Tracie Green
Fat Boys In Lycra doing LEJOG
Fundraising for Little Havens Children's Hospice
Story
WELCOME TO FAT BOYS IN LYCRA!
Scroll down for regular updates.
Thank you for visiting our fundraising page. Any sponsorship or donations you can make will be very gratefully received by us on behalf of Little Havens, but please dig as deep as you can. Little Havens is THE children's hospice for Essex, as well as caring for children from London and parts of Kent and Middlesex. The value of what the hospice does for the children and their families is almost immeasurable. End of life care is obviously a big part of it, and that in itself is worth supporting. The children who come to the hospice are not expected to reach adulthood but some, because of their illness, may need the facilities for a long time. The facilities are incredible….every child, regardless of disability or illness, can participate in everything.
Little Havens cares for the whole family, providing support for parents and siblings throughout a child’s illness. So the hospice is not just about sad times but about the quality of very short lives. For most parents, time spent here is the only time they really get to just be mum and dad instead of carers, and that time is precious.
Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Little Havens Children's Hospice will receive your money faster and, if you are a taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
It costs £3.05 PER MINUTE to keep Little Havens running - so please sponsor us now!
Many thanks for your support
Guy, John, Will, Nick, Gary and Roger
Now…what are we prepared to do to persuade you to give money to this amazing place?
ABOUT THE BIKE RIDE AND ABOUT US
September 8th 2007 we are cycling fromLand’s End to John O’Groats. As the crow flies, that’s 874 miles. On bikes, it’s going to be between 950 and 1000 miles. We think that’s a challenge worth a lot of money, particularly as we intend to achieve this in 7-10 days! Our average daily mileage will be somewhere between 100-140 miles a day. To put that in perspective :-
London to the Isle Of Wight is 90 miles
Southend to Norwich is 100 miles
London to Nottingham is 125 miles
Southend to Southampton is 135 miles
Birmingham to Blackpool is 125 miles
Southend to Oxford is 110 miles
These are the kind of distances we will be covering daily. We really hope you just experienced a sharp intake of breath. In that moment, you must have realised that, for us to take on something so physically and mentally demanding, it must be a VERY important reason. But…it’s not all going to be gloom and doom and tales of our valiant efforts, injuries and suffering. We are going to keep you regularly updated with all our exploits – the good, the bad, the painful and the funny. And once we set off we will make sure this page is updated daily, so you know exactly how we’re getting on and what we have achieved and experienced each day. So, to get you to part with your money, we are not only going to suffer, we are going to entertain you as well! Try and check back here each week to keep up with our tales and our fundraising. We hope you'll spread the word to all your friends and anyone who likes to support genuinely good causes.
Here’s a little about who we are and how we all got involved.
Guy Robinson
Guy is 44. He has doneLand’s End to John O’Groats before (we’re going to call it LEJOG from this point…try to keep up J) Back in 1999, Guy was inspired by Phil Liggett, who provided commentary for the Tour de France. He’d done LEJOG and Guy thought (like you do)….”I could do that!” Guy persuaded his brother-in-law, John Drury, to also take on this mad whim and so they started training early in 1999, actually doing the ride in 2001 and raising a hefty sum for Little Havens at the same time. Guy’s most abiding memory of the whole trip is throwing his bike in to a burn in when it all just got too much! Tantrum over and, having conceded he couldn’t actually stay by a remote roadside forever, looking pathetic in lycra, he then faced the humiliation of having to crawl through bramble, heather and the brook itself to retrieve his bike. He eventually made it to John O’Groats to find the world wasn’t feeling particularly celebratory – it was September 11th 2001. He didn’t get back on the bike again for 5 years. This time round, Guy says he’s most looking forward to getting money from all his associates!
John Drury
Back in 1999, when John first started training for LEJOG, he needed to lose a few pounds. Once the weight started to go, John noticed a strange lump near his collar bone. Investigation revealed this to be a tumour; Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. 9 months of chemotherapy later John was back in training but then another tumour was discovered and more treatment was needed in May 2000. Again, John underwent treatment for it and was training again within 2 months. Along with Guy he completed LEJOG in September 2001 but, by the following year, the cancer was back. Since then, John has undergone extremely invasive treatments and surgery for Non-Hodgkins; he has even had to have a hip replaced (having worn the old one out in his sporty youth and being determined to recapture the Glory Years!) Now 44, John is about to embark on his 2nd LEJOG and says he is most looking forward to the “sheer achievement” (although Guinness got a few mentions as well!).
Will Drury
Will is John’s son. He’s 17 and, in theory, is the one to ace this! Will has just done a BTEC National in Sport and Exercise Science. He is about to begin a Coaching Science course (at Anglia Ruskin University/SEEVIC). Biggest disaster in training so far was getting cramp and launching himself off the bike straight into a nettle patch – so much for knowing the science of exercise! Will’s been training since February. He’s doing this because he likes a challenge and is hoping for a few laughs along the way. Will is dreading failure the most - he prides himself on never failing at anything and would hate to have to climb into the van, even for a couple of miles.
Nick Fennell
Nick is 46, he’s a Chartered Surveyor and he lives in Leigh. Previously, he has completed the Norwich 100 and has doneLondon to Southend many times. Nick has proved the most disaster-prone so far. One night after training, his bike came off the roof rack on the A12. Caused chaos and it was a miracle it didn’t turn into a major pile up. 3 vehicles were damaged….Nick’s bike didn’t survive. All we found were 2 mangled wheels and the sprocket set…no sign at all of the frame. But Nick now has the newest and best bike so the competition is stirring …… Nick says he’s doing this because “Guy made me…”, but he’s as thrilled to be riding for Little Havens as the rest of us. And his secret weapon is…….Pilates classes!
Roger Shove
“Apparently I’m easy.” Not sure what he meant when he said that, but it was definitely worth quoting. Roger is 51. He is a director of Cap Gemini. He really wanted to do this ride with the rest of us but, due to annual leave restrictions, is only able to be there for three days. Let’s make those 3 very profitable days, hey? We are hoping to get at least as far as Ludlow with Roger, so that he has cycled 350 miles. Pretty amazing in 3 days! Worth a few quid, considering he is giving up his last days of leave for it?? Roger is a bit of a liability – he rear-ended Will during training. That’s the least of our worries – we all call him Captain Chaos so we will need to keep a close eye on him for those first 3 days. He says he’s in it for fitness and fun, but making lots of money will make the saddle sores easier to bear!
Gary Weatherley
Gary is 48 and an AM-DRAM King – literally. But more of that later… Roger, Gary, John and Guy are all brothers-in-law. Gary is also BIG Brother….working as CCTV manager for Thurrock Council (Yeah, we’ve asked….there are no “cool” tapes for us to borrow.) John asked Gary to be the driver and support for this trip. It’s a very important job within the team. We need someone to drive on ahead and arrange places for us to stay; to come back and be available on the road for us, with food and drink, spares and repairs etc and to encourage and motivate us. Don’t underestimate how vital Gary will be to us. He has to give up his time, the same as us; plus he is the one who will be shouted at, cried on etc when we sink in to the hell-pits of despair (which we will.) Gary is a keen AM-DRAM man and has played the Yul Bryner role in “The King And I” three times. He says that on this trip he will do anything for us….except rub in the Savlon!
UPDATE 16TH OCTOBER
A Tribute from Gary.
Our End to End
I couldn’t let this blog end without saying a few words from myself now that the dust has settled so here goes.......
Starting with the guys who did this amazing feat, some whom I knew already and some I got to know along the way a little better.
In no particular order...
My Brother-in-Law, John, I thank you for having the faith in me to ask me to help you in this adventure.
Your indomitable spirit along the route was an inspiration, your bouts of wind were altogether something else.
You are like Jane Tomlinson with bollocks.
I am proud to have you as a relative and a friend.
My Nephew Will, what can I say, man and machine in perfect harmony, except when you broke your spoke.
Always at the front, always wanting to do more than was required, much to Nick’s dismay.
Broke the land speed cycling record going from 1500 – 0 feet over the peaks in theLake District, 51mph springs to mind, nice one Will!!
Decided he was going to do the last 55miles to JOG in 15 minutes despite the first 10 miles being uphill, I wont repeat what Jon said when he cycled past me at the lay-by but he was certainly questioning Will’s fatherhood.
Guy Robinson, great bloke, trains hard, plays hard and with map reading skills surpassed only by my own!!
Always looked the part, never complained and always setting the pace, we did what we did and he did what he did!
Connoisseur of hotels, pubs, beer and fine food, it was a pleasure getting to know you better.
Nick Fennell, one of the friendliest, funniest blokes I have ever met, some of his one liners will stay with me forever.
Also a match for John in the flatulence department which is no mean feat.
I thought that Nick would not have got out of bed for the second morning after the gruellingDartmoor leg but like a true warrior he gritted his teeth and put foot to pedal.
He grew in stamina and stature after that and although at times his walking prowess resembled John Wayne wearing high heels he turned out to be a real star.
Nick, you were a true star.
Roger Shove, what can I say about Roger? A true gentleman, never complained, probably expected to be the weakest link but never showed it.
Managed to assault a couple of road signs with his head but when you are labelled Captain Chaos no more than expected really.
Quiet, unassuming but I thought that I saw a dark humour lurking beneath the surface.
Only able to complete the first three days with us but left us as a true hero of the team.
Jerry Clarke, work colleague of Roger at Cap Gemini who joined us the day that Roger left us at Wickham.
Set the pace all day and pulled the team all the way to Levan’s Hall near theLake District.
I only got to talk to Jerry at Breakfast, lunch and briefly when he left, small in stature, big in heart, thank you Jerry, although just for one day, you were part of our team.
Well, that’s my tribute to The Team, but now I need to set the record straight on one or two things, firstly, if you are ever in little hamlet called Greystoke and come across a small yellow cottage disguised as a café run by a sweet little lady, ask how much the bloody teas and cake are first!!!
Secondly, the Cobra lager that they sell in Indian restaurants in the Lake District is far more powerful than the watered down version sold inEssex!! Nuf sed!
Guys, it was an absolute pleasure and I would gladly do it all again.
UPDATE 12TH OCTOBER
Here, in Nick's words, is the full account of our journey from land's end to john o'groats. hope you enjoy reading it. there are a few words from guy at the end, too. if you would like to see photos from our trip, get along to our myspace page and see the slideshow (www.myspace.com/fatboysdoinglejog). thanks again to everyone who has supported us...and please don't forget, it's not too late to make a donation.
NICK'S Bike Ride Blog
Day 0
Travelling by train toPenzancewas very civilised with Guy and Roger for company. The journey went quickly until Exeter after which the terrain outside the train window became more dramatic and hilly and I mentioned to Guy that I assumed that he had plotted a sensible flat route around the lumpy bits to match my training in Essex but he just stared and laughed knowing a lot more about what was to come than he was prepared to let on.
Arriving at The Queens Hotel Penzance it was evident that we were all at least 30 years younger than the rest of the guests so we went for a quick pint or two on the sea front to await the arrival of the van containing Gary, John and Will which actually turned up within 15 minutes of our own arrival.
That evening we ate in Basil Fawlty’s latest enterprise which I think was called Gino’s and afterwards we went back to the hotel and found a place at the bar to watch the opening Rugby World Cup game when Argentina beat the hosts, France – a very good start to the weekend!
Day 1
Up early, breakfast served by Basil Fawlty trainees and into the van for the 20 minute drive to Lands End. Van would not start – Gary having left portable fridge plugged in to the cigarette lighter. Luckily a car dealership next to the hotel fired the battery up and we were away.
Arriving atPenzance, two other groups were embarking on the same adventure, one group with panniers full of tents and the other a crack RAF squad with beer guts! This made me feel a little better about my own preparation. Following the obligatory photographs we crossed the line and began our journey.
The first 22 miles was backed by the wind and the sun and flew by in an hour. This was going to be easy. The next 80 miles were hell as Cornish hill after Cornish hill took us through Truro, St Austell, Liskeard up to Tavistock punctuated only by a one hour lie down in a Cornish country pub for lunch. After Tavistock we climbed ontoDartmoor. The heat and the hills finished me for the day and I started to hope for a snapped hamstring or minor crash involving a broken collar bone so that I had an excuse to get off the bike. I eventually did get off when I saw Gary - parked up, put the bike in the back of the van and told him to drive to the hotel, some 15 miles further on, passing Roger, Guy, John and Will on the way. Lovely accommodation at the White Hart in Moretonhampstead, a bath and a couple of beers improved my mood and I committed to go back to the point where I got off the bike early the following morning whilst the others had breakfast.
Day 2
I went miles back with Gary in the van and cycled back to Moretonhampstead an hour later to join the others and then off towards Exeter. Having been quite pleased with myself for recovering the ground, a sign 2 miles from Moretonhampstead explaining a 16% uphill gradient destroyed my sense of well being – unbelievably hard. Then an enjoyable swoop into Exeter where we got lost and then off towards Taunton on the A38 on flatter roads and then Bridgewater where we stopped mid-afternoon for tea at Pawlett, the home of Andrew and Anne, friends and colleagues of Nick. Tea and crumpets were served, internet consulted and the goal of reaching Chepstow inSouth Walesset.
Off up towards Bristol, Avonmouth where my energy ran out. Got over the M48 Severn Bridge on energy gels and with Roger’s encouragement and eventually found Gary at Chepstow race course from where he shipped us onto Tintern and a delightful hotel, The Abbey opposite Tintern Abbey. Bar food, beer and rugby and then to bed.
Day 3
Towards Chepstow Race Course and up theWyeValleyand Monmouthshire towards Hereford andShrewsbury. I remember marvelling at the beauty of theWyeValleyand the spontaneous generosity of a fisherman who spotted our van whilst opening a gate onto the river and donated £20! After sandwiches on the village green at Broome we set off again into the wind and realised that Gary’s scaling of the map was faulty as 30 Gary miles turned into 60 real miles. We eventually arrived completely knackered at Whitchurch, north of Shrewsbury. Ordinary hotel but good pub grub in town.
Day 4
Say goodbye to Roger, say hello to Gerry Clarke. Notice Gerry’s bike in reception – top of the range Scott – looks very quick – oh shit! Gerry has agreed to tow us up towards the Lake District and his local knowledge of the Cheshire/Lancashire towns proved invaluable as we whistled towards Warrington, Wigan, Preston, and Lancaster. Gerry did all the work (not that I was doing any anyway) but it gave the others guys some respite. He taught us all how to urinate without getting off the bike at traffic lights or missing a green light. I was impressed as were old ladies and mothers with buggies in the centre ofPreston! Gerry took us all the way to the fringe of the Lake District, left us with a cheque and jumped on a train at Oxenholme back down toCrewe. What a guy – bit of light training for him!
Over the hills to Bowness and Windermere where we found the Hydro Hotel at the top of an impossibly steep hill. We all made it up but I did not have the energy to unclip from my pedals and had to cycle round the car park several times whilst oxygen returned to my head and legs! I couldn’t afford to fall off in front of three coach loads of Japanese tourists with Nikons. This hotel is a treat. An hour in the spa, followed by a hilarious evening in the bar and Indian restaurant. Three pints and I am pissed, crying with laughter and pain.Garysends me over the edge by missing the last five steps out of the restaurant, falling with all the grace of Gerry pissing at the traffic lights!! I can’t control my laughter and lose my cashpoint card in an ATM and can’t walk sensibly up the steep hill to the hotel. The others fall about Gary style, laughing at my efforts. My legs are really hurting. My quads feel like they have been smashed with a hammer – laughter is the only pain relief that works.
Day 5
From Bowness, up the Kirkstone pass and more tears up a 15% gradient where, to add insult to injury, one of my cleats break. The others are waiting at the top and then we swoop, descending into Patterdale along Ullswater to find Gary and a spare cleat in the van. Ullswater is beautiful but we have only made about 10 miles in an hour and a half. Up another climb and over to Greystoke where we find an idyllic café at a crossroads near Gordon Richard’s riding stables (a helmet with HRH on was spotted). The cottage also served as a cyclist café and we sat soaking up the peace, tranquillity and beauty of our environment with tea and carrot cake. Unbeknown to us, Gary had been looking for us for some time and when he spotted our bikes outside the café, screeched to a halt, honked his horn and yelled expletives out of the window, shattering the peace.
The café proprietor came out with more tea and perceptibly commented “You are all fromEssexaren’t you?”
On and throughCarlisle. Very dodgy passage along the A74 with roadworks for 6 miles and then onto Dumfries where we watched beat Russia (?) whilst Scotland were apparently winning the World Cup against France!
Day 6
Through Dumfries and Galloway and South Ayrshire onto the Ayrshire coast, up more hills and swooping descents to spectacular scenery on the west coast and alongside the Firth of Clyde to a ferry which took us to Hunters Quay in Argyll and Bute. Much to my better judgement we bypassed the hotel we had booked to take advantage of the reasonable weather and wind conditions by cycling a further 17 miles northwards alongside Loch Eck and then Gary transported us back to the Royal Marine Hotel at Hunters Quay.
Day 7
My legs have been getting easier over the past two days as is the saddle area and general fitness. Today brings spectacular scenery, loch side rides up towardsFortWilliamand then on to Glengarry where Gary met us with the van and transported us onwards to the Lovatt Arms Hotel atFortAugustusand Loch Ness. Hotels here have been hard to come by and we arrived late, very tired and a bit wet. England were playing South Africa that evening and our request to eat in front of the TV to watch the rugby was met with three very comfortable sofas arranged in front of a large plasma screen, beer by waitress service and superb grub from an a la carte menu. Apparently did not do too well in that game!
Day 8
Excellent breakfast and then cycled out along Loch Ness, turn left at about 10 miles along its north side, up another 15% gradient. More tears, more swearing, more gasping for oxygen but the swoop down on the descent was worth it despite heavy, freezing rain. Another hard day involving a change into dry clothes at lunchtime. Swerved Inverness and through to Dingwall and onto the A9 where a late lunch at a service station brought a pleasant surprise when John’s parents, sister and brother-in-law arrived out of nowhere. Gary had obviously been in on this. Hugs and kisses and then another 20 or 30 miles to Helmsdale where we arrived at a hotel/pub full of drunk Scots. My hotel key fob was bigger than the room itself so a quick bath and then joined the merry Scotsmen in the bar. Met a father and son doing our trip in reverse at dinner.
Day 9
Got up for an early start but as it was Sunday no breakfast was being served until 9am. Quick cereal and then the last 55 miles. Feeling really chuffed with myself, knowing that we only had half a day in the saddle, I began to congratulate myself and rode out with a smile only to face another 15% gradient within two miles and more agony which soon disappeared as the distance markers came down and we got to Wick with only 20 miles or so to go. It started to rain but spirits were very high. The last 10 miles you can see John O Groats in headland in the distance and the roads are easy. The last couple of miles we rode four abreast and crossed the line at John O Groats to the applause of John’s relatives. Felt happy but with a sense of anticlimax and sadness knowing that the challenge was over and probably wouldn’t be repeated. The climbing pains, butt sores and general fatigue was soon forgotten but the camaraderie, spirit and sense of achievement will be remembered forever. Thank you Guy, John, Will, Roger and Gary for dragging me around with you.
Some notes from Guy
My abiding memories will be: -
John and I climbing over Dartmoor at the end of the first day…..
The White Hart hotel at Moretenhampstead…..
Nick and Roger leaving early at the beginning of day 2 to go and do the miles they had missed ….
Nick’s never ending good humour when it was plain he was hurting. He never once complained.
Gary’s antics falling out the van and down the stairs…..
The beautiful ride through the Scottish lochs….
The Lovatt Arms hotel in St Augustus…..
John's family arriving for the last day and a half…..
Every evening was a highlight…. Beer in hand quietly revisiting the days events.
What I’d really like to add to the final “diary” more than anything else though is a couple of “thank yous”.
In no particular order…..
Thanks to my colleagues at work who put up with me being variously short tempered/distracted/absent/leaving early/arriving late whilst I trained and actually did the ride. They are top men one and all.
Thanks to my family who put up with my training induced absences without complaint. They realised how important it was to me.
A huge thanks to Nicola and Jo and everone at Bodycare for their never ending enthusiasm and dedication in getting John and I in shape for this. Its difficult to explain how much effort they put into us. X to them both.
Thanks a million to everyone who has donated money/sponsored us.
A massive thanks to Tracie….. her enthusiasm was infectious and through her gentle cajoling and patience she managed to get us to give her enough material for the Justgiving site. We never imagined what could be raised through this tool but it wouldn’t have happened without her…. and all for the cost of a curry. Tracie you are a bargain!
And lastly? Being able to roll into John O’Groats 6 years after the first ride with John, my brother in law and best friend, beside me. A guy who is not supposed to be alive but obviously hadn’t read that script.
UPDATE 18TH SEPTEMBER
WE DID IT! And now we're home.
We arrived at John O'Groats shortly after 12 on Sunday. We decided to drive all the way back to Loch Ness for the night, as we had stayed in such a nice hotel there a couple of nights ago. On Monday, we all came back in the van - a very long journey. We got back late on Monday evening and, understandably, wanted to spend time with our families.
Eventually, we will get round to showing you all our pictures and regaling you with tales (in full) of our adventures. In the meantime, so you don't underestimate what we have achieved, but because we're too modest to brag, Tracie is going to sum up the last 8 days for us.
" Because I edit this page for the Fat Boys, I can say pretty much what I like and they have no say in it. Naturally, all they want to do for a few days is be with their families. But I want to tell you about how absolutely brilliant their ride has been - because I know!
In May, I attempted the same ride, for the same charity. It was unbelievably tough. I did it in 12 days, with my best friend. We both agree, it was the most horrible experience of our lives. I won't go in to details because this page is about Guy, John, Will, Roger, Nick and Gary. But I completely understand how Guy threw his bike into a burn the first time he did this. It's been 4 months and I haven't been on my bike again. This is one tough trip and to do it in 8 days is an amazing feat - really incredible and I am full of admiration, respect and awe for what these guys have done. More than anyone, I know what they have been through; not just for those mind-blowing 8 days but in the preparation for months before.
LEJOG is more physically and mentally demanding than you can imagine. The first day alone is enough to make you weep. But what gets you through it is the knowledge that you are doing something this tough to help people who are facing much harder times. I would have headed home before I left Devon, had it not been for Little Havens Children's Hospice.
The Fat Boys In Lycra trained and prepared well for this trip. But, make no mistake, even though they made it look easy, it's not. It really isn't. I am in awe of their efforts; to do something of great personal achievement but to also dedicate that immense effort to raising money for such a tremendous cause.
Congratulate them, buy them a beer, feel proud and in awe....but please don't forget the reason why this terrific challenge was such a success.
LITTLE HAVENS CHILDREN'S HOSPICE.
It has been a real privilege to run this site for Fat Boys In Lycra - I am so proud to know them, and I hope you will tell everyone you know about what they have done and ask them to give whatever they can afford."
UPDATE 16th SEPTEMBER
Yesterday was a tough one. We did 105 miles but got very, very cold and wet. Freezing rain for 3 hours from Invergarry, up past Loch Ness and on to the A9. Not a great day for us. But.....
....at the time of writing this we are 30 MILES AWAY from John O'Groats!!
Last night we stayed in Helmsdale, leaving us about 55 miles to complete this morning. We started at 9 and by 11am this morning, we had done the first 25 miles.
John's family turned up last night. We were at a service station on the A9 and they had been keeping in touch with Gary, so knew where we were. It was a fantastic surprise when they walked in and they stayed the night and are travelling to John O'Groats today, so we have people to cheer us over the finish line.
So, just to remind you....WE ARE ALMOST AT WICK.....A MERE 30 MILES AWAY!! We have a really friendly tail-wind and fresh legs this morning, with the end in sight.
See you all soon!
UPDATE 14th SEPTEMBER
So we made it to Scotland, as you can see in the new photo. That was taken at the border in Gretna Green - the sign is right opposite the oldest marriage house in Scotland. Once in Scotland, we cycled to Dumfries and stayed overnight there. Yesterday, we picked up the journey on the A76 and followed the tourist route through East and West Ayre and then the A79 coast road. We caught the ferry from Gourock to Dunoon and stayed in Hunters Quay, having travelled 120 miles on Thursday.
Today (Friday) we are hoping to clock up another 100 miles, taking in Loch Ness along the way (we'll keep an eye out for you-know-who) and, at this rate, we anticipate arriving at John O'Groats by Sunday....8 DAYS!!
There is a BIG BUT though. The weather. From here on, the forecast is pretty lousy so we don't yet know what route we will take. It depends on how protected from the wind and rain we need to be. If we can manage with the conditions, we'd like to travel up the East coast still, but we'll have to see how it goes.
We're all fine....very sore with heavy legs, but in good shape and good spirits.
Keep the money coming, please. Tell everyone you know about us and that we look set to have cycled Land's End to John O'Groats in a total of 8 DAYS - all for Little Havens Children's Hospice.
UPDATE 12TH SEPTEMBER
Day 4 done and we arrived at Bowness-on-Windermere, home of Beatrix Potter, last night. (See! More education!) We are so, so sore. As Nick put it, "My quads feel like they've been mashed with a hammer!"
We said goodbye to Roger yesterday. It was probably in the nick of time, as he was just starting to live up to his Captain Chaos reputation. Twice in two days he managed to walk into road signs, so a concussion was looming! We were a bit concerned about letting him cycle back to Telford on his own yesterday morning; we did wonder if he could manage to get there safely by himself, but we hear he had a curry with some colleagues last night and is on his way back to Essex on the train this morning.
Actually, it's Gary who's turning out to be the real liability. Following his fall from the van on Sunday, he had a couple too many Cobras last night at the Indian restaurant where we had dinner, and managed to miss the last 5 stairs on his way down them! Black and blue body - red face.
More media this morning, dahlings! John was interviewed for BBC Essex - hope some of you managed to hear it.
Today we are looking at about 120 miles, as we cross into Scotland and try to get to Sanquhar, or Thornhill at least, via Dumfries. Both very old towns with not much going on, but we're hoping to persuade a nice hotel receptionist somewhere to upload/send some photos so we can get them on www.myspace.com/fatboysdoinglejog for you to see. It should be a nice trip there...the skies are still blue and the terrain over the next day or two should be picturesque rather than tough. The scenery up the Western side of Scotland is fantastic and we should be doing a fair bit of loch-side cycling, probably with a ferry ride at some point.
Thanks for all your support - after every update, a bit more money comes in and we are very grateful to everyone who is supporting us. Don't forget to leave us a comment on our Myspace page...with any luck, we'll be taking a look there in the next day or so.
UPDATE 11th SEPTEMBER
Day 3 completed and we have to say goodbye to Roger now. He has done brilliantly - in 3 days he has travelled a total of 340 miles and that has to be worth a few quid for Little Havens. Roger would love to be doing the lot with us but he didn't have enough annual leave left. However, we think his dedication and stamina has been proved in three days.
We arrived in Whitchurch around seven-ish on Monday evening. It was a really tough day, with 25mph headwinds, which is like cycling with the brakes on the whole way. Just awful! We also chalked up our first accident today - Gary fell out of the van and has a very scabby shin now. He's definitely wishing he'd brought some Savlon now and John (who brought the kitchen sink, INCLUDING Savlon) has been taunting him by waving it, temptingly, at Gary.
The rest of us have very tired legs and really, really sore butts! The tail-bone takes some aggro when you're this long in the saddle. The legs are suffering, too. John "playfully" grabbed Roger's leg on Monday evening and Rog screeched in agony. As John put it, "He's walking like Douglas Bader!" John paid for that, though. We checked in to The Doddington Hotel before nipping out for some dinner and a couple of pints....and John has expressed some "discomfort" about the moment his buttocks touched the base of the bath. Karma??
So....only about another 650 miles until we arrive at John O'Groats and sign the book at the pub there (always helps to put a pub at the FINISH line, hey? Now that's an incentive!)
Check back tomorrow for the next update. Go to our Myspace page (www.myspace.com/fatboysdoinglejog) and leave us a message. Click the SPONSOR US NOW button on this page and give us whatever you can afford, or tell someone else about it, or hold a fundraising event for us. Please. It all helps...and it's all for Little Havens, a most deserving charity that does amazing work, for families in dreadful circumstances.
UPDATE 10th SEPTEMBER
We set off this morning for Day 3.
Yesterday, Day 2, was another good day....we clocked up 110 miles! We made it to Chepstow but couldn't find anywhere to stay, so we drove to Tintern in the Wye Valley and stayed in a lovely hotel with great views of Tintern Abbey all lit up at night. This morning we have driven from Tintern back to Chepstow and set off on our bikes from there. We will cycle though the Wye Valley, cross the Welsh/English border fairly soon, back into England, then pass through Hereford - our eventual destination today is the old market town, Whitchurch in North Shropshire, another 110 mile trip. It's Roger's last day with us so he will have clocked up 335 miles, we hope.
We haven't had any serious mishaps so far....although yesterday, Will's chain came off and, as he stopped pretty sharpish, John rear-ended him and came off his bike into the bushes. Everyone is ok though and we are in good spirits.
We're told Whitchurch isn't exactly a throbbing metropolis -lots of clocks, apparently. It's the home of the oldest clock makers in the world (we're getting an education while we're away!) But all we need is food, a couple of pints and a place to rest our tired bodies.
UPDATE 9th SEPTEMBER
DAY 1 UNDER OUR BELTS. WE SET OFF JUST AFTER 9 YESTERDAY MORNING AND SOMETIME AFTER 7PM WE ARRIVED IN MORETONHAMSTEAD - 115 MILES CLOCKED UP! THE WEATHER WAS GLORIOUS. THE HILLS WERE UNFORGIVING....BUT WE MADE IT.
AS SOON AS WE GET OURSELVES ORGANISED WE WILL HAVE A FEW PICTURES FOR YOU TO LOOK AT ON MYSPACE.COM/FATBOYSDOINGLEJOG
IT WAS GRUELLING TODAY BUT WE ARE ALL SAFE AND HAPPY TO HAVE GOT OFF TO SUCH A GREAT START. DAY TWO TAKES US THROUGH THE REST OF DEVON, WHICH ALSO HAS A LOT OF PRETTY HAIR-RAISING HILLS. MORE DETAILS TOMORROW.....
Update 6th September
We would like to thank Richard Green, of Greens Health Foods in Leigh, for his generous donation of natural goodies to help us on the way. Also, our thanks go to Daniel Haines and Cathy Wright at http://www.fuel-it.co.uk and Rob Griffiths at www.whitedragoncomms.co.uk.
UPDATE 6th SEPTEMBER
So 2 days to go and we have a new website. Plus the bitch slapping about packing is getting out of control. Will, having kept out of it til now, waded in with this,
"Well Guy's list isn't exactly practical is it? I mean for starters hes gonna be riding 1000 miles stark b*****k naked! And if the others are gonna be relying on Rogers sat nav (programmed by Rog), then I'm gonna use pigeons instinct. I think its more reliable, and I'll see the others in Scotland after Rog has taken them for a tour of Ireland!"
Gary tried to change the subject,
"I asked John to arrange a camera and usb cable so that we can download all the juicy photos that I am going to take on route. Apparently there is more money for us from Roger's firm if I can get pics of him sweating his b*****ks off up those hills!! Also, we might get more money for those live action ones where someone fails to negotiate the sharp right handers and ends up in the bramble bushes. (Please note that I have made up a first aid kit and Savlon is NOT in it!! )"
Sadly, that last bit puts us firmly back in the controversial area of "packing" so the bitch-fest continues.
So, we have a brand new website - www.myspace.com/fatboysdoinglejog
It's still being developed but it is up and running so you can go and see us there, add yourself as a friend & leave us some nice comments to give us a good send off and a nice welcome back. Don't forget to send out blogs and bulletins about us to all your Myspace friends. We will be able to put lots more pictures on there but both sites will run together so you won't miss a thing.
First on Myspace will be THOSE infamous drunken Alps photos. Tracie now has them in her possession. If our total reaches £14470 by Thursday night, she will publish one picture on Myspace. Once the total passes £16000, the whole lot will go on...in a moving gallery with a suitable soundtrack!! So get sponsoring, tell everyone you know to find a spare fiver somewhere...it will be worth it!
By tomorrow lunchtime, we will be on our way to the Lands End Peninsula.
STOP PRESS
Kay (Gary's wife/John's sister) will be doing a boot sale this Sunday and next Sunday (9th/16th Sept) - all proceeds to Little Havens. The sales will be at the Orsett Show Ground in Rectory Road, Orsett Essex.
UPDATE 5TH SEPTEMBER
Another cheque - this time from Nick's partners at Dalton Warner Davis LLP. £2000! Thank you all so much!
The infamous photos could well be forthcoming...certain members of the team seem to feel that if other members are going to get their jollies in the Alps, the least they can do is let everybody else see what they got up to, especially if it boosts the fundraising. Tracie has promised to double her pledge, Nick is now saying he'll also pay to see the photos and, if enough of you feel strongly enough to add a bit more, Tracie will publish them here! I'll let you know when they're in my possession....I have a feeling it won't be long.
The Fat Boys are getting tetchy. John is packing with military precision and emailing enormous lists round. Guy's response to that was:-
"F*** me..... we will need a separate van for all your gear you great poof.
Here is my list....
1 x bicycle yes
1 x hard man to ride it yes
Job done.... now jog off...."
(reproduced from email without kind permission of Guy Robinson.)
John came straight back with some scandalous (and possibly slanderous) allegations involving high-heeled slingbacks.
Nick, a man of even fewer words, pointed out that while they are busy bickering like husband and wife, neither of them bothered to include a map! So Nick will be sticking with Rog and his SatNav. Not sure where that leaves poor Will.
As for the weather....we've just got the advanced forecast for Scotland. It's absolutely AWFUL! Fat Wet Boys In Lycra ...now, that's a picture worth having.
UPDATE 4th SEPTEMBER
So, here we are - T minus 90 hours...approximately. On Friday Guy, Nick and Roger will get the train from Paddington to Penzance, leaving John and Will to keep Gary company in the van! We are all staying in The Queens Hotel and we hope we'll have an early-ish dinner and then get some sleep, ready for the off the next morning.
The weather forecast is looking pretty good BUT the first day might be a bit testing. The hills coming out of Cornwall are extremely daunting and the current weather forecast suggests we're going to have Easterly winds that day. So, it looks like the first day is going to be a real tough one. Still, we're booked into a hotel in Moretonhampstead....a mere 120 miles away! Well, we've got to make sure Rog clocks up as many miles as possible in 3 days, haven't we?
We have all trained really hard for this and just can't wait to get on with it now. Even Gary's been on a diet, shifting the extra pounds gained on his holiday (a lardy van driver would be bad for our image....and slow the van down!) We're a bit worried about letting Gary book the hotels now. He went to The Isle of Wight for his holiday and wondered why it was so busy. It turned out he'd booked at the same time as 70,000 extra visitors descended on the island for an F1 Powerboat weekend AND the world's biggest scooter rally. Should've checked......
He also had a disaster with his tent, which got taken to the other side of the field by a gust of wind....at 6am. He seems to be giving Will and Captain Chaos a run for their money....and this is the guy in charge of our technical support!
Guy, John, Roger and Will have been in the Alps. They tackled some really tough mountain climbs, including the infamous Col de Joux-Plane, where Lance Armstrong "bonked" in the 2000 Tour de France. Bonking is nowhere near as exhilarating as it sounds, by the way - it's the term cyclists use for running out of fuel! If you just pictured something else...shame on you!
"That was the hardest day of my life on a bike," Armstrong said later.
"It nearly killed us," we said later.
It goes without saying that coming down was much easier...and we were reaching speeds of 40-45mph on some of our descents over
those few days. We actually had to apply the brakes a few times!
Will celebrated his 18th birthday while we were away, so we had a party. Allegedly, there are some VERY embarrassing pictures of
Guy and John....if anyone can lay their hands on one of these pictures, send them to tracie.young@blueyonder.co.uk
(she updates this site) and she will make another personal donation. Once she has the picture/s, she will then mail out asking for the total donations to be increased by a certain amount. If that figure is reached, she'll publish the picture here!!
Needless to say, the boys have not agreed to this but if there's money involved, they can't really object, can they?
So...that's us up to date, with less than 4 days to go. If you haven't donated yet, please do it right now while you're on this page. It takes two minutes. Please read at the top of this page about the brilliant work Little Havens does for families and children in terrible circumstances, then give us something....whatever you can afford, please. We will make you proud, we promise!
UPDATE 4th SEPTEMBER
Today we received a cheque for £1000 from Mick Gooch. Mick is a Leigh On Sea boy who has lived in the States since 1984 and owns GFI Holdings, the company Guy works for.
We would like to thank Mick for this very generous personal donation and, of course, take this opportunity to thank all of you who have sponsored us. Every penny counts and we are so very grateful to every one of you who has taken the time to look at this site and to understand the very real need to raise as much money as we can. Thank you all.
UPDATE - 15TH AUGUST
Okay, now we're media stars, dahlings, we would like some more money please! Yep, we made it into the Southend Echo today. If you missed it, fear not....you can read it online!
Nice photo, too. By the way, the paper mistakenly says we are doing John O'Groats to Lands End....which would be cheating as it's all downhill that way! 
Plus, JOGLE just doesn't have the same ring, does it?
UPDATE - 7th AUGUST
One month and one day to go til we set off and the money is coming in nicely, plus aready your donations have raised a further £1451 which doesn't show as part of the above total. That extra money is the tax break given (by the chancellor) to charitable donations from UK taxpayers. So please use this site to donate if you can - Little Havens gets the money quicker and the tax benefit is sorted without any admin. Thanks.
This site is almost working properly again now. Apologies to everyone who has tried to access it but we have been assured most of the technical problems are fixed so all links should work and all the weird text spacing problems have been put right. So feel free to click on the "Sponsor Me Now" tab straight away.....
So...how have we been doing?
Nick did the London to Canterbury leg of Le Tour. The weather was dodgy but he still managed to do the 120 miles in 8 hours. A week later, when the pros did it, they were only 3 and a half hours quicker! He was a bit put out to miss out on the polka dot jersey due to being nudged off his bike on the final climb at Farthing Common by a Sunday driver. He consoled himself with a little over-indulgence at the Latitude Festival in Southwold and then, further inspired by the Tour de France, he made up for it by tackling the Alps de Benfleete (really, they're very alpine.....) the following weekend. And he's thoroughly enjoying this excuse for eating loads of carbs! Possibly, he might have eaten a few too many, which might explain why he couldn't get his lardy feet out of his cleats in time and toppled over while the bike was at a standstill. It's at times like that we wish we could put video on here! Anyway, he's gone to Sicily to lick his wounds before getting back to training.
Roger is also on holiday, sunning himself in Lanzarote. And Will seems to be permanently globe-trotting and sun-seeking. We suspect they are going for the all-over tan, which might look good up close and personal but once we're all in the lycra and on the road, no-one will know that John and Guy's tans only start where the lycra ends! Guy, in particular, is not looking his naked best. The white, weedy body looks like it's got the wrong arms and legs screwed into it! Plus, when he and John did a 100 mile ride in last Sunday's heat, he got sunburnt throgh the slits of his helmet. It's less of a fashion statement; more a lesson learned. It'll be lovely when it starts peeling!
Guy has also been tackling real mountains in France....
"My god….its only when you go and try and cycle those mountain passes that you realise how good those tour de france guys are!"
Gary is working hard at fundraising, using the web to hit up as many people as possible....a little from many, which seems like a good plan. He's still adamant he will not be rubbing in chamois cream or Savlon.
Finally, Will passed his driving test yesterday, so congratulations to him but NO DRIVING til we get back from JOG. On yer bike, son.
We'll have more news and stories in the next few days. In the meantime, please try and spare few quid or do a raffle or something similar to make a bit extra for us. We really don't want anyone to lose sight of why we need all this money and although this is a big personal challenge for us all, it's ultimately all about Little Havens.
UPDATE - 14th JULY
The countdown is well and truly progressing. 56 days to go so we've been training as often as possible, despite the weather. Thanks to everyone who has sponsored us so far – it’s so encouraging to see the total moving up. But given the massive challenge we are taking on, we need more money. At the time we launched this site, Little Havens’ official running costs were £1.6 million a year. New figures show this has now risen to £2.1 million – this equates to £5.75 PER MINUTE. So please, tell everyone you know about Little Havens Children’s Hospice and the amazing work they do. And tell them about this site and 6 blokes in lycra (yes, we’re going to makeGary wear it, too!) who see the need to do something stupid like this to help bring the money in.
SO – WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING WITH US, THEN??
It’s starting to look like a toss-up between Nick and Will for who’s the most accident prone and most likely to provide hair-raising stories when we actually set off. After his altercation with the nettle patch, Will went one better a couple of weeks ago and had a run-in with Ernie (yes, he of the milk float and great speed in the West!) He’d managed to do 40 incident-free miles but as we headed back through Rayleigh, Will found himself squeezed out at some traffic lights so he went inside the traffic and waited alongside a milk float on his left. The lights turned green, Will moved off and all would have been fine…..until Ernie decided to make a right hand turn, without indicating, without looking and knocked Will straight off his bike. Poor Will was propelled at great speed into the path of the oncoming traffic. Realising he was a) alive and b) really p****d off, Will went to have it out with the milkman. As John and Guy had already sped off, they missed all the action, but we can only imagine what Ernie must have been thinking when faced with a lycra-clad cyclist with road-rage, hammering on the side of the float, and, as Will put it, “generally expressing my displeasure.” The funniest thing is, the milkman decided to make a break for it rather than face the music…..at best, he probably managed 10mph in that float! We’re guessing no-one else got any milk that morning!
The rest of us are all bearing up well. Guy's got a cold and his legs are feeling a bit empty, but it didn't stop him doing Surrey Downs...very hilly, really good training. The weathermen are now saying we may not get any really good weather til August, or maybe even September. As long as it’s not TOO hot in September, we think an Indian Summer will be fantastic for the ride. In the mean time, training has to go on, despite all this rain. If you can do a fundraising event for us – anything that wil bring in a few extra quid – that would be great. If, when payday comes, you can spare a bit yourself, please do. If you keep meaning to sponsor us but keep forgetting, please do it now. It only takes two minutes and you’re already here so now’s a good a time as any. Many, many thanks. Remember – spread the word!