The End or The Last Post !

So that's it - it's over,  complete,  done 

People have been asking "what's next? what are you going to do for another challenge?"


The answer is I don't know, it took along time to get round to sorting this out and taking 2 weeks out of a hectic family life isn't something that could have been done without the support from my wife and children (although it gave them the opportunity to add Maisie to the family whilst I was away - if I went somewhere again I might end up with another pup joining the household!) 


I've been trying to reflect on the past two weeks that have gone by in a blur - At the first briefing the ever patient Steve told us that we would retreat into a bubble - the outside world would become a distraction from the day to day focus of packing / unpacking / eating / looking at the weather forecast / cycling / getting lost / finding the route again / cursing the hills / cursing the wind and cursing the weather. 


Although I didn't believe him at the time he was right, despite the access to wireless internet, tweets, blogs, texts and mobile phones everyone who made the journey really did end up focussing on the end goal of reaching JOG. Days became blurred - was that 68 miles or was it 86 ? Where did we stay in that town or village? What was the name of the B&B? At some points we were questioning what day it was ! 


So what was it like ? 


Enjoyable - absolutely, despite the rotten weather it was an enormously enjoyable experience for the whole 2 weeks. Credit to Steve and Nick for keeping the group together, sorting out problems daily and still keeping calm throughout despite everyone's attempts to try their patience


Challenging - yes 14 days on the saddle when the most training was restricted to one or two days consecutive riding. A challenge in getting through the 1000 mile barrier, legs and knees holding up and managing the trip without injury. 


Rewarding - immensely satisfying to finish something that I had wanted to do for a very long time. Satisfaction in completing the physical aspects of the trip and also satisfaction with my bike and puncture repair skills :-). Rewarding in being able to meet and compare experiences with people from a wide variety of backgrounds who had done lots of interesting things - topped Kilimanjaro, been to Everest Base Camp and even walked LeJog !!! 


Inspiring - seeing others who had overcome illness to participate in the tour and also seeing 3 elder LeJoggers who had sorted out their own trip (and walked up Ben Nevis) swing into JOG with a cheery wave in our direction as we toasted their arrival. Seeing people who were doing a self supported ride with panniers front and back loaded to the gunwales pedalling away with a nod of the head to us lightweights with only a rack bag required to keep our kit in.


Top recommendations - the list of suggested kit from Peak Tours was pretty good although more warm cloths were needed because of the severe weather conditions but our suggestions are


Nick 
GPS - Garmin 800 with the route files was excellent for getting us through towns quickly without constant reference to the comprehensive route notes - also good for showing you how slowly you cycled up hill !
Buff- kept my neck warm in horrible conditions


Gareth 
Arm Warmers - essential for those who haven't lived in the UK for a while and have forgotten that it's colder than Texas
Chamois Cream  - essential !


Both - good waterproofs spare brake blocks and a decent saddle! 


Best day's riding - the magnificent ride from Glencoe to Inverness including General Wade's Military Road. Closely followed by the ride through the Shropshire and Cheshire countryside - most of the other days were affected by rain 


Most challenging day's riding - Moffat to Loch Lomond - not because of the terrain more because of the weather, the nature of the route and the constant mechanical problems / punctures 


Toughest Hill - possibly General Wades Military road although the climb outside Broadhembury on Day 3 on fresher legs runs this close 


Best B&B - Buchan Guest House in Moffat - fantastic welcome - washing done and great hosts 


Best Pint - sat outside my local (Rising Sun) in Tarporley having cycled the 72 miles from Clun to work up a thirst

So that's it, would I do it again - yes perhaps a JogLe but not just yet -  a bit more time required for the legs to recover - I'd also need to see what Gareth was doing - it certainly made things easier to have someone you knew to cycle with and he was a great companion throughout the trip although I'm not sure he could be persuaded back to face the UK weather for some time.


Would highly recommend doing it to anyone who has considered LeJog in the past, it's a great experience. Peak Tours were good hosts and although Dumb and Dumber didn't have to call on Steve too often we were confident that he would be there to sort out any issues if they had arisen


Cheers

Day 14 Crask to John O'Groats

We knew this was going to be a tough day listening to the howling wind from the "comfort" of the Crask Inn Cottage and that was just the noise from the 5 guys in the bunk room below our penthouse suite!

Outside it was even worse and we donned as many layers of clothing as possible to try and keep warm and actually be able to pedal. Kitted out like a pair of Michelin men we waddled to the outbuildings to retrieve our bikes and start the 83 miles to JO'G.

The forecast rain and headwinds were in evidence for the first hour of the ride giving us a taste of things to come although we were pleasantly surprised when the rain stopped and some weak rays of sunshine broke through the clouds.

We managed to enjoy some more Scottish Loch, river and moorland scenery narrowly avoiding being knocked over by some deer springing across the road in front of us . 

The rain held off and we caught our first glimpse of a John O'Groats signpost slightly depressing as it informed us we had another 55 miles to go.

We pushed on through Bettyhill making had work of the climb out of the village before pedaling on through undulating terrain. Each descent being followed by a  dreaded ascent straining very tired legs.

We passed some "Game Old LeJoggers" who we had previously met at Spean Bridge (they climbed Ben Nevis on a day off!) and wished them well before trying to get to Thurso in front of the rain. Alas we didn't make it and we were soon being pelted from the gloomy skies.

Eventually we made it to Thurso (after hiding in a bus shelter whilst cramming a mars bar to refuel) and dined on finest Coronation Chicken Sandwiches, Powerade and boost bars.

Comedy moment of the day came when scoffing sandwiches outside the shop -Gareth's waterproof trousers blew / fell down without him noticing ( too many layers of clothes on to feel). Worthy of a 70's Brian Rix farce especially as I didn't tell him until several bemused locals had crossed over to the other side of the road to avoid him.

Pulling up his pants we set off into the strong headwinds taking turns to lead over the last 20+ miles initially starting with 2 mile stints which gradually became 1 mile stints as the wind and rain seemed to sap our strength.

Nurturing our bikes through the last few miles, dreading a puncture or other mechanical failure we eventually met the ever patient Steve at the Seaview Hotel who pointed us in the right direction for the last quarter mile downhill coast to the famous signpost where he also acted as unofficial photographer.

LeJog done 1000 miles complete and just about to have the 100th beer

Day 13 Inverness to Crask

Relatively short day today (66 miles) that was always going to be difficult to match up to yesterday's weather and scenery. We left Inverness under leaden skies with a distinctive autumnal feel to the air. Following NCN cycleway number 1 we headed out over the Kessock Bridge for Dingwall, The Struthie and Bonar Bridge. Tired legs made hard work of the first 40 miles to our lunch break obviously suffering a backlash after the high speed and hill climbing activity the previous day but we still thought the score was Nick & Gareth 1 - General Wade 0 ! Fortified by soup and a butty we headed out toward Loch Shin and Lairg before a final slow ascent across desolate moorlands to our evening stop in Crask Enjoyed the "rustic" charms of the Crask Inn before retiring to the Bunkhouse for a disturbed night's sleep worring about the howling gale blowing outside and hoping that the forcast of 30mph headwinds and heavy rain for tomorrow was going to be wrong !

Day 12 Glencoe to Inverness

What a difference some sunshine makes !

We were compensated for a very chilly morning in Glencoe by cloudless skies for the the whole of today's 85 mile journey to Inverness.

Sun on our backs lightened everyone's mood and spurred us on to make extremely good progress through the first hour of the morning to Fort William - the journey punctuated by a number of photo stops to try and capture the stunning scenery.

From Fort William we headed on to Fort Agustus stopping at the Commando memorial above Spean Bridge where we met up with some of the Royal Navy LeJoggers and were afforded a clear view of Ben Nevis and it's surrounding hills.

Lunch break at Fort Agustus after 49 miles to refuel and refresh our legs in order to take on "General Wade's Military Road"  - allegedly the longest and hardest climb of the whole route. Quick stop halfway up for Gareth to remove his legging to avoid overheating / exploding and another photo opportunity at a picturesque Loch before we topped out the 1200ft climb and enjoyed an undulating ride across the magnificent countryside.

Dumb and Dumber moment of the day when stopping for a natural break Nick slipped into a muddy ditch at the side of the road much to his chargrin

10 miles from Inverness we came out over a ridge and had a great view of Loch Ness - no monster to be seen but picture postcard vistas in abundance - completed the last miles at a canter eager to get to our B&B ready to prepare for another day in the saddle tomorrow.

We both agreed that this was by far the best day's cycling of the tour so far and hope the weather will continue to be kind for the rest of the trip 

Day 11 Loch Lomond to Glencoe

Still fatigued by yesterday's events we were given a boost this morning with clear(ish) skies and sunshine to start the day. Leaving the B&B we made our first navigational error of the day and headed the wrong way out of town to look for the YHA where we thought the morning briefing was taking place.

Asking a Lollipop lady the way helped and we arrived at the YHA in glorious sunshine only to find the briefing had been cancelled. We had to wait for Steve to come back with the support van so Gareth could replace a tyre cut by glass yesterday so it was nearly 10am when we eventually started the days ride.

We had a  leisurely cycle alongside the Loch (avoiding the cyclepaths!) and made good progress for a few miles before Gareth suffered the inevitable puncture ! 

Onwards to Tyndrum where we dined on fish and chips at the Good Food Cafe for lunch - never in the field of human cycling have so many calories been consumed by so few in such a sort space of time!

Our loins girded for the rest of the journey we set off to Glencoe and enjoyed a windy ride over Rannoch Moor. Although the clouds were down and we got some rain the fabulous views more than compensated for the weather. We took lots of photos of the spectacular scenery and enjoyed more banter with the Royal Navy LeJoggers who we last saw at Tintern Abbey.

We arrived safely and were relatively dry after another 75 miles and 2,750 feet of ascent.

All ready now for a quiet meal for 20 at the Glencoe Hotel in preparation for a hard days riding tomorrow 85 miles including the feared "General Wade's Military Road".

Day 10 Moffat to Loch Lomond

Feeling a little smug with ourselves at having worked out the optimum clothing to wear whilst attempting to cycle during a hurricane the previous day we opted for the same attire (expertly laundered by the Buchan Guest House) and strode manfully toward the bike shed fortified by a breakfast of kippers and haggis !

Deciding on the longer of the optional routes to make sure we reach 1000 miles by the time we reach  JoG we started off by facing straight into the headwinds we thought we had left behind yesterday. Lots of cursing and pedaling later we were congratulating each other on reaching a top speed of about 11 miles an hour into the oncoming gales ! 

Satisfied feeling didn't last long because Nick picked up 2 punctures within a 10 yard stretch of road just as the heavens opened. Patching things up we proceeded to the lunch stop and grabbed a quick bite to eat whilst jesting about who was going to have the next flat as things always come in threes - ha ha ha !  

Little did we know that within the next 30 miles of "scenic cycle path" we would have racked up another 3 punctures between the 4 riders  in our group  - Nick got his hat-trick but not before Gareth had cycled over some smashed glass bottles kindly left strewn across the cycle path by some pro-cyclist locals. 

Almost the final ignominy of the day came when Gareth manfully trying to fix his puncture was pestered by a constipated Rottweiler called Ronny who was being taken for a walk by his Romanian owner and seemed intent on leaving us all a reminder of the city by his puncture repair kit ! Not a pretty sight but we were not going to argue with the eight stone leviathan who looked exceptionally grumpy as his owner was explaining his stomach problems (the dog's not the owner's) !!!!

Anyway after picking our bikes up and walking through 100 yards of broken bottles we set off again and made some progress toward our final destination before being abruptly halted by Mike (the Manx Missile) and Martin from Bristol both suffering mechanical failures.

The last 5 miles (was it only five ) were completed very slowly with each of us expecting yet another puncture before we finally reached the end of the cycle path and had to carry our bikes up some slippery steps to the main road before heading off in the wrong direction to try and find our B&B for the night!

Eventually made it to our digs and after starting to dry out we felt  pleased to have survived the 85 miles in one piece - hoping for better weather tomorrow and less trouble with the bikes

Day 9 Keswick to Moffat

So when the tour guide says that the weather is the worst he's ever experienced on a LeJog trip and the expectation is gale force winds - what do you do? - Answer - don as many layers of clothes as possible and prepare for the worst!

Morning briefing was a little subdued as people had heard about another LeJog fatality the previous day which focused everyone's attention on arriving safely in Moffat. Forecast was for the tail end of hurricane Katia to sweep through the north west of England and the north of Scotland so we were all hoping for a favorable wind.

As it turned out we had more than enough gusts to help us out of the Lake district, at one point being blown uphill without having to pedal - luxury !

Good progress was made up to Carlisle when the first drops of rain started to fall so we made a lunch stop 1 mile south of the border and filled up on pie and chips - fine cycling fayre! Gareth also caused confusion in the kitchen by asking for a take away haggis which eventually appeared on a burger bun ! Met Mike J and Isobel in the cafe - Mike explaining that he had come off his bike in Carlisle whilst passing the radio Carlisle studios - ironic as they had apparently just been broadcasting a warning for people not to go out on bikes because of the weather !

Slight navigation error around Gretna forced us to try and cycle into a 40mph headwind for a couple of miles which was not fun although we managed to find the "Welcome to Scotland" sign just as the rain began to fall.

Head down for the next 30 miles was the order of the day, the wind and rain preventing any conversation on route whilst we concentrated on not being blown off our bikes.

Eventually made it into Moffat to the Buchan Guest House where we received the warmest welcome of the tour so far. Fantastic hospitality and the added bonus of having our washing done. Good to see the rest of the group made it safely and we all shared a celebratory meal in the Star Hotel.

Overall one of the more testing days of the trip so far - 75 miles and 5000ft of ascent made much more difficult by the constant pummeling of the wind

Day 8 Slaidburn to Keswick

Later start this morning despite a longer journey on the cards - optimistic beginning in sunshine despite the prospect of a long climb out of Slaidburn up the moors to the "cross of tears"

Managed to grind out the hill without too much difficulty and enjoyed a speedy (42mph) descent with fantastic views of 2 of the 3 Yorkshire "3 Peaks" ahead of us. Once we got off the hills we faced the first really strong headwinds of the day which slowed down progress considerably.

Made it into Kendal leisure centre for the lunch stop in the car park and were just about to leave when the heavens opened. Retreated indoors to don full wet weather gear before setting off for Keswick - made a detour in Stavely to visit the Wheelbase cycle store to eye up some more waterproofs but only left with some spare cleats for my shoes.

Unfortunately no spectacular views of the Lakes as the hills were completely covered in cloud but had an interesting experience cycling upstream on a number of occasions into the torrent of water rushing down the road. Also played a number of games of "avoid the car trying to drive through a huge puddle to soak a cyclist" but lost out a few times

Took the quiet route to the west of Thirlmere hoping for some shelter from the rain in the trees but still got a dousing. Comedy moment of the day on the last hill when with legs pumping hard and standing out of his saddle Gareth got his waterproof trousers caught on his seat and ended up with them around his knees "a la Stan Laurel"

Finally managed to get into Keswick and have just about dried off - another 70 miles and 3900ft of ascen - Happy (but wet) days !

Day 7 Tarporley to Slaidburn

Slight twinge of sadness at leaving home Saturday morning having spent a night enjoying good cooking and the company of friends. Same old routine of check and recheck bags and bikes before departing for "The North" knowing that we were starting behind the rest of the group who had spent the night in Runcorn. Brisk ride up the traditional LeJoggers route of the A49 and through Warrington got us back on course and we were waved on by Chris (our lift back from Inverness) in Culcheth. Cycled a good 40 miles before meeting up with the rest of the group for lunch and proceeded through Blackburn managing to avoid rain until a heavy downpour forced a "rain gear on" stop - Quick thinking by Gareth to pull off the road and into an open warehouse  to stay dry whilst changing kept him dry but gave the fork lift truck driver he narrowly avoided palpitations. Suitably attired we continued through Blackburn and emerged from dark satanic mills into glorious countryside. Naturally finished off the afternoon with a few hill climbs and swift descents before arriving in Slaidburn at our Pub destination in time to enjoy some well deserved refreshment outside in the sunshine. Another 74 miles and 3800 ft of ascent to tick off  - ready to break the halfway mark and topping out the "Everest ascent equivalent" tomorrow Fingers crossed that we will miss the hurricane !

Day 6 Clun to Tarporley

Early start for all the LeJoggers this morning as there was some concern over the mileage of todays route (80 ish). Early breakfast at the White Horse followed by some undulating countryside along the Shropshire lanes.


Good progress made into Shrewsbury, our legs appreciating the gentle gradients. Stopped off at a bike shop to try and get some more brake pads only to find the Royal Navy LeJog team had bought the shop out an hour earlier!

Pressed on through the country lanes helped by a south westerly wind and the thoughts of some home cooking. Made our detour from the tour route in Waverton and headed for Tarporley High Street.


Managed a quick stop at the Rising Sun for some refreshments before coming home to meet the family including the new member Maisie the Dog! 

Came home to a surprise party which was great from a home cooking point of view and good to see some friends. Not so sure a late night will be good for our extended journey to Slaidburn tomorrow but hopefully our legs will get us there.

Day 5 Monmouth to Clun

We were looking at today's ride from Monmouth to Clun (described as easy in the route notes) as a chance to rest tired legs.

Studying the GPS course showed that there was more than 3000ft of climbing involved so rest wasn't really going to be an option

An attempt to get to the bike shop in Monmouth first thing came to nothing when we turned up to find it didn't open till 9.30 so we set off up the obligatory hill out of town heading for Hereford.

Taking the scenic route to avoid part of the A49 we both almost came to grief on a downhill section with a sharp right hand bend - a salutary reminder to pay attention at all times.

We continued into Hereford and went into the Cathedral for a look round and to inspect the Mappa Mundi (google it!), the Magna Carta and the chained library.

 

An easyish ride through beautiful countryside was spoilt a little by the cloudy and damp conditions but things perked up after lunch when we rode into Shropshire (forgotten how many counties we have been through now).

The sun came out to shine on us for the first time since Lands End so we could  actually cycle in one less layer of clothing ! A good job as it turned out we had a very steep hill climb to finish the day off before arriving in the picturesque village of Clun.

Had photos taken on quaint bridge in the middle of the town before being asked to move on by a group of watercolour painters who told us that we were spoiling the view

Arrived in good time at the White Horse and sampled some of the local brew and shared "bike tales" with some other guys doing LeJog on the Youth Hostel route.

Good day helped by a spot of sunshine means that we are ready for the journey back to Tarporley tomorrow.

Day 4 Glastonbury to Monmouth

So we started cycling in the dry for a change (for about half an hour). Meandered around the outskirts of Wells before starting the first climb of the day interspersed with variations on the "raingear on / raingear off" hokey  cokey.

Views from the Mendips tainted by showers and more "road kill" than Hugh F-Wittingstall could cope with but managed an early lunch stop which caught the landlord of The Prince's Motto by surprise. He responded manfully producing some delicious grub with a pretty quick turn of speed.

Enjoyed easier post butty riding into Bristol and after a few route note consultations headed out under the Clifton suspension bridge toward Avonmouth - had an interesting spot of banter with a set of Royal Navy "Lejoggers" as Gareth did his best Lance Armstrong impression leading us past their chain gang (27mph uphill!!) only to be foiled by a set of red lights much to the amusement of Her Majesty's finest.

Made heavy going over the route through Avonmouth and onto the severn bridge facing stiff headwinds. Crawled across the bridge into Chepstow and headed onwards toward Monmouth. 

We stopped for a photo shoot at Tintern Abbey where we were caught up by the Navy again - we were offered chocolate by the RN support vehicle - great set of blokes.

Enjoyed a final sprint along the Wye for the last 12 miles - great not to have hills to negotiate.

Arrived Monmouth  with another 66 miles under our belts. Looking forward to more hills and rain tomorrow.

Day 3 Moretonhampstead to Glastonbury

Weather forecasts proved correct with gale force winds in Moretonhampstead overnight and wet conditions to start the day - a reluctant gaggle of cyclists gathered at the Sparrowhawk for the morning briefing. Steep hill ascent out of the village tested legs straight away whilst wet weather gear made us feel like we were cycling in a Turkish bath. The effort required to get up the hill compounded by an overindulgence in the Union pub the previous evening ! "Hairy" descents in the rain or on wet roads were compounded by gritty / sandy conditions throughout the day which are taking a significant toll on our brake pads. First near miss RTA on the descent  into Exeter when a fruit and veg van decided it was a good idea to try and overtake us whilst  playing chicken with the oncoming traffic. Resulting screech of tyres on the road was accompanied by the sound of veg rolling around the back of the van -smashed potatoes anyone? Got to Exeter  safely and decided to bin the waterproof leggings as they were wetter inside than out. Finally getting the hang of the GPS and made it through town without too much trouble. Numerous ups and downs both to terrain and spirits passed and we eventually made it into our 3rd county before taking a lunch break at a Jet garage - courtesy of "Cordon Gingsters" Refueled with Lucozade and mars / snickers we made our best progress of the day over the last 20 miles cracking on at a good pace. Final navigation error of the day when the GPS tried to take us off to the Street YHA - checking with "Direction Meister Gareth" reveled we had lost the route notes so it was another "Dumb and Dumber" phone call to the ever patient Steve who sorted out our directions to the B&B for another early finish in Glastonbury. Tiring and testing day but one that we were glad to complete - (75 miles and 4400 feet of ascent)  looking forward to an "easier" day Wednesday when we only have  a flatter 68 miles to ride !

Day 2 Fowey to Moretonhampstead

Well we have completed another day in the saddle which was a little tougher than the first even though the distance was shorter - Not sure if our legs were a little tired from yesterday but after a "Full English" at The Marine Guest House in Fowey we thought we were ready for the day.

The start didn't bode well with a steep climb out of Fowey after getting the ferry across the river which was just a foretaste of the route to Torpoint - lots of ups and downs.

Followed the route notes and GPS along quiet lanes and got our first tast of some of the rougher roads we would encounter over the next 2 weeks. Made it out onto the A roads and descended into Looe.


Stopped off for a touristy photo on the bridge in Looe before lots more short climbs and descents got us to the car ferry for a short voyage across to Plymouth

Had an "interesting" urban navigation test in getting out of Plymouth eventually crossing into Devon and starting the long ascent over Dartmoor.


It was a dark and gloomy crossing over the moor and the showers we experienced whilst passing through Princetown made the view of the prison pretty grim.

The final 5 miles descent form the top of the moor was good fun. Max speed achieved was 48mph - a bit scary but we arrived in Moretonhampstead unscathed and in reasonably dry shape.Having remembered to switch the GPS timer off and on at the right time we think we managed to complete 5280 ft of ascent during the day


Now ready for some sustenance and to sample the local Devon brew :-)

Day 1 St Just to Lands End and Fowey

Well we are finally off and running or rather cycling. Left St Just on a glorious morning to head off for the short journey to Lands End. Final bit of faffing around with bikes infront of the hotel and nervously wondering if we had the right gear with us.


Made the brief journey to Lands End enjoying the feel of sunshine on our backs and arrived to have the standard individual and team photos taken at the signpost. - A bit miffed it only shows 874 miles to JOG - must be a quicker route somewhere !

Anyway we set off with a strong tailwind which made the first few miles easy - we were following the route notes whilst I was fiddling with my GPS trying to work out how to use it ! 


Nice ride along the prom in Penzance before taking in the views of Mount St thingy - the only hiccup (literally) was after an oversize pasty in the village of Marazion - which took a while to work off!

Managed to keep going at a reasonable pace which got us to what we thought was Day 1 lunch stop before the pub opened. Quick consultation with other riders and a panicy text to Steve revealed that Dumb and Dumber should have paid more attention at the briefing and noted we were still 5 miles away from fodder!



Brief butty stop (without beer) at a pub and on to the King Harry Ferry across the River Fal before yet another "short sharp climb" and a race to try and out run the forecast rain in Fowey.

Numerous ascents and descents followed our ferry journey  - comedy moment of the day was when Gareth took the route notes out just as it started raining and they blew out of his hand down one of the few main roads of the day. Cue 2 blokes in cycle shoes running down the road after some wet bits of paper.


Having retrieved the soggy paper we carried on riding and plodded on toward Fowey - relieved at the flattening of the route until we had one last longish climb out of Par which was a struggle on tired legs.


We made it into Fowey and took a little while to find the guest house - all the time panicing that we might have to retrace the steep descent we were making into the village. We were relieved to find a tourist information office who pointed us in the right direction and arrived at the B&B just in time to avoid getting soaked.


Went up to the room and waited for Steve to arrive with the luggage whilst watching the downpour outside and wondering what the weather would hold for tomorrow.


Had a check of Gareth's GPS details of the days ride which showed over 72miles and 7000ft of climbing - not sure if it was working ok but if it was it could explain why we are tired !


Now ready to get changed and find some food to prepare for tomorrow's journey to Moretonhampstead

So we made it to the start

Well we eventually made it to St Just which is about 6 miles from Lands End - estimated journey time of 6 hours was too ambitious and didn't take into account stopping after half a mile to check that we had actually packed bike shoes and helmets.

The M5 and A30 also conspired against us to make it a 7.5 hour plod to Penzance station when we met up with the Peak Tours van and got the hire car to the drop off with 15 minutes to spare. 

Quick transfer to St Just was followed by several attempts at packing and repacking the rack bag, deciding what to take and leave and consulting the weather forecast - tomorrow we may get away with staying dry if we can pedal quickly to Fowey ! 

Met up with some of the additional LeJogers  for a meal and general get together to discuss how much or how little training we had all done.

Ready to turn in now for a kip as we have an 8.15 start for the short ride and photo shoot at the Lands End signpost !

Nearly ready !

Well Almost ready to get going - slight delay caused by having to tidy up a few loose ends at work before being able to start packing and checking the bike over again at lunchtime. Pannier rack went on easily enough following Gareth's detailed instructions although I am a bit concerned at the extra weight added even without the rack bag.  Mmmmmm the rack bag - nice colour ! Pity that it doesn't come in orange to match the bike but at least it is high viz! Collected the hire car from Chester this afternoon as well as butty making stuff for the long drive tomorrow - going to try to set off early enough to get to Penzance before 4pm - be nice if we could get to the hotel in St Just and unload before returning the car and meeting up with the Peak Tour guys but no idea what traffic will be like. Saw a flurry of emails come in from Just Giving this afternoon regarding new donations - many thanks to all my sponsors for their generosity  Anyway off for a kip now  - long day tomorrow

Last Training Ride

Great - the sun shone - hopefully not  for the last time for 2 weeks - managed to get a quick 20 miler in this evening although it was a little dark at the end which made for some interesting pothole avoidance activity.


Gareth's bike reassembled without incident although tightening up the handlebars after the first 10 yards was an advisable safety precaution !


Last minute bike checks and shopping tomorrow before picking up the hire car to get down to Penzance !


3 days to go !