Rick Cusimano
LEJOG 2007
Fundraising for NSPCC
Story
Mike and I will be attempting to cycle 1000 miles from Land's End in Cornwall to John O'Groats in Scotland. We're aiming to do this over 10 days, starting on August 20th.
As you may or may not know, this trip has been plagued with bad luck from the very beginning. I come off my bike in May, needing 17 stitches to my face and a few weeks to recover. Then my bike took over a month to repair, and just to top it all off we had the worst rain I've ever seen during an English summer. An already tight training schedule was cut ridiculously short.
But, Mike and I are too stubborn to give in and so we've tried our best over the last few weeks to put in a resonable number of miles to give us at least a small chance of success. And so, while we can make no promises as to our chances of success, we do pledge to get down to Land's End and give it 110% until we can push no more.
Some interesting facts: we estimate it'll take between 9 and 13 hours of cycling each day. Our shortest day should be around 70 miles and our longest some 115 miles. All accommodation has been pre-booked and we know exactly where we should be stopping every night. We'll be using up some 7000 calories each day, and we'll need to eat 2 or 3 times more than usual to stop us losing too much weight.
We are doing this to raise money for the NSPCC children's charity. We didn't want to start raising money until we were confident we could at least put in a worthy effort. As a result however, we haven't been able to reach as many people as we would have liked. We would very much appreciate your help in sending this link to anyone you feel may be willing to contribute. Please give generously, it is a very worthy cause.
We will be completely unsupported on the ride (meaning we will be carrying all our clothes, food and tools) and will be covering the costs of the trip entirely ourselves. Your sponsorship goes straight to the NSPCC.
Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: NSPCC 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.
Many thanks for your support.
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****************************** LATEST ********************************
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13/08/2007
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Mike and I did 130 miles last weekend. We were hoping to do more but after getting 2 punctures in 20 miles and running out of inner tubes we decided it was best to head back. It was very hard work (especially cycling through the peaks!) but luckily neither of us have picked up any injuries yet so we're still ok.
Spent about 2 hours tweaking the brakes and gears on the bike last night. Now bought a SHEDLOAD of innertubes, and will be spending tonight replacing them v.e.r.y. carfully.
15/08/2007
----------------
The weather appears to have taken a turn for the worst, prompting me to invest in more waterproof clothes. Doing some 40 mile routes over the peaks this week after work to really get the most out of ourselves. Going away for 3 days on Friday, should help take my mind off things and recover physically ready for the 20th.
Started ringing around the accommodation to ensure we can get breakfast at 6:45 after Mike and I decided we should be setting off earlier each day. Also checking we can get an evening meal when we get there, if not we'll have to buy sandwiches on the way to eat in the evening.
16/08/2007
----------------
Last training ride tonight, then just need to get everything packed up and ready to get the train on Monday. Mike and I are definitely improving, we did the "killer" 40 miler over the peaks in just under 4 hours last night, which is definitely good going for us over terrain like that. We've started clock watching when we stop, just because if Mike and I start chatting we can easily spend half an hour drinking a bottle of lucozade!
This was an interesting fact I thought - I found this on a guy's website who'd recently completed the ride:
"The total ascent on Day 2 was 6,460 ft. In comparison, Day 6, which included Shap, was 'only' 4,281ft. I climbed 35,500 feet in total (Mount Everest is 29,035 feet above sea level)"
Its amazing when you think that Ben Nevis is 4408ft tall, and we'll be climbing a lot more than that on the first two days.
19/08/2007
----------------
Just got back from the Stag do, was excellent fun and hopefully it shouldn't have disrupted our progress. Congratulations again Liam <=o)
Just got to gather all our things together and double check we haven't forgotten anything. All the rest seems to have paid off, for the first time in ages I'm not aching (though I'm sure that won't last long now).
Thank you so much everyone who'se sponsored us, we're very grateful and we hope we reach our target!
20/08/2007
----------------
Well hello, i am now officially incharge of rick and mike's cycling blog. For anyone who doesnt know me, im Sophie (Rick's other half) and have been given strict instructions to keep you all informed of progress or lack of!!
On Monday the guys travelled by train down to Land's End which took almost 8hrs and they had a few difficulties with bikes and connections. Luckily, abit of team spirit arose by seeing the sun setting over the sea when they were cycling to the accommodation at Lands End!
21/08/2007- Lands End to Dartmoor
---------------
Cycling time: 10hrs
Total Time: 14hrs
Total distance:109 miles
General mood: why on earth did we wanna do this? Cornwall makes the Peak district look flat
Very tiring and demanding first day, the guy at the hotel said they have done the hardest two days of the route in one day!! Did not arrive at the hotel until almost 10pm so very hungary and shattered. An early night i think!
22/08/2007- Dartmoor to Lower Langford (nr Bristol)
----------------
Cycling time: 7.5hrs
Total Time: 11hrs
Total distance: 87 miles
General mood: awesome, back to the hotel early, time to recover!!
Today was much more positive (sigh of relief all round!) Leaving Dartmoor was still very hilly so the legs have taken another battering! The weather has been fantastic, really hot and blue skys make the pain almost go away and the landscape seems so pleasant. Rick has friends in that area so having arrived back to the hotel early, they showered and went out to the pub for a reunion and a much needed drink. x
23/08/07- Lower Langford to Clun (Shropshire)
------------
Cycling time: 9hrs
Total Time: 14hrs
Total Distance: 106miles
Average Speed: 11.6mph
General Mood: youth hostels suck when your 26!
The guys had an amazing cycle through the south of Wales and said the sun was shining and the sky was blue! However, gutted that when they arrived at their accommodation tired and hungary, it was a grotty dorm youth hostel, rick not happy!!
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Thanks again to everyone for all your support while Rick has been away. I know that text messages have really cheered him up and he'll be looking forward to seeing everyone again when he can relax!!!
28/08/2007
----------------
Hi everyone, Rick here. Mike and I arrived home safe and sound yesterday and we're just about getting used to 'real life' again.
I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported us, through sponsorship or otherwise. We've been overwhelmed by the response and we're very happy we've been able to raise so much for the NSPCC.
Mike and I were amazed every time we completed a single day. It has been an enormous struggle and we really didn't realise what we'd let ourselves in for. But I guess, if its easy then its not really a challenge is it. In the end it was our lack of cycling experience which let us down. After all, we'd only really been cycling for a couple of months before the bike ride.
The last few days Mike and I were struggling through injuries. General aches and pains were becoming worse every mile, and eventually the knees started to become a real problem. The last day was very hard for both of us, and we decided to throw in the towel on day 6, a few miles after crossing into Scotland.
We were very dissappointed not to have reached JOG, but then, we were also very suprised to have gone as far as we did. Mike and I have decided to attempt to complete the route next year, to bring some closure to this LEJOG challenge.
I have uploaded some of our photos here, they're in reverse order.
Once again, a massive thank you to everyone, and in particular the girlfriends sophie and tess, without whom this challenge would have been twice as difficult.
Cheers
Rick & Mike
As you may or may not know, this trip has been plagued with bad luck from the very beginning. I come off my bike in May, needing 17 stitches to my face and a few weeks to recover. Then my bike took over a month to repair, and just to top it all off we had the worst rain I've ever seen during an English summer. An already tight training schedule was cut ridiculously short.
But, Mike and I are too stubborn to give in and so we've tried our best over the last few weeks to put in a resonable number of miles to give us at least a small chance of success. And so, while we can make no promises as to our chances of success, we do pledge to get down to Land's End and give it 110% until we can push no more.
Some interesting facts: we estimate it'll take between 9 and 13 hours of cycling each day. Our shortest day should be around 70 miles and our longest some 115 miles. All accommodation has been pre-booked and we know exactly where we should be stopping every night. We'll be using up some 7000 calories each day, and we'll need to eat 2 or 3 times more than usual to stop us losing too much weight.
We are doing this to raise money for the NSPCC children's charity. We didn't want to start raising money until we were confident we could at least put in a worthy effort. As a result however, we haven't been able to reach as many people as we would have liked. We would very much appreciate your help in sending this link to anyone you feel may be willing to contribute. Please give generously, it is a very worthy cause.
We will be completely unsupported on the ride (meaning we will be carrying all our clothes, food and tools) and will be covering the costs of the trip entirely ourselves. Your sponsorship goes straight to the NSPCC.
Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: NSPCC 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.
Many thanks for your support.
*********************************************************************
****************************** LATEST ********************************
*********************************************************************
13/08/2007
----------------
Mike and I did 130 miles last weekend. We were hoping to do more but after getting 2 punctures in 20 miles and running out of inner tubes we decided it was best to head back. It was very hard work (especially cycling through the peaks!) but luckily neither of us have picked up any injuries yet so we're still ok.
Spent about 2 hours tweaking the brakes and gears on the bike last night. Now bought a SHEDLOAD of innertubes, and will be spending tonight replacing them v.e.r.y. carfully.
15/08/2007
----------------
The weather appears to have taken a turn for the worst, prompting me to invest in more waterproof clothes. Doing some 40 mile routes over the peaks this week after work to really get the most out of ourselves. Going away for 3 days on Friday, should help take my mind off things and recover physically ready for the 20th.
Started ringing around the accommodation to ensure we can get breakfast at 6:45 after Mike and I decided we should be setting off earlier each day. Also checking we can get an evening meal when we get there, if not we'll have to buy sandwiches on the way to eat in the evening.
16/08/2007
----------------
Last training ride tonight, then just need to get everything packed up and ready to get the train on Monday. Mike and I are definitely improving, we did the "killer" 40 miler over the peaks in just under 4 hours last night, which is definitely good going for us over terrain like that. We've started clock watching when we stop, just because if Mike and I start chatting we can easily spend half an hour drinking a bottle of lucozade!
This was an interesting fact I thought - I found this on a guy's website who'd recently completed the ride:
"The total ascent on Day 2 was 6,460 ft. In comparison, Day 6, which included Shap, was 'only' 4,281ft. I climbed 35,500 feet in total (Mount Everest is 29,035 feet above sea level)"
Its amazing when you think that Ben Nevis is 4408ft tall, and we'll be climbing a lot more than that on the first two days.
19/08/2007
----------------
Just got back from the Stag do, was excellent fun and hopefully it shouldn't have disrupted our progress. Congratulations again Liam <=o)
Just got to gather all our things together and double check we haven't forgotten anything. All the rest seems to have paid off, for the first time in ages I'm not aching (though I'm sure that won't last long now).
Thank you so much everyone who'se sponsored us, we're very grateful and we hope we reach our target!
20/08/2007
----------------
Well hello, i am now officially incharge of rick and mike's cycling blog. For anyone who doesnt know me, im Sophie (Rick's other half) and have been given strict instructions to keep you all informed of progress or lack of!!
On Monday the guys travelled by train down to Land's End which took almost 8hrs and they had a few difficulties with bikes and connections. Luckily, abit of team spirit arose by seeing the sun setting over the sea when they were cycling to the accommodation at Lands End!
21/08/2007- Lands End to Dartmoor
---------------
Cycling time: 10hrs
Total Time: 14hrs
Total distance:109 miles
General mood: why on earth did we wanna do this? Cornwall makes the Peak district look flat
Very tiring and demanding first day, the guy at the hotel said they have done the hardest two days of the route in one day!! Did not arrive at the hotel until almost 10pm so very hungary and shattered. An early night i think!
22/08/2007- Dartmoor to Lower Langford (nr Bristol)
----------------
Cycling time: 7.5hrs
Total Time: 11hrs
Total distance: 87 miles
General mood: awesome, back to the hotel early, time to recover!!
Today was much more positive (sigh of relief all round!) Leaving Dartmoor was still very hilly so the legs have taken another battering! The weather has been fantastic, really hot and blue skys make the pain almost go away and the landscape seems so pleasant. Rick has friends in that area so having arrived back to the hotel early, they showered and went out to the pub for a reunion and a much needed drink. x
23/08/07- Lower Langford to Clun (Shropshire)
------------
Cycling time: 9hrs
Total Time: 14hrs
Total Distance: 106miles
Average Speed: 11.6mph
General Mood: youth hostels suck when your 26!
The guys had an amazing cycle through the south of Wales and said the sun was shining and the sky was blue! However, gutted that when they arrived at their accommodation tired and hungary, it was a grotty dorm youth hostel, rick not happy!!
24/08/07- Clun to Wigan
------------
Cycling Time: 8hrs
Total Time: 12hrs
Total Distance: 101miles
Average Speed: 12.8mph
General mood: Got a routine more perfected
Rick and Mike have seem to have sussed out a rountine of when to get up so they are now arriving at their accommodation about 6pm rather than the 10pm arrivals of earlier in the week. This gives then chance to unwind before it starts all over again!
Now that the pain is starting to really set in, the guys asked me to double check some of the days ahead and I changed the accommodation for one, since they were now feeling strong enough to tackle a 125mile route in a day. Arses and knees are breaking the pain barrier, the end feels like it could be approaching!
25/08/07- Wigan to Penrith
-------------
Cycling Time: 7hrs
Total time: 11hrs
Total Distance: 91miles
Average Speed:12.4mph
General mood: ouch, everything hurts more than you can imagine.
Today was really successful, cycling through the lake district was amazing and they managed to do it in a great time. I hope that they have taken lots of great photos as it seems like they have cycled through some gorgeous scenery.
The pain is becoming more unbearable now and even the painkillers can not hold off how uncomfortable both Rick and Mike's bodies now feel. They expect not to be able to finish another day.
26/08/07- Penrith to Mauchline (crossing into Scotland)
-------------
The guys were up early this morning with the aim of hoping they could at least reach the Scottish border and have conquered England.
After reaching the Scottish border midday, Mike decided that his knee was so painful he could no longer walk let alone cycle and was going to have to stop. This left Rick the agonising decision of whether he could go on alone that afternoon. Both guys were feeling at their lowest and extremley disappointed they could no longer finish together. Mike decided to go ahead by train and Rick decided to cycle the other 55miles solo and would both meet at the accommodation as planned and would discuss the rest of the week later.
Mike had originally thought he could accommpany Rick the rest of the way by train, but after doing some investigation it would have been near on impossible to get to some of the stops as trains just didnt go there. If Rick was to continue he would have to complete the week alone.
By 7pm and 30miles further on Rick decided he was also in a lot of pain and unlikely to get much further this week without Mike. The prospect of four days alone in the scottish highlands was a big challenge to take on in light of how Rick already felt. The guys met up, had a victorious drink (when i phoned rick he was drinking whisky!) and celebrated how much they had achieved and the relief of returning home.
27/08/2007- RICK AND MIKE ARE COMING HOME!!----------------
Thanks again to everyone for all your support while Rick has been away. I know that text messages have really cheered him up and he'll be looking forward to seeing everyone again when he can relax!!!
28/08/2007
----------------
Hi everyone, Rick here. Mike and I arrived home safe and sound yesterday and we're just about getting used to 'real life' again.
I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported us, through sponsorship or otherwise. We've been overwhelmed by the response and we're very happy we've been able to raise so much for the NSPCC.
Mike and I were amazed every time we completed a single day. It has been an enormous struggle and we really didn't realise what we'd let ourselves in for. But I guess, if its easy then its not really a challenge is it. In the end it was our lack of cycling experience which let us down. After all, we'd only really been cycling for a couple of months before the bike ride.
The last few days Mike and I were struggling through injuries. General aches and pains were becoming worse every mile, and eventually the knees started to become a real problem. The last day was very hard for both of us, and we decided to throw in the towel on day 6, a few miles after crossing into Scotland.
We were very dissappointed not to have reached JOG, but then, we were also very suprised to have gone as far as we did. Mike and I have decided to attempt to complete the route next year, to bring some closure to this LEJOG challenge.
I have uploaded some of our photos here, they're in reverse order.
Once again, a massive thank you to everyone, and in particular the girlfriends sophie and tess, without whom this challenge would have been twice as difficult.
Cheers
Rick & Mike