The Return......

Got up this morning and so pleased not to be on the bike, I really do have a personal issue with my saddle now, it is certainly not my friend!!

Have a lovely breakfast and packed up my bag ready to make the trip from John O'Groats to Inverness where we are flying from tonight.  Boarded the bus which promptly broke down after about 30 miles, so sat on the verge awaiting a replacement bus.  At least the bike didn't break down on the 1,000 mile trip.

Will have a couple of hours in Inverness before my flight at 6pm this evening.

Twink and Miles are meeting me at the airport.  I am certainly looking forward to a nice bath and a night in my own bed....!

Day 14 - (Crask - John O'Groats) - 84 miles today......... 7.02pm  ......

I HAVE FINISHED..............!!!!!

A very long day, a lovely morning but a heavy 50 miles this afternoon into the strong winds, elated to be here and the scenery is breathtaking.  We waited for everyone to catch up before we road in.  Champagne waiting for us here, lovely warm sunny evening and hopefully the bar is well stocked. 

2 Things I am looking forward to tomorrow, 1 seeing Twink, 2 not getting on a bike!


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I have been writing this blog on Dad's behalf with him dictating the day's activities.  I have just spoken to him and he is shattered but over the moon to have finished.  He has asked me to convey his absolute thanks to everyone for the support he has received.  He has already tucked into 3 glasses of champagne and I would expect there will be quite a few more tonight.  I will add some pictures as I am sent them.  Thank you all again. 

MG

Day 13 - (Inverness - Crask) - 66 miles today - A cloudy start from Inverness and as we gained elevation the visibility was very poor. After lunch the sun broke through and the temperature climbed. Became very hot as we rode through logging country. Need to watch out for logging truckers. They don't take any prisoners!!!  Unfortunately we did have one casualty today, one of our number suffered heat stroke and had to be taken off the ride for safety. A real shame as she was so close to finishing.

The country side here is amazing, I am so close to the road, all the way.....!

So near to completing the ultimate achievement. I still feel good and I am riding strongly, my fitness has grown over the ride. Only problem I have is the hate / hate relationship I have with my saddle!!

A day of undulating riding but with a couple of significant climbs thrown in. Everyone is looking forward to tomorrow. The final leg!

And the weather looks good too, thankfully! To make it  'perfect' we could do with a strong westerly wind but not until after mid day.... I am not holding my breath!

It is a long ride tomorrow but I am sure it will fly by. Some slower riders are starting a couple of hours earlier tomorrow so that we cut the time spread between the first and last riders to arrive at a pub 6 miles from the finish, pleased to say that I am riding, and have been throughout, in the faster pack.

We will all meet up at the pub and ride the final few miles to JOG together. A nice way to finish this memorable event which we have shared.

Thank you all for the e-mails and comments I have received this week, I feel very strong knowing I have so many people rooting for me back home, thank you.

Looking forward to bringing Twink back here soon -

A slight lift as well today in that Miles got Mike Tindall to tweet my blog and Virgin Giving page to over 41,000 followers... awesome.  Some new viewers maybe!

Day 12 - (Glen Coe - Inverness) -  Only 3 days to go...!  Another day in paradise. Sun shining and warm: an early briefing got a long day started. 82 miles and lunch at 48 miles making it a long morning. Spectacular countryside as we followed Loch Leven north. Crossed the Caladonian canal
and headed north.

After lunch we had a chance to ride what is classified as the most significant climb of the whole tour. Only 7 out of 24 took the climb (including me!!) and those who did were rewarded with absolutely spectacular vlews.

Loch Ness

Now in Inverness. Two days to go. Everyone now optimistic that they will finish. Tomorrow is a short day. 67 miles and graded moderate.

The whole team is feeling the effects of the last 12 days back to back riding but the difficult days seem to make the overall team stronger and more supportive of each other.

In summary, a long day with a very tough climb but one more step towards completing LeJog.

 

 Ben Nevis

River Ness

Day 11 - (Loch Lomond - Glen Coe) - A shorter day classified as moderate. 66 miles through some of the most beautiful country side in the whole event. 16 miles of cycle track alongside Loch Lomond led to some more rough Scottish road surfaces up to lunch taken at Tyndrum.  Pic of Loch Lomond at Dusk.

Aftet lunch we climbed through the Trossocs enjoying the views of the Grampian Mountains around Crianlarich and the Bridge of Orchy and then on to Glen Coe . A final glorious decent into Glen Coe Village ende an excellent days riding. Weather hot and sunny! Got through 5 water bottles today, hard work!!! 

Day 10 - (Moffat to Loch Lomond) - 82 mile day, longest so far (and I feel it!!) but relatively flat after and early climb.  Road surface was even worse than yesterday (Alex Salmon needs to get some tarmacers out!).  Excellent lunch stop where we ate sandwiches in the wedding function room of a hotel called The Avon Bridge Hotel in Hamilton, classy!

Soon after lunch we joined a cycleway that took you through Glasgow, most of it alongside the River Clyde into Loch Lomond.  Here are the lifeboats hanging over the Clyde -

B&B is very nice tonight in Balloch called 'Time Out', very apt as I shattered!

A very nice welcome from the owner Cathy.

Day 9 - (Keswick - Moffat) - 72 miles today, Tough day.  After only 6 miles we climbed 1250ft to get here. A difficult climb with several 15% to 20% gradients..... there were no mountain goats around so had to climb them myself!

Significant day as we entered Scotland.....!!

Weather was excellent. We set off to a slightly cloudy start that soon burnt off, through the tail end of the Lake District towards Carlisle. First day in short sleeved cycle shirt and shorts plus sun cream!!  Fantastic.

Road surfaces in Scotland are awful!!  Rough and potholed. Shakes you to the point where hands go numb.......pity my backside can't go numb!!  
The B&B is good in Moffat and we managed to get some washing done, thank goodness as people were beginning to avoid riding behind me, a message I think!

 Early night needed as tomorrow is a long day of 82 miles through Scotland.

Day 8 - (Slaidburn to Keswick) - 67 miles and 4600ft climbing today, a real test again! As we left Slaidburn we started climbing and it didn't stop for over 1000ft to High Cross, the grade varied from 5% to 18% over the 1000ft.  Basically that is very very steep.  We rode over several false summits only to see the road rear up again, a real lung burner. 
However our effort was rewarded with some really spectacular views as we progressed through Cumbria the scenery continued to impress and helped the miles fall away.

 We arrived in Windemere we were met by the annual Round Lake Windemere Marathon, it was good to see others doing some sweating for a change!

Day 7 - (Runcorn to Slaidburn) Weather overcast and a few spots of rain to start but then it cleared a bit but stayed cloudy all day. It was quite cold but throw in some pretty steep hills and I was soon warming up.  Overall we have been so lucky with the weather (touch wood!) with just one wet day so far (touch more wood). The van gave us some well needed hot tea.

 The breeze is not so strong today but still troublesome coming from the NE so in our faces.  Today was 63 miles and 3300ft of climbing. Described as 'hard'......   Here are some of my riding pals.

This morning was mainly through the conurbations of west of Manchester & Bolton, with some difficult navigation and some very heavy traffic, not at all pleasant. We had lunch at the Black Dog at Belmont Lancs, some doorstop sandwiches and chunky chips, well needed.

Great tea stop this afternoon at the Marmalade Cafe in Whalley which broke the afternoon up into two 16 mile rides (psychologically easier...!)  The scenery in the Afternoon was stunning as we climbed up to the Forest of Bowland. A tough climb but I start to feel the benefit of the last 7 days in terms of fitness.  Here is a pic of Bowland Forest.

Slaidburn is quaint. A small village with a YHA and two pubs. Seems to be famous for Lejog teams as there is another group in the Pub this evening

Day 6 - (Clun - Runcorn) - A really tough day. 80 miles into a strong NE wind (in our faces) and a deadline to get to Runcorn so I could have my massage. Unfortunately 4.40pm was not only the first appointment but the only one left vacant...... I wonder why!

Apart from the wind, the weather was ok. It was overcast with the odd glimpse of sun but importantly no rain.  We had a great lunch stop at the Button Inn with a proper meal supplied which was very welcome as the wind had definitely sapped our energy reserves.

We are staying at the Holiday Inn at Runcorn tonight which believe me will feel like the 6* Burj Al Arab compared to some of the B&B's we have been using on the ride. 

Earlier today it occurred to me that after the first 5 days climbing out of the South West, we are now making solid progress up the country and tomorrow is day 7... half way!!!  Unbelievable.

Midlands almost done now... bring on the North!

PS - Miles told me today that in the first 5 days I had over 400 page views of this blog.  The breakdown shows that viewers have logged in from the UK, US, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany and Canada.  Knowing you are all following my progress certainly helps when I turn the corner and see the next hill, thank you.

Day 5 - (Monmouth - Clun)  - Twink took me back to Monmouth this morning and saw me off which was nice.  Below are some pictures she took as we got ready then set off.

Bill getting ready to get on the bike and set off.

The Day's briefing -

Me heading off from Monmouth.

A tow from a white van is always welcomed...!

Today was a comparatively shorter day and overall easier.  There were 2 really big climbs, the first when leaving Monmouth this morning and again at the end of the day heading towards Clun, that was a real monster!  The weather has been good today, a little overcast with occasional sunny spells but importantly, no rain. We rode through lots of undulating roads with not too much traffic which was very pleasant.

We rode through three counties today. Monmouthshire, Herefordshire and Shropshire that added up to 52 miles and 3300ft of climbing.  I have booked into my B&B in Pub at Clun which is a charming little village. The entrance was through a ford which got my newly cleaned bike mucky again...!

Tomorrow is a long day at 80 plus miles.  I have an incentive to ride faster tomorrow, I have a sports massage booked for 440pm so need to get moving. 

Day 4 - (Glastonbury to Monmouth) - Sunshine!  Set off from Glastonbury and was met by some large hills but then a nice run to the lunchstop at the 24 mile mark.  I was met by Wendy, Chris and Miles. 

This afternoon we headed out past Bristol onto the Portway heading towards the old Severn Bridge.  Riding across it was fantastic and with it being a clear day the views were amazing. 

 There were a number of reasonable climbs this afternoon which were tougher than we were expecting. 

I was very glad to arrive in Monmouth just after 5pm, not only as it was another day down, but I was met by a collection of our friends and Twink who cheered me into Monmouth, a very nice welcome.  Thank you John & Isabel, Mick & Gilly, Mike F and Angela, lovely to see.

After a glass of the best energy drink French winemakers can muster I decided to head back to Bredon with Twink for a night in my own bed and a decent bath! (as well as laundering my kit and washing my bike!)  

A nice day tomorrow heading north on the roads towards Shrewsbury.  South West.... done!

Here I come Midlands!

Day 3 - (Morton Hampstead - Glastonbury) - Left Morton Hampstead at about 9.15 after morning briefing.

Straight into a very big climb. Not a great start to the day!  Another big climb followed immediately after lunch and was one of the top 5 hardest climbs on the total ride. Today we rode for 72 miles and climbed 5600 ft.  In the first three days we have climbed over 15000 ft!!

Day 2 - (Fowey - Morton Hampstead) - A good nights sleep in Fowey but greeted with rain and strong north winds in our faces as we set off for 60 miles through Cornwall and up onto Dartmoor.  Lots of short and steep ascents followed by some quick descents.  Over 5800 feet of climbing today, even more than yesterday.  It was a hard day on the bike but glad to arrive at our B&B in Morton Hampstead for a bath to warm up.  Unfortunately we have had 2 riders pull out, one chap had a nasty fall off the bike yesterday and the Hospital have called time, and a female rider tore a calf muscle and was forced to retire.  Just heading out for a bite to eat with the other riders before we head up towards (a hopefully sunny) Somerset.

Here's my riding pal Keith and his invisible bike!.  We have ridden together so far and managed to keep a good pace both on the flat and during the climbs. 

Day 1 - (Lands End to Fowey) - Here is a picture stood by the Lands End sign post before we got on the bikes this morning -

874 miles direct but 991 miles via the route we are taking. It was a lovely morning but pretty fresh there by the coast.  Day One is now done, I have arrived in Fowey.  It was a hard first day, 66 miles and over 5,000ft of climbing. I managed to pick up my first puncture just before the lunch stop but a quick tube change and I was back on my way.   It was nice and bright most of the day but the forecast for tomorrow is not that good.  Overall I feel postive and was pleased with my riding today.

And I made a new friend today..........

Sat 12/05 - Landed in St Just, having a meal with my fellow riders and getting to know them.  Pleased to see there are some other OAP's!  Early night tonight ready to get going at 9am tomorrow.  Nervous but excited to get on my way. 

Here is my riding shirt complete with the sponsors logos -