http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk 3 blokes, 3 bikes, 3 weeks Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:12:41 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Whilst we were on the trip we generated over 2 hours of video via the mobile that we uploaded automatically to the website - in fact you may have watched :-) Well it was rather difficult to watch them back on Qik, so we've uploaded them all to YouTube and here ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2009/04/27/all-our-videos-now-in-one-place/ Before we hit the road, whilst we were on it, and on our return we did a series of interviews with BBC Radio Five Live. I know some of you caught them, but just in case you missed them, here they are: First Interview (Patrick, Stace and Matthew in the ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2009/04/24/bbc-radio-five-live-interviews-audio-video/ .... in case by any chance you're still subscribed to the RSS feed for JTR here are the links for the photos on flckr. I'm sorry it took so long to get them all live. You can see them all here Or you can see Matthew's Photos, Stace's Photos, or Patrick's Photos ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2009/02/05/all-the-photos-now-live/ Well we've been back a few days and we've finally sorted the washing out. So it seems returning to normal now seems to be the order of the day..... However before we all slip back into everyday life we'd just like to express our thanks to everyone who has supported us ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/09/18/thanks/ Sorry for the lack of video updates but as you can see from the last post we've had some issues getting the latest ones live... it's now fixed though! Latest videos now appearing at the top of the screen - don't forget we're doing several a day now (shorter ones!) so ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/09/13/video-updates-now-working-again/ It's hard to think that just 48 hours ago we were still in mother Russia, now we're in Poland... in a hotel... living the dream ;-) Not much to write that's not already in the video - but talking of the video - they're not working properly. For some reason the ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/09/12/400-miles-and-we-made-it-to-poland/ ... yeap we're back... after reaching Russia we spent a few days in St Petersburg (we did the washing - and sight-seeing) - had a fab time - made Russia - we're really happy! See you all soon. xxx http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/09/10/back-to-vosu/ Sorry we've not been writing quite as much as we'd planned - but internet access doesn't seem to be as prevalent as expected. But none of that matters! Because we're in a camp site of our dreams.... the first three we went to today were shut - this one was open ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/09/06/vosu-a-camp-site-of-our-dreams/ Yesterday didn't go quite as planned – our dear partner in crime (Patrick) was three hours late to the party and turned up just as Stace and I had finished the emotional goodbyes with our families... so we went without him.... he managed to over-take us on the way to ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/09/01/on-the-road-at-last/ It's been two days of conflicting emotions - on one hand - way-hey! Lot's more people donating to Everyman at JustGiving which is fantastic - in particular I want to mention the partners at Paul Davies and Partners (who Stace work for) who have donated a fantastic £200! Paul Davies ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/08/29/way-hey-and-arghhhh/ So the time is nearly here. We leave a week Saturday from Hatfield - in fact we're having a bit of a party and you're all invited. Details over on the facebook event page. We're going to meet at around 3pm, and party until we leave at 7pm - there's a band ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/08/21/just-over-a-week-leaving-parties/ It's fair to say we may have been a little obsessed with our kit. The problem was of course, that we were delayed by a year - and there's only so much time you can take up obsessing over visas and injections - so kit seemed a harmless hobby. I've lost ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/07/28/finalising-the-kit/ A new Podcast Update has been left by Matthew Click here to listen to it in Quick Time. Or use this player to listen: [audio:http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/pbpost3.mp3] If you want to automatically receive the podcast updates in your podcast software follow the instructions on the Podcast page. http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/07/26/new-podcast-update-from-matthew-2/ A new Podcast Update has been left by Matthew Click here to listen to it in Quick Time. Or use this player to listen: [audio:http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/pbpost2.mp3] If you want to automatically receive the podcast updates in your podcast software follow the instructions on the Podcast page. http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/07/26/new-podcast-update-from-matthew/ As many of you know, on this trip we're raising money for Everyman - the male cancer charity - look up in the top right hand corner and you can do your bit too ;-) Anyway, great news from them today - they think they've found a new drug that will ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/07/22/good-news-from-everyman/ I've had the Eee PC (701) now for a few months and have been using it as my primary machine whilst away and my secondary machine at home. I must admit I've had a few issues with it. I've had to return it to factory defaults (keep hitting F9 at start ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/06/30/asus-a-couple-of-months-of-ownership/ Uploaded from South Wales, where I discovered that a simple rip stop nylon poncho packs up smaller than the army issue job, and even fits me! http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/06/28/28062008159/ No speaky.... Not a video review this time, unusual for us I know, however I've just got hold of a really nice piece of kit that may well prove more valuable than mine and Matt's (failed) Russian language (Svetlana please forgive us....) course we had planned to do for the trip ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/06/13/pocketcomms/ As we get nearer to the off more people have been asking us how they can keep up to date with what we're doing. Obviously the simplest way is to come here or subscribe to the RSS feed - or perhaps even subscribe to the videos - but as we're ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/06/08/keeping-an-eye-on-us/ As I couldn't go camping with Mrs Cashmore this weekend - I decided to take advantage of the hideous weather to give the swag a good wet test. First of all I wanted to play around with configurations to keep as much of the water off the bag as possible - ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/05/26/coolabah-swag-bag-the-wet-weather-test/ Did you know that you can subscribe to our videos via iTunes? No? Well let me show you how. By subscribing to the Journey To Russia video show, you'll automatically get the latest video delivered straight to your computer - what more could you possibly need ;-) All you need to do ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/05/23/subscribe-to-the-videos-via-itunes/ A little while ago we met a very nice chap called Michael Field at the Daily Telegraph Adventure Travel Show - we had a good talk to him and he told us the best way to keep ourselves dry on the road. After we got back Michael dropped us a line ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/05/15/nikwax-waterproofing-for-the-journey/ ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/05/11/coolabah-swag-bag-review-2/ Choosing a tent to take overland is never an easy task, do you go for weight? What about material? Cost? All very important questions, but ultimately I think it boils down to how you work with the tent and how it works for you in return. I know, slightly strange to ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/05/09/coolabah-swag-bag-review/ ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/04/01/tents-a-simple-guide/ There's nothing better at the end of a hard day than a long cold beer, except perhaps a beautifully rich, deep bodied, glass of Bordeaux. Neither is that practical on a bike. The beer? Well it tends to be warm, and the wine? Frankly it doesn't get out of France ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/03/19/wine-snob/ The Ady Smith school sounded like a really great way to spend the weekend. Not only was it going to be fun but I was also looking at it as further rider training and being able to relate some of things I learned on the weekend to my road riding. ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/03/10/off-road-traing-day/ I was looking forward to having a look at this book when it came out. As practical ‘how to’ guides on adventure motorcycling are a bit few and far between so it’s nice to see another title for people to pick-up when they start planning or even dreaming about a ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/03/05/adventure-motorcycling-review-the-book/ Well as if a 5,000 mile trip to Russia wasn't enough for me I've signed up for a special day out in June! I'm going to use it as a bit of 'light' training... Myself and some friends from www.xrv.org.uk will be attempting to ride from John O'Groats to Lands End on ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/02/26/the-longest-day/ When we started this whole thing we did wonder if we should do something 'worthy' to try and off-set the blatant fun we were going to have blasting around old Europe and Russia on our bikes. But when it came to choosing what to do the 'charidee' thing seemed a ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/02/21/raising-money-for-charity/ Given we're now filming in wide-screen and that it would be nice to watch all the review shows in one place we've built a new page to allow you to do just that! It sounds more exciting than it really is, but bookmark this link http://journeytorussia.co.uk/watch-the-show or subscribe to the RSS feed at http://journeytorussia.blip.tv/rss Shows ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/02/03/new-video-show-page/ A new episode in the Review Show... They've let me out of the garage - goodness knows why - but Patrick, Stace and I headed down to the London Business Centre over the weekend and met up with some great people who are there to make planning your trip ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/01/29/out-at-the-daily-telegraph-adventure-show/ I've been playing with google maps again and we now have a very flash new map. It's a bit basic at the moment but over the next few months Stace and I will be adding more detail and try to map the actual lines to our actual route as closley ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/01/09/new-interactive-map/ Some people may say this is a luxury - but frankly there is nothing worse than waking up in a cold tent on a cold morning to be greeted by instant coffee or stale tea. The easy way to solve this problem? A camping espresso machine of course! Perfect for ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/01/06/camping-expresso-review/ News has filtered into the journeytorussia news room that the Paris Dakar has been cancelled. This is huge news, the rally involving trucks and cars as well as hundreds of motorbikes, has run un-interupted since 1979; although stages have been canceled in the past. The guys who run the rally are ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2008/01/04/paris-dakar-canceled/ Continuing the series of video reviews, in this episode we look at the Trangia 25-5 - that's the 2-4 person system that's non-stick. Click To Play (embedded movie from blip.tv) The Trangia is a wonderful all round system. I use the 25 (the slightly larger version) because I find the 27 too small ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/12/31/trangia-review/ I started to write a review for the EXPED Downmat... but discovered the best way to get my point across would be in a badly filmed and encoded video uploaded to YouTube. And so it was done. It may not be cheap, but £115 for total sleeping comfort is worth every penny. ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/12/28/exped-downmat-7-dlx/ I've been lying low for a bit and the other two have been out and about on their bikes so all in all a busy period where not much has changed as far as my Africa Twin is concerned. I'll say sorry in advance as this bike has turned into ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/09/20/back-to-work/ Well as you all know the Russian Bear will have to wait. I have a bike to rebuild once my body is rebuilt (thankfully unlike bikes there'll never be bits left over when it's fully back together) and to be honest I'm more or less there. With the trip on ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/08/10/waiting-russian-bears/ Last Monday the JTR team huddled at our now infamous HQ at Borough Market. Small talk was made and sausages in a bap ordered as we politely sipped our tea and ignored the rather obvious reason for us being there. As readers of this blog will know, we've all had ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/07/02/taken-a-knock/ How arrogant is it for us to thing that we should be able to write to companies and ask them to give us money so that we can ride to Russia and back? It's not like it's a particularly special journey - it's out of the ordinary certainly - it's ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/07/01/sponsors/ Went to the hospital for another check-up and the cast is off. I am officially 'partially weight bearing' with the target of full weight bearing in 6 weeks. I'm in a leg support but it's a million miles away from a fibre glass cast. Foot looked pretty grim when it came ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/06/28/the-cast-is-off/ I've been looking for spares since my accident. Some are harder to find than others and let's be honest as this is a Honda new ones aren't cheap so 'previously enjoyed' spares are the order of the day. One part that's been particulary vexing for me has been the front fairing spur - ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/06/25/ebay-is-a-curse-at-times-2/ I feel as if we've taken a blow, and we're winded. There seems to be no other way to describe it. Patrick had his massive off, Stace had his and then I got sent down the road by an idiot car driver. Since then we've done nothing, we've not looked at ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/06/23/taken-a-blow/ It's been a few weeks since my accident so I thought it would be nice to give a little update of how I'm healing. I'm still in plaster and my next appointment is 28th June and until then I'm non-weight bearing. It seems a long time but I suppose they ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/06/14/slow-progress/ I've just started reading Running With The Moon by Jonny Bealby - after reading the reviews over at Amazon I was a little concerned - some are amazing, but rather a few are a little derogatory. It's a revelation. I made the mistake of reading the first couple of chapters just ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/06/10/still-reading-still-learning/ I've been very lucky with this small crash - I've escaped with relatively minor bruises and grazes compared to Patrick's broken leg! But it still blasted well hurts! I'm sure it will heal very quickly but I can't wait for the shoulder bruising to sort itself out - It doesn't look ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/27/very-little-damage-to-me/ I don't know what's going on with us lot recently but as Patrick has already said I had an off this evening. A corsa behind me felt that stopping at traffic lights was optional. I'm now hurting quite a lot - bruised chest from going through my windscreen, bad ankle and ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/23/down-but-not-out/ Just had a call from Matt. I was at the hospital today for a check-up on my leg (more on this later) and he tells me he's sitting by the side of the road having been rear ended by a car on the North Circular on his way home! He says ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/23/so-all-set-for-the-weekend/ I'm going to take the opportunity to try 4 days in the saddle this weekend - the tent will go up and down 4 times, and I'll do 180 + miles each day - the idea being of course, to simulate the kind of milage and day to day activities ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/21/bank-holiday-weekend-means-4-days-in-the-saddle/ Well I'm not one for cliches but it's certainly been an eventfull week not only for JTR but especially me. If you haven't heard already (tongue firmly in cheek seeing how Matt has gone into Fleet Street overdrive...) I've broken a bone in my leg and ruptured some ligaments in ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/10/home-again/ Well that's it. Patrick is home safe and sound - he's got his leg up in the air and a dog that is really happy to see him! We're all very relieved that the man himself is home, and we're crossing everything for a speedy recovery so he can get straight ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/09/home-safe-and-sound/ Patrick is still feeling a little groggy after all his meds, which isn't very nice at all. He's up and about on crutches, which is very positive news, but still feeling under the weather. I think it's all catching up with him now and he's starting to feel a little ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/08/patrick-out-tomorrow/ Patrick has a dirty great big slab of metal in his leg - 1 metal plate with 7 screws holding it in. We've been down to see him this afternoon and he's in fine spirits! Took him some reading material, and some fresh strawberrys. Also been glad to hear that ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/06/1-plate-7-screws/ The news is in - Patrick's operation has gone well. There was some ligament damage and it sounds as if more pins were needed than initially thought. But the important thing is that the operation went well and with any luck our fellow traveller will be out tomorrow - crutches ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/05/2-pins-and-a-plate/ Patrick is heading down for an operation this morning to pin the bone, and see if there's any damage to his ligament. We're all crossing everything here that it's nothing more simple than a pin, if it's a plate then Russia may be off for him. It's something none of ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/05/operation-this-morning/ Patrick has broken his leg. Yes you've read right. He was involved in a small accident this morning, which left him sitting in A&E with an x-ray of a cleanly broken right fibula. More news as soon as we have it - at this point he's still in hospital and ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/05/breaking-news/ Fully loaded the CBF600 is starting to feel like she's wallowing, and frankly unless I get more training, that's exactly what I'll be doing all the way to Moscow. The problem I think is a simple one of too much weight combined with too little experience sledging around pristine Welsh ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/05/03/the-velvet-highways-of-the-land-of-my-fathers/ Here it is in all it's glory - I never get tired of these things! 500 miles in one weekend - can't be bad. http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/04/29/gps-trace-of-wales-training-weekend/ The bike is away, the flickr photos are being uploaded and I have a full Sunday roast in my Belly.... fantastic weekend, much learned, full report shortly. Sorry about the strange characters in the posts whilst we were away - the photo update stuff seems to put them in - will ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/04/29/back-safe-and-sound/ It's 7am but time to pull myself together and get some breakfast on. We = wont be making the same mistake as last time and leaving before we have = some popper food and drink inside us. A little wet and cold this morning - = let's hope it brightens up. http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/04/29/far-too-early/ It's been a stunning day. The weather has been perfect, the new tent is = just right, and the food tonight was top notch. The icing on the cake has = to be the wonderful camp site Patric found. Good night for now and see you = all in the morning! http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/04/28/long-day/ I'm not allowed to tell you where we have stopped, but suffice to say it's = a little red place. Burgers have been ordered and tea drunk. Very very nice = weather more when we arrive in Wales http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/04/28/lunch-stop/ After waiting since February following my purchase of a profit kit from the Rhino Protect stand at this years London MCN show the day had come to travel to the fitting centre just north of Slough, although if I am honest I travelled over the night before and stayed with ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/04/27/rhino-protect-review/ Ready for the off - again - as we prepare for the April training run. We're heading to Celyn Brithion back home in Wales. It's a beautiful spot right at the heart of a beautiful country (not that I'm biased). I'm really looking forward to the long corners and steep bends ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/04/26/april-training-run-takes-us-me-home/ We're very luck here in Journey To Russia towers... we have a genius photographer with us. His name is Stace and he can't half shake the right end of a lens around. Here are some of the amazing shots he took of our Dartmoor run - he wasn't even trying to ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/04/23/stunning-photography/ We've chosen the location, we've bought new kit, and we're ready for the off! Well, almost. I still need to change my sprockets and chain, Stace needs to re-configure his luggage after buying a new 2 second tent with a smaller 'wing factor', and Patrick needs to ride-in and make sure ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/04/15/april-training-run-almost-ready/ Picked this up over at motorcycleramblings.com - it's advice from a book by Tim Cahill - which you should go buy immediately. The following is an excerpt from Tim Cahill´s book Hold the Enlightenment. I would like to reproduce a good portion of it hear, assuming that he will not mind ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/04/04/advice-we-should-listen-to/ Here's the GPS trace from last weekends run - I've not managed to get the data working on an embedded map yet, but I'm getting there so keep an eye open. Click on the image to see the large version. http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/03/30/gps-trace-for-training-run/ As I sit here in my plush M&S dressing gown, red wine in one hand, laptop in the other and Northanger Abbey on the TV, I’m hardly the picture of a motorbike adventurer; facing the world with only 600cc and a toothbrush. Friday night saw me gripping the sides of my ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/03/28/to-dartmoor-and-back/ As dawn spread over the Little Chef on the A3 Southbound just beyond the M25 three bikes were parked. Laden down with kit to make Charlie and Ewan gulp... Well that was the plan. However in reality I'm amazed we THE JTR team made the trip at all. Firstly a ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/03/26/dartmoor-or-bust/ The lists are made, we've agreed who's carrying what, and we've looked at the weather forecast. We're ready for the weekend. We've deliberatly chosen to do this long run on a weekend when we have to finish work on the Friday, leave for the weekend and then go back to ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/03/21/ready-for-the-weekend/ I've been playing with a few methods of tracking our route and displaying it on the site whilst we're on our trip. Couple of reasons for doing this, but mainly it's there to show our progress, and if anything goes wrong, where we were at the last upload. I'm working on a ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/03/11/tracking-the-route/ It's coming up fast - our first training run. We're heading down to Dartmoor to try our hand at 'long distance' riding with rough camping. The aim this time is to see what the dynamic between the three of us is like. We've ridden with each other before but not actually ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/03/08/first-training-run/ When we first started talking about doing this journey we always knew that we wanted to do something - however small - to highlight a charity very close to our hearts - that charity is Everyman. Everyman fund research to help cross out male cancer, they also spend a lot of ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/01/31/everyman-funding-research-to-cross-out-male-cancer/ So now we’ve managed to complete our basic route, we need your help. Do you live on or near our stops? Do you have the latest information on our border crossings? Do you have any practical advise on how we can keep our bikes running perfectly over 5000 miles? We’d love to ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/01/11/we-need-your-help/ With the New Year comes new determination from the Journey To Russia team - the final route has been finalised and the ferries are being booked. You can see the final route here. http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2007/01/08/route-finalised/ Journey To Russia is explained simply; 3 Blokes, 3 Bikes, 3 Weeks. The journey starts in September 2007, when Matt, Patrick and Stace leave the weekly londonbikers.com meet for the far flung cities of St Petersburg and Moscow. The journey will cover several thousand miles in a very short period, crossing ... http://www.journeytorussia.co.uk/2006/10/07/whats-this-all-about-then/