Hello everyone!
I am organising a charity cycle to take place next September called - as I'm sure you can guess by my username - the Tartan Cycle. A small group of us will begin the journey in Glasgow, making our way south through England, France, Spain and Portugal; eventually finishing roughly 1800 miles and a month later near Faro in the Algarve. The cycle will be in aid of the Tartan Army Children's Charity; although anyone wishing to join us can donate 50% of their sponsorship to a charity of their choice, if they wish.
The reason I am here is because we: a) could use some advice on routes through Europe (and England for that matter), b) need some suggestions for the best bikes/equipment to invest in and c) would appreciate expert advice from the people who know best about bikes - you guys!
Firstly, the route. There will be at least five of us on bikes (with a support vehicle in tow) and my priority over anything else is safety. If we add extra miles on to avoid busy roads, that's fine, we have scope for that (travelling only 60 miles per day based on rough estimates). My reckoning is to keep close to the west coast in England and take the Plymouth - Roscoff ferry over to France. Again keeping to the west coast down past Bordeaux, over to San Sebastian in Spain, Burgos, Salamanca, crossing the border with Portugal roughly at Badajoz and then down to Faro. Has anybody ever cycled this part of the world and can offer advice? Are there cyclist-friendly maps out there to aid my planning? At the minute it's just a sketch on Google maps!
Also, what advice can you offer for cycling on foreign roads?
Now, to bikes. Something durable and reliable, of course, but not break-the-bank. £500 maximum, perhaps? Complete bike novice here; I've done plenty of cycling but know nothing about the things, bar basic repairs! What should I be looking for and what should I avoid? Equipment-wise, what essentials should we be investing in? On the bikes we'll be travelling quite light, we'll always be an hour at most away from the support vehicle so our gear will be stored there. We'll also be camping wherever possible along the way so any favourite spots would be gratefully received! If we can't get a campsite then a bunkhouse, youth hostel etc will suffice; we'll be watching the pennies!
Finally, if anyone would like to join us on any part of the route please feel free to do so, it would be a pleasure to have company! As long as you aren't camera shy; we'll be keeping a video diary and will more than likely have our mugs on the telly! We will also have an online presence set up soon so you can keep tabs on our progress.
If you've read this far, thank you for your time! Any help or advice you can offer would be very much appreciated.
All the best,
Martin
The Tartan Cycle
I am organising a charity cycle to take place next September called - as I'm sure you can guess by my username - the Tartan Cycle. A small group of us will begin the journey in Glasgow, making our way south through England, France, Spain and Portugal; eventually finishing roughly 1800 miles and a month later near Faro in the Algarve. The cycle will be in aid of the Tartan Army Children's Charity; although anyone wishing to join us can donate 50% of their sponsorship to a charity of their choice, if they wish.
The reason I am here is because we: a) could use some advice on routes through Europe (and England for that matter), b) need some suggestions for the best bikes/equipment to invest in and c) would appreciate expert advice from the people who know best about bikes - you guys!
Firstly, the route. There will be at least five of us on bikes (with a support vehicle in tow) and my priority over anything else is safety. If we add extra miles on to avoid busy roads, that's fine, we have scope for that (travelling only 60 miles per day based on rough estimates). My reckoning is to keep close to the west coast in England and take the Plymouth - Roscoff ferry over to France. Again keeping to the west coast down past Bordeaux, over to San Sebastian in Spain, Burgos, Salamanca, crossing the border with Portugal roughly at Badajoz and then down to Faro. Has anybody ever cycled this part of the world and can offer advice? Are there cyclist-friendly maps out there to aid my planning? At the minute it's just a sketch on Google maps!
Also, what advice can you offer for cycling on foreign roads?
Now, to bikes. Something durable and reliable, of course, but not break-the-bank. £500 maximum, perhaps? Complete bike novice here; I've done plenty of cycling but know nothing about the things, bar basic repairs! What should I be looking for and what should I avoid? Equipment-wise, what essentials should we be investing in? On the bikes we'll be travelling quite light, we'll always be an hour at most away from the support vehicle so our gear will be stored there. We'll also be camping wherever possible along the way so any favourite spots would be gratefully received! If we can't get a campsite then a bunkhouse, youth hostel etc will suffice; we'll be watching the pennies!
Finally, if anyone would like to join us on any part of the route please feel free to do so, it would be a pleasure to have company! As long as you aren't camera shy; we'll be keeping a video diary and will more than likely have our mugs on the telly! We will also have an online presence set up soon so you can keep tabs on our progress.
If you've read this far, thank you for your time! Any help or advice you can offer would be very much appreciated.
All the best,
Martin
The Tartan Cycle
