Insurance post - script

It would seem that unless I re-read all of the fine print within my Covermore Travel Insurance policy wording and then sick some lawyers on to them, that Covermore aren't likely to be forthcoming in reimbursing me any more money and as a result I'm going to be out of pocket as far as repairing my bike is concerned, etc.

Now on a slightly more positive note however, it would seem that I may be a little more fortuitous as far as my Australian medical expenses are concerned, because it transpires that my membership of Bicycle Victoria also includes a certain amount of insurance coverage as well as access to legal aid.

I'll let you know how I get on in due course...

The goal for 2014

Rather than being someone who sat in an office saying "When I retire, I am going to......." I sort of figure that I should take advantage of my rather fortuitous position of having neither a job, partner or family that limits what I do and when I do it. As a result I'm going to take the opportunity to explore South America somewhat by riding the 11000 odd kilometres, from Quito, Ecuador through Peru, Bolivia, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina.

With such a gargantuan distance in mind and the fact that much of the proposed route is along or through the Andes Mountain range, I figure I'll also need to do a fair amount of work before I jump on a plane. Whilst I can't do anything about the altitude, I can do something about my general level of fitness in addition to my mountain climbing skills - Not that I mind being the team sprinter Dammo!

That being the case, I am hoping to do 300 kilometres a week on my bike, and attending as many of the Lead Out training sessions as is possible. The hard part could be getting used to being up at or before sparrow fart as it is this that going to take a little bit of getting used to for this night owl. Admittedly I'm a little bit behind with this and last weeks ride target, but hopefully I'll be able to make the short fall in the not too distant future.