LEJOG Day 13 - Tongue to John O'Groats

Today's ride

Once I am compos mentis I will post a full blog of Day 13. For now this will have to do...

Me after my 1,003.5mile journey through 3 countries of the UK. A 32 year dream finally completed ☺

LEJOG Day 12 - Dingwall to Tongue (78 miles)

Today's ride

We had a bit of a false start today. Over the last couple of days my bike has been making some terrible noises from around the bottom bracket. Bloomin' annoying, not only for me but my fellow riders. A quick look on Google revealed a bike shop in Dingwall. So at 9am the trio set off in search of said shop. I say search as Dingwall is a one way system and if you miss a turn you have to go round again. Shop found and shop keeper said he could take a look but it would be an hour. Relevant texts were sent to our tour leader and the support explaining that we would be somewhat late. We found a cafe and and sat in the sunshine waiting for feedback on the state of the bike. It turns out that the bottom bracket is perfectly serviceable, so it must be the chain (I have brought a spare chain but it was on the van). Thank the shop keeper and we were on our way. Again  sent a message to the van to let them know we were around an hour and forty five minutes behind schedule.

Knowing that on previous days we the slower riders we given an hour headstart and we caught and passed them before the first feed stop meant we had to ride a little quicker than usual. Leaving Dingwall the scenery wasn't anything to write home about. We did get a great view of the Cromarty Firth. We followed the B9176 which gave a terrific view of Dornoch Firth. As the descent was a long sweeping there wasn't time time for any photos. Just before the feedstop I saw another one of these

John and Jordan rode on.  As I was taking the picture a woman who was riding her bike, loaded with panniers and holding a map ask if the road I came down was a steep hill? She was headed for Inverness and didn't want to follow the coast road. Looking at her bike and everything on it is aid the coast road would probably be her best bet. It turns out she was riding from John O'Groats to Lands End  (JOGLE), self supported. As I knew the feedstop wasn't far away and Steve & Dianne wold be waiting at the feedstop. I wished her well and off I rode to get cakes and biscuits!

We learnt that we were now only about forty five minutes behind eveyone. One thing for it a chain gang! We would hold a constant pace and each do a mile,on the front and then peel off. This is what we did for the next 24 miles. Although John did struggle on his turns in the last five miles. What didn't was that we could see a large rain storm coming in over Loch Shin. Driving winds and icy cold rain pelted us for about 10 minutes. First we caught Spencer,  then Connie, followed by Kash and Paul. The rain dissipated and the sun came out. We arrived at the feedstop at the Crask Inn approx 10 minutes behind everyone else. It was noted and we were congratulated on making up the time. In the chatter we discovered by leaving an hour later we had missed a rainstorm. While everyone companies of icy cold rain we spoke of glorious sunshine and favorable winds. 

Sandwiches and more biscuits scoffed we were on our way. At this point the landscape changed giving us amazing views. John and I took photos which allowed Jordan to speed of in to the distance  (trying to beat the van to the hostel).

 

Every corner just gave jaw dropping vistas. I wanted to stop and take photos every 100 yards. 

Long sweeping descents through the valleys followed by a long steady climb to reveal yet another giant mountain rising up. Just amazing landscape. 

It wasn't long before we could see Tongue and the hostel sitting on the edge of the estuary. If you're not sure where tongue is...

Much of the discussion at diner tonight was about tomorrow, our final day. The plan is for everyone to meet and the 60 miles mark and we all ride in to John O'Groats together. Should be interesting g given the difference in speeds between us all. While they sort that out John and I are panning to ride to Dunnet Head. The most northerly point on the UK mainland. It will take us 20miles out of out way but hey, when is the next time I'll be this far north. We just hope the weather holds up.

Tomorrow John O'Groats and the finish!

LEJOG Day 11 - Ballater to Dingwall (89 miles)

Today's ride

A small milesstone today. The total number of feet I have climbed means I have climbed Everest twice, a total 62,000 feet. Not bad for a lad from Norfolk ☺

After a really comfortable stay at the Deeside Inn in Ballater we were ready for our last long day in the saddle. A total of 89 miles, but in the first 20 we would be going over The Lecht. A climb of two parts but more on that in a bit.

I woke up with a stiff back and very tired legs. My thought was to get into the climbing early and wake up the legs. The theory was good but in practice not so. Two reasons 1) Today was going to be all about the wind. Our ride was in a north westerly direction and the wind (any where between 12 & 20mph) would be coming from the north west. 2) Didn't look at the profile the night before. Completely unaware the we would be going around Mona Gowan in the first few miles. Just a small hill that tops out at 1500 feet with a small section of 15%. The view was good though.

Despite the wind today we had sunshine for most of the day so it did feel quite warm. I think the thermometer topped out at around 19°. After the first big climb we rolled through the landscape stopping taking more pictures. Every where was breathtaking.

Now the Lecht isn't like other climbs it comes in two parts. The first part is a ridiculously steep section of tarmac. It looks like a wall tarmac. If you lean too far forward on the bike you will wheel spin. Lean too far back and you will pull the front wheel off the road. It is steep and it goes on for quite some time at this gradient. Some didn't make it on their bikes and had to walk. With that out of the way you are presented with this!

Climbing to an altitude of 2,105ft with gradients of 14% it is another monster of a climb, bearing in mind everything that we have done up until now (plus the wind)but the view is worth it 

Looking back down the valley 

from the top of the Lecht

Over the top down the other side and to the feed stop. All that hard work deserved a bit of cake. (Oh and Jordan got all annoyed with "armchair Lynch" as he didn't assist with getting a kom just before the feedstop. Jordan didn't care that John was at his limit and couldn't have gone any faster. Not a happy bunny. Didn't stop us from laughing at the situation😂). Bellies full (thanks Steve & Dianne again) we set off in to the wind. Not more than a mile down the road I heard a bang and hissing sound. Puncture! Given the van was close by I gave them a call and I swapped tyres and used a track pump to get the tyre back up to pressure. Jordan and John turned round to see where I had gone. There was a bit of a palaver as the tyre wouldn't got back on. All sorted in the end and back on our way.

Us (me and John) stopping to take more photos gave Jordan a chance to ride off and have his fun for the day. John and I merrily chatted about stuff trying to take our minds off the wind. We eventually caught up with the rest of the group.

Connie & Stuart 

Saying hello to everyone as we passed them and checked that they were OK. John and I raced up the road ahead. We did miss a turning but this was quickly rectified. The next feed stop couldn't come soon enough. Just to get out of the wind for a few minutes. After the feed stop the trio were reunited and off we trundled. We road under a great landmark structure. The Culloden Viaduct.

There wasn't much further to go and the hotel was almost in sight. I heard another bang followed by another hissing sound. Puncture number 2! FFS! I sent a message to Jordan and told him to carry on. Puncture fixed I rolled in to Dingwall and The National Hotel. A hot shower and beef pie was in the menu. The best was to end a long day.

In other news about 10 minutes after my puncture Rachel had a blow, completely destroying her rear tyre. That will teach her to make fun of my predicament. The other big news today, it was Derek's birthday. He is now 73 years old! An inspiration to us all

Happy birthday Derek!

LEJOG Day 10 - Perth to Ballater (67 miles)

Today's ride

There was much talk last about last night about today's ride. Essentially today was to be a ride of two halves. The first half-ish (40miles) was predominantly uphill to the start of the climb at Glenshee and then the long down hill (26miles) run to Ballater.

As the ride to day was a relatively short one there wasn't any particular rush to get going. In fact we had time to find a bike and for Jordan to get his etap gearing to be adjusted. So after a small wait outside the shop Jordan returned with a smile. All sorted ☺ onwards and upwards, literally.

Given that we gave the rest of the tour and good head start we thought it only proper to set a good solid pace and see if we could catch everyone before the feed stop. Everything was going well until we hit the Cairngorms. The views were just amazing even with low lying cloud and mist. Every turn just revealed another picture postcard moment. This meant stopping every two minutes to take another picture.

Before the big test we had the feed stop. Unlike most days, as we rolled in, everyone was there. Tucking in to the cakes and biscuits.

Bellies filled and we were off and enjoying the great views along the valley.

It wasn't too long before the challenge of the day presented itself. The official stats are 5 miles long with an average gradient of 4% and elevation gain of 1078ft. Also at

Glenshee in the distance 

shrouded in cloud

2011ft above sea level Glenshee has the honour of being the highest main road in the UK. What makes this climb a mecca for cyclists is the last 1.7 miles. It starts at a leg warming gradient of 9% and then towards the end has a long section of 12%. The sort of steepness that makes you want to get off and walk. Not today! Slowly but surely one by one I overhauled my fellow lejoggers. Reaching the summit, I was greeted by Jordan filming our pained expressions and again we were greeted with no views. The only thing that you see at the top was this big sign.

Back on the bikes and start the descent. Into the mist and drizzle. Still feeling nervous from the Fleet Moss descent I let the bike just roll down the hill. Still not quite brave enough. Top speed of 49.21mph, sooooo close. After about 3 miles of descending I caught John who had stopped to take a picture. We then joined forces and enjoyed the long down hill road to Ballater. Jordan had decided to go for it and blitz the last 25miles. We didn't see him again until we reached the hotel (he certainly looked like he went for it😅😅)

As we followed the directions to our hotel we noticed an ice cream parlour. We were early to the hotel and couldn't check in. Only one thing for it a quick U turn and back to the ice cream parlour. One hundreds and thousands cone with a mountain of mint chocolate chip and white chocolate stuffed in it. Lovely. As we had time we were able to wander around the town. Rachel put out a message to say that they (Pat and Andy) were in the Balmoral pub for a beer and were planning on having a burger for dinner. A number of us joined them. I ordered the "fat attack" yep that is a big knife holding it all together (you see can't the onion rings and tomatoes 😂) I was defeated. 

More laughter and chat and then time for bed. I've totted up the mileage so far and we are now at 764 miles. Another big day in the saddle tomorrow. 89 miles across the Highlands past Inverness to our destination, Dingwall. 

LEJOG Day 9 - Peebles to Perth (64 miles)

Today's ride

Today was to be an easy ride. Pretty flat and only 64miles. As mentioned yesterday this would be Jordan's chosen terrain. We followed the morning routine with the Connie and Spencer team setting off at 8am and everyone else leaving periodically, in their various cycling groups. Beryl, uh Dave, gave us a comedy moment trying to exit the car park and then asking "is it this way" pointing in completely the wrong direction. The trio left the hotel around 9:30am after a little discussion about what to wear. Arm warmers or no arm warmers? But definitely gilet, much to Jordan's annoyance. As we headed out of Peebles I sat on the front and set a quick pace. Jordan was happy to sit on the wheel and initially so was John. Eventually John lost the wheel and dropped way back. The pace was slowed so he could catch up. By this time we had caught Rachel, Andy and Pat.we said the customary "hello!" and then rode on by.

After a little up and down in the terrian we were presented with a long descent. I powered down the hill with John making a "woohooo" sound as the speed increased. About half way down there was a junction and I saw a car roll up to the give way line. The driver did see me but must have thought, "cyclist"not going very fast I have plenty of time to pull out and accelerate away. As they pulled out they then locked again and realised that I was going at a much greater speed than they anticipated. Fortunately for me they stopped in the middle of the carriageway. Leaving just enough room for me to squeeze between them and the oncoming traffic. Many expletives were shouted as I passed them. People out there don't think that because you see a cyclist they will be travelling at 10mph. Please look twice!

As we circumnavigated Edinburgh city centre we saw Connie, Spencer, kash, Paul making there wat into a pharmacy. Paul had been stung by a Bee on the knee. After that it was a quiet ride to the first feed stop, next to the Forth bridge.

As always we were a little early and Dianne was furiously making the sandwiches. As quickly as she could put them on the plate we scoffed them. One by one the rest of our fellow riders arrived. A quick check of Paul did reveal a puffy knee. Hopefully he'll be fine the morning.

As we rode over the old Forth road bridge the sun came out and gave us a spectacular view of the Firth of Forth on our way to Perth.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Jordan rode off into the distance for the last few miles. We thought he was trying to beat the van to the hotel. Depending on who you believe Jordan won the race, but Dianne said they were there 2 seconds ahead. Either way John and I just gently peddled our way to the hotel.

Not much other news today. Derek (King of the Audax and incidentally will be 73 on Wednesday) decided to go off piste to get his bike fixed and have a cafe stop. But neglected to tell anyone. For dinner tonight we (Derek, Pat, Andy, Rachel, Dave, John and me) went to pizza express. Although not very express tonight.  Our food took ages and the waiter came over to inform us that John's pizza order had been missed by the kitchen. To make up for this they would give him some dough balls and his pizza would be 15 minutes. The clock ticked by and i complained to the manager andshe blamed the kitchen staff 😲 about 15 minutes later the dough balls arrived. 20 minutes later the pizza arrived. We then asked for the bill. It was then noted that the chips Pat had ordered never materialised but we on the bill. This was pointed out to the manager. Long and short of it was that John's pizza was taken off the bill, so we're the chips plus a 30% discount. What an end to an otherwise innocuous day.

Tomorrow the Cairngorms!

LEJOG Day 8 - Haltwhistle to Peebles (81 miles)

Today's ride

Firstly I would like to point out, as it has been pointed out to me ahem... Father, I am quite aware there are a number of punctuation errors.  These will be corrected when I'm not knackered 😂😂😂

Today was a miserable day, but we were going to cross the border in to Scotland 😊We awoke to grey skies and rain. What joy. At least I could put my expensive Castelli Idro 2 rain jacket to good use. Super breathable, windproof, waterproof, shake dry and fits in the jersey pocket. A brilliant bit of kit.

As we prepared our bikes we watched everyone leave, splashing their way down the road. Not too much waiting for John this morning and the trio were off.

We looked at the elevation of the ride the previous night, looked relatively easy with three big hills. How wrong we were. The first 40 miles were up and down, up and down. The rain was pouring down as the wind was against us. Bearing in mind that we rode 95 miles yesterday and our legs were quite tired. Today was going to be a ride of very little banter.

Jordan and John riding off

in to the distance 

About 15 miles in we received a phone call from Iain  (team leader) to say that the van had been called back to help Pete with a snapped front brake cable. It maybe possible that we would get the the first feed stop before the van. As we came across everyone that was ahead of us we let eveyone know the news. As it happened we arrived at the feed stop just as the van pulled in to the labyrinth. All was good. A quick check of the forecast showed that the weather was to get better. Removed the wet weather gear and swapped for arm warmers and gilet. Feet were in paddling pools (flooded shoes) so just left them. A quick bite to eat and top up the bidon and we were off to cross the border

The rain did subside and the roads dried out. Sadly the wind swung around from a WNW to a northerly. This meant that to descend off the big hills you had to pedal. No freewheeling today. No rest. We pushed on and stumbled across a sportive that was being held in the area. This at least gave us some targets up the road to chase down. After abut 30 miles our route diverged from the sportive and we were back on our own. Good news though, the next feed stop was due.unbeknownst to us because of the delay from earlier in the day the van was late leaving feed stop 1, plus they needed to take a considerable diversion as they needed some diesel. In short the van was not at the proposed meeting point. We rode on. Psychologically this was a bit of a blow. We were already tired, not having too much fun but looking forward to grabbing a coke and sandwich to help recharge the batteries. No van did give us something to moan about and took our minds off the wind. Fortunately John had a small stash of chocolate bars in his back pocket. These were shared out but didn't help our water situation. As we hadn't seen the van and the van had seen us we phoned Iain to let him know that we were OK and not to send out the search party.

Jordan and John riding off

in to the distance 

Luckily a few miles on and before the next big hill we found a pub! Cokes and millionaires shortbread all round

Water bottles topped up we climbed the last hill and Peebles was in sight. We arrived at the hotel and were able to check in. Day done 😊

On this trip I've been sharing a room with Dave. In this time we've become good room buddies, but I do draw the line at this!

All in all a difficult day and glad to have it behind us.

In other news from the day. Rachel's reaction to the bee sting is loo,ihg much better, although her headset needs some attention. Dave's heart did it's thing twice today. This required him to have a lay down. The second occasion was in a cemetery 😂😂 Good news, Kash turned up today and will be rejoining the ride tomorrow.

Tomorrow we head for Edinburgh and the Forth bridge. Only 68miles and gentle undulating terrain. A day to stretch the legs maybe. Jordan certainly will.

LEJOG Day 7 - Skipton to Haltwhistle (95 miles)

Today's ride

Looking at today's ride we new it was going to be a toughie. 95 miles, two big hills and 7000ft of elevation gained. Today's start was much better no hanging around, no getting lost within minutes of leaving Skipton. However today we had an extra rider. Andy decided to join me Jordan and John  (who after a decent night's kip was feeling much better). Jordan's garmin decided to have a hissy fit had to pull over and reboot it. In the mean time the weather went from drizzle to rain. I was completely under dressed. No overshoes, only a windproof gilet over my jersey and arm warmers. Soaked with in a couple of miles and the feed stop was not until mile marker 34. I tired to kep the pace a little higher, nothing excessive, just to stay warm. We arrived in Kettlewell to see the annual scarecrow festival and despite the rain hundreds of people. I am guessing that the Yorkshire Dales are quite beautiful. We couldn't really see any of it due to the rain and low cloud cover. Maybe next time 😂 It wasn't long before our first challenge of the day arrived, Fleet Moss is a short hill at only 1.7 miles long but gains 734ft in elevation. It is an average gradient of 8% but max of 18%. As we hit the climb the weather had really closed in. As the summit is 1900ft above sea level it had disappeared in to the clouds. At this point Andy had decided that we had been riding to hard and decided to hang back and wait for Pat. It was a tough climb and there was a moment near the summit8when I considered putting my foot, but a pushed through. What did I get for my hard work this!

Due to the high winds and rain the descent was going to be a sensible one. I saw the 20% sign and didn't think anything of it. As we rolled over the top the road just fell away and with it my speed increased very quickly. Sadly I caught the crosswinds quite badly and the bike wobbled quite heavily.  Hitting almost 50mph on a bike that was almost out of control was pretty hair raising. I thought I was going to have to lay the bike down. Fortunately the road levelled out and the sped wobble subsided. Won't be doing that again. Feed stop one of the day was just round the corner. After doing the maths the feed stop was at our half way point. Due to the weather, everyone cold and wet knowing that there was still 62 miles to go. No one was in the mood to celebrate. Dry jersey and wet weather jacket donned and fuelled by cake a biscuits the trio headed off.

We rolled through undulating terrain. Short sharp climbs that just designed to fatigue or annoy if your name is Jordan. We seen Hartside on the map and it just looked long nothing like Fleet Moss. Five miles in length and a nice steady 5%.

The descent off the summit was lovely. Long sweeping bends, a steady gradient and to top it off nothe one car to get in the way. 5 miles of absolute bliss. A few more lumps in the terrian and we arrived at Haltwhistle.

Tonight we were staying at "The Centre of Britain".I didn't have long to get checked in and showered. Becky had come up to see me and we were off out to dinner. Along for the ride was her old friend Dylan and his daughter Anna. A lovely evening.

Tomorrow we cross the border into Scotland. I'm hoping for more dramatic scenery.