Quite a simple plan really, ride to the ferry, do a loop around Northern France of about 250 kilometres, ish, get the ferry back, ride home.

Borrow the route from a long distance cycling partner, he knows a good route, thanks Gav. It doesn’t have to be Epic, just a big day out, and just a bit different.

There’s something beguiling about this kind of riding; carry everything you need, look after yourself, spend a lot of time in your own quiet little self-propelled bubble before slipping briefly into other people’s hurried lives while you stock up on snacks, fizzy drinks and grab a coffee before slinking back out.

A scrap of paper with a list of places where this might happen but happy to scavenge wherever the chance arises in opportune bakeries and petrol stations.

Pushing yourself a bit with little fuss or posturing because there’s no-one even watching to care, there is simply ground to cover calmly and efficiently. A constant gauging of energy in the legs and go the distance left to go and gently tapping it out. Just getting on with it, it’s a bit hard but it’s not hard.

If you can ride 10 miles you can ride 20 miles. If you can ride 20 miles you can ride 50. If you can ride 50 miles you can ride a hundred and if you can ride a hundred miles then you can ride round the world. It’s really that simple.

Words by Jo Burt