Me & Blossom


A bit more about me & my dear Blossom

Me:

I started "proper" cycling back in August 2003 when a work friend asked me for sponsorship for a group cycling trip he was leading from John O'Groats to Land's End in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Instead of giving him a donation I asked if I could ride with them and help raise money as well. 

My split second decision was not as well thought out as it could have been given 1) I had no road bike 2) I only cycled about 30 miles per week and only in warm weather and 3) they were leaving in 6 weeks. I also found out on day one that they were going fairly fast.

To cut a short story even shorter, I managed to start and finish the ride with the result I was beginning to become a "proper" cyclist, we had raised over £5K, I had cycled just over 1,000 miles in 8 days and me and my bum were still on speaking terms, and I'd had a great time with a great bunch of people. 

The photo above is me in the French Alps 2007-ish just a bit younger and a bit lighter than now but proudly wearing my  John O'Groats to Land's End "End 2 End" cycling top. For further details please see link below: 
www.easterleycycling.org.uk/e2e/end2end.html

 Given the bug had truly bitten, since then I have cycled France: Calais to Nice twice, Canal du Midi & Garonne*, Geneva to Nice, Le Havre to Paris*, London to Paris, A fair part of the Danube*, Southern Italy* and lots of places in the UK.
 * = with my wife, Ruth.

I get a(nother) new bike - my touring bike christened Blossom aka #8

Why Blossom? Well as you can see below, Blossom is a burnt orange colour which has a wonderful ability to sparkle and shine when in direct sunlight - due to metal paint flecks don't you know. In fact, you would not be wrong if you thought that the bike blossoms into a dazzle-fest of light and happiness. Either way, I realllllly loikke it - see the 2006 movie "The Holiday" for the correct pronunciation, which by the way was partly filmed in Shere, a pretty, idylic village with a population of under 4,000 in the Guildford district of Surrey.

 Blossom has many interesting features which make her very special. These are listed below but I strongly recommend that you only read this section if you are a bit of a cycling nerd.
  1. Ridgeback Panorama Delux Steel frame made from Reynolds 853, 525 and 520 tubing
  2. Schmidt SON 28 Dynamo Front Hub
  3. Schmidt Edelux II dynamo front & Busch & Muller Toplight Brake Line+ dynamo rear lights
  4. Pair of Kinlin XD230 six bolt disc  rims, 1 x rear Novatec hub, black Sapim Race spokes
  5. Wheels built by Harry Rowland - the best wheel-builder in the UK
  6. Igaro SON dynamo to USB (x2) equipment - this charges my electronic devices as I cycle along, merrily singing a song, possibly all day long, helping me stay strong.
  7. Marathon Plus 35mm tyres
  8. Hexlox unique bike security system
  9. ABUS Granit X-Plus 540 U-lock
  10. Tubus Tara Lowrider front and Tortec Expedition Rear pannier racks
  11. Carradice CarraDry Rear (58L) and Front (20L) pannier bags
  12. SRAM road and mountain groupset mix


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