la Velodysee 2019

La Velodysee 2019. Revisited, Complete and properly blogged this time. (promise!)

So we’re heading back to France, and a little bit of Spain, to cycle the length of La Velodysee, the bit of the Eurovelo 1 route that’s in France. We completed a lot of it last summer, from Roscoff to Royan before turning South East and following the Canal des 2 Mers cycle route to Narbonne and eventually Torreilles Plage on the Mediterranean.

This summer we’ll be crossing from Plymouth to Santander before catching a train to Hendaye where we’ll pick up the start of the route. Unlike last year, there’ll be no hotels so we’ll be carrying everything we need; tent, mattress, sleeping bags, stoves, etc, etc. 

We’ll be taking the same bikes that performed so well last year, but the extra weight we’ll be carrying will have ramifications for one of the riders; me. 

In order to meet the manufacturers suggested weight limit for my bike, I have to shed fifty pounds before the start of the ride This target has to be reached in twenty weeks, at two and a half pounds a week. So I made a commitment last week to shed the weight and a regime of eating, drinking and exercise has been put in place. The alternative, and one preferred by at least one of us, was to buy a new, more robust touring bike, one which said rider had had his eye on for some time. But alas, it was not to be.

Last summer my doctor suggested I follow a ketogenic diet, which i did, and it resulted in some rapid weight loss. A ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carb way of eating, with no calorie counting. It also encourages fasting, which I’m not very good at at all. In any case, it proved successful, but I have to admit I had some concerns, not least of all regarding the amount of fat I was consuming. However, having returned from the cycle tour I had my blood tested and analysed, and my cholesterol levels, blood pressure and HbA1c readings were down significantly. A result of the keto diet? The exercise? Or a combination of both? Well, whatever it was, it worked at the time, so I’m going to try it again.

Since last Monday I’ve followed the www.dietdoctor.com two week introduction plan. Tomorrow morning is the first weigh in. We’ll see what happens.