Friday, April 10, 2009

I'm Very Excited. (I am not the entryphone, he's worried.)


Face 136, originally uploaded by Dave Gorman.

Since announcing the tour I've been inundated with offers of company and support. As I've explained in blogs passim, I'm only going to accept such offers at short notice when I know how I feel. This tour is going to be enough of a challenge as it is without me making appointments months in advance that I might or might not be up for when the time comes.

But other people, no doubt recognising my obvious ineptitude have been in touch to offer me different bits of kit that will help me out on the way. I know cynics will suspect that they're looking for some promotion but having seen the e-mails as they arrive I know for sure that in the vast majority of cases that really isn't what's going on. It's far more, You're doing what? Really? But you're an idiot! Here... you'd better have this? than anything else.

Anyway... I confess to being a bit starstruck by one of the offers but I'll save that for a while and tell you about it another day because - lucky old man that I am - I'm going to be getting my hands (and feet) on a new toy some time soon.

Yesterday I got to try out a nice new toy... Cycling Sat Nav. I was sceptical but it was pretty damn good. I did a training ride of around 20 to 25 miles using it to steer me out of London and under the M25 out to the South West for a while. Then I came back into town, did a gig in Putney - around 25 minutes with at least 10 or 15 minutes of it being new or newish material, all of which seemed to work pretty well - and then I did the 10 mile ride home.

All in all, another little boost to my confidence for the impending tour.

Worryingly I seem to have lost around half a stone today. This is a sign that I'm not hydrating properly. Or that my scales don't work properly. Or that I will have completely wasted away by the end of the tour. I'm hoping it's a combination of the first two. I will drink more water next time.

10 comments:

Freddie said...

You probably already know this (and someone has probably offered you one), but the best way to keep hydrated is to strap yourself into a Camelbak. Heck of a lot easier to suck on a tube than to faff about with a bottle.

Just Nick said...

Well, if you had some weighing scales built into your shoes, you could get off every now and then to see if you need a drink. Or maybe what you need is some weighing scales built into your bike. Hmm... Dear Genius....

Dave Gorman said...

@Freddie: generally not keen on the Camelbak option. Don't cycle with a rucksack because I'd rather get air around me than have anything resting on my back. But I might try it one day to see how it feels...

Anonymous said...

I cycle around 15 miles every day but am not losing any weight at all. What am I doing wrong?!!??!

40kaddict said...

Your 'scales don't work properly'? Have you turned into a giant pink kipper tie wearing lizard?

No wonder no one believes it's not you on google. You've donned a cold blooded animals hide to kepp from sweating only for the artificial air-con fail dramatically.

I suggest a glass of elderflower juice or a weak lemon drink and that'll get you right as rain again.

Mary said...

@dwez: Hurrah for weak lemon drink! Thanks for the reminder, mate, much appreciated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fist_of_Fun

Philip Diprose said...

Hello Dave, Im the editor of The Ride Journal, an all encompassing cycling magazine.

I'd like to talk (via email is fine) about the possibility of getting you to help us with issue 3.

I'd love for you to see issue 2 so you can see what we're all about.

email me at theridejournal AT hotmail.com

Im working with Ana at the One Show and was gutted to have missed you by a week. It would have been easier to talk to you then without having to resort to cyber-stalking
: )

cheers
Philip

Anonymous said...

I just got asked to send a parcel out to Dublin airport - for the attention of Dave Gorman. cool

Emily Lambourne said...

This made me laugh:

"Anonymous said.... I cycle around 15 miles every day but not losing any weight at all. What am I doing wrong?!!??!"

What a good place to ask for weight loss advise!

mitch said...

Re: Camelbak and air on your back. While touring in Australia a few years back, I used a tube from a home-brew store to extend my Camelbak tube so I could keep it on my pannier rack. Camelbak's spies must have been watching me, because they sell extension kits now :-) You feel pretty stupid when you forget it's there and walk away from the bike though...