2200 miles to Vienna
Craig Saddington is raising money for aidsmap
“Craig Saddington's fundraising”
on 6 June 2010
Story
Firstly, thanks for taking the time to have a look at my page, hopefully you'll find it an interesting, amusing and ultimately generosity inspiring experience.
I realise on the surface this appears to closely resemble my fundraising effort of last year, being a cycle ride that begins in London and finishes in Vienna, however there are many subtle (yet exciting) differences. Basically, it's further...
Also this time my primary reason for going is to raise money for charity, where last time the charity was a bit of an afterthought to something I was going to do anyway. I would attempt to go into the details of NAM, encouraging you to dig deep etc, but I think their website (www.aidsmap.com/aboutus) will do a far better job of informing you about the work they do and the people they help. I will however go as far to say, that they are a vital resource in the fight against HIV and AIDS for affected communities and those working to support them. Needless to say, a very worthy cause and one I'm proud to be supporting.
In addition to the extra 700 miles, the inclusion of the Pyrenees and doing it on a bike that I've built myself (maybe), I am going into this one fully aware of how much it's going to hurt. Practise may make perfect, but I'm sure there's an equally convincing cliché that suggests I should know better now and would be better off spending 3 weeks lying on a beach instead.
As with last year, anybody who fancies hiring a moped and riding slowly along side me, periodically feeding me pies and sandwiches, is more than welcome. In the absence of that, my schedule is as follows so if anyone coincidentally happens to be holidaying in the right place at the right time, it would be nice to see a familiar face or two.
27/08 London - Dieppe
28/08 Dieppe - Falaise
29/08 Falaise - Angers
30/08 Angers - La Rochelle
31/08 La Rochelle - Bordeaux
01/09 Bordeaux - Bayonne
02/09 Bayonne - Lourdes
03/09 Lourdes - Vielha
04/09 Vielha - Canillo
05/09 Canillo - Perpignan
06/09 Perpignan - Montpellier
07/09 Montpellier - Carpentras
08/09 Carpentras - Veynes
09/09 Veynes - Cuneo
10/09 Cuneo - Alessandria
11/09 Alessandria - Iséo
12/09 Iséo - Prato allo Stelvio
13/09 Prato allo Stelvio - Dobbiaco
14/09 Dobbiaco - Millstatt
15/09 Millstatt - Kapfenberg
16/09 Kapfenberg - Vienna
The date today is the 7th of June (about to be the 8th in 7 minutes so I should be in bed) and to give you an idea of where I'm at training wise, currently I can cycle to Brighton from London. That is all...
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19th of July today and just booked my ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe. My training the past month has consisted mainly of watching cycling, with a few 2 hour spin sessions in the gym my only genuine attemps to get in condition for this thing. The main reason for this has not been laziness however, but rather my attempts to get my vintage peugeot up to scratch for a trip across the continent have rendered both of my bikes unrideable for about 2 weeks.
I have now (disappointingly) resigned myself to taking my slightly more modern bike, to at least give me a fighting chance of arriving in Vienna in mid September. On a brighter note, I have discovered that the Tourmalet, the Ventoux and the Stelvio all lie happily on my route, three of the most famous and difficult mountain passes of grand tour racing. Both exciting and worrying in equal measures...
I'll finish up here by saying a big thank you to everyone who has donated so far. If the rivers, lakes, mountains and my own personal ambition fail me for inspiration, the thought of your generosity will surely see me through. That and a lot of pasta, wiener schnitzel and quiche.
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Turns out I am unable to update this webpage from my phone or iPad (I have an iPad!), so I am putting a link on here to a blog page where you can track my progress once I set off
Give, give, give :)
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16th of August today, 11 days till I'm off. Being just over a week to go, it's almost time to start scaling back the cycling in favour of eating everything in sight...
Tried again to ride to Manchester in a day on Saturday, running out of daylight in a town called Leek and once again being rescued by my friend (thanks Marc!). Still, ignoring the disappointment of not reaching Manchester for a 3rd time, it was a 157 mile (251km) ride to Leek (in the wind and rain) which has me feeling a little bit better about my prospects of getting to Vienna. Didn't go over anything that could really be classified as a mountain though, so not counting chickens just yet.
Thanks again to everyone who has donated and shown their support, it is greatly appreciated.
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26th of August - bike ready, bag all packed, just need to figure out how to sleep. Very nervous and fingers crossed for 3 weeks of moderate sunshine and tail-winds...
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4am - Arrived in Dieppe - Looking forward to 3 hours sleep before breakfast. Despite being one of the lucky ones to grab a big armchair, I still managed little more than a brief head-bob on the ferry crossing. The guys who just lay down on the floor probably had it best in the end. Can't complain though, after a week of awful weather in London it couldn't have been better for the ride down to Newhaven. Big thanks to those who came out to see me off, just like being on le tour...
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Falaise - The land tourism forgot - After clocking up about 2 hours sleep, I made the 110 mile trip today from Dieppe to Falaise. Very undulating without any single climbs to get too excited about, but still very tough. I'm not sure what suffered more today, my legs, my backside, or the French language as I tried to order a sandwich and a coke with about 30 miles to go. I'll be spending the majority of the evening stretching while watching French TV I think. Finally got to Falaise and checked in to one of 2 hotels, which given it's a large historic town with a big castle and cathedral, seems a bit inadequate. Maybe a stroll around the town will reveal all...
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Angers - I now know how to pronounce it... - For anyone interested, the 'g' is more of a 'j' sound, unless the man in the tabac was toying with me. Mon francaise est terrible encore...
Anyway, I made it again, 115 miles today and yet again quite a sore backside at the end of it. My left foot actually began to hurt a little today, so it seems unless I can come up with a revolutionary method for riding a bike the next 18 days could vary between moderate and extreme discomfort. It's not that bad actually, yet...
Just quickly, the worst part so far would have to be yesterday getting the Man United chant "this is how it feels to be city... etc" stuck in my head, after hearing it on repeat for about 15 minutes at Craven cottage a week ago. Today was mostly Bette Midler.
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Angers to La Rochelle/Rochefort - Not much to say today apart from I'm 25 miles ahead of schedule, thanks to a very favourable breeze. Went through La Rochelle about 6pm, stopping for a raclette and tomato juice, ending up in Rochefort. I worked a few things out today though
- pretty much impossible to get served food between 2pm and 6pm, even in big towns.
- the D111 between La Rochelle and Rochefort is not meant for road bikes.
- how to ask politely for my water bottles to be filled.
- The meaning of ralentisseur.
The last one coming as a bit of a shock at the bottom of a rather steep hill.
Off to Bordeaux tomorrow, although might keep going if still feeling ok. There is a place called 'La Barp' which sound like fun, just a bit further on.
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J'ai arrivee en Bordeaux - une biere s'il vous plait - Back on schedule, only just...
Tired
Sore
Ridiculous tan marks
16 days to go
Bon nuit
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Hot and bothered in Bayonne - I was attempting to contain any urge to self praise until I'd at least gone up one mountain, however having just cycled 120 miles in 35 degree heat I'm going to give myself a little pat on the back. I'm also inclined to give myself a big slap, as setting off at 10:30 on a day like today was just plain stupid. I don't know how much water I drank, but towards the end I was filling up both bottles every 15 miles.
Am now quite sunburnt and not really able to cool down to sleep. Shorter day tomorrow thankfully
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There are two ways I can go from here to get to my next destination (Vielha). The first of which follows a valley for 40 odd miles before getting to the Col d'Aspin. The other is the one I had planned which includes the Col du Tourmalet as you can see here - http://www.bikemap.net/route/631554. Possibly a bit late to put it to any sort of vote, however if you do happen to read this before 8am CET tomorrow any words of encouragement or indeed voices of reason (Dad - I am not taking the train) would be very helpful. More donations are obviously also welcome :)
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Don't know if I'd fancy ever doing this again - I'm now in Vielha, or at least I was last night, after what is to date the most physically gruelling single day I have ever had. So much so that for no apparent reason I was in tears for about the last 3km. After having only received one response, being one of encouragement from Mr Hyatt, I went the route of the Tourmalet which I will probably keep paying for in the days to come. It was a perfect day weather-wise, apart from the unrelenting heat on the final 2 mountain passes, I was very glad to have done the Tourmalet before things got too hot.
Anyway, the photos will tell a much better story than I could possibly hope to relate, certainly in terms of the scenery. I'll not go into detail of the pain of the climbs or the fun on the descents, but I will say I saw my first live ferret, which when I asked owner if I could take a photo he proceeded to hold it up like a fish he'd just caught. I now have a photo of a very uncomfortable looking ferret, which is adequate recompense for the day's work... _______
When is a hill not a hill?
When it's a country...
Andorra so far as I can tell is one big 40km hill, of which I am just over half way up currently in the town of Canillo (at 5,000ft). Not quite the epic collection of cols as with yesterday, but still enough climbing to make everything hurt again and just enough descending to make it all seem worthwhile. As with yesterday the route was just shy of 100 miles, although a mere 10,300 feet of climbing compared with about 13,400 yesterday. My knees are shattered so it's fortunate that tomorrow finishes at sea level, though still a couple of mountain passes to say goodbye to the Pyrenees.
On Tuesday my ride is only meant to be 75 miles and pretty flat, so if I can get that far I'll at least have a chance to rest a little more. Thanks again to all who've donated and/or given messages of support, it really does help keep it going :)
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Day 10, back in France - In Perpignan to be exact. Actually in North Perpignan to be exacter. To be exactest I am in the Ibis hotel in the middle of a hotel district, which has all the charm of a parking lot really. Arrived just after half seven after another 8 hours of cycling (115 miles) in 30+ degrees, saying my final farewell to the Pyrenees with another couple of climbs. Andorra is genuinely just one long hill, topping out at 2,400m with an amazing 30km descent into Ax les Thermes once you're over the French border.
My triumphant 100km descent into Perpignan didn't quite pan out as expected, partly because I didn't pay enough attention to the profile of the map beforehand, but primarily due to a strengthening easterly breeze. In the end I was struggling to keep pace with a tourist train running along-side me, doing roughly 17mph much to the amusement of those on board.
From memory, Monday and Tuesday are short and flat which hopefully means I can get my bike to a workshop (it seems to increasingly take issue with steering) and myself to the beach for a few hours. Like a proper holiday...
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I don't like mondays - So much for a short, flat ride into Montpellier along the Mediterranean coastline. Whilst I did see the sea for a short while, it was unfortunately brief amid 95 miles or so of rather unpleasant roads into a fairly persistant breeze. This won't mean too much to too many, but for about 15 miles or so I was riding with a 34/21 on the flat (and struggling), I think I slightly pulled a muscle in my neck as I was cursing the wind at the top of my voice. On another day it all may have been grand, you can't get lucky all the time I guess. On the plus side, I am about 5 miles ahead of schedule owing to some sort of conference in Montpellier which saw every hotel in town booked out. From what I saw it is a beautiful city, it's a shame I didn't have the presence of mind to get my camera out as I went through.
Tomorrow's forecast is awful. The ridiculously cheery German girl at my hotel's reception seemed to delight in telling me they would have 3 months worth of rain in a day. Ordinarily the prospect of a storm like that would make me quite happy too, however I have 70 odd miles to cover tomorrow and any thoughts of getting up early enough to miss the worst of it appear to have been dashed already. It's chucking it down now!
A good chance to test the resilience of my wet weather gear then, which had it not rained for the entire trip would have seemed unecessary weight to have dragged up all those hills. I guess I should be glad as psychologically that would have been a killer...
One more thing as this post is starting to drag on a bit - I now have a wierd sensation of numbness in my left hand, concentrated mainly on my palm and little finger, possibly from gripping the bars too tight on the climbs. If any physios happen to be reading this, should I be worried?
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J'ai le chance - Considering the weather report and what happened overnight, I have to consider myself a little bit lucky today with only a few spots of rain falling for the entire duration of my ride. Sure it was windy (enemy #1) and occasionally directly into my face, but having passed a river that had broken it's banks in Sommieres and being diverted in another town as roads were under a foot of water due to the overnight rain, I'll not complain.
75 miles or so today and a 5 o'clock arrival, meant I had a chance to actually look about the town and run some errands before gorging myself in a restaurant. My bike received some long overdue attention and now steers freely again, despite the mechanic astutely observing that my "balls are not round anymore". You might say he'd lost his bearings ha ha ha ha... Sorry. My French is gradually coming back to me however there are still big gaps, like the word for anti-chafing cream. I don't know if this has ever come up for anyone in charades, but it's (rather ironically/aptly) not the most comfortable of things to gesticulate. Particularly if your partner in the game was for some reason a 40 year old French woman you'd never met before.
Tomorrow begins day 13 and my penultimate day in France. To celebrate I am going over what the man in the bike shop described as the toughest climb he's ever done, the Mont Ventoux. I got the feeling he'd done few, however I also got the feeling he was very proud of his 'local' so you never know. That said, it's about 14 miles long, steep and very exposed. As I type this I am looking at my stuff deciding what is absolutely necessary for the rest of the trip, as now would be a good time to purge...
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No internet so just a quick one - Mt Ventoux done! Actually no phone reception either, hence doing this a day late. 96 miles from Carpentras to Veynes today, just short of Gap. Mt Ventoux is tough, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, however I did it without stopping. Descent was cold and bumpy but after that it was an amazingly enjoyable ride. Will update properly once wi-fi is located again.
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Sono arrivato in Cuneo - and still no internet...What is the world coming to?! I remember a time when wireless internet was in abundance and completely reliable. Last day in France today, starting with a breakfast that consisted of half a breadstick and a glass of jus d'orange. Things got much better from that point on and I'm not sure a more pleasant 200km ride could be found anywhere (weather at the border not withstanding). Staying in a posh hotel with posh hotel slippers. Still on schedule but very tired...
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We've been overwhelmed with the response to Craig's bike ride and want to thank each and every one of you that's donated and supported Craig to help him reach his target. After such an incredible response Craig has increased his target to £2,000 to try and get that little bit further and raise more money for people living with HIV, their families and those who support them.
Let's give Craig all the support we can on his incredible journey (and be very glad that it's him rather than us...)
The NAM Team
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Cycling meets Lord of the Rings, Mt Ventoux - I made it to Veynes (96 miles) after a very slow start today. I seem to be getting worse at organising my bag each morning, in addition to struggling out of bed later and later. By the time I'd made the descent from the Mt Ventoux it was already 2pm, just scraping in for lunch at one of the restaurants in Sault. The climb itself was brilliant (2 hours of it), tougher than any of the Pyrenees yet somehow easier to resist the urge to stop. I didn't (stop) once on the way up, making the ascent with dozens of others only to find the view at the top partially whited out by (relatively) low cloud. The wind that the mountain is famed for in the final 5km was there and made going difficult, but I think I got off lightly as it was quite a calm day by all accounts.
The descent was cold, steep and bumpy, which basically means as descents go it wasn't much fun. By the time I reached Sault I was relieved to look down and discover I still had hands, as the feeling had pretty much left both of them by that point. Following advice from a number of parties, I have been rather obsessively wiggling my hands at every opportunity any time they're not attached to my handlebars. I'm slightly paranoid this makes me appear like I'm looking to draw on somebody as I walk around these little villages. I mean that in a wild west sense obviously, as opposed to a fall asleep drunk when your friends have a permanent marker at their disposal sense.
After lunch the remaining 60 miles were obscenely pleasant, with a further 10-15 miles of subtle descending followed by a sharpish 5 mile climb, followed by another gentle 20 mile descent. All through absolutely beautiful rivines, along rivers etc. The entire day however was spent with the feeling of being watched, by the tower atop the Mt Ventoux, which is visible from pretty much everywhere for miles around. Only really in the last 5 miles of today did I manage to escape it's gaze. Did I mention paranoia?
I'm in the only hotel in town, my TV has two channels, both showing some French equivalent of location location. Most likely rich Parisiens doing up their cheaply bought English cottages and going way over budget, though I didn't leave it on long enough to find out. In the restaurant for dinner there was me and a delightful old couple accompanied by their daughter. The man kept insisting he knew me and to be fair, I thought I maybe knew him before I realised I was thinking of the neighbour from family guy. He also remarked on the quality of the cutlery before making a gutting gesture with the knife, whilst sipping wine with his other hand. L'addition s'il vous plait...
Tomorrow - Italia
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Possibly the most pleasant 200km cycle you could ever wish for, excluding the semi-arctic conditions at the French/Italian border. The day didn't exactly start well, with my petit dejeuner consisting of half a breadstick and a glass of jus d'orange, however from that point on (particularly after my croque monsieur at 25 miles) things couldn't have been much better. More long gradual descents on perfectly smooth roads and beatiful climbs alongside lakes and rivers, all watched over by a not too overpowering sun.
Having lunch in Barcelonette, only 21 miles (granted 11 of them uphill) separated me from Italy. The sun was out and things were looking rosy, my recent run of bad luck with Italian weather looked to be at an end. Over the next 90 minutes however, a familiar story began to form overhead. What on paper should have been the easiest climb of my trip, turned out to be far from as I battled the wind and rain (albeit minimal rain) to the summit at just shy of 2,000m. What followed was a 35 mile descent into Cuneo, the first 15 of which I lost feeling in my feet before the sun broke through and warmed things up once more.
Another reason the climb wasn't as easy as it might have been, is I think my legs are tired. I've covered roughly 1,450 miles in 14 days without a day off and it's possibly beginning to tell. The next two days are flat, before Sunday where I head into the Dolomites to begin 5 days (and 500 odd miles) in the mountains, hopefully coming out the other side of the Austrian alps in Vienna. Need to figure out how I'm getting home at some point too...
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ipad for sale in Pavia, internet capabilities questionable - Once again my iPad has served no purpose other than ballast, which is not incredibly desirable. I am well ahead of schedule today. 35 miles to be exact, brought about partly by fear of my ride on Sunday (want tomorrow as easy as possible) and partly due to a miscalculation of distances between towns. Rode about 125 miles today, in perfect weather through lots of farms. Very picturesque, however stopping meant being bitten by all sorts of bugs, so there's not a great many photos. Only 60 miles tomorrow :)
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Gavia and Stelvio, could I feel any less up for this? - Thinking I'd done myself a favour, I took advantage of the semi-rest day by stopping as planned in Iseo after 4 hours of cycling. It would appear that breaking with routine is not the way forward as I appear to have been taken slightly ill. My first day in the Dolomites was going to and still hopefully will be, the hardest thing I've ever accomplished (certainly on a bike), however after a night of sleep interrupted a bit to often by trips to the bathroom, I'm not feeling spectacularly confident. Vediamo :)
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Trapped in the Dolomites and a long way behind schedule - So my big day in the Dolomites has ended up in disappointment, failing to make it up (or even start) the final climb of the day. As it turns out, the Passo di Gavia (2621m) is about as tough a climb as you will find anywhere and given the altitude, an absolutely freezing descent. I am now roughly 30 miles behind schedule, in Bormio when I had planned to be on the other side of the Passo dello Stelvio, so time for excuses...
I have none, I think I may have found the limit of what I'm able to do which doesn't include 2 mountain climbs above 2,500m towards the end of 120 odd miles of cycling. That said, the last day or so I have been compelled to the the bathroom a lot more often and urgently than I'd like, which has not helped matters. To climb the Gavia trying to put in maximum effort, while at the same time holding out for the gents room at the summit, is no mean feat. Now I am in a spot of bother in terms of trying make up time, as it's meant to rain tomorrow in Bormio. When it rains in Bormio at 1,200m, it snows on the Stelvio at 2,800m. I am not built for cycling in the snow...
So it would appear a collection of over ambition, an uneasy stomach and possibly lack of ability have left me on the wrong side of a very big (potentially snow covered) hill. A big hill that unless I go backwards, is the only way out of this place. On the plus side, the views on the climb and descent (of which of tried to do justice with my camera) were unbelievable.
Tomorrow - I've no idea what's going to happen
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I don't actually know where I am, but roughly 40 miles behind where I should be (I think) - Very lucky with the weather today, even with snow at the top of the Stelvio. That is one long climb and bitterly cold descent. Took a different route to planned after that as there was no way I'd be able to get over the Monte Giovo before sunset, and couldn't afford to lose another 2 hours. So I went via Bolzano and am now somewhere about 15 miles NorthEast of there. Nothing much else to say really other than 3 days left, planned stops are out now and it's just as far as possible each day...
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At least I know I'm in the right country now. Ja! - I know where I am and I'm still 45 miles behind schedule. Turns out yesterday was more like 55 behind, so some gain today. Went over the Passo Stalle into Austria as on the map climbing 1,000m over 17km seemed reasonable, until after 5km I still was yet to do any climbing and had if anything gone downhill. Once it got going, my god! Beautiful though. Finished after sunset, following the Drau River. 250 miles left in 2 days...
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One day to go, still 130 miles, early start tomorrow - Made no ground up but all things considered, did well not to lose more and still have a slim chance. Pulled over by police for being on the main road and forced onto cycle routes. Routes which vary from superb tarmac closely following the main road, to gravel tracks that send you into a forest for half a mile with inclines of 16 percent. That turned out to be nothing in comparison to the hill leading up to the Turracher Hoehe, with sections of 23 percent. Up with the sun tomorrow...
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