Many thanks to everyone who has donated and everyone who has sent encouragement. We really appreciate all we can get so thank you!
If you are not aware of this event, then we're basically cycling over 300 miles from Didsbury in South Manchester to Dunkirk in France. For the journey we shall be going by the call signs Cobra, Maverick and Reaper purely because by the time of the event we will be so hardcore we can get away with using them.
However, the actual route we will be taking is longer than this, as just for fun we are going to celebrate by cycling a further 200 miles up the coast to Amsterdam. Just as an aside. Technically, you are only sponsoring us to cycle to Dunkirk. The bonus journey to Amsterdam is our little holiday. We think by the time we get to France we will be so in love with cycling that we will just want to continue.
A note on the training - Reaper has done nothing (to the knowledge of Cobra and Maverick who have been relentlessly whipped into shape by a mysterious man from the east who goes only by the name of Lubos).
This is a scary time for us all; exams looming and no proper plans in place... However, the bicycle problem is pretty much resolved - the rickety red bicycle from Preston is a success story and in now lovingly known as Emille. Maverick shall be riding her all the way through to France. Reaper claims he has a cycle which may possibly be decorated in Union Jacks. Embarrassing, but who are we to judge? Cobra's bike is in a box. Enough said. Facetious statements, obviously - the bicycles will be wonderous machines of honour which will prove to be poetry in motion. We hope..
As such, any help you hve to offer is greatly welcome.
Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Cancer Research UK will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
So please help to save lives by supporting Cancer Research UK and sponsor us now!
Many thanks for your support.
P.S. - The training is hard!
Day 1 Didsbury - Buxton - Derby (63.5 miles)
Day 1 was probably the hardest day by far. Everyone was fairly nervous about the actual distance of the route. Getting out of Manchester was'nt too bad apart from the bit where we got lost... we only had to push our bikes up one bit that was inaccessible via bicycle. I think the SAS would have had a tough time up that hill. We got lost because of poor signs. it probably added a few miles on to our trip. Many thanks to the NHS ambulance driver who gave us directions. The appropriately named Long hill on the way in to Buxton was quite steep. It was that which took it out of Reaper. Unfortunately he had to pull out at Buxton. Well done for getting to Buxton though it was bloody hard work uphill. We got to Buxton and thought the worst was over but There are hills out of Buxton. Also for some reason, the road to Ashbourne was supremely hilly. A nice park though in Ashbourne - i would reccomend it. The road to Derby was very tiring and long and hilly. Cobra and I benefitted from the packets of jelly we bought. We were very elated to reach the youth hostel where we met some Australian guy who dropped profanities like they were hot. It turns out Derby is not the nicest of towns. Marks and Spencer was alright but the route we took in was pretty crap. Although, to be fair, there is a chippy that does a really good saveloy and chips.
Day 2 - Derby to Loughborough to Market Harborough (55.6 miles)
Woke up with legs that weren't that stiff surprisingly. The road out of Derby was pretty nice. We went through a town called Belton and saw some Ramblers. The first 25 miles were quite easy. We bypassed the horrendous traffic jam that the people at the Download festival were stuck in. That felt good. Apparently In Flames were quite good at download this year according to the Aussie in our youth hostel. The day was going fine through Loughborough and Cossington and Syston. However, the day turned bleak when we got ourselves onto Barby Thorpe Lane. Somehow we managed to turn off it and ended up somewhere entirely different. It turns out the midlands is badly signposted. we had to ask at the Porsche garage for directions to the A47. FYI, the A47 is not good for cyclists. Uppingham road its called and its pretty hilly and the traffic is horrendous. It took us through a place called Houghton on the hill. There seems to be a common trait with places called Houghton that they have to be hilly. This part of the journey was horrendous. We turned off onto the B6047 hoping that it was downhill to Market Harborough. The B6047 is far too hilly when your tired. and the signposts are clearly wrong. The quoted distances were definitely lies. The council needs to sort it out. Getting into Market Harborough was such a feeling of elation but we were so hungry we stopped at KFC and got a family bucket between two of us. That was satisfying. We stayed at teh Copperfield hotel on Northampton road. Very nice. they had a bath which is definietly the best bath ever. So relaxing. We were given a discount for our stay so thank you for that. They also let us keep our bikes in the cellar which was nice. A really good breakfast too. top marks.
Day 3 Market Harborough - Northampton - Luton (56.5 miles)
Day 3 was the worst day ever. I think we knew we were in for trouble when the day started with a flat tyre before we even set off. We were very achey and stiff from the previous two days cycling. The road out of Market Harborough was very hilly to start the day which was tough going. We got to Northampton in good time, however, and a nice lady outside Podiatry gave us 4 pounds and 10p towards our target. We got on the Bedford road and then got a flat when we turned off it. The pump we have is very annoying. I reccomend getting a decent one. Then we turned off the country lane onto the B526. Once again, very badly signposted. The midlands is annoying. we took a gamble and it turned out we were going the right way. quite a nice road but uphill most of the way. We made friends with a nice cat which refused scotch egg in Newport Pagnell. Then we hit Milton keynes. Terribly sign posted and somehow there was quicksand. We wasted 40 minutes trying to clean our wheels with leaves and water. Quite frustrating. We then found our way to the A5130. The A5130 is uphill and Woburn Sands is mightily uphill. There are hills everywhere in this country. We got to Hockliffe and were very tired so we tucked into our raw jelly. Pretty damn good. As we set off again, we found a broken spoke which was very depressing as it was one that kept the wheel true. We had to ride gingerly into Dunstable and managed to find Dysons cycles. The nice guy fitted the new spoke even though they were very busy. we finally got to Luton travelodge where we devoured much food. Beautiful.
Day 4 Luton - London (35 miles) followed by train to Higham near Strood in Kent
Firstly, we had to cheat this day because it was a nightmare getting into london, nevermind trying to get out. Plus its only 35 miles to Sam's house. As far as were concerned it was justified. In any case we managed to ride into city centre pretty much. We got into London in good time. We stopped in East Hyde for a while when we found a wallet and a phone. We managed to return it to the owners neighbour as the house was en route. The charity never ends with us - This justified the train even more. We received a phone call in London from the man thanking us for returning his goods. We felt fuzzy and warm on the inside. We cycled into Hyde Park corner and were nearly fined 30 pounds each by some community support officer. Fortunately he let us off with some lecture. We then cycled to Buckingham Palace. Might I say, that The Mall needs to be resurfaced (the road leading to the palace). Its not up to much. I think the Queen needs to stop all these horses clippity clopping up there. We then cycled on to Trafalgar square and to Charing Cross station. Quite an easy days cycle.
Day 5 - Higham to some chippy in Higham
As you will have guessed this day was a rest day. The day was used to perform maintanence on the bicycles. All that was required was some WD-40 and a puncture repair kit for Cobra. The rest of the day was spent sleeping and eating and recovering.
Day 6 - Higham - Dover - Open waters - Dunkirk (60 miles)
This was meant to be an easy day. How wrong we were. Both of us had pains in our knees. The reccomended dosage of Ibuprofen was greatly exceeded. Severe headwinds for the most part made the ride far more difficult than expected. Even going downhill was a struggle and was not much of a reward for travelling up the hills. It turns out that after about the 25th mile, everywhere we went was uphill. Uphill and foolishly dangerous. On our route we had to cycle along the A2 to get to Canterbury. Apparently (and it is roadmarked) there is a cycle lane along the A2. This is definitely a lie, and I warn all cyclists intending to use this cycle lane NOT to use it. It is highly dangerous as in some places, it is less than the width of the hard shoulder. On the A2 lorries fly by up to 70mph and it is not safe for anyone on a bicycle. Flashbacks still occur over this road. Once into Canterbury (approx 40 miles) we had our first major incident - an accident. Both Cobra and Maverick ended up on the floor due to a collision... with each other... at about 5mph. This is because we were so relieved to get off the A2 that we weren't concentrating on the road. Of course we were not injured but the pride took a severe bruising. After a rest we carried on further uphill. The last 10 miles to Dover were horrible. Windy, uphill and with plenty of traffic even though we were on country lanes. Even when we stopped for our daily last ten mile Jelly break (Hartleys jelly, undiluted) that did not ease the pain. It was physically very tiring and draining as you will see from the pictures when we get to Dover. We got to Dover and made our way to the port. The nice folk at Norfolkline were kind enough to give us a five pound discount each on our ferry crossing to Dunkirk. We enjoyed a well earned beer. And slept. It is very interesting and strange riding a bicycle onto a ferry. We were given priority by the staff which was kind, and were parked at the front so we got a good view of the biig doors and what not. Cycling off the ferry into France was very wierd. We had to stop for directions coming out of the port and a Frenchman was good enough to direct us the same way the Brits typically direct foreigners. He talked slow, and loud and pointed. France is flat. Beautifully flat, and it took us a good 20-30 mins to find our hotel which was not even in Dunkerque centre. When we arrived (10pm local time) we were annoyed to find everywhere closed. Although the staff told us there was a vending machine behind us in the reception. We spent 10euros on rubbish. Crisps are not cheap. All in all, a good end to a hard day. We made it!
That is all for now. Pictures will be uploaded in time.
One final note. Cobra has been having a battle with Malt loaf. As it stands on the 18th of June, the score is 9-0 to malt loaf. work it out for yourself... ( I think the final score was 10 - 0)
For anyone wanting information on cycling in the UK, email jef.d@hotmail.com
I advise people that you need to be fairly fit to road cycle on a tour in the uk like we did. Rest days are very helpful, but if you hurt your knees, then you should definitely not do a 60 mile day with hills. You will eat absolutely loads on your trip too. On Luton day we spent so much on food it was obscene. Drink loads of water, energy drink that you mix with water is very good. Definitely work on your thighs in the gym and exercise where you bend your knees (leg press). It will definitely help you on the tour. Invest in a good bicycle pump, because the one that is 5 pounds cheaper will not be worth the annoyance of the faults of the pump. You will get to know your pump. If you have an old bike, get it serviced and if you have old brittle spokes, pay to get it rebuilt or buy new wheels. It will be worth it. You can trust the quality of a handbuilt bicycle. One final note - NEVER NEVER NEVER cycle on the A2.
