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/