Day 1 London - 30.7.05 

We struggled to leave at the planned 6 am and were on the road just before 8. First time for Daniel and Peter with panniers and a heavier load than I had carried. We all started off well and made our way through London to find the A12. On the way we found Carnaby Street, the place that defined cool in the 60's reminding me off Twiggy and Jason King.

2 hrs later we got to the A12 only to be confronted by the sign  "No bikes, No Motor Cycles Below 50cc". We had no choice but to get on the Motorway. Our map had led us to believe the road was OK and we had no real choice. It was pretty hairy for the first 20 km and we stopped for breakfast at Newbury Park as the road seemed to quieten down and we needed a break to get over the stress.  I had some experience of freeway riding in Australia and showed Daniel and Peter how to navigate the most dangerous parts, the exits and entrances.

The drivers were very tolerant and no one showed any anger at us being where we shouldn't.

We continued on and the traffic thickened again and was so loud we couldn't communicate. 30 k later Daniel's wheel buckled in spectacular fashion. It was beyond my equipment to straighten it, so Peter and Dan waited on the Motorway and I went off with Dan's wheel tied to my backpack in search of a bike shop. 1 1/2 hrs later we were back on the road with a temporary fix from a bike shop in Brentwood. The day was mild with occasional rain but we made good time and as predicted we arrived at Hawich at 6.30 relieved and tired. Very distracting Dutch girl, Ineke, (Blonde, blue eyes, lovely skin - you know the type) at tourist information rang all around and booked us into lovely B & B. We ate well and found some good Italian wine and we slept well.

Looking back, we covered 150Km on our first day, carrying paniers for the first time and with a few distractions. It must have been the pure excitement that got us that far.

Stats Dist 150 Km, Average 20.2km/hr, Max ND, Climb ND

  Email John at John@CycleOdyssey.com.au
 

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