Seeing Double

No .........  Your not seeing double. I have finally finished my spare bike . 

    The spare is a little bit smaller than the first one for craig to ride now and then along the route. The big gold bike ( proud mary ) will be ridden mostly and the smaller one at the back ( black Betty) will be auctioned off after the challenge to raise some extra cash for the foundation. 

   So if anybody out there wants to own a piece of history look out for the auction or contact me directly on 0431106278. You just can't buy a penny farthing off the rack. You have to build it , or buy my spare one .  mmmmm  does that make sense ? 

ROUTE SURVEY

Craig bateman and myself jumped in the car last week and travelled the 1000km distance to do a route survey. Wow , its a long way by car. We noted every hill and hollow , rest stops, pubs and accommodation. Yes its going to be extremely tuff traveling the distance on a penny farthing , but hey , it is a challenge right ? 

 Day 1 - Newcastle to Sydney 104.3 kms 

 Day 2 - Sydney to 96 Mittagong kms

 Day 3 - Mittagong to Canberra 176.23 kms

 Day 4 - Canberra to Gundagai 162.3 kms

 Day 5 - Gundagai to Wagga Wagga 84.6 kms

 Day 6 - Wagga to Young 144.5 kms

 Day 7 - Young To Cowra 72.4 kms 

 Day 8 - Cowra to Bathurst 116.8 kms

 Day 9 - Bathurst to Orange 60.7 kms  Total km 1017

     There are some hills that are so big we might need some oxygen at the top. There is one hill from the Can to Gundagai that is a staggering 5-km up. Lets hope that day is not to hot. There is a huge downhill from Young to Cowra that snakes down through the valleys for 9.2 kms  YEEHAA ?  At the end of the survey we feel very confident that we can make those distances under the time frames we have set. Days three and four will be the hardest being back to back and huge. Not only are they the longest two days , they are also the hilliest. Those two days will be the most challenging bike riding i will ever endure  ( lots of Vaseline ). 

    One thing I did notice on the trip was how beautiful NSW country-side is . There are some amazing sights that we will have plenty of time to look at along the way. I especially love the fields of canola plants that stretch for miles on end. You think you are in the wizard of oz movie. The contrast of the yellow fields against the blue sky with the occasional green tree is truly something worth seeing..

  Craig and i even managed to get a couple of laps in around the famous mount Panorama in Bathurst. Damn shame we had to do it in a commodore.!

Training Hard For The Big Day

To ride 1000km in seven to eight days on a penny farthing is not something for the weak or faint hearted. You only have to ride a short distance on one to find out just how demanding it really is.

  Thats why i have employed the expertise of Nicki Sewell from Reactiv-8 group personal training in Morisset. I have been training with Nicki and the group for almost two years now .  I have transformed from a 105-kg lazy bugger into an 89-kg ball of enthusiasm due to the hard work and dedication of Nikki and her approach to a full body workout. I can now run 5-km in 19 mins flat and I also managed to win my last triathlon. ( it was only a mini triathlon but HELL came first didn't i ). 

  I look forward to each and every class i attend at Reactiv-8 as its an awesome workout covering the entire body and i have met some great friends there as well.  My good mate Glenn who you can see sparr-ing with me in the pics has lost a staggering 35 Kilos since he has been attending Nicki's classes. Wow thats major.  Hats off to Nicki and Glenn .

 As the time draws nearer to the big ride ( the 20th of Oct ) Nicki and her understudy Linda push me harder and harder . Those of you who are fit and work out on a regular basis would understand that fitness is an addiction . 

   I am addicted and i love it.      I wish to thank Nicki for her tremendous spirit , her professional approach and her never give up attitude, Your a Gem Nicki . If there are any locals reading this thread and you want to change your health, your life , Have some fun and make a change for the better, email Nicki on nicki.reactiv8.com.au . or call 0448113363. Stop putting it off and get started, you never know? you might enjoy it?

    

Loop The Lake Challenge

Hi all

Well i have finally learnt how to blog so I can now update you on the what is happening.

I looped the lake in Lake Macquarie recently covering 92kms in just over four hours . It was certainly the longest training ride to date on the penny and i found the going very comfortable. My butt was a little sore , my legs were fine but much to my surprise my chest was very sore the next day. My pec muscles copped a flogging on the 92km journey. Who would have thought you have to work on your chest muscles to ride a bike?

I did have mechanical trouble along the way that nearly made me pull out. I broke three spokes in a matter of seconds . I carried two spares with me and fixed what i could leaving one spoke wrapped around a few others taking it out of harms way. You can ride her with up to a few broken spokes but i had to make a decision on the side of the road weather to continue without any spares and maybe damaging something or pushing on with my fingers crossed . So i pushed on with a bit of a buckle in my 52 inch rim , eventually breaking another spoke just before finishing in one piece.

All in all i was very happy with the performance of both myself and the penny-farthing covering 92kms in four hours. I just hope i can cover 160kms in one day and do exactly that for seven days straight ?

Cheers,

michael.

Penny Farthing Races in Tasmania!

Welcome to my Penny Farthing Challenge!

Hi my name is Michael Cowan. You are probably wondering why I’m riding this Penny Farthing bike? Well to satisfy your curiosity I have actually designed and hand built this replica 1890’s Penny Farthing from scratch. I plan to ride it 1000km in October 2008 to raise awareness and as much funds as possible for asthma research. I have lived with asthma 32 of my 36 years and believe in the importance of good asthma management including regular physical activity which has enabled me to live a full and active life.

This is the second time I have raised awareness and funds for Asthma Foundation NSW by cycling a Unicycle 21km in November 2006 in my local community of Lake Macquarie.

Although the challenge ahead for me will be extremely difficult and uncomfortable I want to make a difference to the 800,000 people in NSW who have asthma. Any donation large or small will be greatly appreciated. You can help by making an online donation and also by letting people know about the Penny Farthing Challenge! You can also call Asthma Foundation NSW to make your donation on 1800 645 130.

Thank you so much for supporting me - make sure you visit the blog during the year for updates!

Leave your comments below because I'd love to receive any words of encouragement to spur me on!

Cheers, Michael