The first day of Bike Europe started well. Clear blue skies and virtually no wind suggested that it would be a good day for cycling.

We arrived at the Swift Centre and 7:30 sharp(ish) and started getting our kit, clothes and all of John?s gadgets ready to be packed in the as of yet, non existent van. Everyone?s family showed up at 8 o clock, all ready with cameras and our forgotten items of clothing.

After a not-so-brief photo shoot, the 5 cyclists, joined by Nigel ? the personal trainer ? set off towards the Woolwich Ferry, where Daniel, Paul, Kevin and I would be leaving Nigel and Simeon behind. This is where the journey really began. We wouldn?t have a support vehicle for a good few hours, so we were on our own for most of the way to Dover. The journey through London was fairly fast, with only annoying road works and traffic lights to slow us down. Members of the public tried in vain to heckle us with witty cries of ?the Tour de France finished ages ago!? Once 10 different people have said this to you, it gets a bit boring.

The first real bit of excitement happened coming towards Rochester. The route that we got from a cycling website said that we had to go though the Medway Tunnel? the Medway Tunnel said that we weren?t allowed to cycle through there. Bravely, we decided to ignore all the signposts and cycle along the pavement, through the tunnel. This might have been a good idea if it hadn?t been for the random bits of metal littering the pavement and the open cabinet door protruding onto the pavement at head height. Fortunately, we made it through unscathed and the journey continued along the planned route for the rest of the day.

The low point of the day came on the A2. This was possible the worst road I have ever cycled on; the road surface was awful, cycle lanes were virtually non-existent and drivers seemed to be totally unaware that there were 4 cyclists on the same road as them. Having to be so aware of your surroundings made for a very exhaustive ride. Eventually the van, having loaded all of our stuff at the swift, managed to catch us up at Canterbury and gave us a chance to refill our drinks and eat some of the many flapjacks that had been provided for us (thanks Judith!).

The rest of the ride seemed to take an eternity, but the A2 did finally come to an end and we managed to make radio contact with the support van, who had found the campsite and were coming back to guide us there.

The campsite was a large, well-equipped place with a nice community feel to it. John?s new tents, which he has kindly donated to the cause, were up and waiting for us. They are very smart looking, lightweight tents. Perfect for what we need. He?s not always this efficient and helpful, however. When we arrived, we realised what was missing from the back of the van? the spare bike! Of all the things that could have been forgotten, he managed to miss one of the biggest and most important things.

While John went back to get the bike, the rest of us passed the time with cold showers and Tim?s light-up Frisbee. Most of us fell asleep in the middle of the field, much to the delight of Clive, who took advantage and took loads of pictures of us splayed out across the field.

Clive treated the cyclists to a quality meal, courtesy of the campsite café. Paul ordered the gammon steak, which turned out to be an inch think slice of pig leg. Clive was sensible and ordered a nice steak pie, which might have been the only edible item on the menu. Daniel, Kevin and myself all decided to get some carbs and order lasagne. Kevin and I barely made a dent in the rubbery meat and green pasta, which was probably fortunate because Daniel, who devoured his entire plateful, spent most of the next morning on the toilet.

We all decided to have an early night in order to be as fresh as possible for the next morning. Paul and Kevin had other ideas though. They treated the whole campsite to their own renditions of various S Club and Akon hits. The off key screeching could be heard for miles! They did shut up eventually though, and we all managed too get a relatively good night sleep.

Matthew

Distance: 77.77 miles
Time: 4:48:49
Average Speed: 16.18 mph
Weather: Warm and clear in the morning, grey and damp in the afternoon