I'm writing this on the coach back from John O'Groats to Inverness, where we are going to have a big celebration having completed the ride. Yes, that's right, we all finished the ride, all remaining 32 miles with no further mishap, or mechical issues.
The day started as usual at 6, with the usual scramble to get bags packed, get breakfast down us, and get on the bikes by 8. Hunter was the last man out and copped a fair bit of flak for slowing up the departure! I don't think Kiwis like being called Australian too much, you get the gist.
After that, Stuart (one of the DA guys), drove the van down the high street to show us the route to JOG, and promptly turned into the wrong lane. Once we were back on course, we made steady progress toward Dunnet Head, all cycling as a group. It gave me a chance to catch up with one of the cyclists who I'd not had a chance to speak to before- Tom - and we compared notes on training, and our jobs, as well as the charities we were cycling for. It gave me a chance to reflect on the fact that we were all cycling for many good causes, some more popular than others, and some more personal to the individual. One thing is certain, that they are all worthy causes, and everyone on the trip was a great ambassador for their chosen charity.
We made good time to Dunnet head, with a small climb to get to the car park. Not much to see, but the achievement of getting to the northern most point of mainland Britain was a great feeling. There was a lighthouse here and everyone stopped to take photos of this and the Dunnet Head sign. We quickly re-grouped in the car park as the tourists turned up in a large coach, and headed down towards JOG. We all headed there at our own pace. I eventually grouped up with Andy and Ben, whom having had the rear derailleur arm snap on his bike, was riding one of DA's hybrid bikes. This of course had been suitably decorated with handlebar tassles and go faster fins on the back wheel. They'd even put a bunch of Kenny's orange direction arrows on the back of Ben's cycling helmet to make him look like a time trialist! Ben had taken this in good humour, but obviously still had the legs to blow us all into the weeds should he choose to!
We had a very good run, not too fast and the weather was holding which was good news, as the weather reports seemed to indicate rain. We all met at a T-junction and went into the local cafe for a quick cup of coffee, the idea being that we wait for everyone to arrive before heading down to the finish. Coffees drunk, and back to the bikes for a slow trundle down the hill to the finish. I followed Andy onto the harbour wall for a photo at the very end of the ride! WE HAVE DONE IT!
Lots of photo taking here, and at both of the JOG signs, before getting the bikes into the trailer, and bags into the coach. Word of warning for anyone needing a pee when you get to JOG-its 20p to get into the toilets, operating a turnstile affair, much like at mainline London railway stations do! So don't say you've not been warned!
We had sandwiches and crisps, tracker bars and fruit for our packed lunch for the coach journey to Inverness, and we were underway.
What an amazing few days of riding. I'll have time to update the blog with further reflections once we've had a good party at Inverness, as I'm looking out of the windows at the amazing scenery, the North Sea oil rigs, and a couple of hills outside of Wick that Ben thinks he could get 55mph out of the bike descending!
Feeling sleepy, but very happy to have finished!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Thurso
We were staying at Carbisdale Castle youth hostel overnight at Bonar Bridge, and had a good evening meal before watching a bit of TV. The setting was bizarre-a castle in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees and with fantastic views of the surrounding countryside. The inside was quite grand (for a youth hostel) and was full of statues of semi-naked women (tasteful-mostly of goddesses and nymphs) and lots of oil paintings. This was somewhat at odds with a room full of sleeping men (11 of us), including the DA staff, John-the snoring Scots/American, Jamie-the 'talk first ask questions later' youth of the group, and Conrad-another American having a hard time on the trip thus far.
The day started at around 5.30am as Brian, one of the DA staff and avid LeJOG walker, had to leave to help on a walking adventure on Hadrian's Wall. This woke most of us up, but also made us appreciate that the DA guys have very hard long days keeping the tour party ticking over-big thanks to them. Eventually I had to get up and get moving. Blackburn Andy was up at this stage, and we got our bikes to the front of the castle, and then Andy turned his attention to trying to fix Tim's bike, which had been in 3 bike shops for various repairs on the trip. This time the issue looked terminal, as no gear selection could be made, so DA had to break out one of their road bikes for Tim!
A group of us waited for cooked breakfast, served at 8am, whereas a lot of the guys headed off to Crask Inn, some 20 miles up the road. Suitably fueled, we headed down the drive in the rain (boo!), and then crossed the footbridge to get onto the road to the Crask Inn.
Of course we almost immediately started with some hills, and soon I was starting to breathe quite heavily. We managed to catch and pass some of the late riders until we came to a level crossing where Scott, Dave and Tim were at the side of the road. It appeared that Dave had somehow come off his bike at the crossing and fallen heavily (bear in mind that he is 65 and retired). Scott's rear derailleur had taken a knock and the bike wouldn't change gear anymore-Andy bent it back into shape so he could at least get some gears, and we pressed on.
The rain persisted, and then all of a sudden the road turned into a lane with passing places. The countryside became barren, and with the poor weather, everything seemed pretty gloomy. We pressed on, and made the Crask Inn just as the majority of the party were leaving there. We stopped and had coffee and shortbread. The sun started to come out, and suddenly things looked like they were on the up. However, Ben noticed that his chain looked like one of the links was bent. This started the end for his bike, as although the links were replaced, a quick test ride ended with the rear derailleur hanger snapping-disaster for the most serious cyclist on the trip!!! It looked like the trip was done for Ben until he could get the spare from the DA guys at the lunch stop. Andy and I headed on, leaving Ben with his broken bike.
The scenery for the next few miles was amazing. The weather made it more enjoyable, as it suddenely became very sunny, and we started to dry out. We kept a good pace to lunch, but the scenery was amazing-virtually no traffic at all, with Lochs and rolling hills. The scenery as was got to Bettyhill was all the sweeter for seeing the sea, and the short climb to the lunch stop did nothing to dampen the spirits.
We had a quick lunch and pressed on. We only had 30 miles to do, but I can tell you that this was amongst some of the toughest miles of the trip. The road was very hilly, and required a good effort to keep the momentum up. That said the scenery was a just reward for the climbs and we cracked on to the water stop. Only a short stop before we pressed on to catch up with the rest of the cyclists in front of us. The weather was great, and the views to the north sea were clear. It's not how I expected it to look, but then again, I'm not certain what I was expecting.
We pulled into Thurso at around 4pm, where we met with Allen on the main road-he led us up to the hotel, and here we parked the bikes and got our rooms sorted out.
The atmosphere amongst the group is superb now, we are almost there. We are all going to cycle to Dunnet Head tomorrow, and then on to JOG, so only 32 miles, but it will be a great achievement to finish.
The greatest act of charity on the trip thus far was the fact that Conrad gave his bike up for Ben at the Crask Inn water stop, which allowed Ben to carry on with completing the trip. Superb guy!
Anyway, onwards and upwards, 32 to go and we are there!!!!!
The day started at around 5.30am as Brian, one of the DA staff and avid LeJOG walker, had to leave to help on a walking adventure on Hadrian's Wall. This woke most of us up, but also made us appreciate that the DA guys have very hard long days keeping the tour party ticking over-big thanks to them. Eventually I had to get up and get moving. Blackburn Andy was up at this stage, and we got our bikes to the front of the castle, and then Andy turned his attention to trying to fix Tim's bike, which had been in 3 bike shops for various repairs on the trip. This time the issue looked terminal, as no gear selection could be made, so DA had to break out one of their road bikes for Tim!
A group of us waited for cooked breakfast, served at 8am, whereas a lot of the guys headed off to Crask Inn, some 20 miles up the road. Suitably fueled, we headed down the drive in the rain (boo!), and then crossed the footbridge to get onto the road to the Crask Inn.
Of course we almost immediately started with some hills, and soon I was starting to breathe quite heavily. We managed to catch and pass some of the late riders until we came to a level crossing where Scott, Dave and Tim were at the side of the road. It appeared that Dave had somehow come off his bike at the crossing and fallen heavily (bear in mind that he is 65 and retired). Scott's rear derailleur had taken a knock and the bike wouldn't change gear anymore-Andy bent it back into shape so he could at least get some gears, and we pressed on.
The rain persisted, and then all of a sudden the road turned into a lane with passing places. The countryside became barren, and with the poor weather, everything seemed pretty gloomy. We pressed on, and made the Crask Inn just as the majority of the party were leaving there. We stopped and had coffee and shortbread. The sun started to come out, and suddenly things looked like they were on the up. However, Ben noticed that his chain looked like one of the links was bent. This started the end for his bike, as although the links were replaced, a quick test ride ended with the rear derailleur hanger snapping-disaster for the most serious cyclist on the trip!!! It looked like the trip was done for Ben until he could get the spare from the DA guys at the lunch stop. Andy and I headed on, leaving Ben with his broken bike.
The scenery for the next few miles was amazing. The weather made it more enjoyable, as it suddenely became very sunny, and we started to dry out. We kept a good pace to lunch, but the scenery was amazing-virtually no traffic at all, with Lochs and rolling hills. The scenery as was got to Bettyhill was all the sweeter for seeing the sea, and the short climb to the lunch stop did nothing to dampen the spirits.
We had a quick lunch and pressed on. We only had 30 miles to do, but I can tell you that this was amongst some of the toughest miles of the trip. The road was very hilly, and required a good effort to keep the momentum up. That said the scenery was a just reward for the climbs and we cracked on to the water stop. Only a short stop before we pressed on to catch up with the rest of the cyclists in front of us. The weather was great, and the views to the north sea were clear. It's not how I expected it to look, but then again, I'm not certain what I was expecting.
We pulled into Thurso at around 4pm, where we met with Allen on the main road-he led us up to the hotel, and here we parked the bikes and got our rooms sorted out.
The atmosphere amongst the group is superb now, we are almost there. We are all going to cycle to Dunnet Head tomorrow, and then on to JOG, so only 32 miles, but it will be a great achievement to finish.
The greatest act of charity on the trip thus far was the fact that Conrad gave his bike up for Ben at the Crask Inn water stop, which allowed Ben to carry on with completing the trip. Superb guy!
Anyway, onwards and upwards, 32 to go and we are there!!!!!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
bonar bridge
We had an early start to the day, breakfast was porridge and toast before getting on the bikes and heading back onto the A82 towards Loch Ness. No sign of nessie, but we had a good steady run around the Loch, stopping for pictures on a georgous, clear sunny day. The water was completely still and visibility was excellent.
We got back on the bikes and chased down the rest of the guys along the loch to the first water stop. We loaded up with tracker bars and energy gels before we headed out toward Beauly, where apparently there was a hill that was the toughest since Dartmoor, and tough it was! The climb wasn't to bad, but it did carry on a fair way. I certainly had to get out of the seat to keep the pedals cranking over! Devon Knight joined me for the run to the top where we all rested before cracking on.
The scenery was amazing, and the run toward lunch was quite nice and undulating, with a last climb from Dingwall to the top of a hill overlooking another loch. The scenery was amazing-great views over the valley, and several low flying tornado fighter/bombers putting on an (unwitting) display for us! It was really quite warm, and we got the usual soup, pasta and sandwiches down us to fuel up for the next drag to the 2nd water stop. Everyone was making excellent progress in the good weather and we cracked on over a pass with undulating roads to the water stop. The scenery was amazing-cracking views towards bonar bridge, and a lovely downhill stretch towards Ardgay, where we stopped at the cafe on the corner and had coffee. The hostel we were staying in was only 5 miles away, so we put a steady pace in to get there shortly before 4pm.
The castle is more like a stately home, but even so there is some pretty fantastic artwork here, both oil paintings and marble sculptures. A quick walk to the local pub over the road, and some tins of irn bru to lift the spirits before supper and an early-ish night. We'd covered close to 80 miles, and now it feels like John O'Groats is really in our sites!
We got back on the bikes and chased down the rest of the guys along the loch to the first water stop. We loaded up with tracker bars and energy gels before we headed out toward Beauly, where apparently there was a hill that was the toughest since Dartmoor, and tough it was! The climb wasn't to bad, but it did carry on a fair way. I certainly had to get out of the seat to keep the pedals cranking over! Devon Knight joined me for the run to the top where we all rested before cracking on.
The scenery was amazing, and the run toward lunch was quite nice and undulating, with a last climb from Dingwall to the top of a hill overlooking another loch. The scenery was amazing-great views over the valley, and several low flying tornado fighter/bombers putting on an (unwitting) display for us! It was really quite warm, and we got the usual soup, pasta and sandwiches down us to fuel up for the next drag to the 2nd water stop. Everyone was making excellent progress in the good weather and we cracked on over a pass with undulating roads to the water stop. The scenery was amazing-cracking views towards bonar bridge, and a lovely downhill stretch towards Ardgay, where we stopped at the cafe on the corner and had coffee. The hostel we were staying in was only 5 miles away, so we put a steady pace in to get there shortly before 4pm.
The castle is more like a stately home, but even so there is some pretty fantastic artwork here, both oil paintings and marble sculptures. A quick walk to the local pub over the road, and some tins of irn bru to lift the spirits before supper and an early-ish night. We'd covered close to 80 miles, and now it feels like John O'Groats is really in our sites!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
on to Invergarry
having had a soaking yesterday, there was a certain worry about the weather that we were going to experience today. a full English breakfast, cereal and toast, and then off to get the bags down for the 8am start. I had a bit of a minor panic as my bike seemed to have been moved along with the others to another room in the hotel and was hidden in a corner - thanks to Devon Knight for pointing it out to me! A bit of oil on the chain, air in the tyres, a quick photo in front of the archway next to the hotel, and away we went.
there was a 13% climb to go over, but this in reality was only a small climb, and soon we were making good progress, heading over to the next loch (loch awe) on the A819. there were some terrific views once we were over the gentle climb before us, and we stopped to take one or two photos of the castle that was perched down by the loch. Quick progress was made onto the A85, and soon we were heading towards the first water stop at Connel. The road was pretty quick, and the traffic was quite well behaved for us (not the same story for one of the party who had a narrow miss with a van, followed by a heated altercation!), and once in Connel we had excellent views of the surrounding hills and the waters of Loch Etive running quickly down towards the sea.
we had a good break here, taking in the scenery, and getting some food down us, ready for the next 35 miles to take us to the lunch stop. Tim came in and recounted his van story. Allan came in at about the same time and handed his bike to Stuart to have a look at the gears. then the main pack appeared, and we were off and heading over the bridge on the A828. I took a turn at the front pulling along Ben, Hunter and Blackburn Andy. I must confess that I wasnt feeling strong today, and it took some doing to keep a good pace.. we passed the seal sanctuary, and kept on going for what felt like a long time, following the signs for Fort William.
the weather was fantastic, and so clear that we had excellent views of Ben Nevis, and of course stopped for the obligatory photo stop or two. A few more miles down the road and we stopped at Onich for a fantastic lunch down by Loch Linnhe. The DA guys made a cracking lunch - soup, pasta, sandwiches, etc.. great work! we loaded up again with food, and got ready to hit the road again. we went a few miles up the road and dropped into Fort William to get some new glasses for Ben, as his other ones had snapped earlier in the day, and were only held together by tape. new glasses acquired and we headed out from Fort William. we then encountered some real strangeness as we were repeatedly honked at by various car/cab drivers on the road, all telling us to use the cycle path. This is fine, but bearing in mind that we had been cycling on roads like this for the majority of the trip without needing to use a cycle path, we had to wonder why, especially as it ran out after only a mile or so...oh well...
a quick kick out for Spean Bridge, and a gentle climb up for the commando memorial and some awesome views again - weather was superb, and very clear. we passed Loch Lochy to our left, and then crossed over a bridge over Loch Oich, then passing this on the right on the drag to Invergarry. we made it to the hostel quite early, but then we bagged the first room for the four of us with an 'en suite' shower and toilet - both of which are pretty much in the room! A quick shower and change of clothes and we were down at the local pub after a quick walk over the open fields. we could hear some of the RAF Tornado fighter bombers coming in low over head, and indeed caught a quick glimpse of one from the pub - brave chaps.
back to the hostel for a 7pm supper and early to bed. We've been told there is a climb after the first water stop tomorrow which is as tough as anything we've been up on Dartmoor, but i'm pretty confident this wont cause any issues. we are around 787 miles into the trip with two days of 85 mile and one of 32, including the excursion to Dunnet Head. the weather looks good for tomorrow, but rain on friday and overcast on Saturday. onwards and upwards!
there was a 13% climb to go over, but this in reality was only a small climb, and soon we were making good progress, heading over to the next loch (loch awe) on the A819. there were some terrific views once we were over the gentle climb before us, and we stopped to take one or two photos of the castle that was perched down by the loch. Quick progress was made onto the A85, and soon we were heading towards the first water stop at Connel. The road was pretty quick, and the traffic was quite well behaved for us (not the same story for one of the party who had a narrow miss with a van, followed by a heated altercation!), and once in Connel we had excellent views of the surrounding hills and the waters of Loch Etive running quickly down towards the sea.
we had a good break here, taking in the scenery, and getting some food down us, ready for the next 35 miles to take us to the lunch stop. Tim came in and recounted his van story. Allan came in at about the same time and handed his bike to Stuart to have a look at the gears. then the main pack appeared, and we were off and heading over the bridge on the A828. I took a turn at the front pulling along Ben, Hunter and Blackburn Andy. I must confess that I wasnt feeling strong today, and it took some doing to keep a good pace.. we passed the seal sanctuary, and kept on going for what felt like a long time, following the signs for Fort William.
the weather was fantastic, and so clear that we had excellent views of Ben Nevis, and of course stopped for the obligatory photo stop or two. A few more miles down the road and we stopped at Onich for a fantastic lunch down by Loch Linnhe. The DA guys made a cracking lunch - soup, pasta, sandwiches, etc.. great work! we loaded up again with food, and got ready to hit the road again. we went a few miles up the road and dropped into Fort William to get some new glasses for Ben, as his other ones had snapped earlier in the day, and were only held together by tape. new glasses acquired and we headed out from Fort William. we then encountered some real strangeness as we were repeatedly honked at by various car/cab drivers on the road, all telling us to use the cycle path. This is fine, but bearing in mind that we had been cycling on roads like this for the majority of the trip without needing to use a cycle path, we had to wonder why, especially as it ran out after only a mile or so...oh well...
a quick kick out for Spean Bridge, and a gentle climb up for the commando memorial and some awesome views again - weather was superb, and very clear. we passed Loch Lochy to our left, and then crossed over a bridge over Loch Oich, then passing this on the right on the drag to Invergarry. we made it to the hostel quite early, but then we bagged the first room for the four of us with an 'en suite' shower and toilet - both of which are pretty much in the room! A quick shower and change of clothes and we were down at the local pub after a quick walk over the open fields. we could hear some of the RAF Tornado fighter bombers coming in low over head, and indeed caught a quick glimpse of one from the pub - brave chaps.
back to the hostel for a 7pm supper and early to bed. We've been told there is a climb after the first water stop tomorrow which is as tough as anything we've been up on Dartmoor, but i'm pretty confident this wont cause any issues. we are around 787 miles into the trip with two days of 85 mile and one of 32, including the excursion to Dunnet Head. the weather looks good for tomorrow, but rain on friday and overcast on Saturday. onwards and upwards!
inverary run
A lot of people stayed up late on monday night celebrating the fact we'd managed to get into Scotland, and as such there were a few delicate heads in the group this morning.
The weather forcast didn't help either - projected forcast was for rain, rain and more rain and it didn't disapoint. We had a fairly steady run out of Kilmarnock, and made steady progress toward the first water stop of Largs, 27 miles in. The usual 'pack' disintegrated as it was every man for himself in the deluge. We converged on Largs, and were completely soaked through-feet were wet, legs were wet, even waterproofs were not doing the job. The worst of it was the HGV's passing us, the backdraft blowing us toward the kerb, and getting another drenching as their big wheels churned the surface water onto us.
Largs was very exposed to the elements-we had a quick cup of coffee, and I headed off with Blackburn Andy toward the ferry terminal(crossing from Gorouch to Dunoon). The going was good, and we passed a few people, picking up Hunter on the way (he'd left his water proofs packed!). Terminal reached, we camped out here drinking machine coffee, waiting for DA Stuart to show up so we could all get on the ferry together.
We got on the ferry at around 12.05, and it was FREEZING!!! We all sat inside the ferry huddling together. Some were singing songs from musicals to keep the spirits high. The crossing was only 30 minutes, and we were all off for a 6 mile haul to lunch. The scenery now was incedible, running north to lunch at a scenic stop in a country park. Amazing, huge hills, covered in pine trees, and sweeping roads running right next to Lochs, with very little climbing.
Lunch was soup, bread and pasta. I popped an energy gel too, and Ben, Blackburn Andy and myself cracked on. The scenery was completely stunning. We put a good pace in to get ourselves to the last water stop of the day, but managed to stop and take some good photos (well the guys did, my camera seems to be broken!).
The last drag into Inverary saw some of the worst roads we've experienced all trip. We were getting shaken around all over the place, but finally made it into Inverary before 4pm.
We managed to get the bikes parked up again before it poured with rain , so hard in fact that it was bouncing off the ground, hard.
Room acquired, showers run, and kit washed it was time for supper - excellent food, which was at odds with the standard of accomodation, but a nice hotel all the same. 98 miles tomorrow, and some climbing too, should be fun!
The weather forcast didn't help either - projected forcast was for rain, rain and more rain and it didn't disapoint. We had a fairly steady run out of Kilmarnock, and made steady progress toward the first water stop of Largs, 27 miles in. The usual 'pack' disintegrated as it was every man for himself in the deluge. We converged on Largs, and were completely soaked through-feet were wet, legs were wet, even waterproofs were not doing the job. The worst of it was the HGV's passing us, the backdraft blowing us toward the kerb, and getting another drenching as their big wheels churned the surface water onto us.
Largs was very exposed to the elements-we had a quick cup of coffee, and I headed off with Blackburn Andy toward the ferry terminal(crossing from Gorouch to Dunoon). The going was good, and we passed a few people, picking up Hunter on the way (he'd left his water proofs packed!). Terminal reached, we camped out here drinking machine coffee, waiting for DA Stuart to show up so we could all get on the ferry together.
We got on the ferry at around 12.05, and it was FREEZING!!! We all sat inside the ferry huddling together. Some were singing songs from musicals to keep the spirits high. The crossing was only 30 minutes, and we were all off for a 6 mile haul to lunch. The scenery now was incedible, running north to lunch at a scenic stop in a country park. Amazing, huge hills, covered in pine trees, and sweeping roads running right next to Lochs, with very little climbing.
Lunch was soup, bread and pasta. I popped an energy gel too, and Ben, Blackburn Andy and myself cracked on. The scenery was completely stunning. We put a good pace in to get ourselves to the last water stop of the day, but managed to stop and take some good photos (well the guys did, my camera seems to be broken!).
The last drag into Inverary saw some of the worst roads we've experienced all trip. We were getting shaken around all over the place, but finally made it into Inverary before 4pm.
We managed to get the bikes parked up again before it poured with rain , so hard in fact that it was bouncing off the ground, hard.
Room acquired, showers run, and kit washed it was time for supper - excellent food, which was at odds with the standard of accomodation, but a nice hotel all the same. 98 miles tomorrow, and some climbing too, should be fun!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Scotland
we started off from Carlisle at around 8am, with a slow drag up to the Scottish border. Scott, one of the members of the group has persisted with running red lights throughout the trip, and therefore made some time up to be the first 'Scott' in Scotland... We stopped for the obligatory photos at the 'Welcome to Scotland' sign, and then cracked on. a quick break in Gretna, and we made good time to the first water stop of the day. We heard the news that John, one of the Americans, had been knocked off his bike and had to be taken to hospital - we were uncertain as to his condition, but it was enough to ensure that both the DA vans were tied up between getting the lunch stop organised and John checked at hospital.
we continued the progress up to the lunch stop, 2 miles short of Sanquhar, and managed to grab some pasta and bread before making a call to get in with the quicker lads again. The terrain had changed and we were following the A76 for the duration to get into Kilmarnock. We had to deal with less hills, the roads were 'rolling', much like those on the way into Carlisle yesterday, and the hills to each side were quite awesome, with tiers of pine trees on the lower slopes of many. We followed the A76 onward and kept a good pace up for most of the way, with Ben and Hunter again trying to better their fastest speed downhill - I didnt engage in this as my short legs cant get the wheels spinning fast enough, but i did manage 43.7mph on one stretch - quite exhilarating!
we kept the pace up until Kilmarnock, and headed into town to get a coffee, much as we had done the day before. it was nice to stop and chill out having made such good progress, and we could get our first look at a town in Scotland.
Coffees drunk, we got directions up to the Premiere Inn at the edge of town, and that was that. We didnt stay long enough to draw conclusions on Kilmarnock - some parts seemed a bit run down, and others seemed very nice - much like anywhere else. I think what's more on everyone's mind is the fact that we are going to have wind and rain tomorrow for the leg up to Inverary. Part of this also involves a ferry crossing from Gouroch to Dunoon, so the day will be slow as this crossing is around 30 minutes, and it's going to take some co-ordination along with DA to make sure we all get on the ferry and get across. I just hope we dont get totally soaked.
we continued the progress up to the lunch stop, 2 miles short of Sanquhar, and managed to grab some pasta and bread before making a call to get in with the quicker lads again. The terrain had changed and we were following the A76 for the duration to get into Kilmarnock. We had to deal with less hills, the roads were 'rolling', much like those on the way into Carlisle yesterday, and the hills to each side were quite awesome, with tiers of pine trees on the lower slopes of many. We followed the A76 onward and kept a good pace up for most of the way, with Ben and Hunter again trying to better their fastest speed downhill - I didnt engage in this as my short legs cant get the wheels spinning fast enough, but i did manage 43.7mph on one stretch - quite exhilarating!
we kept the pace up until Kilmarnock, and headed into town to get a coffee, much as we had done the day before. it was nice to stop and chill out having made such good progress, and we could get our first look at a town in Scotland.
Coffees drunk, we got directions up to the Premiere Inn at the edge of town, and that was that. We didnt stay long enough to draw conclusions on Kilmarnock - some parts seemed a bit run down, and others seemed very nice - much like anywhere else. I think what's more on everyone's mind is the fact that we are going to have wind and rain tomorrow for the leg up to Inverary. Part of this also involves a ferry crossing from Gouroch to Dunoon, so the day will be slow as this crossing is around 30 minutes, and it's going to take some co-ordination along with DA to make sure we all get on the ferry and get across. I just hope we dont get totally soaked.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
the battle of shap
Not a battle that you have learnt about in history lessons at school, but rather the slog up Shap Fell which lasts around 15 miles. This is on the A6 as we head north, going through the Lake District. At it's worst it's a 1 in 8 climb, but mostly the gradient isn't that tough, it just goes on, and on, etc...
We started the day as usual with a flat run to Carnforth for the first water stop. The going was good, and everyone made it to the water stop pretty quickly. I got delusions of grandeur and decided to crack on to Shap for the lunch stop with Ben and Blackburn Andy. We made good time to the bottom of Shap taking turns to pull eachother along from the front. We stopped for gels and bananas, and then cracked on to Shap Village. Ben just took off as he floated up the hill. I tried to stay with him, but this was a pointless exercise, although I did manage to close the gap at one point, he just kicked again and was gone. I seemed to have lost Blackburn Andy by now, and as this was local territory for him, and he is very fit for 55 years of age I was thinking I was doing a good job. However, I'd pretty much blown my legs by the time I got on the final climb to the top of Shap, and consequently was in the granny cog just grinding out the last few miles. Andy caught me, but stayed with me for the ride into Shap village for the lunch stop. En route a car passed us and took photos of us as we were descending to the village. I found out that these were some of Andy's friends just here to give support, not just random members of the public!
We were at lunch pretty much one hour before pressing on for Carlisle, around 30 miles down the road. Still thinking I could hang with the fast boys, I lead us out, now with Hunter joining the group. I first realised my error when Hunter got to the front to pull us along, and started motoring away from me. From here on in I was racking the miles up outside my comfort zone. I managed to stay with the guys, but I was having to work very hard to keep the pace-we were averaging over 20mph down the Roman road into Carlisle. The road rolls as well, dipping, then climbing, and then dipping again, so it really saps the energy from your legs.
We finally got into Carlisle town centre at 2.30pm-very early indeed,and decided to head for a coffee. We hung around the coffee shop for around an hour or so before heading to the hotel, getting in before 4pm.
I felt pretty pleased to have got over Shap and hang with the fast boys, but I think it might have taken its toll a bit, so I'll hang back tomorrow for the 100 miles to Kilmarnock. It looks like more dual carriageways and not particularly interesting scenery, but we get into Scotland inside off 11 miles in the morning.
We started the day as usual with a flat run to Carnforth for the first water stop. The going was good, and everyone made it to the water stop pretty quickly. I got delusions of grandeur and decided to crack on to Shap for the lunch stop with Ben and Blackburn Andy. We made good time to the bottom of Shap taking turns to pull eachother along from the front. We stopped for gels and bananas, and then cracked on to Shap Village. Ben just took off as he floated up the hill. I tried to stay with him, but this was a pointless exercise, although I did manage to close the gap at one point, he just kicked again and was gone. I seemed to have lost Blackburn Andy by now, and as this was local territory for him, and he is very fit for 55 years of age I was thinking I was doing a good job. However, I'd pretty much blown my legs by the time I got on the final climb to the top of Shap, and consequently was in the granny cog just grinding out the last few miles. Andy caught me, but stayed with me for the ride into Shap village for the lunch stop. En route a car passed us and took photos of us as we were descending to the village. I found out that these were some of Andy's friends just here to give support, not just random members of the public!
We were at lunch pretty much one hour before pressing on for Carlisle, around 30 miles down the road. Still thinking I could hang with the fast boys, I lead us out, now with Hunter joining the group. I first realised my error when Hunter got to the front to pull us along, and started motoring away from me. From here on in I was racking the miles up outside my comfort zone. I managed to stay with the guys, but I was having to work very hard to keep the pace-we were averaging over 20mph down the Roman road into Carlisle. The road rolls as well, dipping, then climbing, and then dipping again, so it really saps the energy from your legs.
We finally got into Carlisle town centre at 2.30pm-very early indeed,and decided to head for a coffee. We hung around the coffee shop for around an hour or so before heading to the hotel, getting in before 4pm.
I felt pretty pleased to have got over Shap and hang with the fast boys, but I think it might have taken its toll a bit, so I'll hang back tomorrow for the 100 miles to Kilmarnock. It looks like more dual carriageways and not particularly interesting scenery, but we get into Scotland inside off 11 miles in the morning.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
run into Preston
nice sleep last night in the 4 poster bed. I did feel pretty'spent' this morning, based on the fact that Ben decided to leap off the front with 5 miles to go and set a pretty testing pace into Shrewsbury!
the day started with a quick blast through Shrewsbury town centre, and then out into the countryside. there really isnt a great to deal to report - the roads have been pretty flat and the going has been good. We got in another group with Martin (Devon knight), Ivor, David, Andrew, Blackburn Andy, Ben, Kevin and myself. we made great time to the first water stop and just kept on going until lunch, which was just north of Warrington.
there really isnt a great deal to see - lots of industrial estates, fast food restaurants, and the like. Through Warrington there were groups of women dressed as schoolgirls who were out collecting for a charity, and there was a certain amount of wolf-whistling and banter with them on the way through the town.
when we got further along the A49, some young boys were challenging us to a race at a set of traffic lights. 'where are you going? fancy a race?' we replied to them that we were going to Scotland, and the collective jaws dropped - they then said that they were going to turn off - no racing, but they wished us well!
riding through Coppell there appeared to be a Scarecrow competition, and there were allsorts that were put in front of the various houses that lined the route - it looked like the local residents had really gone to town, and some of the displays were quite intricate to say the least, from a cyclist in a hedge to a married couple on a tandem (theme forming here).
there really wasnt a great deal else to report - Hunter had hung off the back of the group with his sore knee. we lost him and Ben just after the lunch stop going through the heavy traffic for Haydock park. They caught us before Preston and left us standing - to Blackburn Andy this was like a red rag to a bull and he took off down the road after them in hot pursuit!
we pulled into the hotel at around 3:30pm having done 88 miles and a good day of cycling on flatter terrain than the day before - great day and thoroughly enjoyed it! we now have the delights of Shap Fell to entertain tomorrow. the concensus is that this is a long drag, but the gradient isnt too intense - we shall see!
I will have to stop here now, as I am on a 'pay as you go' PC in the main lobby of the hotel and I cant quite type fast enough to avoid more cash going into the machine! Now that I have had a chance to read the comments, I might have a beer at some point on the ride before Inverness, as it would appear that this is on 'Doctor's orders' - thanks Clive!
Roll on Shap....
the day started with a quick blast through Shrewsbury town centre, and then out into the countryside. there really isnt a great to deal to report - the roads have been pretty flat and the going has been good. We got in another group with Martin (Devon knight), Ivor, David, Andrew, Blackburn Andy, Ben, Kevin and myself. we made great time to the first water stop and just kept on going until lunch, which was just north of Warrington.
there really isnt a great deal to see - lots of industrial estates, fast food restaurants, and the like. Through Warrington there were groups of women dressed as schoolgirls who were out collecting for a charity, and there was a certain amount of wolf-whistling and banter with them on the way through the town.
when we got further along the A49, some young boys were challenging us to a race at a set of traffic lights. 'where are you going? fancy a race?' we replied to them that we were going to Scotland, and the collective jaws dropped - they then said that they were going to turn off - no racing, but they wished us well!
riding through Coppell there appeared to be a Scarecrow competition, and there were allsorts that were put in front of the various houses that lined the route - it looked like the local residents had really gone to town, and some of the displays were quite intricate to say the least, from a cyclist in a hedge to a married couple on a tandem (theme forming here).
there really wasnt a great deal else to report - Hunter had hung off the back of the group with his sore knee. we lost him and Ben just after the lunch stop going through the heavy traffic for Haydock park. They caught us before Preston and left us standing - to Blackburn Andy this was like a red rag to a bull and he took off down the road after them in hot pursuit!
we pulled into the hotel at around 3:30pm having done 88 miles and a good day of cycling on flatter terrain than the day before - great day and thoroughly enjoyed it! we now have the delights of Shap Fell to entertain tomorrow. the concensus is that this is a long drag, but the gradient isnt too intense - we shall see!
I will have to stop here now, as I am on a 'pay as you go' PC in the main lobby of the hotel and I cant quite type fast enough to avoid more cash going into the machine! Now that I have had a chance to read the comments, I might have a beer at some point on the ride before Inverness, as it would appear that this is on 'Doctor's orders' - thanks Clive!
Roll on Shap....
Friday, September 3, 2010
shrewsbury
Short one this one, as I just managed to lose the last 20 mins of blogging from the Blackberry-doh!
Generally a very fast day totaling 97 miles. Tintern Abbey was about the most notable site we passed today, and was beautiful. The countryside in general was also wonderful, making a lot of the harder bits of the day worthwhile.
Needless to say we were running at a quick pace, so I'm pretty tired, although I've got a nice room here at the Lord Hill hotel-4 poster bed,LCD tv, etc. Still not managed to get some of the cycling clothes I washed earlier to dry(oops).
Other highlights were Hunter getting stung on the head by a bee while riding, and low flying jets (red arrows?). Also Ben taking off with under 10 miles to go, meaning we all had to jump on the pedals to stay with him. We were 35 minutes ahead of the next group to arrive!
I'm off to bed. 92 miles tomorrow, and a flat day of riding to Preston.
Good night 8)
Generally a very fast day totaling 97 miles. Tintern Abbey was about the most notable site we passed today, and was beautiful. The countryside in general was also wonderful, making a lot of the harder bits of the day worthwhile.
Needless to say we were running at a quick pace, so I'm pretty tired, although I've got a nice room here at the Lord Hill hotel-4 poster bed,LCD tv, etc. Still not managed to get some of the cycling clothes I washed earlier to dry(oops).
Other highlights were Hunter getting stung on the head by a bee while riding, and low flying jets (red arrows?). Also Ben taking off with under 10 miles to go, meaning we all had to jump on the pedals to stay with him. We were 35 minutes ahead of the next group to arrive!
I'm off to bed. 92 miles tomorrow, and a flat day of riding to Preston.
Good night 8)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
tiverton to chepstow
Didn't sleep at all last night-was awake at 5 and couldn't go back to sleep. Had a quick breakfast as Ben went to get the gears on his bike adjusted, and then dropped the bags with the DA guys before getting the bikes. Kevin managed to puncture his tyre having an altercation with DA's track pump and had to replace the inner. So we had two bikes with issues before we'd even started!
I really wasn't feeling up to 80 miles, and then I got involved in Martin's 'scenic route', complete with 1 in 6 climb before a cafe on the Quantock hills (sp). I had a sore knee, sore bum, and dull headache. I drank a lot of water thinking it was dehydration (I'm on a no booze kick at the moment), and consequently was desperate for a pee about 5 miles into the ride with nowhere to stop-great!
Eventually we stopped before the climb up to the cafe for a pee-stop. Relief! A quick energy gel, and then back on the bike with me stupidly leading everyone up to the climb. Steep climb to the cafe for a cup of coffee and a really good view over the countryside before heading off. We pretty much had a downhill run into Bridgewater, where we got Ben's bike to a bike shop to get checked over. We must've lost an hour there waiting-not able to leave the bikes unattended as the area is pretty dodgy. As if on cue, two drunken locals showed up expressing an interest in the bikes and what we were up to, but they were harmless (thankfully!).
Once the bike was fixed we were off again. Martin had phoned the DA guys to let them know we were running late. That said we got out of Bridgewater and got into a bit of a peleton, all taking turns on the front and pulling eachother along-this worked pretty effectively until we turned off for Shipham Hill, which was a 2 mile drag of 10% or so. Given the 1 in 6 of earlier the gradient wasn't too bad, and we all climbed to the top for lunch.
Some cheese, bread, tomatoes, etc and a top up of water got us sorted, and as we were the last lot in(due to bike shop trip), we got back on the bikes after a pretty short lunch and motored off to catch the rest of the group. The DA guys had branded us 'traitors' earlier in the day as we were going the scenic route thanks to Martin's knowledge. The group also included David, Andy, Kevin, Ben, Hunter, Andrew, Ivor, and myself. We managed to get another train going and with more local knowledge we caught the main group before the water stop.
We took off again to try and get up to the avonmouth bridge. Needless to say we got lost(everyone seems to get lost here), and there was much asking for directions, map and Garmin consultation. Eventually we worked our way around to the bridge to see that everyone else had found it and were pressing on. We merged with the group and headed through the industrial area running along the Severn Estuary, stopping to take a couple of pictures. Another train formed, and we kept a hard pace up to the 2nd Severn Bridge to cross on the northern side. We stopped and took quite a few pictures, and waited for the rest of the group to catch up before we crossed the bridge. Great views,and very clear with little wind. The weather has been kind to us, which I hope continues!
Once we'd crossed the bridge, David got chatting to a local cyclist, who gave him a tenner in sponsorship money, which was very kind. It seems that all cyclists are a good bunch really!
We cracked on again, but we only had a short distance to get into chepstow, and apart from missing a turning, we arrived at the hotel before 6pm. We didn't do badly for 92 miles, and I think we are all feeling fit and well, albeit a bit tired. Average speed is 14.5mph, so it's picked up a bit. I don't see the 42.8mph maximum getting bettered until we get to Cumbria, but we shall see. Off to Shrewsbury tomorrow, it looks like there are much bigger set of directions for this ride, so wits about us so we don't catch more mileage than we need to. Again...8)
I really wasn't feeling up to 80 miles, and then I got involved in Martin's 'scenic route', complete with 1 in 6 climb before a cafe on the Quantock hills (sp). I had a sore knee, sore bum, and dull headache. I drank a lot of water thinking it was dehydration (I'm on a no booze kick at the moment), and consequently was desperate for a pee about 5 miles into the ride with nowhere to stop-great!
Eventually we stopped before the climb up to the cafe for a pee-stop. Relief! A quick energy gel, and then back on the bike with me stupidly leading everyone up to the climb. Steep climb to the cafe for a cup of coffee and a really good view over the countryside before heading off. We pretty much had a downhill run into Bridgewater, where we got Ben's bike to a bike shop to get checked over. We must've lost an hour there waiting-not able to leave the bikes unattended as the area is pretty dodgy. As if on cue, two drunken locals showed up expressing an interest in the bikes and what we were up to, but they were harmless (thankfully!).
Once the bike was fixed we were off again. Martin had phoned the DA guys to let them know we were running late. That said we got out of Bridgewater and got into a bit of a peleton, all taking turns on the front and pulling eachother along-this worked pretty effectively until we turned off for Shipham Hill, which was a 2 mile drag of 10% or so. Given the 1 in 6 of earlier the gradient wasn't too bad, and we all climbed to the top for lunch.
Some cheese, bread, tomatoes, etc and a top up of water got us sorted, and as we were the last lot in(due to bike shop trip), we got back on the bikes after a pretty short lunch and motored off to catch the rest of the group. The DA guys had branded us 'traitors' earlier in the day as we were going the scenic route thanks to Martin's knowledge. The group also included David, Andy, Kevin, Ben, Hunter, Andrew, Ivor, and myself. We managed to get another train going and with more local knowledge we caught the main group before the water stop.
We took off again to try and get up to the avonmouth bridge. Needless to say we got lost(everyone seems to get lost here), and there was much asking for directions, map and Garmin consultation. Eventually we worked our way around to the bridge to see that everyone else had found it and were pressing on. We merged with the group and headed through the industrial area running along the Severn Estuary, stopping to take a couple of pictures. Another train formed, and we kept a hard pace up to the 2nd Severn Bridge to cross on the northern side. We stopped and took quite a few pictures, and waited for the rest of the group to catch up before we crossed the bridge. Great views,and very clear with little wind. The weather has been kind to us, which I hope continues!
Once we'd crossed the bridge, David got chatting to a local cyclist, who gave him a tenner in sponsorship money, which was very kind. It seems that all cyclists are a good bunch really!
We cracked on again, but we only had a short distance to get into chepstow, and apart from missing a turning, we arrived at the hotel before 6pm. We didn't do badly for 92 miles, and I think we are all feeling fit and well, albeit a bit tired. Average speed is 14.5mph, so it's picked up a bit. I don't see the 42.8mph maximum getting bettered until we get to Cumbria, but we shall see. Off to Shrewsbury tomorrow, it looks like there are much bigger set of directions for this ride, so wits about us so we don't catch more mileage than we need to. Again...8)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
dartmoor
This was billed as a hard day, and I can vouch for that. After a nice relaxing breakfast-scrambled eggs on toast with pomegranite juice (give me a break..it's good for you!)- we headed for Tavistock. As Kevin had headed out before us, and Ben, Andy and I were waiting for Hunter, it meant we set a fast pace to catch up. By the time I got on Kevin's back wheel, the others had dropped me. The hills were tough, we were dropping down to the lowest gear to grind them out-all this before the first water stop!
Once we'd had the quota of jelly babies and a toilet stop we were off again-looking forward to a 300 metre climb onto the moor-it didn't disappoint. The hard climbs were broken up by routine stops-i think we were all finding it pretty tough.
Its bleak on the moor. And windy, but you don't really notice as you are struggling up hills. It really is hard graft. By this point both Hunter and I were having problems with our knees. Mine was really becoming sore-painkillers at the next stop then!
We got to the lunch stop early, and got food down us straight away. The wind picked up, so the windproof tops were donned so we didn't get too cold. Hot vegetable soup, pork pies, bread, cheese and tomatoes-standard fare. There was some maltloaf too-much needed. A bus-load of Dutch tourists pitched up and were expressing quite an interest in what we were doing-the dutch like their cycling it seems.
A quick trip down the hill to Moretonhampstead for another loo break (I'm not peeing in the middle of dartmoor in front of a bus load of dutch tourists.and sheep), and we then headed off for Exeter. I nearly took Blackburn Andy out as I wasn't looking at what I was doing (as usual).
Devon Knight was leading, as he has the local knowledge-i was just trying to coax out of him how many more climbs there were. There were a few as it turns out, and some quite nasty ones too! One of the last ones before Exeter just seemed to go on-it'd run to a corner which we would turn to see another steep gradient running on ahead,etc,etc. It can be quite demoralising, but Kevin and I stuck together and got through the hills no problems.
Once we got into exeter, Martin(Devon Knight), Hunter and Ivor had to head to the bike shop-Ivor had managed to bend the big chainring on his bike, and Hunter needed a water bottle. The rest of us cycled off for the last water stop of the day.
We cycled past the station which we'd stopped at on the way down and headed down the road to stop at Stoke Wood. So we've made some good progress. More jelly babies, bananas and cereal bars, and we got back on the road to Tiverton. We'd been told it was 9 miles, but it was probably more like the 12 we expected. We got a bit lost and went past the Blundells Prep school in Tiverton(looked very posh), and once we'd called the hotel and got our directions sorted, managed to double back to the hotel.
It looks pretty nice here. Got to go and get some food as we got in at about 3.40pm. The day was not the indicated 75 miles expected. Average speed dropped to 14.2mph, and max speed so far is 42.8mph. I'm not going for more than that-one of the earlier descents of the day found me almost kicked out of my seat at over 30mph, so I calmed it down. Ben is the downhill king at 78kmph (look it up!). I'm just glad I got here.
As Blackburn Andy remarked this morning on my yellow cycling top-'he"s got the leader's jersey on, that's confusing'. I don't tend to run at the front of the group, but then this really isn't a race.
Right I need food, and there is only so long you can wait.
Looking forward to tomorrow and Shipham hill before the lunch stop...8(
Once we'd had the quota of jelly babies and a toilet stop we were off again-looking forward to a 300 metre climb onto the moor-it didn't disappoint. The hard climbs were broken up by routine stops-i think we were all finding it pretty tough.
Its bleak on the moor. And windy, but you don't really notice as you are struggling up hills. It really is hard graft. By this point both Hunter and I were having problems with our knees. Mine was really becoming sore-painkillers at the next stop then!
We got to the lunch stop early, and got food down us straight away. The wind picked up, so the windproof tops were donned so we didn't get too cold. Hot vegetable soup, pork pies, bread, cheese and tomatoes-standard fare. There was some maltloaf too-much needed. A bus-load of Dutch tourists pitched up and were expressing quite an interest in what we were doing-the dutch like their cycling it seems.
A quick trip down the hill to Moretonhampstead for another loo break (I'm not peeing in the middle of dartmoor in front of a bus load of dutch tourists.and sheep), and we then headed off for Exeter. I nearly took Blackburn Andy out as I wasn't looking at what I was doing (as usual).
Devon Knight was leading, as he has the local knowledge-i was just trying to coax out of him how many more climbs there were. There were a few as it turns out, and some quite nasty ones too! One of the last ones before Exeter just seemed to go on-it'd run to a corner which we would turn to see another steep gradient running on ahead,etc,etc. It can be quite demoralising, but Kevin and I stuck together and got through the hills no problems.
Once we got into exeter, Martin(Devon Knight), Hunter and Ivor had to head to the bike shop-Ivor had managed to bend the big chainring on his bike, and Hunter needed a water bottle. The rest of us cycled off for the last water stop of the day.
We cycled past the station which we'd stopped at on the way down and headed down the road to stop at Stoke Wood. So we've made some good progress. More jelly babies, bananas and cereal bars, and we got back on the road to Tiverton. We'd been told it was 9 miles, but it was probably more like the 12 we expected. We got a bit lost and went past the Blundells Prep school in Tiverton(looked very posh), and once we'd called the hotel and got our directions sorted, managed to double back to the hotel.
It looks pretty nice here. Got to go and get some food as we got in at about 3.40pm. The day was not the indicated 75 miles expected. Average speed dropped to 14.2mph, and max speed so far is 42.8mph. I'm not going for more than that-one of the earlier descents of the day found me almost kicked out of my seat at over 30mph, so I calmed it down. Ben is the downhill king at 78kmph (look it up!). I'm just glad I got here.
As Blackburn Andy remarked this morning on my yellow cycling top-'he"s got the leader's jersey on, that's confusing'. I don't tend to run at the front of the group, but then this really isn't a race.
Right I need food, and there is only so long you can wait.
Looking forward to tomorrow and Shipham hill before the lunch stop...8(
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