Winning ways

.

Friday 8th July Killarney to Mizen Head 67 miles

Today both Ireland and France have witnessed GB cyclists achieving their expressed goals. TV sets all round the world were focussed on Chateauroux in central France at around 16.00 hrs to see Mark Cavendish notch up his 17th stage victory and thereby place himself 8th in the all time list of Tour stage winners at the tender age of 24.

Meanwhile, in the southern-most reaches of the Emerald Isle, (and I am speculating here because I haven't yet heard from the Team) the more senior Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Team were arriving at a more sedate pace in Mizen Head in County Cork to complete a ride that has taken them the full length of both the British and Irish mainlands. They still have to ride to Cork, catch the overnight ferry to Swansea and then ride to London but that I see as riding home: for me the spiritual end of their Tour is the lighthouse at Mizen.

Back to France.... Just before Mark Cavendish gave the rest of the competition a master class in sprinting, Bradley Wiggins (another Brit and an outsider for the final podium), crashed and broke his collar bone bringing his Tour to a disappointing and abrupt end – what a daft thing to do (says the man with his arm in a sling) !

Post Script: David has now been in touch and confirmed my speculations. He also reports that the day travelling south from Killarney saw a distinct change from the monotony that had been creeping in as the team poceeded down through the centre of Ireland. Today took them through and over mountains that were soft on both eye and thigh and afforded the team panoramic views of the broken, fjord-like Atlantic coastline and the highest mountains to be found in the land. The lads were treated to probably the best the country had to offer on this their final stage of the double end-to-end.

If the geography and weather for much of the ride through Ireland has been a source of disenchantment, the warm reception the Team has received nearly everywhere they have been in the Republic has more than compensated. The Team has enjoyed an enthusiastic welcome from sympathetic folk who, true to their national character, have been generous with their hospitality and have reminded the Team that they are doing something worthwhile. The Irish have recognised and responded positively to the Challenge Team's purpose: riding the Challenge with Parkinson's to prove eloquently that as unpleasant and onerous as this disease is it need not be a handicap to physical achievement and that, to coin a phrase, we can beat it!

Just another day at the office

It's been a couple of days since I last posted about the Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge. The reasons for this literary lapse are numerous: since my last piece of balletic creative dismounting from the bike, which for those who don't know has left me with a broken collar bone (ouch!), I am having trouble using the computer with just my left hand. Reports from the front have been patchy too as my correspondent's (Team Leader David Greaves) dongle doesn't appear to function in Ireland (must be the moist atmosphere), eliminating our primary means of communication. Apologies therefore to those of you who have been checking the blog for updates. Happily, yesterday evening David and I were able to catch up via Skype again after a gap of 2 or 3 days.

Monday 4th July Malin to Enniskillen - 84 miles

Tuesday 5th July Enniskillen to Athlone - 73 miles and

Wednesday 6th July Athlone to Limerick - 72 miles

The summery weather of last week has now burnt itself out and the Team have been having to don their rainproofs again for most of the last three days. The route down through Ireland has so far proven to be geographically unremarkable and scenically fairly mundane. Moreover, the lads have been riding consistently into a stiff breeze, all of which has taken the gloss off things a little. Most of the time the Team have been following main roads that have been straight and heavy with traffic although, on the plus side, they have provided wide margins, which has afforded the lads some sense of security. So if up till Monday each new day had started with a sense of excitement and anticipation the last three have been more a case of "here we go again, another day at the office". To some extent this really has been true as whilst the bike riding has been uninspirational these last few days, the Team have been busy on the PR front and have been able to take advantage of a number of good publicity opportunities and in liaison with local Parkinson's groups have been taking part in receptions, interviews with local radio and press, etc. There will no doubt be a full report on these from David shortly.

The 4 remaining members of the Team are all getting fitter by the day. Mark in particular is a new man and is now holding his own with the others. What a difference a week makes! I am looking forward to hearing his slant on this dramatic transformation ; inspirational indeed.

Today the lads are riding 63 miles (no doubt wet ones) from Limerick to Killarney. Scope here for a bit of nonsense verse maybe? Contributions welcomed to be sure.

And so to Ireland

Sunday 3rd July 2011
Day 19
The Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge
Campbelltown to Balleycastle by boat

and then on to Malin Head by bike
60 miles cycling

As cycling fans everywhere will surely know, this weekend saw le Tour de France make its annual Grand départ; further north meanwhile another long distance cycle tour has reached its symbolic half way mark with a transition stage that has taken the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Team across the water, away from mainland Britain to Ireland.

Sunday 3rd July: the quartet of master pedallers still riding the Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge caught the lunchtime ferry from Campbelltown on the Mull of Kintyre and by 1.30pm had embarked onto Irish soil at Ballycastle having experienced a very speedy and exhilarating ride on the Kintyre Express. No ordinary ferry this, rather a giant speed boat that regularly reaches speeds of 60mph. Fortunately the water was by and large calm.

A new Support Crew were already waiting in Irleand to meet the Team. Anne and Stuart were at the quayside to greet the boys and help them get sorted. This was not a rest day! There were still 60 miles to ride to Malin and the afternoon was disappearing fast. Happily, the weather was perfect and the scenery beautiful. Beautiful countryside alone, however, can not sustain the hungry cyclist for long so before setting off there was still a small matter of lunch, which was also a chance to get up to speed with Anne and Stuart. The meal break over, it was well into the afternoon before the lads hit the road.

The route up to Malin includes a second, more conventional ferry ride across Lough Foyle into Eire. As the Team disembarked at Magilligan they became entangled in first real traffic jam of the whole, by now nearly 3 week trip as the vehicles coming off the ferry encountered the crowds attending a grave-blessing ceremony at a nearby cemetery: a piece of local culture the Challenge Team could have done without, just at that moment at least as the evening was drawing in. As it was, the Team arrived in Malin at around 9.30pm which, if Scotland was anything to go by, didn't augur well for their getting a proper meal any where. However, a call ahead to the digs and a further call from the landlady to a local hotel led to a sympathetic chef keeping his kitchen open to meet the demands of our weary and by now famished travellers. The Team's luck was in: the late night, after-hours catering was no mean affair - the chef turned out to be a former chef at the Houses of Parliament and sometime personal cook to Margaret Thatcher. What he served up has still to be determined – cabinet pudding, perhaps, or Eton mess? A question I shall be tabling to David when he next reports in via Skype with news of today's ride from Malin Head to Enniskillen.

Ring of bright water

Saturday 2nd July 2011
Day 18
The Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge
Lochgilphead to Campbelltown
50 miles

Yesterday, the 4 remaining Challenge Team riders (Team Leader David Greaves, fellow Parkinsonians Mark Vallance and Neil Manning, and friend and teammate Nigel McVean) successfully completed the Scottish leg of the Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Odyssey with a relatively short, 50 mile ride from Lochgilphead to Campbelltown where the Team was staying before catching the ferrry to Northern Ireland. Having ridden over 100 miles the day before and with several near century rides already in the bag since leaving Cornwall over 2 weeks' ago, a short, "leisurely", incident-free ride in good weather was a rare opportunity to savour the beauty of the Scottish west coast; with sightings of otters and seals in the lochs. It was a real treat redolent of Gavin Maxwell's classic story told in his book "Ring of Bright Water"! The only interruptions to the relaxed pedalling were the photoshoots. David will no doubt be posting some of the pictures in his journal at the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge website. As pictures in this instance can surely speak louder than words I'll leave David's Picture Post to do the talking. I shall finish this report with mention of the indispensible Support S@uad. There's Viv, who has been following the Team up hill and down dale since the start of the ride in Cornwall and Liz and Geoff who, from Ripon, took over from Jean the dispensing of refreshments and words of encouragement from their camper van, which has fondly become known as The Challenge Arms. After Viv yesterday, Liz and Geoff complete their mission and say farewell to the Team today when they see them on to the ferry. The Team will have a new Support Crew in Ireland where friends Anne and Stuart are already waiting to support the lads with more tea and encouragement as they take to the road again, making initially for the most northerly point, Malin Head, for this evening's overnight stop and then setting off down towards Mizen Head in the far south tomorrow. David should be reporting in later on today. Let's hope the crossing is calm and the riding as good as it was yesterday. My disapppointment and envy remains undiminished; much like the pain in my uppper arm and chest. But, hey, I can at least watch "le Tour" live every day.

All Blissfully Quiet on the Western Coast

Friday 1st July 2011
Day 17
The Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge
Invergary to Lochgilphead
103 miles

With all Scots late yesterday afternoon ensconced in front of their television sets watching their bairn put up a valiant fight against the still invincible and ever charming muchacho from Spain, the roads down through the Highlands and along the Firth of Lorn to Lochgilphead on the west coast of Scotland must have been empty; well, almost! 4 lone cyclists continue to keep the faith, riding the Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge, which yesterday took the riders over 100 miles. If it was the Team's longest stage yet, it also sounds, from David's latest Skype report, that it could be a contender for the title of the most glorious.

After the events and rigours of the previous two days, all was blissfully quiet and tranquil in Invergary when the Challenge Team awoke; all the signs were for a bright day ahead. And so it proved to be: a blessing given the number of miles on the programme. Once again Mark set off early to get ahead. Given the different strengths of the Team, this strategy had already proven to be a good one on the stage into John O'Groats but despite this, by the afternoon and with the day pressing on, there were still 50 odd miles to ride. Inspired perhaps by the wonderful scenery of the Scottish west coast and the good weather, the lads found the impetus to raise their game and put in something of a Team time trial, racing into Lochgilphead, where they checked into their accommodation at 7:30 in the evening. It had been a truly wonderful day!

The boys had a wonderful day on their bikes.

A full and exhilarating day of cycling, but for David, as usual, the day was not over yet. Every evening, no matter how vigorous the riding has been, the Team Leader still finds the energy to keep his journal up-to-date on the The Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Website. The PR is important work as the Team's primary aim is to raise funds for Parkinson's and to increase awareness of the disease and the search for a cure. So it was that yesterday David interrupted his ride to contact the local media, which was very interested to hear the Team's story. So, by the end of the day, as well as clocking another century on the bike, David had also been interviewed by a local newspaper and two local radio stations: Nevis FM broadcast a 5 minute long live interview to listeners in the Fort William area, whilst a second station going out from Oban recorded an interview, which was then scheduled for a double airing last night and again this morning. There will be more radio interviews later today when the team arrive in Campbelltown after a lazy 50 mile ride.

Reports of such powerful pedalling and majestic scenery with lochs, moutains and castles just make me more envious that I am no longer riding The Challenge even if I still have a small roll as the virtual roving reporter at the end of a Skype line relaying the news. I feel like the man from L'Equipe faithfully following The Tour, which of course starts today. So it will be my turn to get comfy in front of the box, only I'll be watching the cycling and not the tennis. I guess if it's only very small compensation for missing out on my own tour, it will serve as a distraction from the disappointment of crashing out. The good news is, whilst there is a lot of pain, the doctor at the fracture clinic in my local hospital yesterday assured me that my broken collar bone is already starting to heal; the quicker the better, I say.

David and Viv report via Skype.
Don't forget to check the Team Leader's journal by clicking here:

http://pedalforparkinsons.co.uk/log.aspx

The Best Laid Plans

Thursday 30th June 2011
Day 15
The Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge
Dornoch to Invergary
78 miles

A day is a long time on a cycle tour! How much can change in the space of a few hours. Just 48 hours' ago I was enjoying (despite the predominantly foul weather) rediscovering some real fitness again after two weeks riding with the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Team. It was too good to last and after bagging John O'Groats for a second time, reaching Dunnet Head and completing the first phase of the Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge, my luck ran out and a bad crash, resulting in a broken collar bone, brought my personal Challenge to an abrupt and painful end, leaving all my sporting aspirations for the summer in a messy heap on the roadside near Loch Fleet in Scotland. Now, after flying home yesterday from Inverness to Gatwick, I'm following the Team as it continues its ride south-westwards towards the Mull of Kintyre and beyond into Ireland. A strip of broken tarmac and proud road markings have conspired to relegate me to a virtual and distant participation as I follow the Team from my desk at home. This was defintitely not in the plans! The best laid plans can go astray, it's true, and if my accident has served as a hard reminder of this adage so too did events yesterday conspire to take the Team off course, resulting in a very long, unscheduled ride.

At the end of another eventful day, the Team and I exchanged news using Skype. There was plenty to discuss:

After leaving me in the safe hands of Geoff and Liz, whose caravan was now serving as an ambulance and airport shuttle, the Team set off for a day's riding in what promised to be pleasant weather, which only added to my regret at not being with them. The original route scheduled 78 miles but the lads reckoned that they could cut that shorter (and after riding over 800 miles already, why not?) by taking the ferry across the Firth of Cromarty to Black Isle. Looking back, the change of route was a bad decision. The day's ride quicky turned into a nightmare of minor roads that had to be navigated on the hoof, so to speak. Time was also lost when a repaired puncture escalated in to a piece of pure theatre with a complete blow-out of both tyre and tube, the latter being of the self-repairing type, i.e. filled with green gunge instead of pressurized air: the tyre hadn't been seated in properly before being reinflated, creating a hernia which exploded, plastering Nigel and David, in true comic farce, in green snot. (Let that be a lesson to those that think that I am such an old tart when effecting repairs and doing bike maintenance.) Anyway, to cut a long story short, by 4pm the Team were still on the road and had what must have been a dispiriting 50 miles to ride; it was 8:30pm when the Team finally checked into its accommodation for the night in Invergary. It was the end of what must have been, by all accounts, a tough old day.

In my absence, the Team have been practicing their bike maintenance, employing some unconventional methods.
Click on the photo to see a larger view of this inventive chap inflating his tyre with bellows. Hannah found this pickie at

http://www.bikeforums.net

a wonderful repository of old cycling pictures.

A long day for The Team but, as Bernard Hinault so often reminds us, "Le Tour n'est pas encore fini", which roughly translates as "it ain't over 'til it's over!"

The Challenge presses on. Today the riders have over a 100 miles to cover from Invergary to Lochgilphead. I can't be there but I am with the Team constantly in spirit and look forward to hearing all the news again later, perhaps much later, this evening, which I shall endeavour to relay here. So, keep tuning in...

Chute! Chute!

Wednesday 29th June 2011
Day 14
The Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge
Dunnet Head / Thurso to Dornoch
69 miles
Posted by the Secret Secretary

Every cycle tour offers scope for a few tumbles and spills. "Chute! Chute!", "Crash! Crash!", is a familiar cry from the commentators on the Tour de France. So it didn't come as too much of a surprise when Les 'phoned home earlier than usual yesterday afternoon with bad news: he's had a fall, one that has resulted in the classic cyling injury, a broken collar bone. Ouch! The bike was undamaged. Not even a scratch, but Les is out of the Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge; he's flying home from Inverness today (Thursday 30th June) and won't be on his bike again for a few weeks at least. It's very disappointing news as he has been enjoying finding some form again on the bike. Les takes over yesterday's story:

"It was overcast and grey when we left Thurso; ominous early signs maybe. The grey soon turned into hard rain and before long we were all decked out in our wet weather gear. It was now bucketing down, occasionally with stinging hail. Fortunately the rain eased but it was still dull. Before levaving Thurso the Team had decided that everyone should ride at their own pace. Nigel and I set off together, got into a groove and were banging along quite nicely back down the same coastal road that we had ridden the day before. The North Sea was now on our left. On a good day, the coastal scenery is a real treat but yesterday we were just focussed on our lunchtime rendez-vous with Liz and Geoff at the 'Challenge Arms', now at Loch Fleet (where we had seen the Osprey). Needless to say we missed lunch! We were bowling along at 25 mph when I hit a rough patch and the wet white line on the inside of the road and... down I went. Ouf! That hurt. No damage to the bike but I'd hit the deck hard. Happily I was wearing my helmet (as I always do). Nigel was with me and was able to 'phone Viv who in turn phoned Liz and Geoff. The message was quickly relayed and pretty soon Liz and Geoff were there in their caravan (the afore mentioned hostelry), having packed up and abandoned the Team's lunch. I was then ferried to a nearby cottage hospital where I was strapped up and dispatched with strong painkillers and declared 'hors de combat' for cycling, for the immediate future at least. It's very disappointing. I've been riding so well and can't now complete The Challenge, even if I have completed another Land's End to John O'Groats. And we were so near to our destination for the day, less than 10 miles away from our digs for the night in Dornoch. We should have had an early finish after lunch. As it was, everyone's day was thrown into chaos all because of a moment's misfortune. I'm now booked onto a flight back to London Gatwick from Inverness. Hey ho!"

Les and Nigel
"got into a groove and were banging along quite nicely".

So Les crashes out of the Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge but the Team rides on. They are now down to 4 as yesterday morning Chris also bade farewell and, as was always planned, caught the train, with his bike, back to Ripon, LeJog in the bag. Team Leader David and his remaining riders, Mark, Neal and Nigel carry on with their route south and west towards Cambletown and then, after a ferry ride across the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland, down through Ireland before returning to mainland Britain and heading east again back to London. But even if he is now grounded and for the time being recovering at home, Les will be following the Team's progress very closely via the Internet and the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge website.

Click here to go directly to the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Website and follow the Team's progress.

And don't forget to tune into The Wobbly Weasel for more follow-up reports, albeit from a distant perspective!

Been there, done that!

Tuesday 28th June 2011
Day 13 or, if you are superstitious, Day 12b
or maybe even Day 14*
The Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge
Helmsdale to Dunnet Head
80 miles
Posted by the Secret Secretary

Only the Brave !

Dunnet Head: a cheerful tombstone (!) welcomes travellers daring to venture this far north.

*Day 13, 12b or 14?
If you include last Friday's (24th June) rest day in Stirling, it was (yesterday) 14 days since the Pedal for Parkinson's Team embarked on its Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge, making Tuesday 28th June Day 13 of cycling or, for the superstitious amongst us, Day 12b. However you count it, yesterday saw the Team complete the first of its geographic targets: having left Lizard Point in Cornwall, the most southerly point of mainland Britain, the riders were now at Dunnet Head, the most northerly point of the mainland. From Helmsdale, where the Team started this final ride of the first leg of its Odyssey yesterday morning (and according to the Roadbook) this meant a 64 mile ride. 64 miles plus a few bonus miles to take in John O'Groats, presumably because it's there.

Land's End to John O'Groats is of course a classic long distance ride for British cyclists at least. Les, Neil, Dave and Nigel have already ridden the course, again to raise money for Parkinson's but the route is new for Mark and Chris. For this reason, the Team did a prologue stage from Land's End to Lizard Point at the beginning of this year's Tour so that yesterday, by making the detour to John O'Groats, everyone could say that he has ridden LeJog!

Look John O'Groat's up on the Internet and you might come across Clement Panhard on the Web**, as its name suggests: a website dedicated to the Clement Panhard, "a veteran car beyond its time". The website tells us that: "in July 1901 John Stirling of Stirling's Motor Carriages drove a Clement Panhard from John O'Groats to Land's End in 59 hours and 15 minutes to prove the motor car's resilience. [...] Today the route between the two ends of Britain covers 850 miles and would take approximately 16 hours, back in 1901 it took a little longer." Travel in the other direction on bike and it takes a little longer still but the mission is almost the same - to prove the rider's resilience, particularly in the case of the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Team and the 4 riders who have Parkinson's: Team Leader Dave, master mountaineer Mark, veteran LeJogger Neil and... Les, who have been joined on this year's adventure by friends Nigel and Chris on their bikes and, in the support vehicles, (at various times) Jean, Viv, Liz and Geoff (and later) Stuart and Ann.

The Parkinson's is of course manageable to a degree through careful medication. Yesterday Les, maybe because of the Midnight Sun, was late with his first morning dose of anti-wobble pills and consequently had to wait behind at the hostel in Helmsdale for his legs to switch on before taking to the road on his bike. As Les has been proving himself to be the closet speed merchant in the Team, this was an opportunity for everyone else to get a head start at a more civilised pace. Les would catch them up, for sure...

Speedy Gonzales takes over the story: "Yesterday was a good day, clear blue skies and mild. With the detour to John O'Groats there were 80 miles to ride, all the way on the spectacular A9. Despite the fine weather at the start of the day, it had clouded over by the time we approached John O'Groats; the overcast weather only added to the village's usual dreich*** demeanour. It got very cold as we flaffed around for the commemorative team photos - part of the ritual of the LeJog experience. Then later, as we approached Dunnet Head the clouds parted to let the sunshine break through and it warmed up appreciably making a sunny backdrop for more team photos near the lighthouse before we then made our way to our digs in Thurso. Stage one of our mission accomplished."

(Above) Driving from John O'Groats to Lands End in
a Clement Panhard: a demonstration of resilience!**
Yesterday in grey, cloudy weather,
John O'Groats no doubt looked as dreich as it did in 1901.

So, having achieved the first target of this Double End-to-End ride, the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Team can now say "Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt." Only, if they did get the proverbial tee-shirt modesty dictates that they don't flaunt it. Take a look at the Team Photo, taken supposedly for posterity at Dunnet Head and now on ostentatious display on the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Website (contain yourself, it's just a click away - follow the link immediately below). Fathers with daughters, be afraid, be very afraid! Oh Lord! Talk about posing.

Click here to see the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Team photo at Dunnet Head (there is probably a law against this):

Cyclists Come Wannabe Rock Stars

**Clement Panhard on the Web

The Clement Panhard

***Dreich - chiefly Scottish, almost onomatopoeic word meaning "dreary."

Where Eagles Dare

Monday 27th June 2011
Day 12
The Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge
Inverness to Helmsdale
59 miles scheduled, 69 miles on the clock

Posted by the Secret Secretary

Click on the map to view a larger image in a new window.
Or click here to see the interactive maps at
the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge website:
The Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Route and Maps

The 12th day of the Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Challenge took the Team on a pleasantly undulating, coastal ride north of Inverness to Helmsdale, from where Les texted a report early this morning whilst standing outside the hostel where the Team has just spent the night; standing outside, contemplating life, the universe and just the occasional Eddie Stobart truck trundle past, maybe coming back from the ferry port at Thurso with a charge of Orkney Highland Park whisky.

Les reports:

"Monday 27th June, 09h15: an early start under cloudy skies, we set off north out of Inverness across the Kessock Bridge on the A9; we would be following the NE coastline the whole way. The North Sea on our right, it would be a straightforward route. Unlike further south, where even in Ripon was hot and sticky, we heard, it was chilly - about 10°C max. It did however gradually brighten to give us a few sunny intervals but we kept our arm warmers and wind jackets firmly on.

Lunch was a picnic at the Loch Fleet nature reserve*, where we were privileged to witness close-up an Osprey defending its nest from a flock of gulls. The reserve is near Tain and the Glenmorangie Distillery and any wobbles yesterday can definitely be attributed to the intoxicating smell in the air of fermenting barley and peaty water!

We finished the day with something of a flurry: a gallop over the final, relatively flat, dozen or so miles, much of which we rode at 20mph, which pushed our average for the day over a very respectable 14mph. Ever the showman, I finished the ride with another of my flamboyant dismounts (just the one, no need to exaggerate) right outside the Helmsdale hostel** where we were staying the night. The hostel is well-maintained and comfortable with just the one inconvenience - just one convenience to share between the 7 of us (the 6 Riders and Viv in the support car - Liz and Geoff have been opting for the home comforts of their caravan) plus one other. Just one shower and a toilet between 8: yet another Challenge for the team to surmount!

And finally, I even have news to report on the Pudding Front! Supper last night was at the Bannockburn Inn*** in Helmsdale. Run by a landlord originally from Plumstead (a South Londoner like me), the pub serves very good home cooked food, including a selection of STICKY PUDS (so many puddings, so little time).

Back at the hostel dormitory, it was lights out (for me at least) before 22h30 but I was awake again by 04h30 - to bed and awake again in full daylight - we're in the land of the Midnight Sun. The morning has dawned mild and sunny, could the final stage of the first leg of our two-wheeled Odyssey be our first cycling day of fine, warm weather? I say 'cycling day' because predictably our day-off in Inverness was dry and sunny! Today we are riding to Dunnet Head / Thurso, the most northerly point of mainland Britain. We may however make a detour to John O'Groats so that Chris too can say he's a fully paid-up member of the LeJog club (he warmed up for the first day of our Tour by riding from Land's End to Lizard Point - nearly a fortnight ago!)."

So today, Tuesday 28th June, the Team completes the first phase of its Double End-to-End Challenge with a 65 mile ride to Dunnet Head (and for some, a detour to John O'Groats) on the north coast of Scotland. Any further and they'll topple off the edge!

*To find out more about the Loch Fleet nature reserve, click here:

http://www.nnr-scotland.org.uk/loch-fleet/

**The Helmsdale Hostel. Click here for more information:

http://www.helmsdalehostel.co.uk/

***There's more information about the Bannockburn Inn at:

Helmsdale.org

A Revel in the Rain

Sunday 26th June 2011
Day 11
The Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge
Blair Athol near Pitagowen (Perth and Kinross) to Inverness
80+ miles

Click on the map to view a larger image of yesterday's route.*

Posted by the Secret Secretary

Whilst the Glastonbury revellers were yesterday donning their flowery wellies to dance to the dulcet tones of Beyonce in deep mud that, after the torrential rains of Friday, had now, in the very warm summer temperatures of England's mini heatwave, turned to a chocolaty goo, the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Team were making their soggy way northwards through yet more heavy rain across the Cairngorms, from Blair Athol near Pitagowen to Inverness.

The riders were able to make an early start for the 11th stage of the Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge: an early start in cool, drizzly weather. The drizzle gradually turned into rain that then got heavier and heavier until it was, as Les reports, "bucketing down". At least if the weather was testing the route was fairly straightforward following the Sustrans Route** along the A9. There were no opportunities to get lost, it was one straight road all the way, up over the Cairngorms, but at times the Sustrans Route was bordering on the 'all terrain' category as it followed its path along the old road and through the bottom of a disused quarry where the road surface was a mixture of hard dirt or tarmac covered in sand, all of which was now turning into Glastonbury goo in the wet weather. It was a wet, dirty ride and Les for one was at times chilled to the core with cold. He has of course experienced difficult conditions like this before when he rode the LEJOG with the Old Portlians' Cycle club in 2008***. The route the riders took three years' ago over the Cairngorms some how managed to take in Glen Shee and was much bumpier than yesterday's course, which offered a much softer approach to Inverness, even if the weather was as grim as it could be. Curiously enough, even with just the A9 to follow, the Roadbook still underestimated the mileage for the day, which grew from an anticipated 80 to 90 miles at the finish early in the evening when the Team checked into their lodgings in an Inverness boarding house with polka dot (almost) wallpaper (for its two wheeled climbers maybe?). Another long, wet ride but the Team still have a full complement of 6. "Everyone is riding well, especially Nigel who is in contention for the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey". Just as well given that there has been plenty of climbing on this Tour.

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Les on Skype
Les looking very clean and dry after yesterday's cold,
soggy revel in the rain and mud
across the heights of the Cairngorms.

Today, Day 12 of the Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge continues north into "the badlands" across the wild, bleak landscape of the Sutherland moors to Helmsdale. The ride shouldn't be as hilly as the Cairngorms and according to the Roadbook it should be a little shorter at just under 60 miles. With a bit of luck, there may even be a little less rain.

***

* The Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Website includes a tracking page and interactive maps to help supporters follow the Team. Click on the link here to go straight to the website:

http://pedalforparkinsons.co.uk/maps.aspx

** To find out more about Sustrans, click here:

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/

*You can read about Les' 2008 ride from Land's End to John O'Groats with the Old Portlians in his book "From Wits' End to John O'Groats." Proceeds from the sale of this book go to The Cure Parkinson's Trust. There's more about the book in the right hand column or click here:

http://theweaselonwheels.blogspot.com/p/from-wits-end-to-john-ogroats.html

Fodder for the Mountains

Saturday 25th June 2011
Day 10
The Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge
Stirling to Pitagowen (Perth and Kinross)
65, correction, 80 miles

Posted by the Secret Secretary

As reported yesterday, Friday 24th June was a rest day for the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Team. After a full week's riding (all too often in the rain), the day off in Stirling was a welcome and much needed opportunity to catch up with bike maintenance and the laundry. Even the sun came out for the occasion! Happily, in addition to the chores and bike fettling, there was also time for a therapeutic sports massage from local masseur Angus Robertson* who was ready to lend his healing hands, to help set the lads up for their next day's riding, and the day's riding after that, and again after that...

Needless to say, if the rest day in Stirling was gloriously sunny, the 10th stage of the Pedal for Parkinson's Cycle Challenge started under (in Les' words) "leaden skies and in drizzle" and... slightly later than usual. There was of course good reason for this delayed start: before hitting the road, the Team were again pleased to see off the local riders taking part in the second of this year's three Parkinson's UK Fun Rides**, which it is hoped will become an annual fund-raising fixture on the cycling calendar. The Fun Rides have been organised to coincide with the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge route. So last Sunday (19th June) the Team were able to see the start of the first Fun Ride in Stratford whilst yesterday the second Fun Ride took place on a circuit setting out from Stirling and the third Fun Ride is scheduled to take place in Swansea on 17th July. Although the Team will have finished their own Challenge by then, they expect to be in Wales for the event.

The Fun Riders on their way, the 6 Challenge Riders left Stirling at 10h30. According to the Roadbook, there were 65 miles to cover but the planned route north out of Stirling on the A9 soon became very tedious and it was decided to revise the route in favour of much quieter roads. It was a good decision: even the weather brightened and, as Les says, the Team soon found itself "enjoying the best day yet in every respect". The kinder weather provided a welcome opportunity to take in some beautiful highland scenery: rivers, lochs and pine forests. So if the hills were indeed long and testing, the views offered ample reward and a fine backdrop for a picnic lunch. As it happens, the Team stopped for lunch at The Challenge Arms, a very welcoming hostelry run by Liz and Geoff who are following the riders in their mobile home from where yesterday they were serving refreshments on the A833 near Armulee.

***Yesterday's roadside lunch stop was on the A833 near Armulee,
where Liz and Geoff were serving refreshments and encouragement from "The Challenge Arms".

Of course, there were still quite a few, hilly miles to ride and after the early amendments the 65 miles scheduled for the day inevitably climbed to 80, making for another long day in the saddle. The riders finally reached Blair Athol, near Pitagowen, a little weary but in good shape and checked into their accommodation (a spacious bungalow, which the Team had to themselves) at 19h30. Just time to clean up a little before heading to the local, The Atholl Arms, for supper, which last night culminated in... treacle sponge. Fodder for the mountains!

The riders will be climbing (and presumably descending) again today as they continue northwards, over the Caingorms to Inverness. It promises to be a "massive" day!

*Angus Robertson, massage therapist. Click here to find out more:

http://www.natural-healing-clinic.co.uk/about-the-therapists

**Parkinson's UK Pedal for Parkinson's Fun Ride.
To find out more about these events, click here:

http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/

or click on the link in the right hand column.

*** The marvels of the Internet. There are lots of wonderful old cycling photographs on the Internet. Here's one site that is worth viewing:

www.bikeforums.net

Taking Stock

Friday 24th June 2011
Day 9
The Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge
A hard-earned day off

Posted by the Secret Secretary

Every cycle tour worth its name has a day off. So yesterday the Team was washing its collective shammies in Stirling. R&R time like this is always a good opportunity to take stock, to see what has been achieved so far:

To date, taking into account a few additional bonus miles, The Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Team has cycled over 700 very hilly and soggy miles during which time there have been less than a handful of punctures, just a couple of odd acrobatic dismounts and Chris has no doubt munched his way through an unhealthy number of Kit-Kats. Most importantly the Team has raised some £14,445 (£12,635 from individual donations on-line and the rest from Gift Aid). If you would like to donate you can do so now by going to the Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Fund Raising Page at:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/

or click on the link in the right hand column.

The Team has already covered a lot of ground. It's no mean feat and one that has been achieved with dedicated support from the Back-up Crew that have been with the Team behind the scenes so-to-speak, since the start of this adventure: Jean was there with her dog at various points on the side of the road between Cornwall and North Yorkshire, armed with a big smile and copious amounts of tea and sandwiches; Viv has been driving the Landrover equipped with the Ram tracking device, following the riders as they progress; and Liz and Geoff, after picking up the relay from Jean, have been following in their camper van, come lifeboat, come Ark, since the Team left North Yorkshire on Tuesday last.

The Back-up Crew, Jean, Viv, Liz and Geoff,
have been following the Riders,
providing support and encouragement.

Thanks are due also to the Team's hosts on route, in particular to Mark's friends Pat and Nicky who turned their lovely home in Matlock into a cyclists' den of iniquity for one night. And also, a big thank-you to all the friends and supporters who have joined the Team on route. After hours of riding in torrents of rain, their encouragement is... priceless.

(Above) Keeping in touch using Skype.
Look carefully: those cuts and bruises aren't from shaving,
they're evidence of Les' latest attempts at
acrobatic dismounting.
As for the "coif": fashionistas take note -
that comes with the rain!

The weather has at times been awful and unfortunately whilst the forecasts are now warning of a mini heatwave for the South, the skies are expected to remain stubbornly cloudy north of the border. Still, whatever the weather may hold in reserve, the ride continues and today takes the Team into the Highlands for an approximate 70 miles north to the metropolis of Pitagowen, in Perth and Kinross. The stage will get going slightly later than usual as before leaving Stirling the Team will be at the start of the second Parkinson's UK Fun Cycle Rides.

Le vélo, c'est la souffrance!

Thursday 23rd June 2011
Day 9
The Pedal for Parkinson's Double End-to-End Cycle Challenge
Moffat to Stirling (Scotland) 70 miles

Posted by the Secret Secretary.

The Pedal for Parkinson's Challenge Team is now in Scotland after crossing the border and encountering some particularly inhospitable weather on Wednesday. But if the weather could then only be described as disagreeable, the warm welcome the Team received at The Buchan Guest House in Moffat*, where the Team was staying for the night, more than compensated.

Rested after a comfortable night's sleep, the Team was yesterday morning hoping for more clement weather as the riders embarked on their 70 mile ride from Moffat to the university town of Stirling, in central Scotland. Unfortunately, the forces of nature were not in an obliging mood and whilst the skies cleared a little for the mid-morning tea stop in Albington, the break in the precipitations was short-lived and deceptive: the early morning drizzle was soon replaced by progressively wetter and wetter weather and the Team was once again riding in torrential rain. Under different conditions the Scottish borders would have afforded some fine scenery for those travelling on two wheels but yesterday the countryside was shrouded under a low, grey, dismally wet cloud and largely hidden from view. The Team then had to find a way through the rather grim, urban lanscape of the Glasgow-Edinburgh corridor. It was as bleak, or to use the Scottish synonym, as dreich as the weather and made for tedious riding. Not surprisingly then, it was with some relief that the Team finally arrived in Stirling at 7 o'clock last night. The bike computers had logged some 86 miles. Again, the estimated mileage for the day had been short. The extra miles and the misearble weather made for a tedious day's riding but if Les reports feeling a little weary last night the prospect of a day off today is reassuring.

Whilst in Stirling, the Team are staying in a 4 Star Youth Hostel in the old historic quarter, just next door (some might say appropriately enough) to the old jail. Today the inmates are being "let out on good behaviour". A day to recuperate and maybe do a bit of laundry! The R&R started well last night with an evening meal in a Thai restaurant in town where the Team and its dedicated Support Crew (Viv, Liz and Geoff) were rewarded a free pudding of sweet rice and mango and chocolates. And after the antics of Wednesday, Mark too is in ebullient mood and reports that he is "in a class of his own when it comes to the hills." Of course, in France, the spiritual home of cycling, there is an adage amongst cyclists: "Le vélo, c'est la souffrance!" or "To cycle is to suffer!"

A bit of R & R
After 9 days of cycling, the Pedal for Parkinson's Team
are resting at the Youth Hostel in Stirling.
(Above ) "The 6 Day Cyclist" (1937) by Edward Hopper (1882-1967)

* The Buchan Guest House, Moffat: The facilities at the Buchan guest house include a drying room. Chris and Brenda Wallace often welcome cyclists on their way from Land's End to John O'Groats and understand the laundry needs of these particular travellers! To find out more about the guest house, go to:
http://www.buchanguesthouse.co.uk/