Ripping yarns of high adventure: the title of this blog sounds like the title of a 'Boy's Own' book, but it happens to be a tale of a man with a passion and a story to tell, a man who faces a huge physical challenge. Jez is a friend of the Shine Centre in London, a parent at a South West London school who has taken on probably the biggest physical challenge of his life, and he has chosen to do it on the behalf of the Shine Centre. We are touched and honoured by his gesture, and we will be following his progress with great anticipation and pride. We plan to link his blog with ours, and follow the story on Facebook so that we can track both his thoughts and his journey. Below are few pictures of the bike that Jez will be using, and a description of his adventure. As I sit here writing this in 34 degrees and rising, it is difficult to even contemplate the extreme conditions that Jez will be experiencing in less than six weeks time.
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| The bike is still only half built, but if gives an idea of the finished product. Jez will be adding panniers and possibly using a trailer to help carry all the food, fuel and clothing he will need during the journey. |
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| Extreme tyres for the ice |
'The Race starts on the 17th of March 2012, and we have 14 days to complete the 380 miles. If we have not finished after 14 days we get pulled off the ice, as this is the maximum time allowed. If the weather is favourable I expect to be able to complete the ride in 7 – 10 days.
Mat and I will be cycling on a custom built ice bikes which we have imported from Alaska. The Alaskan's are heavily into snow and ice riding so it seemed the right place to go. We will be carrying all out kit for the 14 days on the bike so we will have bike panniers and possibly a trailer to carry all the equipment such as tents, clothing, fuel for melting ice and cooking and food. The temperatures will range from -10C in the south to -30C in the north. This is without the effects of wind chill, which can make it feel 20 degrees colder. Winds can appear within minutes and have been recorded at 200kmph. If this happens we will be in our tents trying to sleep. Little hope of that I am sure.
Training for the event includes commuting to work in all weathers and longer rides at weekends. I am not overly concerned about the distance, I have cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats which was over 900 miles in 9 days. My main concern is the cold. I have been able to get some time training and testing our clothing in an industrial freezer at -25 degrees C. I will be taking a bike and turbo trainer into the freezer and I will be riding to make sure we are happy with the number of layers we are wearing. There is a big risk of frost nip if the sweat freezes against our bodies, so we have to make sure we keep covered when we stop or get too hot. We will be wearing balaclavas and a mask to protect our faces along with ski goggles to keep the glare out.
We will be camping on the ice each night and will have equipment and clothing which is designed to keep us warm in conditions as low as -50 degrees C. We will have to melt ice each morning so we have enough to drink each day to keep us hydrated. Jez'
Jez and his three beautiful young daughters
