Back to life

Is this what soldiers felt like when they came back from Viet Nam? A completely different existance for a couple of weeks and straight back to normal the next day feels very surreal. I keep getting flashbacks at inappropriate times. I can recommend the LEJOG diet plan to anybody. I ate like a horse and lost a pound per day. It does take a few calories to get my bulk up a hill! Only John S managed to lose more shedding about 30lb in 3 days. Get well soon big John.

Bodies and bikes survived remarkably well. We manged fewer punctures between us in 6 x 900 miles than Debbie got in one afternoon. 1 bent wheel and a set of peddles isn't much to go through. The car suffered more. Environmental health are coming to clean it up when they've finished at Rock Ness. No broken bones or pulled muscles either. I was laughed at when my sudocrem stash was spotted at the start. Nobody's laughing now! Bacon anybody?

All of the riders are united in saying that without our support crew it would have been impossible. I hope they all enjoyed it as much as they seemed to. By the end we had a support convoy.

My only regret is that it all went by so quickly I don't think I took enough in. (That and having to get off and push on one hill - chapeau to the ones that didn't get off - you know who you are.) Maybe the flashbacks will join up into a coherent memory.

As for the race, it was a draw!

We're Back - Thank You To Everyone

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported and followed us along our way. We had a ball. It really was fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone. It was an experience of a life time and one that I will always remember.

I would like to thank all my fellow team mates for making the journey so much fun. The games and the chat were top notch, even the singing!! No, not mine obviously!!

Special thanks to Viv for helping me make up the route maps every morning. It really was like a scene from Blue Peter!! Thanks also to the boys for ensuring our bikes were road worthy every morning and for repairing any punctures that happened along the way. Special mention to Alasdair who showed us how to put a chain back on with a stick which ensured we didn’t get oil on our new cycle kit!! Viv has become the most experienced at putting chains back on, her chain came off at least 3 or 4 times every day.

A huge thanks to our support crew, who kept us going. We really couldn’t have done it without you. They really did everything for us, allowing us to concentrate on the fun bit, the cycling. In the morning we would place bets on what the guys would produce for lunch. If John L was support driver it would be sandwiches at the side of a petrol station, if it was Stuart it would be an international themed buffet lunch served on a tray. We had Indian, Italian, Japanese and a Wedding Buffet (silver cutlery supplied by John Salmons, no questions please). Bob came on board and provided real comfort food, which brought back childhood memories. His finest moment was when he brought out the Tuc biscuits followed by Soreen Malt Loaf for afters. That really was the trump card!! Half way through the trip Stuart introduced the concept of an afternoon treat, so we would spend the afternoons fantasising on what it could possibly be. Thanks guys, these things really kept us going.

I’m frightened to think how many calories we consumed along the way. Three course breakfasts, lunches and dinners, snacks of bananas, energy bars, chocolate, bags of crisps and nuts washed down with a pint when we arrived at our accommodation (yes even I had one!). On one occasion we even went to the fish and chip shop for a portion of chips each just to keep us going till dinner. I have never eaten so much before. The concerning thing is that now we’re home and not cycling I’m still hungry all the time. I brought my lunch to work this morning and had eaten it by 10am. This can’t be normal??

Anyway enough rambling on, I'd better get some work done so that I can afford to go on the next trip whatever that may be??

PS. Be Warned – We’re all still hyper after our trip and have taken around 400 photographs each on our cameras. We’ve already bored a couple of friends with our photos and stories, (it was the glazed over look in their eyes after the first hundred or so that gave it away) so we completely understand if you want to avoid us for a few weeks. We’ll surely have calmed down by then???

Day 11 - A tale of two hills!

Leaving Stirling at Dark O'Clock with Alistair's wife Catriona, it was a long drive north, it really brought home to me just how far the Fab 6 had ridden! 905 miles was the concensus, and I wasn't arguing!

We met up with the group about 15 mile south of Wick, and a coffee stop was called for. The group were in great spirits and in remarkable shape considering what the had come though and achieved!

The final hills were negotiated, and what hills they were, Helmsdale (8%) & Berridale (15%) before the final stop in Wick. After a quick feed the final 18 miles were overcome to the finish, where Stuart suddenly took on the persona of a paparatzi photogropher! Multiple poses and more flashes than a streaker, a quick champagne shower, and that was it! Challenge done!

Talk has already started on what comes next, I will not elaborate any more but needless to say, this is the start, not the end!

Well done to the "Fab 6" on what has been a truely memorable adventure!

Coach John

£2,443 for Strathcarron

Thanks very much to all those that had faith in us and knew that we would make the 900 miles (a few more depending on where we got lost) from Lands End to John O'Groats!

We have already raised £2,443 for Strathcarron. We would love to make this £2,500 or even £3,000. So for all those people who didn't think we would make it (that includes some of us!) , we have, so dig deep and support our efforts and this good cause.

Follow this link https://strathcarron.workwithus.org/Fundraising/Donate.aspx?page=4962
Thank you!

The final day had team DVD (Dave, Viv and Debbie) and the A Team (Ay, Wot and Pardon) joining up and cycling as a six. That was fun, we should have tried it earlier! The support car became a convoy as Stuart arrived last night and was quickly joined by car 3 with director sportife John Lunn and Catriona. Catriona had sweetened him up enough to let us have 2 sit down stops. John S managed to make it. We were thinking we might have to make a cross by the side of the road. The other bloke (Bill?) was ther too giving it big hooooo haahs. Hills what hills? Bit breezy in the afternoon but heads down and bums up and we're there. Alison was worried about getting a reputation so sat on the front all day. I thought I'd soiled my shorts. Stuart 'Litchfield' Prentice made sure we have several hundred souvenir photos and didn't pay for any of them.



Serously though big thanks to John, John, Stuart and Bob. It's a real cliche but we really couldn't have done it without them.



900 miles in 11 days with a headwind all the way. It will grow with time but that's the raw numbers for now.

Alison is already planning to better it next year, the rest of us are quite pleased with ourselves.

p.s. What goes on tour stays on tour!

The lap of honour?

Alasdair had described our last day of 55 miles as the lap of honour ..... it looked as though it was going to be a bit harder than that but we were all running on adrenalin so it seemed not too bad at all! The cycling gods had taken offence and the weather was wet, cold and of course the NE head wind was still with us. LEJoggers heading south on their first day with fresh legs and a tail wind looked as though they were having great fun (just wait!).

We had heard tell of a couple of big climbs just outside Helmsdale and set off with great trepidation. We sailed up the first hill stopping up the top patting ourselves on the back saying how fit we were and how the hill was disapointing! Debbie knew better and kept saying 'you wait ... just around the next corner'. We had a couple of big downhills then hit the Berrydale (?) Braes, didn't get the benefit of the downhill because of a sneaky hairpin but all managed to grind up the hill on the other side ..... nothing compared to yesterdays hill!

Viv was concerned that a fellow LeJogger would make it to the end before us (the axe murderer that spent the previous night with Stuart - but that is another story!) and managed to push him off the road on the steepest part of the hill, panniers and all he had to do a hill start. She didn't even stop to give him a push!

Our support crew were very visible today all trying to out do each other in the stakes for top support crew award. Although we only had 55 miles today we had a coffee stop (and were allowed to sit down for more than 10 mins) and a lunch stop at the throbbing metropolis of Wick. We cruised to JOG as a six and even picked up a couple of other LeJoggers en route. The finale was the champagne shower courtesy of John Lunn and the photo shoot courtesy of Prentice productions.

We are now ready for a well earned rest and party!

A BIG thank you to all the support crew especially John S who was with us the whole way, John L, Bob and the other guy in the middle - oh yes Stuart!

Thanks also for all the visitors we had en route and the rapid coffee stops we made at peoples houses - we arrived drank coffee, ate biscuits, used the facilities and left all within 15 mins.

More posts later from the rest of the team ..... sleep now!

Day 10 Drumnadrochit to Helmsdale

Viv donned the thong today as a result of her hallucinations yesterday where she was seeing messages about god on every corner. Nobody else was witness to these visions.

First off we had an hc climb that took its toll with everyone stopping for a rest after 2 miles of the days journey. The descent after was fantastic though with everyone managing to beat Alasdairs top speed of 42.2mph by .5mph. Nice try Alasdair.

Support car appeared periodically. We enjoyed sushi (again) with tuc biscuits.
Everyone was starting flag a bit today but with only one day to go we will be a ok. John S still suffering but we have been joined by Stuart P again so that we are expecting a battle between the support crew for the award of top support member. Can Bob steal the glory. He is offering massages with sun cream but Stuart is going with inspirational quotes. Yes it's all about them.

The DVD team had an early coffee stop at Debbies pal Judith. David looked like he was getting stopped by the polis but thankfully the flashing blue light was not for him. We thought it might have been for breaking the speed limit in town.

The A team met the most charming two year old in Scotland. Angela will decide tomorrow if she thinks she might make it. Apparently Alison took a turn at the front.