Out for now

After yet another night of rain and water dripping on my head I have decided to go home for now. It isn't the small things that have made me change my mind but the pain in my ankle which has come back and the allergies which have taken their toll. For the last 2 nights I have not been able to sleep because of my runny nose, itchy throat and eyes which Have been filled with white puss. It's just a killer. What the Norwegian mountains could not do the Pollen has achieved. I am taking 3 times the recommended dose of pollen pills plus paracetamol. I'm like a walking pharmacy. I had prepared myself for everything, willing to take the ankle pain, but didn't expect the pollen to be so strong. When it hits you the rest of the pains feel worse. Someday I will try it again but for now I must rest and give my ankle a break before I do some permanent damage. I might have disappointed some of my followers. One of my friends suggested that if I wanted to stop at any point I could say it's because I was missing my son. Well I missed my son and my wife on the trip. I just wanted them to be proud of me when I had finished the whole trip. I have stopped because I'm in pain and that is the right reason. I have lots of years ahead to try again? The roads will be there. The towns will be there. The cycle paths will be there. So will the pollen, the headwind and the rolling hills. I will be more prepared and will have my son and wife with me. Hoping for to much again you might say. For now, a quarter of the route to London is done. I am out for now but NOT DONE.

Day 10: when you see a wind turbine, it means it's a windy area

It rained and it rained and it rained. 0100 to 1030 in the morning. Apart from the minor flooding problem the tent passed the test.

It was one of those things where what the guide book say and what it really means. Here is what it said word for word: 

"this street takes you the beach and - don't hesitate on to the beach – the next 14 km are now all on firm sand on the broad beach". I want to rub the nose of the person into the FIRM SAND who wrote it. Firm sand my ass. I did 5km on the wet and soggy sand, yes 5km not cycling but walking and pushing the bike. After the 5 km I gave a call to my lovely wife and told her how I felt. She just cheered me up and told me not to give up so easly. What a support I have.

I have decided to chuck in the guide book, and take the big map as my guide from now on and take the big roads. The main roads are a little inland and so less headwind. But still there is headwind. To give you an example I saw a lady walking her 2 dogs - one big and one little one. The wind was blowing so hard that the little one kept blowing of his feet so in the end she had to carry the little one.

Today was all about navigating with the map and picking the shortest route. With my father's (he is a navigator) training I did good, apart from some minor rookie mistakes.

Since I started late today at about 12  because of the rain, I tried to do as much distance I could before 1800hrs. With the headwind I did about 50 km. I was planning to stop at a town called Brovst, which on the maps shows a campsite (wanted to take a shower). As I reached the town, I was all tired and so made up my mind to stay in the town and stopped for a hot dog and started to relax. I asked the girl at the counter where the campsite was, she goes there are none in this town.

Now in panic mode, I cycled like anything to the next town which was about 8km away and not on my route. Once you have made your mind up to rest the muscles go into rest mode and to reheat them is another matter.

Made it to the campsite in the town of Tranum and have had a shower and a hot meal. Oh! What a day!

Day 9: Danish flatlands, northsea wind and pollen

Denmark is cycling heaven. You've got cycle paths everywhere. Cycle lanes, one-way cycling and double lane cycle paths. Cycle crossing lights, even a lane for cyclists on the roundabouts.


The plan was easy: take it easy and it was working. I did not do more than 10km per hour and used the higher gear so it was easy on the foot. It worked but then I was hit by the northsea headwind for half of the way. Cycling through the wheat fields made me remember I had pollen allergies and really bad ones. My eyes are swollen, my mouth is dry and and my nose is runny. It is really making me irritated. I have take 3 pills for it but to no avail and it's just killing the mood. To top it all off my foot has started to hurt. I am thinking whether it is worth carrying on. Let's see what tomorrow brings.


I managed to cycle to a town called Løkken. A very nice place. Strangely, the place is full of estate agents - so many offices. And it is also filled with Swedes, Norwegians and Germans. Very strange. It's a beautiful town - I could move here. Sorry I don't have photos to show you. I went to the town centre to take some but my allergies have made me so moody I did not take a single one and walked back to the campsite. 


Oh! Now I am an official member of the Danish camping club for a year.


One of the best sites so far on this trip was this morning - a Welsh father with his 2 sons on cycle. He had one son's cycle attached to his cycle and then a trailor attached to his little cycle in which his second son sat. The father was pulling it all with all the camping gear for all three of them. It was just beautiful.


Well more on the faith of the tour tomrrrow.

Day 8: on a ship to Denmark

One week to the day, I promised I would be back to try to finish what I started. 


Well the ankel still hurts a little and butt still got some saddle burns on it. All this should not stop me from getting to my goal. 


Things have changed a little since last week. It was in the moment in the train to Oslo as I saw the landscape wizz pass me through the window of the train. I realised what I have been doing so far - cycling 80 or 90 km a day and not enjoying myself - all the things just passing me by. 


So in Denmark, I have decided to cycle about 50 to 60km max and take in the landscape and the people.   Enjoy and talk to the people - after all it's my holiday. The goal is not London anymore. It's enjoyment. If I  get to London, great. If I don't, still I will have seen and done the distance some people do in a lifetime. So I am content.


The day started with a flight to Oslo and the day was spent in Oslo, rainy Oslo. Its has rained all day today. Everything is soaking wet. Lunch was agian at my favourite place, the Punjab Tandoori - lamb curry and kingfisher beer. There was a gossip catch up with my friend Amado Concepcion. Then it was time to collect my cycle from my friend Enrique Llorca, who also offered to drop me at the dock. Being at the dock you could see how fed up the Norwegians are of the rain. It's like everybody is off to sunny Denmark.


I managed to get the very last ticket on the ferry and my lovely wife has arranged a lovely dinner and breakfast on the ferry. As I sit in my lovely small room without window and with 2 single beds and Norwegian and Swedish country music playing on the onboard radio channel and with everybody else drunk on duty free alcohol and having a party in the corridor outside, I ask myself why? Why are you doing this?  Still I don't have the answer. Maybe somebody had to do it.


One of the reasons I keep going is because of this text:


"Hi Toni :). It is a fact , im far less worried about u than i thought i would be :). I know u ll get there no matter wot. Im very very proud i met u and u became a part of my life. Dont bother whos texting u and who , u might think , forgot u as u left. I can guarantee theres a lot of lads who ve been told stories about u n ur journey by my ... They cant text or ring couse they simple dont have ur number :) To me , u proved ur self as a vare brave heart , even though not a Scotsman :) keep on fightin buddy , thats the only way to prove it worths been alive , thats the only way to feel alives as u step into a challenge , not that many would even concider the fact of dearing to start dreaming about. Do not surrender and do not give up with ur dream , ur families dream , ur friends dream and even the dream of thousands who ll never have the chance and the corradge u ve got. Im fuckin proud with u.extremely proud with u. Final line ... Life goes on , never turns back and this is the right direction u will be headin during the next few weeks cause u r different, not one of the many .and not one of the many i my heart as well so i will be all the way to ur final destination with u . Love u G . Take care and remember ikke stresse :D"


from IVAN EVGENIEV VASILEV. Thanks mate.

Day 7: A city too far

The gravel roads have taken there toll on the rider. From the time I started this morning it was all bad roads, roads with heavy  traffic, gravel cycle paths, roads works, road works on the cycle paths. All the time I could see the signs of Oslo coming in sight, aircrafts coming in for landing in Oslo and the road signs. In the end the road became too treacherous to ride on and my body had taken the toll for it. My foot started to hurt and bum was aching. The road was going up and down all the time through fields. It was mind numbing.

BUT I have not given up on cycling.

So I decided to take a 20 minute train ride to Oslo and go to the ER to see what was wrong with my foot. On the train a strange thing happened: when I told the conductor where I had been cycling and that this is the only train ride I have taken, he refused to take money for the ticket from me. He said that I had earned the ticket. Sometimes the strangers surprise you.

Anyway my doctor Sidrah Yasmeen Azam Sidaza told me not to cycle for a week and gave me some pain killers for the Tendonitt (tendinitis) in my ankle. It will heal itself up. 

So I am down for one week people.

Lunch was lamb curry with naan and rice. Another good deed happened when the owner said I could park my bike there for the day. Very strange for Oslo.

I was talking to my friend Harpreet today who said I have been leaving out the details of my hurts and pains. So here are some just for you. 

I start with my butt which is sore as anything. It's all because of the gravel road. You go up and down on the little stones and some bigger ones. After some time you can tell the size of the stones by the pain they cause up your backside - ratio of the stone to the pain is 1:4 so you can just imagine. Second when you are sitting on the seat the blood flow to your bum is restricted so it is numb, like fallen asleep. You get blisters but they dont hurt, but once you've rested and whilst you're sleeping the blood flows back to your butt and PING the blisters go here we are buddy, did you forget about us? I have 2 gel seat covers over one another but still you feel everything.

Muscles are another story. They are talking to each other, saying things like who does this couch potato think he is, working us like this? It's one push of the pedal after another. They get used to whatever you want them to get used to. It's tough but it's fun. 

At the end of the day when you are making your campsite you feel you have done something today and you are on natural high. You lie down in the tent and you feel it's a good end to the day. Rain, flooding, wetness, smelly feet all troubles you, that is just how you always wanted it. If you can't deal with it, then it's really tough. Take it as it comes. You pack your cycle for the night with a plastic bag to keep it dry from the rain and put all your electronic in plastic and make everything ready if you have to leave in a hurry, like too much  rain and the tent starts to leak.

I will tell you more when I start the tour again. 

Day 6: There is always one more hill

The only good thing about today was meeting my friend May.

The plan was simple: from Lillehammer follow the national cycling route 7 which goes all the way to Oslo. Like I have written before these routes have really been put together my some office boy. Sometimes it is well marked but other times they have just forgotten about it or given up. Then they go all over the place at the sametime - left, right and centre.

The path is supposed to be good to cycle on but this one was gravel loose. You can't cycle up it and when you are coming down you can't brake on it. So I had to walk about 4 km with the bike. I went back to the main road and cycled on it to the campsite.

These cycle paths should encourage more cycling but instead, based on today, I would have given up cycling forever. The only thing that kept me going was Oslo and a cold beer in Oslo (watch a film called – Ice Cold in Alex, you would understand) and a rest day. Hopefully the route does not kill that for me - I have to follow the route 7 tomorrow aswell.

That's cycling for you.

Anyway I met May for the first time after her wedding and now she is pregnant. It seemed like we were not going to meet - she had to go the hospital at 3pm. I would have arrived in Hamar at 3, but by sheer luck I was there 30 minutes early and decided to go to the hospital and wait there. As faith would have it I was at the wrong hospital. so I gave up and cycled on through the city centre it was already 3pm. Suddenly the phone rang - she was running late for the hospital and was in the city centre and she had 5 minutes. For old friends 5 minutes face to face is enough to download and upload information and of course a hug.  That was the highlight of this gloomy, very sunny day.

Wish me luck for Oslo, I will need it.

Day 5: Rest day and washing again

Last night's wash did not dry well and I had to put them in the bag and they started to smell even worse.

Woke up today with a shiver. It did not rain but it was really cold. I did not even want to get out of the tent, but somebody had to cycle. My aim was to reach Lillehammer some 65 km away. Not much but then it was a rest day. 

What can I say about Lillehammer? The only claim to fame for this town was that it hosted the 1994 winter olympic games. They still put out road signs saying they hosted the games not just around the town but 60 km and all along the way.

It was not a nice ride. One, because the road was the E6 and to top that was the road works all the way to Lillehammer. Digger dumper trucks, all the dust flying around and the road itself was rough as well. I lost my sunglasses yesterday so it was really bad.

I made it to the little town at 1400, had a lunch of meatball rice and salad, then had to find a campsite and everyone I asked gave a different direction. Finally I found one - it's called Lillhammer campsite just by the lake and has a very nice clean shower and washing area. Much better than the one I stayed at last night.

I'm wondering why no one has asked me about my butt, if it hurts?? No question to answer.

My ankle is hurting. I don't think it's because of the cycling because it's ok on the cycle but when I get off the bike then it hurts. I have to limp when I walk. While cycling it does not hurt at all. That is very strange.

The next 2 days is all about looking where I am going on the maps. I have not planned the route but Oslo is about 200km away. My boss who is a professional cyclist says he does it in 7 hours. He is on a racer and is not carrying anything. For me, I will try to get as close to Oslo as possible and stop, and then the day after make a dash for the capital. I can't wait to ride on the flatlands of Danmark.

Norway has good cycle roads but someone has forgotten to put signs to them. It's like you are cycling and suddenly a sign comes "NO CYCLING" ahead. They have an alternative route to it but they don't post a sign saying where it is. If you find it you are lucky otherwise you just have to cycle on the non-cycling road. Even the cycling route has been laid by some pencil pusher who has never cycled before, sending me on the path up the hill for no reason and then bringing me down under the flyover then back up and then to join the main road, and then, 5 minutes later, I see a no-cycling sign again.