It's getting close....!

So, I leave for Washington DC a week tomorrow, May 18th.  Scary!  Most preparation is done - bike serviced and fettled, necessary tools for roadside repairs bought, basic mechanics learnt.  I haven't done as much training as I would like, but I feel OK.  Some final things still to sort out, and some more longish rides to fit in......  Then pack up my bike, and my panniers, and go.

4000 miles from Yorktown,Virginia, to Astoria, Oregon, taking about 12 weeks (with rest days) averaging about 55 miles a riding day.  On my own.

Why exactly am I doing this trip (Janet, my wife, said the other day she wasn't entirely sure)?  It's been a long cherished dream, but is that an answer?  To test myself, yes.  To see first hand the great open spaces of America (I have had a thing about them since the childhood days of watching western films), yes.  Perhaps to prove I'm not getting that old, yes. To raise some sponsorship for The Stroke Association (do look at http://www.justgiving.com/Ken-Temple), yes, that too.  But mostly, because I love cycle touring and the sense of freedom it gives.  Almost all previous tours though have been much much shorter, and in the company of my eldest daughter Julia (my best cycling buddy).  So it will be lonely at times, and I will miss family and friends very much.

So please send me messages of support!

Thanks to Greg Needham at Condor Cycles in London for building my bike for me (years ago now), and thanks too to the guys at Psyclewerx here in Bristol, who have got the bike into tip-top condition (and especially James who has given me some basic mechanic training).

But most thanks by far to Janet for supporting and encouraging me (and nagging me to get out and train!),and for letting me indulge myself by fulfilling this dream.

Next posting will be from Washington DC.............