A cat a rabbit and a bike head south

Finally off. I never enjoy traveling with my bike. It adds a level of complication and I’m never sure whether it will get there without damage. Today I’m going by train so should be easier than flying? In preparation I scanned the internet for rules about bikes and French trains only to find a number of sites mentioning that its ok in some regions but not others and even when it is ok, guards have been known to stop people with bikes boarding. The general advice, if this happens, is go down the other end of the train and get back on!

Happily no such drama just some nit wit who jammed his massive case up against the bike bag – triple fingers crossed my wheel spokes are still ok.

On a lighter note my table of 4 for the trip down was an old lady with a cat, a girl with a rabbit (not traveling together) and another old lady. The latter seemed to be complaining about her neck and the position of the seat. She tried all 4 of the seats in our compartment without being able to get any to recline despite the fact they all worked for the rest of us. Personally, I suspect she overloaded the seat mechanism by eating far too many cream cakes and pastries.

Help packing!

All aboard for Hendaye

French cats go 1st class

3 Days To Go...... They Come In 3's!

The last week before the Le Grand Depart and I should be sitting back relaxing satisfied that all my training is done and I just need to go and enjoy.......... well not quite. Over the past week I have done 3 rides and in each I have had an incident that has left me more nervously awaiting the start with some significant doubts about my bike!

6 June - 2.5hr ride, hills, 1x puncture, 2x chain off, 1x rear wheel issue - horrible ride
9 June - 3.5hr ride, 100km, 1x CRASH! Thankfully no major damage to me or bike (see below), 1x chain off.
11 June - 1.5hr ride, hills, broke spoke in rear wheel (that had just been fixed).

Versaille Bike Shop bloke has fixed up but not quite said enough to reassure me I am not going to have another spoke break or have the tyre slide from beneath me again! Not really what I wanted this week.

I am hoping the saying is right, and things really do only come in 3's.......

Day of crash - Impact area

Day of crash - Impact Area 2 

4 days later (Blue=No Pain, Red=Sting, Yellow= Painful)

Training

I am not going to talk too much about training as its pretty boring! So in summary, I have done quite a bit, (2300km) but have lacked any of the structure and consistency that would have turned me into Sir Bradley of Wiggins. Instead I have allowed myself to be distracted by anything and everything. So instead of posting a few pictures of me training, (of which I have a grand total of 0) below is a few pictures of the distractions!

The Sala Bai Cause.....

In taking on this challenge I am hoping to raise $3000 for a charity that funds a school in Siem Reap Cambodia called Sala Bai.

The school educates underprivileged young Cambodians with the necessary skills to work in the hospitality industry, thereby securing them employment and providing an opportunity and options in life which would otherwise be impossible for them.

If you would like to donate, click on the sponsor jon edwards link, (top right of page) or for more information visit the websites about Sala Bai at the base of the blog.