will see about that! I as always pray for a tailwind. [Read more →]

In the year 2000 we will left the comforts of our home to travel with a group of bicycle nomads, 20,000 + miles around the globe. This site chronicles the trip with many pictures and journal entries made during the trip. [Read more →]

The trip begins January 1, 2000 and ends January 1, 2001.

Getting to the start of the journey has been a story in itself. We aren’t just getting on a plane and taking off for a year. For the past four years we have been planning and talking about this trip. Up until January of 1999, we weren’t even sure that we would get to go. But as goal-setting would have it, we are! [Read more →]