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The Spirit Of Adventure
OK, I'm a numpty! I messed of the scheduling and this newsletter should've gone out last week. D'oh! Still, here it is now.
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With Valentine's Day firmly behind us, we're rapidly approaching the end of winter. I go by meteorological seasons, a system commonly used by scientists, which has set dates for the start end end of each season. According to meteorological seasons, the first day of spring is officially the 1st of March, so by the time this newsletter is sent on its merry way, spring will be just ten days away.
However, the snowdrops have been in full bloom for ages now around where I live, and even the wild primroses are in bloom, while the bluebells' green shoots are everywhere. That to me simply says spring is already here!
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That simply means the time of increased adventures is upon us. What adventures are you planning? Will you be going cycle touring in 2023, and if so, where? If not, why not? And if you're planning on going cycle touring, what can I do to help?
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I have fairly busy year ahead: there's my main adventure, cycling the bottom 700 miles of the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, but I am also planning various other, smaller adventures. In addition, some time during 2023 I'll be launching ReliQuest, a type of treasure hunt. Participants will have to cycle out to different places, and solve cryptic clues, to decipher the final location. There will be four possible winners.
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Oh, the prizes are only tokens: there are four WillCycle hot drink coasters that will be hidden over the UK: two in England, one in Wales and the last one in Scotland.
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I was asked the following question, by the lovely Heather: "If you could upgrade or purchase just one accessory for your bike, what would it be and why?"
That's a deceptively difficult question to answer! Ideally, I'd love to upgrade my bike to using Rohloff hub gears, but that's not realistic, as the drop-outs on the frame aren't compatible, I like having dropped bars, and besides, that's several big upgrades. Of course, the main reason why I can't is that I only have two kidneys, and to afford a Rohloff upgrade, I'd need to sell at least four kidneys!
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As a result, I'll probably say I'd love to get one of those 360-degree cameras.
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Keep those questions coming though!
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May all the drivers you encounter give you extra-wide, safe overtakes!
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The Blast From The Past button is quite straightforward: with every edition, I link a random old WillCycle post to it. If you click it, you will see what old WillCycle post it takes you to.
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The button will only ever point at WillCycle.
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The Good News
If ever you wanted to be a mermaid, or merman, science brought you one step closer.
Jokes aside, fish skin is now being successfully used to treat serious burns, and the process will temporarily leave patients with skin like you'd expect on a sea creature.
Fair warning: some of the pics in this article aren't for the sqeamish!
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Did You Know...?
Thought the wheels on your vintage bike are old? The oldest wooden wheel in the world was found some 12 miles from Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2002.
Radiocarbon dating tells us it's over five thousand years old!
Suddenly your vintage bike seems brand new by comparison!
What I'd most like to know is this though: if it was found in 2002, how long was it lost for?
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What Did You Miss On WillCycle?
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The unpleasant side of cycling
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Social media is awash with people telling anyone who'd listen about how good cycling is for you, for your physical and mental health, for society and for the wider world. There might be a million blog posts waxing lyrical about wonderful cycling is. Marketing types add to all this, and fill your timelines with bicycle porn - pictures of bicycles …
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Kit Review: Chilli-Tech Mk II Helmetcam
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I recently purchased two Chilli-Tech Mk II helmet cameras - one for me and one for my youngest daughter. For a few years I've been riding with a VTIN camera, and I'm quite happy with that, except for battery life. The Chilli-Tech Mk II has a battery life of roughly 4.5 hours on a full charge, which is almost four …
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CCCP: Cycling + Coffee + Cake = Pleasure
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I still like this T-shirt design, and it's 100% truthful: Cycling + Coffee + Cake = Pleasure!
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Random Internet Link
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This edition's Random Internet Link takes you to the Museum of Abandonware Video Games. Abandonware is software that has been abandoned, and effectively doesn't belong to anyone anymore, and depending on your age, you may discover a few trips down memory lane there.
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Will's Unexpected Bike Hack
This edition's Bike Hack is from Rona, who says: "This one is fairly similar to your garden centre pressure washer tip, I happened to discover that a water pistol is very good for cleaning out the awkward little corners that even a toothbrush won't reach."
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Thanks for that deviously simple suggestion, Rona!
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Do you have any hacks to share? Well then, don't be shy! Simply reply to this email. I'm fast running out of useful hacks to share so I can really do with suggestions.
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And Finally...
I spend considerable amounts of time producing The Spirit Of Adventure, and you receive it for free. Please do me a favour and forward it to someone else who you think will appreciate it?
And if you received this newsletter because someone forwarded it, you can subscribe quickly and easily at www.willcycle.com
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