Winning ways

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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...