The SolarCycle Diaries: 3 riders. 12,000 miles. 1 cause.

Pedaled down to Cardiff via Newbury (well - technically pedaled to Swindon then got the train… but it was a morning meeting) to pick up the solar panniers G24i have custom built for us. Which means that we are now the proud possessors of several panels and battery packs and have our own mobile power source. Absolutely brilliant. Even if there was an impromptu photo shoot (”Really? But I have just cycled 40 miles… And I’m not wearing mascara…”).

Then - as if that weren’t enough excitement - got home to find a massive box of phones from Nokia. (N96, N79 and 5800 Xpress Music). They all have different key features, Sports Tracker, Maps, Heart Rate Monitor, Downloads etc which I am just about to read about. Once I find a manual that isn’t in Finnish…

So, it’s all about kit this week. 

We’ll be testing all of the above and also tracking down tents, sleeping bags etc and working on clothes.

I am currently deciding the best thing to cycle in. Initial thoughts of a dress and leggings and / or pajamas (well they’re really thin cotton) has been rudely slated by some of my nearest and dearest. So a trip to the shops might be in order. Argh. I hate shopping. Still, considering it looks like these will be the only things I’ll be wearing for 9 months, it’s probably worth putting a bit of effort in.

Anyway, a huge thank you to all at G24 and also to Nokia (and Threshold). You guys rock!

Susie x

So the mayhem continues. 

Only now accompanied by a series of killer diseases.

Is it a worry when the doctor not only says to you: “Wow - I have never given this many vaccinations in one go before.” but then rings you two hours later telling you not to leave the country in case of ‘problems’?

Fortunately, the projected rash, flu and vomiting did not emerge and I - once again - thank the pint of unpasturised cream (my Dad’s a farmer, we had a cow) my parents forced me to drink daily as a child for boosting my immune system. Even if it meant I was not the sveltest of 7 year olds…

Anyway, this is particularly lucky as I am off to Wales on Friday (technically another country…) to see the solar panniers for the first time. Very excited. 

Much like I was the other day to get one of the new phones. 

When the two are finally combined in a beautiful union goodness only knows what levels of exhilaration will be reached!

In other news, Jamie is finally coming back from France (well, as soon as he gets his passport which we may have forgotten to send him…) there is now another friend, Timmy, joining us for the first leg, Comedy on the Hill have organised a fundraising comedy event for SolarAid (30th April, Bayswater, please come!), we are booked into visit another CSP plant (in France) and I made it through the training run to Hertfordshire with only one small navigational error (Kent, Hertfordshire - much of a muchness really…)

So all going very well indeed.

Lots more to do re, press release, kit and - of course - the leaving party but still a couple of weeks to go. 

Hope you are enjoying the sunshine! 

xx

Man alive! What an utterly manic, totally exhilarating and absolutely random month. Apologies that I haven’t written in ages but literally haven’t had the chance.

Right now, though, I have stolen a friends house, woken late from a wild Friday night watching ‘Son of Rambo’ and been boosted by a coffee so strong it could give Joe Calzaghe a run for his money. So an update ….

Extremely excitingly, the trip is now being sponsored by Nokia. (Cue entertaining inserts “whilst crossing the Jordanian desert I looked wistfully out across the arid expanse. Just over the horizon, past my state of the art, new model, dynamic mobile device, I saw a nomadic herdsman coming towards us on his camel…” etc) Which means that - because we have solar panels and phones that can sing, dance and rewrite the woks of Nietzsche - our journey can literally be tracked second by second with photo’s, video’s and a little moving blip on a map. How cool is that? Apparently the play lists we are listening to will also be available in real time too. I would therefore just like to point out at this early stage that there is nothing wrong with listening to a) musicals b) Kenny Logins or c) Eye of the Tiger on repeat…

Also - the first photo’s of the panniers have come in. Basically the flexible solar panels have been sewn into them for us by the fantastic company, G24 Innovations. The guys there have been testing them out down at their base in Cardiff and we will have a couple of trial runs too over the next couple of weeks before:

The 15th May. Our new start date. We pushed it back so that we could get even more organised than we already are… and also because it is EU solar day. We are now an official event for it and planning to leave around 8.30am that Friday from City Hall (tbc - it would be great though as it has solar panels on the roof and I am hoping to bribe Boris into coming down for a cuppa). So if any one wants to see us off, or indeed, head down to Dover with us then you are more than welcome!

Lots has been going on too with the help of the fantastic solar duo of Anna (SolarAid) and Charlotte (SolarCentury) giving us much appreciated advice. This website is being overhauled at the minute and so more relevant and succinct information on solar power is on its way. As well as what you can do to support it.

Planning-wise, we are half way through kit accumulation, have new shiney passports and visas and are being jabbed with all sorts of worrying diseases. I have been: moving out of home, finishing at Lloyd’s (again), trying to solve the crisis that is my business accounts, working over in France - with a spot of snow based cross training (and rather more strangely - dressing) thrown in for good measure - and getting ready for this years one and only ‘Alien Milk’ gig. (Come, come. It’s at the Bull and Gate in Kentish Town on Wednesday.) Iain has just finished the Devizes to Westminster kayak race as well as his job and Jamie is still in France desperately finishing work on a house. 

Everything is finally coming together though so watch this space for updates on the route plan, activities, website and - of course - leaving parties!

Anyway, that’s about it for now. Off for a quick pedal to Hertfordshire before spending most of tmrw feeling sick after consuming too much chocolate. Ah - you’ve got to love Easter…

Have a good one xx

There just aren’t enough hours in the day it seems. Jamie is still in France training and trying to get a house built before we leave, Susie always seems to be doing about 3 things at the same time, and I’m adding more than I’m ticking off on my bulging ‘to do’ list.

The major recent developments have been working with a global communications firm to use their kit on our trip. They have some amazing technology where we should be able to navigate, track our progress, take photos/video, listen to music and communicate with email and text all from our phones.We gave a little talk on the trip at their board meeting last week and they all seem great, fun people so we’re very excited about working with them going forward. Its also amazing when you think what people would have used in terms of equipment to do something vaguely similar not that many years ago on big trips. There would have been mountains of maps, heavy cameras and film, a separate video camera, music would have been a heavy and bulky proposition and even communicating 100 years ago could take weeks or months in some cases.

We also hope to get some very cool and extremely practical bike clothing from a groovy company who are one of the corporate good guys in terms of how they operate. Susie seems to know everyone in the Solar space and should be in PR, I can barely keep up with reading her emails so I have no idea how she finds time to write them. Then we’re all packing up our respective flats, sorting out visas, looking through route options, sorting out kit and trying to stay on top of all the little tasks like canceling subscriptions, sorting out tax/finance, getting mail forwarded, all those little DIY jobs round the flat etc. Anyway, things are moving on towards a mid May departure so I had better get on, so much to do, so little time….Iain/Hendo/Horatio