Lands End 2 John O'Groats and John O'Groats 2 Lands End: 03/08/13

What's it all about?

At the end of September 2012 I completed a cycle from Portsmouth 2 Penzance a total of 273 miles! raising money for Children In Need is the Plan. This was also be a personal challenge for me as I haven't been cycling in over 25 years and that was only for fun nothing serious. On top of that have a prolapsed disc, was 46 years old and at the start of 2012 a bit over weight, well lot over weight really, since then I've lost nearly 3 stone! So I opted to do the big one, John O'Groats 2 Lands End on May 6th 2013. The End 2 End or P2P (point to point, as it's sometimes called ) around 1000 miles! This time I had company, Colin, a friend from work, who has said he is as mad as I am and would like to come! This blog contains that story....This event is in memory of the sad passing of my mum on 17th of April this year having lost her fight with terminal Bowel Cancer.

I guess you'd call it the sequel, I have decided it would be just rude not to go back the other way!!! so May 2015, with a new friend, Pete and with Dave driving a support vehicle ( luxury) we plan the classic Lands End to John O'Groats, also known as LEJOG. Mad ? yes I think we must be.

Set off in the rain today and it didn't let up all the way round! My wet weather gear lasted about 2 hrs before they started letting stuff through, mind you on some of the roads it was more like cycling in a river!

Then with about 27 miles left to do there was a loud twang from the rear. I pulled up smartish to discover I'd lost a spoke. Well it had snapped and was now fouling the gears. On top of that the wheel was obviously buckled and I had disconnect the rear brake to continue.I had to wrap the broken spoke around a nearby one to stop it rattling about and catching gears etc and then limped the last 27miles home! The wet descents were bad enough with both brakes working, now they were terrifying with only the front one! It was not my touring wheels I had on at the time, I had changed over to the original wheels a few days ago when we had Spring!( well I least i thought it was, 2 day of warmish weather seems to count as a season these days) and forgot this morning to swap them back. Still I made it back safely and in not to bad a time, they say every cloud has a silver linning.... would me nice to be cycling without any clouds for a change, whether silver lined or not.

Lands End 2 John O'Groats and John O'Groats 2 Lands End

What's it all about?

Me, Colin, Pete and Dave ( Team Jogle4bc )

60 wet wet miles....