A new year, a fresh start.

These last couple of months have been absolutely hectic. So much has happened I don't even know where to begin, so i guess I'll start where my last blog entry left off.

After my day tour round Môn, the weather decided that all it wanted to do was rain and blow a gale. And I, being friend of neither decided to use this time wisely and hibernate. I'm not even joking, I spent almost every hour away from work in bed watching back to back episodes of QI.

Fast forward to the end of October and a jaunt up to Manchester to spend Halloween with Vicky. I love fancy dress and always pull out all the stop when making my own outfit. This year I went as Marvel Comics' Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur) and it looked amazing if I say so myself.

Apocalypse and one of his four horesemen - Bubz

A tax rebate in November meant I could start looking for the bike I was after sooner than expected. I had my heart set on a Dawes Super Galaxy or Nomad and every time I was in Manchester I popped into different cycle shops around the city to see if they had any in stock. No one did, not even Evans cycles. Then I remembered a bike shop called Harry Halls that my Dad used to visit when it was behind the Arndale centre (this was prior to the IRA bombing, I believe). I found it using Google Maps on my phone. As I entered the guy asked me straight away what I was looking for (something Evans cycles on Deansgate could try, I was left standing looking aimlessly at bikes for about twenty minutes with all [around 5] sales assistants behind the tills, needless to say I left without saying a thing - poor customer service). The guy in Harry Halls (I forget his name) was extremely helpful: I told him exactly what it was that I planned to do and what bike I was after ideally and he excitedly pointed me towards getting the Ridgeback Panorama. He said that it was a Dawes Super Galaxy in all but name. Cheaper too, but at £1,399 I told him that i would have to think about it.

The next day I was back home in Holyhead and decided to have a look for the bike that was suggested in Harry Hall's (the guy even told me what size frame I'd need for my bizarre physique) on the internet. So I typed in "Ridgeback Panorama 58cm tourer" into Google  hit search, and my jaw smacked the desk. There, on the top of the search list was an eBay entry for the 2012 model (I was expecting to only to be able to afford maybe either a 2010 or 2011 model). I couldn't believe my luck. Plus, it was going for £785. What was the catch i hear you ask, nothing! The guy had bought it for commuting to work and now was moving to a distance where it would be impractical to cycle in everyday. I couldn't believe how coincidental this seemed, so I checked where he lived. I expected it to be down south and would have to get my Dad to pick the bike up on his travels, but no, he lived in Fflint which is a 3hr round trip. I was having an excitement induced panic attack about the whole thing so rang my Dad up to see what he thought. He told me I should try and go outside of eBay and pay in cash if I could get it a bit cheaper still.

I thought that would be a bit cheeky but I had nothing to lose. So I rang the guy up and asked if he still had the bike (Yes). I asked if he wanted cash and do it outside of eBay (Yes). I then cheekily asked if he would part with it for £700 (there was a brief pause then a "yeah alright, go on then"). I almost wet myself. The bike I would be cycling round the world on was not only one that was recommended by a guy who has done tours himself but i got it for half the price. We went to pick it up two days later, my Dad telling me to be cautious about scratches or dents etc. but there was nothing. Not one scuff (the eBay photos made it look that was a small scratch on the frame but it must have been either the florescent lighting in the guy's garage or the flash on his camera) . It was that 'un-used' that there wasn't even any grime on the chains and there were still bits of tape that the manufacturers put on them to protect the bikes whilst in transit. My Dad couldn't get over it. At this point he was as giddy as i was. The guy had even put a Brookes saddle on it. Saving me an extra £50-80. I couldn't believe my luck.

I took it for a spin two days later and what a bike. I've had ridden on decent bikes before but this one oozed craftsmanship. The gear changes were as fluid as anything and i seemed to be able to free-wheel forever - the ride was that smooth. The only change I would make would be to get a larger stem to suit my ridiculously long arms. Otherwise it's perfect. It was that good that i managed some impressive speeds which i recorded using Endomondo on my Samsung GSIII (the recorded speeds may be a bit out.)


Since then, I've not been able to get on the bike for poor weather (we even had snow - in HOLYHEAD - I know!) but other things have happened.

I bought a pair of Ortlieb rear panniers. They're red. And Shiny. Second hand off eBay. As New.

I bought a Kindle Touch (I figured I would need something for me to keep sane on tour - and I love reading books)

For Christmas I got a pair of Northwave touring SPD boots and a bicycle maintenance manual.

I wanted to get a bit of cycling done in the new year but things have been as manic as before Christmas on top of that there was the aforementioned snow and usual bad weather. I was up in Manchester helping Vicky do her university work too.

Then something happened which i felt has been inevitable for some time, but I'm devastated nevertheless. Vicky and I have split up. I'm not going to go into details because that would not be fair on either party. I still love and care for her, but feel like its the right time to finally call it day between us. 

I apologise the for the abridged version of a blog that spans so many months in so little detail, but in all honesty there wasn't much to write. And the more recent events have not left me a mood to write as I normally would. 

Having said that, I thank you for reading this blog.

Martyn!

Pics from the 16th of October, 2012

Hello First Training Session - Part 2

I had written an amazing blog (honestly) but it didn't publish and my phone crashed and so I lost the whole lot. As such this is going to be have to be concise because I can't be bothered rewriting a new one over again.

5am. I woke up it was raining and windy.

I couldn't be bothered cycling even though I really wanted to.

Went back to bed. When I woke up again the weather had cleared up but still overcast.

9am. Tried motivating myself by saying if I don't do it I'll regret it and I bet it'll be amazing if I do go.

1030am. Left house. Went along cycle path outside Penrhos forest towards Valley.

Instead of turning left at the junction to go the way I previously failed my tour, I carried on towards Caergeiliog.

Passing through Bryngwran I headed towards Aberffraw on A4080.

Amazing views of the whole of Ynys Cybi with the south side getting battered by phenomenal waves. Was really windy at this point. (See photos)

I was listening to Richard Herring's "Me1 vs Me2" podcast. I loved his AIOTM (aiotm) series that he did with a cast including tv's (and celebrity masterchef's winner) Emma Kennedy. Because of that show i use the word aside a lot (aside, i dont really). But this solo podcast is very surreal. The premise of a 40yr old man playing against himself in snooker in his basement whilst commentating each match (commentator 1 and commentator 2) doesn't sound very interesting but I was hooked. I actually ended up rooting for one of his personas (Me1 I think). It got me thinking:

Dilemma Three: What happens when I'm miles away from civilisation, how will I keep sane? Or should the question be: if my psyche does fragment, which competitive sport should my personas take part in. I was thinking Left Me vs Right Me Tour de Monde race.

Scorching sun on the road to Malltraeth and Niwbirch after Aberffraw. I even rolled my sleeves up on cycling jacket.

I had heavy rain clouds overhead going through Brynsiencyn towards Porthaethwy but only a few drops of rain, Phew.

Rang Dad in layby overlooking Menai Bridge and the Straits. He told me to now head up to Pentraeth and take turning towards Llangefni and Bodedern. Very sound advice I thought.

I ignore my Dad and cycle into Porthaethwy as I was starving and needed grub. Unfortunately only shop I could find was a Waitrose (which I'd argue was the only store in the country whereby the 4x4s in the car park were unique by actually being used for agricultural purposes)

Waitrose got me at my most vulnerable. Going in with dreams of pork pies and a packet of wotsits, I left with couscous and a bottle of cabernet sauvignon. Ha ha I lie, it was just a chicken and bacon sarnie, a bottle of water and a bag of treat size mars bars.

I then cycled on to Biwmares in what I now call a momentary lapse of local geography and its infrastructure.

I bought a bag of chips which were as dry as the sandwich I'd bought earlier. Thank goodness for the water and mars bars to save my tastebuds!

Sitting in a shelter down at the promenade in Biwmares the enormity of Snowdonia took me by surprise. It dominated the whole landscape with its ominous and oppressive presence. It was at this point I understood why Tolkien chose it for inspiration for Mordor. Looking at it over the waters you just couldn't escape the hills and mountains and the black clouds that were rolling over them. Nevertheless I had a patriotic tear building in my eye as I thought: no matter where I go and no matter what I see, nothing will ever compare to the magnificence of the Welsh and the rest of the UK's countryside. This emotional moment for me was ruined when a seagul stole a pasty out of an old woman's hand and pooed on her to add insult to injury. I ended up not being able to breathe for at least 10 minutes.

After composing myself I left Biwmares via the steepest hill have ever encountered. But not only was it steep. It went on forever. That hill broke me. But it did lead me to think of a lovely little quote:

Quote One: The downside to a hill is the way up.

After a few miles I ended up on the road my Dad suggested hours ago. Cycling through Llangefni then onto the A5. The home stretch.

I needed a wee really badly but had to wait til after Gwalchmai and Mona before I found a quiet spot to jump off.

I was really struggling until I saw the familiar sight of Holyhead mountain and got a bust of energy from somewhere.

Cycled through Bryngwran and Caergeiliog fairly swiftly trying out my new lights on the road for the first time

Got darker whilst going through Valley and the cob but new lights were great. Very bright.

Got home 8hrs after setting off. 63 miles with an hour in breaks. I was quite pleased with myself. So I finally managed to do my first training trek. I'm going to try my best to be at the 150 - 200 mile mark by the time I'm to set off. I'm hoping an actual touring bike will help with that!

Thanks for reading!

Martyn

Had some bad news after getting back. My mam had to have our 17 year old cat put down as she had severe kidney failure and the whole family were waiting for me so they could bury her.

Poor Scamp you will be missed dearly. You got me to sleep with your hypnotic purring every night as a teenager suffering from ulcer pains, and for that I thank you.

Hello First Training Session - Part 1

This Tuesday (16th Oct, 2012), I finally managed to get some long distance cycling under my belt. The last time I'd done any form of long distance was the time I mentioned in the last blog. And that was 150 miles, give or take, over a two day stretch. We cycled more the second day, mainly because of the determination not to have to rough it for a second night but also to say we did the trek in two days. So I was looking at doing around about the 60 mile mark given I'd not done any training for a long time.

I'd actually attempted to do a circular route of Môn before but my trusty bike literally fell apart after passing Wylfa. The derailleur just snapped in half as I was climbing a hill (which was lucky because if I had be going down hill I'd have seriously injured myself I think). Had to get my Mam to pick me up which got me thinking:

Dilemma One: What the hell do I do when I'm in the back end of nowhere. Miles away from civilisation and thousands of miles from being picked up by a disgruntled relative.The only answer I can come up with so far is have a more expensive/reliable bike which I maintain better.

When trying to replace the rear mech with my Dad it turned out I had a dead link on my chain. You could see that a rivet had come out slightly and snagged the mech and not only ripped it off the bike but had snapped a few spokes on the rear wheel. Joy. I hate the possibility of an expensive accident. It turned out not that expensive in the end. My Dad took it to the guys at Evolution Bikes in Bangor who finished replacing the rear mech, reattached the gear cable, replaced the broken/missing spokes and trued the wheel for about £35. Thanks Guys!

Then, after getting the bike back, I made another attempt at cycling round the island. But this time the weather got the better of me. I was totally unprepared. The forecast said there'd slight showers. So I had my trusted Pac-a-mac with me. What I got was a torrential downpour of biblical proportions coupled with hail stones the size of gravel. I was only 40 minutes into my journey but thought "sod this" , turning around and going home whilst wishing my bike could turn into a pedallo. Or a kayak.

Dilemma Two: How do you prepare for any eventuality when you've got limited space and weight on a bike. I don't have an answer for this yet..

To be continued...

Hello World.

I guess the first question would be: why?

Well, my Nanna passed away in the Autumn of  2011 and it is something I still haven't fully come to terms with. That, coupled with the fact I ended up not being able to afford to live in Manchester, meant that I had to move home. So in May I moved back to Holyhead to try and sort myself out.

The money side was relatively easy. Get a job and pay off debts. That I could do. It would be the getting over my Nanna that be difficult.

Skip forward to August and a holiday in Rhodes with my family. The day before my birthday I felt really miserable and avoided my whole family for the best part of the day, spending it on a deserted area of a beach we were near (I found out later that a hastily written letter telling them not to look for me had led a few of them to believe what I'd written was a suicide note).

Anyway, whilst down at the beach I just lay in the salty azure waters of the Mediterranean sea and had a bit of a revelation: I had screwed my life up. I had dropped out of reading Chemistry at Bangor University and had just been drifting from one unskilled and minimum wage job to another. I also was giving up on my relationship with my fiance, Vicky, who had taken the brunt of my depression following my Nanna's death only for me to just pack my bags and leave her in Manchester on her own.

In this moment, I felt like such a disappointment both to myself and to the people who loved me. Nearly all my friends either had successful careers or had started families (the truly lucky ones had both). I needed something to change. I needed something to aspire to. It was there, sobbing to myself trying to keep the salty water out my mouth from both the sea and my tears that something just clicked in my head. My eureaka moment. My spark of (divine?) inspiration. I would travel. And how would I travel without a mass of money. I'd go by the only way I could. I'd cycle!

I've always been fond of cycling. Whether it was through the countryside surrounding my hometown or travelling to work in the busy streets and roads of Manchester, but I got the long distance touring bug after cycling for a charity with a friend of mine from work at the time. We traveled from Manchester to Holyhead in two days, camping overnight, and I can tell you that it was one of the most liberating experiences of my life.

We were very lucky as the rain held off the whole way. Sure, it was exhausting cycling through the hills of the North Wales Coastline, but being free from lifes worries for those two days worrying only about the road ahead was a freedom I had never felt before.

So that's why I want to cycle the world. I've always wanted to travel but felt I'd never have the money to afford flights everywhere. Now I have no worries, I only need to train hard and save up for living costs.

I've started this blog as diary of sorts for myself, but hope someone will draw inspiration from it and do something crazy themselves. I will document the equipment I buy and possibly review them. I will blog about my thoughts about the journey and where I would possibly want to go and see. I will write about the bureaucratic aspect of my tour and hopefully not make any mistakes (but if I do they'll be written down so hopefully others won't make them). Finally I will describe, in a manner I hope is eloquent and poetic, the journey itself: the people I meet; the sights and smells; the local customs and cuisines; my struggles on the road and whatever else comes to my head that I'd forget otherwise. Oh, and I won't forget pictures!

Thank you for taking the time to read this Blog.

Martyn