I got away to Wales this weekend to spend the night mountain biking at One Planet Adventure in the Coed Llandegla (Llandegla Forest, in Welsh). The guys there very kindly offered to take me around their red and black trails in the dark to help me write a feature for the Observer.

It was a tough couple of hours for my legs and lungs, but was also some of the most mentally challenging riding I’ve ever done. Reacting to terrain like that with just a second or two’s notice (even high-end Hope lights will only cast that far) takes its toll, but does make you feel like you’re going a million miles per hour.

Often, the light won’t point where you’re going, so you have to trust that you’ll manage to take whatever springs into view at the speed you’re going. One big advantage is that when you’re on northshore sections, you have no idea how long the drop is. What you can’t see can’t hurt you. Unless you fall off.

Many thanks to Ian and the rest of their group for their time and patience. It was a night to remember, and if you’re ever in the area I suggest you check them out. They have miles of great trails, but also offer tuition, bike rentals/sales and a damn fine cup of tea.

I would say more, but I must away and write this feature. I’ll post a link when it’s up.

How did the idea for the trip come about?

Before I decided to do this trip I was a student at Exeter University. I graduated this year with a high 2:1 in Politics.

My main activity at university was Rugby and I played for the University 2nd XV in my final year.

I decided to do this trip because no matter who I applied to I couldn’t get a job! I thought this would help me boost my skills without having to do another year’s study or wait tables like some of my other graduate friends.

How have you been preparing?

I really started cycling to get to a summer job in my first summer of university. It was 10 miles there, 10 miles back and I did it on my brother-in-law’s old bike which I took the rear brake off, because it was rubbing on the back wheel!

I’ve been planning and training for this trip since the beginning of June, when I should have been revising. I tend to do around 30-40 miles, three times a week on the bike, plus running and walking a lot.

I’ve prepared for the trip by reading every book I can find about the continent and by following other expeditions. Particularly the Listen to Africa expedition.

What’s the route?

I plan to cycle to Plymouth, get the ferry to France and then cycle to Spain. From there the countries I want to pass through are Morocco – Western Sahara – Mauritania – Senegal – The Gambia – Senegal – Guinea – Sierra Leone – Guinea – Mali – Burkina Faso – Ghana – Togo – Benin – Nigeria – Cameroon – Gabon – Congo – DRC – Angola – Namibia – South Africa.

How long will it take?

I’m not 100% sure of the distance as Google Maps doesn’t work for Africa, but by using my map, some string and my Year 8 geography skills, I have worked out it is roughly 12,000 miles.

I want to do it in 6 months but I’ve budgeted for 8.

There are a couple of non-bike related journeys I want to make though, one of them is that I want to catch the world’s longest train in Mauritania which transports iron ore. It’s free in third class, and apparently one of the must-experience things to do in Africa.

When do you set off?

In November is the plan. I’m currently trying to scrape together a little bit more money to make it happen.

What’s it in aid of – will you be raising money for charity?

I want to raise a minimum of £10,000 for charity. I’m raising money for four charities, but the one closest to my heart is the Robert Johns Leukaemia Fund. Bob who runs it is a ‘Sir’, but is such an unlikely knight. You need to meet him to appreciate what a hero he is.

What bike are you using? Has it had any modifications?

The bike I’m training on is a mountain bike bought for £90 from a local hire shop – very credit-crunch chic! I want a Rohloff hub bike but I don’t have one… yet.

What equipment will you be using?

I’ll be taking everything I need. I have a good stove and an ultralight tent. I’m obviously taking as little as possible, though. The thing I’m most excited about is my Extrawheel trailer. It’s a third wheel for the bike which should put less weight over the back wheel and save on punctures.

You can find out more about the trip by visiting Sean’s website.

It works like this: you ring your bell at other cyclists.

The official website explains all: “The idea is to create a fun experience for cyclists and locals in and around London, with the hope of establishing more of a sense of community amongst fellow cyclists.”

So, if you don’t have a bell, maybe you should think about getting one. It might not suit your full-carbon road bike, but hunt around; there are some cool models out there.

Of course, critics will say that a sense of community would be more easily achieved by conversation; at traffic lights, the office bike shed or on club rides, rather than ringing a bell at each other from a distance. Who knows?

You can, of course, follow Ding Day on Twitter.

How long have you been on the road?

I left London on the 29th of March, I’ve been away five months. Sometimes it feels like a lot longer…

How soon do you expect to finish, and how much are you hoping to beat the record by?

I’m hoping to get back to London mid-September. The current record is 195 days all in and I’m hoping to beat that by around two/three weeks. Anything less would be ungentlemanly!

What’s been hardest part of the trip?

Physically, probably the first three weeks – which were still a part of the training. In general, headwinds are the hardest thing to deal with – they’re so soul destroying. It’s an environmental and physical hardship that becomes an emotional hardship – you just can’t beat them and it can really grind you down.

Getting sick after India was really hard. I couldn’t leave my Thai hotel room for nearly three days, let alone get on the bike. It was a pretty dark time and I did think about getting on a plane home. But eventually I could keep enough food down to fuel the cycling and I just got on and did it.

What have you missed most?

My friends, my family, my girlfriend. Sleep. Clean clothes. Being able to stop and look around once in a while.

Any amusing/scary anecdotes along the way?

Scary – only one, when I was in Iran and five men tried to force me off the road and into their car. I was saved by two sixteen year-olds (both called Hassan). I loved Iran apart from that.

Amusing – many. Lots of people will be friendly from their cars, asking you where you’re from or what your name is. In Turkey, one such friendly soul with arms outstretched, cried out to me, “What’s my name!?”.

I’m pretty sure he got one word wrong there, but as it happened quite swiftly I just shouted back, sort of honestly, “I don’t know!” The car carried on, its passenger perhaps struggling with having briefly met someone who didn’t know their own name.

I can play this back over and over and still get a laugh (from myself). Then I start to wonder maybe he didn’t know what his name was, still doesn’t, and just gets driven around, asking people.

This makes me feel less bad about saying, “I don’t know”, but it’s not very likely, is it?

Painful, scary and amusing (in retrospect) was the time I cycled straight in to a wombat in the middle of Australia. I went right over the handle bars and smashed my back brake off, which really cramped my style coming down some pretty big hills when I should have been gaining miles… But now it’s a good anecdote.

What are the practicalities (camping, flat tyres etc)?

Until the wombat incident I had no punctures. Not one, from Hyde Park to the middle of Australia (thanks Schwalbe!) After that I got several in quick succession in the back tyre which were just as frustrating to fix in the middle of the Nullarbor as they are in Balham.

I’ve been doing a mixture of camping and staying in roadside motels and the like. In Iran I did a lot of camping in mosques, which I really enjoyed.

It’s pretty quick to throw the tent up and it’s nice to be able to stop when I feel like it but I do enjoy a shower and a mattress. And AC – it’s been pretty hot on and off this trip.

As I write this I’ve just got a huge crack in the right crank which has brought me to a complete stop somewhere near Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Think I’ve found a bicycle shop that can help me out on a Sunday afternoon… fingers crossed.

What sort of bike/equipment are you using?

I’m riding a customised Santos Travelmaster with a Rohloff hub and a belt drive. The belt-drive is a complete revelation; no oiling, no cleaning and no noise. The Rohloff hub is also amazing; if I stop on a hill in the wrong gear I can change down while stationary, which is a boon on a fully loaded bike.

This is a first by the way – Rohloff are a very cautious and thorough company and do not allow bike manufacturers to sell their hubs with a belt drive attached – yet – because they have not been fully tested in the field.

I think that’s about to change. It’s good to be at the cutting edge!

My Brooks saddle isn’t anything new or fancy (I took it off my last bike) but it’s doing a great job and now carries perfect indentations of my sit bones.

I’ve got some very nice Go Lite clothing and equipment – I love my little tent very much, it’s been a boon companion.

My lights and camera batteries and iPhone are powered by the dynamo which I pasted together (and have to re-adjust regularly). I’ve got a GPS tracking system from Spot which links to my website and means you can see where I am at all times on www.whereintheworldisjames.com.

What do you do normally, for a living? What made you think of trying to beat the record?

I’m a volunteer at a Parkinson’s Disease (PD) research clinic based at King’s College London in the Institute of Psychiatry. I chose the clinic and the work because my grandfather had PD and I wanted to find out more about the disease.

The clinic has got by on a shoestring budget for several years and the doctors that lead the research are working constantly at funding the next five years of work. I decided I wanted to help – my contribution was taking on the hardest challenge I could find.

When Mark Beaumont set the current record many thought it was unbreakable, so I thought that would be the thing to do!

Dynamic and unique research requires an equally singular fundraising proposition. If it were for myself and simply to break a record, I’d probably give up halfway round. If I succeed it will be because other things are more inspiring.

Now he’s doing it again, in Dublin, where he’s hanging out after the Tour of Ireland;

Good morning Dublin. Who wants to ride this afternoon? I do. 5:30 pm @ the roundabout of Fountain Rd and Chesterfield Ave. See you there..

Terrible weather and a bad back forced Lance to pull out of the final stage of the Tour – along with 55 others.

Lance is sticking around in the country to host a three-day Global Cancer Summit.

My bike was locked up next to it, which was probably pretty safe. It was certainly not the lowest hanging fruit for any passing bike thief that night.

What better to have on the face of a bell than the patron saint of travelers? I’m agnostic, but I still want one.

I’ve never had a bell on a bike before, but I think my town cruiser could do with one to clear the path of ambling shoppers. Does anybody know of any theft/tamper-proof ones?

Do some make a more pleasing “ding” than others? Can you buy them in certain notes? Or are they all much the same? Questions, questions…

Two weekends ago, a couple of friends came over, and we built up a bike. Over a few cups of tea, we overcame a few problems, shared a few tips and cobbled a decent fixed gear from a pile of parts.

If you’ve never done this before, I’ll let you into a little secret: it’s not as hard as it seems. Next time that something starts creaking, you upgrade a part or even want a whole new bike, consider doing it yourself.

Start small, do some research (Bicycle Tutor and Sheldon Brown are cycle-repair bibles) and see how you get on.

A quick bite can perk you up surprisingly quickly if you find yourself flagging.

There are all sorts of premade gels, jellys, bars and snacks to choose from, but if you’re going on a long ride a few times a week, these can get pricey.

Making your own bars is one solution. It’s much cheaper, but it does take a little time.

This recipe is one that I have used, which makes around 20-30 snack-sized bars. I sometimes make a batch and keep them in a Tupperware box in the fridge.

Firstly, the ingredients. Nothing special here, just your basic, slightly-altered flapjack recipe.

There’s less sugar than normal, to avoid a rush-and-crash, and a whole host of slow-release energy sources.

You can chop and change these to taste. A little chocolate might be a nice idea.

250g unsalted butter – a whole UK-size pack
2 pints of oats, roughly measured in a glass
1 x 340g jar honey
3 heaped tablespoons of brown sugar
2 heaped tablespoons of sunflower seeds (crushed with a rolling pin)
2 handfuls of sultanas
2 handfuls of chopped, dried apricots
4 crushed digestive biscuits

The recipe is as simple as the ingredients, really.

1. Gently melt the butter in a microwave. This just makes it easier to get all the ingredients stirred together and sticking in one lump.

2. Add the ingredients one by one, giving it a good stir as you go.

3. Take a baking tray, line it with greaseproof paper, and pour in the mix. Cook for 15 minutes or so at 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit, Gasmark 6).

4. Remove from oven (don’t worry if it is still a bit soft) and leave to cool on the side. Once it’s at room temperature, throw it in the fridge for a couple of hours. After that you can chop it into bars and eat/store them.

It was a very special sighting of rare tricycle-couriers flocking through Fitzrovia.

Unlike their nimbler, two-wheeled counterparts, these specimens have inherent stability. This is well demonstrated by the one at the back, who is smoking a roll-up as she rides.