My JOGLE starts soon!
Discussion
I thought my fellow PHers might be interested in my upcoming JOGLE.
I'm afraid there is no danger of any record breaking, I'm just an average 47 year old chap carrying a few extra pounds, so just getting it done will be the achievement for me. I'm hoping I can get it done in 2 weeks or less, which should be doable as I have my wife and daughter as support crew carrying the heavy stuff and setting up camp. (I'm even considering taking a second bike in case of bad weather - that's a real luxury!)
I've done a fair bit of training, but I still don't really know what to expect - other than a sore rear end - thank goodness for 'Udderly Smooth' is all I can say.
It's not my first big bike tour, I did ride to Le Mans and back towing a trailer with all my gear, but that was over 10 years ago now.
I'm not sure what the rules are on putting up charity pages, so I will refrain for now, but I will say that I have set up a Twitter account that I will use to post updates, and I'd be really grateful for any messages of encouragement, or PH style ridicule to keep me smiling on my way.
@Gregs_JOGLE is the handle...
If anybody has some last minute advice, I'd be really glad to hear it.
I'm afraid there is no danger of any record breaking, I'm just an average 47 year old chap carrying a few extra pounds, so just getting it done will be the achievement for me. I'm hoping I can get it done in 2 weeks or less, which should be doable as I have my wife and daughter as support crew carrying the heavy stuff and setting up camp. (I'm even considering taking a second bike in case of bad weather - that's a real luxury!)
I've done a fair bit of training, but I still don't really know what to expect - other than a sore rear end - thank goodness for 'Udderly Smooth' is all I can say.
It's not my first big bike tour, I did ride to Le Mans and back towing a trailer with all my gear, but that was over 10 years ago now.
I'm not sure what the rules are on putting up charity pages, so I will refrain for now, but I will say that I have set up a Twitter account that I will use to post updates, and I'd be really grateful for any messages of encouragement, or PH style ridicule to keep me smiling on my way.
@Gregs_JOGLE is the handle...
If anybody has some last minute advice, I'd be really glad to hear it.
Thanks for the good wishes!
I will update the thread, though probably not as often as Twitter as power for my phone might be a concern.
I'm told LEJOG is actually the best way to do it due to our prevailing South westerly winds. However for me I'd rather end up nearer home, and I live in the south west so JOGLE it is...
I'm just hoping the weather cools off a bit, I did 40 miles last Sunday in 28 deg and it wasn't much fun
I will update the thread, though probably not as often as Twitter as power for my phone might be a concern.
I'm told LEJOG is actually the best way to do it due to our prevailing South westerly winds. However for me I'd rather end up nearer home, and I live in the south west so JOGLE it is...
I'm just hoping the weather cools off a bit, I did 40 miles last Sunday in 28 deg and it wasn't much fun
So I made it!
Sorry not to update the thread on the go, but keeping up with Twitter ( @Gregs_JOGLE ) was enough of a challenge (thanks to those who followed and like my tweets!)
If you are still interested I will give you all a run-down of how it went and happy to answer any questions anybody has. It was hardly a record breaker, but for a middle aged IT guy I'm quite happy with just getting to the end.
So some stats to start with (I think these are right, taken from Strava and added up in a spreadsheet so subject to my human error)
Total distance traveled - 991.15 miles
Total climbed - 47416 feet
Total moving time - 76 hours, 39 minutes, 38 seconds over 13 days
Best average speed for a day 14.1 mph
Worst average speed for a day 10.8 mph
Top speed achieved 44.5 mph (terrifying!)
Weight loss - Well in the first 4 days I lost over 9lbs, I haven't got scales at home so don't know the total, but it was a fair bit
Punctures - 2
Chain off - 5(?) I can't really remember the exact number
No other mechanical failures
Times fell off - 0 (yay!)
Abuse from driver - only 1, and right after that they threw a big bag of litter out of their white van, so I think we can guess what type of people they were.
The start:
The finish (terrible gimpy picture with my eyes closed - sorry):
Sorry not to update the thread on the go, but keeping up with Twitter ( @Gregs_JOGLE ) was enough of a challenge (thanks to those who followed and like my tweets!)
If you are still interested I will give you all a run-down of how it went and happy to answer any questions anybody has. It was hardly a record breaker, but for a middle aged IT guy I'm quite happy with just getting to the end.
So some stats to start with (I think these are right, taken from Strava and added up in a spreadsheet so subject to my human error)
Total distance traveled - 991.15 miles
Total climbed - 47416 feet
Total moving time - 76 hours, 39 minutes, 38 seconds over 13 days
Best average speed for a day 14.1 mph
Worst average speed for a day 10.8 mph
Top speed achieved 44.5 mph (terrifying!)
Weight loss - Well in the first 4 days I lost over 9lbs, I haven't got scales at home so don't know the total, but it was a fair bit
Punctures - 2
Chain off - 5(?) I can't really remember the exact number
No other mechanical failures
Times fell off - 0 (yay!)
Abuse from driver - only 1, and right after that they threw a big bag of litter out of their white van, so I think we can guess what type of people they were.
The start:
The finish (terrible gimpy picture with my eyes closed - sorry):
I shall start with a kit and prep list.
I did the trip supported, that is to say my wife and daughter took the car and carried all the gear, though I cycled on my own for the day (except for half a day when some lovely chaps joined me for 40 miles or so), and needed to carry all the things I needed for the day from water and food to tools and inner tubes etc.
I also had the luxury of having a spare bike with me for most of the trip - though I didn't need or use it.
The bike I did use was a Specialized Allez from around 2013, bought from ebay for £300. I spent about £150 on it getting a new BB, cassette, chain rings, cables, and a full service. I could have gone a bought a new bike for the job, but I kind of wanted to prove you don't have to. As you will have seen from the stats above the bike (named "Roach" after the horse from the Witcher 3 PlayStation game) performed really well and didn't throw me any mechanical issues to speak of.
The only slight annoyance was the stiffness of the downshift on the front derailleur, but once you got used to it it was fine. I did several hundred miles on the bike before the JOGLE so I knew it pretty well by then.
The spare bike was my trusty old Specialzed Rockhopper from about 2008. I had it in reserve as I figured that with disc brakes, if the weather turned really bad I would feel a lot safer than I would on the skinny bike. Really it was just a confidence thing and I rode in wet weather without any problems. If doing it again I wouldn't bother with the second bike, but as a first timer it was a nice security blanket.
On the bike I had a water bottle bracket, an inner frame bag, a cantilever extendable bag, a bell, bracket for my sat-nav, and removable lights (cheap led things) just in case. I had to move the rear light quite quickly as the bracket kept getting bent by the cantilever bag, so I re-mounted the light on the back of my helmet, which worked really well.
Tools I took:
My trusty Leatherman titanium - which I only used when we were camping
2 other cycling specific multi-tools - I only used the one with built-in tyre levers to fix the two punctures.
2 inner tubes (that the support crew replaced after each puncture - I'd take more than 2 if I did it again)
Puncture repair kit in case I ran out of tubes - not needed
packet of small cable ties - useful for sorting mount problems out (used to put my rear light on my helmet)
Clothes:
2 pairs of cycling shorts - two different types - this is important as I'd recommend alternating each day to reduce the chance of chaffing.
Multiple pairs of pants to go under the shorts - not what everybody does, but it works for me
4 cycling tops - I did have more in my bag in the car, but 4 was plenty
1 base layer for the cooler days
Charity branded T-shirt to go over the top for photo-ops
4 pairs of socks
Shimano SPD cycling shoes (with the yellow cleats for easy movement) The cleats got trashed during the trip, so will need replacing.
I did have other clothes in the car, but the above were what I used.
Why take so few clothes?
Well, I reckon that after about 2 hours in the saddle you are about as sweaty as you are going to get, and constantly changing clothes is just adding to the stuff you have got to carry about. You are going to get dirty and smelly, so just get over it. Clean pants are a good thing to have, but tops don't really matter. We had a couple of stops along the way where stuff could go in the washing machine, so it maybe wasn't as bad as it sounds (Though upon getting home after the ride our washing machine gave up the ghost after one load - grr).
I did the trip supported, that is to say my wife and daughter took the car and carried all the gear, though I cycled on my own for the day (except for half a day when some lovely chaps joined me for 40 miles or so), and needed to carry all the things I needed for the day from water and food to tools and inner tubes etc.
I also had the luxury of having a spare bike with me for most of the trip - though I didn't need or use it.
The bike I did use was a Specialized Allez from around 2013, bought from ebay for £300. I spent about £150 on it getting a new BB, cassette, chain rings, cables, and a full service. I could have gone a bought a new bike for the job, but I kind of wanted to prove you don't have to. As you will have seen from the stats above the bike (named "Roach" after the horse from the Witcher 3 PlayStation game) performed really well and didn't throw me any mechanical issues to speak of.
The only slight annoyance was the stiffness of the downshift on the front derailleur, but once you got used to it it was fine. I did several hundred miles on the bike before the JOGLE so I knew it pretty well by then.
The spare bike was my trusty old Specialzed Rockhopper from about 2008. I had it in reserve as I figured that with disc brakes, if the weather turned really bad I would feel a lot safer than I would on the skinny bike. Really it was just a confidence thing and I rode in wet weather without any problems. If doing it again I wouldn't bother with the second bike, but as a first timer it was a nice security blanket.
On the bike I had a water bottle bracket, an inner frame bag, a cantilever extendable bag, a bell, bracket for my sat-nav, and removable lights (cheap led things) just in case. I had to move the rear light quite quickly as the bracket kept getting bent by the cantilever bag, so I re-mounted the light on the back of my helmet, which worked really well.
Tools I took:
My trusty Leatherman titanium - which I only used when we were camping
2 other cycling specific multi-tools - I only used the one with built-in tyre levers to fix the two punctures.
2 inner tubes (that the support crew replaced after each puncture - I'd take more than 2 if I did it again)
Puncture repair kit in case I ran out of tubes - not needed
packet of small cable ties - useful for sorting mount problems out (used to put my rear light on my helmet)
Clothes:
2 pairs of cycling shorts - two different types - this is important as I'd recommend alternating each day to reduce the chance of chaffing.
Multiple pairs of pants to go under the shorts - not what everybody does, but it works for me
4 cycling tops - I did have more in my bag in the car, but 4 was plenty
1 base layer for the cooler days
Charity branded T-shirt to go over the top for photo-ops
4 pairs of socks
Shimano SPD cycling shoes (with the yellow cleats for easy movement) The cleats got trashed during the trip, so will need replacing.
I did have other clothes in the car, but the above were what I used.
Why take so few clothes?
Well, I reckon that after about 2 hours in the saddle you are about as sweaty as you are going to get, and constantly changing clothes is just adding to the stuff you have got to carry about. You are going to get dirty and smelly, so just get over it. Clean pants are a good thing to have, but tops don't really matter. We had a couple of stops along the way where stuff could go in the washing machine, so it maybe wasn't as bad as it sounds (Though upon getting home after the ride our washing machine gave up the ghost after one load - grr).
Kit continued -
The electronics
I'm in IT, and I have a terrible sense of direction so I needed some decent electronics to help me. The trouble with electronics is the need to keep feeding them with electricity, which is in short supply when camping.
I had a smart phone (water resistant Samsung XCover 3), and a duplicate used for spare battery charging during the day in the car - I would swap out the battery each day. The phone was used for comms with the support team, Twitter updates, and emergency re-routing with the sat-nav (which I didn't need to do). I also took my work phone as a back-up, but this remained off for the whole trip except for battery checks - it didn't need charging at all during the trip.
My sat-nav and ride recorder was a Wahoo Elemnt. I don't really want to get into a Garmin vs Wahoo fight, but my choice was based mostly on battery life, simplicity, water-proofness of no touch screen. I am sure a Garmin would do the job just as well, but I can say that the Wahoo performed flawlessly. I admit it's not as flexible, but I could really rely on it. After a day riding I never saw less than 30% battery left.
I charged the Wahoo with my RavPower RP-PB41 battery, which I also carried on the bike (and the one night I forgot to charge the sat-nav it allowed me to charge on-the-go with no issues whatsoever. It's a great piece of kit and worth the weight.
We did take a rav-power solar cell, but that stayed in the car - it could charge a smart phone in a couple of hours, but wasn't really needed.
The support crew had all sorts of electronics with them, phones, iPads, games consoles, the list goes on - these were all charged in the car with no problems. My daughter was the junior support crew team member and at age 11, sitting in a car driving all over the country is not enough to keep her entertained, so the electronics helped with that. If you use a support crew, don't underestimate what they do for you and how hard it is for them. The will need looking after and keeping happy.
It was also useful to have the support team have access to my route (which was plagiarised - with my own modifications - from Ride with GPS), and an iPad was a good tool for this job (though I'd recommend one with a SIM card, which we didn't have).
I'd be happy to discuss the electronics in greater detail, but I know it's not so interesting for most, so I will leave it there.
The electronics
I'm in IT, and I have a terrible sense of direction so I needed some decent electronics to help me. The trouble with electronics is the need to keep feeding them with electricity, which is in short supply when camping.
I had a smart phone (water resistant Samsung XCover 3), and a duplicate used for spare battery charging during the day in the car - I would swap out the battery each day. The phone was used for comms with the support team, Twitter updates, and emergency re-routing with the sat-nav (which I didn't need to do). I also took my work phone as a back-up, but this remained off for the whole trip except for battery checks - it didn't need charging at all during the trip.
My sat-nav and ride recorder was a Wahoo Elemnt. I don't really want to get into a Garmin vs Wahoo fight, but my choice was based mostly on battery life, simplicity, water-proofness of no touch screen. I am sure a Garmin would do the job just as well, but I can say that the Wahoo performed flawlessly. I admit it's not as flexible, but I could really rely on it. After a day riding I never saw less than 30% battery left.
I charged the Wahoo with my RavPower RP-PB41 battery, which I also carried on the bike (and the one night I forgot to charge the sat-nav it allowed me to charge on-the-go with no issues whatsoever. It's a great piece of kit and worth the weight.
We did take a rav-power solar cell, but that stayed in the car - it could charge a smart phone in a couple of hours, but wasn't really needed.
The support crew had all sorts of electronics with them, phones, iPads, games consoles, the list goes on - these were all charged in the car with no problems. My daughter was the junior support crew team member and at age 11, sitting in a car driving all over the country is not enough to keep her entertained, so the electronics helped with that. If you use a support crew, don't underestimate what they do for you and how hard it is for them. The will need looking after and keeping happy.
It was also useful to have the support team have access to my route (which was plagiarised - with my own modifications - from Ride with GPS), and an iPad was a good tool for this job (though I'd recommend one with a SIM card, which we didn't have).
I'd be happy to discuss the electronics in greater detail, but I know it's not so interesting for most, so I will leave it there.
Kit continued
Food and hydration
For the most part of my trip the weather was hot (although up some Scottish hills it got down to 5 deg C and was pretty wet). This meant that hydration was on my mind more than food.
I took my water bottle on my frame and 2 liters of water / drinks in my bag. Now this adds quite a lot of weight to the bike, and later in the trip I started carrying less, but did almost run out on a couple of occasions.
To start with I took just water, but also carried a sachet of the stuff you take after you have a bought of diarrhea to replace the stuff you lose. I would add this to my second water bottle for the day. After a week I got so sick of the taste I just started buying isotonic 'sport' drinks instead, which are packed with sugar and other bad stuff (and I got age-checked to buy some in one Supermarket!!), but really I got past caring, and actually they do work when you need an energy boost.
All in all I drank a lot on the go, but just took a bit of what I felt like drinking, including tea or coffee - there were points where I simply couldn't face another sugary drink... Oh and as a side note, I gave up alcohol a couple of years ago, so I didn't have any beers along the way, so can't comment on the effects of alcohol during the ride.
I did eat a lot. I usually started with porridge for breakfast, though sometimes just toast if I wasn't in the mood for porridge. I took a sandwich with me, but tended to save that for the end of the day, stopping for lunch at pubs or tea shops for something a bit more 'prepared' - this was a nice way to break the day up. The 30 minutes riding after lunch were usually pretty tough. I suppose your body just wants to digest and not move about too much, but I felt sitting doing nothing was wasting time, so I rode through it.
On the subject of carry sandwiches, make sure what you have isn't too dry to eat, I left sandwiches that were hard to eat even though I was hungry.
I also carried snacks with me, from bananas to cake, to cereal bars, and chocolate. Variation was key to me, too much repetition and I'd just not bother to eat it.
Finally I took some sport gels with me, and used them a fair bit. I can't say if they had anything other than a placebo effect on me, but I did use them and they made me feel better.
Food and hydration
For the most part of my trip the weather was hot (although up some Scottish hills it got down to 5 deg C and was pretty wet). This meant that hydration was on my mind more than food.
I took my water bottle on my frame and 2 liters of water / drinks in my bag. Now this adds quite a lot of weight to the bike, and later in the trip I started carrying less, but did almost run out on a couple of occasions.
To start with I took just water, but also carried a sachet of the stuff you take after you have a bought of diarrhea to replace the stuff you lose. I would add this to my second water bottle for the day. After a week I got so sick of the taste I just started buying isotonic 'sport' drinks instead, which are packed with sugar and other bad stuff (and I got age-checked to buy some in one Supermarket!!), but really I got past caring, and actually they do work when you need an energy boost.
All in all I drank a lot on the go, but just took a bit of what I felt like drinking, including tea or coffee - there were points where I simply couldn't face another sugary drink... Oh and as a side note, I gave up alcohol a couple of years ago, so I didn't have any beers along the way, so can't comment on the effects of alcohol during the ride.
I did eat a lot. I usually started with porridge for breakfast, though sometimes just toast if I wasn't in the mood for porridge. I took a sandwich with me, but tended to save that for the end of the day, stopping for lunch at pubs or tea shops for something a bit more 'prepared' - this was a nice way to break the day up. The 30 minutes riding after lunch were usually pretty tough. I suppose your body just wants to digest and not move about too much, but I felt sitting doing nothing was wasting time, so I rode through it.
On the subject of carry sandwiches, make sure what you have isn't too dry to eat, I left sandwiches that were hard to eat even though I was hungry.
I also carried snacks with me, from bananas to cake, to cereal bars, and chocolate. Variation was key to me, too much repetition and I'd just not bother to eat it.
Finally I took some sport gels with me, and used them a fair bit. I can't say if they had anything other than a placebo effect on me, but I did use them and they made me feel better.
Kit list - looking after your body
Some of this is a little 'delicate', but it really isn't something you should ignore if you are doing a long ride.
I mentioned the two different types of cycle pants, but this in itself is not enough to prevent saddle sore. Being saddle sore is really going to make a ride unpleasant and needs to be avoided. Don't get me wrong, you will have a sore bum regardless, but chaffing needs to be avoided at all costs.
A chamois cream is essential, as is good hygiene. I used some stuff called 'Udderly Smooth' and that seemed to do the trick for me (plus it increased my milk yield by a noticeable margin). Apply in the morning without fail...
In the evening I had some alcohol wipes and some nappy rash / antiseptic cream to treat the area. Now strictly I don't think you needed to do this bit, but I was of the opinion that if I did it anyway that I'd get any bacteria before they got me.
Proof of the pudding was that I got no chaffing during the trip, and whilst I did get a bit sore, it was only an achey sort of sore at the end of a long day.
The other thing I'd recommend is nipple plasters - I don't suppose I need to go into that in more detail...
Some of this is a little 'delicate', but it really isn't something you should ignore if you are doing a long ride.
I mentioned the two different types of cycle pants, but this in itself is not enough to prevent saddle sore. Being saddle sore is really going to make a ride unpleasant and needs to be avoided. Don't get me wrong, you will have a sore bum regardless, but chaffing needs to be avoided at all costs.
A chamois cream is essential, as is good hygiene. I used some stuff called 'Udderly Smooth' and that seemed to do the trick for me (plus it increased my milk yield by a noticeable margin). Apply in the morning without fail...
In the evening I had some alcohol wipes and some nappy rash / antiseptic cream to treat the area. Now strictly I don't think you needed to do this bit, but I was of the opinion that if I did it anyway that I'd get any bacteria before they got me.
Proof of the pudding was that I got no chaffing during the trip, and whilst I did get a bit sore, it was only an achey sort of sore at the end of a long day.
The other thing I'd recommend is nipple plasters - I don't suppose I need to go into that in more detail...
We made it up to JOG the night before the planned start. There is a campsite right next to JOG which was really convenient. We took the opportunity to visit Dunnet Head, which is actually the most northerly point of mainland UK. It's worth a visit if you like wildlife as there are cliffs that are home to Puffins which I had never seen in real life before.
On the start day the weather was slightly breezy, a little damp, and cool, so quite a nice start to things really. I wore my showerproof jacket and gaiters (which I forgot to mention in the kit-list) to keep at perfect temperature, though they did come off and go back on a couple of times as the temperature fluctuated.
The route was across the North of Scotland and down as the plan was to go west-side of the country and avoid some of the more busy roads. It was actually quite a shock to dive in this way as there was 4055 feet of climbing involved, and even though I'd done quite a bit of training, this was the longest ride I'd done for years. Total distance for the day was 81.96 miles and we stopped at the Crask Inn. Really lovely people running the place which doubles as a local Church (they were having evening prayers when I arrived). It's quite remote, but there seemed to be some passing trade.
The support crew were waiting for me there and had told some bikers about me, so I got a really warm welcome, plus two locals even sponsored me! We were going to head off and find a campsite from there, but the owners of the Inn took pity and offered to let us camp in the garden, which we did, leaving a donation to the church as payment. We were a little lacking in facilities of a regular camp site, but it was much better than having to find a site after a tiring day.
There are rooms at the Crask Inn, but we let them go to a German family who were also on a bike tour. We asked them where they had cycled from - Hamburg was the answer... They also had a 9 month old baby with them. All of a sudden my challenge didn't seem that huge, even if they were using electric bikes and taking a lot longer to cover the distance. Their bikes had trailers, one for the baby and one for their kit with a huge solar panel on top to re-charge the bikes. It was a very impressive set up. We spent most of the evening talking to them, really lovely people. I wish I had taken a photo, but it was the first evening and I was both tired and excited at the start of the journey.
During the night I got eaten alive by midges - don't underestimate the power of the Scottish midge! I stopped counting the bites on my legs at 30. Id didn't help that it was pretty damp that night.
Day 2 was a jaunt down to Foyers at the bottom of Inverness. I'd decided to take the south side of Inverness to avoid the worst of the traffic. Crossing the bride into Inverness was pretty good fun - first big bride of the trip, but most of the day had fairly foul weather, damp and windy. Even so spirits were still high and I had a really good day distance wise covering 89.06 miles, helped by the flat terrain of only 2602 feet climbing. Campsite for the night was a Caravaning and Camping Club site, so not being members it was quite pricey, but the facilities were good and a local pub provided a nice chicken curry. More midges that night - always put your "troosers" on if you get up to go to the loo in the middle of the night - trust me on that one.
Day 3 was a trip past Ben Nevis to Benderloch (no sniggering at the back please). Whilst I didn't cycle up Ben Nevis, the first part of the day certainly felt like it. The first 8 miles were all climbing 1245 feet of up and down (but felt like mostly up). however I was treated to lots of amazing scenery, like the views from the bridge of Loch Leven
Day 4 was a ride down to Largs and a short ferry crossing (it's NOT cheating, it's just a moving bridge). The support crew got me some chain lube - I would recommend adding this to the kit list as I picked up so much detritus from the road that my chain was complaining every day.
I also found the first flaw in my route
This was a tiny grassy path that ran down to the beach and stopped. I had to walk the bike for about half a mile along the beach until I re-gained the path. there were lots of brambles on the path, but fortunately I avoided a puncture.
Arriving in Largs was my best distance day at 89.46 miles, I'd taken the slightly longer coast road rather than a hill - thanks entirely to my in-laws who live locally and were providing a bed for the night - and a roast dinner! I ate a lot that night.
On the start day the weather was slightly breezy, a little damp, and cool, so quite a nice start to things really. I wore my showerproof jacket and gaiters (which I forgot to mention in the kit-list) to keep at perfect temperature, though they did come off and go back on a couple of times as the temperature fluctuated.
The route was across the North of Scotland and down as the plan was to go west-side of the country and avoid some of the more busy roads. It was actually quite a shock to dive in this way as there was 4055 feet of climbing involved, and even though I'd done quite a bit of training, this was the longest ride I'd done for years. Total distance for the day was 81.96 miles and we stopped at the Crask Inn. Really lovely people running the place which doubles as a local Church (they were having evening prayers when I arrived). It's quite remote, but there seemed to be some passing trade.
The support crew were waiting for me there and had told some bikers about me, so I got a really warm welcome, plus two locals even sponsored me! We were going to head off and find a campsite from there, but the owners of the Inn took pity and offered to let us camp in the garden, which we did, leaving a donation to the church as payment. We were a little lacking in facilities of a regular camp site, but it was much better than having to find a site after a tiring day.
There are rooms at the Crask Inn, but we let them go to a German family who were also on a bike tour. We asked them where they had cycled from - Hamburg was the answer... They also had a 9 month old baby with them. All of a sudden my challenge didn't seem that huge, even if they were using electric bikes and taking a lot longer to cover the distance. Their bikes had trailers, one for the baby and one for their kit with a huge solar panel on top to re-charge the bikes. It was a very impressive set up. We spent most of the evening talking to them, really lovely people. I wish I had taken a photo, but it was the first evening and I was both tired and excited at the start of the journey.
During the night I got eaten alive by midges - don't underestimate the power of the Scottish midge! I stopped counting the bites on my legs at 30. Id didn't help that it was pretty damp that night.
Day 2 was a jaunt down to Foyers at the bottom of Inverness. I'd decided to take the south side of Inverness to avoid the worst of the traffic. Crossing the bride into Inverness was pretty good fun - first big bride of the trip, but most of the day had fairly foul weather, damp and windy. Even so spirits were still high and I had a really good day distance wise covering 89.06 miles, helped by the flat terrain of only 2602 feet climbing. Campsite for the night was a Caravaning and Camping Club site, so not being members it was quite pricey, but the facilities were good and a local pub provided a nice chicken curry. More midges that night - always put your "troosers" on if you get up to go to the loo in the middle of the night - trust me on that one.
Day 3 was a trip past Ben Nevis to Benderloch (no sniggering at the back please). Whilst I didn't cycle up Ben Nevis, the first part of the day certainly felt like it. The first 8 miles were all climbing 1245 feet of up and down (but felt like mostly up). however I was treated to lots of amazing scenery, like the views from the bridge of Loch Leven
Day 4 was a ride down to Largs and a short ferry crossing (it's NOT cheating, it's just a moving bridge). The support crew got me some chain lube - I would recommend adding this to the kit list as I picked up so much detritus from the road that my chain was complaining every day.
I also found the first flaw in my route
This was a tiny grassy path that ran down to the beach and stopped. I had to walk the bike for about half a mile along the beach until I re-gained the path. there were lots of brambles on the path, but fortunately I avoided a puncture.
Arriving in Largs was my best distance day at 89.46 miles, I'd taken the slightly longer coast road rather than a hill - thanks entirely to my in-laws who live locally and were providing a bed for the night - and a roast dinner! I ate a lot that night.
Day 5 was a great day, two friends of my in-laws, Bob and Jim, agreed to join me for part of the day, both keen cyclists. Bob was only just recently back on his bike after a knee operation so wasn't too hot on the hills (so I could keep up!). Jim was much quicker than me (and 20 years older!) but fortunately they let me 'draft' them most of the way. I have never ridden with other people on road bikes so I had a lot to learn from them, and I'm grateful for all the help and advice.
They stuck with me for about 40 miles before Bob's knee started to complain a bit too much and we parted company. Apparently the said they were impressed by my fitness generally, but that I wasn't really "bike-fit" which translates to Jim was much, much faster than me up the hills. I completely agree with that. It was lovely to have company for a while and they navigated me through some tricky traffic.
You can see Bob's impressive knee scar on the left of the pic. the picture was also taken at the place I married the support crew chief many years ago - though the part of the venue we got married in has been demolished since.
Total mileage for that day was 82.66 and we camped in my favourite campsite of the trip near Dunscore. Really well thought out showers and nice views. The only problem was a rather noisy family camping nearby who were really noisy swearing at their children until gone 2.30am. Then the sheep woke up about 5.30am, so not much sleep was had. Even so, I'd stay there again.
Two mountain-bikers staying there donated to my charity, which was really good of them - lovely chaps.
They stuck with me for about 40 miles before Bob's knee started to complain a bit too much and we parted company. Apparently the said they were impressed by my fitness generally, but that I wasn't really "bike-fit" which translates to Jim was much, much faster than me up the hills. I completely agree with that. It was lovely to have company for a while and they navigated me through some tricky traffic.
You can see Bob's impressive knee scar on the left of the pic. the picture was also taken at the place I married the support crew chief many years ago - though the part of the venue we got married in has been demolished since.
Total mileage for that day was 82.66 and we camped in my favourite campsite of the trip near Dunscore. Really well thought out showers and nice views. The only problem was a rather noisy family camping nearby who were really noisy swearing at their children until gone 2.30am. Then the sheep woke up about 5.30am, so not much sleep was had. Even so, I'd stay there again.
Two mountain-bikers staying there donated to my charity, which was really good of them - lovely chaps.
Day 6 was both difficult and uplifting...
Difficult as I rode past the hospital where my Mum was taken (part of the backstory to the ride that you can find if you go looking), and it brought back some bad memories.
Uplifting as I ticked off Scotland and crossed into England.
I also started to get quite a bit of pain from my knees that day, then I remembered what Sean Conway (look him up, he's a really interesting chap) did under similar circumstances - he wrote 'shut up' on his knees to keep them quiet. He even responded to me on Twitter when I mentioned using his tip - and yes, it did work pretty well
Written by junior support crew member, including angry faces.
Finally I also got to the roughly half way stage (less than 500 miles to go) on day 6, so that felt good and gave me a boost of motivation.
Miles for the day 79.99 (annoyingly close to 80!!!) and 3363 feet of climbing (with crunchy knee joints).
Difficult as I rode past the hospital where my Mum was taken (part of the backstory to the ride that you can find if you go looking), and it brought back some bad memories.
Uplifting as I ticked off Scotland and crossed into England.
I also started to get quite a bit of pain from my knees that day, then I remembered what Sean Conway (look him up, he's a really interesting chap) did under similar circumstances - he wrote 'shut up' on his knees to keep them quiet. He even responded to me on Twitter when I mentioned using his tip - and yes, it did work pretty well
Written by junior support crew member, including angry faces.
Finally I also got to the roughly half way stage (less than 500 miles to go) on day 6, so that felt good and gave me a boost of motivation.
Miles for the day 79.99 (annoyingly close to 80!!!) and 3363 feet of climbing (with crunchy knee joints).
Day 7 was the hardest riding day of the trip (although Devon was a very close second).
I was on a high as we had met some great guys the night before at a campsite who were all teachers having a lads weekend. They were renting the hall attached to the campsite we stayed at. the offered me the use of their indoors shower and gave us drinks and BBQ food. They also made a big donation to the cause. Top guys.
So after that the 5482 feet of climbing ahead was a shock. they were all big climbs and there were a couple of times I had to push (I'm not ashamed)
Views were amazing of course, as were the downhill sections. The top of the Forest of Bowland (oddly devoid of trees) was quite something (and I rode all the way up to the 1450 foot summit
My route also took me down some crazy-rough paths that would have been much more suited to my mountain bike, resulting in my first puncture after hitting a cattle grid too hard
Campsite for the night was fine, but I could have slept in the middle of the M6 that night I was so tired.
I was on a high as we had met some great guys the night before at a campsite who were all teachers having a lads weekend. They were renting the hall attached to the campsite we stayed at. the offered me the use of their indoors shower and gave us drinks and BBQ food. They also made a big donation to the cause. Top guys.
So after that the 5482 feet of climbing ahead was a shock. they were all big climbs and there were a couple of times I had to push (I'm not ashamed)
Views were amazing of course, as were the downhill sections. The top of the Forest of Bowland (oddly devoid of trees) was quite something (and I rode all the way up to the 1450 foot summit
My route also took me down some crazy-rough paths that would have been much more suited to my mountain bike, resulting in my first puncture after hitting a cattle grid too hard
Campsite for the night was fine, but I could have slept in the middle of the M6 that night I was so tired.
Day 8 felt like I was really getting back into England, I passed BAE systems (I think that's where it was?? I took the picture quickly as the rain was coming down hard)
I also went on another off-road type route "anomaly" and picked up mu second puncture by hitting a rock too hard.
A little further down the same track I must have startled this bird, which flew into me and nearly knocked me off the bike (you can see the rough track I was on). It then stood there chirping at me long enough for me to take a picture. Further down the lane ended in a ford, and I had to clamber over a rickety bridge carrying the bike.
That night we treated ourselves to a hotel room (plus there aren't many campsites in the area), and they let us keep the bikes in the room. It was great to have a private shower again! Some of the staff donated to the cause and gave us lots of good wishes for the onward journey. A really good night that re-charged the batteries!
I also went on another off-road type route "anomaly" and picked up mu second puncture by hitting a rock too hard.
A little further down the same track I must have startled this bird, which flew into me and nearly knocked me off the bike (you can see the rough track I was on). It then stood there chirping at me long enough for me to take a picture. Further down the lane ended in a ford, and I had to clamber over a rickety bridge carrying the bike.
That night we treated ourselves to a hotel room (plus there aren't many campsites in the area), and they let us keep the bikes in the room. It was great to have a private shower again! Some of the staff donated to the cause and gave us lots of good wishes for the onward journey. A really good night that re-charged the batteries!
Day 9 was fairly uneventful, from Tern Hill to Ross-on-Wye. A fair amount of climbing 3888 feet, but didn't actually feel too bad.There were some lovely pastoral vistas to see, and it turned into a peaceful and relaxing day traveling through places I think I'd happily retire to.
Day 10 was where the climbing ramped up again 4475 feet, but it started with a bit of a giggle
And at the next stop I found these on a farm gate (whilst I was there a car stopped for a few moments and drove off quickly... hmmm)
It also got me across the M48 bridge
And the Clifton Suspension Bridge
I recommend riding across both, really good fun. The M48 bridge wobbles and bounces more than you'd think when a truck goes by. Two other guys cycling stopped to ask if I was ok on the M48 as I was taking pictures - I think they though I was a 'jumper'
That day I also stopped by my office to see my workmates, and rode all the way to my front door!
Miles for the day were 82.89 and I managed my best (but frightening) top speed coming out of Bristol 44.5mph. Bristol has more hills than I imagined.
Day 10 was where the climbing ramped up again 4475 feet, but it started with a bit of a giggle
And at the next stop I found these on a farm gate (whilst I was there a car stopped for a few moments and drove off quickly... hmmm)
It also got me across the M48 bridge
And the Clifton Suspension Bridge
I recommend riding across both, really good fun. The M48 bridge wobbles and bounces more than you'd think when a truck goes by. Two other guys cycling stopped to ask if I was ok on the M48 as I was taking pictures - I think they though I was a 'jumper'
That day I also stopped by my office to see my workmates, and rode all the way to my front door!
Miles for the day were 82.89 and I managed my best (but frightening) top speed coming out of Bristol 44.5mph. Bristol has more hills than I imagined.
Day 11 - I was starting to feel the end of the journey getting close now, and I also stopped by the place I was doing the ride for, great to visit the staff, who gave me cake!!
It actually turned into a hard day of riding, with lots of short sharp hills that always seemed to catch me in the wrong gear. 5486 feet of climbing over 74.69 miles. A very close second to day 7 even though slightly greater elevation gain, it was made a bit easier by them being short(er) climbs. A really hot day peaking at 28 Deg C made hydration the issue - a farm shop lady donated 2 drinks to the cause and re-filled my water bottle - thank you!
Day 12 was a day of pushing hard as I wanted my last day to be fairly short (hopefully to get home in time for the German GP Quali). A relatively uneventful day, but cooler, so the 4852 feet of climbing didn't feel too bad (I also think my fitness has increased over the preceding days).
We "Glamped" that night, though that really just means sleeping in a shed...
It actually turned into a hard day of riding, with lots of short sharp hills that always seemed to catch me in the wrong gear. 5486 feet of climbing over 74.69 miles. A very close second to day 7 even though slightly greater elevation gain, it was made a bit easier by them being short(er) climbs. A really hot day peaking at 28 Deg C made hydration the issue - a farm shop lady donated 2 drinks to the cause and re-filled my water bottle - thank you!
Day 12 was a day of pushing hard as I wanted my last day to be fairly short (hopefully to get home in time for the German GP Quali). A relatively uneventful day, but cooler, so the 4852 feet of climbing didn't feel too bad (I also think my fitness has increased over the preceding days).
We "Glamped" that night, though that really just means sleeping in a shed...
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