Epilogue

In May 2012, four friends set out to cycle the length of the River Thames over three days. 

There we were, fully kitted up, with the sun on our faces and a slightly breeze behind us. Months of planning and organisation had been done, and now the time was here to achieve what we set out to do; cycling from the source of England’s biggest river to the other end at the Thames Barrier, separated by some of England’s best countryside.

Now it is finished, this is our epilogue.

Having no official route to follow, we attempted to follow the river as much as possible by road, with only minimal sections of the Thames Path that allowed cyclists.

We’d been on a few trial runs of distance over multiple days, and quickly decided more training and less kit was required.  We took advice from all quarters on how best to prepare ourselves and our bikes.

Our kit consisted mainly of spare clothes, a First Aid kit, lights, spare inner tubes and puncture repair kits, printed maps, muscle rub, pain relieving gel, padded gloves and shorts, plenty of fluid, energy bars and tablets, and of course our Team Jerseys.  Having decided to stay in cheap hotels for the nights meant we were able to confine ourselves to a minimum amount of kit and toiletries, and no-one needed to carry a tent.

Somewhat surprisingly, Shum managed to find room in his bag for his DLSR camera, from which he managed to capture our adventure on film. 

We also had a smart phone each, with a GPS receiver to allow us to find out where we were, and where we should be.  Shum had also taken a Garmin Edge, which has enabled us to track our route and see exactly where we got lost!

We’ve put these photos on the blog for you to enjoy. Unfortunately, we are having difficulty in getting the tracked route to a gpx/kml file for Google Earth, but we have produced screen shots for you.

So our ride is now done, we’ve managed to raise over £2,500 for three great charities, something we’re very happy about.  Along the way there have been a few laughs, a few tears and arguments, but friends throughout.  So what happens next?

Well, as with all good epilogues, we would like to tell you what we’re up to now.

We’ve since returned to our ‘normal’ lives and are continuing our computer-based, office-bound, button-bashing careers.  Foster has recently moved company, and continues to enjoy fatherhood; Shum is working hard and exercising hard, training for a short bike ride to China.  I am currently enjoying a summer of sport - watching, not playing; and Paterson still doesn’t have a new bike!  That said, we’re still riding, and possibly – possibly, there’s a hint at doing the next big cycle challenge.

There’s a whole host of literature and information out on the internet on long distance cycling and cycle routes, plus any good local bike shop worth their salt will be happy to help out and advise.  We hope that this blog (which has been my first foray into writing of any kind) has been interesting and useful to anyone else who may be tempted to do something a little different.

It's all out there waiting for you.