Next Challenge News, September 2009 www.thenextchallenge.org
Welc ome!
onth.... This- mCycling Home from Norway
The last time I wrote a newsletter I was in Norway and had yet to pack my panniers. Now, I am home having cycled 1000 miles and it already seems like a long term ago.
- Coast-to-Coast Triathlon - The secret “Flora & Fauna” of Norway - Swimming the Menai Strait
After six months of near back-to-back adventures – Svalbard, Russia, Holland, BSES Norway, cycling home – I'm now faced with a relative period of calm. But I need to work hard if this lifestyle is to be sustainable. I plan to spend my time writing about the experiences I've had; sharing the experiences through my website, this newsletter and other mediums; and, of course, having a few little adventures on the way. Cl i c k th e r ed w rit t o r e ad m or e o n i n g li n e
Th in gs I'v e been wr itin g ab ou t. . .
These are some of the recent entries on my website. Just click one to have a read: - The Struggle Diary entry from an emotional day in Sweden
Over the following pages are a brief run through of what-on-earth-I-was-doing in Scandinavia with my bike, Bob; how Rob Cousins got on during his epic coast-tocoast triathlon (and why he couldn't possibly have achieved success without the incredible support of his driver); and a diary excerpt from my expedition with BSES in Norway.
- A Little Adventure Guest blog from Ben Wade about a small stretch of dual carriage way on our cycle to Amsterdam - Do you find Newton Faulkner attractive? And when it comes to music, is image important? - Cross the street and walk on the other side An effort to get you out and about and enjoying your local area If you enjoyed these then I put new posts on my website several times a week
Cycling home from Norway After 4 weeks on expedition with the British Schools Exploring Society, I hopped onto my trusty steed, Bob, and set a course for home. I spent 21 days on the road, cycling solo and camping wild on my adventure of the year...
I never had a plan but that's the way I planned it. I had a bike, a tent and a change of clothes, and a three week window in which to get somewhere near home. Navigation was easy to start with and it was three days before I had to make a turn (left, since you asked). I was carrying all the food and fuel I needed so all I had to worry about were the miles. It took a while for it to sink in but, after a month of working with 30 teenagers on expedition in the Arctic, I was tired. I clocked up 10 to 12 hours sleep a night and consumed an easy 5,000 calories a day but still I lacked energy. One afternoon I even got my sleeping bag out and napped by the side of the road. Not helping matters were the blood suckers that plagued my morning and evening routines; the constant buzz of their presence droning through my headnet. That, and despite wearing all my clothes, wrapping myself in a towel, hugging a hot water bottle and building a Ray Mears style mattress from clumps of moss... the first few nights were cold.
Here's a little taster from the story I'm writing about the trip:
“Turning left out of the campsite, a car hurtled towards me on the right hand side of the road. Understandable given that I was in Norway not England. I steered right with a sheepish wave of apology and my overladen bike swerved dangerously to one side and then the next as another car honked his appreciation. But it was going to take more than than that to upset the balance of things: Before me lay 1000 miles of open road. Nothing but me, the bike and acres of Scandinavian forest. Here I go! Here I go! Here I go! I lasted 14 minutes. Coasting to a stop, I threw my bike to the floor and rummaged frantically through my panniers for a Snickers bar. The chocolate was consumed faster than you can say nine-hundred-and-ninety-eight-miles-to-go. As the glucose entered my blood stream, I let out a deep sigh of relief, the kind of satisfied exhalation normally savoured for the moment your bare behind touches cold ceramic following a rapid dash for the loo.�
Waking up ill one morning, I took the opportunity to take a rest day and recalibrate the engines. What did I want to achieve from this trip? I had been so focused on mileage that I'd forgotten to take in the view, to enjoy myself. I set my compass for Stockholm and headed off with a smile.
Y o u wan t some mor e?
Click the links below to get some more input:
Refreshed and re-enthused the remainder of the ride became a pleasure as I settled into my routines and my strength grew back after a tired start.
- Slideshow of photos
Landing in Stansted with a cardboard box about the right dimensions for holding a bike, I completed my journey with a tour of friends in London and a final push home to a family welcome on my 27th birthday.
- Full trip report
- The Struggle diary entry
Coast to Coast A couple of days after unloading my panniers from Sweden, I once again found myself packing for another adventure. I got my hands on the steering wheel of a 4x4 and drove up to the Lake District with an 8-months pregnant lady, a small dog called Pip and my good friend Rob, beaming with excitement, ready for a few days of exercise and entertainment. My job was to drive the support car that would ply Rob with food and drink as he ran, swam and biked his way from coast to coast. Unlike most other triathlons, Rob's focus was not on “transition times” (how long it takes to get out of your wetsuit and onto your bike) or complicated sports drinks. Rather, he seemed more focused on enjoying himself. That meant we slept in bivi bags under the stars, ate heartily in pubs each evening (well, I did, anyway) and adapted the route as we went.
www.da vidtett.c o m
Here's a sneak peak of an article Rob's written for 220 Triathlon magazine:
“I have always been active, doing anything that kept me outside and my blood pumping. But where my wife Helen swam for her country, I couldn’t swim a width of the local pool without arm bands or sinking. Watching her glide through the water, I longed to be able to do that. If I could manage that, a triathlon seemed the perfect challenge. But which one? The answer came one evening over a pint with some mates: why not use Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route? I realised I could go where I wanted, when I wanted, at the speed I wanted, with as many check points as I felt necessary. I could design an event exactly to my requirements. As the months rolled by, it became more and more exciting, even my floundering in the pool became slightly more coordinated. As dawn broke on the big day, I was brimming with enthusiasm, eagerly looking forward to the challenge ahead. I ate my porridge and pollen (something I was assured was good for me!), my toes being lapped by the Irish Sea.”
That's not to say it was easy – running a marathon through the Lake District, swimming the length of Coniston Water then pedalling 150 miles to Whitby was never going to be a breeze – and Rob admitted to being “a bit tired” when he emerged from the water. But, sure enough, some 52 hours after leaving the west coast, we sat down in a cafe to a well earned fish and chip lunch with a fine view of the North Sea.
Still wan t mo r e?
Here are some links to more stuff about the triathlon: - Google map of route - Slideshow of photos - Long Summer Days guest blog by Rob - Donate to Himalayan Animal Rescue Team
Diary E ntry: Flora & Fauna Here's a diary entry from my website that I wrote at base camp on my recent BSES expedition in Norway:
“There was a tangible buzz at base camp and this time we couldn’t attribute it to the mosquitoes. A rumour had started amongst the leader team and it was spreading like wild fire. Actually, we were at Advance Base Camp, or “ABC”. We had left base camp the day before – our team heading up the valley towards ABC and the ice cap, the other team out onto the fjord to paddle their kayaks at sea. As such, communication had been split in two like a log for the fire and that only served to fuel the gossip: “Can we all go?” “How much will it cost?” “Is this for real or is it just a wind up?” “Won’t the young explorers cotton on to it”? Adding to the excitement was the fact that we couldn’t tell the young explorers – the group we were leading – about the plan. The code word became “Flora and Fauna”. “I can’t wait until the flora and fauna session” “Do you think we’ll all get a go with the fauna?” “Don’t worry, just focus on the flora and fauna. Only two more days to go!” After a week at ABC and the harsher environs of “Windy Alley” bivouac, we trudged back down the valley to base camp in a haze of drizzle. The leader team reunited, we had to set our minds to sorting out the logistics for the coming days’ activities: who goes where, how many ration packs will we need, which tents do we take, what’s the weather doing? But there were only two things we really wanted to talk about: flora and fauna...” Read the rest of this diary entry here...
is . . . If y ou en jo y ed re a di ng th You might consider one of the following: Checking out my website – I keep a regular blog of my own and other peoples' activities as well as the odd musing about life in general Pa ssing it on to a friend – If you think someone else might like reading this newsletter then let me know and I can add them to the mailing list Letting me know what you think – It's hard to know whether or not what I write is interesting and exciting or a load of old drivel. Either way, it's good to get feedback so don't be shy!
Rec ently on Twitter. . . Spent 4 months working on a grant application due in today. Scratched it this morning, knocked out a new one and just sent it off. - 1:43pm, Sept 25th Popping out for a run. Barefoot. - 1:08pm, Sept 18th One car, two bikes, a lady 8 months pregnant, one small dog and a rather large box of food. All the ingredients for a 200 mile triathlon. - 1:12pm Sept 13th Someone has stolen my shoes. Guess I'm cycling to Stockholm in sandals then! - 10:20am, Aug 26th Snuck beneath a bridge for a wash in the river Kalix. No energy today. On a real low. - 1:22pm, Aug 21st Everybody's gone. I'm left with my bike by the side of the road, at the top of Europe, pointed south. Here we go! - 3:06pm, Aug 17th See all my updates and follow me on Twitter here
Other c hallenges . . . Expedition Clayoquot have returned from a successful trip to Vancouver Island. Read an early blog entry of theirs here. Francis Charlesworth, had “a fantastic time up there” in Scotland and now has his sights set on Chamonix.
Th e N ex t Ch a l l en ge Swimmin g th e M en ai Strait Su n d ay Oc tob er 4 th
tim@thenex tchallenge.org www.thenex tchallenge.org