Category Archive: Lands End to John O’ Groats

1. What’s your approach to riding in blustery conditions?

   November 21, 2015 10:57 pm Leave a Comment

   Finally, winter appears to have arrived in no uncertain terms after a gloriously mild autumn. All of a sudden there is water on the ground messing up my nice clean bike and the winds have picked up. I thought I was reasonably well prepared for the winter commutes to work but I had forgotten about the effect of higher winds when riding on the road, being reminded has not been very pleasant!

   

   Riding to work is one thing, but how do winds affect a long distance rider and what can be done to mitigate the effect of a stiff breeze in your face?

   There is a classic belief (at least it feels like that) amongst those planning to ride the UK End to End, that the start should be Land’s End to take advantage of the south westerlies that we more often than not get. The argument for this, I suspect, becomes much stronger in winter when wind speeds are higher and the logic is sound given that the average direction does indeed appear to be from the south west. However, this doesn’t help you much when you are riding from south to north and the wind decides to be a northerly!

   Winds, like hills, come and go so there is always the positive to be had in the knowledge that the wind will drop eventually and you can crack on. But what can you do in the meantime when each pedal stroke feels like an effort? Let’s assume that you have the optimum touring bike without deep dish aero wheels that capture the wind like a sale and look at what you can do to make life easier.

   Prepare in advance

   Most people will take a smart phone with them, it makes sense to stay in touch with people if you are out on your own, especially as some of the Cumbrian and Scottish roads are very remote. Have a look at the weather forecast for the next day and get an idea of what you might be in for, knowing takes a lot of the fear out of things.

   Eat well and ensure good hydration to prepare for the next day, we all know that horrible feeling when your energy reserve is exhausted, commonly known as the ‘bonk’. Riding in winds will use more energy compared to a still day.

   Clothing

   A big, flappy coat won’t help your cause much, over an 8 hour day the cumulative effect of it catching the wind will sap your strength and lesson the pleasure of the days riding (it is supposed to be fun, right?).

   Dress in layers to insulate against the cold and ensure that there are no exposed bits of skin where the wind can get in. Bib shorts are less than flattering for most of us but they do have a nice, high back which helps to keep that area warm even if your shirt rides up. Being warm gives you something less to worry about.

   Don’t let the wind chill make your hands and feet painfully cold. A decent pair of winter gloves and overshoes do a sterling job to keep extremities nice and warm. The only issue you will have is drying out your gloves when arriving at your destination, most are very waterproof on the outside but easily get wet on the inside with sweat.

   On a serious note regarding apparel, how visible are you to other road users? Cyclists are the first to complain about drivers who don’t give them enough space etc., etc. but was the cyclist giving the driver best chance to see them and their bike? Lights/hi viz/light coloured clothing?

   Manage your energy as you ride

   Eating well the night before won’t matter a jot if you shoot your bolt in the first hour. Take your time and accept that, for the same given amount of effort through the pedals, you will be slower on average overall on a windy day. Maybe drop a gear from your usual cruising ring and increase your pedal cadence, take regular breaks out of the wind and continue to eat and drink. Think about riding at a slower speed that can be sustained over the whole day.

   Mental Approach

   Break things down, think about riding to the next village or the next coffee shop, try not to think about the overall trip or your final destination for the day, it just makes things drag. Look around and enjoy the countryside you are riding through, this can take your mind off things and before you know where you are, it’s the last hill before the next stop.

   Try to avoid the temptation to keep an eye on your computer, time seems to go quicker that way and you won’t be continually disappointed by the speed data!

   If you are riding with other people, morale can suffer a bit on days like these. Try and remain cheerful, almost laugh in the face of adversity but remember that some might be suffering more than others. Work as a team and take turns at the front so people get a rest on those really breezy days.

   Safety

   Yes, have a good look around at the countryside and enjoy but try not to zone out so much that you end up playing chicken with a 38 tonner. Gusty winds can push you out into the road or into the ditch at the side; riding in conditions like this takes concentration, especially if your panniers are carrying extra weight. Be aware of natural wind breaks like hedges ending suddenly and subjecting you to a strong gust. If it’s really bad, consider canning the day and live to fight another, you won’t get a posthumous medal for pushing on regardless.

   Be as fit as you can be

   This is not just for cycling but for anything in life. There is no such thing as too fit. Your core muscles do a lot of work on the bike, their workload spirals upwards when you are trying to balance a laden tourer in strong winds. Everyone is different and fitness is a whole different blog, I’m just saying it’s good idea to consider exercise to supplement all of your riding.

   People adopt their own approach to cycling, the above isn’t meant to be prescriptive, just fuel the debate; I hope there is something useful in there somewhere! Feel free to comment constructively below and share for others to comment. The best thing about windy days in my opinion, is getting to your destination, sitting down with a pint or cup of tea and recounting that arduous day in the saddle with your mates. It’s a mid-life crisis thing?

   Further reading…..

   If you liked this blog please take a moment to check out my book describing the solo Land’s End to John O’Groats ride in 2012, all profit from sales to www.criduchat.org.uk

   Please click the cover image for the Kindle version or click here to order a paperback copy. Thank you!

   

2. EU VAT Legislation for digital products due to change 1st January 2015

   December 12, 2014 2:42 pm 1 Comment

   Things have been going nicely with e-book sales, I’ve even done some discounted promotions to boost turnover, and they have worked well. My outlook for the New Year was very positive; I was looking forward to promoting Point North & Pedal at cycling events and via social media, then the Amazon e-mail arrived about changes to the taxing of digital products in the EU.

   In a nutshell, the cost to UK customers who buy my e-book will go up by 17% from 1^st January 2015. I have no choice in this; the price structure will be changed automatically by Amazon. VAT was originally applied based on the seller’s country, in this case Amazon. As they have a registered office in Luxemburg, VAT was only 3%.  The EU have now changed things to ensure that VAT is applied based upon the buyers country of origin, in my case that would almost certainly be 20% on all sales given that most of my customers are from the UK.

   I have a dilemma now; do I reduce the price of my book to mitigate some of the increase or sit tight and see what happens?  Any reduction in cost will directly affect the royalties I receive meaning the charity ends up with less. I wanted this to be a simple way of raising money for a charity but the increasing red tape will make things a little more difficult to achieve sales. Fortunately for me, I am not trying to earn a wage through writing e-books….

   As I sell via Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, the administration is handled by on my behalf; I don’t have to worry about making sure the correct charges have been made based upon buyer’s country of origin. I feel for those who sell e-books directly from their own websites, not only are they responsible for implementing these new regulations, they will have to make significant changes to their on-line store front to cope with them. All of this will cost money to implement; small businesses and authors could well suffer as a result of implementing these new regulations. I guess time will tell.

   On a brighter note, don’t waste any more time, buy all the e-books you ever wanted now (including Point North & Pedal of course!) to avoid the tax hike in January! The other alternative is to buy a paperback copy, they are still VAT free (link below).

    

   Point North & Pedal

3. Recent guest blogging yields results.

   November 15, 2014 12:14 pm Leave a Comment

   I have been spending some time writing blogs and articles with a view to selling a few more books, so far the response has been quite good, I have another couple of blogs in the pipe line which should be informative and interesting, fingers crossed.

   For now, check out one of these articles at here, it contains a few questions and answers about cycling LEJOG; Simon Swan’s website is worth a look.  He’s an interesting bloke, digital marketing is his thing but he also manages a blog about riding LEJOG.

   I was also lucky enough to get a piece on the Wheelsuckers social media site for cyclists, you can see this here  The chaps there couldn’t have been more helpful.

   The point is to get my book in front of new audiences, especially those with an interest in LEJOG. Kindle sales have been very good over the last two weeks although they have dropped off a little in the last couple of days. If you have already read Point North & Pedal, please consider leaving a review on Amazon here, it all helps!

   The next piece I have planned will provide a bit of interest to those who are into bike frames…especially bespoke, handmade ones – watch this space!

   Happy cycling.

   Further reading…..

   If you liked this blog please take a moment to check out my book describing the solo Land’s End to John O’Groats ride in 2012, all profit from sales to www.criduchat.org.uk

   Please click the cover image for the Kindle version or click here to order a paperback copy. Thank you!

   

4. LEJOG rider badly injured vows to complete the distance!

   October 3, 2014 5:01 pm Leave a Comment

   Media tends to brings us all the bad stuff  that happens in the world, this is sad because there are many, many good things going on that are worthy of a mention but, of course, will not sell papers.

   A friend of mine posted a story about a retired police officer from Derrington who was riding LEJOG. He was determined to complete the 1,000 miles to raise cash for Help for Heroes when the unthinkable happened, 400 miles into the ride he was blinded by sunlight and hit a curb sending him over the handle bars.

   I have seen people come off their bikes in every way imaginable; sometimes I am amazed when the actual get up again and carry on. These types of accidents are normally preceded by a wince and a big ‘Oooo’ from those witnessing it. Other accidents seem very innocuous but result in nasty injury. Unfortunately for Stuart, his accident was in the latter category. He suffered 4 broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade and collar bone plus a punctured lung, which subsequently became infected.

   Despite Stuart’s grim injuries, he felt he had let the charity down and was determined to complete the ride when he recovered. I was fortunate enough to avoid an accident on my LEJOG ride (although there was a couple of close calls) but I can imagine how he must be feeling, I felt a big responsibility to complete the ride and raise as much as possible for my charity. If, for whatever reason, I couldn’t complete the mileage I would have been totally disappointed; gutted, I think, is a better description.  Stuart, you have let no one down.

   The other thing that struck me was his ‘can do attitude’, he wanted to get back on his bike and get the ride completed once recovered. Raising money and awareness for his charity was clearly of the utmost importance.  Many could take a leaf from Stuart’s book; the world would be a better place. Read his synopsis of the incident on his fund raising page and you will see what I mean.