Getting ready

Another wheel-time adventure is unfolding for me, this time a ride from St Petersburg in Russia, through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and finishing in Venice in Italy.

I leave on July 6th, the ride begins on July 11th and I am due to arrive in Venice on August 21st.

Same tour group - umm, but at least the devil you know is better than a new one, or so popular wisdom has it.

And some of the same folks from the 2008 ride will be on this one too: Monique and George from Canada, who fell in love on the last ride; the lovely and inimitable John Ross, also from Canada; Stewart who pedals from Poole, UK; and Garis from Melbourne, who together with his special friend Bojana, will actually be living in Italy at the time the ride begins.

So far I have:
- bought a new bike - a white touring cro-molly number that I am learning to ride what with its drop bars and the prospect of cleats looming again;
- re-read Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky to set the scene for St Petersburg, but I have to say that it seemed much more interesting in first year uni than it did over January this year;
- purchased a bike bag on eBay that I am hoping will get under the radar of Qantas' new restrictive baggage allowances;
- booked my flights as a Qantas Frequent Flyer which is really damn exciting as it only cost $259.60 in taxes, but then again they should be paying me as it is a flight with a 34 hour duration;
- supported Maureen while she booked hers and Des' tickets, also on QFF, to Rome where I will meet them or in Split (Croatia) or somewhere, as they arrive the day before I reach Italian soil;
- thought about a training regime; and
- started to work again at RMIT to earn money to fund it all.

Welcome to my blog and reading about life on the road as it unfolds.