Finished!

Well, 10 days after we set off we are at John O Groats after 880 odd miles...

We left Golspie this morning under light cloud and calm winds . During the day the wind increased from the south and the sun came out.

The steepest hill of the trip was on the route but it was just a mere pimple after all the miles we have done.

The team has got fitter , but probably not slimmer during the 10 days. It could be a result of having tried the local delicacy of deep fried Mars Bars...

Some were emotional at the end and some were on their knees...

The obligatory photos ensued, but only after a moment to reflect on why we had done the ride and the cause we were all riding for. Howard tried to show off his Charles Atlas pose by holding his bike with one hand...

Glyn had a tear in his eye. We thought it was sadness at the end of the ride or the fact that he had asked Simon to come along as he is usually more accident prone than Glyn. 

Glyn fell off twice and Simon appears to have kicked his curse of self harming. All of us were uninjured which was a relief to all..

Many thanks to all who supported us , especially our sponsors. If you have not yet (you know who you are!) there is a link at the top of the page.

A special mention must go out to Steve the van driver who helped make our lives a lot easier throughout the ride.

Thanks also to Chris Roberts for for his loan of the van and loan of his sister Fiona for her help in Cornwall. Quite how our arteries coped with clotted cream on ice creams we don't know.

Final thanks to all our families who have put up with us through the training rides and our time away and general bike bore obsession for 6 months!

What lessons have we taken from this experience? 

Many, but the one that stands out was the realisation that you should not apply chamois cream with the same hand that you have used for deep heat.

On that note, until next time...

Day 10 route- last day!

Day 9 ...nearly there!

We awoke to a biblical flood today about 6am. Everyone turned over and went back to sleep except Simon who was on the floor for the night.  It was that or share a double with Steve!

After a slow start Steve accepted the Captains armband from Foz in the comfort of the garage.

Off we set on Nessie watch along the banks of Loch Ness. Nothing seen so we could only imagine the rumble from our high speed kept the monster at bay.

Steve shows just what too much energy drink does to your eyes...

We managed 16.2 mph average over the 93.75 miles today which is our highest, helped in no part by the strong south westerly breeze.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38863856

Strong enough to make life difficult crossing the bridge at Inverness.

As we were warned off earlier about misuse of the side of the road by the Dumfries police , we ventured further off the road where Matt was sure to obey the signage.

A quick pop into the Glemorangie Distillery lifted our spirits, but not by downing theirs.

A long drag into Golspie brought to an end our penultimate day with a sprint into the village , hotly contested by Terry and Simon with Glyn being the lead out man.  Simon managed to fend off a spirited fight back by Terry who is battling with knee issues.

The chaps have managed to avoid major problems like saddle sores or multiple knee issues. The worst so far is Terry who has 1 dodgy knee , but of more concern is the palm blister he has picked up after so many days away from home.

 

Only 72 miles to go on Friday before the finish of what has been a great tour so far. It is planned for an easy day , just like the Tour de France last day. Just without the glamour, prize money, pretty birds giving you a kiss on arrival...

Day 9 route

Day 8 update

Day 8 started in the best possible way. No wind , great views across Loch Lomond and sunshine. All led to our fastest average speed day at 15.3 mph

A late breakfast of 0730 was a relief to those of us who are a tad behind the 8 ball in the mornings.

Foz took over the Captains armband from Steve...

Off we set at a lick at 0900 along the shores of the Loch, for 2 miles before Steve had the first puncture.
As you will see from the photo, Foz was the first in his yellow helmet to give assistance.

Loch Lomond road (A82) was fab with a good speed from the team but the signs were sometimes a bit suspect, some might say backward.

Off we set for Glen Coe via Rannoch Moor where we officially entered the Highlands. We all agreed it was really special to cycle through the area and take in the views.

The descent through to Fort William was fast and furious, if you were in a car... fast "free miles" on a coasting descent on a bike. Foz had time to stop for his Rocky Balboa pose. That or He-Man!

We showed Foz how to frame using a camera but he pointed out he was a police man and had made his career out of it!

Fort William Morrisons saw us fundraising and applying chamois cream to our important bits. Some have bigger tubs of it than others.... No conclusion to draw there!

Meanwhile Terry was busy getting cash off some of the local ladies.

We then went to the memorial that remembers the Commandos from the Second World War that looks towards Ben Nevis. A poignant time especially with the wreaths for those recently fallen.

We ride generally in 2 groups of 4 to let traffic get in between to overtake. No names such as lead group , group A , A team, first choice, winners etc....  Honest.

Simon led out the team behind in the team pursuit with Foz, Howard and Steve in his train... As we swept along the shore past the losing group, sorry non PC, they upped their game and after 90 miles an all out sprint fest ensued.

Boy did we need beer afterwards. A sign though that we are getting fitter that we can even contemplate 26 mph on the flat. 

The Invergarry hotel was great and we were very well looked after so thank you ladies for the great hospitality and food.

101 miles today.

Only 160 miles to do , the end is in sight...!

Day 8 route

Day 7 update

Scotland continues to welcome us in it's own special way.

Last night our driver Steve got a knock on his door at 10pm. Thinking it was one of us he confronted the knocker stark naked.

An eyeful for sure for the female manager who had the police with her asking to speak to him!

He was asked about whether he had paid for his fuel at the garage next door, which of course he had and produced receipts.

Today, a couple of the chaps were caught short on a quiet road with no traffic apart from a passing policeman who "told them off".

Strike 2 Dumfries Police.

Steve was Captain of the Road today and took over the armband from Simon who had put the safety pin tucks back in that the previous users had used.

Someone had told us that Scottish roads were worth the wait. Hmmm....Parts of the B7076 made a cattle grid crossing attractive.

With grit and heads down pedalling we fought our first nasty headwind and into a services. Here Howard prepared himself for the journey through Glasgow by putting on his stab vest.

Glyn fell off again, this time by not applying brakes at a junction until too late and being unable to unclip. Thankfully only pride and his camera were hurt.

Having being beaten through Glasgow by a fat chap on a mountain bike who was using cut through cycle lanes (jealousy is a green eyed monster) we made it to Morrisons in Dumbarton where we were met by the manager Jacqui Stewart and her team and the press. The papparazzi are increasingly difficult to evade at this stage.

Thanks to Morrisons for their fundraising and for our free run through the cafe doing a supermarket sweep with Terry being Dale Winton.

We then had 8 miles to Culag Guest House on the shore of Loch Lomond .  Quite how this turned into 13 is beyond me and led to a few long faces. They brightened after thy arrived as it was idyllic. Simon and Peter swam whilst Glyn got his ankles wet which was very brave indeed.

Glyns chums (the last apparently) Nigel & Yvonne joined us for diner in Luss before the chaps retired to the Loch to talk rubbish, drink beer and evade the police.

600 miles down, 3 days left... Big day on Wed. The end is looking attractively close...