Why does it always rain on me?…

 

Start is now only T minus 2 days and counting…

The Forecast

“The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" said Eliza Doolittle but she was wrong!

Accuracy: It is an idiomatic expression, not a meteorologically accurate description of rainfall in Spain, which varies widely from the northwest to the southeast.

The Atlantic coastal weather in Northern Spain looks a bit unsettled and looks to me like the start may well be a little inclement. I need to factor this in when sorting out my packing list which I have spent the weekend pondering 🤔.

By planning the trip for May I had hoped it would be dry for most of it and didn’t really want to cart a load of wet weather clobber…oh well, time will tell.

Fran Healy in a kilt in the boot of a Vauxhall Viva and a dead sheep in the video, what is there not to like about this tune?

He’s on the phone…

Start is now only T minus 3 days and counting…

Navigation on this trip should be relatively easy as you just need to find the start and then follow a signposted route of pictures of scallop shells all the way to the end. On the off chance I’m going so fast that I miss an odd scallop marker and veer off into Portugal I’m going to take some additional IT with me. My trusty IT consultant has linked my telephone to my tiny Velo2 navigation device on my bike and to Strava so I will be able to keep a track of where I’m going and how far Iv been. For most of the time il be walking so il record everything as a hike. Some days I may be able to ride a few sections but let’s see how it goes. I will also take my iPad to keep the blog updated, earbuds for the tunes and a power pack to keep everything charged up.

Fronted by the lovely Sarah Cracknell, I loved this band in the 90’s for their indie pop tunes.

Sit down…

 🎾 Start is now only T minus 5 days and counting…

The Brompton has been prepped and is now lubed up, polished and ready to go with the new tyres fitted.

I was telling a bloke down the pub about the trip and he told me about a new revolutionary bike seat. It only cost me a tenner and It is designed to stop you falling off. Im a sucker for a gadget so I couldn’t resist. He told me that you just sit on it and it will serve me well and I will never take a tumble…who said I wasn’t cutting edge when it comes to new technology!

“Those who feel the breath of sadness

Sit down next to me

Those who find they're touched by madness

Sit down next to me

Those who find themselves ridiculous

Sit down next to me…”

James, here with a full head of hair as I remember him, with this 90’s anthem to enjoy.

Pressure drop…

Start is now only T minus 6 days and counting…

Tyres

I’m convinced that this 2009 bike still has the original tyres on it today…it won’t have tomorrow!

Brompton tyres have a ridiculously high PSI for normal riding near to the 110 max but I won’t be sticking that much wind in my wheels. For where I’m going, I think about 90 will do but il have to let them down for the flight and find a friendly bike shop to get them inflated in Pamplona. This allows the tyre to absorb more road vibrations and offers better traction in the rain…I hope!

After a bit of deliberation, Iv gone for 2 x Schwalbe Marathon Green 16 x 1.35 Cycle Tyres.

It’s starting to feel very imminent.

Let’s get skanking with a bit of reggae from Toots and the Maytals frontman ‘Toots’ Hibbert here performing ‘Pressure Drop’ live on Jools Holland.

RIP ‘Toots’.

The Chain…

                       Start is now only T minus 8 days and counting…

The Crankset

The old ‘Brommie’ has had to have a few tweaks in preparation for this trip. 

The main job was to reluctantly change the original 50 tooth chain set to a smaller Spider 44 tooth front chain ring and a 96 link chain. With only having a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub, the change was required to be able to be in with a chance of tackling the hills. I got in touch with Hannah at Brilliant Bikes, who is a Brompton guru, and she sent me everything I needed. I also replaced the bottom bracket and sprocket while I was at it too. 

All has been tried and tested and is definitely better on the ups so should be good to go.

Classic Fleetwood Mac song for this blog title, live version and full on guitar playing by Lindsey Buckingham…great version here.

Which Way…

                                Start is now only T minus 9 days and counting…

So which way do I go?

The Route

Now i have the travel and transport sorted, let’s have a look at the route. 

There are a number of Camino’s that lead to Santiago de Compostela but I have chosen the 767km Camino Frances for a number of reasons. It’s the most popular but it’s early in the season so there should be good options for accommodation, food, coffee and bike shops (if I break something). 

I’m planning to start in France walking first and crossing over the Pyrenees into Spain to be reunited with my little steed in Pamplona, then onwards together, walking and riding the ‘Brommie’ when the terrain permits.

Not long to go but loads to do…

‘Which way’ is a heavier track off Richard Hawley’s 2015 Hollow Meadows album. Great soulful voice and fuzzy guitar a great combination. 

Once Around the Block…

Over the last few days Iv taken the ‘Brommie’ up to explore the backwaters of Perthshire and Kinross to try out some new kit and to get some hill work in.

All has gone well and over 60miles were clocked up on Strava. The new gearing and chain set was an improvement and the little Brompton performed well up the hills and clocked over 30mph on the downs.

Like all top level elite cyclists you have to take all the advantages you can to get top performance when it comes to cadence. Some use blood enhancers such as EPO to boost endurance and some take anabolic steroids and cocaine combinations in search of the ultimate PB. 

For me, well Iv have found something much better as my secret weapon…I now use Africa’s Finest, a product found locally in any Dubai deli, and it works a treat. 

I take a couple of spoonfuls before I set off and before you know it, my legs are going like the clappers in order to get home as quickly as possible!!

This track by ‘Badly Drawn Boy’ was Damon Gough, a scruffy lad from Bedford with this wonderful Britpop tune from the 90’s.