On Saturday 9th July 2022 we are cycling the Coast to Coast Bike Ride, Seascale in Cumbria to Whitby 150 miles. We are challenging ourselves harder than ever by taking it a step further and cycling back Coast to Coast - Whitby to Seascale on 11th and 12th July 2022. 

The Coast to Coast bike ride is over 150 miles.  On 9th July 2022 we are riding from Seascale in Cumbria to Whitby. 

Open Cycling the Event Organisers say "A stunning 150 mile with 4500m of ascent road ride from the mountainous Western Lake District, through the Yorkshire Dales, across the flat Vale of York and finally the Northern Valleys of the North York Moors, finishing by the sea in Whitby". This is a very challenging ride, we will be cycling for over 14 hours, climbing approx. 12, 000 ft and setting off at approx. 5am. 

Just to highlight how tough the Coast to Coast in a day event is and why .... 

* We are riding 150 miles in a day. Yes we did it last year in 2021 but to highlight the difficulty. For the last half the legs burn, bottom hurts and you have another 7 or so hours cycling to do when tired from getting up at 5am. 

**  To add to  that 4500 meters of hills - almost 3 miles of height to climb, or 4 Snowdonia Mountains. 

***  Then consider that a mere few miles after starting we have to ride up Englands steepest road - Hardknott pass. Serious riders (and cars) struggle to get up this mountain (hill doesn't do it justice). It's a 1 in 3 gradient at it's steepest, and overall its 2km of pain. remember we're trying to get a tandem up it, which are notoriously hard to climb on. Just a couple of miles after Hardknott pass is Wrynose pass. This is another 30% gradient to climb up on already tired legs.

**** We also need to descent down the other side of these mountains, which sounds easy. At least gravity is on our side. But on narrow roads, a one in three gradient, loose tarmac, hairpin bends, almost sheer drops to the side - it's not easy. Spare a thought for Meg on the back with no control and no brakes. 

*****  Once this tough section is complete we only have another 130 odd miles to get to the finish line. We believe there is a 25% gradient 6 miles from the finish when we'll be desperate to get to the end.

****** To have a chance of finishing we are setting off at 5am. If we average 12mph (a good speed given the hills and distance) then we have around 12 and a half hours on the saddle. If we average 11mph then that becomes 14 hours. It's difficult standing on the pedals on a tandem - all that time is on the saddle, and it gets very uncomfortable on the old backside after so many hours.

******* Add in food and rest stops and we're finishing between 9pm and midnight. Last time (June 2021) we finished at 9.25 pm with wobbly legs, red raw bottoms and it was going dark. By the time we made the way home Meg was so exhausted / stiff and tired she didn't have strength left in the legs manage the stairs so had crawl up them. 

******** Add to this that after one day to rest (10th July) we are pedalling from Whitby to Seascale. That's approximately 70 - 80 miles a day on 11th and 12th July. We will be doing this on legs that are still tired and drained. 

Why ???

St Ann's Hospice is a charity which cares for thousands of local people with cancer and non-cancer life-limiting illnesses every year. They cared for Meg's Nanna  Gertrude in 2015 giving her blood transfusions and meals / moral support to help manage bowel and kidney cancer and dementia. They offered Nanna and family a safe place to talk and therapies such as massage. They  also nursed Meg's honorary Grandma Annie in her final days offering end of life care in 2007. Annie passed away peacefully and with dignity there in June 2007. We want to thank them for all their love and support caring for our 2 amazing grandparents 💜 

We will be doing some challenging rides as training including 

* The Mad Manc Bike Ride, 200k / 124 miles plus 10, 000 ft elevation covering all 10 boroughs of Manchester

* Stalybridge to Wrexham and back