A new home!

And so the story ended...or did it?

I just can't stop writing! So new blogs has been set up to capture moments on my bike and other stories. and Chasing the Sun to Santander.

I hope to see you there!

The end of it or a new beginning?

My End-to-End certificate arrived today! It's a nice glossy one from the CTC HQ which I requested after dutifully completing the routesheet everyday after arriving at my destination during the challenge.

I can't believe that it is 5 and a bit weeks since I've completed the Big Bike Challenge. I often go out on my bike and is now looking forward to a week's cycling in France at the end of August.

So thoughts have sort of wandered off in the direction of another blog as this one is totally dedicated to the prep and the challenge of the LEJOG. It would be a shame to ruin this and to change the name, so I will keep this one in tact and then set up a new blog which will reference to the new one.

If you've landed on this page after searching for LEJOG then you've found hopefully a true reflection of a training schedule and a fabulous ride account. I also hope that you like what you've read and that you will continue following me on my new blog, come along and join me there!

Happy cycling and thanks for being part of my journeys...

Big Bike Ride 1

A series of short videos made during Day 14 enroute to Tongue.

Big Bike ride 2

Short video again...desolate road to Tongue!

Big Bike ride 3

Another short video on day 14

Big Bike ride 4

A short video taken on day 14 whilst enroute to Tongue.

Lejog photo album

We have put all our LEJOG photos now in an google album online for you to view. Enjoy ! Click on the image on the right and you will be directed to the album.

One of the many hills of today. Beautiful scenary and the Gorse in full bloom.

Funny cotton like flowers on the Scottish hills. Does anyone know what the name of it is perhaps?

Did you know that Scotland has 8 days in their week ?!

Gorgeous sandy beaches with waves big enough for surfing

Another sandy beach picture

Stephen sheltering from the rain :-)

Arriving at Caithness

Taken last night at 10.40pm in Tongue.

And something else . . .

Jill, you were a star. Thanks so much for your support. Sorry I left you off my list.

Something else worth mentioning is that we didn't have a single puncture during the whole trip. A definite blessing :-)

Day 15 - 26 June

Brilliant ! We've done it ! We finished just after 5pm today and went straight to the photo booth. There is a little hut at both Land's End and at John O'Groats which has official photographers and being a Saturday today, we did not know until what time he would be there so it was with great relief when we spotted that he was still on duty.

Our day started really early. I don't think it really gets very dark so far up north. It was still very light when I tried to go to sleep last night so I took a picture. The window was a bit steamed up (room was hot and it was cold outside) so pardon the poor photo quality.

Anyway. We set off at 8.30 and were immediately into the hills. One massive hill after the other. That continued till well after the first 25mi when it sort of flatten out a bit. On top of that we got soaked! The weather was threatening with spots of rain and then it hammered it down. Cycling down a hill whilst raining hard is very unpleasant as the rain drops really sting your face, it almost feel like deep needle pricks.
The wind was also against us today and we were cycling against a severe head wind the whole way.

Lunch was a toastie at Thurso where we also got some coke and filled up our water bottles which were both empty by now. Then the battle with the head wind started again.
Stops became more frequent and I developed a new knee ache, different to the one I already had. Jackets were off and we were getting dry from our rain shower.
As usual the last 10 miles were really crunching time. We just put our heads down in the wind and kept going. And we finished !

Stats for today are :

63.19 mi

10.42 mi average speed

133 bpm average

32.39 mph max speed

3062 cals

The total stats for the challenge are :

Distance 1010 miles

Cycling time : 91hrs 48min 7 sec

Calories burned : 51 841

My wrists hurt a lot and so does my left knee. My bum is tender and my upper legs are stiff and very reluctant to climb any stairs. But everything will recover - I hope !

A BIG thank you to everyone that cheered me on during the challenge. In no particular order: Thanks to my mum for all her prayers to keep me safe, Kascha, Moira, Sue, Jo-anne, Kris, Matt, Sonia, Gemma, Ali, Tonia, Fawn, Carene, Kate and everyone else I didn't mention. Also a big thanks to my Twitter friends.

A particular thanks and HUGE hugs and kisses to my wonderful husband who was so patient and caring during the whole trip. He even carried my pannier for me all the way ! You are the best !

Thank you also to all our wonderful sponsors.
USN for all your wonderful products which carried us through our journey. Those products were life savers !
Thank you to Bikefactory for servicing our bikes and fixing Stephen's on Day 6 super fast ! Thank you also for the energy gels which helped everyday during the last 15 miles.

This was an experience that I will never forget.

Thanks for reading my blog and following us every day. You were a wonderful audience.

We did it !!!

Spelling mistakes

It is impossible fixing spelling mistakes on my blog from my phone. There are 2.
1. The price of the home baking is ridiculously low. Only 75p a big piece of cake.
2. Cycling really cleanses my mind. It didn't come out so well in the update !

Day 14 - 25 June

We've safely arrived at our second last destination - Tongue. So far the best YHA we've stayed in. The room has a personal touch with bedside tables and even a bedlamp and most importantly our beds were already made upon arrival! None of the usual bed dressing ritual we usually do when arriving at a YHA. The warden even does home baking and there were lovely cinnamon buns and various cakes to buy at ridiculous prices.

We left Bonar Bridge very late - about 9.30am as we had such a short day ahead of us. The miles did not come as easy as they did yesterday and I really struggled the first 15mi. The towns became fewer and we stopped at Lairg for a cup of tea after which we headed north towards Tongue. Lunch was at Altnaharra hotel who provided a bowl of soup and lovely smoked salmon sandwiches. We had to think carefully about our lunch stop as settlements are so sparse that you might find yourself in the sticks without food !

The day was really cold but it didn't rain. My feet were frozen by the time we got to our lunch stop so I was very happy about the soup option!

The road after our lunch stop became desolate. It felt very monotonous pedalling and it was probably the first boring road of the ride.

The scenery was quite spectacular. Very isolated but stunningly beautiful with a very wild feel to it. There were some cars and because it was a single track road there were lots of passing places. At one time we cycled from one passing place to the next when we tried to conquer a hill :-)

Soon we descended into Tongue, found the local SPAR and got supplies for tonight.

Tomorrow is our last day and it is quite surreal that I have nearly completed this challenge. I will definitely miss the cycling days. I know that sounds really weird but the simplicity of this type of holiday is so good and i really cleanses your mind.

Whilst cycling you often think about something and nothing. I can cycle for miles without thinking about anything. It is really good as it gives my brain a chance to rest !

So the stats for today are:

51.5mi (includes a trip to the SPAR)

2429 cals

1519 ascent

1947 descent

10.8mph average speed

124 bpm average

I will post our finishing photo tomorrow on the blog including some celebratory photos !