Day Zero To Day 02

Day 00 - The long way to the top!


6.30 the alarm sounds. It's Saturday the 28^th of April and this alarm call is waking me up so we can get up and go catch a plane. This is the first day of our John O'Groats to Lands End adventure after all, and later on we will be meeting the support crew (Mum and Dad) at Inverness airport. I drag myself out of bed, shower and then wake up Alex. I spent the day before largely faffing around the house making sure that everything is ready for our trip. Alex came back the day before and we had a wonderful and relaxing evening with Emma, and enjoyed a Roshni's curry sinking several beers (maybe followed by a few glasses of whisky).

Everything is going fine so far. I complete my final pre flight preparations before we leave the house. Are all the lights off... yes, are all the electrical appliances off... yes, are all the windows locked... yes, back doors locked... yes, are all the lights off, yes I know they are off but I had better check again. I'm slightly paranoid when it comes to these things! We get to the station and everything seems to be going OK until we get to Clapham Junction. The train to Gatwick simply doesn't arrive and then seems to disappear from the information boards. After 15 worrying minutes, the train eventually leaves London Victoria late, and we are back on out way again.

Beer and cooked breakfast in the morning... champion!

Our first port of call at Gatwick, the duty free! A few bottles of whisky later it's off to the Whetherspoons where Alex and I tuck into a cooked breakfast and a few pints of London Pride, and why not? We are after all going on holiday! More disaster befalls us when the plane gets parked at the wrong gate, and we are finally called towards the plane 20 minutes before it's supposed to take off. It's raining in Gatwick, really raining heavily. Oh I hope it doesn't rain like this on us on the ride.

It's rather minging at Gatwick

Meeting Mum and Dad at Inverness we are pleasantly surprised to see that the weather in Scotland is really rather good. Sun, some cloud, and a mild breeze coming from the north east (yes that's right folks, that's wind on our backs). We stock up on booze at Majestic and it's onwards and upwards to John O'Groats in the van. Despite how far north Inverness is, it's still a good three hours to get to the top. We pass Dingwall, the Dalmore distillery, the Glenmorangie distillery, and mile upon mile of breathtaking scenery.

The roads closed. On approach to Wick, we find ourselves diverted down a single track road with sporadic passing spaces. A queue of traffic builds up behind us, and as we approach on-coming traffic on numerous occasions we find ourselves unable to move on account of the stupidity of other motorists. Still we eventually get there.

John O'Groats is quiet, and there isn't much to say about it as there isn't really anything here. We are sitting in the van looking out over the North Sea, with views of the Orkney Islands and Scapa Flow. We have had dinner, and as we sit here I am thinking of the adventure to come over the next few weeks whilst Dad and Alex are pouring over the maps and route instructions. We have many many miles to cover in the saddle, but I feel no nervousness as this is simply a wonderful evening, and I hope for more like this. I can't wait to start!

Sunset over John O'Groats

Day 01 - John O'Groats to the Crask Inn

Alex and I are woken up this morning by the sunshine beaming in through the tent. A good sign indeed. Better when Alex opens the tent to have a look outside and he can't even see a cloud in the sky. Certainly a very good sign considering that back home it's torrential rain and by the sounds of things near gale force winds! With barely a hint of a breeze in the air we pack up, have breakfast and get ready. When Alex and I are ready to go, everyone heads down to the seafront. Mum and Dad armed with cameras, Alex and I with our bicycles. It's time to start our 1050 mile ride south. 

Team Parsons all kitted up

With not too much fanfare (as there is very little that John O'Groats has to offer) we set off at 8.50 am. The ride out of John O'Groats is relatively straightforward. In fact it's one of the easiest in terms of route finding, with only one page of instructions. Turning right opposite the Seaview Hotel in John O'Groats the coastal road pretty much takes us all the way to Bettyhill. With the exception of a few traffic lights at Thurso, there are no junctions or turns to worry us at all. The views are breathtaking and the road only undulating moderately (i.e. still some hills to irritate the legs). The only major hills to worry us mind are on the approach to Bettyhill. As Mum and Dad eventually pass us in the van at about the 40 mile mark, Alex and I hit the first major climb, passing two girls near the bottom who are riding a tandem. It's getting hot in the sun so Alex and I are having to strip off the layers (and yes believe it or not put on sun block).

Alex and Stuart depart after lunch

At 47 miles we meet Mum and Dad for lunch. A sandwich and a cup of hot chocolate later we depart down a quick decent into Bettyhill where we swing south and take the road inland towards Altnahara and the Crask Inn. We have to get to 600 feet, so over the next 30 miles we gradually ascend upwards through some of the most remote terrain in northern Scotland. Mum and Dad catch us again on the outskirts of Altnahara, where they agree to meet us at our destination. On the way out of Altnahara we have about 8 miles to do to the Crask Inn, and annoyingly some quite steep hills to ascend. 

I know that I am getting tired and I can tell that Alex is too, as both of us are very quiet by this stage, no longer saying much. Another tell-tale sign is when a rider steps up in the pedals more often to try and get comfortable in the saddle. I see Alex doing it and I am too. Thankfully it's not far to go. We top the last hill, and we know we have barely a mile left to go. We are somewhat crestfallen when we see another hill in the distance with the road snaking over it and no sign of the Crask Inn. No need to worry though as a few hundred yards later we see the Crask Inn ahead of us, merely hidden down a dip in the hill. 

Surveying the hill ahead - at Altnahara

Looks like they won something? 80 miles done!

Mum and Dad are there in the road cameras in hand. It's time to shower change and eat (and drink beer!) As it turns out the two girls on the tandem that we met earlier have had difficulties with their bike, and Mum and Dad went to the rescue and are holding their heavy kit so they don't have to carry it. They arrive at the Crask Inn an hour or so later, grateful for the support. In the Inn later on over dinner we enjoy a wonderful evening of food, drink and conversation. They are also doing John O'Groats to Lands End in the same time that we are, so hopefully we will meet up on the way down. Who knows there might even be a glass of Champagne for them at the finish too!

Day 02 - Crask Inn to Dingwall

It's still sunny this morning, but by the time we have had breakfast there are some rather dark clouds looming towards the south, the direction that we are planning on going. We set off bidding farewell to our new friends (whom hopefully we will meet again on the way down) and ride towards the horrible looking weather.

Leaving the Crask Inn - the most remote pub in the UK

Onwards and upwards... into the rain! :(

The road south of the Crask Inn is relatively merciful in descent, however there are plenty of logging trucks using this single track road. If you see one coming, you have to get out the way fast as they don't take prisoners! Thankfully we get to Bonnar Bridge unscathed where we cross the river and head to the other side of the valley. It's not raining yet, but as we ascend the painfully steep and long ascent up via The Struie the first few rain-drops start to fall. Thankfully we meet the van at the top and get a chance to have a cake and hot chocolate as we shelter inside out of the rain. We only have 20 miles left to do at this point, but the rain is not easing up so we have to don our waterproofs and get pedalling.

There are a few more ascents to do but nothing as big as the first climb up The Struie. Certainly a small consolation to our current predicament. As the rain hammers down mind you it is somewhat depressing. I muse to myself to stop complaining and keep pedalling. Eventually we arrive in Dingwall and meet up with the van at the campsite. After a welcome shower we get the chance to get some laundry done and then have lunch, tea and a slice of Emma's Cake (which is delicious, thank you Emma). If there is time this afternoon we will be off to the Dalmore distillery, and then off to the pub down the road to see the footie. Another day finished and a little bit closer to Lands End! 

Cheers

Sorry it's a short one!

As the title suggests this will be a short one as I am writing this via my phones blogger app. We so far have not managed to get internet on the laptop hence no blog update last night. Still good news we have free WiFi at Dingwall tomorrow so I will be able to write something substantial about the first three days.

The journey up largely went well... More to say on that later. Our first ride however has been superb! We hear that the weather back home has been terrible but we have been needing sun tan cream up here! We managed to do 47 miles before stopping for lunch just before Bettyhill. At Bettyhill we swung south from the northern coast and headed into the hills on the way to Altnahara where the views are breathtaking. We are now at the Crask Inn drinking beer waiting for dinner. We have got a lot of miles to do but so far it's been a great start.

Keep a look out tomorrow and hopeful I should have a nice big update for you all to read!

Cheers

Not long to go now...

Well as I sit here pondering the next few weeks, I can't help but reflect back on what has been a very busy 2012. After the slow start to January and then the freezing weather that Alex and I had to cope with in February, thankfully we have managed to get in some quality training for the ride which I can only hope will be enough to see us through the 1050 miles we are set to cover. May was a superb month which saw both Alex and I pushing the mileage up in an effort to crack that 100 mile barrier.

As the sun beamed down we both set off in our respective days off covering the miles. I have managed to cycle up with Alex, on rides were I have managed to drop Alex on the hills, where we have ridden through four counties, where we have been chased by dogs, but generally got to enjoy the quiet that the roads up by Alex have to offer. Back down here on the other hand the roads are a lot busier, so I have had to contend with a lot more traffic than Alex which has led to more than a few close and unpleasant encounters with other roads users.

My rides back home have taken in a large chunk of Windsor Great Park and the Chobham Ridges. I've also managed a couple of rides up to the Chilterns, one of which I managed to go out for a spin with Dave Green and some of his riding buddies. Well I say spin in the loosest sense of the word, more like shear cycling agony. That particular day we set off from near the Great Park and rode out in the direction of the Chilterns. After the first few miles, the pace was nearing 25mph and my legs were already burning. I knew that I was in for a tough ride.

They put me through my paces and I struggled to hold the rear wheel, becoming the groups 'lantern rouge' most of the way round. Thankfully it became mercifully easier when we got to the steep hills as the group would split up but always wait at the top to regroup. After numerous punctures suffered, of which I managed to have one myself, we rode off back to home at the same torturous pace, and I am surprised and somewhat pleased to say I managed to keep up all the way home.

As I got more involved in the riding, I have then set off in the direction of the Surrey hills. Heading south from home and rising up into the heights of the hills I have managed to enjoy riding parts of the 'Tour of the Surrey Hills' route, a torturous 70+ mile ride encompassing some of the steepest most toughest hills in the area. After what would be a ritual of punishing my legs I found a fantastic cafe to stop for lunch at the top of Newlands Corner. While on your own forever worrying about leaving your bike when stopping for lunch, this particular place allows you to walk with your bike right up to the window where you can order your food. On one of these rides after completing 50 miles, I then set off back for home, but threw in another 35 miles in the Chobham Ridges. On the ride back into Staines clocking 85 miles, my legs felt fantastic, riding at 22-25mph I knew I could have done plenty more miles that day. It was after that ride that I knew I would be ready.

April came, and along came with it the rain. I managed some relatively dry rides towards the beginning of the  month, but never quite managed to crack that elusive 100 mile ride! I found myself setting off only doing up to 40 mile rides going flat out, trying to avoid the afternoons forecast heavy rains. I managed this way up until last week, where on my final two training rides the wet weather finally caught up with me! I spent two thoroughly soggy rides, of which the final 40 mile ride saw me riding through torrential downpours, marble sized hail (which hurts a lot) and more worryingly a massive thunderstorm. As the lightning flashed all around I knew it was time to foxtrot oscar back home. I have had to contend with pot-holes, pedestrians stepping out in front of me, car drivers struggling to comprehend how fast riders can actually go. I've had cars passing mere centimetres from me, nearly being taken out by another cars trailer, and have had far to many cars pull out in front of me at t-junctions, roundabouts etc.

Still all that out of the way, I can safely say that I have survived the training unscathed, and have had the chance to enjoy a relatively relaxing final week. I can only say that our fund-raising efforts have passed all my expectations about the ride. As I sit here I can easily see with all the up-coming pledges that we could easily sail past £8k, who knows maybe we will even take £10k? I am hugely grateful to everyone's support, and soon all our hard work will be realised. Alex will be back tonight, and tomorrow morning we will head off to Gatwick to catch a plane to Inverness airport where we will meet up with the support crew, and come Sunday our adventure will commence!

Cheers :)

Training's not so straightforward, as Alex points out...

Hills in Devon are tough. Really tough, especially when they are wet and muddy.

I look back at my musings in January. 50 miles in January, 100 miles in mid April with a steady increase in mileage. I was both right and so very, very wrong. I forgot to take into account that little thing called life.

January was cold, but not overly so. I managed a few fifty mile rides, with probably the most memorable being a 45 mile ride with Andrew Stretton in and around Didcot. Part of the ride involved going to a town called Streatley and heading west. Those of you who know me will know I enjoy riding up hills¹ about as much as I enjoy riding down them. My thoughts on encountering this one went something like this:

‘This one’s actually quite steep. Looks like it goes on for a bit.’

‘Yep, definitely steep, but I’ve cycled in the alps. Now THAT’S hard.’

‘How steep is this hill going to get?’

Upon turning a corner – ‘How long is this bastard going to go on?’²

It’s also memorable for being possibly the coldest I have felt on a bicycle. Towards the end I was having difficulty moving the brake levers, my hands were so cold. Never in my life have I been as happy to see a power station as I did at the end of that ride.

February was the month in which the south-east of England was 20 degrees³ colder than Scotland. When you have ice forming on the inside of the windscreen, you know cycling is probably not the best of ideas. In February, the swimming pool was my friend. It wasn't all cold though. It had thawed out enough towards the end of the month that I was able to cycle into work – and immediately crashed my bike. Bleedin' typical⁴. Fortunately, as mum mentioned earlier in the blog, it was nothing too serious – a few scrapes and bruises. Two days later I was out riding again, with a wrist that couldn’t support any weight. This was perhaps not the best idea, I realised, as my bike began to skid on mud as I was going round a tight corner on a downhill section. I managed, somehow, to gain control of the bike with millimetres to spare⁵. For a month in which I had hoped to be up to seventy miles, February was not good.

March was a lot better. Warmer, drier, and the month in which the clocks changed, allowing rides after work. I ended the month with a seventy mile trip round Kent – taking in some real tough climbs in the North Downs. This was followed up with a trip round the Shepherd Neame Brewery, which was okay⁶. Pete Collyer, his brothers and I far preferred The Elephant pub, which had a cracking atmosphere (the company certainly helped!) and some great local beers⁷. All in all, very much a month of ‘back on track’⁸.

Which brings me to April, the month I finally cracked the 100 mile ride. I had great fun at Mike Howards wedding⁹ which was, somewhat conveniently, in Devon. My first attempt at a ride was curtailed after barely sixteen miles. Wet and muddy does not a good combination make, especially when trying to descend a 15% slope that’s narrow and twisty. I honestly think I was going down slower than I was going up – quite impressive, considering the ‘up’ bit went on for half a mile and was advertised at 25%. I got out the following day for a seventy mile ride, following the route Stuart and I will be cycling in a little over three weeks (is it really that close?). It gave me a chance to use the route cards, which worked fantastically. What is somewhat concerning is that, looking back, I cannot remember a bit of the ride that was flat. There was nothing quite as severe as the 25% climb of the day before, but it’s not easy¹⁰.

All of which brings me to the end of my training. I can cycle seventy miles with confidence and I know I can top 100. It’s somewhat unnerving to think I am going to have to do that for 15 days on the trot¹¹, but I am as confident and prepared as I can be. It’s come, as these things do, a lot faster than I thought it would, but I’m ready.

Alex on his 30th last year... nice sunglasses :P

¹I don’t know why, I just do, okay?

²Obviously not as long as the Alp d’Huez, but speaking to my dad later it turns out he’d cycled up the same hill before and agreed with me: It’s a bastard.

³I mean centigrade, before you make snide comments . . .

⁴I tried to give the road a hug and a kiss on the way down. It didn’t reciprocate.

⁵It’s okay, though. I’d have had a soft landing in the duckpond if I failed.

⁶You only get a free pint for the cost of entry. Fullers gives you (at least I hope it still does) free reign until kick-out. No prizes for guessing which I prefer.

⁷I’m not a sell out, I just tell it like it is. Honest.

⁸I’ll overlook Mike’s stag weekend in Blackpool. 24 hours of drinking might not count as exercise, but the paintball did. Sort of.

⁹The main thing is that they enjoyed it. But that’s another story.

¹⁰Though compared to the following two days, when we tackle Dartmoor and all the joys of Cornwall, it’s a walk in the park.

¹¹Especially when we are looking over the route and dad points to a bit in South Wales and says ‘I think there are a few miles there that are sort of flat’.

(Written by my brother Alex Parsons... cheers Alex!)

Less than a month to JOGLE!

Oooer you could say! It's actually been rather a long time since my first post here, and considering that we are now in April, marching inexorably towards the start date of this ride it is perhaps time for me to post an update. I know that there are so many eager beavers that are waiting for updates throughout the ride, but you perhaps don't know what has been going on over the last couple of months so here we go... (this might probably be a bit of a big one so please bear with me!)

You would be surprised just how much work goes into something like this, and it has been no easy task to organise. Mum and Dad have done a superb job here. They have spent weeks and weeks planning the routes, organising camp-sites and B&B bookings, writing letters to other friends and local businesses (of which you may notice some posters up around some of the shops in Staines and Egham), arranging fund-raising materials with Parkinson's UK (of which you will see in a bit) and generally organising the whole logistics of the thing, leaving Alex and I to do the hard part and get our heads down and do the training!

So yes the route I hear you ask? Well it's all complete and we have produced these rather nifty route sheets that we can attach to our handlebars so that we never get lost (we hope). The route, and generally itinerary is as follows:

Day 00 Sat 28th April - Transfer via van from Inverness Airport to John O'Groats
Day 01 Sun 29th - John O'Groats to the Crask Inn near Altnaharra, 89.9 miles (a toughie this one takes us across the top of Scotland and then inland to end at one of the most remote pubs in the UK)
Day 02 Mon 30th  - The Crask Inn to Dingwall, 50.1 miles (Mum and Dad stopping at the Dalmore distillery)
Day 03 Tues 1st May - Dingwall to Fort William, 72.3 miles (this ride takes us past Loch Ness, and Mum and Dad past the Glen Ord distillery!)
Day 04 Weds 2nd - Fort William to Luss, 107.1 miles (the longest ride is to get us close to Glasgow giving us a short day to cross the city)
Day 05 Thurs 3rd - Luss to Strathaven, 52.2 miles (most of these miles are actually on cycle paths through Glasgow)
Day 06 Fri 4th - Strathaven to Ecclefechan, 78 miles (good tarts from Ecclefechan apparently!)
Day 07 Sat 5th - Ecclefechan to Kirkby Stephen, 70.1 miles (into England)
Day 08 Sun 6th - Kirkby Stephen to Waddington, 53.8 miles (we should see the Ribblehead Viaduct on route as we pass the Settle to Carlisle railway)
Day 09 Mon 7th - Waddington to Delamere Forest, 72.8 miles
Day 10 Tues 8th - Delamere Forest to Wentnor, 61.7 miles
Day 11 Weds 9th - Wentnor to Monmouth, 68.7 miles (into Wales)
Day 12 Thurs 10th - Monmouth to Bawdrip/Woolavington, 75 miles (this day we have the pleasure of riding alongside the M48 across the Severn Bridge and back into England)
Day 13 Fri 11th - Bawdrip/Woolavington to Crokernwell, 66.1 miles
Day 14 Sat 12th - Crockenwell to Belowda St Austell, 70.3 miles
Day 15 Sun 13th - Belowda St Austell to Lands End, 58.8 miles (apparently we go through a town famous for it's pasties (chance for a break Alex?), and naturally this takes us into the end of our journey at Lands End where a bottle of fine Champagne will be ceremoniously opened. I'm thinking of riding to the finish holding champagne flutes like they do on the final stage of the Tour de France!)
Day 16 Mon 14th - Return home

For those of you have cared to add all that up that's a total mileage of 1046.9 miles that Alex and I have to pedal! Certainly nothing that we will be able to do without considerable help. Fortunately the committee have thought long and hard about the logistics and we are now well prepared. On the fundraising side of things Parkinson's have been very generous is supplying us with a lot of fund-raising packs, donation pots, cycle clothing and t-shirts:

A selection of clothing and some rather splendid donation pots from Parkinson's

Stuart modelling the cycle jersey

It doesn't stop there, you would be surprised how much stuff you need, other than bicycles. Have a look at some other goodies which turned up recently:

Just some cycle stuff

As you can see, spare tyres, plenty of spare inner-tubes and a heck of a lot of energy gels. Those four huge packs still only give Alex and I three each a day. Considering they cost me nearly £80 the had better work! Then there is all the other clothing, some of which we already have, some we have had to buy, such as a decent water-proof for me costing me another £70, which I'm going on 100% chance that I will need. New clear cycle specs, oh and a HD helmet camera which wasn't cheap so I can record snippets of the ride (and hopefully dissuade any car drivers from being stupid).

Then there is all the non cycle related kit too, including a whole host of kit in the van to keep us clean, clothed, fed and entertained. We have a rather impressive stack of Mars and Galaxy milk drinks which we have figured by scientific study and through a strict taste test to be the best recovery drink. Oh yes and all the food too. Mum has been superb in planning all the potential meals to cook for us which will no doubt include lots of carbo-rich foods (I'm guessing a lot of pasta). Ah yes and then there is a rather nifty pop-up tent that will be arriving next week, sleeping bags, plenty of roll-mats to make sure Alex and I are comfy in the tent... need I go on? Oh yes and we haven't bought the booze yet (Majestic Inverness beware some crazy people wielding Parkinson's donation pots on the Saturday).

Oh and yes there are the bikes too:

Old bike

 My old bike now training bike. My colleagues repeatedly think I'm mad that I am on this every morning before work considering our long Majestic days. I figure if I don't train on this on work days it will be the difference in being able to ride from John O'Groats to Lands End, and being able to ride John O'Groats to Lands End (hopefully) with ease.

New bike

And my new bike, my most expensive piece of kit which I bought last year. Just don't ask me how much it cost, for I only had moths left in my wallet for a while afterwards. Being a full carbon frame with carbon fibre components it weighs barely 8kg (the same weight as a half dozen bottles of wine), half that of my mountain bike. We roadies take weight very seriously as the less we have to take up the hills the better!

As you can see there is quite a lot of work that goes into organising something like this, and I haven't got into how the fund-raising is going or how well the training is going. Keep 'em peeled for further updates as there are quite a few tales to tell. :)

Cheers!

P.S. (Comment from Dad about day 14 Crockenwell to Belowda). We thought that the routes were finalised at the end of February. I had spent many hours on the computer route finding and cross referencing with paper maps. It was only when Alex sampled some of the roads, when cycling in Devon near Dartmoor in early April a decision was taken to change the route on Saturday 12th (day 14). The bike ride will no longer be using the small country roads onto the moor from Whiddon Down but riding from Morton Hampstead and turning right to Postbridge, avoiding some rather horrendously muddy roads covered with debris. This added an extra 4 miles which has raised the total to hopefully the maximum of 1046.9 miles.

P.P.S. (Stuart again). As you can see that planning the route has been a colossal task, using Dad's knowledge of previous rides, paper maps, google maps and use of google streetview to formulate the route sheets, but even with all this planning you can never quite appreciate how good these are until we are actually there cycling.

Finally into April with a new target!

In such a short space of time having raised the target to £4000 I have had to raise it again to £5000! With so many donations still likely to come I feel this will be an easy target to beat. Many thanks all who have donated by JustGiving, but for those who have donated offline thanks go to:

Mr & Mrs Harrison - £20 (Majestic customers)
Mr & Mrs Way - £30 (Majestic customers)
Blaser Mills Solicitors - £300
Lindsey Cordwell (Pam's friend) - £50
Laura (Alison's hairdresser) - £5
Dennis (at the Thames Club) - £10
Dave & Mary Green - £100 "Good luck Alex & Stuart"
Ed & Pat Thuysbaert - £20 "Hope to see you at Cheddar!"
Lorraine (c/o grandparents) - £5
John & Jean (c/o grandparents) - £10
Meril (c/o grandparents) - £10 "Good luck with your marathon ride"

Cheers!

P.S. I am working on a rather substantial update with regards to where we stand going into the final months planning and training which should be up over the next couple of days. Hope you like it! :)