Day 15
Sunday 15 July 2012
The final leg. A happy start to the day in Helmsdale for all of us except Jo, who was feeling very poorly. An inability to stay warm, consume food or drink and an upset stomach does not set you up for the final days ride and the celebration that the rest of us were revving up for.
She was determined to ride - and rode she did.
On the verge of leaving Helmsdale, we witnessed the heavens opening. Wow. What a heavy shower. It went on quite a while and we delayed the start.
Then we were off. And immediately on to a climb. Heather was off, like she was on a time trial. At the top of the climb, the fastest descent I have ever done. It was fast but it didn't feel as fast as 47.5mph. That was quite scary when I looked at that statistic in the cafe at lunchtime.
A headwind then tried to keep us out of John O'Groats but nothing was going to stop us getting there. Not even the hard, bumpy road which felt like agony to me. I was tucked up behind Heather, or Glynis, or Suzanne. I did a short spell on the front myself, but it was short.
And then a final van stop in a lay by whilst we re grouped for the mass descent past our hotel and to the legendary sign post oin JOG. What a great feeling. It was a blue sky, sunny, warm day, We were blessed. The final photo is an image now etched in my memory. What a wonderful moment. A fantastic achievement. We had done it. We had done it.
The Glow of LEJOG
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Saturday, 14 July 2012
Day 14
Saturday 14 July
Dry, sunny with an odd heavy shower
Newtonmore to Helmsdale
72 miles
Really lovely ride out. Started later then planned when
Lucy was found with her 8th puncture!
Route was alongside and then on the A9.
Coffee stop in a bakery and I took the opportunity to buy
party cups for the bubbly arrival into John O Groats.
Then on to a layby where we met a relation of our
McLeader Jo who served hot cross buns and coffee out of the back of her car.
Onwards to Dunrobin castle for photos and then an 11 mile
sprint to Helmsdale on Heather's wheel!! Wow. That was hard. But great
fun.
Arrived into the youth hostel at Helmsdale. A few in the
group didn't arrive as expected and had stopped off at the pub!
Bed for 9pm after briefing. The majority of the work is
done now. Just one last big hill tomorrow. Steep. Two miles long. Then bubbly.
Glowing like never before.
Friday, 13 July 2012
Day 13
Friday 13 July
Dry. Bright.
Blissful day. Such delight. Big glow.
Newtonmore to Inverness
50 miles
After a fire at breakfast from the dualit (!!) toaster
and the hilarity which always goes hand in hand with a communal hostel
breakfast, what a treat. A gentle 50 mile spin with morning coffee in aviemore
and lunch at a village store.
Stomach better. Knee hurt when clipping in to my pedal
but ok on the bike. Shoulders painful in the morning but better in the
afternoon.
Todays ride was relaxed and sociable. A few fun sprints
off the front of the otherwise tight peloton of 10.
No punctures.
2 visits to the bike shop for gear and pedal problems in
the group on arrival into inverness. Thanks to Highland Bicycle co for their
helpfulness and prompt attention. For
the rest of the group the earliest afternoon finish at 3pm, a shower, protein
shake and bed until dinner at 7.
After dinner, briefing and bed for 8.30pm.
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Day 12
New lanark to comrie croft, crieff
72 miles
Beautiful sunny day. Stunning scenery. Really, really jaw
droppingly gorgeous. Round corner after corner as we climbed and climbed we saw
spectacular woodland, lochs, open moorland, pine forests ...wow. And those views
went on for hours. We were blessed by the weather.
As we left comrie croft I had noticed a front end
shudder. I asked pete to look over it at morning coffee. My headset was loose.
There was travel in it. It was uncomfortable to ride, sending vibrations into
my already very painful shoulders. Pete tightened it but there was still travel
in it. I needed a full repair really but the group were leaving.
So, onwards. And the vibrations went with me. This was
the hilliest day with fast sweeping descents through the highlands. But you
wouldn't want to take them quickly with a feeling like the front end has a
square tyre on it,particularly under braking. Ouch. Painful. Also unnerving.
This was a very hard day for me. The morning causing
intense left knee pain which bizarrely left me in the afternoon and the day
generally wrecking my shoulders.
We were late into newtonmore hostel. I had a stomach
upset too by that time and didn't fancy food but felt weak.
Suzanne gave me some rehydration sachets and I managed
some pasta for tea. Heather massaged my shoulders and I did her lower back. And
then at 930 bed for me.
I dozed and woke with indigestion. I tried to relieve it
with cool water. Eventually at 11pm I got up and sought out some rennies.
Thanks lucy. Then sleep.
Hard day. Was only slightly glowing tonight.
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Day 11
Wednesday 11 July 2012
Langholm to Crieff
67 miles
Wet
Really wet
Full waterproofs today
Hard ride today. Very painful behind me left knee. Hard
to diagnose why. My handlebars have been raised. My saddle pitch adjusted. I
lost a cleat screw and replaced that but my cleat might not be quite in the
right place. Who knows. Hard to know what best to do about it. Tiger balm.
Ibuleve. Ibuprofen. And spinning. I feel the pain on each revolution save for
hill climbing. Luckily there was some climbing this afternoon. Hard. Steep. Hot
in full waterproofs. But such relief from the pain.
The route today was specatular. Through moorland. Forest.
Woodland. Bracken. Wild flowers.
Wildlife. Lakes as still as can be.
Simply stunning.
Morning stop was in a butchers shop come cafe. We bought
20 sausages for dinner for less than 5 quid. The butcher sponsored us. So did a
customer in the shop. I think they felt sorry for the 10 sodden cyclists
looking outside at the persistent rain.
Lunch was at a lovely cafe at labert. The radiators were
on and we were able to dry stuff out.
Then off into the rain again.
Hostelling today at crieff. 8 girls in 1 room and the 3
boys in another. Dinner was outside catered for us.
Relaxing.
Glowing. In need of early night tonight to rest my sore
knee. Complete with tiger balm.
Good night. Glowing.
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Day 10
Langholm to new lanark
Wet
72 miles
Erm, monotonous riding. Head down. 30 miles of hard
lumpy, bumpy roads. Rain. Penetrating. A puncture. Painful shoulders (although
not as bad as they have been) and a painful muscle spasm behind my left knee on
the up stroke. Ouch. Got progressively worse. But the end of the day had a
sauna waiting. And a comfortable bed. In the new lanark mill hotel.
Coffee stop was at lockerbie truck stop. Lunch was at the
welcome break service station at abington. Neither were of note but sufficed.
For the first time on this trip today I could have
swapped pedalling in the rain for many other options. It didn't last long
because this is a great challenge and a fabulous group of friends.
Then, as I was chatting to glynis ona bumpy stretch I
asked if the road was really bumpy or if I was punctured. I was flat. Rear. We
changed it over and off we went again.
After lunch a rogue swerve manouevre aka an absent
moment by heather resulted in an
incident in the peleton with 2 riders going down. No problems and they were both
up. But before heather had clipped back in with her left foot she went down
again. Looked a bit like a sugar drop and she was on the verge.
The end of the day took us to the new lanark mill hotel.
Lovely. Dinner in the bar. And bed for 10pm.
Glowing.
Monday, 9 July 2012
Day 9
Kendal to langholm
Eskdale hotel
69 miles
Dry
We stopped at shap for coffee and biscuits. Pete altered
my saddle and that was much better.
Then a great descent.
Jo punctured.
On to plumpton for lunch at the coral rooms and aquatic
centre. I was expecting a swimming pool!! But found lots of fish and fish
paraphenalia.
Lucy was punctured as we were due to leave. She punctured
again like a car back firing in carlisle. Heather and I cycled into town to get
a new tyre as it had split. The group set off from carlisle with a repaired
tyre for lucy. Heather and I negotiated the one way system in carlisle most
inefficiently and caught up with the group at longtown at a pub.
Then 3 miles to scotland. What a sense of achievement to
get there. Lots of photos.
Then a fast train in to langholm for heather, glynis and
I and a lovely scenic route to langholm for. Liz, jo, suzanne, lucy,carol,
simon and jerry.
I had a much better and stronger afternoon and really
enjoyed it.
Dinner at 830 was steak. Great protein replacement.
Glowing. To be
alive. To feel strong. To be in scotland after having landed in newquay and not
having needed anything other than my bike to get there.
Am so happy.
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