cycling4hospices

The Final Curtain

2010-07-03T20:26:00.000+01:00

On Thursday 1st July, William and Graham met up with David Burland, COO of Help the Hospices, to hand over final monies and to confirm that the total raised was £15,671.54 - a fantastic sum, thanks to all our generous sponsors and to Towergate Foundation for matching Graham's funds. A photocall near Tower Bridge recorded the occasion as you can see in the picture (William on left, Graham centre and David Burland on right).

This marks the formal end of our Lands End to John O' Groats efforts. Not sure what we'll do next, but there's plenty of time to get planning!

We've Made It!

2010-06-06T21:54:00.001+01:00

Today we encountered the 'wee biting beasties' - highland midges which love the cool overcast and completely windless conditions that greeted us this morning. So after a huge breakfast we got everything prepared for a quick exit from our B&B and dashed for the bikes, attempting in vain to load panniers and get pedalling before being spotted by the midges. We sustained a few bites but once we got going they left us alone as they don't like wind - a good incentive to keep going though! So we went all the way to Thurso where we bought lunch, then cycled on to a beach at Dunnet Bay to eat it with a nice view of Dunnet Head. Then we pedalled on to John O' Groats determined to arrive by 3pm so as to complete our trip within 10 days (we left Lands End at 3pm on 27th May). We pulled into John O' Groats at 2:50pm and were welcomed by William's aunt Rona sporting a small bottle of champagne for each of us. After taking the required photos we inspected the boarded up hotel and tacky gift shops before preparing to return to Thurso. Rona kindly transported our panniers back to Thurso in her car and we flew along without the weight of the panniers, rediscovering the pleasure of cycling without excess baggage. After checking into the hostel we went out for a celebration meal with Rona.

We catch the train from Thurso on Monday at 8:40am and then have a 12.75 hour train journey to recover, doze and readjust to normal life.

Thanks to everyone who has supported and sponsored us. We hope you've enjoyed following our adventures and the justgiving sites will be open for donations for a few weeks yet as we hope to exceed our targets for Help the Hospices.

Graham & William

Endurance Test

2010-06-05T22:45:00.001+01:00

After yesterday's challenges, we found our legs were still tired and lacking energy. In addition Graham wasn't feeling too good with a headache and no appetite. While William tucked into his breakfast, Graham set about force-feeding himself to ensure he had enough calories to keep going. We set off along the edge of Loch Ness in pleasant sunshine and after the first 10 miles Graham began to feel more normal again. A shock was in store for both us when after 20 miles we met the first major hill of the day: an average 15% gradient over 0.75 miles - a real killer! As compensation this was followed by 9 miles of downhill.
This formed the pattern of the day, slogging slowly up hills and then coasting down to recover. Heavy showers soaked us for most of the afternoon. We paced ourselves carefully so we could keep going to cover the 99+ miles required of us. The A836 that led us to our destination at Altnaharra turned into a single track road with passing places for some 20 miles. There was little traffic apart from the sheep and lambs that kept rushing across the road so you had to keep your wits about you. Altnaharra itself is in a most scenic location with stunning views from The B&B where our hosts made us extemely welcome - recommended if you are ever in this part of the world.

Speed Kills...

2010-06-04T21:40:00.000+01:00

Aware of the long distance and all the mountains to be crossed today, we set out earlier than usual and went for it. En route we saw lots of wildlife: stoat, kestrel, deer and owl. We rode on A roads most of the way and encountered much higher traffic levels. At one point an oncoming car hit a seagull which flopped onto the road in our path and we had to take evasive action to avoid being hit by it ourselves.

We continued practically without stopping all the way to Fort William arriving at 1:15pm. We bought lunch and enjoyed a well earned break as we had covered over 70 miles. We found our leg muscles stiffened considerably during lunch and it took a while to get them pedalling again.

On leaving Fort William, Ben Nevis came into view with patches of snow still lying on its summit and Graham had to take a photo (see attached) as last time he was there he saw only rain clouds.

We continued along the Great Glen and were glad to get off the bikes when we eventually reached our destination in Fort Augustus - all told a total of 103 miles for the day.
We did it in very good time but the speed has killed our legs and we both have aching knees and stiff legs. Let's hope we recover in time for a similarly demanding ride tomorrow.

Who Pays the Ferryman?

2010-06-03T18:51:00.001+01:00

After another enormous breakfast we took a scenic route from Prestwick to avoid Irvine's heavy rush hour traffic and rejoined the A78 a little further north. Weather was warm and sunny and, with a gentle tailwind, we made good time to Largs. William's prior Google research told him there was a Morrisons there and he made a beeline straight to it so we could buy lunch, supper and breakfast - not all to be eaten at once you understand! We then cycled on to McInroy's Point, Gourock, where we picked up the ferry to Dunoon. The sea was totally calm (see photo) and the scenery was fantastic. On landing we decided it was time to eat and had a leisurely lunch, sitting in warm sunshine enjoying the view at Lazaretto Point. We then cycled on to Inveraray arriving just after 4pm so we sat in the sun beside the loch indulging in some award-winning Orkney ice cream. As you can see, we've had a really tough day! We are now at Inveraray youth hostel and it must be time to eat again - it's hard getting over 5000 calories in every day.

By the way, in case you were wondering, Graham paid the ferryman.

Scotland at Last!

2010-06-02T21:09:00.001+01:00

We crossed the border into Scotland this morning at Gretna Green but felt no need to avail ourselves of the registrar's services. We took a scenic route to Dumfries which had very little traffic and met two other cyclists we last saw near Monmouth. They also expect to reach John O Groats on Sunday but by a shorter route. Almost all the other cyclists we have seen doing this trip are using support vehicles and carrying no luggage. Are we missing a trick here?
After Dumfries we took another scenic route climbing up through the Galloway hills towards Ayr. The weather and scenery were superb and the only fly in the ointment was the SW cross/headwind that made heading west take a lot of extra effort. Again there was practically no other traffic apart from a few logging lorries.

The major excitement of the day came when we reached our hotel and they had nowhere to securely store our bikes. Their first suggestion was to lock them to a bench in front of the building provided we did it in such a way that people could still sit on the bench. We then pointed out that this would block the wheelchair access ramp to the hotel entrance, and they agreed this would be a problem as they did have someone in a wheelchair staying tonight. Eventually, after consultation with the manager, they agreed to lock the bikes in the boiler room at the back of hotel and all was resolved amicably. At least we'll have warm saddles in the morning!

Wet Wet Wet

2010-06-01T21:31:00.002+01:00

We left Wigan at 8am just as the rain set in and it carried on raining for most of the rest of the day. We survived crossing Preston in the rush hour and after that traffic levels were fine. We made good speed to Lancaster and then on to Kendal practically without stopping. Kendal seemed to be full of people looking for something to do in the rain and was extremely busy. We found a covered alleyway in which to have a dryish lunch as it was still raining hard. Cycling up out of Kendal we came across another group of cyclists with their support vehicle and drivers. They were cycling a more direct and shorter route to John O Groats in 7 days averaging 125 miles a day. At the top of Shap Fell pass one of the drivers kindly took our photo (see attached). These riders couldn't keep up with us on the downhills due tpo our luggage weight but easily caught up with us on the uphill sections for the same reason.
During the 8 hours of rain we 'enjoyed' today, we discovered that every piece of waterproof clothing eventually let the water in, so we arrived in Carlisle dripping and squelching and even then the hotelier advised us to take the bikes up to our room! Fortunately the waterproof panniers really were so we had dry things to change into. Our room now looks like a Chinese cycling laundry.

Rest Day - 100 miles!

2010-05-31T22:02:00.001+01:00

Although this was our least hilly day and the nearest to a rest day that we are going to get, the day began with more hills. Our legs were still stiff from the previous day but had to propel us up to the top of the pass. Our reward was several miles of fast downhill in beautiful Shropshire Hills scenery.
On the way down, a passing car threw up a stone that hit Graham's right forearm with some force. He has a nice little bruise as a souvenir.
After this we cycled to Shrewsbury and then on to Wem and Whitchurch, which appeared to be shut so finding a place to buy lunch proved challenging. We did find some high calorie items in a supermarket however.
Traffic levels were very light in the morning but became locally quite heavy on the A49 in the afternoon when we passed car boot sales, bank holiday fairs and numerous motorway junctions. We have developed an effective joint strategy for negotiating multi-lane roundabouts. Having selected our exit we move into the appropriate approach lane and block it by riding side by side. This stops cars cutting us up and the charity sign on our panniers seems to defuse potential road rage. We then have to judge carefully when to launch out onto the roundabout, staring oncoming drivers in the eyes and seeking a gap in traffic. Then when we are positioned in the correct lane just before our exit, the outermost rider surges ahead to the leftmost edge of the lane in front of the innermost rider. This is quite an exhilarating sport (you can see William's anticipation in the picture) - I would call it death defying except that the wives might read this, so in fact it is the safest and most sensible way of crossing such roundabouts, honest!
We finished today's ride going along a canal towpath through Wigan.

A Bridge Too Far

2010-05-31T10:37:00.001+01:00

We like to start riding at 8am to give us a fighting chance of reaching our destination the same day. But we hadn't bargained on a bank holiday Sunday where breakfast wasn't even available until 8am. So today we started out at a leisurely 8:35am.
Although riding pedal cycles we have discovered ways of using motorway bridges and it's perfectly legal! We crossed Avonmouth on the M5 and the Severn estuary on the M48 where cycle routes have been put on the service decks. We had spectacular views in fine weather but had to be careful not to exceed the 15mph speed limit.
At 10:35am precisely, just north of Chepstow racecourse, we established a remote audio link with the congregation of St Lukes church who are also supporting us.
In the beautiful Wye Valley William decided to spend 20 minutes repairing his second puncture. Graham assisted by enjoying the views and taking photos of William's valiant efforts. Other events of the morning: an Australian couple who stopped us to give us a donation for Help the Hospices, passing a hay barn fire right beside the road and having to leave the road to avoid being squashed by a speeding fire engine.
We had a very pleasant lunch at the site of the former chapter house at Hereford Cathedral thanks to Graham's friend Jeremy (see the picture Jeremy took attached) and set off for the afternoon into a strengthening headwind that sapped our strength until we reached Clun Mill Youth Hostel in Shropshire.

Fame at Last?

2010-05-29T21:13:00.001+01:00

A morning of rain followed by an afternoon of showers tested waterproof panniers and rainwear to the limit. In Exeter a motorcylist pulled up alongside us at a roundabout and said we had been on local radio. Hope they said something nice! At Cullompton a van driver who had seen the Help the Hospice sign on William's bike pulled us over and handed us some sponsorship - a real morale booster in the rain!

The rain stopped briefly around lunchtime so we could eat our sandwich lunch in comfort. We met an 80 year old man who said he had started Lands End to John O' Groats on Wednesday with a friend but had come off his bike on Thursday and had had to give up. His friend had carried on and was somewhere north of Hereford.

First puncture of the trip was William's front wheel this afternoon. This delayed us by 20 minutes but we still made it to the services at J19 of the M5 before 6pm where we thought the hotel was. Only it wasn't! A quick phone call established that the brand new hotel had been built 2 miles in the wrong direction in Portishead proper.

The attached photo was taken by William's colleague Steve LeMare who met up with us at Yatton.

Hills!

2010-05-29T11:52:00.001+01:00

We set off from St Agnes at 08:05h and missed a turning to Truro so adjusted our route to head down to St Austell. This provided an early foretaste of the many hills which would characterise the day. We had a repair stop just outside Lostwithiel where Graham's chain jammed during a gear change on a steep uphill. This required removal of front chain rings and use of a monkey wrench to get us on the road again. After a lunch of piping hot pasties at Liskeard we headed on to tackle the climb over Dartmoor which required strenuous climbing. The downhills on other side were fast and exhilarating with speeds of over 45mph. We reached the hostel at Moretonhampstead as hoped just before 6pm.
William

Heat, Hills & Hospitality

2010-05-27T21:45:00.001+01:00

We were up at the crack of dawn and set out for St Albans station at 5:30am. First Capital Connect were already running late so we took the so-called 05:38h to St Pancras and then cycled to Paddington. Apart from a 25 minute delay the train got us to Penzance where there was brilliant sunshine. Within minutes we discovered our first hill as we set off for Lands End. Heat and hills set the tone for the rest of the day. We prevailed on several passers-by to photograph us at Lands End, and had to return the favour. Setting out at 3pm we had to forego all the tempting cream tea emporia in order to reach St Agnes where we are staying tonight just after 6pm. Our hosts provided us with an excellent supper and we eventually got our Cornish clotted cream with our pudding. Today's photo shows William near Marazion with St Michaels Mount in the background. We've cycled 49 miles today which has been a most enjoyable warm up for the major challenge which faces us tomorrow. William & Graham.

All Set To Go

2010-05-23T09:24:00.001+01:00

With the final 33 mile training ride completed yesterday, we have now ridden about 850 miles in training this year and we're as ready as we'll ever be. We've pared down the joint tools and spares kit to the minimum and have confirmed queries over our planned route. Just 3 days at work plus packing and we'll be on our way.

Can't wait to get going now - roll on Thursday! We'll send regular updates to this blog so you can see how we are doing. (Graham)

The (nearly) acid test!

2010-05-09T19:40:00.007+01:00

This weekend we set out to see if we could do the daily distance of our challenge, on two consecutive days.
We started out yesterday (Sat) morning at 8am. Our route took us down to Purton, just west of Swindon. It included some pretty steep hills and ended with a slog over the North Wessex Downs. We broke our journey in Marlborough with a hot drink and cake, before cycling back up out of the town and on to Purton. The day was cold with irritating drizzle, and we were very glad when we arrived at Graham' parents, having completed 101 miles. After a hot bath and a lovely filling supper we felt repleat but tired. It's amazing how cycling long distances creates such a large appetite & also makes sleep come very easily... If it wasn't for the preceeding endurance test, I would recommend it to those who love food but dont want to put on weight & maybe also to insomniacs!
After a substantial breakfast on Sunday we set out at 8am on the return leg. Due to the weather forecast (head wind of 15mph with gusts of 25mph) we made the return journey slightly shorter at 89 miles. As expected the wind slowed us down & I struggled on the larger hills, having to accept a low gear & plod along. There was one particular downhill run with a good road surface, and we were able to get up quite a speed (38 mph) which was good fun, & a little scary!
At one point we met up with a cycling event and although the fast cyclists passed us, we did overtake some of the slower cyclists. As we left their route some Marshals tried to tell us we were going the wrong way!!
We arrived back at St Albans at 4:30pm feeling somewhat tired, with legs that couldn't follow simple instructions - like 'bend', but we felt we really had achieved something, and the hills, rain & wind sets us in good stead when we set out in just under 3 weeks.

An Encounter With Concrete Cows...

2010-04-26T21:16:00.001+01:00

Our latest training ride was on a lovely sunny Saturday. We made excellent time heading out past Whipsnade and Linslade to North Milton Keynes. Our chosen lunch spot was a bench in view of the famous concrete cows which were resplendent in a new coat of shiny paint. Thinking our good average speed proved the training was working, we began to head home and realised there was quite a strong south-easterly wind: fine for speeding us further and further away from home, but quite a pain when heading back home straight into it. Our return route was via Woburn and Hockliffe, picking up the Sewell Greenway which provides a spectacular off-road climb on an old railway line up into Dunstable. We then headed through Dunstable towards Luton (narrowly avoiding being caught by Esther Rantzen and her election battle bus!) and turned up an excruciatingly steep hill to Caddington, Harpenden and back to St Albans. Total distance covered 77miles. We were both worn out by the wind on the way home. William claims he was tired because he had given blood the week before. I had no such excuse!

Next major training ride is a 200 mile weekend ride on 8th-9th May when we'll see how well we can handle two long days one after the other. And two and a half weeks after that we'll find out how we handle 10 such days on the ride itself! Graham.

100 mile training ride!

2010-04-02T22:06:00.005+01:00

This is our first training ride of 100 miles; the distance we need to cover each day for our 10 day challenge.
We set off from St Albans in light rain at 8:30am & headed out in a circular route, (click here for map) taking us out towards Oxford via Marlow. By pacing ourselves we made a good steady time but as lunch approached the heavens opened. We stopped in Chalgrove (around 12 miles from Oxford) & took cover in a bus shelter where we ate lunch. After re-fuelling we set off in the rain for our final stage of the outward bound stretch, ending at Wheatley, just east of Oxford. Graham has friends there & delivered a birthday present. This gave us another break from the weather & we were able to dry out a bit whilst appreciating a hot drink.
As we left Wheatley the weather delivered good & bad news. The bad news was the wind had moved around from the west to the south so we headed home in a strong headwind. The good news - the rain stopped & the sun made an appearance & stayed with us all the way home.
We completed the return leg at a slightly slower pace, probably due to tiredness & the headwind, but still made good time & were home just after 6pm, having completed 104.5 miles.
Not surprisingly, we both found our legs were stiff that evening, but amazingly they recovered overnight.
So we now know we can do the daily distance, but can we do it on 10 consecutive days? Also the route gave an ascent of 1770m which is only half the hill climbing necessary on some of the days!
William.

Travel Arrangements Now Complete!

2010-03-27T17:30:00.001Z

I've now made the booking for getting us back from Thurso by train once we have completed the ride. Unfortunately the cycle reservations had already been taken on our preferred train, so we had to take the second choice: 08:41h from Thurso, 2 changes (Inverness and Edinburgh) and reach Stevenage at 21:17h where we will be met to take us home. Should reach home by 10pm, a quick unpack, kip and then straight into work the next morning!

But that means all accommodation and travel is now booked, so all that remains is to keep training! Next planned training ride is on Good Friday when we are planning an all day ride of some 80-90 miles so we can find out what we feel like after doing it! Destination will depend on weather forecast. We'll let you know how we get on...

Graham.

Ely and Back

2010-03-22T21:20:00.014Z

Last Friday William and I took the day off work and set off on a 3 day training weekend, staying in Houghton with a group of friends from St Lukes Church. We took a 70 mile route to get there meandering south of Stevenage, west of Cambridge and approaching Houghton via St Ives. We took about 6.25 hours in total, including rest stops and lunch. All went well apart from one scrape with a pothole when William's wheel got caught in a trenchlike pothole in the direction of travel and he came off. Fortunately he got away with a grazed arm and a torn jacket and the new bike came away unscathed. Two local joggers and a passing motorist rushed to assist and we all lamented the state of the roads...On Saturday we had a 'rest day' which meant a 40 mile round trip to visit Ely in wind and rain with three other friends. We found the Prince Albert pub for lunch (as recommended in the Good Beer Guide) and enjoyed huge quantities of food and a pint of real ale - I chose Flankers Tackle in honour of the England-France rugby we were to watch that evening. In order to aid digestion, I then did my tourist bit and went up the Octagonal Tower at Ely Cathedral. The weather had brightened temporarily and the views from the top were superb. We then cycled back to Houghton straight into a strengthening wind and the drizzle that started up again.
Sunday was a much better day weatherwise, with springlike sunshine though the wind was still a fresh south-westerly. And guess what? We had to head in that direction to go home so we had wind in our faces almost all the way. This time we took a 72 mile route heading down to Sandy and Barton Le Clay. We ascended the edge of the downs at Sundon which has a long and extremely steep hill. After over 50 miles we were quite pleased that we managed to make it to the top without having to get off and walk. A total journey time of 6.75 hours, but with the hills and the wind I was glad to get off the bike at the end!
So now we only have to do half as much again, in 3-4 hours more for 10 days in a row - a bit more training needed, I feel!
Graham.

Preparations Well Under Way!

2010-03-14T10:16:00.001Z

At last Great Western have released the advanced tickets for the end of May so I have been able to book tickets for myself and William from St Albans to Penzance. Two standard singles and bike reservations for the princely sum of £73. As they only allow 6 bicycles on an intercity train, you have to get in early to ensure you can get your bikes to go with you. We’ll be taking the 7:30am train from Paddington but because of restrictions on taking bikes into London on First Capital Connect, we’ll have to leave soon after 6am. We then get off at St Pancras International and cycle to Paddington as we’re not allowed to take bikes on the tube. It’s like planning a military campaign trying to work around all the obstacles put in your way when you take a bike! The good thing is the train should reach Penzance by 1:30pm so we intend to cycle the 10 miles out to Land’s End that afternoon and then cycle back about 30 miles to stay with some relatives of William’s in St Agnes. That’ll be our one and only easy day! Beyond that all our accommodation is now booked so the route is fixed, but I cannot yet get train tickets back from Thurso as the advanced tickets have still not been released for 7^th June. That’ll be the last major item to organise apart from the training, speaking of which…

This morning my son Phil and I cycled 25 miles in just under 2 hours before breakfast. That means I’ve now cycled 200 miles on training rides so far this year. The legs are gradually getting used to the idea of pushing pedals round for hours on end without stopping. Next Friday I’m taking the day off work and William and I are off on a three day weekend with a group of friends from St Lukes Church staying up near Huntingdon. By cycling there on an indirect route on Friday, pootling around on bikes on Saturday with some of the others, and then cycling back home again on the Sunday we hope to add a further 150+ miles to our training tally. We’ll be carrying full luggage next weekend as well so it will give us the feel for what it will really be like. Graham.

Out first training ride

2010-02-21T19:00:00.007Z

Realising the enormity of the challenge that lies ahead, we have planned a few rides to improve our fitness and stamina. Cycling long distances day after day is quite different to jumping on a bike for a days ride!
This morning it was raining but by the time we set off after lunch it was dry & bright (just what the weather man said - we knew we could trust him!).
Today's route took us through St Albans town centre & out towards Redbourn, before turning up Hogg End Lane. This led to my old place of work, now levelled to the ground. Unfortunatley it was the nearest industrial building to the Buncefield Depot explosion and took the full brunt of the blast. We carried on through Cherry Tree Lane and crossed the Hempstead Road and headed for Gaddesden, Flamstead & Markyate. By this point the sun was shining & we had already covered 15 miles. We took a few photos showing us wearing the latest cycling fashions (!) and then headed down some country lanes to Kinsbourne Green. I hadn't realised how many nice litle properties are tucked away down these lanes! Sticking to the the lanes we reached East Hyde & free-wheeled through the ford, before heading to Wheathampstead & then back home to St Albans. My legs didn't feel too bad after 30 miles, but I slept very deeply that night!
William.