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