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.

LEJOG Day 6 - Pott Shrigley to Skipton (66 miles)

Today's ride

After yesterday's poor effort on an easy day. I was not going to make the samended mistake today. Shrigley Hall (seen below) provided an excellent breakfast, fried bread hmmm

Rachel update at breakfast wasn't great. Overnight she had had a nasty reaction the yesterday's insect sting. Face was very swollen. Off to the pharmacy in search of some very powerful antihistamines. She was back before we all left and was ready to ride, even though she was feeling some what sorry for herself.

Despite getting up early we seemed to pfaff a little this morning. John was ready to go and had to wait for me and Jordan. It wasn't too long but John did get cold waiting around. Eventually we clipped in and were on our way. However it wasn't too long before we started a chain of events that marred the start of today's stage. Leaving the hotel Jordan's brakes were making nasty screeching sounds. Possibly oil on the blocks. We rode on dropping down away from Shrigley Hall. I would like to add at this point Jordan is a confident descender. We approached a tight left hand bend Jordan applied the brakes nothing happened initially and the wheels then locked up. Despite crossing the white line in a "controlled" skid he missed the car coming up the hill. The excitement of the incident then lead us to miss our turning and we continued to ride down the hill. About a mile later we realised we were going in the wrong direction. Looking back up the hill we all agreed it would a marvellous idea to find a way round this and get back to the designated route. We tried a couple of options but nothing worked, so it was back up the hill. This was then promptly followed by Jordan having a very Paris - Roubaix moment across some gravel at the side of the road. By now it was noticeable that John was not going to have a good day. All this and we'd only gone five miles from the hotel. Two of which were in the wrong direction. With the possibility of bad omens hanging over our heads time to relax a little and take it easy. 

Today was a hilly day. 6000ft in 66 miles (see what I mean about omens). So for John not to be feeling up to his usual abilities was a bit of a blow. We made the first feed stop without any further incidents. After abstaining yesterday I made sure I filled my boots today. Cakes, biscuits, sandwiches everything was consumed. Refuelled we set off for part two of the day. It wasn't long before our next climb was in sight. Jordan road off quite happily, quiteam uncustomary for him. I rode with John for a bit but he wasn't firing on all cylinders. So I decided to set off after Jordan. We slowed and on the descent John caught and it was agreed by all that on the next climb John would ride at his own pace and we could go off and have fun.

It was good job I ate all that food as a certain Mr Noble had found his racing legs. The climb out of Hebden Bridge (1034ft over 4.4miles) didn't present him with any problems. Someone had been transformed overnight! Beryl was passed the way up, he had left the feed stop early Jordan and I met at the top and then the race was on. Not between me and Jordan but to beat the rain that we could see coming in over the hills. I have to say that I lost the wheel more than once on the run in to Skipton. Looking at the garmin I did notice that we were still around 600ft short of the predicted elevation gain. No need to worry as Martyn (company owner and route designer) had organised two cracking hills before the end of the ride.

The view from Bradley's Roth, Keighley 

We made it to the hotel an hour before we were supposed to. The owner still allowed us to check in and put our bikes in the rooms. It wasn't long before John arrived and we all went to get some cokes while we waited for the van and our bags.

Overall felt really good today and enjoyed the immense views from the hill tops. In other news Pat had a front tyre blow out. Earlier in the ride he had scuffed the side of the tyre against a kirb, causing a weakness in the side wall (this is why the van wasn't at the hotel). Rachel finished the ride, face looking slightly better (sorry no pictures wasn't allowed to take any) plus meeting a very strange person in Hebden. Beryl made the entire day without his heart rate going above 120bpm and an average of 105bpm. Outrageous! Oh and the rain never came.

A wash and brush up and then down the pub for a pint. Followed by an Indian meal and a ton of laughs.  Great day!

Tomorrow another big day 95 miles and we go over Fleet Moss (Yorkshire Dales) and Hartside (North Pennines). Once we complete the first 30 miles of tomorrow's ride we will be half way to John O'Groats. 

LEJOG Day 5 - Shrewsbury to Potts Shrigley (Bollington) (65 miles)

Today's ride

Still feeling pretty full after eating a "would you like to go large?" mixed grill at Harvester. Breakfast at Lord's Hill hotel was a very polite affair. Just some porridge and a little scrambled eggs on toast. Sadly today we lost Kash. He had to abandon due to family matters.

As is the norm now. John, jordan and myself rode together for today's stage. There wasn't really much to mention. The terrain was pretty flat, with most of the elevation being back ended on the ride. The rain stayed away and the sun came out. This was Jordan's terrian. Allowing him to get his head and down and power along the lanes. He even out climbed me and John into Bollington. Definitely found d his legs today. Although he was ecstatically happy about two cans of Pepsi Max for a pound from the "Corner Shop" at the top of Bollington.

The view from Gawsworth across to 

Sutton Common BT Tower

However others had a mixed day. Iain, team leader, had to buy another wheel. The bearing had gone in the hub. It was late in the day and the shop couldn't repair. Hence new wheel. Sadly Rachel's woes continued. Pat noticed that her pedal was coming loose. So when they stopped to repair it they also noted that her crank arm was loose. Oh and as they stoped to do the repairs Pat didn't unclipped and ended up falling into a hedge. All the bolts tightened up and on they went. Not long after the feed stop we rode up to Andy, Pat and Rachel as they were all at the side of the road. Turns out that Rachel had been stung by a Bee on the inside of her mouth. It was starting to swell up quite badly. A small detour was needed to buy some antihistamines.

We all arrived at Shrigley Hall Hotel & Spa. A number of us took advantage of the facilities on offer; sauna, jacuzzi, steam rooms, pool etc... As we were in Dave's neck of the woods he had a quick shower and went off to meet a couple of his cycling buddies. A little later his wife, Yvonne, turned up to drop off some clean clothes and joined us for dinner. Few more insights in to the mind of Dave was had. Pretty much we all had the Shrigley burger.

Another day done. Tomorrow is another short one but quite hilly as we head in to the Yorkshire Dales

LEJOG Day 4 - Chepstow to Shrewsbury (89 miles)

Today's ride

After feeling not to brilliant after yesterday's ride it was decided, last night, that we should take today very easy. After a small panic of not being to find my water bottle. We bid farewell to The Beaufort hotel, our home for last night and set off. Today was just the trio of me, Jordan and John.

As has been typical of our trip we started the day's stage in the rain (well I guess we were in Wales). Our first stop of interest was Tintern Abbey

Although it was wet the the Wye valley rather lovely. My Garmin did have a hissy fit and decided to turn itself off (Garmin GPS are notorious for having these moments). The miles ticked by John setting and very sensible steady pace with Jordan right on his wheel. I would follow for a while then go off and ride up the climbs at my own pace. Slowing on the descent so we form the trio once again. This was pretty much how we rode most of today. As we climbed out of the valley we noticed the wind had picked up. It was a very helpful WSW. Which meant that for most of the ride we had the wind coming over our left shoulder. The great thing was we knew weren't going to have to turn round and face it. Any cyclist knows that this a dream, as mostly all our rides are a loop.

It wasn't too long before we started to catch the other members of our group. We saw Dave sitting on an old monument having a small snack and a rest. He gave us the thumbs up and we went past. There was much amusement as we found a post office in St Leonards that had a sign showing how we had come and how we had to go (photo opportunity)

Just before the first feed stop was spotted (more cake and today, fig biscuits!) We were held up by one man and his dog hearding sheep down the lane. Made a change from the usual cars and lorries. Group by group everyone rolled in to the feed stop. Yesterday we had the Andy trying to take his bike apart at the feed stop and then having to use the spare bike. Luckily for him, last night his girlfriend drove over from Cardiff to Chepstow to give him his old bike (that's three different bikes ridden in four days). However this didn't stop him from fiddling with the saddle at the feed stop. Earlier in the ride I noticed that Spencer's chain wasn't looking particularly great. Jordan took care of the chain (which hadn't seen any oil or been cleaned  in months or possibly ever) while I sorted yet another spoke on Pat's bike. In the meantime Rachel had knocked over her bike (dreillieur side down) all looked OK, but not to be the case later in the ride.

Water bottles topped up and bikes repaired we rode on towards Hereford.

In to Ludlow, past the Feathers public house and out the otherside. Meanwhile further back down the road Rachel was having problems with her bike. The earlier drop had resulted in the rear dreillieur being knocked out of alignment, reducing the number be of gears to choose from. Off to find another cycle shop for a quick repair and having to race back to join the designated route. What Rachel hadn't realised was that she had ridden fifteen miles with the rear brakes rubbing the rear wheel. The mechanic in the shop hadn't seated the rear wheel correctly. Also unbeknownst to all of us Dave's HRM had packed up. So he stopped at a garage to buy a replacement battery but needed a coin to remove the covering cap to swap the battery. He asked the chap in the shop if had one. Fortunately a lady came to the rescue with a coin. Battery was swapped and ta da! Still didn't work.

In the last fifteen miles Jordan found his legs today giving us more of a taste of what he is capable of when he is fully fit. One occasion saw John trying to close down a gap which he just couldn't. As we neared our destination the terrain became more Jordan's sort of thing and he casually rode away from myself and John. Never the less the three of us rolled in to the hotel car park and agreed that today was a far better ride than yesterday. Same again tomorrow? 

BTW Dave tried his HRM in the hotel room and it worked!

LEJOG Day 3 - Tiverton to Chepstow (93 miles)

Today's ride

As it worked well yesterday we followed a similar routine today. At 8am we waved off Connie and Spencer. A short while later Kash, Paul, Beryl (aka Eric, aka Dave) and Stewart hit the road. After a hearty breakfast all the bags were loaded on to the van and bikes checked. Myself, Jordan, John, Andy, Pat and Rachel left Lodgehill B&B at 9am sharp. 

Today's ride was a long but didn't look that hilly (mistake number 1). I would like to add at this point Jordan clearly said to me that today wasn't going to be fast. He was knackered after yesterday. The three of us lost John early in the ride. As it happened he got caught at some traffic lights plus attended to Beryl as he was having an episode (this requires him to lay down and get the old ticker back under control).  As always though it wasn't too long before the Evil Villain was back on our tails. In the meantime Rachel pushed a little harder today and decided to stick with the faster group. We stopped to buy some water which is when John caught up with us. Jordan had a redbull. As we left the shop the redbull kicked and Jordan was away and gone. Clearly not so knackered I decided to chase after him. It took a couple of miles but I finally got on his wheel. At which point he upped the pace even further. At a very decent stint on the front a quick flick of the elbow and it was my turn (mistake number 2). The miles were ticked off very quickly and the first feed stop was upon us. At a place Caledonian Burrow Mump. Good job to as we were both spent and still had 60 miles to go. We tucked in to the supply of goodies from the van and waited for the others to arrive. 

As we were all chatting and eating Andy had decided to adjust the height of his handlebars. So mid ride he dismantled his headset only to some how get the spacers wedged at the top of the forks tube. Properly wedged. Jordan tried to remove them, even taking a hammer to them wouldn't release them. After quite a while Andy admitted defeat and asked for the spare bike.

Pat watching his old bike being dismantled 

Pedals, saddle, bottle cages, tool kit all had to be transferred. Jordan doesn't like to see fellow riders stranded so is only to happy to help. The bike was prepared. Time was really getting on and we left Andy and Pat to sort themselves out. All the others had already departed now giving them a good 40min headstart. Despite the earlier big effort and the long stop we gave hearty attempt at trying to catch John and Rachel before the second feed stop. This part of the ride took us through the Somerset levels (big crosswinds) and up and over Cheddar Gorge. We passed Kash, Paul, Stewart at the bottom of the Gorge. Passed Spencer a little future up. I could see Connie nearer the top. I decided to pull alongside and have a quick chat. Jordan arrived muttering about hating hills and being knackered.  We pushed on finally reaching  Chew Valley Lake and the second feed stop. Rachel and John we already there. It turns out we were fifteen minutes behind them. 

Bellies loaded with sandwiches and pork pies the four of us set off for the last leg of today. Our first target was the Clifton Suspension bridge. This was approached by a very painful 12% climb. Sadly we couldn't ride across the bridge as the emergency services were in attendance on the bridge. Someone had either fallen or jumped of the bridge A couple of photos and we crossed by foot.

Also on the bridge I had some supporters. My Dad and Wendy had come out to cheer me on. A very quick chat and we were on our way trying to avoid all the diverted rush hour traffic. The four of us stuck together as we wanted a groupie on the Severn Bridge (and yes it was a little windy crossing the bridge). Photos taken, view admired and just another three miles to go and our day would be done.

I had a plan to ride another seven miles to make it a century ride. The desire to get off the bike and drink something ice cold far outwayed the extra miles. To the bar! Another terrific day out on the road, plumb tuckered out and have to do it all again tomorrow. 

LEJOG Day 2 Lostwithiel to Tiverton (77 miles)

Today's ride

After attcking yesterday's ride with much enthusiasm and a little too much exuberance. With 8000ft of climbing ahead it was decided today would be a much steadier affair  (keeping in mind this was only day 2). The organisers had seen how the group road yesterday and decided that Connie and Spencer should leave at around 8am and the rest to leave at 9am. This was an effort to try get us all at the first feed stop together. 9am arrived we all duly met at the van to load our bags and check over our bikes before the off. The start was delayed as Rachel discovered that her rear tyre was completely flat. The problem was compounded by finding a large hole in the tyre. So not only an inner tube but also a new tyre were required. All got sorted only then for Rachel's rear mech cable to snap. This meant she would be unable to change gear. Given the day we had ahead there was no way Rachel could have ridden the route. A quick look online gave the address of a bike shop in Bodmin. Rachel and bike were then loaded on to the van and whisked away.

The time was now 9:30 am. Time to get going hills needed to be climbed! Jordan had

been dreading  day 2. He hates hills. Also bearing in mind that Jordan did the ride last year he knew what was coming. Today Jordan and I were joined by John (John joined us for the last 20 miles yesterday's ride and proved to be a strong rider).

No more than a mile from the door of the hotel we hit the first climb. We took it easy and set the tone for the rest of the day. Essentially each climb we would ride at our own pace meet at the top and descend as a trio. This was the pattern for the day. As you know I live out in the fens not a hill to be seen for miles. It turns out that I have found my climing legs. Today was not a problem. As my friend Mark said to me "You'll be fine. Stop over analysing it."

The big feature of the day was to be over Dartmooor. At 1500ft above sea level it is a bit of a beast. The climb starts with a prolonged section of 12% and then eases off to 8%. As we approached the top we saw the van, fooooood! And the rain. Also by now Rachel had been reunited with a bike with everything working correctly.

On this ride I do have a goal of hitting 50mph on my bike. The opportunity did present itself as we came down off Dartmooor. However a strong crosswind in to a sweeping left hander meant that a dab of the brakes were required. 48.9mph reached grrrr! At least I live to try another day.

Other moments of note today were John smacking the peddle against his leg. He drew blood. Riding along a single track road to be greated by a van, coming in the other direction, screaching to a stop leaving me just enough room  (the width of my handlebars) to pass between the van and hedgerow. Oh and as we came off the last hill, we were joined by Dave at this point, were confronted by a car reversing down the road on a bend😮And just to top our day off the approach to the B&B was up an incredibly steep and slippery drive.

Tomorrow is 93 miles and has a couple of terrific highlights. Can't wait ☺

LEJOG Day 1 Land's End to Lostwithiel (64 miles)

Today's ride

Just briefly day 0 was spent travelling down from Weston-super-Mare to Penzance on the train. I had arranged to meet Jordan (a fellow lejogger) at Exeter St. David's. The time flew by as we chatted for the whole way down to Penzance. I checked in at the Longboat Inn and prepared to have a refreshing pint with Jordan and meet the other Lejoggers. I do have to say at this point I had been in communication with another chap called Dave prior to the ride. His journey down was not so straightforward. He sent me a message to say that he was delayed and that we were sharing a room. He asked if I could put his bags in our room ready for his arrival. No problem. However when I checked the guest list I was sharing with someone called Eric. I sent a message to Dave informing him of this only for him to send a reply saying that he was Eric! What?? Having now met Dave in the flesh this makes complete sense 😂 Introductions to the other participants were made (there are 15 of us, more on everyone else in the coming days) dinner swiftly followed. Then off to bed for day 1 of our tour of the UK

We were picked up from the hotel and driven to Lands End where we would meet our bikes. After a couple of group photos and the time honoured picture taken by the LE sign we were on our way.

The weather was warm and the wind was favourable. The forecast showed that we may get a shower early in the day's ride. Jordan and I  set off together setting quite a pace for the first few miles, 21mph for the first 22miles. Yes, the heavens did open just after Jordan decided to remove his gilet.

We spotted the van at the first feed stop. Cakes, malt loaf and chocolate were duly scoffed while we waited for the rest of the group to turn up. After a suitable break we set off again this time the hills were to start. Bearing in mind that it had rained the roads were incredibly greasy which meant descents had to be taken with care. Knowing this didn't stop me crashing in to the back of Jordan. As we descended off one of the hills down a single track road a car appeared around the bend, coming up the hill, and wasn't going to stop. This left Jordan absolutely no room and nowhere to go. Anchors full on, both wheels locked up skidding to stop, pressed up against the grassy bank. I was a good 60 yards behind and could see there was no where to go. Brakes full on wheels locked up, doing all I could to stay upright, just the one expletive repeatedly come from my mouth followed by a muted "Sorry" as I crashed into the back of Jordan. Fortunately I didn't hit his very expensive bike but did hit his ankle. Major embarrassment. Rather telling me off Jordan looked  over his shoulder and said "tell me your gopro was on?". No permanent injuries but quite a warning. From then on I stayed much further back. However that didn't stop three further heart stopping moments further in to the ride (another car appearing on a tight bend, skidding through a junction that appeared from nowwhere on fast descent and a BMW that just pulled out on Jordan as we entered Truro)

Feed stop 2 came at around 44 miles. Except there was van to be seen. They got stuck behind a steam engine and couldn't get past. After a short while the can appeared and Steve and Dianne gave us all tea, coffee and fresh sandwiches. Setting off for the final leg we were joined by John. Only 20 miles to go still feeling good little did I know what the cornish countryside had in store for me. Two more decent sized climbs first to the top of St Austell

and the other over the top of Luxulyan, again double digits for the gradient. A swift descent into Lostwithiel and the hotel. Cleaned the bike, cleaned me, dinner, chatted about the day's events and off to bed. Day 2 is worse  (more hills, big hills!) Maybe take it easier tomorrow 😉