....and he's only gone and done it...

...so back at the beginning of the month I mentioned I was attempting to do the Cancer Research 300, and as we sit here on the last day of the month I can report with no little satisfaction that I have indeed gone and done it..  most chuffed...

Without  doubt the weather in the first 3 weeks helped, as we've had one of the warmest and sunniest Septembers I can remember in some time, but I still got up off my a*se and cycled at weekends, and while on holiday, in order to keep those averages up...

 

So in the style of the end of season sailing blog review...   here we go...

 

Number of trips on the bike: 24 .. which my handy calculator tells me is an average ride length of 12.9 miles... 

Total distance sailed err cycled:  309.69 miles... a suitable contribution has been made to Cancer Research..

Nights on board: Eh? None - nada - 'nuff'ing.. the bike saddle's cold and uncomfortable..

Crew on occasion: None...the whole ride was solo...  I don't mind, I'm good company.. if I start talking to the ride computer I know I've got a problem.. 

Cruising range: Work place to the west, Lavant to the north, Chichester in the East and Eastney to the south.. about 80-90 square miles..

Biggest Cruise Ride: "The Salterns Way" [clicky] was just shy of 24 miles, and the Lavant circle, incorporating the Centurion Way, at just over 17 miles...

Salterns Way ride..

Best Cruise Ride: The easy stand out winner was the Salterns Way ride, purely for the scenery, the weather, and my first ever trip on the Thorney Ferry...  On the way (and it's all cross country on paths/tracks) I got to see the end of the Chichester canal which dates from 1822 and conceived as part of a secure inland canal route from London to Portsmouth [clicky] the Portsmouth end of which I've seen, and in fact my boats mooring would have been on the route between Portsmouth and Chichester...  it would have been a sight to see in the day, but in fact it fell into dis-use almost immediately as the primary reason for it was the Napoleonic Wars and that had ended by the time the canal went live..

 

Worst cruise ride: The commute home from work the night I came off...  was just coming round a corner into an underpass and came face to face with an approaching rider, slammed the anchors on, and the front wheel went one way and I went the other.. suffice to say I still have the bruises now...

Oddest cruise ride: None really...  a lot of the mileage was BAU/commuting, but as mentioned, given the weather even that was idyllic at times..

Best mooring: A bench overlooking the sea at West Wittering.. warm, sunny, light breeze, and an ice cream..

Worst mooring: Lying on top of my bike in an underpass.. 

Plans going forward: No way I can keep up 300 miles/month as we go into winter months of shorter/colder days.. I do hope to keep up my commuting, and I do hope to keep up the occasional weekend ride..