A good friend suggested that I should run a blog on my forthcoming planned Lands End to John O'Groats cycle ride (LEJOG) in April 2011. I've never written anything on a blog before so I thought I should try it out before setting off on my cycle ride on April 15th. I was going to simply update my wall on Facebook each evening, subject to wifi being available in remote locations, so that may still be the fall back position if I can't connect to this website "on the road".
I guess I should start by saying a few things about myself and why I'm doing LEJOG. I'm 55, perhaps a stone (and more!) heavier than I should be, have a desk job, and have recently exchanged golf as a sport for cycling, and I love it. I have always enjoying cycling but hadn't done more than occasional rides to town, football matches and occasionally to work, but after entering a longer distance charity ride (55 miles Great North Bike Ride) I found it such an enjoyable experience seeing wonderful Northumbrian coastline at a pace you could enjoy the sights, that I got the bug.
I have two bikes, a Scott Mountain bike (MTB) and a Ridgeback Hybrid. I'll be using the hybrid for LEJOG, for those not "in the know", this is because it has smoother narrower tyres which gives less road friction than the MTB's chunkier tyres.
Having completed a few longer rides, Coast to Coast "C2C" (Whitehaven to Tynemouth), Coast and Castles "C&C" (Edinburgh to Whitley Bay) and one day rides such as Whitley Bay to Scarborough (115 miles) and rides home from Wooler and from Haltwhistle, I felt I was ready to step up to the challenge of a 12 day back to back ride covering about 80 to 90 miles a day. The planning has been constant, looking at routes, tinkering with some great maps on Cycle Streets and Bike Hike's sites (great sites for planning rides) and finding accommodation. When I did C2C I did not book any accommodation but just cycled until I was tired and stopped to ask for a room. I ended up in a caravan the first night and a country pub the second night. It was superb, but both places advised that I was lucky to find a bed, as it was such a popular route (60,000 attempt it each year) they book up fast. So for LEJOG I've booked each nights stay in advance but the disadvantage is that whatever the weather (gales and rain in your face?) I have to reach my destination with no stop off option if I've worn out! I guess its risk -v- certainty and I've gone for the safe option, so I hope I get reasonable weather so that I can complete each days planned ride.
LEJOG appeals to me for several reasons..... I don't feel I know this country that I live in, when you are driving anywhere you cannot admire the scenery if you are staring at red brake lights in front of you on a motorway and I've never been further north than Dundee nor have I been to Devon and Cornwall. I'm hoping this 12 to 15 mph pedal will help me get a feel for areas I've never visited before. Plus the challenge of riding from one end to the other is something I would like to achieve before I'm too old....is 55 too old already? I guess I'll find out next month! Added to those two reasons, I hope by drinking lots of water along the way and a diet of bananas and other fruit, I'll drop some weight off! After all I'll not be within 8 feet of a fridge 24/7 !! Finally, I would like to raise money for Arthritis Research. My father had this debilitating illness for the last 30 years of his life and he suffered badly. I guess its not as popular with the public as those charities for children or animals but I have done several rides for Children's charities in the past and will do more in the future.
A friend asked how much it had cost to book b&bs, youth hostels and trains to get to the start and back from the finish and I guess its somewhere between £400/£450 plus meals on top. He asked how much I'd raised so far which is £320 (*now £540 as at 12/4 - thank you all!) so he said why didn't I just give the costs of the journey to the charity and skip the trip! I think he's missed the point (at least I hope he has!).
I do have a little trepidation, as I near my departure for Penzance by train on April 14th..... I have no colleagues doing it with me, and I have no support vehicle which you would get on an organised Charity ride. I can fix a puncture but that's about it. So if I have a mechanical problem, I would have to walk to the nearest town/bike shop and hope I can get repairs and get back on schedule to reach my night's stop. There is no "set in stone" route for LEJOG unlike other long distance rides such as C2C and C&C where everything is excellently signposted with the NCR blue signs so you meet lots of other cyclists on the way and you're never far away from a cyclist if you need help. Doing LEJOG on your own selected route, I guess I may never come across another cyclist because our routes may differ considerably.
Well thanks for reading this far (if you have!) and if this website works on my mobile phone, I'll hope to update my progress starting with the train journey on April 14th. Thanks to everyone who has donated on www.justgiving.com/Tony-Crosby
