PAIGNTON OUTING PRE SW CHAMPS PRACTISE
THIS SUNDAY THE 2nd OCTOBER THE DUCHY MINI BUS WILL BE GOING TO PAIGNTON FOR PRE SW CHAMPS GATE PRACTISE, LEAVING THE TRACK AT 8.00 A.M. PROMPT, GATE PRACTICE STARTS 10.00P.M.
ANYONE WISHING TO GO PLEASE LET DAVE HERMAN KNOW ASAP AS SEATS ARE LIMITED TO 17 INCL. DRIVER PRIORITY TO RIDERS, COST £10 PER SEAT SO CHEAP DAY OUT, RETURN TIME WILL BE DECIDED ON WHOS MOST KNACKERED FIRST!
USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO GET AHEAD, USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO USE THE VALUABLE RESOURCE OF OUR MINI BUS AND TRAILER.
DAVE
JOHN O GROATS TO LANDS END !
Andrew Rickett, Dave Herman and Steve Diment will be embarking on an end to end cycle ride on the 16th of April 2011 and would like to raise money for club equipment for the Duchy Pirates BMX and MTB racing club at The Track Porteath, mainly club bikes and safety equipment like helmets, in these times when funding and sponsorship is so hard to find your help in any way would be so appreciated.
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Toni got the last straight at Preston dialled!
JOURNEY UP !
Travel up going well, made Lancaster first night and early start Saturday morning to complete the trip to John O Groats, fortunately we all seem to snore so all’s well, crossed into Scotland at 9.30 this morning roads ok, will update tonight before 8.30 start Sunday morning, cheers us lot X
Well arrived ok at John O Groats about 5.30 pm, camped right above the beach with electric hook up! Steve did the first cook up and very nice too, we will be marking each others culinary skills kind of a ‘come dine with me’ so watch this space!
Fantastic view and weather not too bad, we will be starting at approx. 8.30 Sundat morning pics on that to follow and daily update tomorrow night.
DAY 1
STATS:
miles 115
AVG speed 13.5
Time in seat approx 8 hours
Strong head wind all day!!!
Day 1 went well and we made our goal to Inverness, hard head wind all day, distance to lunch break 52 miles then 63 to finish afternnon was much harder with head wind constant and open roads, bott botts little sore but nice shower at camp site and some cream helped, some incredible views and weather awesome had to lag the sun cream on, weather looking hotter tomorrow and may be a bit of tail wind to take us along side Loch Ness, will try and get pic of Nessy if not rear shot of Steve on his bike should do, for those of you wondering at a particular pic in the gallery Steve’s helping fix a puncture, that’s our story and we’re sticking to it! Miss you all more tomorrow zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Day 2
Stats
Miles 100
AVG speed 13.7
Well legs were ok this morning, looking forward to this section, started with a long but ok climb for over an hour then one hell of a ride downhill!! eneding up at Loch Ness, fantastic ride along the Loch ending for lunch at Loch Lochy absolutely stunning views photos do not do it justice! oh did’nt see Nessy.
After lunch good ride to the end of Loch Lochy and begin a climb up towards Ben Nevis, stunning snow caps still there, spent afternnoon riding through the area again incredible views to be had, liitle tired late afternoon and met up with the camper to go to site, knackered but very good day both riding and viewing, lived up to and exceeded our expectations on the day.
Night night.
Day 3
Stats
miles 100
Avg 13.6
Lovely start this morning from our overnight stay in Appin, Lochs looking like glass and a pleasant mornings ride which later had us climbing about 7 miles into the Highlands again and turning more South so heading down, quite a gradual climb to lunchtime and a stop off at The Green Welly Stop in Tyndrum, after that a gradual 6 mile down hill section followed by yet another gradual up and down climb, then …... 3 mile very rapid descent which was awesome bringing us slowly down out of the Highlands with a nice ride along Loch Lubnaig steadily bringing us down again, great days ride with lots of nice scenery and a quick ride ending at Stirling, we’re hoping to be in England Thursday. Was strange coming into some big towns not seen lots of people in one place for a few days!
We are having problems updating photos working on it now be patiient guys.
Day4
Stats
Miles lots
Avg speed who cares any more!!!!!
Nah we’re 400 miles down and going well,Start from Stirling bit misty and cold, ride through Stirling which was wierd being in a bigger town and playing with traffic again! on to Falkirk and back into open country, going was a bit up and down so pace was all over the place, Andrew and myself had a go at breaking some speed records on the bigger hills and our bunny hops at speed are getting some distance, road traffic bumps are no issue, stopped for lunch at Biggar and made the most of a sleep on the town benches, weather picked up and was humid come afternoon, we now have a theory!!! the reason for free NHS prescriptions in Scotland works because they don’t spend the money on the roads, boy are they rough which really fatigues us, mind you towards the end of the day we came down a 10 mile hill with a smooth hard shoulder, to our stop at Moffit, so all in all a tiring days ride with some hilly country covered, tomorrow we should be having lunch at Gretna Green and crossing the border into England and hopefully a nice afternoon ride to Carlisle which will take us just a little over half way.
By the way photos are now updated for you to look at.
Later X
Day 5
Now 485 miles down, I finally had to put new tyres on today had mine from the beginning and they can take no more, so after fixing the steed up we left Mofat in glorius sunshine which lasted all day! good pace with plenty of up and downing did not push too hard because of the heat so kept pedals turning, over the border into England at 11.45 well pleased! did stop for a look around in Gretna Green, on to Carisle for lunch then play with the holiday traffic through the city and on to the A6 South and afternoon tea at Penrith needed this to be ready for the climb through Shap notoirius for the climb and lived up to it! and then mega downhill where the new tyres came in I managed the new speed record for the trip at 44.3 mph, ok not Thrust 2 but scary enough on a push bike. Finally a nice downhill section to Kendal for the night, we are all sun burned and totally knackered but in good spirirts. Miss you all us X
Day 6
Day 6! good grief thats why my backsides hurting, right lets get this out the way as Toni is making me admit to this, yes after having a nice refreshing shower this morning then liberally applying cycling botty cream and I mean liberally I then put my riding shorts on inside out! then once put on the right way yes I looked like a bad accident, anyway more important stuff, left Kendal at 8.30 already very warm, quite easy riding terrain all day and good road surfaces except for the strong head wind and heat really did take it out of us totally exhausted by end of day, break one taken at Lancaster a very nice city very pretty, at some point while taking a wrong road on the way out we came on a really nice village absolutely perfect so tidy all the villagers making their way to the church all of them saying good day something like Stepford for those who’ve seen the film!!!! on to Preston and fortunately Preston Pirates BMX track was on the side of the road where Chris and Toni had been for a few hours before, had lunch there and watched them ride the track, wish we had our cruisers, Toni was jumping all three doubles down the last straight awesome! After lunch on again to Warrington for afternoon break and coffee, now very tired and a final push to Winsford for the evening, 92 miles in all, a good day but hell of a push with the heat, reports say tail wind tomorrow which will be a first so hopefully a good ride coming up, cheers us X
Day 7
Left Windsford this morning bit cool and overcast but as promised bit of a tail wind!!! great days ride just turning pedals really and getting some distance done, first stop at a nice liitle garden centre with coffee shop, well nice until the grumpy chap told Andrew and Steve to take their shoes of the chairs, how unreasonable, then good ride to Church Stretton for lunch and a sit in the sunshine, almost dozed off, very hot come afternoon and as usual draws it out of you but good ride none the less with afternoon break 10 miles outside of Hereford, final ride finished in Hereford for the night, we are hoping to be complete on Tuesday will let you know, Later us X
Day 8 I think well something like that.
Great ride today left Hereford bit cold but day turned hot again, lunch at a nice dissused railway station converted into a cafe at Tintern obviously the birth place of the tinternet, then a good ride to Monmouth nice place and on to Chepstow and crossing on the old Severn bridge, bit high that one! down to Avonmouth and into Bristol, huge hill climb on the A4 up to Bristol Airport to meet the A38, nice downhill section after the airport and once again broke the trips speed record 45.1 mph :-) after that pretty much hard riding on to Bridgewater for afternoon coffee where Andrew left his £4 something change on the table, nice tip mate, after 3 miles he realised but no way were we going back!!! We now will be finishing on Tuesday, did 10 days well pleased, not sure what time but trying to have an easy last day ride to wind the legs down so perhaps late afternoon, we will let you know tomorrow night after we find our last stop point, hopefully Bodmin, oh yeah where are we tonight, just South of Taunton long ride today. Us X
Day 9 Almost there!!!
Long hard days riding, it’s been said Devon and Cornwall are the hardest sections and that seems true, left Taunton and past Tiverton, then towards Crediton and hit some really tough terrain, worked our way to South side of Okehampton for lunch, we are now pretty much knackered, oh I’ve stopped trying to beat our speed records after shredding a tyre, bit of a poopy pants moment and had to put an old tyre back on, followed within 2 miles by a second puncture!!! on a bit more and Steve gets a puncture ending the day at Bodmin with one tube between us, very pleased with the 100 mile distance today with the hard terrain, as for tomorrow we have only 53 miles left so will be taking it easy with a later start and a few breaks to wind down, we plan to hit the finish line at 4.30 but be patient if we’re a bit later. A few words of thanks, Chris Cummins for his time driving our home on wheels, making us lunch and great cups of tea and of course his side kick Antonia, also to Fern for letting us nick his camper van and to JD for all his help and advise getting our bikes and equipment ready, it’s been a great trip and look forward to seeing you all again, maybe some of you tomorrow, so again hopefully finish 4.30 – 5.00 pm tomorrow, Later guys XXX
Roadkill!!
