Foolish Thoughts and Stupid Ideas

[Rgill]

The above was the title of an email I sent to 6 retired  colleagues in July 2020. The first line encouraged them to read no further and ignore my suggestions. Almost 2 years later 4 of us with our  partners will depart tomorrow morning for Penzance about to ride for 19 days and hopefully get to John O’Groats.

2 years ago mid pandemic,  as Downing St partied,  I was working in Intensive Care as a consultant.  When allowed to exercise and to get away from the horrors of working 13 hour shifts in what looked like “Cheap Plastic Martian suits”,  I would get on my road bike and cycle around the New Forest. As the  miles racked up and retirement loomed for June 3rd 2022, I thought perhaps I should do LEJOG. My cycling experience was only a few  hours  per week in the summer months during  the  previous 10 years around the forest and none of us except Tom had ever undertaken a tour on this nature.

Unsurprisingly that first summer I received no replies  and the following summer (2021) I resent the  email, anticipating  more silence. 2 weeks later whilst bemoaning the lack of any replies and having to do this solo  to Kate my partner , she surprised  me by saying she would keep me company on her Riese and Muller Charger 3. The very next day 2 colleagues and their partners replied expressing an interest.

I used https://cycle.travel
To plan the trip and decided after much reading to follow a version of their Easy East Coaster https://cycle.travel/route/lejog_east_coast
One couple and Kate are on electric bikes  all Riese and Mullers, another on 2 Cannondale Synapses and lastly me on my Thorn Mercury (rohloff and 650b) which arrived last September. Tom the best cyclist of my colleagues  offered to be a support driver having ridden Gibraltar to Portsmouth in his month off before returning to work after retiring a few years ago.

So here we are on our evening before departure, all packed, 3 retired Adult and Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthetist’s and their partners, looking forward with some degree of trepidation to what we hope will be a great trip.

I have learned much  from this forum over the last year and am grateful for the contribution of others. If not too tired I will attempt to post the occasional update and photos.

[PH]

Best of luck with it, I'm sure it'll be a great trip.
I did it almost 20 years ago, also an Easterly route, though we started in JoG.  A little different to the Cycle travel route, we went even further East in England (Over the Humber Bridge) and Loch Ness rather than Aviemore in Scotland,  but still with many similarities. I have some great memories, at the time I'd never done anything like it.
Good variety of bikes going, I'd choose the Mercury, though I may be a little biased.  Mind you, in Cornwall and Devon there may be times you'll wish you were on one of the E-bikes!

[Rgill]

First 2 days of easy east coast LEJOG completed. Day one started with 6 mile cycle to land end followed by off to St Agnes. Fair weather to Penzance followed by Cornish mizzle the rest of way. Occasional  great views on the north coast but often lost in cloud. St Agnes beach was lovely with great  views of those surfing, but must remember not  to stay sea  level in the future, as day 2 stated in bright sunshine and a 0.5 mile steep hill ride out of St Agnes.

Tough day for all with 4150 ft of climbing and one 20% hill defeating all of us except  the e-bike.  Perranporth beach was  lovely with a strong westerly wind. We detoured to Crantock to see the Poppy fields on the cliffs which were amazing.  A coffee  and cake break felt well deserved after a big climb into St Columb Major. Unfortunately the weather turned for the worst as torrential rain squalls came in from behind and our side. These disappeared as we got onto the camel trail which  was stunning. With 4 miles to go to our accommodation we thought the worst was over until hit by the big climb  all the way into Camelford. However all are relaxed  and feeling  good, following dinner.

Hopefully  the worst of the hills until Scotland will be behind us after tomorrows rides!!

[Rgill]

Written by my partner
Far more entertaining

Day 2 complete St Agnes to Camelford, 46 miles, 4 hours 57 minutes and 4175ft of uphill. The morning started in bright sunshine watching the surfers, children and dogs already playing on the beautiful beach. Alas as we were at sea level and had an immediate climb to 350 feet. Whose idea was it to be by the sea?! Seagulls, hedgerows and pretty villages festooned with bunting left over from the Jubilee and then a 5 mile (!!) detour to see the poppy fields near Crantock. Absolutely beautiful and ( almost) worth the extra miles. Up until this point I still felt enthusiastic- sun, wind behind us. Alas first mizzle then torrential rain dampened this, together with relentless hills. Down then up then down and up again. No flat terrain at all. These felt like mountains to me, but Ravi assured me these are only hills, and the only mountains we will encounter are in Scotland. Whoppee doo! Got those to look forward to. The Camel trail despite being described as easy still felt uphill to me. Just when we thought we were almost there, several particularly nasty hills, including a 20% hill. Apparently Cornwall and Devon are the toughest part. Easy after this!

[Mike Ayling]

Chapeau to you and the rest of the medical trade for the job that you did during the pandemic.

I am another biased Mercury owner but the Rohloff is ideal for all the sudden steep hills that you are encountering on your ride. A twist of the wrist enables you to drop three or four gears in a second. Try that on a derailleur bike particularly when you are tired at the end of the day!

Consider recording your ride on CycleBlaze and you will have a permanent record to look back on over the tears.

Mike

[Moronic]

Enjoying reading about your adventure, and heartily endorsing your choice of steed.    That Day 2 itinerary looks like a hell of a Day 2 for a group without touring experience, even with power assistance. Love the pics! I look forward to the next instalment when you can find the energy. At least it sounds like you are not needing to carry your kit on the bikes. Apologies if I've missed the reference, but are you all camping or staying in hotels and such?

[JohnR]

Grotty weather is part of the excitement(!?) of such trips and almost always it's possible to comfort yourself with the thought that it could be even worse.

I did a supported 20 day LEJOG https://www.bikeadventures.co.uk/product/lands-end-to-john-ogroats-21-days-2021/ on my Mercury last year. Cornwall and Devon are the most challenging part of the trip, partly because the grind of getting up the hills is followed by cautious descents not knowing what is around the next corner (that route includes trips over the Quantocks and Mendips and the organisers' rule of thumb is that if people can get to Bristol then, barring mishap, they can get to the end). Scottish hills are much less challenging. They may be longer climbs but not so steep and are rewarded by pleasant descents.

If you're set up the gearing on the Mercury appropriately then hills become less of a challenge. My strategy is to have the gearing so that I can get up my worst local hills in 3rd gear so I've got two in reserve for when the legs are tired. As already noted, it's easy to drop several gears on the Rohloff with a quick twist of the wrist. I've just got home from a supported Lowestoft - St Davids trip (with Rohloff but not the Mercury). I was the slowest participant on the flatter first half of the trip but most of those with derailleur gears ran out of gears and ended up walking once when we reached the hills whereas I still had bottom gear in reserve.

[Rgill]

Thank you all for the supportive comments, Moronic we are B&B/hotels each night. Below is my partner Kate’s musings for day, apologies if they are too graphic but she is doing amazingly in my opinion. A partial knee replacement 3 years ago and now this.

Day 3 finally finished - cycling bit at least. Last night we were so tired we chose not to go into Camelford - a 1 mile walk -and had dinner in the Golf Club where we were staying.  It has been quite hard to find B & Bs that will take us for just one night. Back to our room in time for Spring Watch with Tom Major featuring his Aesculapian snakes in North Wales - he is almost our son in law, Maya’s partner, so this was very exciting.  During the programme they showed a map of the UK- and for the first time I had a look at where John O’Groats is - right up at the top, a long way away.  This has been a bit of a Magical Mystery Tour for me, as I have no idea where I have been or where I am going.  The ostrich approach serves me well, as if I had know what I had agreed to one year ago, I would never have done it.  I overheard that we are doing 60 miles tomorrow, but again I am promised less hills and good weather.  Alas today we went from Cornish Mizzle to Devonshire drizzle, wet all day. As we crossed the River Tamar and left Cornwall behind,  we hoped the hills might get easier, but Devon greeted us with an enormous climb. The wind seemed always to be in front of us or at the side, although Ravi in his optimistic way assured me it was behind us part of the way.  Wherever it was it was very gusty and blowing hard at times. Today I double chamoised as my sit bones were sore.  During ”training” I actually had black and blue bruises on my sitbones, so thought I would try the double chamois- which works well until I had to go for a wild wee.  Double lycra chamois act like a physio band around the knees, and that combined with the necessity to find a nice downhill part so as not to get wet sandals and wearing waterproof trousers, as well as not being able to squat as well as I did when I was 16, makes it exceedingly tricksy.  As all good athletes know you also have to check how concentrated your wee is, so I ended up looking like I was in some peculiar yoga pose with my head between my knees.  Ravi’s blog is full of the route we have taken and the ascents we have done, but for me wild weeing is much more important! 46.8 miles, 4 hours 19 minutes of peddling and 3877 feet ascent from Camelford to Oakhampton. Tomorrow on to Taunton and then Bristol.  Unimaginable.

[B cereus]

The best of luck with the rest of your adventure and let me add my appreciation for your efforts and those of your colleagues during the pandemic. I accompanied a friend on his LEJOG, also to mark his retirement, and I still have fond memories a dozen years later. We took a scenic route of some 1200 miles at a similar schedule to yours, 1200 miles in 20 days. Unfortunately scenic often equates to hilly but with Cornwall done and dusted the toughest hills are undoubtedly behind you. The hills in Scotland, despite its mountainous reputation, are altogether more gentle.

Looking  forward to further updates.

[Rgill]

Day 4 Oakhampton to Taunton the first time my partner has cycled 100K, started with a brutal climb out of oakhampton, but over all the days  cycling was easier but longer  than the  previous 2. Partly the sun shone , wind behind(ish) and the  Great Western canal was stinning. Below is Kate’s version of the day. Can recommend the On the Green for great coffee in Crediton and Flying Pickle cafe  in Tiverton for lunch


Day 4- Okehampton to Taunton, 63.8 miles, 3833 feet ascent and riding time was 5 hours 31 minutes- however, we left at 8.15am and arrived in Taunton at 5.15pm- 9 hours in total, as a little blip in the middle as Ravi lost his phone and he and Gareth had to retrace our path to find it - Find My Phone came up trumps, and some lovely person  had put it on a wall, and not taken the £20 note and credit card!
This is the longest, and fastest paced ride I have ever done, and I am exhausted.  2 miles in after an immediate hill, my inner thighs began to hurt. 2 hours later my anterior shin muscles joined the party.  Not sure where they had been for the last few days, as all my other leg muscles have been aching since Tuesday. Cycling for long stretches with no distractions allows for a lot of thinking, as well as enjoying the beautiful countryside.  Particularly pondering why I agreed to do this in a moment of weakness.  Almost exactly a year ago I had an Atrial Flutter / Fibrillation ablation, a 5 hour operation where, as Ravi so wonderfully puts it, they microwaved my heart to ablate the abnormal areas causing my heart to do tumble turns and flip flops. The whole thing was not a life limiting or shortening experience, but was very surreal, and caused me to reflect that life doesn’t always go on as normal, and that we only have a very limited time. Hence agreeing to cycle over 1000 miles.  However, at the top of every hill I am always a little relieved to find my heart beating fast in normal sinus rhythm.  I am, however, cycling with 2 Cardiac Anaesthetists and a nurse, so I am sure if anything cardiac happened I would be in good hands! 
Devon gave way to Somerset, and the sun came out.  Hedgerows were not as high, and we had glorious views.  Most of our ride is on small roads and bike paths, and today we cycled along the Great Western Canal for a lovely flat interlude.  Swans and cygnets, and people just enjoying the sunshine and the water. The other past time I have as we are cycling along is noticing what else is trying to cross the path - beetles, slugs, snails, and today 2 mice as well as ducks and rabbits.  Their journey across the path must be a similar journey to this - but much more dangerous.  I do wonder why they decide to try.  Today with the sunshining the flies were out in force.  After eating 2 flies, which as a long time vegetarian is upsetting, I learnt to keep my mouth shut.  However, they still seem to get tangled up in my hair, in my eyes and one up my nose. I did wonder if they count as added protein, as I know I am supposed to increase my protein intake on this trip to make up for damaged muscle tissue.
Beginning to realise the challenge we have taken on.  Tomorrow we are off to Bristol and Izzy and Greg’s house, and then a day of rest.  Joy!

 

[JohnR]

Your reports are very interesting and I commend the excellent progress as the route along the canal may be pleasant but is relatively slow. You are through the worst. I recognised the signpost in the 3rd photo as I must have cycled past it (without the brown signs) a couple of thousand times on my way to/from school.

It's a bit late to recommend this book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bell-Bike-LEJOG-Dave-ebook/dp/B00H3KBTWS as pre-LEJOG reading but I'm sure you would still find it interesting.

[Rgill]

Day 5 to Bristol, sunshine and very flat cycling to what we have seen in the previous days. Gareth managed to get sunburnt though his helmet, Never seen that before. The canal path to Bridgwater was stunning, at 28 miles I think I must have hit my first low, prehaps the sameness of the Somerset Levies, suddenly I was  mentally and then physcially exhausted. Whilst the I am use to the latter the former is very rare for me. Anyway a  black coffee, diest coke and Victoria sponge in The Pantry at Winscome revieved me for a great barrelling ride into Bristol.

Below are Kate’s thoughts of the day

Day 5 Taunton to Bristol, 62 miles, 5 hours 42 riding time and 1921 ascent. Arrived at Izzy and Greg’s in Bristol, and greeted by Rusty our dog- slightly confused as to why her mum and dad are in her holiday home! Drinking prosecco celebrating the first leg of our journey.  Bristol greeted us with music and life, such a change to the sleepy villages we have been gong through. 
 Last night I was feeling quite low, and doubting if I am fit enough to carry on, as I was so exhausted.  After a good night’s sleep I felt a lot better this morning, and the added incentive of staying in a home with a day off tomorrow, I felt enthusiastic for the day to come. Staying in Bed and Breakfasts every day gets a bit draining, but I have to say is better than camping!
  Beautiful day, sunshine all the way, started off by the canal and then along the Strawberry Line cycle path.  This morning I can positively say that I was enjoying myself.  I have realised that I can combine cycling with my other favourite hobby of looking at houses and peeking into living rooms and front gardens.  Going just slow enough to get a good look, and fast enough not to look rude!  When Ravi and I are on holiday, we always play a game where we decide which house we would buy - on this trip there is plenty of choice, with cottages with beautiful sounding names, Myrtle Cottage, Strawberry Farm.  Not choosing yet, as a castle in Scotland may take my fancy!
During the ride I asked Ravi if I looked like a cyclist.  He answered quite predictably ”You’re on a bike Kate”.  Yes indeed I am, but I have a slight imposter syndrome as I am on an E Bike, and everyone else are on gravel / hybrid bikes.  I am however carrying all the bike tools and very heavy bike locks, and a spare battery. My bike is a Riese and Muller Charger and weighs 25 kgs unladen, so I figure that being in Eco mode is equivalent.  The last few days I have had to change to my spare battery, and have been in ECO mode 60 to 70% of the time.  Today for me I had a minor achievement and had 25% of my battery left, and was in ECO for 85% of the time, and 15% Tour, the next level up. Definitely feel like I am improving, and I must be doing something right, as I have arrived in Bristol with my knee intact and only slightly swollen. 
I love my Ebike and as you might have noticed from the photos it is reddy orange, and I only agreed to do this if I could be colour coordinated- hence the orange helmet, and I have an orange top.   Can’t believe I just said that I love my bike - things must be improving- day off tomorrow, and sauna, plunge pool and hot tub!  Life is good…

[PH]

Enjoying your reports and photos, hope you're refreshed after the day off, making good progress.

[Mike Ayling]

Great hi viz shirt and helmet, Kate.

Mike

[John Saxby]

Great project guys! Love the photos and the stories of the West Country.  Tough about the spotty weather and the climbs, but they're all part of the je ne sais quoi, eh? 

You're doing well, Kate, but don't hesitate to back off a bit if your knee protests too much.

Tailwinds,

John