Now that's just taking the Pith !

Was it Noel Coward who said "Only mad dogs and Englishmen" ? Joff Sommerfield, a man on a mission, his third attempt to cycle around the world on a Penny Farthing, wearing, quite aptly a Pith helmet ! What an inspiration, and a wonderful thing to achieve on such an iconic bike, I believe he built it himself ? Quite a few people have commented that my bike, a mountain bike is completely wrong for cycling across France ! It's going to be a hell of a lot easier than that thing Joff is perched up on !? It might not be a road bike but it's a bike, and it might not be as fast as a road bike but it'll still do a fine job of carrying me across France I'm sure ...

Another thing is, if you ride a road bike you have to wear really weird clothes ! They seem to go hand in hand, Lycra clad Power rangers, what do they look like !? I appreciate they want to be seen but they just take it too far. Especially in France, there are millions of them. On the weekends they're out in force, flocks of them pedalling along in bright, clashing colours jostling for slipstreams without a care for the optical assault they're playing on the weary eyes of frustrated drivers, swearing and struggling to pass !

Sorry about that, I'm having flashbacks to weekend driving down Breton lanes ....

Here's to Joff and his amazing achievement, Google him, I think he's written a book about the trip ? I may not be wearing a Pith but I take my hat off to him anyway.

I've been working on my route tonight, and it's coming together pretty well. I've whittled 47 nights of potential accommodation down to about 27 which has been really hard work actually as every single offer has been so generous, if I had more time I'd have made a point of visiting every last person. Mind you I'll be keeping all the contacts because last night over a few glasses of wine with my mate Rich, challenge number two was hatched ! It's a beauty, really exciting and not a push bike to be seen, well actually there will be but only for a few miles ! Keep watching this space for exciting news of justpeddling2010 !

So, the route... It's pretty finalised now so I'll get my head around mapping it and contacting the 27 lucky, or unlucky hosts with my eta's over the next few days.

I had some special pedaling shoes put aside today at the bike shop, they look just like normal trainers although they have cleat things for clipping to my pedals, and you can walk around normally in them unlike those strange road bike ones ...