The concept that we call “10 Degrees of Latitude” is one year old today. Hard to believe that one year ago Adam and I brainstormed this idea. The untold story about 10DL is that it was actually Adam’s wife (Amy Hazlett) who came up with the actual name. Adam came up with the idea to do the channel, I wrapped the bike ride around it, and Amy coined the 10 Degrees Latitude idea. My hat is off to Amy, and it’s also off for everyone that has helped us along the way. There are almost too many names to mention…

A rambunctious and awesome shout-out to a few special people:

• Maria from Best Western
• Matt from Cadence Cycling & Multisport
• Darren from Front of the Pack
• Kin-Joe at Vetta
• Barry at Bellwether and Profile Design 
• Greg at ZIPP
• Gianmarco at Wilier
• Martin at Suunto
• Holly at Gu Nutrition
• Rick at Barracuda
• LAS Helmets
• SRAM Components
• Karen at Bodyglide 

Another monstrous shout-out to the crew of 10DL Europe. Without whom we would have done nothing:

• Flora/Laura
• Amy/Joshua/Andrew
• Bob/Michelle
• Tricia/Eva

Looking forward to another great year of 10DL! (our brand is so popular now that it now has an acronym!)

• 80 miles
• Ingelmunster, Belgium to Fin, France
• Gorgeous countryside, 15 mph headwind
• 4 baguettes in rear pockets, 3 weddings, 7 barets

Holy smokes was it blowing out there today, but we pushed through. The French countryside was gorgeous, which made it easier. We started in Belgium and crossed the border into France during our ride. Belgium was industrial. France was filled with agrarian villages … and WEDDINGS.

Just by chance, we got to be a part of three French wedding motorcades. The cars were decorated and driving the same speed as we were biking. Everyone was happy and honking. We said “Bonjour” with our best frenchy accents. It was awesome.

Here are some pictures from the day. Time for us to rest up now, tomorrow is a 130 mile day.

This blog post is dedicated to our friends at Zipp Speed Weaponry, especially our friend Greg Kopecky, Sponsorship Coordinator. Our bicycles have a 808 rear wheel, and 404 front wheel. This configuration is becoming the sine qua non for triathletes worldwide. The aerodynamic dimples in the carbon rim are the same as golf balls and race cars.

A shout-out to Best Western Hotel Les Beaux Arts in downtown Compiegne, France. Special thanks to managers Talvay and Ouidade for making us feel so at home. The rooms were the biggest we’ve had yet and the location was right along our route and on the river. Best Western Hotel Les Beaux Arts. +33 3 44922626. 33 Cours Guynemer, Compiègne, France.

[UPDATE] We took the ferry to France. It took around 2 hours. During the whole trip I just gazed out the window. I could not believe how wide and rough the channel looked. It still doesn’t seem real to either of us that we swam that huge distance just two days ago.

A shout-out to Best Western Hotel Du Parc and Celine Delaplace who did so much to make us feel at home. This hotel has gorgeous grounds, a sunny outdoor pool, and a top-notch restaurant. We recommend the ostrich, it’s delic.

• Leeds to Nottingham
• 75 miles
• 1800 feet climbed
• 1000 sheep. Some cows. 63 pigs.
• 2 nuclear reactors

Our route took us through Sherwood Forest, which was fun for me. It’s hard not to feel like a kid again riding through Sherwood Forest into Nottingham!

Today was a pretty nice day.  It’s a shame that as we come further south our surroundings are less desolate and the roadways are much more populated.  As a result, we spend more time concentrating and less time enjoying our environment.  Weather today was beautiful.  Winds were calm most of the day, and there was only a 15 minute patch of rain that we unintentionally but fortunately avoided on our lunch break.

To say these last 3 days have been tough would be an understatement.  Mentally, there were a lot of obstacles to overcome.  Physically the back-to-back-to-back days of punishing terrain and distance were difficult.  I can’t tell you how many times over the past several months, I’ve cursed the name of Mike Kuhn, our coach (another link) as I opened the dreaded email that laid out the workout for the day.  “Tell me again why I’m riding 6 hrs today  I just did 4 yesterday.”  Today it’s clear.  This guy isn’t just a sadist. He had a method to his madness.  It was good to finish this segment of the ride and still feel pretty strong (and injury free!)

Tomorrow we’ll rest up and take care of some minor aches and pains and then it’s on to Cambridge.

• Newcastle to Leeds
• 90 miles
• 5100 feet climbed
• 4000 sheep; 200 cows; 7 horses

The winds were strong early on, but eased after a few hours.  We fought a similar terrain profile as yesterday for the first 30 miles, but the middle 30 miles of our route was on a highway with more consistent grading and low winds.  We spent a lot of the time riding in the emergency lane, which, despite the heavy traffic, turned out to be ok.  We didn’t get to enjoy our surroundings, but we spent nearly the whole time above 20 miles an hour.  So that was a mental victory we needed after the last day and a half.

These have been heavy endurance days for us.  Our support team has been great.  They insisted on meeting up with us more often today.  I think it was as much to gauge our mental state as physical.  There’s no way we could succeed without them.

Thanks for all of the emails of support from sponsors, friends, and family.

A shout-out to LAS Helmets, especially Alex Perez, Sales Manager. Three factors went into our selection of LAS for our helmets. They are light, aero and aerated. Ohh, and cool looking, gotta have that! The aluminum upper ventilator shovels air into the helmet and adds an extra layer of protection for our noggins.


Another shout-out to the Best Western Merrion Hotel, especially the manager Mark Wakeley who made us feel so at home. This hotel is smack-dab in the center of the city and the breakfast bar is delicious.

Ride stats today

• Edinburgh to  Newcastle
• 110 miles
• 6875 feet climbed
• Winds: 15 mph sustained, gusting to 35 mph
• 6500 sheep; 1200 cows

Tough Roads; Tough Weather. Today turned into quite a late day. We looked at the altitude profile last night, and it looked like a tame day compared with the rest of our days in Scotland. Although our tallest peaks were much lower than in the Highlands, the constant undulation, led to a ‘climb total’ significantly greater than that of any previous day. This together with the high winds, made for slow speeds and a very long day in the saddle. (nearly 1.5 times as long as my last century ride)

A shout-out to Willier, especially Gianmarco Cilli, General Manager of WIllier North America. Willier is among the best frame makers in the world. Team Lampre (best in Italy) is currently riding Willier up mountains in the Tour de France. The tight carbon weave in their frames is simultaneously forgiving enough on the rough Scottish roads, yet stiff enough to climb the Scottish highlands. Even after a long 110 mile ride, as we had today, the Willier frame keeps us wanting more.


Another shout-out to the Best Western Roker Hotel in New Castle, especially reservation managers Kavita and Jill. This hotel is beach side on the North Sea with a great billiard room and restaurant. Some of us dipped our feet in the North Sea before pedaling on down the coast.

• Visited the Edinburgh castle
• Spoke with Tim the Manager of the large Edinburgh Bike Co-op, and
• Visited local cultural shops.

It was a wonderfully relaxing day, and our quads, hammies and gluts thanked us for the rest.

• Banchory to Perth
• 68 miles
• 2500 feet climbed
• 1 broken pedal
• 2000 sheep

Most bikes have 2 pedals.  Today, Adam decided to up-the-ante and biked with only pedal for two-thirds of the ride.  I think he did it deliberately to make me look like a sissy.  He submits that his pedal broke and that he had no choice.  Nevertheless, it was Adam who was the first of us to squirt up most of today’s many Highland hills, using mostly one foot. Tomorrow we bike to Edinburgh, home to the first medical school in the world and a city so green I call it the emerald city. I can’t wait! Check us out tomorrow, we’ll have lots of pictures for sure.

• 63 miles
• 3500 feet climbed, to the top of a 2000 foot peak
• Inverness to Ballater
• 998 sheep

Proven: The land speed of a Scottish sheep is 14.1 mph. They can run this speed for one tenth of a mile. We raced sheep today. Check it out.

Another beautiful day in Scotland. Today was the nicest day of the journey thus far. While the hills were more daunting, the winds were down which made it much more enjoyable. We’ve been using the Suunto T6 watch to keep the data on each ride. We’ve included a portion of the output graph from the “Suunto Training Manager” software. You can see the hills we battled. Our legs are feeling the pains of the day, but our spirits are much higher after a day without head winds. We had nearly 5000 feet of total climbing over a 62 mile ride. A special thanks to the friendly old farmer who gave us directions. We’d still be out there climbing if it were not for him. Here are some pictures from our ride on the Whisky Trail today.

• Bonar Bridge to Inverness
• 60 miles
• 3500 feet climbed
• 3000 sheep

Today began beautifully.  The sun shining and there was little wind.  We decided to put the Bellwether rain coats away and head south.

The first part of the journey was phenomenal.  We were almost alone on the road, and even though the climbs were tough, we were looking out over plush green fields, tons of farm animals, lochs, rivers, and waterfalls.

The second half of the ride was another story.  The wind speeds picked up, directly at our face, and we made a turn onto a road that, while characterized as small on the map, turned out to be a major thoroughfare.  Included in this part of the journey were two spanning bridges (Bonar Bridge and Kessock Bridge).  Both bridges had crosswinds that nearly put is in the water.  There was also a major climb that took nearly 45 minutes.  We were stoked to see the finish line in Inverness!

Swimming Loch Ness

We decided that we couldn’t make a trip to Inverness without a swim in Loch Ness!  Our support crew picked us up and we headed 10 miles south to try and find a good place to enter the Loch. The water temp was 49 degrees, so our swim was limited, but it was fun to be able to get in.  There was a cruise boat of tourists leaving a nearby dock dressed in sweaters and winter coats.  Two guys walking into the water in Speedos got plenty of attention. It was a good time, and brightened up our spirits and loosened up our muscles after the windy ride. We didn’t seeNessy, but the water was eerily black

The town of Nairn

After our swim we walked around the town of Nairn, which has a section called Fishertown (an old fishing outpost) where the houses are simple, quant and crazy close together. We walked around the town and had a blast, until we got so hungry that Neal almost passed out.  So we decided to stop with all the athletic activity and hop over to our hotel. Tonight we stayed in the Best Western Windsor Hotel in Nairn (our wonderful sponsor). The folks there are great. The old-style dining hall has all these awesome old war pictures and the English-style varnished wood bar has a huge scotch selection and great desserts – we recommend “sticky toffee pudding”.

Tomorrow we head to Ballater.  The rides start to get longer from here on out.

A shout-out to the Best Western Windsor Hotel in Nairn, especially the manager Jagdeep Sandhu. We really enjoyed the town of Nairn and this hotel is located right in the middle of it, and very near the sea. The sea breeze and the neighboring park was wonderful, and this place has a seriously awesome dining room with artwork of Brits kicking the crap out of french military guys on horseback. The rich wood in the classically British styled pub was a nice touch too. It was an awesome stay. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, the front desk clerk let us know she was nursing a bird with an injured wing — aww.