Single Person Pedal-Powered Vehicle (SPPPV) Challenge 2009

note : please do contribute to the idea by pressing the EDIT THIS PAGE button. And you can leave a comment at the end of the page !

Intro

Aim : To have fun by means of getting from London to Paris in 4 days (??) using Single Person Pedal-Powered Vehicle !!!

When ?

17,18,19,20 July 2009
(Two weeks before Lucas Wedding.)

The Plan

DAY 1: Cycle from central London through Surrey with views of South Downs to Newhaven. Ferry to Dieppe. 98km (60.9miles)
DAY 2: Quiet tree lined roads and sleepy Normandy villages to Gournay en Bray. Some challenging hills to conquer en-route! 80km (49.7miles)
DAY 3: Ride from Gournay en Bray to outskirts of Paris. Reach city centre via the famous Bois de Boulogne park. Finish under Eiffel Tower. 114km (70.8 miles)
DAY 4: Explore Paris before returning to London on board Eurostar.
plan idea was taken from here

Participants List

Name Confirmed ? Will raise money for charity ?
Yaroslav Yes, coming Wants to help Tzedek charity, which supports poorest communities in the world
Abbi yes ?
Leila yes I'd like to raise money for anjali house please
Luca yes, just bought a new bike Associazione aiuti terzo mondo: a project for immigrants in Bolivia
Dan ? ?

The Open Questions :

It is possible to Cycle 100km per day without a proper training ?

Yaroslav Opinion

An average speed for a mountain bike is 22.5kmh (14mph) from here
Which makes it into 4.4 hours cycling a day to cover 100km. But lets assume that it will take more then that, maybe 9 hours a day ….

Typical day can look like :

  • 5am-6am wake up and packing up
  • 6am-9am hit the road (3hrs)
  • 9am-10am breakfast and a break
  • 10am-1pm hit the road (3hrs)
  • 1pm-3pm lunch and long break
  • 3pm-6pm hit the road (3hrs)
  • 6pm onwards … dinner … rest …. beer …. fun ….

Dr Woods Contribution

100km without any fitness training might leave some with sore legs. I was definitely sore after my first 100k. It took me about 5h with 3 15-ish min snack breaks on my racing bike. I wasn't really training very seriously or anything. So it definitely can be done. I've also known people who have done a 135mile charity ride (with some striking hills) in 3 days with only having ridden an exercise bike at the gym a few times before the ride.

Also, an alternate schedule might be some like wake up at 7, be riding by 8:30AM, tea break at 11, lunch at 1 or 2 (whenever you find a cyclist-friendly pub), food break a few hours later and then onto the night's destination. so about 7-8h riding time is a solid estimate. 14mph on a mtb is a bit ambitious. social riding's probably more like about 10-12 mph.

FAQ

What to take

  1. Tools and spare Tubes (Virginia has some tools !?)
  2. Security Locks (in case a pub will be found on the way and locking would be needed)

What to do if you do not have a bike ?

Rent one ! (todo: find places to rent bikes)

Can I raise money and give it to a Charity ?

Yes, find a charity you want to support and please feel free to give them all the money you have raised !

Links to simmilar events

Medical Research Action - London to Paris Bike Ride 22nd - 26th July 2009
Open Charity Challenge 26 - 29 June 2009

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