<p>SO I WAS OUT IN FLORIDA ANYWAY AND HAD A FEW DAYS TO SPARE AND WANTED SOME EXERCISE...SO I DECIDED TO RENT A BIKE AND GO SOMEWHERE...THEN I DECIDED I WOULD GO QUITE A LONG WAY AND THAT WAY I MAY BE ABLE TO RAISE SOME CASH FOR A GREAT CHARITY...DREAMFLIGHT.</p> <p>SO I HIRED A BIKE FITTED MY BRILLIANT TOPEAK RACK WITH CRATE ATTACHMENT, PACKED MY WATERPROOF KAYAK BAG IN THE CRATE AND SET OFF FOR KEY WEST...FROM MIAMI BEACH...JUST UNDER 170 MILES AWAY.</p> <p>FLORIDA IN JULY IS RAINY AND SO DAY ONE WAS VERY WET AND A LITTLE SLOW FINDING WAY OUT OF MIAMI. THAT COUPLED WITH FACT THAT I DIDNT LEAVE MIAMI TIL 4PM MEANT I ONLY GOT AS FAR AS "FLORIDA CITY" BEFORE I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT FINDING A BED FOR THE NIGHT...AFTER THAT TOWN THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING FOR OVER 20 MILES AND I DIDNT WANT TO SLEEP ROUGH WITH GATORS AND SNAKES AROUND....SO NIGHT STOP IT WAS AFTER APROX 49 MILES.</p> <p>AFTER A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP..HELPED TO SLEEP BY A SNOOZE OF A BOXING MATCH INVOLVING MR HAYE..I WAS READY FOR THE LONGEST LEG FROM FLORIDA CITY TO KEY WEST....126 MILES. HAD A FANTASTIC IF LONG AND VERY HOT DAY ON THE BIKE...NO MECHANICAL PROBS AND SLIGHT TAILWIND HELPED ME TO OVER 21 MPH AVERAGE SPEED AND I ARRIVED AHEAD OF SCHEDULE...OF COURSE. HAD TAKEN IN OVER 7 LITRES OF LIQUID AND NOT HAD TO "GO" A SINGLE TIME, BUT DID STOP TO STRETCH LEGS SEVERAL TIMES OF COURSE. DIDNT FEEL A TINY BIT GUILTY ABOUT CONSUMING A HUGE PIZZA AS SOON AS I GOT TO KEY WEST...OR A COUPLE OF BEERS LATER THAT EVE!</p> <p>THE NEXT DAY WAS JULY 4TH AND I HAD PLANNED A DAY OFF IN KEY WEST TO BE A TOURIST. WAS NICE TO REST THE LEGS BUT WAS MISSING THE BIKE A LITTLE BIT SO I JUMPED ON AND RODE THE VERY SHORT DISTANCE TO THE SOURTHERNMOST POINT IN THE USA..APROX 1/2 MILE FROM MY B AND B.</p> <p>AFTER THE OBLIGATORY PHOTO STOP I WENT ROUND TO A BEACH AND SETTLED IN TO WATCH THE JULY 4TH FIREWOKS FROM A PRIME SPOT....WATER BOTTLES FILLED WITH BEER FOR THE FESTIVITIES!...AS HYDRATION IS SO IMPORTANT!</p> <p>DAY 3 OF RIDING WAS A KILLER...HAD PLANNED EITHER 80 OR 100 MILES TODAY DEPENDING HOW THE LEGS FELT. FIRST 45 MILES WERE NOT FUN AS I HAD A BRUTAL HEADWIND SO I DECIDED TO STOP AT A TIKI BAR WHICH HAD A POOL. AFTER A BITE TO EAT AND A MARGARITA AND A QUICK SWIM I WAS READY TO ROLL AGAIN...HOWEVER AS I APPROACHED THE BIKE I SAW A FLAT REAR TYRE. I WAS CONVINCED THAT SOMEONE HAD DEFLATED IT MALICIOUSLY AND SO JUST DECIDED TO PUMP UP...HOWEVER THE PUMP THAT CAME WITH THE BIKE WAS UNSERVICEABLE...MORAL OF THE STORY-DONT LEAVE UR OWN PUMP WHICH U KNOW WORKS IN THE BIKE SHOP WHEN U SET OFF FOR A LONG RIDE...EVENTUALLY BORROWED SOME DUCK TAPE AND GOT THE PUMP WORKING...SO OFF WE GO...OR NOT...IT WAS A PUNCTURE AFTER ALL AND SO AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES IT WAS FLAT AGAIN. SO OFF WITH THE REAR WHEEL AND FIND THE PUNCTURE...COULDNT FIND THE PUNCTURE AND CONVINCED AGAIN THAT IT WOULD BE OK I INFLATED AND SET OFF...DOH...ANOTHER FEW MINUTES AND FLAT AGAIN. SO WHEEL OFF AGAIN, TRIED TO FIND THE PUNCTURE BUT STILL NO JOY SO I FITTED MY SPARE TUBE, INFLATED, PUT WHEEL ON AND WAS ABOUT TO SET OFF, WHEN I HAD A TERRIBLE FEELING THAT AMONGST ALL THE FRUSTRATION I MAY NOT HAVE THOROUGHLY CHECKED INSIDE OF TYRE SO OFF WITH WHEEL AND TYRE ETC ETC...THOROUGH CHECK INSIDE TYRE REVEALED THE TINYEST SHARD OF METAL POKING THROUGH WHICH I HAD MISSED BEFORE..THANK GOD I DIDNT CYCLE OFF OR THE SPARE TUBE WOULDA BEEN HOLED ASWELL...ANYWAY I FINALLY GOT ON MY WAY BUT LETS SAY THAT HAMILTONS PIT TEAM ARE NOT IN DANGER OF LOSING THEIR JOBS TO MOI!!</p> <p>SO IM BACK INTO THE HEADWIND, ITS GETTING LATE, IM COVERED IN GREASE AND OIL IN MY FORMERLY PRISTINE WHITE BA CYCLING SHIRT AND ITS GETTING LATE. I HAD PROMISED MYSELF I WOULDNT RIDE IN THE DARK FOR FEAR OF CARJACK OR ACCIDENT ETC BUT ABOUT 2 HOURS LATER IT WAS GETTING DARK SO THE LIGHTS CAME OUT AND I WAS ONLY AT 75 MILES...SO THE 80 MILE STOP WAS LOOKING LIKE THE BEST OPTION.</p> <p>HOWEVER, I DONT LIKE GIVING UP SO I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE IT TO 100 AND I WANTED AN EASIER FINAL DAY AS I WOULD HAVE A FLIGHT TO CATCH!!</p> <p>I STOPPED AT A VERY CHEAP LOOKING MOTEL AT 82 MILES AND ENQUIRED ABOUT A ROOM...IT WAS A BIT TOO CHEAP IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN AND SO I DECIDED I CARRY ON.</p> <p>AS I WAS LEAVING I SAW A SLIGHTLY FAMILIAR LOOKING FACE IN THE DARK GETTING OUT OF A VERY SWISH CONVERTIBLE AND TO MY AMAZEMENT IT WAS AN OLD FRIEND FROM FLYING SCHOOL...WHAT ARE THE CHANCES AS HARRY HILL WOULD SAY!?</p> <p>SO THIS CHANCE ENCOUNTER WAS MY INSPIRATION TO CARRY ON FOR THE LAST 20 MILES IN THE DARK WINDY NIGHT...THANKS BEN.</p> <p>WAS SO PLEASED TO FINALLY REACH THE HOLIDAY INN KEY LARGO AT THE 100 MILE MARK AND THEY HAD A POOL AND A LAUNDRY ROOM...JOY...SO THE KIT WAS GONNA GET BOTH A DUNK IN THE POOL WHICH WAS GREAT AND A PROPER WASH INSTEAD OF THE USUAL RINSE IN A HOTEL SINK!!</p> <p>I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO A QUICK SWIM BEFORE LEAVING THE NEXT MORNING...CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR HINDLEY...NEXT MORNING IT WAS RAINING IN FACT RAIN IS NOT WHAT IT WAS ...IT WAS LIKE A RIVER IN THE SKY AND BY THE TIME I LEFT THE CAR PARK WAS UNDER SEVERAL INCHES OF WATER. THE GOOD NEWS WAS THAT THE HEAD WIND HAD BECOME A SLIGHT TAIL WIND HOWEVER THIS BASICALLY MEANT THAT I FOLLOWED THE STORM ALL THE WAY TO MIAMI.</p> <p>I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THE KIND DRIVERS WHO "TOOTED" ME THAT DAY WONDERING WHAT THE HELL I WAS DOING NO DOUBT. BUT NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS AT ALL MEANT THAT I MADE GOOD PROGRESS AND ARRIVED EARLY BACK AT THE BIKE SHOP.</p> <p>I WAS NOW BADLY IN NEED OF A SHOWER....HMM....SO I MUST APOLOGISE TO ANYONE WHO WITNESSED ME SHOWERING COMPLETE WITH SHOWER GEL ETC AT THE PUBLIC BEACH SHOWERS ON MIAMI BEACH...NOT QUITE THE RELAXING HOT BATH I NEEDED BUT IT DID THE TRICK AND I WAS READY FOR THE FLIGHT HOME..WITH A FEW MINOR DETOURS...340 MILES ROUND TRIP...JOB DONE!</p> <p>I HAVE LEARNT A FEW THINGS FROM THIS TRIP...</p> <p>1. USE YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT WHERE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY PUMP!!</p> <p>2. ONCE YOU'RE WET, YOU'RE WET. JUST KEEP GOING.</p> <p>3. THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO, THE TRICK IS FINDING IT AND FOCUSSING ON IT.</p> <p>HAPPY TRAVELS, THANKS FOR READING AND DONATING.</p> <p>GRAEME.</p>