Finished!

Well, 10 days after we set off we are at John O Groats after 880 odd miles...

We left Golspie this morning under light cloud and calm winds . During the day the wind increased from the south and the sun came out.

The steepest hill of the trip was on the route but it was just a mere pimple after all the miles we have done.

The team has got fitter , but probably not slimmer during the 10 days. It could be a result of having tried the local delicacy of deep fried Mars Bars...

Some were emotional at the end and some were on their knees...

The obligatory photos ensued, but only after a moment to reflect on why we had done the ride and the cause we were all riding for. Howard tried to show off his Charles Atlas pose by holding his bike with one hand...

Glyn had a tear in his eye. We thought it was sadness at the end of the ride or the fact that he had asked Simon to come along as he is usually more accident prone than Glyn. 

Glyn fell off twice and Simon appears to have kicked his curse of self harming. All of us were uninjured which was a relief to all..

Many thanks to all who supported us , especially our sponsors. If you have not yet (you know who you are!) there is a link at the top of the page.

A special mention must go out to Steve the van driver who helped make our lives a lot easier throughout the ride.

Thanks also to Chris Roberts for for his loan of the van and loan of his sister Fiona for her help in Cornwall. Quite how our arteries coped with clotted cream on ice creams we don't know.

Final thanks to all our families who have put up with us through the training rides and our time away and general bike bore obsession for 6 months!

What lessons have we taken from this experience? 

Many, but the one that stands out was the realisation that you should not apply chamois cream with the same hand that you have used for deep heat.

On that note, until next time...

Day 10 route- last day!

Day 9 ...nearly there!

We awoke to a biblical flood today about 6am. Everyone turned over and went back to sleep except Simon who was on the floor for the night.  It was that or share a double with Steve!

After a slow start Steve accepted the Captains armband from Foz in the comfort of the garage.

Off we set on Nessie watch along the banks of Loch Ness. Nothing seen so we could only imagine the rumble from our high speed kept the monster at bay.

Steve shows just what too much energy drink does to your eyes...

We managed 16.2 mph average over the 93.75 miles today which is our highest, helped in no part by the strong south westerly breeze.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38863856

Strong enough to make life difficult crossing the bridge at Inverness.

As we were warned off earlier about misuse of the side of the road by the Dumfries police , we ventured further off the road where Matt was sure to obey the signage.

A quick pop into the Glemorangie Distillery lifted our spirits, but not by downing theirs.

A long drag into Golspie brought to an end our penultimate day with a sprint into the village , hotly contested by Terry and Simon with Glyn being the lead out man.  Simon managed to fend off a spirited fight back by Terry who is battling with knee issues.

The chaps have managed to avoid major problems like saddle sores or multiple knee issues. The worst so far is Terry who has 1 dodgy knee , but of more concern is the palm blister he has picked up after so many days away from home.

 

Only 72 miles to go on Friday before the finish of what has been a great tour so far. It is planned for an easy day , just like the Tour de France last day. Just without the glamour, prize money, pretty birds giving you a kiss on arrival...

Day 9 route