One week after

Hello, hello.

 It is now one week on from the finish of the ride and what a wonderful week it has been. I’ve not even considered sitting on a saddle and I’ve even packed the bikes away so as not to tempt myself into getting back on them too soon.

Half Way at John O'Groats

One of the first things I would like to say is a huge thank you to every single person who made contact during the ride. I was cycling through the midlands on the northbound journey when the support crew began telling me just how many people were following my progress. Tom Emery was working hard with the e-mails and the website, making sure every message was delivered to me in the saddle, and Pete Scull was working over-time with my mobile phone passing on those messages as quickly as they were coming through. I was very touched by the volume of comments and messages of support. I cannot begin to tell you how important the messages were during really low times.

Getting ready for the night stage through South Wales

 Often I would struggle with something, be it lack of sleep, be it injury, be it exhaustion, or whatever else it was, and during these moments I would receive a message which was just enough to perk me up and keep me going. From what I have heard, there were plenty of people who were also suffering from sleep deprivation themselves, having found an addiction with the ‘red dot’ that was making it’s way up and back the country. This became something rather amusing to me. I was getting so many comments about the ‘red dot’ that I was actually really keen to see it myself. One time I managed to get in the motor-home when Tom had the internet up and running but to my disappointment, the red dot wasn’t moving. It genuinely took me a moment to work that one out!!! Just goes to show how tiredness can have an effect.

Support along the A30

Although every effort was made to pass on each message to me while I was out on the road, it is inevitable that through tiredness and often confusion, I wasn’t processing everything that was said to me. So it was a great pleasure to sit down, with several cups of tea, and work my way though the countless pages of comments. There were lots of flashing symbols saying ‘inbox full’ and ‘new mail’, and more messages were arriving before I could read through those already there. I know I have said it so many times, but I really am touched by just how many people tracked the progress of that little red dot. From England to Russia, to Australia, to South Africa, to the USA to Brazil, there were people all over keeping tabs. That alone was enough motivation to keep the pedals turning.

 Several people commented and showed their support for the support team. I cannot stress how essential and how perfect this bunch of people were. Choosing the right mix of people was something that I had be very careful about and there were weeks and weeks of discussions about who I should ask. Throughout the ride they were faultless. Everything which needed to be done was done perfectly and they are the ones who managed to keep everything on the road and headed in the right direction. I am confident several of them broke endurance records too, particularly Ben Allen who, according to Tom Emery “spent 26 hours driving in one day!”. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be tailing someone at such a slow speed continuously for that long, night and day without every really stopping. Thank you is something which doesn’t do even the slightest toward expressing my gratitude for them, but I hope somehow to show my appreciation to them. They made this happen. We have an evening planned for October during which we will be able to relive some of the moments, laugh at some of the lows and scare each other with future ideas. Although next time I think we might choose something which doesn’t involve the motor-home!!!

Russ Coles who came to Scotland to ride

There were a great number of people who came out to ride with me on many parts of the route. That was wonderful to have some company and to chat (as best I could) about the ride up until that point. One of the most patient people that came to ride with me was Russ Coles. Russ had flown up to Inverness, taken the train to Wick and was ready in the pouring rain to ride up to John O’Groats and back down towards Glasgow with me. It was super seeing Russ, although one of my main memories from riding with him was the incredible number of frogs / toads that were in the road. At first I was unsure whether I should make a comment on the frogs through fear that maybe I was starting to see things which weren’t there. But once Russ made a comment, a huge sense of relief arrived, knowing that I hadn’t lost my marbles just yet.

Shouting Supporters

Riding through Taunton was something very energising too. Seeing the many groups of people from Bathpool through to the far side of Wellington was wonderful. In fact, from Bristol all the way to Land’s End I was spoilt with support. Even along the A30 through the middle of the night, there were cars driving past, honking their horns, people waiting in the laybys, and an incredibly energetic amount of support from on top the many bridges crossing the A30! How wonderful it was seeing and hearing people out in the middle of the night. And thank you also to the Police car that slowed down to wish us well as we took up the entire inside lane of the A30.

 I am sat here now typing away with numb hands. The pressure which I exerted on my wrists over the course of the six days has caused my hands to become numb. I suppose it is not really all that surprising, rather it becomes more obvious that we use our hands for a lot of things! Typing is relatively slow, unless I accept the multiple keys that I press at once, and holding a pen takes me back to primary school when I was first learning to write. At the same time I am sat here with my foot covered in ice. I have a lovely set of bruising waiting to come out, and so far it is only showing itself through the nail and the ball of the foot; and through the over-sized balloon which I still refer to as my ankle. Ice appears to be the cure for every physical complaint I have at the moment, all that is, except for the saddle sores. Thank goodness for that! I have spent much of the week regaining sleep. I don’t think you can actually regain sleep from what has been missed, but if it is possible, then I think I am now in credit. The first sleep I took after the ride lasted for exactly one hour. Then I was wide awake and looking for something to do. I had heard stories from many people that the sleep pattern from the ride is hard to shake off. I thought that maybe I was going to sleep in very short bursts for a while, but that worry only lasted until the next time I attempted to sleep. Fourteen blissful hours passed before I entered the waking world again and the first thing I needed to do was eat. So I ate – lots and lots. The only natural thing to do after such an amount of food was to sleep it off. So rather than fight nature, I happily went back to the land of nod. And that has been the pattern of the week so far. I reckon another week or so and then I’ll be back to normal (I hope so at least!). It’s not a very productive lifestyle which I have been leading over the last seven days.

Hug with Will Collins

Many people have been asking me what it was like to finish the ride. In all honesty, I can only describe the finish as ‘charged’. I have sat down with a map to try and recall as much of the route as possible, and there are many, many sections which I just do not remember at all. However, the last ten miles is one section which I can remember almost pedal stroke by pedal stroke. I had been struggling on the A30 ever since Okehampton. I think it was the monotony of the white line and the cat-eyes without anything to offer a perspective. I had no computer on my bike, and so I was guessing the speed. Every stretch of the road looked the same, and it felt like I was either coasting (downhill) or working really hard (uphill), neither of which I was able to match up with what I was seeing. I was also struggling with extreme tiredness. I was so desperate for a sleep that I was taking the odd snooze while still on the bike. Despite the very best efforts of those around me, I was still nodding off, or failing to answer questions or finish my own sentences. Something happened at Penzance though. It seemed to take forever to reach there, but the moment we did, there was an incredible injection of pace. Perhaps it was knowing that there were just ten miles left until it was all over, or perhaps it was my mistaken thoughts that Land’s End was just around the corner?? Whatever it was, it caused the most electrifying ride I think I have ever been on. It might sound ridiculous at the end of 1800 miles, but the gears all shifted, the cadence went through the roof, and the pace increased to 30 mph. There were sill plenty of climbs, some pretty sharp, and some nice tight corners, but none of these hampered the speed. There seemed to be more energy summoned with every hair that stood on the back of my neck, and the growing number of goosebumps over my body was matched with the growing anticipation of reaching the line. As pedals came close to tarmac, and as breathing became more and more laboured, I remember rounding the final corner and seeing the Land’s End complex ahead of me in the first of the morning’s light. It had been so long in coming, but it was there within sight. The finish line was something I had been thinking about ever since the half way point at John O’Groats. Suddenly it was here in front of me, and there was no reason why I couldn’t cross it; no reason other than the ditch at the entrance to the Land’s End driveway! As soon as my front wheel went into the ditch, I thought I was going to fall off. Of all the times to crash, this was not the best! My bike, however, bounced out and continued onto the last hundred yards or so, and over the line. The actual crossing of the line remains a bit of a haze in my mind, but finally getting to unclip from the pedals and have the bike taken away was a wonderful feeling. I recall being engulfed by several of the team and just allowing that charged atmosphere to spill into an emotional hug. Finally, I was back at Land’s End! 

The big finish after 5 days and 21 hours