No more swanning around...

The bike's ready, the paniers packed - over-packed, naturally. And I'm more or less ready for the train to Penzance.


Mild pang of regret as I bid farewell to my neighbours (above). Their cygnet is growing apace: more or less doubled in size in a fortnight. He/she will be an argumentative teenager by the time I get back.

So, here we go. I've talked up the ride since the end of 2009.

Now it's time to put foot to pedal and hit those 1080 miles.

Thanks to all Summer Cycling Saga's supporters for getting me this far. You have been terrific.

Here we go...

Er, woo hoo!

You heard the hoolering and  ululating? That would been us as the total-so-far whooshed through the £3000 barrier.

What can we say? Thank you. Shock and awe - in the nicest possible manner.

Hurrah!

Meanwhile another splendid break for Summer Cycling Saga - we're featured on the front page of the prestigious, internationally acclaimed website OK in the UK.

And how generous of the webmaster to consider us a UK 'attraction'. Possible in the style of Stonehenge: ancient and in ruins?

And - as if you weren't aware - all of this is for Falcon Camps, brilliant hols for children and teenagers facing disadvantage.

In black and white

We've gone a bit film noir as the total grows and grows....


But we promise an over-the-rainbow return to dazzling Technicolor when the total reaches £3000.

Could we reach that yearned-for threshold before start-of-ride day 1 June?

On their current form, Summer Cycling Saga's sensational supporters will be responding: 'Yes we can!'

Thank you!

Brewing UP!

Up, up and little more up...


A pose on a fairtrade coffee machine marks the total at the beginning of the last full week before zero hour.

Could we perhaps reach £3000 before the start of the Summer Cycling Saga?

Oh, random clothing news: in a moment of deluded self-boosting I purchased a yellow T-shirt at the weekend. One's very own maillot jaune to be worn at strategic moments en route.

And a new podcast...

Hot stuff!

Wild whoops as we break through the two-and-a-half-thousand ceiling!


Only - yikes! - 10 days to the start of the ride. Massively encouraged by the wave of kindness and good will that is taking the total for Falcon Camps skywards!

Many thanks to all our fabulous sponsors!

By the way, I'm also posting regular updates about the ride on the popular social networking site Facebook. Check me out there where I use my 'proper' name of Roderick Keegan. If you wish to, of course!

Look to the right for other helpful links!

Hope springs...

The tiny charity shop in the Derbyshire village of Hope. Any chance that it's managed by a woman called Faith?

Check today's podcast to hear about a mating ritual, a not-so-cunnung plan - and encounter with an Amy Winehouse looky-likey.

Peak practice

Two weeks to go, and a desperate attempt to get some hills into my legs takes me to Derbyshire's beautiful and highly corrugated Peak District.

Winnats Pass (above) was the first of many exciting and rather demanding ascents through a landscape strongly reminiscent of Middle Earth.

Up, up, up

Aquiver with anticipation as we approach the yearned-for £2000 threshold...


Only three weeks until the start of the ride and more and more people are supporting this mammoth huff-and-puff-athon for Falcon Camps - amazing holidays for children and young people facing disdavantage.

Want to join in? Please check the panel to the right to link to my JustGiving site. Or download a sponsor form and map. Or contact me and I'll send more info to you!

Thank you!

Carry on Cleo?

Saturday evening out with Ant and Cleo casts an exotic glow over Sunday's ride...

Alpacas, absent aliens - and Jenny Agutter (almost)

An abundance of A-related associations on this weekend's 90-mile training ride.

Alpaca attempts unpacking

Another weekend. Another training ride. This time an indirect and extremely undulating route south to Oxford.

The alpaca encounter was the most exciting moment on an otherwise chilly and rather uneventful day of pedalling.

Occasionally one yearns for temporary but dramatic abduction by aliens scenario. Just to pep up the blogposts.

Massive pepping up on arrival in Ox. An email pledging two large donations to the ride. Hurrah!

This is an experimental post using a new 'app' to enable me to blog 'on the go' from my mobile phone.