No pictures or maps so feel free to skip 😉

So I am one week in to my 12 week adventure and I have experienced so many new things. I feel I owe it to myself to look back and find the good, the bad and the ugly so next week can be better, at least.

Obviously cycling goes at a certain, relatively slow, speed. This gives me plenty of time to look around and, when there is nothing to look at, time to think. The flatter and more industrial the scenery the more thinking.

This week's thinking has largely focussed on two things, cycle infrastructure provision in Spain and France (this is the time to point out I am a civil engineer🤣🤣) and Cycle Touring.

I've commented on infrastructure already so let's park that.

I've scrutinised what I am doing and what I will be doing and applied some management goobledegook and come up with ROSE 🥀.

R - Routine

O - Opportunity

S - Smile

E - Enlightenment

ROUTINE

For the next 11 weeks or so all my worldly possessions are in 4 bags secured to my bike. That means I don't have very much but what I have is important to me.

Each cycling day I have distance to cover to get to my prearranged accommodation and eat enough food to fuel that cycle. If I don't cover that distance I could be in difficulty. Therefore I have to use my time efficiently.

The routine I am developing tends to focus around important things and making daily routine quick and easy.

After a ride I get out chargers and cables making sure my bike computer is recharged as quickly as possible. With my Wahoo I'd struggle to find my way anywhere or at least not without frequent stops to check maps on my phone. The Wahoo is loaded at the start of each day with that day's route and gives me a trail to follow.

Over the course of the evening I try to get my phone recharged and then my tablet. If my power bank needs charged it is put on trickle charge overnight. However I have a problem in that my Samsung Fast Chargers do not like my Oppo phone (or vice versa) and it charges at a very, very slow rate. Inevitably I end up using the power bank to charge my phone meaning the trickle charge takes longer and sometimes I start the day with the power bank not full. My rear flashing light also takes priority given some of the traffic I am experiencing.

Over the first week I have stayed in a ferry cabin, a room in private house, a full (8 bed) hostel room, a partially full hostel room and solo in a hostel room.

That experience has made it obvious that packing and unpacking is critical for a smooth and efficient stay. The cabin was tiny and even my 4 small bags when spilled out filled it to a messy environment. The private room gave me enough space to spread out and understand what I need daily (and unpack) and what can stay in the bags. The full hostel room was a nightmare. Almost no personal space, bunk beds, late arrivals and getting up in the dark whilst trying not to disturb others. The other rooms were less of an issue as my room partners were also early starters, we had lay down space and I was not in a bunk. The solo room was a luxury as I have loads and loads of room and each bed had a USB charger point so I had everything fully charged. The extra space allowed me to revamp my packing to make early starts easier (I hope). I have a set of packing cubes specifically shaped to a pannier. Each cube contains the same stuff day-in, day-out. They pack in an order to keep the weight on the bike low. I also have two standard packing cube for the other pannier which also takes some loose stuff. The rack bag which sits above the rear wheel contains my trainers (because they wouldn't fit anywhere else easily) plus stuff that I might need in a hurry during a ride - waterproof, insulation and lock. My handlebar bag carries the stuff I need during a ride and the stuff I'd need if I lost everything else. Credit cards, passport, phone, sweets, sunnies, power bank etc.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

After 2 or 3 days riding I need to wash out some cycling gear or risk being very smelly or, worse, getting a saddle sore on my gooch. This could be a game changer if it happened and became infected.

OPPORTUNITY

I don't always have easy access to the "stuff" I take for granted at home. Fridge, washing machine, shower, cafe and so on. Therefore I have to try and grab every opportunity when it shows itself.

One of the cycle forums I read in preparation for this trip offered the following advice in relation to eating.

Eat whenever you can, eat when you want, eat what you want. Keep leftovers. Cereal bars are more than emergency energy top up. On a long tour you will lose weight so don't even think about that.

Busy city hostels often don't have anywhere to hang wet clothes so washing out cycle jerseys and shorts in the showere is not a good idea. It may become easier when the summer temperatures arrive. Therefore I have to grab any chance to wash and to hang cycle kit. The same applies to my off bike stuff however that's less of an issue as have enough to get by for longer between washes.

SMILE

I am travelling solo and could easily spend the next 11 weeks in a little bubble with little or no interaction with others. I appreciate that if I smile I may just start that interaction sparking questions about what I and they are doing.

ENLIGHTENMENT

This is such a new thing for me I have to be sure that I will get something out of the trip (other than a sore arse and strong legs).

I can already see myself being tested physically and emotionally. Twelve weeks (well ten actually) away from Laura, my wife, and Anna, my daughter, is not going to be easy. However the opportunity to explore and understand my limits is enormous