Monthly Archives: February 2014

I began today in Beagá (pronounced ‘bay-ah-gah’, Portuguese for BH) trying to relax, but my new friend Onofre the cat wanted to play:   At lunchtime Jane and I walked to the Mercado Central for a stroll through its maze of ‘streets’ with stalls selling pretty much everything, but especially cheese and booze! So we bought some cheese … Continue reading »

Listen again here – click on 11.30-12.00 and scroll to 21 mins 45 secs: http://talksport.com/radio/listen-again/1393408800# Thanks to Colin Murray and the talkSPORT team for supporting my challenge! To donate to the charities please click on the green button on the right ->  

My journey from Ouro Preto began with me having to push Dinly up the steep cobbled street leading out of town before we reached the tarmac road that continued uphill to get out of the valley. A cracking descent and another long climb followed, but I’m pretty used to this now and the views at … Continue reading »

I just logged into my FIFA ticketing account and there’s a big green SUCCESSFUL at the top which confirms that me, Martin and Al have got all the tickets we applied for! So that means I’m going to every England game played here in Brazil, including the final if we somehow get that far. That’s … Continue reading »

What a stunning road! A tough but rewarding ride, with some steep climbs and headwinds, made more than bearable by the beautiful landscapes all around and some cracking descents. Every Brazilian cyclist needs to take on this road. Ouro Preto‘s a university town and I arrived bang on 4pm at the República dos Deuses fraternity where I’m … Continue reading »

After the Maracana visit I cycled out of Rio, via a slightly convoluted route since my Garmin wanted me to turn right a couple of times where a Metro track was blocking the way! Once on the flat highway I sped along heading inland, knowing that ahead lay a very big climb up into the … Continue reading »

I ended my time in Rio in style by visiting the Estádio do Maracanã at the invitation of Odebrecht, the construction company that renovated the stadium ready for the World Cup. What an amazing experience! Thanks to Amelia for organising and Luis for showing me around. And to Nadia for the lift & food! Afterwards I was … Continue reading »

Back in November I visited Fight For Peace in London, and now in Rio I was privileged enough to also visit the original project Luta Pela Paz! Thanks to Gabriela for organising this and for showing me around (plus see my updated Ola Rio post for news of our great Rio bike ride!). It’s located … Continue reading »

On my way into Barbacena today I saw a man get badly hit by a car – I was 50m away cycling up a hill and as I glanced ahead I heard a crunch and literally saw a pair of feet spin up in the air. I assume he went over the roof of the … Continue reading »

My GPS odometer currently reads 2,001km cycled since I arrived in Brazil! So for the 20 days I’ve been on the move so far I’m averaging 100km per day, although that’s boosted somewhat by the bits of cycling I’ve done in each stadium city during my ‘days off’! I’m currently in Juiz de Fora in … Continue reading »