Bike for Nepal (LEJOG 2014): Day 1 -- The Rubber Meets The Road

The train ride from London to Penzance was very comfortable.  A nice old lady sat next to me and had a pleasant conversation whenever she took a break from knitting.  The train had to make an unscheduled stop because it hit an unnamed object on the tracks and they had to inspect the train for damage.  There was none. Penzance welcomed us with glorious sunshine.

I arrived in London on a rainy Saturday morning.  Carried my bike box on the Heathrow Express to Paddington and then took a cab to my friend Rashna's house in Hampstead.  I assembled the bike right away while she went to take care of a patient.  I discovered a problem with the disc brakes.  After lunch, we went to a bike shop in Camden.  A huge shout out to Evans Bicycle Shop.  With the mayor of London promoting bicycle commuting, these bike shops are incredibly busy.  But when they heard about my bike ride, and given that I had a train to catch in the morning, they dropped everything and adjusted my front breaks, and didn't charge me for the work.  There might have been a slight bend in the disc in transit.  If it drags me during the ride I may have to stop at a bike shop again and have it looked at.

While preparing for the bike ride, I had a number of decisions to make.  Should I rent a bike in UK or transport my own?  I decided to fly back from Glasgow and save a day so renting was not an option -- how will I return the bike in London?  Should I bring my road bike or mountain bike?  Leaning forward on long rides bothers my lower back, even with all the yoga.  So I decided to bring my mountain bike but change the tires to the skinniest ones I could find.  With the skinny tires, my speed on the mountain bike was very close to what I get on the road bike.  Besides, this is the bike wtih which  I did RAGBRAi 2011, so there is that confidence.

As I took off from Penzance train station looking for A30, I met a guy who just finished his ride from JOG to LE.  I shook his hands hoping for his luck to rub off on me.

The road to Land's End has some good ups and downs and barely any flat sections.  The wind was against me, and I took comfort in knowing that it will be on my back when I start for LE.  It was a little after 4 pm when I reached Land's End and took the obligatory picture.

I am glad I brought my mountain bike.  The gradient in some places is pretty steep.  As I rode on A30 towards Penzance, I decided to deviate from my precomputed route and continue on A30 which becomes a divided highway east of Penzance.  It was actually pretty good.  The cars were reasonably considerate.  And the major roads tend to be straighter.

When I came to a roundabout at an intersection with A394, I got back on my original route.  These smaller roads are undivided and tend to be curvy. The cars still go pretty fast,  although they have been pretty generally considerate.  But I am thinking that it may not be so bad to take a road like A30.

I pushed hard because I had a late start hoping that I can still make it to Lostwithiel.  I had only porridge and a sandwich on the train, and my powerbars.  So I stopped in a small town called Helston for some food.  I thought there was another two hours of riding possible so I just had some Tom Yum soup and hit the road again.  The place had wifi and a clean restroom.  Good stop to make.

I decided that if there is still light left when I reach Truro, I would try to make the push towards Lostwithiel.  But the ride was a real drag after I left Helston.  I thought it might be my legs.  I stopped and checked the wheels.  The front one is fine, but now I noticed that the back wheel is catching a little bit.  I have to get this taken care of at a bike shop.  There is also some noise that is unfamiliar.

It was clear I wont be able to make it to my B&B in Lostwithiel.  I stopped at a place called Premier Inn just outside Truro.  As it was getting late, I was concerned that I may not be able to find a room.  Premier Inn was too expensive, but she found a B&B for about 55 pounds in a nearby village -- only 1.5 miles away.  But there will probably be no places to eat there.  So I had a big plate of fish and chips and potato fries and green peas at Premier Inn.  Food that I avoided while training.  But now I need all the calories I can get.

The B&B  was 1.5 miles off the road alright, but down the steepest hill I have been on so far!  I am going to pay for it tomorrow.  There is a saying in my mother tongue which translates to: More work for the lazy guy and more expense for the stingy guy!  If I had stayed on the my route and gotten into Truro center, it would probably have been more efficient overall.  

By the time I finished dinner it was almost 10 pm.  It was still dusky, but started getting dark quickly. The couple that runs the B&B was surprised at my knock on the door.  My reservation was made online after 8:30 pm and they hadn't seen it.  They had to prepare my room, and served me some tea while I waited, with their cat giving me a disinterested look.

I hit the sack immediately wondering if I will be able to make it to Tiverton on Day 2 and get back on schedule.