During the Christmas holidays 2010, i decided to set myself the challenge of cycling Lands End to John o Groats in aid of The Kids of Kolkata Drochas Trust. On the 30th of July i will start my journey of over 1000 miles in eleven days with help from friends and family along the way. This blog is my way of sharing my highs and lows from the day i got my new bike to my arrival day at John o Groats.........hang onto your hats this is going to be a bumpy ride :-)
Food For Thought
'Louise Jane Lemon ....You can do anything you want to, if you put your mind to it ' My Mum
'Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever' Lance Armstrong
'Effort is only effort when it begins to hurt ' Jose Ortega y Gassett
'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step' Lao Tzu
'Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving'Albert Einstein
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Day 2 - Dedicated to Pooja (female) - age 6 - Kolkata
Day 2 Bude - Cheddar 105 miles
This has to short and sweet as its coming from my phone...
Goodbye Cornwall hello Devon ... Flipping heck how many hills have We been up and down today ? None of which are huge but all of which were step my thighs are still burning .... We had our first stop at great Torrington at 25 miles both cyclists and support managed to meet in the same place wool hoo were making progress ... What a climb to the town centre I wish I could have taken a pic but it took all my effort to get to the top ..
We made our way on to Hampton up and down, up and down, up and down zero recovery then up again toug cycling but way better than yesterday at lest the descents were fun :-) we stopped at bampton for lunch and met speedys friend mike who had very kindly driven 60 miles to come and give us a wee cheer on.
From bampton we made our way to waybridge on to Taunton then through to cheddar.
Ok so what else to report ... Speedys lost a spoke dads found paradise and i've got a sore butt !! Apart from that all is well however I'm a little worried about speedys food consumption I'm thinking his daily intake would probably feed the whole of Kolkata for a day!! We might be losing 4000 ish calories a day but I'm sure he's eating double that .... Can you even imagine how much food that is ? Ok must dash need some zzzz's
Mileage. Cyclists 105 v support 115
2. - 0 to the cyclists
Legs are feeling strong, mind is feeling strong ...Day 3 let's rock .....
Apologies for the typos
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Day 1 - Dedicated to Kishan (male-) - 4 yrs old - Kolkata
DAY 1 ........ Lands End to Bude 105 Miles
6.30am Richard and I were both up and itching to get away, but there was no way Graham was letting us leave before we had porridge Cornish style with clotted cream and strawberries. Crickey i'm going to have to go on a diet when i get back.
Speedy, Me and Graham before we left this morning |
Just after 8 ish we left St Just and made our way through some beautiful Cornish Villages, i've never been to Cornwall before and i have to say i'm most impressed, so its definitely on my places to come back to list.
We arranged with the support team (dad) to meet in Stithians for our first stop which we both managed to navigate to although it took me a while to get used to cycling the Cornish Lanes ...10ft hedges either side and only wide enough for one car. I did start to worry about dad and what he would do if he met any oncoming traffic, after all he's only just mastered driving the van forward never mind reversing it ;-) Psychologically the lanes were quite weird to cope with ....its like being in a maze, you cant see anything left or right or even that far ahead so you never feel like you're getting anywhere, it was nice to experience but not a way i would like to spend too many cycle rides. Next we arranged a rendezvous for lunch....but it didn't really work ...Dad was in St Austell and we were nearly in Newquay, lets just call it teething problems.
We eventually met up with dad he was full of stories of this person he'd met and that person he'd met and he'd been to get his hair cut and he went for a wee shop and and and and and and .....i'm thinking i'm going to change the name of the blog to Big Al's UK road trip.... he's seem to be having far more fun than us cyclist !!
Anyway, after lunch we decided to join the A road to Bude and try and make up some time after a slowish hilly morning, and that we did, even if there was the odd vehicle slowing us down...
Regardless it was much easier cycling than being in the lanes and not even that busy. We arrived at Bude another lovely Cornish town and were meet with by yet more amazing hosts Howard and Coral and their two lovely daughters.
Highlight of the day ...probably just getting to see so many pretty villages, low point ...losing my cadence sensor. Ii know i shouldn't grumble but i'm such a stat geek and i'm a bit gutted i wont be able to record all my totals for the journey. Anyway the two things it is recording are mileage and time which i guess are most important...so on that note
Mileage today cyclists 105 v support 117
1-0 to the cyclist..........
All in all a good first day, beautiful sunshine but not too hot, lovely scenery and great hosts. I'm ready for day 2, a new ride and a new challenge.... next stop Cheddar ...bring it on ....
The only way is up ......
Much to my dismay Blackpool pleasure beach was closed by the time we got there on Thursday night, however I did manage to get my hands on some fabulous new sunglasses ?!?!? and a wee stick of rock...pics to follow ....
Friday morning - Up dressed and ready to leave just before 8am for the rest of our journey to lands end. Thankyou Pat for your kind hospitality and for making us feel so welcome...
All aboard the brand new transit van and oooooppps it's dead !! Battery problems eeeek ... Anyway thanks to mike from the aa we are on our way again ... Cheers mike your a legend !
We arrived at lands end at 5pm ... We were met by Graham, a man who my dad put up over 20 years ago when he walked john o groats to lands end for Clic Seargant. Graham showed us around Lands End and we had the obligotary photos taken with beautiful bue skies above...
After so long on our bums we just had to go for a ride, so we rode from Lands End to St Just (where we stayed at Grahams house) a mere 5.5 miles, so we are starting from here this morning. St Just is a pretty little town with a couple of thousand residents, very quaint and charming. We went to the Commercial Hotel for dinner and of course a wee glass of cider ;-)
Its now 6.50am Saturday morning...most of you will be fast asleep and i am sitting here itching to get on my bike and start the ride properly.. Spirirts are high and we're both super excited, so time for a bowl of porridge and were off .... next stop Bude ;-)
Thursday, 28 July 2011
We're on our way .... Woo hoo
A young mum from Avoch called Louisa
Has got keen on cycling and she's-a
Gone off to Land's End
Our good wishes we send
For her legs and her lungs and her knees-a
Next stop Blackpool pleasure beach for a go on
'the big one' ..
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Comon Speedy ...,LETS ROCK .....
Dum Dum de Dum is it time to go yet ?????
All packed and ready for the off ......Well the time is almost here and with over 2900 training miles under my belt i can safely say i'm as ready as i'll ever be. I have a top riding partner to keep me motivated and psyched up and of course my dad who will keep me fed and watered and generally looked after...so really i have everything i should need. I would just like to thank everyone who has sponsored, motivated and inspired me..it would have been impossible to even get to this point without the support and encouragement from great friends and family and a very understanding Heidi who currently thinks her mummy cycles for a living. Not only that but as a result of her being part of so many training rides she now shouts at the top of her voice 'Come on you can do it ' to every cyclist she sees !! I'm hoping in time this will pass !?!?!?
Cant wait to see you on day 7 baby... Missing you will be the hardest bit of all .....probably best i try not to think about that too much right now..........;-(
I will of course keep you posted on how its all going..So there is nothing left to say but .............
Comon SPEEDY its time to ROCK ..Lets go cycle 1100 miles for the Kids of Kolkata
Monday, 25 July 2011
Training ................. Done !!
Richard giving the signpost a hug awwwww |
Back in January i clocked up a mere 109 miles compared to 652 in July.....the hard work is all done, all i need to do now is hope for reasonable weather and not too many idiot drivers ....
So the next time i write i will probably be on route ... Whilst i'm away if you are trying to get your hands on ceilidh tickets for the 12th of August just drop me a line and i'll make sure we get some to you.
Friday, 22 July 2011
Aliens spotted on the Black Isle
We had a lovely evening ride ...up and down the black isle hills on a nice sunny evening....
Then all of a suddden we spotted something quite remarkable .......i woudln't have believed it if i didn't see it with my own eyes ......some kind of weird alien cyclists ..............
LEJOG SNACK BOX ...PACKED !! |
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
I WANT MY BIKE BACK ...................... !!!!
Monday, 18 July 2011
'Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever' .....Lance Armstrong
And on the seventh day ...aren't you supposed to rest ?? ...no chance !
Rumour had it a cycling legend was coming to town ... so it would be rude not to go along and see what all the fuss was about...So away we went to Dornoch
When we got there, there was the odd cyclist about but as 5pm approached the place went mental, hundreds of cyclist lined the main street of Dornoch, a sea of fancy bikes and riding jerseys and tv cameras....
Just after 5pm Mr Armstrong put in an appearance, there was a big round of applause, he quickly signed a couple of books and bikes then he made his way through the crowd and led all the cyclists out for a ride ...Me and Speedy hung back till the mayhem died down, we didn't think it was appropriate to show him up ;-)
The route itself was pretty good, however once we got up into the hills, surprise surprise, the heavens opened and we got drenched. Never mind i find this just makes me pedal a bit faster ... 1hr 35 mins job done ...
If you look closely enough you can see Speedy and i at the back as the ride properly starts. Its about half way through the clip .... you might even catch a glimpse of the pink princess ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrpR6CTbslY
This week..........7 Consecutive rides = 315 training miles = 22 hours in the saddle.
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Can you see / Kingussie
11am Start from Pitlochry, good weather conditions, rubbish cycle route down the A9, my bling was getting a bashing. However, it was good practice for when we do Lejog at least i know what to expect, but the rough route made for pretty slow cycling. We stopped after 20 miles for a wee hug from head of support.
In the distance i could see a couple of cyclists coming towards us so with a quick nod to Speedy we were off again, i don't like being over taken.
On we went till we got about 2 miles from Newtonmore, where we met this sign that said if you were cycling then phone this number to be transported for 2 miles because of road works ...............yeah right !! The road was clear so with strict instructions from the boss i was told to get on the main road and cycle as fast as i could....talk about pressure. I'm on the a9 on Fridayb at rush hour, single lane traffic and I'm holding everyone up, you can just imagine what people are saying/swearing in their cars .....anyway a nice man hangs back 100yds and keeps the traffic away from us and Speedy and i cycle like lunatics to Newtonmore, talk about sweating ......
Lunch stop and away we go again ............Newtonmore, Kingussie, Kincraig, Aviemore, Carrbridge what a fab 25 miles cruising with a lovely tailwind in little over an hour.
Carrbridge - Crunch time ?!?!?! are we going the distance or going home with the support car ?? I was in the zone ... today was not a day for catching a lift, i had plenty miles left in my legs. So we took a nice leisurely climb up to the Slochd Summit, 100yds from the top, i get a puncture, which Speedy promptly fixed.....off we go again but just as we got to the top, i got another one ..........which Speedy promptly fixed again, as i stood about and did, well quite frankly, not a lot. I should really learn how to fix a puncture ........... but it would make such a mess of my nails ;-(
85 Miles - Moy - Tablet, jelly babies, flapjack
90 Miles - Inverness - Tired
101 Miles Avoch - flipping exhausted - Collapse in a chair in the kitchen
Reality check - I'm doing this everyday for 11 consecutive days.
Friday, 15 July 2011
Over the lecht and far away ....
Max heart rate today of 196 I should be dead... A Hard hilly ride. I'd better get psyched up for tomorrow.
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Monday, 11 July 2011
Poetry in Motion ...
For those of you who know me relatively well, you will know that on the odd occasion i like to put pen to paper and write down a few lines, then try and call it a poem
So tonight when i was out on my bike a few words came into my head so i thought i would share them, this is all about the journey so far .....
Its about eleven days to cycle eleven hundred miles,
Its about six months of training and six months of smiles,
Its about thighs of steel and getting fitter and fitter,
Its about getting to the end and not being a quitter.
Its about feeling strong and tough not weak and needy,
Its about finding a training partner and naming him 'SPEEDY'
Its about clocking up the miles and training galore
Its about Applecross, Durness, Ullapool and Aviemore
Its about team colours, black white and red
Its about sometimes thinking i might be off my head ?!?!
Its about the Kids of Kolkata the suffering and the strain
Its about putting your hand in your pocket to help ease the pain
Its not about being a dreamer, a bit flaky or hazy,
Its about getting on my bike and not being lazy
Its about The Bealach, Loch Ness and a bridge to 'Farr'
Its about jelly babies and soup in the back of the support car.
Its about exhaustion and coldness, feeling lower than low
Its about torrential rain in Skye and the A9 in the snow
Its about cadence and calories and making my heart rate pop
Its about gritting my teeth and getting to the top
Its about climbing at 5miles an hour and descending at 45
Its about thinking one minute your going to die then in instant your alive
Its about the physical challenge,being pushed beyond the limit
Its about not regretting a single ride, not one hour or one minute
Its about a journey of discovery its been packed with highs and lows
Its about believing and achieving saying yes and never no
Its about the eleven hundred miles from end to end, across the nation
Its all about the journey and not the destination .....
lou x
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Goodbye Girly Weekend - Hello two weeks of hardcore training ......
Besides, I'm sure its done me no harm to have the weekend off.... Thankyou ladies for a fab weekend ;-)
..................................and the hoodies are getting a good showing off around town as well. Not long now till i start packing tick tock tick tock ;-)
Saturday, 9 July 2011
Thursday, 7 July 2011
OMG !!!!!!!!!!!
The Route
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Training top out .......................
This week has been all go go go .................
Sunday - Ardendrain-Cannich-Ardendrain - 34 Miles
Monday - 7 mile run
Tuesday - Stracthconnon - Strathpeffer - Dingwall - Beauly - 51 Miles
Wednesday - Beauly Firth Loop - 38 Miles
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Nairnside-Moy-Farr- Inverness- Avoch - 65 Miles
Saturday- Beauly-Drumnadrochit-Fort Augustus - Inverfaragaig- Up a huge hill through some fields on a dirt track for miles !! Inverness- North Kessock -72 Miles
Most mileage cycled in one week 260 MILES !! woop woop ............but now its time to collapse in a heap ......... so photos will follow at some point ...............bonne nuit, adios ciao ...........good night !!!