The Countdown Begins

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS 

Five Weeks to Go - 5th April 2017

 

Lucy is getting ready for her new adventure but she has started to panic as she hopes to set out in five weeks time and there is still a lot of planning to do. Also she needs to start training and get fit enough to cycle again. 

New Tent and Sleeping Bag - Four weeks to Go

 

 Lucy is very excited about the new tent which we pitched in Dave's garden and she insisted on sleeping in it last night. The tent and sleeping mat are a fraction of the weight of the old ones, and designed for Nordic climates. The bag for the mat also doubles as a sleeping bag for Lucy. She loves it.

Major Problem - Three Weeks to Go - 19th April

 

A crack was discovered in the weld between the top tube and the head and further examination found damage to the forks caused by the bearings. We realised that it was probably still covered by the warranty as it is only just over 3 years old. Evans Cycles in Birmingham were brilliant and contacted Dawes and arranged everything for me. They stripped the bike and stored all the parts before sending the frame and forks off to Dawes. So it was just a mater of waiting to see if it would be fixed in time.

Two Weeks to Go 

 

Still no bike and I I was beginning to panic a bit, but Lucy remained calm and optimistic. She continued to plan, read the guide books and learn Danish. It is amazing how fluent she has become. 

Is it all off? - One Week to Go - Saturday 6th May

I had a message from Evans to say that Dawes wouldn't be able to get the new forks until 17th May, the day that I should be getting the ferry to Holland. Piers at Evans said that he would contact Dawes and stress how important it was to get me on the road in time. So again it was fingers crossed and wait to see what happened.

Result - Two Days to Go - Thursday 11th May

 

The email did the trick, Dawes came up trumps and got the frame and forks back to Evans who reassembled it to my spec with new transmission, block, chain, chain wheel, cranks, head set and brake disks. So I now have a smart new bike which rides beautifully but feels just like the old one. Thank you so much Dawes, Piers, James and everyone else at Evans, I am so grateful for everything you did to get me riding again.

Packing - One day to Go - Friday 12th May

 

 

So it was all on again and I spent the day sorting things and packing. Lucy made herself a Viking helmet and shield and was a bit put out when I said that there wasn't enough room for all her guide books, but thought she would need her Shetland jumper as it might be cold where we are going.

The adventure begins - Saturday 13th May

 

 

I cycled into Birmingham where Dave met me for breakfast then I went to get the train to Cambridge to start the first leg of Lucy's Grand Viking Tour. Details of this leg in East Anglia will follow shortly.