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First Confession Already…

First Confession Already…

UK vs USA

Perhaps you noticed around the site where I mentioned a 3,400-mile journey (now updated), well the maps just arrived from the States and the journey is in fact 4,300 miles. I know what you’re thinking and my excuse is that I must have misread it the first time around, but what’s 900 miles between friends?

Interesting Fact:

The longest part of the UK (Land’s End to John O’Groats) is approximately 600 miles. So, distance wise I was out by about 1.5 x the length of the United Kingdom. I’m such a sausage.

Anyway, that’s sorted now, I’m just going to up my daily mileage a little bit to make sure I make it to the Pacific Ocean within my 90-day visa.

On the subject of distance, I came across the image at the beginning of this post and at first sight it put a small brown onion in my cycling shorts…

This is the little baby UK (obvs the Republic of Ireland is missing) inside the gigantic USA. I didn’t really understand the scale of this jolly and from seeing how massive the US is I am honestly a bit nervous. But its just like eating an Elephant ain’t it, one bite at a time.

Next on my agenda is reviewing the maps that came in the post today. These are going to be my most valued possessions over the summer, so I want to spend some time alone with them and make sure I can in fact read a map. I will let you know how I get on!

Yours in cycling,

Dan

T-minus 45 Days

T-minus 45 Days

May 1st, 2017, we have lift off.

So, I bought a plane ticket that leaves the UK, takes me across the pond and drops me in America.

By purchasing the ticket, I have now completely committed to what will definitely be my greatest adventure to date.

As I briefly said in my “About” page I didn’t renew my rented flat and I didn’t renew my contract at work. As a 27 year old it’s probably a bit sad to say but they are my only two commitments in life. Well, they were my only two commitments lol.

I make it 45 days until the flight and as we speak I have nothing in place for the 3 month journey across the states.

The way I see it is I just need a positive mindset and a compass attached to a bicycle, but let’s see how my view develops over the coming weeks.

It still feels so far away that it doesn’t seem real, so at the moment I’m properly blasé about it. When I tell people that I’m going to spend 3 months cycling across America the general response is “Haha Lol…..but you’re not are you”, to which I respond, “Yes, I am mate”. The next question they ask is “So when did you last ride a bike?” to which I respond “I had a nails paper round in 2005”. For them it sounds impossible, but as the Adidas motto goes, impossible is nothing.

I’d love for you to keep me company along the way… so come back already!

Yours in cycling,

Dan