I loaded up the bike (less the curious pannier that got away), did some cycling and camped out in my new tent.

I plan to do plenty of training/equipment testing prior to leaving for the Arctic.  On this first run I

1) Couldn't open my tinned soup

2) Bent both can opening attachments on my pen knife

3) Had problems with my gears (and had to come back sooner than planned)

4) Realised finding a quiet camping spot isn't so easy

5) Forgot my cutlery, so eat boiled rice with the saucepan lid

I am on a very tight budget, partly due to the weak pound, but mostly due to my lack of savings. I am working on the basis of taking only what is necessary, as I would rather go further and explore more with basic equipment than spend lots of money on top-end equipment and spend less time touring. In fact, even before cycling one mile I have already raised a lot of money for charity, and I am sure that the people who sponsored me to cycle to CapeTown will be very dissappointed if I don't make it all the way, especially if its due to my running out of cash!

I tested my existing sleeping bag and tent in my front garden during a cold snap. This resulted in a sleepless night followed by the tent collapsing under the weight of the snow. So two things I have spent money on are a good sleeping bag and tent (a mountain life Everest Down and a Vango Typhoon). I intend to wild camp wherever possible, including Arctic Norway where April temperatures are well below freezing.

I also bought a Coleman petrol stove, as I figure that even in remote areas of Africa petrol will be available.

I normally ride a Specialized Allez road bike, but doubt this could handle the ruts of northern Africa. So I dusted off my old Marin Palisades Trail, but found it to be in rather poor condition. My local bike shop quoted me £200 to replace pretty much all the moving parts (which is a lot considering I hope to live off £100 a month in Africa).

Later that day my local bike shop, Porlock Cycle Hire, rang me back and offered to supply a new bike free of charge. I accepted this exceedingly generous offer and will soon be the proud owner of a Reflex Parallax. The Parallax is a basic bike, but has some good features for touring in Africa, including a steel frame, which I have read is far easier to weld back together than aluminium. It has 18 gears operated by grip-shift, v-brakes, and mudguards. The wheels are not quick release so I may try and change those over before departure.

I have rear panniers and am looking to purchase front ones. I have a mosquito net and spray and some basic tools. I don't yet have an MP3 player or camera, neither of which are necessary, but both are highly desirable. I probably haven't thought of everything so would appreciate advice from any more experienced cyclists out there.

For a few years I have dreamed of going on a massive adventure, and planned on one day cycling around the world. At some point it occurred to me that 'one day' may never arrive and that I should leave now. Being 24, single and without a mortgage this seemed to be the perfect time to leave. I began to plan the trip, but soon realised that my major problem was a lack of funds, so instead of cycling round the world I have chosen to cycle from Nordkapp to CapeTown.

Reality sank in when I quit my job, in fact the first time I 'quit' I was talked out of it by my boss, throwing away my fledgling career was proving difficult.

Roll on New Year's Eve, and as the drinks flowed I began to ramble on about cycling to CapeTown. I woke up the next morning with not just a sore head, but also 4 pieces of paper in my pocket, my mates had all offered to donate generous amounts to charity should I complete the trip. Now I had all the encouragement I needed to storm out of the office like Jerry Maguire... well sort of.  (I don't think my mates realised just how serious I actually was about doing this, so obviously I won't be holding anybody to their drunken sponsorship offers, but as they say one land mine is one too many...)

Cycling through Africa scares me, yet appeals to my sense of adventure more than cycling anywhere else. Africa should also suit my budget, and represents a challenge which I'm sure will be a struggle to overcome. I've never given up so much before to attempt something where "failure" is such a distinct possibility. In the past I have always played it safe, and feel that I am yet to find my limits. Well I'm pretty sure that over the next year the boundaries of my comfort zone will be dramatically extended.

I am starting from Nordkapp, the most northerly point in Europe. It would have been easier to start from the UK, where it is not so cold, but to me, going from the most Northerly to most Southerly* points makes a more complete journey.

*Im not actually sure if CapeTown is Africa's most Southerly point, or for that matter if the Nordkapp is actually the most Northerly point, but they seem to be widely regarded as being so, and that will do for me (the symbolic element is enough)

I have just booked up my flight to Tromso for April 18th. 

Apparently its not uncommon for April temperatures to drop to –15 in the north of Norway.

I have long harboured the dream of cycling into the distance, but whilst the desirability of such a trip has gradually intensified, up until recently I perceived the feasibility as being low. 

So when the trip burst into the foreground after years of percolating in the depths, I relished the opportunity and set the nearest possible start date.

Now after some careful consideration of climatic conditions and interrogation of maps, I have realised that I will be setting off from the Nordkapp, positioned within the arctic circle, at a time when the average temperatures are sub zero.  In addition I anticipate reaching the Sahara desert in mid summer.

I am too eager to set off to delay the departure, so I am considering how best to cope with the cold.  I guess I can either buy an expensive tent and sleeping bag or try to find warm accommodation each evening... or maybe I could just wear all my clothes inside a regular sleeping bag?

As for the heat of the Sahara, I think I will have to see how I cope when I get there.  I am more concerned with the arctic conditions, as there will be no gradual acclimatisation.