New Zealand

I thought I'd share some photos of New Zealand. I went there two days after arriving in Brisbane, as my brother had to renew his Australian visa, and had to leave the country to do so. Enjoy!

Mission aborted, sadly

I left Istanbul just over two weeks ago - and flew out to see my brother in Brisbane. I then went straight out to New Zealand to see some of my dad's family - an aunt and several cousins who I had never met. This wouldn't have been possible had I cycled all the way, so this is a positive thing I can take from curtailing the trip short.

The bizarre freak injury - I've been thinking - might have been caused on top of the hill in Greece when I stopped to take a photo of that cow. I didn't un-clip my cleats in time, so fell over sideways in slow-motion. I might have jarred something on the nicely named 'pubic ridge' while doing so. Just as I was advised by the doctor in Thessaloniki, time and patience was the remedy for this. It's even stranger that a) I've never had this injury before; b) the saddle I was using has been fine for thousands of miles I'd done on it and c) it happened after 12 days and 1,500 miles of plain-cycling. As I've written in a previous post, time was not on my side (I'm starting teacher training in early September), so getting to Australia was pushing my body to a physical limit from the outset. With that in mind, it's not really a surprise that something like this happened. In fact, the several-times-round-the-world cyclist John Harwood warned me that this could happen.

Am I disappointed? A little. Does it matter? No, probably not. But I am sincerely grateful to those who donated to Shelter for this trip - and I received an email from Shelter thanking us for what has been raised so far. Ultimately it doesn't matter whether you scale great heights or trek across deserts and frozen tundra - doing these things doesn't make you 'more' human than others. Some of the wisest, most worldly people you meet rarely leave their hometowns. And some of the most narrow-minded, ignorant people you will find travelling the world, ticking off countries armed with a lonely planet. It's these people that you think would be better off staying at home reading a book.

Life is a series of successes and failures; often one weaves its way into the other so that we can't see which one is which. There are no perfect successes; nor are there any abject failures. Fate spins a complicated thread.

These things happen - I know of other long-distance cyclists who have encountered similar cruel twists of fate. But there are some things I have learnt on this shortened trip, the most important of which is this:

What are life's adventures if not shared with someone you love? The endless pursuit of individual liberty and happiness (Thatcherism, basically) is just that - endless. It is not a destination that you reach after ticking off the right number of countries. Happiness is happiness shared. It took Alex McCandless to die from toxic wild potato seeds in Alaska to realise this. Me, I just got a trapped nerve behind my balls. This might sound like sour grapes, but it feels more like bitter pills with a slightly sweet after-taste. There's much to look forward to.

Although I didn't reach Australia as planned, I would still urge you to donate to Shelter if you haven't already. The homeless and the under-housed in the UK continue to live on the edge, disempowered and disenfranchised from improving their situation, stuck in a poverty trap with little way out. Homelessness also goes hand-in-hand with unemployment, mental illness and drug abuse, but providing individuals and families with access to safe and secure housing can help solve all of these problems at once.

Istanbul

I arrived in Istanbul last week, by bus from Thessaloniki. Unfortunately I still can't cycle due to the trapped nerve, but it has given me a chance to spend a few days in Istanbul. It has rained cats and dogs, but the sun came out on saturday and has remained since.

Here are a some photos - for the full album click here

Thessaloniki, Greece

I've been in Thessaloniki in Greece since Saturday. It seems I have a trapped nerve in my nether regions, and is getting worse before it gets better. I went to see a doctor here, who luckily spoke very good English. It is strange though, as I'm used to the saddle and have used it happily for two years now.

I'm heading to Istanbul this evening on a bus, as I need to get there to sort out my Iranian visa. It's all a bit frustrating, but there's little I can do about it - and the treatment for trapped nerves is patience. I'll keep you updated.

Greece

I took the boat across from Italy to Igoumenitsa in Greece. On board there was a large group of young Greeks who had been across to Italy to see Athens' 4th best water polo team (you've heard of them, surely?) play in the European final. They weren't able to get into the stadium, so they came back on the boat and had a party on the boat, dancing and singing to a fusion of traditional Greek music and trance.

I don't care what the rating agencies say - Greece gets a triple A from me. They are the friendliest, warmest people I've met so far, both on the boat and here in Inoumenia. They see me sitting on my own so instinctively invite me over.

These are oranges the size of a grapefruit.

I cycled from the port at Igoumenitsa to Inonia, and it was 100km of mountain climbing and descending. Truly wonderful cycling terrain. I seem to have picked up a non-fatal cycling injury from yesterday. There is a soreness and pain on the bones of my undercarriage/throne of prince albert/gucci - it's not saddle sore, however - so I'm taking it easy today before pressing on to Thessaloniki.

I've never been to Greece before, but I'm very glad to have done so. It's a mix of both bristling chaos and laid-back charm, and you get the sense that despite the economic collapse the Greeks aren't prepared to wallow in the situation the government and the banks have put them in. That said, I have yet to see either Athens or the second city, Thessaloniki, where the effects of high youth unemployment would be more evident.

Here's a few more photos from yesterday's road.

High up in the hills you come across tiny brick shacks which are Greek Orthodox dedications to the Virgin Mary. You find inside a small altar, bouquets of plastic flowers, and small parafin burners.

Day 10 Venice

I made it to Venice yesterday afternoon. I'm getting a boat to Greece early in the morning, as I need to cycle across from Igoumenitsa to Istanbul to collect my Iranian Visa, so the route and distance has changed somewhat.

I haven't had much of a chance to update this blog. It's a habit thing as much as any other excuse, so I'll try and wake a bit earlier, cycle a bit faster, and write stuff down as I go, but I've got permanent numbness in my right hand (not convinced about the 'butterfly' handlebars) so the writing is a bit difficult. Also starting to feel the cramps in the legs, so I am studying carefully what I'm eating.

Next update should be when I'm in Greece...

Col de Grand St Bernard

Home to the big St Bernard's, this area is where the alps properly begin. It's a climb I did last year and the year before, so I have both a loathing and affection for this gruelling 27km winding climb upto the summit at 2400 metres.

Here's a few pictures from the way up

Up above the tunnel at 18km, the Col was closed (opens 1st June). As there hadn't been much snow over the winter, I chanced an ascent of the last 400 metres - but after less than 150 the road ran out, completely covered in snow.

I went back down to the tunnel (bicycles aren't allowed through as it's basically a motorway) and spoke to the Italian police at the toll, and got a lift in a pickup through the 7 or so kilometres of the tunnel. Then you find yourself in Italy, where there's a very quick descent down to Aosta

The Jura

The Jura is a famous cycling region between France and Switzerland, and has some stunning scenery. I cycled on to Lons Le-Saunier and went up this 13% climb out of the town. I felt like my heart was going to explode, as it's incredibly steep and is basically a dual carriageway which lasts for just under a mile, but rises 200 metres.

I found a lake up at the top, so I pitched my tent and then went for a swim. I woke up in the morning to this:

Paris to Montargis

I set off from Paris yesterday morning, but the going has been slow and tough. With the extra weight on thicker tyres and front suspension, it`s 5-10km slower than on my race bike that I used last year. That`s as much as two hours extra cycling every day.

Campsite near Montargis