By way of getting this year’s cycling adventures off the ground, I shall be organising a London to Paris cycle ride.  It will act as a pre-curser to my long summer ride.  Has anybody completed the London to Paris cycle ride?  Was the route taken an interesting one?  I am looking at two different options, both of which should take about 4 days of cycling with a fifth day to return to the UK.

Unfortunately, my cycling companions for this summer’s excursion to Scandinavia have pulled out of the ride. This means that I will be completing the ride along. From a filmic point of view, I suspect the journey will be a lot more introspective than it might otherwise have been. Spending five weeks alone on the road, through all types of terrain and weather will most certainly be character-building.

On the plus side, going solo means that I will be able to grab as many shot as I choose. With the advent of digital photography, the need to carry bags of film has been replaced with the need to find power points to keep your kit fully charged and functional. I ordered a new Canon EOS 5D II a couple of weeks ago to fulfil my photographic needs on this summer’s ride but it looks as though I will have a wait on my hands as many people seem to be chasing the illusive supply of 5Ds. At least it means my 24mm lens will actually be 24mm and not 36mm as it is on my Canon EOS D20. The camera has served me well but after thousands of actuations, it is beginning to get rather long in the tooth.

One of the key outlets I have for my photography after an expedition of this nature is via publishing a book, thanks to the advent of affordable self-publishing. To this end, I am working on a book documenting last year’s cycle ride. I have almost finished the first draft and hope to have the first versions available in the next 6-8 weeks. I will be using Blurb as they have the best publishing software, although I have just looked at Lulu and they offer a package with an ISBN, essential if you are keen to sell online through the likes of Amazon and via bookshops.

Has anyone got any feedback on any of these service providers?