shirts ordered from rhino sports

43 days to the off,my new jogle shirts have now been approved for production at rhino sports,eckington.after original confusion they could not print the cycle shirts i provided them with,so they are going to manufacture me a set of shirts with all my lettering and sponsor logo impregnated in to the material,so as they don't wear of,impressive shirts, they usually make shirts for ice hockey and the likes,good quality tough shirts that dry quick after getting wet.always a bonus in our British weather,they say delivery should be next week,then Steve from world of superheroes.com can contact the media to promote the event,
this week been pulling trailer loaded with concrete blocks for extra training.although fishing meeting last night went on longer than planned so don't think that will have done weight loss much good this week,although i did cycle to the meeting and back home afterwards. the scales will tell later it's Thursday and weigh day for me and Ian

iphone blogging is not quick

fishing today.so thought id test doing a blog from phone.hard work may have t take note book.

hgv drivers should ride a bike to gain their licence

why should a lorry driver make a statement like that?(I'm a transport manager and hold an hgv licence)
last night on my way home on a normal road bike.tri-chez transport came so close to knocking me off i felt i had to have a word with the driver.i asked him in future to give a little extra room when overtaking,his reply was"i couldn't there was a car on the other side o me"my response was "well just hold back a few seconds,you'll finish up killing someone"his reply sounded very much like"not my problem you shouldn't be on the road any way"as he rapidly drove off!oh and he was talking on his phone all be it hands free,but was he actually concentrating on the road?
drivers like this should not be on the road as it just causes aggro between two groups of road users that usually have respect for each other.not to mention he is a prime candidate as the next smidsy(sorry mate did not see you)as he runs some one over.

ps 52 days and counting

if any body is counting

jaw bone hill conquered

the sun has got its hat on,lets hope now we have passed equinox the weather stays warmer,quiet at work this afternoon so MATT watched the office and i set of early on my training run.out towards ecclesfield,grenoside,thurgoland oxspring to penistone,returning via stocksbridge,deepcar oughtibridge.and then i had a brain wave,ill go up over jaw bone hill,it was always a challenge for me as a young lad,and to cycle none stop at nearly 50 yr old.i was chuffed to say the least.i think i may just be ready.
phoned to check on my shirt printing today,only to be told they cannot print the shirts i provided,but they have asked me to visit them tomorrow and they will make me five new shirts that they can print and in material that drip drys in ten minutes,and they will donate the shirts as its for a charity event,so watch this space

54 days but whos counting

sunday morning up nice and early,gathered my stuff together.and suddenly realised no pump.so i set of via work to collect it.and work was in the oppersite direction.after setting of from work i headed for riverlyn valley, as my exit route from sheffield. a good steady 6.3 mile climb(950ft) not steep but a long haul.out to bradwell to see sue(sister)and ian,drink of tea and on my way.a bit ,well alot of meandering dinner at hathersage and then more meandering by the time i reached home id done 68 mile,and still considerd going to the pub on the bike,legs felt great.but after id had a bath i opted for the van up to the acorn inn,burncross

looking for the sun

sat at my desk hot drink of tea,a river let of water trickling down the window,such an inviting sight for a Sunday morning.here sat in my waterproof jacket knowing full well it ain't waterproof because after 10 minutes out there ill be soaked to the skin,still hows the saying goes "no pain no gain"and "you'll not melt in the rain"so best finish my tea and get out there must go look for the sun its out there somewhere

9 WEEKS TO THE OFF

the penny drops,Julie said the other night "Ur actually going to do this arnt you"
yes was my reply, its always been my intention to complete.then this morning dad phoned to say he had been telling Aldo the barber about my intentions and to drop a poster and sponsor form in.so of i went to see Aldo,hair cut while there,back down the hill to the cafe where Julie works and she didn't even notice id had it cut.every where i go now I'm gathering sponsors and i am really gratefully for the interest and signatures

world of super heroes

my cover is blown,

Steve from world of super heroes.com,sent a message with one of my customers, stating that if i was to wear a super heroes emblem on my shirt and get photos along the way he would sponsor my event.

so i jumped in the car and went to visit,sat in his office you are surrounded with super heroes,pics and models.

his offer of a generous sponser was to include getting my cycling shirts printed with my st Luke's details and his logos.all i have to do is get photos along the way,so it will be a double take at john o'roats as iv already promised a photo with my scotish whisky society cycling shirt.

on returning with the shirts he has also informed me that he has been in touch with the local paper and is intending to be in touch with local TV,so much for keeping it low profile,told you things were taking off

65 DAYS TO THE OFF

days are flying bye,things seam to be coming together,from people wanting to sponsor and the general interest in my plans,people just don't realise that one of the challenges i have set myself is to get from top to bottom unsupported,if things go wrong ill have to deal with it.but I'm hoping that iv planned for most miss apes only time will tell,
apart from a few securing straps i now have all my equipment,it will all fit on the trike without the need of the trailer so that's less weight to carry.
shirts i have a shirt to start and finish in.was looking yesterday at getting two or three printed cycling shirts as an advert to let people know what i will be doing,decathlon can produce a reasonable shirt printed to my design in the day so may go get a quote over the weekend as they will not quote over phone as they normally only print football shirts

good challenge 150 mile

with my mate Mr Blanchard been at his bungalow in between mablethorpe and louth a weekend jaunt seamed like a good idea.

Saturday morning 9am packed the panniers and in the drizzle set of for a testing 75 mile ride via dinnington,ranskill,gainsbrough,market raisen,louth and arriving at great carlton at 7pm,a welcome bath and out for dinner,the kings head rabbit stew (cream sauce)and a kind donation of £20 from the land lady plus a couple o quid from an old lady in the bar,every little helps,slept like a rock

Sunday morning breakfast done on the road for return trip,legs very tender would they last all the way home?tea and date cake at ludford cafe and feeling a little better,push on to market raisen legs stiffening but the wind prevailing did help up to caedby corner were i treat of a chip butty was in order.from here it was still 45 miles home and legs wanted to stay put,push on from what was to be my last stop.very little open at this time of year Sunday afternoons,legs just kept going plod plod plod.surprisingly just kept pushing the pedals thighs rock hard now and feet like ice,bawtry,tickhill,maltby home ground bawtry road was a welcome down hill tinsley and attercliff back to the yard 150 mile done .time for a nice hot bath dinner and bed.what a good result.

Monday morning i certainly do not feel any worse than i did Sunday morning

It must be 30 years since Ive done 70 plus miles back to back and that makes me feel brilliant and it may shut up the doubters out there jogle ready

10 weeks tommorow (71 days)

Counting down.since coming up with the idea 2yrs ago, time has flown bye.Now I'm getting daily reminders that its fast approaching,

I do keep tweaking my plans, thanks Pete for the advise of try and keep my route as flat as possible with being on a recumbent,

Although going from one end to the other there is bound to be a few inclines and despite what people think north to south ain't down hill,in fact in relation to the earth axis its pulling up hill away as you head toward the equator(rambling)

Dave(tosh) came round yesterday to remind me he would sponsor my overnight camping fees,so thank you to his company MAN METALS,SHEFFIELD

David dean has agreed to drive my van to John o'groats to drop me off then plan is for him to meet me at my first camp site bettyhill on Saturday night before him and Ann his wife returns to Sheffield,i had planned on getting dad to drop me off but sue my sister says it would be too much for him.

just for fun

more or less out on bike every night now and sat/sun this week,
legs getting stronger and stronger so just for the hell of it i went over Jenkin road from Brightside end,
all the way without stopping 315 ft of climbing 1 in 4 at the steepest part and about half mile long,and still had room for more,
stopped at the top to look at the new monuments to commemorate the Sheffield blitz and days gone bye, later end of the 19th century poems nice sculptures but bad positioning, as you are just over the brow of the hill when stopping to read them.and no mention of the iron age fort that once stood on top of Wincobank hill well disappointed it does not get a mention its as though Sheffield ignores this once prominent hill fort.