Day 21 -

Sitting on the train travelling South, I have had time to look through some of the hundreds of emails I have received on my journey North. Picking one at random I see it is from Ms.Beaulallies of Denham in Suffolk. She says: ---- "I have been following your Blog avidly since stumbling upon it whilst searching the internet for information on how to fit my old crank onto my new racer, I must have mistyped 'Old parts on bikes' and come up with your Blog. I can not help noticing that you are incredibly old and I wonder how your ageing limbs are withstanding all the cycling.
Yours truly
Dribone Beaulallie "----
Thanks very much for the email Dribone and your interest in my journey. Like a good meal, a long journey is all in the preparation. I started training for the ride back in May and was careful to do just a little riding each week to start with and gradually increase this to around 150km a week just before I left. I also spent a lot of time getting the right saddle and adjusting the height and position of the saddle and handle bars. I found that cycling 100km per day was fine and I had completely recovered by the next day after a day's rest but cycling further took its toll. The bicycle seat is second only to a sharp stick as the most uncomfortable seat it is possible to sit on. I had put a lot of extra padding on the handlebars which avoided the damage I suffered to my ulna nerve on my trip to Rome two years ago.
All in all, I feel fitter now than I have done for ages - Graham