Saturday, March 09, 2024

Virtual Lands End to John o'Groats - Part 7

I finish the week having just crossed Hollins Cross on the Great Ridge (that would have killed me in real life).  10.4 miles completed tonight.  I've managed 53.08 miles this week, over 3 hours and 41 minutes.   I have now completed 468.13 miles of my virtual bike ride to John o'Groats.  Only another 710.87 miles to go.




Saturday, March 02, 2024

Virtual Lands End to John o'Groats - Part 6

I managed a gruelling 16.4 miles on my virtual bike ride tonight.  I passed through Penkridge, and Bednall, skimmed the outskirts of Little Hayward, Colwich and Rugeley, and have now reached Stockwell Heath.  This week I've managed 62.63 miles bringing the total distance completed to 415.05 miles.  Only another 763.95 to go.

    


Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 84 - Depeche Mode - Everything Counts

This is a great song by Depeche Mode, released back in July 1983 from their third studio album "Construction Time Again".  

It entered the UK charts at number 41 before peaking at number 6 just four weeks later.  It's one of my favourite DM tunes after Vince Clarke left the band a few years earlier, with this song being written by Martin Gore.  

Personally, I will always prefer the more upbeat, pop/disco songs from their first album Speak and Spell, but then I'm a sucker for anything written by Vince Clarke and his electronic wizardry with analogue synthesizers.  Still, this song along with a few others (People are People, See You, and Enjoy the Silence) proved that Depeche Mode could still pump out some memorable and catchy tunes without VC.

Enjoy...

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Virtual Lands End to John o'Groats - Part 5

I've passed through Worcester and have rejoined the original route of my virtual bike ride after taking a slight detour to pass through Evesham. 11.94 miles done this evening, giving me a weekly total of 54.56 miles. Slightly less than last week's 88.77 miles, but I've been a bit more gentle on my legs this week. 

Lately, I've been struggling to keep my trousers up, so all this peddling must be doing something to my waistline. 

Current location - Grimley, Worcestershire 
Miles from Lands End - 352.42 
Miles to John o'Groats - 826.58 (I've added an extra 20 miles to my planned virtual route to take me through Glencoe in Scotland).




Game Covers - Hammer Down (C64)

Climb aboard the last V8 powered motorcycle and prepare yourself for some action biking as you explore top down town on a mission to collect flashing items that are scattered all around town.








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Saturday, February 17, 2024

Virtual Lands End to John o'Groats - Part 4

Another long slog on the exercise bike.  I managed 15.63 miles this evening, taking me through Stroud, and past Painswick Beacon.  I've now reached the village of Upton St. Leonards on the outskirts of Gloucester.

My bum and legs are absolutely killing me as I needed to simulate some steep uphill riding as I climbed Uley Long Barrow and Haresford Hill, but what comes up must come down, so I had plenty of downhill peddling too!.

In total, I've completed 88.77 miles this week in 6 hours, 5 minutes and 53 seconds, giving me an average speed of around 14mph.  I have travelled 297 miles from Lands End and have another 860 miles to go until I reach John o'Groats.

I'm really pleased with my progress so far.