Story
I am absolutely delighted that I completed my bike ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats in one piece and lived to tell the tale. I cycled for 9 days covering nearly a 1000 miles, taking over 69,000 feet of climbing, cycling between 8-12 hours a day. Without a doubt it was the toughest challenge that I have ever undertaken. I have to say my posterior is never going to be the same again!!
On the way, I passed through some of most beautiful and scenic countryside in the UK and appreciated what a beautiful country we live in. Over the nine days, I was lucky enough to see some of the most fantastic landscapes including the rugged coastline of Cornwall to the rolling hills and valleys of the North of England right up to the barren majesty of the Scottish highlands. Ride highlights included St Michael’s Mount, riding through Cheddar Gorge, crossing The Severn Bridge, Chepstow castle, Climbing Shap Fell, Stunning Lake District views, The Grampian Mountains, Cairngorms National Park and views of the Orkney’s. Glenshee and the Lecht Ski Hill were the toughest climbs but the sense of achievement afterwards was the high point of the ride.
I camped overnight, which I found rather challenging as I am not a seasoned camper. I developed saddle sores on day 5, which made it harder to cycle on the saddle. Afterwards I had to resort to a lot of off saddle cycling, which eventually took its toll on my knees. The weather was wonderful until I reached Scotland when the heavens opened and the rain pretty much didn’t stop until I got to John O'Groats. On day 8, the temperature dropped very low and with cycling in the rain I had a near hypothermia experience. This definitely was the lowest point but was over seeded by several happy moments.
Apart from a solitary puncture I was lucky to not have any other mechanical issues with the bike.
To complete this ride was a great achievement but to raise over £4000 for ‘Prostate UK’ made the pain and sweat even more worthwhile. Thank you for all your donations towards raising money for this great cause.