EyeCycled posts to resume after the pilgrimage

Hi there.

Typing this post on the small screen of a mobile phone. Not really the best way to run a blog perhaps ( wouldn”d know as this is my first and only) but not much choice right now.

I am currently in Leon having cycled 81 Km today. I am on the top bunk bed in a room with several dozen bunk beds and not even 1 power socket in sight. All part of the Camino.

I have been posting pictures to the EyeCycled Facebook page though. If you like to know of my progress, please like the page.

Just think this will be my last post for a while. When I get back to the UK I’ll work on producing a more detailed account of this trip.

I have been recording the entire trip on time-lapse photograph (my Sony action can takes 1 photo every 5 seconds) so you’ll have the benefit of watching an entire day’s of cycling in j st a few minutes.

If there are typos in this text, please excuse me in advance. Tiredness does not go well with smartphone screens.

Burn Camino!

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Camino, day 3, Puente de Reina to Viana

Did about 62 Km today. The intention was to ride all the way to Logrono, but as we stopped in Viana just to look around (around 5pm) we decided to stay for the night.
We did a little stop at Irache where they have the famous wine fountain and I decided to part ways with my riding partner for a while and the the walkers route to Los Arcos, while my partner took the road. Needless to say he got there mucb earlier and what I got was my own experience to tell you there are parts of the camino there are definitely not suitable for biking, at least not for a loaded bike. There were moments I had literatelly lift my entire bike with all its load off the ground.
After a quick stop in Los Arcos for food we continued in the direction to Logrono stoping at Viana for the night.
Viana is such a great little town, high up in the hill. Albergue for the night was €8 and the pilgrims menu also €8 and food was great.
Please take a look at the EyeCycled Facebook page for some pictures.

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Camino, Day 2, Roncesvales to Puente De Reina

Did 80 Km today, to compensate the 30 Km yesterday. We need to keep an average of 60 Km a day to have enough time to be back from Santiago to Saint Jean.
There were many highlights in today’s ride, but as I mentioned in my previous post, please go to the EyeCycled Facebook page for pictures and some details.
I will be adding everything together once I return to the UK.
Buen Camino!

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Camino, day 1, Saint Jean to Roncesvales

Before you start reading, I wrote this post 2 days ago as I was already tucked in my bunk bed, but as I was ready to post, I found out WiFi did not reach there and I was without mobile phone signal. Yesterday the same thing, but frankly I wouldn’t have written anything anyway. Too tired.
I’ve been posting pictures in my EyeCycled Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/EyeCycled) and will leave that for later here as it is simply too complicated to move the pictures to the device I am using. Please like the page and keep checking if you want the visual experience.
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Today was different and that is good.
I am typing this using a tablet computer and I”ve never been very good with virtual keyboards,so will try to keep it short. To anyone that might be following this, I’ll do a complete makeover of this posts adding video and writting a more elaborate post. WiFi is also practically non existant and mobile signal is very weak, so no pictures today I’m afraid. I’ve added some in the EyeCycled Facebook while on the way though (click on the right)
we left Saint Jean late, around 10:30am. After having watched some videos of people struggling to push their bikes up on the walkers route, we decided to stick to the road. Perhaps I’ll do the camino again by foot one day and then take the walkers route.
Having taken the road was the right decision. It was perhaps easier, but that is not to say it was easy. Something like 90% iofthe 30 Km that separate Saint Jean from Roncesvales is s up hill, the famous Pyrinees Mountains.
We also had light rain on the way which would make the walkers route even more challenging.
We arrived in Roncesvales at 4:00pm and stopped for a coffee. The top of the mountain was very windy and cold. During the coffee we decided to stay at the “Albergue”. The cost is 12 Euros and the Pilgrims mealis 10. Today’s menu was pasta, then fish with potatoes and the desert was some white cream. All with wine and water. Not bad.
Ha a shower and then went to see the Catholic mass in the chapel.
Tomorrow the plan is to ride to Pamplona or further. The is another big hill on the way, not as high but with a high incline.

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Arrived in Saint Jean Pied de Port

It was a long drive, following a sleepless night, so I am nacket. We had to drop our 2 car sharers in Biarritz and arrived in Saint Jean around 9:30pm having to rush to find some place to eat as the hostel closes at 10pm.

image

We are tucked in our beds and coincidently one of our room sharers is also Brazilian, from Rio.
Tomorrow the ride begins.

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The Backwards Brain Bicycle

I posted this video in my personal Facebook timeline last week, but I liked it so much I thought it would be cool to leave this account here.

All rights are recognized. I´d recommend you browse through his YouTube Channel. He´s got lots of interesting stuff there (not necessarily related to cycling though)

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To Gore or not to Gore?

Aldi's Cycling Softshell Jackets

I was in an Aldi supermarket last week and saw they had Softshell Cycling Jackets for £15.99.

I was wearing my “Gore Phanton 2.0” Softshell jacket and was able to touch and investigate both materials.

I accept that I am not an expert on things related to clothing, but to the touch I could not feel any difference on the material.

Of course, there are significant differences in design. My Gore jacket has removable “zip-off” sleeves which are an excellent feature if the day starts cold and warms up, something that the much cheaper Aldi jacket doesn’t have.

A more reliable way to compare them would be to wear them for a few days in a few rides, but I didn’t think a post was worth the expense.

Fact is, my Gore-Tex jacket costs 6x more than Aldi’s one and everything is a matter of cost x benefit these days.

Don’t take me wrong touch, I love my Gore jacket and for those that are willing to spend more than £100 on a piece of cycling clothing I do recommend it.

Anyone with experience on Aldi’s cycling jacket, feel free to leave your comments below. They will be most welcome.

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My Second ride on a Recumbent

Challenge Hurricane Recumbent Bike
Hurricane at the South Hill Park

As the Germans say, “Übung macht den Meister”, practise makes perfect (in a manner of speaking).

I recorded a part of the ride on my Sony Action Cam.

Far from perfection but improving. I did not fall one single time and with the exception of a few moments of occasional unbalance everything was OK.

By the time I write this post though, I have actually ridden the recumbent 3 times having done about 20 Km on the 3rd time.

It still requires a lot of my concentration from me, so it may take me a few more rides to achieve that sense one oneness with the bike.

I am not even sure a “look mum, no hands” moment is possible on a recumbent, but if it is, it will take a while… Stay tuned.

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