The Kit List - Kitchen sinking it

Well, I've finally got round to putting this down on paper. Here's what I'm planning on taking (though I've still got to buy a fair few bits of the kit). 'Dry' weight for this lot (incl. bags, ex. food, water & fuel) is ~19kg.

Many thanks to Peter Smith for casting his more practical eye over this.

Biking gear
Helmet
Helmet mirror
Glasses (2x lenses - light & dark)
Buff x3
Cycle top - short sleeve x2
Cycle top - long sleeve
Lightweight goretex jacket
Fingerless gloves
Lining gloves
Watch
Dog tags
Livestrong band
Cycle shorts x2
Leggings
Mtb shoes
Neoprene overshoes
Socks x5
Camelback

Not biking gear
Down body warmer
Merino wool thermal top
Lightweight fleece top
Lightweight long sleeve top
Lightweight T-shirt x2
Silk boxers x3
Trousers
Shorts
Swimming trunks
Socks x3
Lightweight running shoes
Midge/mosquito hood

Tools
Multi tool (Small allen keys, screw drivers, spoke keys & chain splitter)
Tyre levers x2
Pedal spanner
Tyre valve adaptor
Tyre pressure gauge
Oil/Scotoiler
Pump

Camping kit
Tent (Laser competition)
Footprint for tent
Spare tent pegs
Sleeping bag (Rab Summit Alpine 300)
Silk sleeping bag liners x2
Inflatable pillow
3/4 length Thermarest
Thermarest chair kit
Earplugs
Elastic clothes line
Clothes pegs x6
Foil blanket

Cooking
Stove (multifuel)
Gas canisters x2 (delivered to Seattle hotel)
Cooking pot
1L Water flasks x2
Mug
Spork
Lighter
Foldable 5L bucket (Ortleib)

Bike gear
Panniers
Pannier bags (2x front & 2x rear)
Rackpack pannier bag
Mudgaurds
Lightweight nylon bike cover
Bell
Spare gear cable
Spare brake pads
Spare spokes (2x front, 3x rear)
2m heavyweight combination lock
Very lightweight cable locks x2
Foldable tyres x2
Spare foldable tyre
Tubes x2
Puncture kit (10 patches)
Leeches tyre patches x12
Kevlar tyre tape
Rear lights x2
Headtorch for front light?
Spare p clips (for pannier)

Gadgets & fun stuff
Mobile phone
US SIM card/phonecard?
Camera (Spare memory card)
GPS (with h/rate monitor)
Powermonkey solar charger
US phone/camera/gps charger
Kite (Prism Snapshot 1.9)

Bits & Bobs
Bic pen
Duct tape
Reusable cable ties x8
Compass
Whistle
Superglue
Small US and St Andrew's flags
Money belt
Passport/wallet/insurance docs

Keeping me clean
Travel bag
Travel mirror
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Shampoo/shower gel or soap
Antiperspirant
Facecloth
Travel towel
Beard trimmer (or more accurately stubble trimmer)

Keeping me healthy
First aid kit
Steroid cream
Antibiotics
Ibuprofen capsules
Ibuprofen gel
Bodyglide
Sudocream
Glucosamine, cod liver etc. capsules
Suntan lotion
Insect repellent
Nail clipper
...and finally, Bear Spray (delivered to Seattle hotel)

Seven hours in the saddle

Its been a good few years since I got the buzz from cycling I got from yesterday's ride. It's that high of stopping at the end of the ride and realising just how far away from home I was as I found myself in Blair Atholl - chalking up just shy of 100miles.

Bearing in mind how simple the design of a bicycle is, I'm still amazed by the ability it gives to travel these large distances under your own steam - a genius invention.

As an aside, I thought those of you in the Mhesa Golf Club might appreciate that I took a little detour in Pitlochry to get this snap. I sure it'll bring back nothing but happy memories to Team Linn/Withers.

Gone With the Wind

Good spin down to North Berwick and back today. However, I really should have realised that when I was crusing at 25+ mph on the way there, and couldn't feel a breath of wind, that it was going to be a tough ride back into the 'breeze' - and it definitely was.

It's all about the food

I've heard cycle touring being described as 'riding your bike between meals' and as my training mileage is starting to ramp up I'm beginning to really understand that that phrase isn't too far from the truth. As I sit here this morning munching on an energy bar ahead of today's training ride I thought I'd give a quick example. An average training ride of 50 miles will see me burn about 3,000 calories, which is equivalent to my normal daily intake. I'm currently riding every second day which means I currently need to eat about 50% more than normal. Looking ahead to the actual trip, I reckon I'll be looking at about 5,000-6,000 calories extra per day, so that means I'll need to eat getting on for three times what I'm used to. Now, as many of you know, I like my food, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous about having to find, carry and consume that sort of quantity of food every day for 3 months. Anyway, I'm off now to see if I can find a chippy that sells deep fried pizzas at 9am.

String theory - Knot a clue

Just how long is a piece of string? I was genuinely asking myself that question today as I was getting together more bits of kit. Specifically, how much to take for a drying line along with any pannier/tent emergencies? Well I settled for about 12 feet ... or should I take more? ... or is that too much? ... is it the right type of string? ........ arrgghh!

Low Winter Sun from Calton Hill

The recent 'warm' spell has rapidly made the battalions of snowmen from last week become a distant memory. As a result, I've been able to pick up the pace of training this week - which is just as well more as every time I sit down to tweak the route it seems to get longer (went through the 5,000 mile mark yesterday). Here's a shot from up Calton Hill on today's training run.

Cross straining

Waking up to another snowy morning left me with two choices; another training session on the turbo-trainer in the garage which, if I were being honest, gets a bit dull after around, err...15 mins or so; or do some cross training by playing a game of five-a-side football this evening. Well, the footy won out (not much of a contest really). After all, I told myself, most coaches/trainers will tell you that some cross-training is a good idea? Well, five minutes into the game this evening my right quad muscle begged to differ, massively so as I badly strained it after a wayward shot (not my first of the night). Still, been on the winning team always makes the pain somewhat more tolerable :) However, think I'll be best sticking to the turbo-trainer from now on.

Mmmm.... Beer

Now, I was planning on using my super-lightweight cannondale bike for the trip, but I might just have to reconsider that choice having seen this http://www.pubcrawler.uk.com/pubcrawler.html.

Training, but for what?

Yesterday's training ride - visually stunning but thermally challenging. Had more than a few moments where switching to the slick tyres earlier in the week seemed to have been a lunatic idea. To be fair, it probably was but it definitely kept the ride 'interesting'. With no sign of a thaw here in Edinburgh anytime soon I might end up being better trained to do this http://www.iditarod.com/ rather than the US trip.