This weekend I was up at Leanachan Forest (Fort William) checking out the route for 10 Under the Ben which is at the end of May. Much to my surprise, all my LEJOG training has put me in pretty good stead for this. The course largely consists of long energy-sapping climbs on big wide roads! Hurrah, that’s the course for me! Having said that, there’s plenty of weaving through trees (yay!) and the odd heartstopping (potentially literally) rockstrewn descent.
The drive up to Fort William took us across Rannoch Moor and through Glencoe, which is the route I’ll be cycling during LEJOG. Awesome scenery, but nowhere to shelter from the wind. So, as an experiment I’ve borrowed a set of aero bars for my bike (thanks Tim!) which I’m going to try out over the next few weeks. It’s 600g extra weight to carry, but the reduction in drag is significant (when you can use them). I’m not too sure whether the posture will give me a sore back, so I’ll try them out for a while and see.
I have now ordered a 22 tooth sprocket for my road bike. The internet suggests that you can switch them over just using a screwdriver, so my plan is to take a 20t and a 22t sprocket and switch between them as required.
A huge thankyou to all the people who have sponsored me. I got an email from the Sick Kids hospital the other week saying thanks for the fundraising, and so I wanted to pass that thanks onto all of you who’ve donated money!
ObRandom: Whilst scouring flickr today, I found this. It’s not a staged photo. This guy really did cycle Lands End to John O’Groats on a unicycle – read about it in his blog.
– Sponsor me at http://www.justgiving.com/andrewbirkett_lejog