2011 Bike Log

Feb      Banstead loop                         10

Feb      Box hill loop               20

Feb      Garson farm                20

March  Box hill loop               20

March  Stoke D’ Abernon       20

March  Epsom loop                 25

March  Box Hill/Epsom loop  30

April    Woking Bike It           60

April    Surrey loop                  50

April    Box Hill loop              20

April  Surrey Hills                   40

May Surrey Hills                     50 

May -Worthing                        110

May Brighton                           110

Running total                                    585

This is my evolving page about my round the world bike and kit

April 30th, 2011,

This is my evolving page about my round the world bike and kit

update 16th April

Please feel free to offer  any hints , tips and recommendations

The Bike

Most people when then set of on an expedition go and have designed an expedition bike

Not me !!!

I am looking to put together an “E BAY ” bike by  putting together and designing a bike that will be versatile , take me round the world and will be very very cheap

cost so far £250 !!!

So back to the Bike

Rockhopper ritchey nitanium 98 model 19” with rigid cromo forks
Chris king headset
Steel specialised bar and stem (may want to change)
Seatpost – alloy
Saddle – brooks
Cranks and bb. – specialzed square taper
Chainring – shimano – 36 tooth
Front wheel – specialised hub and mavic rim
Rear wheel – rohloff hub on mavic touring rim plain gauge spokes
Pedals – ebay
Grips- riders own
Rack- topeak disc model
Tires – continental slicks to be changed
Extras – rohloff chain tensioner- may need to carry spare, bottle
cages, dynamo lights, anti theft

Kit

Personal

camera                                

passport                             

insurance

maps

music

e45                                           

tooth brush                           

toothpaste                        

sun cream                          

razor                                        

small towel                        

water filter

spare glasses                    

sewing kit

first aid kit                          

lighter

tools

screwdriver

spoke key

Allen keys                          

pump                                   

puncture kit                      

pedal wrench

tyre levers                         

chain tool

spokes (spare)

2 spare inner tubes

camping

tent(terra nova laser)               

sleeping bag(down)

mat (termarest)  

cooker(Coleman 44)

cutlery

pans

clothing

trousers/shorts                                                ?             

long sleeve shirt 

2 t shirts

2/3 pairs socks

rain jacket 

rain trousers 

gloves winter/summer

buff 

cap           

glasses  

fleece  

base layer 

cycle shorts

bib shorts aulta pro gel     

underwear  

top layer  

Anything else ? Comments welcome

AMR Peterborough 100	Cambridgeshire	All Bikes	10/04/2011
Fly Ride – Manchester	Greater Manchester	All Bikes	10/04/2011
White Peak Challenge (on-road)	Cheshire	Road Bikes	10/04/2011
AMR Warwick 100	Warwickshire	All Bikes	17/04/2011
Sportive Kinross	Perthshire and Kinross	Road Bikes	23/04/2011	16/08/2010
Bicyclemania Road Ride (SHORT)	Lincolnshire	All Bikes	24/04/2011	09/11/2010
Bicyclemania Road Ride (LONG)	Lincolnshire	All Bikes	24/04/2011	09/11/2010

Do you know of any others ?

Cycling across the Himalayas to Everest

From the 17th September to 8th October I will be cycling across the Himalayas to Mount Everest

Here’s the plan

This is my evolving page about my round the world bike and kit

Please feel free to offer  any hints , tips and recommendations

The Bike

Most people when then set of on an expedition go and have designed an expedition bike

Not me !!!

I am looking to put together an “E BAY ” bike by  putting together and designing a bike that will be versatile , take me round the world and will be very very cheap

After each item you will either see a ? which means open to suggestions/ still investigating   or the word “check” which means I now have this and ready to go

So back to the e Bike

Frame                                                                   ?

Wheels                                                                 ?

Tyres                     Swchwabe Marathon Plus

Rack                        Tubus                                   ?

Saddle                  Brooks                                  Check

Panniers              Ortileb

Bike Computer                                                  ?

Lights                                                                    ?

Kit

Personal

camera                                 check

passport                              check

insurance

maps

music

e45                                         check   

tooth brush                        check   

sun cream                           check

razor                                      check   

small towel                         check

water filter

spare glasses                     check

sewing kit

first aid kit                           check

lighter

tools

screwdriver

spoke key

Allen keys                           check

pump                                    check

puncture kit                       check

pedal wrench

tyre levers                          check

chain tool

spokes (spare)

2 spare inner tubes

camping

tent                                                       terra nova laser ?

sleeping bag                                       check

mat                                                       termarest           

cooker                                                 Coleman 44        ?

cutlery                                                  ?

pans                                                      ?

clothing

trousers/shorts                                                ?             

long sleeve shirt                                check

2 t shirts                                               check

2/3 pairs socks                                 check

rain jacket                                           check

rain trousers                                      check

gloves winter/summer                  check

buff                                                        ?

cap                                                         ?

sunglasses                                          check

fleece                                                   check

base layer                                           check

cycle shorts                                        check

bib shorts aulta pro gel                  ?

underwear                                         check

top layer                                              check

Anything else ? Comments welcome

Europe Coast to Coast

This is my next big challenge

To cycle coast to coast though Europe

I will be starting on Saturday 4th June at 2.30 pm in Sutton then travelling down to the coast before the ferry crossing to France , with the first target of Paris before linking up will the Eurovelo route 6 to Belgium .

After this will join Eurovelo 5 travelling though Belgium , Luxembourg , France , Germany before reaching Lake Constance

Then a quick circuit taking in Switzerland , Austria and Germany before linking up to Eurovelo 6 across Germany , Austria ,Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia when I would reach Belgrade

At this point I would link up with Eurovelo 11 taking me though Serbia, Macedonia, and finally Greece finishing in Athens

How far I haven’t finalised the distance yet , the estimate is about 3500  plus kilometre

The Countries

1. England
2. France
3. Belgium
4. Luxembourg
5. Germany
6. Switzerland
7. Austria
8. Slovakia
9. Hungary
10. Serbia
11. Macedonia
12. Greece

How long   well that a good guess , my thoughts are about 4/5 weeks

The bike I am on tight budget so I will be designing and building an expedition bike all the parts are highly likely to come via E Bay

I will be travelling unsupported camping and hosteling on the way so the budget will be very interesting

I will be twittering and blogging as I create the journey so click on the side bar to follow me

Any comments , previous experiences , hints , tips , maps etc most welcome

Also mixing together Alistair Humphreys (keep it simple ) Tim and Rowena Barnes (grading the cycling , the food , and people -culture)

Don’t forget the charities

I will keep you posted regarding the start time and location

Meanwhile watch out on the blog for the training , bike design and build  and getting the kit together

. Personal Development – Accept Them Just the Way They Aren’t

We often try and fit people in into moulds and expect them to be the way we think they should. For example, dogs love to go for walks, we all know that. And yet my friend’s dachshund flatly refuses to go for walks. He’ll happily run around in the garden, but when the lead comes out and there is obviously a walk planned he’ll go and hide. My friend persevered for a long time because she thought he should go for walks, dragging him out on the lead attracting disapproving glances from other dog lovers as he dug in his heels and looked pitiful. In the end she just had to accept that he didn’t like walks and if she wanted to go for a walk she went without him, making sure that he got his exercise playing in the garden instead.

For her own personal development as well as his, she just had to learn to accept who he wasn’t. He didn’t fit the dog mould and she was making both of them miserable by trying to make him adapt to her notions of what is right for a dog.

We all do it sometimes. We think that if we just do something different that person would change to be the way we think they should be. People don’t change, but you can cause a lot of frustration and disappointment if you try to change them. People just are the way they are. Everyone has good qualities, but they probably also have qualities we don’t really appreciate. We have to learn to accept that person warts and all if we want to enjoy a healthy and happy relationship with them.

Some people may have qualities that we find it impossible to accept. We don’t have to. If we cannot appreciate that person for who he isn’t, then we can choose to limit our contact with him and avoid the frustration and misery of trying to make him fit our notions of how he should be. We can work on our own personal development but have to leave his to him.

Personal Development Coaching

People just are the way they are. We can avoid a lot of disappointment in life if we can accept that fact. It’s a waste of energy trying to change someone, just as it was a waste of time for my friend to drag her dog out on the lead. People only change with their own personal development when they want to. If they are happy with how they are nothing we do or say will change them. If we don’t like them the way they are then we don’t have to spend time with them.

When you spend time thinking that if only that person were more caring or supportive, or if only they were more reliable, you are wasting energy. They will only change when they feel the need.  For your own personal development, you have to accept who they are not and stop judging them for not living up to your ideas of who they should be. They just are who they are. Stop focusing on who they are not and instead focus on who you are. Put your energy into changing and improving your life and stop fretting about their personal development if they are not interested in changing.

Who do you need to accept the way they aren’t?

Quote of the Day

“As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others.” Robert H. Schuller

. Life Coaching Secrets – You Don’t Need Excuses

Very often when there is something we don’t want to do, we make up an excuse. We say one of the kids is sick when we don’t want to go to a party, or call in sick to work when we’re not really sick at all, or find an array of other excuses to say why we can’t go. This all takes quite a lot of energy and time to come up with a believable excuse that we haven’t used too often before. So why do we feel the need to come up with an excuse instead of just telling the truth? In life coaching we discover that we are trying to avoid any unpleasantness from the person we are letting down.

I learned a useful life coaching lesson a while back. I had a long-standing lunch meeting with a colleague to discuss a new idea of his and when the day came I really wasn’t feeling like it. I was totally involved in a different project and didn’t want to break the flow. I spent a while trying to come up with a good reason to explain to him why I didn’t want to come, then I suddenly realized that I didn’t need to. I could just ring and reschedule. As simple as that. So I called, we arranged a date the next week and there was no need to give a reason. I felt liberated by the discovery that I didn’t need to have an excuse. All I needed to do was tell him I wasn’t coming and make a new appointment to meet. So when we did meet there was no residual awkwardness over a false excuse, no need to remember the reason I’d given for canceling, we could just get on with the discussion. This experience was worth a whole session of life coaching and taught me a useful strategy for business as well as personal relationships.

Most excuses are white lies that we allow ourselves to use. We think we are doing it to save other people from hurt feelings. But they are going to be far more hurt and offended if they discover we have lied to them, than they would have been if we’d simply cancelled our arrangement. Excuses also wear thin after a while. People stop believing you and then stop inviting you. They are far more likely to respect the truth.

Life Coaching

If you find yourself thinking up an excuse to get out of something, stop and think. Why are you not just telling the truth? What are you afraid of that is stopping you from being direct and honest with them?

If you don’t feel able to tell the truth about the reason for canceling, try saying nothing rather than inventing an excuse. It often sounds far more professional and effective to say nothing and just reschedule.

If however your excuse takes the form of calling in sick to work when you aren’t, then you need to ask yourself what is behind this. You are avoiding a bigger issue that you need to look into, perhaps with the help of a life coach, and maybe need to deal with.

Are you using excuses instead of telling the truth?

Inspirational Quotes

“Don’t look for excuses to lose. Look for excuses to win.” Chi Chi Rodriguez

“Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.” Don Wilder

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Benjamin Franklin

Life Coaching Secrets – Accept Gifts Graciously

When I got a wedding invitation from friends both embarking on their second marriage I was surprised and rather dismayed to find at the bottom two short words. No Gifts. What took me aback was that they were denying their friends the opportunity to share something with them on this important occasion.

In life coaching we learn that when we give, we receive back many times over. If we aren’t allowed to give then an opportunity to receive is denied us. Giving is often as joyful for the giver as for the receiver, making us feel good. In fact giving often benefits the giver more than the receiver, so stopping your friends from giving you gifts is unfair on them.

Just as giving can be a gift, accepting gifts graciously is also a gift. We have to be open to the world to receive the benefits in life and even something as well-meant as refusing wedding gifts blocks that cycle of receiving in life. Giving and receiving are a natural cycle which can bring results far greater than the worth of the gifts themselves.

Never decide not to allow gifts on special occasions. You deny your guest the pleasure of giving. Explore other ways of allows gifts in your life coaching practice. If what you don’t want is a heap of useless items that you don’t really want, then tell people what you do want. Wedding lists can be registered virtually anywhere, from the garden centre to Toy r Us. Provide a list for guests so that they can give you something you really do want. It is not greedy or tasteless to set up a gift register, it is helpful. Everyone want to give you something that you want, sometimes they might just guess wrong that’s all. Otherwise you can ask for gift certificates or even cash towards a big item. If you truly have everything you want and don’t want gifts for yourself, then asking guests to donate on your behalf to your favourite charity is the answer. If you still get unwanted gifts then donating them to a homeless shelter will be passing that gift on to someone who does need it.

Life Coaching

Accept gifts graciously and if you are worried about getting a heap of useless stuff then ask for what you do want. At a 70^th birthday party the hostess asked that everyone bring flowers as their gift. The whole house was filled with bouquets and colour. She said that she wanted to experience being in a house full of flowers before she was dead. It was beautiful.

If you genuinely don’t want personal gifts, then ask friends to donate to a charity for you. Friends of mine have a birthday party every year and the gifts are cash donations to support a school in Africa. The guests feel warm from giving, the birthday girl enjoys the party and isn’t given knick-knacks that she has no use for and the school benefits from the generosity of people overseas.

Do you accept gifts graciously?

Famous Quotes

“In suggesting gifts: Money is appropriate, and one size fits all.” William Randolph Hearst

“We do not quite forgive a giver. The hand that feeds us is in some danger of being bitten.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Business Coaching 101 – If You Can’t Delegate, Set Your Limits

I’ve often advised business coaching clients coping with hectic lifestyles to do the things that only they can do and delegate the rest. It’s a great technique, but what happens when you have no–one to delegate to, when you are the last in line and everyone is delegating to you? You probably find yourself over-worked and under-appreciated but there are things you can do to help you cope.

Write a list of all the things you are currently working on, then meet with your boss and ask for help in dealing with your workload. Very possibly he or she doesn’t actually realize how much you are being expected to do. Once the boss is aware of the situation he may be able to allocate someone to help you.

If there is no-one available to assist you, then ask the boss to prioritize your tasks. When it is the boss who has decided the priority of each task then you are no longer juggling everything at once and can work through with less pressure.

If several people are all delegating to you then have a sign-up list. Let them know what you have to do before you can start on their project and when you will be able to get to it. If they have a problem with that suggest that they check with the boss which project should be prioritized. Often people will be happy as long as they have a time frame on their project. If they are not happy with it, then they have the choice of finding other ways of getting it done sooner.

As part of your business coaching practice, learn to say No. If you won’t be able to keep your commitment it is far better to say No straight away than to say Yes for fear of not being liked and then find that you cannot keep your promise.

Don’t volunteer for things you won’t have time for. There is a limit to what you can do. Don’t take on extra projects when you are already overloaded with work, however interesting they sound. If someone else volunteers you then decline politely saying “It sound great but I already have a full schedule and will have to pass on it this time” If the boss is volunteering you, then just tell him what you are already busy with and let him decide what is the most important thing to prioritize.

Business Coaching

If being delegated to is starting to feel like being dumped on then it is up to you to protect your health and sanity by managing things so that you can handle your workload.

If you let people dump things on you they will. Ask for help when you need it and work with your business coach on saying No. Setting boundaries around what you will and won’t do is totally OK. When you set limits and respect yourself, then others are more likely to respect you too.

Have you set your limits?

Quote of the Day

“We accomplish all that we do through delegation — either to time or to other people.” Stephen R. Covey