Chris was on board from the outset. I wanted to, but thought it ridiculous - fast approaching my 51st birthday, several stone overweight and having to admit that my 10 minute walk to work each day wasn't exactly doing me a lot of good. To cycle over 500 miles across 3 countries just wasn’t going to happen.
But then the other cyclist dropped out, the one who was to accompany Chris, leaving him to cycle the entire route from Cheltenham to Gottingen (Cheltenham’s twin town in Germany) “solo”.
What should have been a great adventure was instead going to be mile after mile of solitary cycling. Even I could see that that was no way to spend the first two weeks after completing his A-levels. So you could say I sort of fell into the role of fellow cyclist and The 150 Days Adventure was born.
I think I should point out that we are not planning on cycling for 150 days – I’m sure that even I should be able to manage a little more than 4 miles per day! 150 days is the time from launching The Challenge yesterday until our arrival in Gottingen on 17th July.
Plans have developed over the last week or so. Originally we were looking at overnighting in Youth Hostels or similar, whereas we have now decided to carry our accommodation with us and camp wherever our legs (and backs and arms and and and) decide they have had enough. This obviously adds to the challenge with the extra weight, and having to set up camp each night after a day’s ride, as well as packing up in the morning before setting off.
In the last 48 hours, a daunting challenge has become an exciting adventure. Before we were feeling almost constrained by miles needing to be travelled each day and hostel bookings. Now we can please ourselves – and hope that there will be a field in which we can pitch our tents exactly when we need it.
We have no idea how the ride will go, how many miles we will cover each day, where we will stay, where we will pick up supplies, how we will cook a nourishing meal. But we do know that it will be an experience that will stay with us throughout the years ahead – however it turns out!
But then the other cyclist dropped out, the one who was to accompany Chris, leaving him to cycle the entire route from Cheltenham to Gottingen (Cheltenham’s twin town in Germany) “solo”.
What should have been a great adventure was instead going to be mile after mile of solitary cycling. Even I could see that that was no way to spend the first two weeks after completing his A-levels. So you could say I sort of fell into the role of fellow cyclist and The 150 Days Adventure was born.
I think I should point out that we are not planning on cycling for 150 days – I’m sure that even I should be able to manage a little more than 4 miles per day! 150 days is the time from launching The Challenge yesterday until our arrival in Gottingen on 17th July.
Plans have developed over the last week or so. Originally we were looking at overnighting in Youth Hostels or similar, whereas we have now decided to carry our accommodation with us and camp wherever our legs (and backs and arms and and and) decide they have had enough. This obviously adds to the challenge with the extra weight, and having to set up camp each night after a day’s ride, as well as packing up in the morning before setting off.
In the last 48 hours, a daunting challenge has become an exciting adventure. Before we were feeling almost constrained by miles needing to be travelled each day and hostel bookings. Now we can please ourselves – and hope that there will be a field in which we can pitch our tents exactly when we need it.
We have no idea how the ride will go, how many miles we will cover each day, where we will stay, where we will pick up supplies, how we will cook a nourishing meal. But we do know that it will be an experience that will stay with us throughout the years ahead – however it turns out!