Lejog 2012, The Aftermath

Finally back home after a week on the road, this is a brief overview of what took place during this years LeJoG ride

Last Saturday Terry, Simon and myself left lands end for the 230 km ride to Tivton.  Uknfortunatelywe had a bit of a head wind and the excitement meant that I think we set off a bit too hard.  Jenny and Shonagh were with us at the start and met Steve Scott who, I guess, set off not too far behind us.  The A30 route serves a purpose but is not the most inspiring ride, especially with all of the reflective markers just in the hard shoulder area, the number of those that we rode ov must have been in the hundreds.  We were to meet Andy Jones at Exeter but with the wind and rain we ended up being way behind schedule, eventually we arrived at the hotel around 9pm soaked to the skin

Day 2, we left Tiverton and I decided I needed ibuprofen for my knee, I try not to take anything but I could see where this one was going.  As we were leaving Weston Supermare we stopped for lunch with the ladies, Terry and Simons wives were with us as well as Jenny and Shonagh, and I decided that I would call it a day or I would just be delaying the inevitable retirement.  Shonagh and I stayed with the riders for the rest of the day and kept pilling clothes on Simon as it got colder and wetter riding into the increasing headwind, eventually arriving late again

Day 3, Worcester to Preston. My knee felt a bit better so I hoped on the bike and did 80k with them at the front, doing my best to keep them out of the wind, by now they were both feeling the relentlessness of the challenge.  Simpn used to be a club racer and on the first day did the longest ride of his life, closely followed by the second longest the next day so things were getting tough.  I could feel my knee again so jumped in the car and again stayed with them while the van went on to check in to the hotel

Day 4 saw the cross over into Scotland, again I rode with them for the first bit then hoped into the van, the guys were really suffering on this section as this included the biggest climb of Shap which I did from inside the van.  After Penrith I got back. On the bike to help them, the rain had started again so it was a miserable ride for them with aching legs, no zip and soaking wet bodies, eventually we got to Lockerbie and just laughed at the state of ourselves

Day 5 would take in the wonderful sights of Glasgow.  The rain was obviously still with us so I stayed in the van.  We watched them ride for about 10 miles and then went ahead to get more wet weather clothes for them, but now my kit was being shared out between them tho try and keep them warm enough.  Eventually in Glasgow we found a superb little lbs run be a very enthusiastic young chap who got the guys kitted out properly.  I rode the last 80 or so with them out of Glasgow and along Lock Lomond.  Unfortunately it was just before the Loch that Simon had an exact repeat of my rear wheel and deraileur issue with his 1980 pinarello frame.  Somehow he managed to repai it with a set of mole grips and 2 alen keys but his bike wasn't happy.

Day 6, the day I had been waiting for, this is the best scenery in the whole of Britain and the sun came out for us.  I rode from the start up to Fort William, say up at the front and pedalled all the way down the long hill into Glencoe so Terry and Simon didn't have to brake, we made good time and their bodies were adjusting to what was being asked of them.  We went slightly ahead to check out the route and found the cost of knocking 20km off the distance was a 15 percent hill for 3/4 mile, we went down the hill to meet them at the bottom and try to set their expectations and to their credit they took it quite well.  I told Simon part way up that he still had gears left (he was on Terry's old, spare bike by now) and the usually mild manner chap dropped an 'f' bomb and told me he would stuff the bike in my mouth if I told him how to ride a hill, that was quite funny.  By this point we knew that the weather tomorrow was going to be a headwind and very wet so it was decided that instead of riding to the hotel they would push on and take some of tomorrow's miles in, the managed an extra 20k which put them over the 200k for about the 4th time.  I dragged them along into the headwind for the last section and also picked a guy up on the train that had ridden unsupported from London in 6 days

Day 7. We bid them a fond farewell and left them riding into a brutal headwind along the Cromarty Firth as we went to pick the hire car up so we could drive home the next day, we were probably away for over 2 hours and they covered 26 miles and had one puncture.  As soon as we got back to them I got my bike going and did my wind blocking job.  I stayed there until Helmsdale and got back in the van rather than waste strength getting up a hill that I would give no benefit on.  By now it was freezing, raining and windy, the mist had set in on the tops of the climbs and it was just miserable.  A cup of tea in the van gave them a bit of warmth and they set off again.  A few miles further and we stopped to wait for them, when Simon turned up he was grey and shaking.  I got back out the van so I could sit on the front and give them a steady rhythm to work with and that seemed to help.  It was just drudgery for the last 80k, and that was for me, I hated to think how they were feeling but I think having some one taking the wind gave them a psychological boost.  Eventually we hit John O'Groats, the relief was etched on their face sit had been a very hard ride all the way ough with just on day when it didn't rain.  On thing that annoyed me was that they had taken the signpost from the finish so that on one could take a photo without paying, that was just tight

Anyway to round up this run through, I would say that the guys did incredibly well to get through all of this considering the weather, their legs and bums were sore, along with their shoulders and everything else.  The was one puncture, Terry said he did 50,000 calories according to his garmin.  Getting home in the hire car only took 11 hours and about 100 quids worth of fuel and I got a load of training and a not too sore knee ready for the Vatternrundan next week

If you think you have what it takes to get through this then just add your name to the LeJoG 2013 post, bythe end of the second or third day it's like doing a marmotte or a dragon ride every day, a challenge worthy of bagging