Week 4

Bikes now completed and looking good ( need to rough them up a bit ). Even better,  they ride very well and everything works!!!....at the moment!

Decided to test them immediately with a 2 day trip into the Dales with a full compliment of front and rear panniers.
Although I was originally petrified of the momentum that built up down gentle hills and horrified at the instant inertia experienced as soon as the road started to climb, it didn't take long to realise that I just needed stronger thumb muscles to keep changing the gears!

We camped at Horton in Ribblesdale and spent most of the evening in the Crown Inn avoiding the first frosty night of the Autumn.

Woke to a heavy frost and white wheels!

The hill out of Hawes to Oughtershaw was steep and long but the long downhill down the Wharfe valley was well worth the effort.

Just managed to get home before darkness fell and the sheep came out!

Knees felt sore.....surely a combination of the extra weight and new bike geometry. Nothing to do with a lack of muscle!




Had our first Rabies jab and Typhoid today (£180.00 each!). Only have two more Rabies, one Hepatitis B and a Yellow Fever jab to go.

Week 3

More of the same this week......fitting bike parts, day cycle trips, route research, desperate attempts to remember Spanish words and visiting cafes.