It took just 30 minutes to disassemble my bike this morning, given my practice run last week, but then it took me 3 hours to get the bike into the blasted box! The 700cc wheels were really hard to fit between the bike frame. I used the instructions on boxing from all the books I own: Lonely Planet's 2001 edition of Cycling France and Jim Langley's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair [1999], I even used the instructions from Adventure Cycling. Bottom line is this. None of these instructions fit my bike and boxing for the first time takes a l-o-n-g time. It must be a lot easier to box a normal road bike. I finally slotted many pieces of cardboard between the frame, the wheels, the racks, the handlebars, on and on, to stop one part rubbing against another. I hope I did it right, and that it will come back together again at my destination.

And I'm still not sure how I can get this box, along with my duffle packed with gear and empty panniers from Heathrow to my friend's house in Epsom. If British cabs don't have space to carry it, I suppose I could reassemble the bike at the airport, and ride it, or even try to take it on the train. In theory, this is possible. I don't see anything about transporting bikes at Heathrow Express. Yet, according to a publication on the National Rail website, Cycling by Train, there is supposed to be one space on this train for a bike. Hmm. I assume they mean an assembled bike, not one in a box. Basically, I have too much gear to haul, so something is going to have to go into "left luggage". I'll decide what stays once I get there. I'm not starting my bike tour until June 8, as I wanted to spend May in London with my friend. So, it's a bit more complicated than a pure bike trip. Oh well. Learning by doing.