Adam's Big Fat Charity Ride

[Adam]

As mentioned in my signature for some time, I've been planning a long charity ride with a mate of mine Mike, who was wanting to do something epic for his 40th and raise funds for the East of England Air Ambulance.

We ended up deciding to do a ride from Durness, the most north westerly inhabited point in the mainland, down to Dover, being 800 miles, over 8 days.

After setting off from a wet south of England, the weather up here has been glorious for cycling, not too hot, with bits of sun, and no rain.

We set off from Durness at 08.40 with sunshine and a tailwind for the first 20 miles,which nicely pushed us up some of the hills.  It really is quite desolate and stunningly beautiful at them same time.  The route took us along lochs, then up over passes and down to the next loch.  We stooped for a quick lunch break in Lairg and then faced a monster hill after Bonar Bridge, before a long downhill to where we've stopped in Dingwall.

4,356 ft climbing, 94.3 miles with a total rolling time of 7:01.  My max speed was 35.8, but Mike, being younger and more reckless, went faster!

Photos will follow later, although if you look at the web site ([url=http://www.durnesstodover.co.uk].Durness-to-Dover Sponsored Cycle)[/url] then Mike's uploaded a few, and he is regularly tweeting updates.

[Jurek]

Good stuff Adam (and Mike).
I hope the southwesterlies we've had down here for the last couple of days do not prove to be irksome for you.

Keep at it!  

[Adam]

Day 2 – Sunday 19th June – Dingwall to Blair Atholl - 96.7 miles 5,380 ft climbed

Sunday morning saw us rolling out of Dingwall at 8.30. Not many people around at that time! After heading south of the town, we then started climbing south eastwards, before basically following the A9 towards Inverness, on a minor B road.

Crossing over the Kessock Bridge to Inverness was fun, as you could feel the bridge swaying when big lorries went past. Once over, we then had a bit of climbing towards Moy, to then basically follow the A9. This was either on a cycle path, or bits of the old A9. When it was the old road, it was lovely, as in places there's miles of 2 lane road just for bikes. In other places though, there's a really grotty cycle path. The bridges over viaducts all seemed to have had their concretew remps removed, so you ended up having to pull up over a bump.

We stopped off in Aviemore for lunch which seems a really nice Alpine type town. Mike commented that he couldn't believe the quantity of food we were getting to eat. On this trip, the more calories, the better! By now the wind had turned to be more in our faces, and heading past Newtonmore, we were steadily climbing. The cycle path ended due to road works, so we ended up first cycling on new, unused road, then on the A9 itself until the cycle path started up again. On the section to Dalwhinnie, the wind was starting to get really strong, so we were pleased that the road started to head east. However, as a combination of the rubbish surface of the cycle path, and the bumps on the bridges, I got a pinch puncture. However, that was swiftly dealt with, and then the final 10 miles were downhill all the way to Blair Atholl.

The weather here in Scotland has been lovely with loads of sun, so we've been very lucky.  In fact so far we've had headwinds to start with and then tailwinds.

I've noticed when we've stopped, little midges trying to have a nibble, but they haven't managed to bite.

Overall, we're both not suffering too much and we're now 25% done.

[Jurek]

Just had a text saying that Adam and Mike have crossed the border and are back in England. Yay!

[jogler]

  We stooped for a quick lunch break in Lairg and then faced a monster hill after Bonar Bridge, before a long downhill to where we've stopped in Dingwall.

Struie Hill I expect.

Terrific stuff Adam

[Adam]

Day 3 – Monday 20th June - Blair Atholl to Edinburgh - 79 miles

Another nice day in Scotland, with no wind and sunny spells.  Our route took us parallel to the A9, on nice quiet B roads.  Now we're out of the Highlands, the contrast in the countryside is striking, as it's very agricultural, with loads of sheep and cattle.  I've noticed as we go past, that the animals often turn to watch us and follow where we're going.  Down in the south of England, they completely ignore you.  Another thing I've spotted is that the Scottish certainly believe in supporting their local industry.  For every 1 Coke can or bottle discarded in the verge, there's probably 10-15 Irn Bru bottles.

We made rapid progress to the west of Perth, and then had some big climbs.  I've only had to use the granny gear once so far, which I'm pleased about.  The day seemed to pass quite quickly and easily, although Mike was suffering a bit at times.  We then tracked next to the M90, to go across the Forth Bridge, which is a very impressive structure, before our stop in Edinburgh.

[Adam]

Day 4 – Tuesday 21st June – Edinburgh to Hexham – 104 miles

For a change, the day didn't start bright & sunny.  I think the correct Scottish term is “dreich”.  Damp, overcast and starting to rain.  We headed off early just after 7 am and skirted around the by-pass.  Judging by the sheer volumes of cars heading into Edinburgh,  I can see why a tram system might have seemed to have a good idea!

Due to the weather, we decided to stick to the main roads and headed south-east on the A7.  The surface on this, is the type of tarmac with bits sticking out which really started to act as a drain on our speed.  We got to Galashiels just before 11 and decided to sit down out of the rain, for something to eat.  The Tesco there is built above the car park, so you have to up escalators to get into the store.  We were too early for lunch, so we made do with another cooked breakfast, some sandwiches and a pudding, after first selecting the items with the most calories.

Heading off again in the rain, we then turned onto the A68.  Just before Jedburgh was a place called Bonjedward, and Mike commented that “bon” would not be the word you'd normally put in front of Jedward.  The closer we got to the border, the brighter the weather got, so we were able to ditch the wet weather gear.  At the border itself we stopped for some photos and then headed off downhill.  The wind was now getting stronger and blowing across the road, which made for some interesting handling whenever a large lorry went past.

Going past Kielder Forest, there was an MoD firing range, with strict warning notices not to enter and live ordnance.  However, I thought it was a little unfair to allow sheep to go grazing there.  By now the sun was out again, and we were zooming along at 18 mph.  Both our bikes have developed little sqeaks but nothing major.  The final stretch of the A68 was a bit of a drag with a headwind, although it's one of those roads where it's a continual rolling road up to a summit, then  swooping down again, and zooming up again.  However, it got a bit tiring by the time we turned off for our night stop in Hexham. The tops of my legs are definitely aching.  The GPS shows 11,847 ft of climbing although I don't believe that, as the original track before we decided to stay on the A roads, was just under 7,000 ft.  However, our average rolling speed is slightly higher at 14 mph.  Either way, I'm relieved it's a shorter leg to Thirsk tomorrow.
 

[Wowbagger]

I've noticed as we go past, that the animals often turn to watch us and follow where we're going.  Down in the south of England, they completely ignore you. 

That's because they recognise you as English. They'd have you if it wasn't for that fence.

[Adam]

I've noticed as we go past, that the animals often turn to watch us and follow where we're going.  Down in the south of England, they completely ignore you. 

That's because they recognise you as English. They'd have you if it wasn't for that fence.

Funny you should mention that - the Co. Durham ones have "issues" - see below.

[Adam]

Day 5 – Wednesday 22nd - Hexham to Thirsk – 80 miles, 4635 ft of climbing
Whilst sat in the B&B in Hexham, we saw heavy rain and blue sky, so we knew we were in for a wet day.  Setting off in a south-easterly direction, we had a bit of a cross wind, with a series of sharp climbs and descents on quiet back roads.  The tops of my thighs still ached a bit from yesterday, and I could tell I wasn't as fast up the hills as I would normally have been.  We joined the A68 again near Allensford, and there was a lovely 12% descent, where we didn't have any vehicles behind us, so we could make a swooping turn down to the river at 40 mph.  Unfortunately there's a 12% slope back up again!

Once we'd struggled to the top, we had a break just before Castleside,  looking out across a lovely vista of rolling green hills.  Once we'd had a quick snack, I realised that the sheep were now bleating  at us, in quite an aggressive manner.  I've taken a photo, which I'll have to upload when I get back, and it's as though the sheep were having a go at us.  Clearly, they breed them to be tough up here!

The A68 carried on its rolling up and down.  I can't sayI like it much due to the quality of the coating making for a jarring ride.  Fortunately, we turned off after Tow Law, and climbed up past a wind farm, which made an impressive sight.  As we approached Bishop Auckland, it started to rain heavily, so we made a hasty spin up the High Street and found a cafe to have lunch, at which point the rain stopped.  Impressively, we managed to find the cafe served an almost taste-free lasagne.  However, it had calories, which was the main thing.  Of course, as we set off again, it started to rain again, even more heavily, so that the roads were running with streams of water.

We headed due south, and gradually the hills grew more gentle and our rolling speed increased, and the rain died away.  The final 50 miles went very rapidly.  I was surprised to see “Welcome to Richmondshire” signs rather than North Yorks, but I guess everyone wants independence these days.  As we headed towards Thirsk, the rain started up again, and just before our night stop south of Thirsk, Mike's video camera decided to make a bid for freedom as well, as a mount snapped, no doubt due to the condition of the A68.

Unlike the previous day, I felt quite good at the end, and not particularly tired, although Mike's knees were playing up a bit.

[Oscar's dad]

Good effort chaps!  Keep going!

[Adam]

Thursday23rd June – Thirsk to Grantham – 126 miles – 1,558 ft of climbing

The weather forecasts seemed to show sunshine and showers, and that's what we got. We had a bit of a later start than planned, so headed off on wet but quiet roads. After a brief stop-over in York to see relatives, we headed off down the York-Selby cycle path, which for the first part, is one of Sustrans' better creations, having smooth tarmac. As we sped along helped by a tailwind, I noticed the verges had been cut and there were workman clearing the edges! By the time we turned off to head towards Stillingfleet, the rain was falling heavily, so we put on our jackets.

We had a quick break in Selby where I raided a bakers for cakes and pies (have you spotted a trend here) and the rain was easing off again. For this leg, I was trying as far as possible to avoid the A roads, as around here, they tend to be poor quality for cyclists due to the large bits embedded in the tar. Our route was roughly south - south-east, although our progress was hampered by the lack of bridges over rivers, meaning a zig-zag motion was needed.

The tailwind carried us through Snaith, Moorends (where we got more food), Thorne and then south of the M180, there's a lovely straight minor road cutting across all the irrigation channels. We were doing 20 mph without having to really push ourselves and the road must have gone on for 10 miles. Going to the east of Retford, we then cut across minor roads basically running parallel to the A1 before reaching our night stop at the Grantham Services.

Today was the fastest leg, as our average moving speed was 14.8 mph which considering the distance and the extra weight we're carrying, was fairly good.

[Pippa]

 

Yay to Adam and Mike. Keep on pedaling and enjoying the cakes 

[Adam]

Friday 24th June – Grantham to Luton – 101 miles – 1,558 ft of climbing

I knew today would be the easiest leg, as for the last half, it would be on familiar roads. However we had to start with what was probably the worst breakfast I'ver had to endure, courtesy of the EDC firm at Grantham Services, as it just tasted bland and plasticy, and I think my body tried to reject it.

Setting off, there was a gentle cross wind, and a glorious blue sky. Of course, we started off with a climb up to Grantham. Sadly, we didn't have time for a photo opportunity at the birth place of Margaret Roberts, so we headed off south. Again, the route consisted of a series of zig-zags south-east, then west, then south-east again, if there wasn't a southerly road. The westerly wind was picking up a bit, but we were travelling through glorious countryside, and as far as possible, I was avoiding A-roads. Crossing into Rutland, the county sign was clearly an old one, and I wondered if it had been one kept by a resident from when it was last a county. Going around Rutland Water, I stopped to photograph a field of lavender which made a nice contrast with the colour of the water.

Just before 12, we got to Oundle, our lunch stop, and I raided another baker's for a variety of rolls and cakes, and we sat in the square and watched the residents of Oundle. It was interesting to see that as soon as a car moved out of a space, another one popped in, within 30 seconds. Setting off again, Mike realised his front tyre was getting flat, probably due to a thorn, so that was quickly changed, and then it was back to the rolling countryside.

One thing I've noticed is that the further south we go, the more aggressive the drivers become, with bolshie BMW's and angry Audi's, and I'm definitely missing the wide open and car-less roads of the Scottish Highlands.

Finally, we came across a 10 miles to Bedford sign, meaning we were into our last county for the day. We'd arranged a rendevous with Mike's wife near to the M1 to take our panniers, meaning the final 10 miles flew by. The bike felt really odd, and initially I was leaning over as I was compensating for the non-existent weight on the side. We got home at 5.30, after around 7½ hours in the saddle and an average speed of 13.8 mph. Mike was suffering from pain in his achilles tendons which he'd had to strap up, but apart from the backs of my legs feeling rather tight and being a bit tired overall, I'm surprised I'm holding up as well as I am!

Last day tomorrow, and it'll be weird to get back to a non cycling routine.  One thing I won't miss is having to force myself to eat so much food.  I think we end up having to take on 4-5,000 calories a day.

If anyone fancies joining us on the run down to Dover, we'll be aiming to be at Dartford Bridge at around 11.30 which would make a convenient joining point. Our route is shown here.

[Adam]

Yay to Adam and Mike. Keep on pedaling and enjoying the cakes 

Ta!

Today's cakes were Bakewell tarts (for Mike) and a cream apple turnover for me.

[Adam]

Finally finished.......


Day 8 - Luton to Dover - 120 miles - 5,731 ft of climbing

It was hard work getting up in the morning, having to set off from home for the final leg.  On the plus side, a number of the villagers had gathered to see us off at 7.30, which was nice.  The roads were wet with the rain only having stopped a little earlier, but we decided to do without jackets in view of the approaching heat wave.  I'd decided to switch bikes and take the Planet X, on the basis that a few less kg would help.  I'd not taken into account the fact that its saddle is a bit harder than the one on the Sequoia, so it felt a bit unfortable to start with

We set a fast pace down through St Albans, Potters Bar and then Enfield, where Steve, a friend of Mike's, joined us until Barking.  I could tell we were back in the (un)friendly south, after shouting "phone" to an Addison Lee mini-bus driver who was chatting away on his phone whilst driving along Enfield Chase, who then had to jam his brakes on, and open his door to tell me to "**** off", which must have surprised someone walking along at the same time.  I'm hoping Mike's camera has recorded his registration number.............

We dropped down through Chigwell and made our way across towards the Dartford Bridge.  We were a bit behind schedule, unfortunately made even worse by the Highways Agency not bothering to turn up for 50 minutes to take us across, despite reminders.  This meant Dave, who was joining us south of the river, had endured a long wait, as it wasn't until nearly 1.30 that we set off again.  To keep things simple, I just followed the Whitstable FNRttC route (including Jurek's Sittingourne A2 diversion) as far as Faversham, before heading south-east onto the Downs.

When climbing hills, I really was starting to feel wiped out.  Not tired after a normal day ride, just general fatigue.  However, I wanted to press on, and get the day finished, so we kept up a fairly high pace.  Mike's achilles tendons were playing up, as he'd got both of them wrapped up in bandages today, and had to stop every 10 - 15 miles or so, to stretch them.  After the long slog up the hill from Bridge, towards the A2, there's a lovely swooping downhill.  However, with the wind shifting form west to south-west, it meant we had to keep pedalling to keep up the momentum.  The route then climbed up from Barham, and then some more ups and downs through Womenswold, Shepherdswell and Whitfield, before a rapid descent to Dover, making 119 miles in total, in 8 hours 23 minutes, so a moving average of 14.1 mph.

Whilst doing the final photoshoot on the beach, a stoned local came across to congatulate us, which made for a surreal moment.




The photos for the whole trip are shown here.




A few random thoughts.


Would I do this sort of trip again?  Don't know!  Physically, the last couple of days were very tiring.

The UK has a stunning variety of countryside.  The Highlands with the lochs and Munroes were truely beautiful.  The worst driving I encountered was a Dutch coach driver somewhere south of Pitlochry who overtook me with only a couple of spare inches, despite there being nothing coming the other way, and him being seated on my side of the road, and so being perfectly able to see me.  On the whole, drivers are more courteous the further north you go.

Don't attempt this sort of trip in new kit.  I hadn't worn one of the pairs of shorts before (Endura FS360) and my butt suffered on that day as a result, as they're not properly contoured.

Many thanks for the good wishes, messages and sponsorship.

It's going to be weird to not force myself to eat, and also not to have to read labels to find the items with the most calories.

[gordon taylor]

Brilliant!
I love your ride reports.

Well done.

[peliroja]

Well done! Your reports were a great read. 

[Adam]

Thank you.   

And as a special treat for your other half, I took this photo :-



That was a really nice bit of rolling road.