what would you do? HELP!?

[iLB]

ok, so as many of you know i have been in training for a tour from london to gibraltar which is meant to start in 13 days time

however, we had always intended to have a support vehicle for the tour, sadly the support vehicle and driver we had arranged was forced to pull out due to work commitments

we have since been desperately searching for a support vehicle, we have found a willing driver but still have no vehicle and this seems unlikely to change (miracles with held) in the next 13 days.

we have already raised a significant amount of money for charity, some of which has kindly been donated from people i have met through the forum, and so clearly we need to do something in order to warrant the money having been given to charity, otherwise (and justifiably so) we will have to answer to the people who have donated already...

I have so far been unable to come up with much by way of an alternative plan or a solution, and that is why i have decided to air this somewhat embarassing and worrying problem here on CC.

any thoughts or suggestions will be greatfully received,
thank you

andy

 

[Joe24]

Hire a van? Its pretty cheap over in france, and i dont think its too much over here?

 

[iLB]

Hire a van? Its pretty cheap over in france, and i dont think its too much over here?

it *is* very expensive, and our driver is too young to drive a hired vehicle

 

[wyno70]

Unsupported?

 

[Bigtwin]

How far is London to Gib?

And how far is LE to Jo'G?

Do it as a home match, and scrounge support from every friend, family member and board reader you can suckker into it?

 

[iLB]

yes i suppose doing lejog is an option, although to match the distance we would have to do LEJOG and JOGLE effectively

the bikes we bought, spesh allez sport, mean that unsupported is also out of the question

 

[Bigtwin]

yes i suppose doing lejog is an option, although to match the distance we would have to do LEJOG and JOGLE effectively

Perfect then - do the ride and a lap of honour.

 

[Randochap]

Just go unsupported. What can't you do without a sag wagon that you could with? Just more unneeded complexity from my perspective

I'd guess your experience would be much more fulfilling without the motor vehicle tagging along.

 

[Randochap]

the bikes we bought, spesh allez sport, mean that unsupported is also out of the question

Ah, I see, you bought the wrong bikes. You could still fit racks with p-clamps. Not ideal, but possible.

 

[thomas]

it *is* very expensive, and our driver is too young to drive a hired vehicle

Then buy an old van here, probably get one for a few hundred quid (though the van might need a support van ). I could get insured on a Suzuki type van for about £1000 a year when I asked the insurance party a year or so ago (i'm 18, male, so most expensive group).

If the person is too young to hire a vehicle, if you are going through France (??) then they may not be allowed to drive there, you have to have held a licence for a certain amount of time...legally. Can't remember specifics.

 

[willem]

I think unsupported is still the only real option, and I think it is the one you should have started with in the first place. It is just so much more fun, and more ecological. The bikes you now have are indeed not quite what you need for an unsupported ride. If you have really light camping gear you could just do it, I guess, but even an audax bike would have been better. Are these the only bikes you have? If they are, your only alternative is a (two wheeled for such light frames) trailer. I sometimes use a precedessor of the Dutch Radical trailer behing by audax bike, and that works quite well. Have your spokes tensioned before you go.
Willem

 

[Andy in Sig]

Go unsupported. They call it cycle touring.

 

[hubbike]

+1 for unsupported.

Take a credit card, stay in B&Bs and eat in cafes. you won't need to carry much more than a handlebar bag.

 

[Bodhbh]

Put a classified add in the local rag for donation of a vechicle making clear it's for a charity event? Someone might be want to get rid of an old van or somesuch with it's tax/MOT coming up?

(ofc like others say go unsupported and ultralite if the bikes not up to lugging stuff, not my cup of tea, but couple months back met one guy who was touring the UK out of what looked like a 15l backpack).

 

[rich p]

I have a Spesh Allez Sport which has rack braze-ons and I did a lightweight tour with it once. You'll be saving a bundle of fuel money plus food for the driver so you could afford to do cheap B&B's, hostels, Gite d'Etape bivi bag, etc