Chasing Lines: My World Record Pursuit Cycling Unsupported Across Europe

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by James McLaren, author of the new book Chasing Lines: My World Record Pursuit Cycling Unsupported Across Europe 6292km, 9 Countries, Two Wheels, One Man.

The alarm goes off in my hotel room in Ufa. Better get used to that.

I’ve had my day of getting ready so here we go, all the planning and training is done, it’s real, it’s right here in front of me.

Clothes on, eat snacks and get breakfast. Bike and kit all ready, it’s time to wheel it out into the elevator of my nice hotel room.

I come out the elevator into the reception, head to toe in Lycra, with the bike by my side, to a bemused security guard and receptionist. I check out and wheel out the hotel to find grey skies.

Rolling down the road, I put my leg over the saddle and head down the very steep hill to the station where, annoyingly I know I’ll have to head right back up in just a minute.

But it’s not raining and the wind doesn’t seem too bad. Any cyclist will know that wind…