Day 2 - Okehampton to Gloucester- a tale of rain!

A short blog tonight. Will be giving key points and I promise when we get home I'll put in more detail

Started peddling at 845 am maybe a bit later than we wanted.
Raining already which is a bit depressing especially as our clothes were still wet from yesterday.

We make good time despite the hills and made some friends on bikes on the way.

Just outside Tiverton BANG another puncture. So we repair and pedal on to have a break in Tiverton. Here we discover that the wall of our back tyre has a hole and the inner tube is getting pinched. Next stop Halfords for a new tyre which wastes us an hour at least. We all also decide to buy lights just in case we have a long day!
Next stop Taunton making good time. As we leave Taunton the captain and I have to do an emergency stop at a roundabout- its our first ever -. The captain shouts stop and I pull my brake.... He doesnt manage to get his feet out so we fall over!! Still that's better than being hit by a car.
The weather has improved and it's dry and quite pleasant.
Next stop Bristol
Got lost in following road signs
Rain starts and I mean start!!! Very heavy!!
Miss our support vehicle and cycle on in the rain... Cold and Wet we stop at a pub for hot chocolate/tea/coffee
We get some donations from people who feel sorry for us- makes it worth it.
Continue to Gloucester and it keeps raining- its the last 24 miles so heads down and pedal
The spray from cars is awful
Finish pedalling at 845 pm 131 miles in 12 hours not all spent pedalling but it's a long day. Glad for a shower
Rider of the day.....Peter for pushing Marco up the hills!

Day 1- a tale of traffic, punctures and rain

Woke up to very bright sunshine which made me very excited given that I haven't actually cycled in much good weather this year- all good. Even my legs have recovered from my Fitbox antics earlier in the week- so Paul you're safe!

Bikes loaded onto the car ready for the trip from Okehampton to Lands End. We're told we can have breakfast- great news ! - given we were told we wouldn't get any before 830 when we arrived the previous night.

So we eat breakfast and get into the car and set off. Weather still good. About 10 miles from Okehampton we hit a traffic jam - oh oh turns out to be a jackknifed caravan but that is just the start of traffic problems. We eventually arrive at lands end about 11. Which means by the time we take the bikes off and put wheels back on the bikes it's 1130. We go to find the signpost and get photos and then set off- its 1145 and that is at least an hour late!!! I can sense the captain is not happy and a bit edgy. The weather is warm though and dry - a nice day for a cycle.

Ready for the off

The view 

Sorting the puncture on the A30

Cycling continues with little to report until Marco gets a puncture on the A30.... I can't watch as he is standing very close to the actual road and the traffic is going very fast. I have visions of someone getting hit by traffic. I feel the need to put my Health and Safety hat on and with my teacher voice instruct Marco to stay away from the white line.







We start off again and make good headway when.... BANG we get a puncture on SS galaxy. There's a traffic jam on the opposite carriageway so we amuse some of the drivers sorting it.

The Cornish Coast

Soon we are on our way again but are last. We know that our support vehicle is only a few miles away so try to get there quickly as we've lost time and are getting worried about how far we have to go. The weather has changed -  a bit windier, cloudy and a bit of rain.
We all meet up- we have 30 miles to go- its 6pm and the captain is worried about the light and the distance to go.
We decide that if people want to go on at their own pace then it's ok. The captain sets a fine pace and we are steaming!! It's then that the rain and the wind start...
The last 30 miles sees some very long hills with strong gusts of wind, hail and heavy rain. Ourselves and Nik get back to hotel just after 8. VERY wet!! Marco , Peter and Dave arrive about 20 mins later just as wet.
It has been a long day, longer than we would have wished for but we've done it and are looking forward to tomorrow.


I for one was glad to be on the tandem today... The A30 is a dual carriage way and is the road we used all day. It wasn't what was planned but because of the late start it was the easiest. I know if I'd been on my own bike I would have hated it. Off to bed now.

On our way

So here we all are... Ready to travel south to Okehampton where we will spend the night.
Tomorrow we will then travel to Land's End and from there start cycling.

All week people have been asking if I'm ready? Well I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be....

I know this is a mental and physical challenge not sure yet which one is going to be tougher but having spent the last year training on the bike and at The Fit Box I think the phrase ' I can I will', or should I say 'We can We will' as the SS Galaxy needs the Captain and the Stoker to get us from A to B, will be in use quite a lot this week. So i think a thank you to Mr Fit Box aka Paul Russell is needed for his motivational sessions-although given that my legs still hurt from Tuesday I may not be so grateful tomorrow on the bike.
The car is quiet.. Peter is asleep and saving his energies, everyone else appears to be quietly contemplating the week ahead... I'm sure tomorrow will see much more energy.

I'm looking forward to seeing the views of the UK from behind. I only hope the weather holds out and not too much rain.

The final countdown

A weekend of stunning cycling weather saw us do two short cycle rides in readiness for the 916 miles of cycling that we will start on the 2nd June.

Nice uneventful ride on Saturday with stunning views of the Thames.

Today we had a very quiet ride with Peter and Nik from the team to Henley and back via Remenham hill. We had several car incidents today... Impatient drivers at 8 am and just general bad driving near cyclists.... Perhaps it's the weather ?? Who knows.. Certainly hope we don't encounter much of that next week.

In the last week people have been asking if we're ready? And how I feel about the challenge?
Well I'm a bit excited and looking forward to it. At the same time am I ready??? Well we've done lots of training but I suspect most of the team apart from The Captain are seriously underestimating the pain we might encounter over the 8 days of our journey... As he told me ' it will be the second most painful thing I'll ever do' that does worry me slightly.
I feel ready... Will we do it... Time will tell

Wiggle ups and downs sportive

Saturday saw us do a quick 30 mile training ride. Not much to report from that except it was our first ride since March that we were able to wear shorts and shirts and..... We DIDN'T get wet! Amazing... The weather has not really been our side. I really hope that some warmer weather appears over the next two weeks!!

Today saw us do our longest ride yet. 96 miles in the Surrey Hills. It certainly went up and down. We managed 6000 ft of climbs in 7.5 hours including breaks. The first 20 miles was pretty hilly with some long climbs.
In the middle section we even managed to shoot up some short hills leaving some Lycra clad heroes in our wake. I even got a 'Well done' comment from the captain for my efforts there.... That doesnt happen very often so either he thinks I rarely put in effort or hes just a bit stingy with his praise??

We had some good comments from some of the other riders today... 'relentless' and ' amazing' are two of them.
Crossing a road today I got told off by the captain for not pedalling when I soo was and it appeared to me he wasn't!!
The last 20 miles was pretty hard going and mostly up hill but slowly does it is the answer. Managed an almost mile long 18% incline very slowly.... In fact so slow that our Garmin thought we had stopped!!!

All in all a good day out and legs don't feel that bad.

Post Tour de Isle of Wight

A bit creaky this morning, particularly my right knee which hit the ground in our fall yesterday... But hey onwards and upwards 😊

Tour De Isle of Wight

Being a Bank Holiday, we decided to take full advantage to hone our training and do a three cycle trip to get our legs used to cycling repeated days...after all during LeJog they will be cycling 8 days in a row. So here are my thoughts on the past three days..... sorry it might be a bit long.....

Day 1 - Saturday 5th May

Bracknell - Portsmouth - Catamaran to Ryde - Chez Mundell ( our friends Mum and Dad's house on the Island)
We set out about 12.30 pm  - a slightly delayed departure -  due to a visitation by our family. About 12 pm the Captain started to get a bit agitated as he wanted to get to Ryde in time for the FA cup final and  had wanted to leave at 12 giving us 5 hours to travel the 60 miles to Portsmouth. Sadly we didn't quite make it for kick off. May have been due to leaving time, but the misreading of the Garmin 800 ( our GPS route planner ) led to several turn arounds and missed exits. The Captain keeps telling me he doesn't know how to work it - hardly helpful when we are relying on it for eight days in just over 4 weeks time. I think map reading is the way forward myself.

On reaching Portsmouth, the route plotted on the Garmin proved difficult to follow and there were a few moments when I was slightly concerned that we were heading for a motorway on the tandem. Happily we managed to arrive at the passenger ferry safely at 5.05 pm, reaching Chez Mundell just before 6pm, managing to catch the second half of the FA cup final. Then off for a curry with the Mundell family before retiring to bed in readiness for the second day of cycling, this time round the Isle of Wight.


Day 2 - Sunday 6th May 


Isle of Wight Randonee - 100K round the Isle of Wight


We wake up to rain and not just a bit. Our two friends have decided to join us on the trip. Becca has done very little cycling before so quite a bit undertaking.
We arrive at Bembridge to register and then set off towards the next check point at Alverstone, we are all in good spirits despite the driving rain and wind. The course is pretty hilly but we are all doing fine. Next stop Whitwell and still in good spirits as you can see.

We leave almost together but myself and the Captain end up heading to Godshill which is the wrong way. We manage to renavigate ourselves back on course probably taking about an extra 5 miles in. Some hills, some wind, being dropped on the kerb and a puncture and 32K's later we arrive in Yarmouth, still in good spirits.

Next stop Cowes and some more hills, Becca is finding it difficult and decides to stop at Cowes. We reach the chain ferry after some really nasty hills and are joined on the ferry with many other cyclists.

Next two stops are pretty uneventful and the weather semi cheered up - well no rain for a while.
When we get back to the first check point we discover Paul has a puncture so we leave Paul to cycle back to Chez Mundell while he waits for a lift. All in all a good day and an amazing achievement for Becca cycling 52 miles.
Dinner at Chez Mundell's is an amazing roast dinner which is really needed after a long cold wet day in the saddle. A bit of pyrotechnics finishes off a good day.

Day 3 - Monday 7th May


Chez Mundell - Ryde harbour - Catamaran - Portsmouth - Bracknell


We wake to more rain and it doesn't look like it will clear til lunch so we change our plans to leave a bit later. We catch the 10.50 Catamaran. The sea is a bit choppy -I'm not the best traveller on water so the crossing is not great. We arrive in Portsmouth to more rain but find our way out of the city by a much less dangerous route than when we arrived.
On the road to Alton we pass a runner who is running 50 miles every day for 50 days..he's pegging it and looks good - amazing.
We reach Alton but it has felt hard. Third day in the saddle is making itself felt in my legs and my rear end. I can't get comfortable in the saddle. As we reach Alton the rain eases off  and we see the first blue sky we've seen in 2 days - HOORAY.
Starting off from Alton my legs are feeling it and I don't really feel like I've had a break but after a few miles they do ease up. After a long climb up a hill near Hartley Witney we decide we need to take off the rain jackets as it's too hot.  It feels good to see the blue sky and to feel some heat from the sun and air round our bodies.
The next part of the journey seems easy and not really relying on the Garmin. Approaching Sandhurst however ( where we really know where we are ) the captain decides to follow the stupid techy gadget again and we take a wrong turn. This requires us to turn around in a narrow street and head down a steep hill to a blind junction. I'm told to use my brake ( it's a disc one and quite powerful and I only get to use it if instructed ) so I do as I'm told. As we get to the junction, I see a car pull the brake, Stephen decides to pedal.......disaster.....we fall to right both still clipped into the pedals...ouch.... Is it my fault?
I'm not sure as I did as I was told but then I'm told we need to keep moving at all times or we will fall off.... or do we want to ride into the path of a car?
Anway we do arrive home safely and we have managed to complete the 60 miles from Portsmouth in under 4 hours... sore legs though....today was hard.

The Challenge is starting to be scarily close.