The Lands End to John O'Groats Appeal 2007.
Well I did it and I can honestly say it was one of the toughest things I've put myself through but in saying that, also one of the most rewarding. I would like to say it was an experience that made me look inside myself and discover what it was all about and on days it did, but mostly I just had to knuckle down and slog it out just to get through.
I think I will thank some people now just in case you get too bored and stop reading after the first couple of paragraphs. I would like to thank all the people I rode with; I couldn't have picked a nicer bunch of people to do something as mad as this with. A special thanks to Andy S for putting up with me most nights, sharing a beer or two and playing a big part in getting me through it. Also Hywel, Andy B, Andy C, John and Ant, who I cycled with most days, but I have fond memories of you all. A really big thanks to Stevie for making me laugh so much and the free beer at the end, you were sorely missed and better luck next time son.
I would also like to thank all the support and encouragement I received from my friends and family and a big thanks to Graeme for the work on the web site. I would even like to thank Dave for his support and making me laugh with texts like "get on with it, slack jaw, or you won't get your money" or words to that effect but especially for driving me to Paddington and picking me up from Gatwick.
The Journey
I was dropped off at Paddington station for the five hour journey to Penzance. I got a few strange glances carrying my bike through the station in a British Cycling Racing Team bike bag but I think most people guessed by all the grey hair and panting that I must have borrowed or stole it. The train journey was pleasant if not a little rough at times but I had the buffet car all to myself, worth splashing out the extra £8 pound on first class. One fellah did try to sneak in but was soon evicted by the guard, riff raff! The scenery was quite beautiful at times, when the shaking of the train allowed me to focus on it long enough. On the first night, I stayed in a place call St Just and got lost walking through a field to find the pub where we were meeting for dinner. Was this a sign of things to come I wondered?
Day 1 Land's End to Liskeard
78 miles, average speed 15.2 mph, top speed 46 mph, time in saddle (TIS) 5 hrs 1 min 54 sec.We all met up at the start line for an apprehensive photo shoot, where a seagull dive bombed me and left a tidy deposit all down the front of my cycling trousers, which some said was lucky but I wasn't so sure. However, it made everyone laugh. The cycling was pleasant with a nice stiff tail wind to help us along. It rained soon after lunch and pretty much never stopped all afternoon. It also turned out to be quite hilly. I only got lost twice.
Day 2 Liskeard to Samford Peverell
73 miles, average speed 13.6 mph, top speed 46.4 mph, T.I.S. 5 hrs 13 min 51 sec.Today was always going to be tough but to say the weather didn't help us was an understatement. Pretty much rained from the off but at least the tail wind was still with us. We were told the moors were going to be arduous but the hills leaving Devon behind gave us a good warm up of what was to come. When you've free wheeled down hill a couple of miles and cross a steam at the bottom via a little stone bridge you know you're in trouble. The moors were horrendous; rain, fog and hills. The only good thing to come out of today (apart from finishing it) was the Two Bridges Hotel offering complementary coffee, biscuits and burgers. A big thanks to them for their hospitality. It stopped raining around 3pm which was around about the time my bike decided to relieve me of £120.00. New chain, rear mech, gear cables and brake blocks. A massive thanks to Richard's Bikes in Exeter for dropping everything and practically servicing my bike.
Day 3 Samford Peverell to Tintern
89 miles, average speed 14.6 mph, top speed 39.6 mph, T.I.S. 6 hrs 00 min 33 sec.Nice morning this one, set off early after a good breakfast at the Parkway Hotel and travelled for while on the A38. The roads where mostly flat and quick. Had to stop at Taunton to get new shoe plates as they had worn quite badly and I was beginning to get myself a reputation for always being in a bike shop. The first and only real climb of the day came at Cheddar, Shipham Hill. Lunch was at the top where we were greeted by two very sweet elderly ladies who brought us out tea which on a wet miserable day is like nectar to a cyclist. We plodded across the Severn Bridge and down in to Tintern. Started raining at 11am today and never stopped. The hotel was fabulous. I had a suite and the manager couldn't do enough for us. I think it was out of pity!
Day 4 Tintern to Shrewsbury
82 miles, average speed 15.8 mph, top speed 43.3 mph, T.I.S. 5 hrs 06 min 46 sec.We started the day with a clear sky if not with clear heads. The first 10 miles or so along the Wye valley were stunning and the best cycling so far. The terrain was mostly up and down but with no real climbs and when we rejoined the A49 at Craven Arm a couple of us decided to pick up the pace a bit and did the last 21 miles in 55 minutes, with the aid of our friendly tail wind I might add. They were meeting their families at the hotel in Shrewsbury but I just wanted to beat the rain (and rekindle a bit of my youth).
Day 5 Shrewsbury to Preston
89 miles, average speed 15.3 mph, top speed 32.6 mph, T.I.S. 5 hrs 40 min 16 sec.Probably one of the worst days cycling I've ever had. The first 25 miles were okay but then we joined the A49 once more and stayed on it for the rest of the day. We travelled through Warrington, Wigan, Preston and other such fun places to ride a bike but at least it was flat. We stayed over night on the northern outskirts of Preston in an IBIS hotel which will always be remembered for Steve's persistent arguments until the early hours of the morning with the hotel manager trying to acquire a second pillow and waking Andy B to see if he had trouble sleeping with one pillow was a classic.
Day 6 Preston to Longtown
96 miles, average speed 15.1 mph, top speed 33.9 mph, T.I.S. 6 hrs 15 min 48 sec.I enjoyed this day a lot but it will be remembered for the day my ankle went at Kendal just before we had to climb Shap Fell, where we were to encounter a particularly nasty 5 mile climb just on the edge of the Lake District. We passed Mark as we climbed and it was pretty obvious he had blown. I couldn't actually tell if he was peddling or doing a track stand at one point but he made it to the top nevertheless. We stayed at a one horse town called Longtown where we managed to stumble across the last nightclub this side of Scotland, how and why is a very long story. It turned out to be the perfect place to celebrate West Ham's last game of the season victory, to ensure premiership status, 1-0 away to Manchester Utd. What a place to do it. This was the worst hotel we stayed in, cold water and fish and 5 chips.
Day 7 Longtown to Kilmarnock
91 miles, average speed 14.6 mph, top speed 29.8 mph, T.I.S. 6 hrs 06 min 03 sec.Today was a sad day; we lost Stevie through a knee injury and along with it a new friend and a laugh a minute. We crossed the border into Scotland at Gretna and knew we had another long day in the saddle. The wind had finally turned its back on us which made it all the more difficult especially as it was quite hilly and open. We had lunch at the site of the oldest post office in Britain (or so they say) at Sanquhar. From here on the roads were poor and very busy. We entered Kilmarnock at rush hour and were subject to quite a lot of road rage. I guess fifteen or so cyclists aren't everybody's idea of a great sight, especially if you're trying to get past.
Day 8 Kilmarnock to Inverary
77 miles, average speed 14.9 mph, top speed 34.4 mph, T.I.S. 5 hrs 04 min 43 sec.Before I started this challenge, one of the appeals was cycling through Scotland and today I started to discover the beauty of the place. We rode the coastal roads from Kilmarnock and had great views of the Isle of Arran as we cycled up to Gourock. We caught a short ferry crossing to Dunoon to avoid going through Glasgow where I probably would still be trying to find my way out of. The sun was shining brightly and today was the first day I felt I could wear shorts. We had stunning scenery as we past Loch Eck and Loch Fyne and the roads were mainly flat with just one real climb as we rounded the north end of Loch Fyne. Because the day was so good to us we were all in high spirits and I led a pack finish into Inveraray, but misjudged my sprint only to be caught, and passed by big Aid with 300 metres or so to go. The sport was good and the day was capped by a really nice hotel, which over looked the loch, and good beer.
Day 9 Inverary to Invergarry
102 miles, average speed 15.7 mph, top speed 36.1 mph, T.I.S. 6 hrs 22 min 27 sec.The longest day yet but a very quick one with flat roads and the return of our trusty tail wind, although it was not as strong as previously. There were plenty of coffee stops which of course incorporated cake (these stops were beginning to be very welcome breaks to the day as we were all starting to suffer from continuing aches and pains). I was starting to eat 2 to 3 pieces of cake a day and could be in trouble losing the extra weight gained or my teeth. We travelled mostly on A roads today that were a little too busy for my liking. We crossed Connel Bridge and moved north to Fort William where unfortunately Ben Nevis was obscured by clouds but nevertheless stunning. We stopped briefly at the Commando memorial to pay our respects and take in the spectacular views of Nevis. We skipped along the south coast of Loch Lochy to Invergarry where some of us were spending the night in a hostel. We ate well in the local hotel which had a great bar with an open fire place that I can still picture now.
Day 10 Invergarry to Bonar Bridge
78 miles, average speed 14.9 mph, top speed 44.9 mph, T.I.S. 5 hrs 06 min 09 sec.I had a bad night's sleep which had nothing to do with the hostel or the poor breakfast (which was better than some of the hotels) but the thought of cycling along Loch Ness. The Loch is beautiful but there's a monster there and it's called DRUMNADROCHIT. We were told that only a handful of riders made it up this hill last year and if I had to walk it was going to be up this thing. In places it is a 1 in 4 climb and I knew my gearing could have been a little lower for such a hill. I made it by the skin of my teeth. I have never been dragged up a hill by someone 40 or 50 metres in front of me as I was by Hywel, who just kept them turning and gave me something to focus on. Thank you. There was jubilant talk at the next coffee stop and I knew there wasn't much now in the way of terrain to stop me cycling every metre of this ride. The hotel at Bonar Bridge was fair and I still chuckle at the thought of John falling backwards off his chair in the bar like something out of The Matrix, still with pint in hand and not a drop spilt. Top man!
Day 11 Bonar Bridge to Tongue
50 miles, average speed 13.8 mph, top speed 36.4 mph, T.I.S. 3 hrs 32 min 11 sec.Never have I looked forward to a fifty mile bike ride more than I have this one to rest my aching body (especially the saddle sore - I won't go there). We had our first coffee stop at Lairg after about ten miles and shortly after restarting, the road suddenly became single track and we seldom saw a car. The scenery, although sometimes bleak, was outstanding and as you can see by the time it took and the average speed, this was not a day to get your head down but one to savour. This was the best bike ride I have ever had; thank you Scotland. We had a great tail wind and at one point we saw how far we could free wheel just wind assisted. I was overtaken by Mark who had opened his rain coat and was using it as a sail, 15mph on the flat without peddling for about two miles. Not bad.
Day 12 Tongue to John O'Groats
65 miles, average speed 18.3 mph, top speed 36.4 mph, T.I.S. 3 hrs 30 min 53 sec.We arrived at the hotel the previous day at around 2pm and for most it felt like we had finished, so we had a couple. The last day was an estimated 70 miler so it shouldn't have been too much trouble but they had forgotten to write into the itinerary the hills we would be facing in the morning. There were six or seven that could have belonged at Dartmoor and the strong cross wind was bordering on dangerous (if I hadn't had to, I wouldn't have gone out in it). Just to add to this someone had left a gate to a field open along the way and we had a hairy moment when we were charged by a highland cow. I was one of two who had chosen to wear a red rain jacket that morning great. As we cycled along the north coast the cross wind became a tail wind and the pace picked up and we sped into Thurso where we had lunch. There were around 23 miles left to John O'Groats and John and I decided we would have a bit of a tear up for the finale. We grouped up with Andy B and Ben and really started to eat through the miles, breaking the speed limit on occasions through some of the towns hitting 35 MPH at times on the flat. We managed that 23 mile in around 55 minutes and I can certainly tell you it took me back a few years. We regrouped a quarter mile outside John O'Groats and all came across the line together, which was how it should have been done and very fitting. We rode this thing together and got through it together and I sensed a real team spirit had developed. I was going to miss cycling with these guys as a group (but perhaps not for a week or so) and most exchanged contact details and I hope one day we can organize some kind of reunion that would included cycling as well as beer.
A celebration night had been planned in Inverness, but we had a four hour coach ride to get there. I think it's only fair to mention at this point, the effort made by Tracie and Sally on that last day, who had really suffered on this challenge but had got themselves up at 4.30am to ensure they finished on time so as we could get back to Inverness at a reasonable time to party. Well done girls.
The night was a good laugh and Andy B took many an incriminating and embarrassing photo (cameras and beer are not a good combination).
I am glad I did this ride even though from time to time during it I had to ask myself why but I guess in the end it's down to two things. Mid life crisis and the money raised, not just by me, but by all the guys that did it for charity on the ride. If we took an average of around £5000 raised per rider it would work out in the region of well over £100k. That's a very good effort and money the various charities would otherwise not have, so that is why we do these mad things.
Next time it's around the world ???
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