View K2K in a larger map
original blog Posted by Jo Blick on March 22, 2013 at 21:33 View Blog
HELLO EVERYONE.
the back ground to this 2nd blog; my son Sam Edstrom, is taking part in a charity bike ride this spring. a gigantic 6000 MILES/10,000 KILOMETRES across 9 MONTHS, started 30TH MARCH. He's been planning it for a couple of years now, with 2 friends, Joe and Will, from Ireland. …....they say it best on their own webpages.......... « We plan to cycle the 10,000 kilometers from Kinsale in Ireland to Kolkata in the north east of India to raise money for the HOPE foundation who work with disadvantaged children in the slums of Kolkata, our goal is to raise one euro for each kilometer we cycle. » ____________________________________________________________________________
It's been "all go" this week. The 1st leg of their journey after travelling by ferry from CORK brought them to Roscoff, and they headed down towards the BREST TO NANTES CANAL, via Morlaix and had an incredible nights stay with SFNer Graham, in Gouarec (Graham you are a star!) who left a lasting impression on the boys with his fabulous hospitality and his own stories.
Joe Claydon left, and my son Sam Edstom, right
They are on their way to Nantes, today, as I write, getting closer and closer to where we live in Chauvigny, near Poitiers in the Vienne 86. They won't be able to come this far south though, so we will be driving up to meet them at some point when it looks the most opportune.
The suspense and anticipation is unbelievable. It is by far the most exciting thing to have happened to me since moving here in 2006. I am glued to the laptop and my mobile and grinning like a cheshire cat 24/7.
This is the latest update on their route, and you can follow their progress here on this INTERACTIVE MAP, (I did this, what do people think of it?) where, if you like what they're doing and support them, you can add a placemarker of your own, with a message, a photo or a link to your own charity work. I did it for their blog, which is with wordpress, but which they're struggling to update because they're so busy doing the actual cycling! They're keeping in touch via facebook and texting mainly at the moment, which has been a bit haphazard due to wi-fi and mobile reception gaps. It's my son Sam's 26th birthday next week, so I bought him a French mobile phone sim card...makes me and his girlfriend especially happy too :)
They're generally heading for ITALY this month, following as close as possible to river valleys, coastal roads and canals ;
NANTES is where they'll probably they pick up the EUROVELO 6 which winds it's merry way eastwards across France, EUROVELO 6 ends at the town of Tulcea in the Danube Delta. but K2K will head south after meeting the Rhone. K2K will be probably be avoiding Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, keeping north, heading into India on the Nepal side, via either Kazakstan, Turkmenistan or Usbekistan.
The boys have saved their own funds and borrowed cash and equipment to keep them going for the 9 months of the adventure. All donated money will go straight to the charity, who are supporting « K2K » with the use of a sat nav mapping system, advice and support finding the visas.
So the actual trip is entirely funded by the boys and by the good nature of all folks along the route. Equipment, if donated, can be auctioned off after the ride, to try and raise even more cash. So if there are any generous cycle or camping suppliers willing to sponser the boys in any way, the guys will no doubt be delighted to hear about it. Email Joe Claydon about this; fromkinsaletokolkata@yahoo.ie
I'm hoping to help the project from this blog, by roping in any more SFNers to spread the word or offer free places for the three intrepids to stay en route through France.
Offering a place to camp doesn't need to be the height of luxury, since they will be carrying full survival gear, but I'm sure they'd very much appreciate a secure bit of free ground to pitch up on and a pointer to the nearest loo and washing basin. I think as a mother of one of them, what I really hope for is somewhere safe for them to pitch when they are really tired, cold and wet, (which is probably how they feel most evenings this week).
The weather has been EXTRAORDINARILY COLD FOR APRIL IN FRANCE. What do people think about this? Personally, I blame global warming almost entirely. We lost all our fruit last year and it looks as if we're going to loose it again this year. The veg and wheat crop in the UK suffered horribly last year and is now doing so again. I don't go in for any of this namby pamby nonsense about 'it's all natural and the weather always changes'....I get quite cross about the head-in-the-sand-brigade and I feel like screaming "LOOK AT THE SCIENCE , LOOK AT THE SCIENCE" I really admire the round the world yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur, who gave up sailing to concentrate on fighting climate change, after she found it impossible not to, having experienced global warming at the keen end of it for years and years. Her work is extraordinary.
If you have any questions and are unable to get in touch with the boys directly, please don't hesitate to contact me, Jo Blick via SFN messaging here or Tel 0549034953 or mobile 0602396524. jopublick@rocketmail.com
These are the main towns along the next leg.
NANTES
THOUARE-SUR-LOIRE
LE CELLIER
OUDON
ANCENIS
ANETZ
SAINT-FLORENT-LE-VIEIL
INGRANGES
LA POSSONNIERE
ANGERS - LE PONT DE CE
GENNES
SAUMUR
LANGEAIS
TOURS
Will Ginger, left and Sam Edstrom, right