clairedavieswriter

After my poor show on the fuelling front on Day 1, I’ve been trying to do better, but yesterday I may have overcompensated. I made an inventory of my intake last night: 6am: pot of yoghurt with granola 7am: banana 8.30am: pain aux raisin 10.30am: omelette roll 2pm: cheese roll 6.30pm: red lentil curry, rice,…

The pair of Polish powerlifters were up at 5.30, which was handy, as I’d planned to start early to avoid rain forecast for the afternoon. Team Bernard were on the road less than an hour later. I confess I felt a bit bleary – not helped by the weather. It was chilly enough for a…

My stay in Husum was another great testament to the wonder that is Warmshowers: safety, shelter, delicious food and stimulating conversation with a like-minded stranger who takes no financial reward. What’s not to like? It’s such a great way for a touring cyclist to find out about their host country and the immediate local area…

Every end to end starts with a border, so Team Bernard’s first task this morning was to find it. This was a helpful start: As was this: But as with many European borders, there was no formal marker, just a ‘if you know you know’ kind of thing: in this case, a sign indicating a…

I hardly think so: I don’t think my cortisol levels have been this high since I discovered my son still in his pyjamas half an hour before his Physics A Level. But I’ll come to that in a moment (the train journey, not the almost- missed A Level). Once I’d packed all of this: Into…

He enjoyed his spa day at the local bike shop, and is now sporting a sparkling new chain. Lift off in four days! Watch this space…

It’s that time of year again: the birds are getting frisky, the barbecues are coming out and Bernard is itching for his next adventure. He doesn’t have much longer to wait. On 31 May, Team Bernard (that’s Bernard the bike, Guillaume the Garmin, and me, with occasional support from Gloria Google) will set off on…