Over the Christmas and New Year period I had some time off work allowing me time to start planning where I might cycle to in 2023. With an aim to cycle further than I had in 2022, with a vague notion to try and fundraise on the back of some of the 2023 cycle rides I drew up a relatively short list of possible challenges.

I've mentioned these before but the plan to stitch together my earlier Christchurch to Liverpool ride by riding from Lands End back to Christchurch and also a ride from John O'Groats to Liverpool are work in progress, but following a real struggle of a ride over the Christmas period which resulted in me using a low gear to get up a steep hill in the New Forest, and then continuing to use the same low gear on the level cycling into a particularly disgusting headwind it made me think that setting some aims to allow me to focus training to achieve the aims would be the right way to go.

In addition I'd seen several Youtube videos of cyclists using the Eurovelo 1 - a cycle route along the Atlantic coast of France......so a separate plan to get the ferry to Bilbao in north eastern Spain to then ride home was also forming.

However my first aim for 2023 was to cycle around the Isle Of Wight. There are lots of reasons this was an aim; I know several friends and work colleagues who have ridden around the island (meaning its possible!), I see the island almost every day either whilst dog walking or from work (it doesn't look that big!) but mostly because its not very far from where I live. In the world of working and trying to strike a work / life balance any potential cycle trips need to be achievable without impacting too much on my family (Jan and our dog Archie to be specific) and also be something that wasn't going to take weeks to achieve.

From a small amount of research (aka a quick google search) and it appeared that the route around the island is between 65 and 70 miles in length. I was aware that the island has signage for the route, essentially taking you on the roads around the perimeter to help guide cyclists. Using google maps I was able to create a route and then ping it to my phone for use as satnav, and with this complete I focused on training.

What I also needed to do was book a ferry ticket from Lymington to Yarmouth and back. Over the winter the service is provided by one ferry going back and forth, so with limited time slots I booked into an early ferry (7.45 am) and a return at 5pm, giving me ample time to enjoy the ride and make it back in time to then continue the journey home. Lymington ferry is around 11 miles from my house so in theory simple to get to for the early ferry which I booked for the last Saturday in February.

First ride of 2023 saw me stretching my legs on a familiar 11 mile loop around the New Forest. Not a long distance, but my plan was to build the mileage up gradually. Next ride was longer , and within a few weeks I had comfortably got back upto 30 miles as I had been achieving back in the summer of 2022.

What I did experience over these few rides was exceptional cold - one ride in particular my water bottle froze up! Whilst the Norwegians have a phrase about there being no such thing as cold weather, only bad clothing, trying to take a sip of frozen water with very cold hands was a bit of a shock!

As I headed through February I experienced a new feeling in relation to cycling around the Isle of Wight, which I can only describe as a mix of excitement and anxiety. The island appeared to be getting bigger each time I glanced across the Solent, the hills higher and steeper, but at the same time I was really getting excited about the challenge.

With a couple of weeks to go I set off to check the route to Lymington. I planned to check the timing to ensure I could make the ferry on time, and this was a useful plan to take away any risk on the big day. All was going well for the first few miles, I felt fit, fast and all of a sudden I stumbled across a large yellow sign suggesting there was a diversion, quickly followed by a large number of cones and barriers because my route to Lymington was closed ! I followed the diversion, an additional five miles for training, but utterly useless in terms of my planning for the ride. A road closed and an additional five miles to ride before getting even to the ferry was a slight problem. Hopefully the road works would be complete before my journey, but there was no guarantee.

However my training rides, although colder than maybe I would have wanted, were easily extended to 40 miles or more, with good speed and they almost felt effortless. The round the island ride was going to be a couple of lots of 40 miles and a bit more, but most importantly I felt physically and mentally ready allowing me to focus on food, water and any other prep needed for the ride.

With a few days to go until the island ride the roadworks were complete, so with route planned and open, food and drink planned, lightweight handlebar bag dusted off to keep my stuff in, and ferry tickets ready on my phone I was about as ready as I was going to be. *

( *if you've read my earlier blog about riding to west Dorset my definition of "ready" is a little short of actually being ready.)

So with everything sorted out on the night before I set my alarm for an early hour to get up, shower, dress, put my lunch in my cycle bag and head off. Time to get some sleep and await a mini adventure.