Pedal the Ports was a 1,600-mile tandem-relay fundraiser organised by ABP to benefit motor neurone disease charities.
DONATIONS CAN BE MADE THROUGH: http://www.justgiving.com/abppedaltheports
Ridden by a shifting, relay group of ABP employees and friends of the Company, the tandem circumnavigated Britain in an anticlockwise direction, calling at each of ABP's 21 ports, before arriving back in Grimsby on Saturday, 5 July.
To see the route in detail, please download a map.
IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED HERE
MORE IMAGES 1
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THE FINALE
BLOG
MESSAGE FROM JOHN FITZGERALD, 11 JULY
One of the benefits of facing a long climb on a tandem is you have time to muse about anything other than the slog ahead.
There were a few times in Wales that my mind wandered to thinking about what we were all trying to achieve with PTP.
Having felt that we needed to do something positive to support Nick in his fight with this terrible illness and having gained his support for the idea, I suspected PTP was the right thing to do but I wasn't too sure how it might be received through out the company.
Spending the three days directly involved in the effort, and blog reading and discussing with others their thoughts, my belief has only been reinforced that the both the practice and the spirit of riding a tandem around the country encapsulates so many of values Nick Palmer held during his ABP career ; hard work, dogged determination, communication, support for your colleagues, team spirit, demonstrating enterprise, and having a clear focus on achieving your goal. It reminds us that the sum of parts is greater than the whole and team work is the successful route to consistently delivering our goals. I suspect all of us involved in this adventure over the past month will empathise with this view
It was clearly an extraordinary journey in so many different ways and it has worked well on so many different levels:
- fundamentally it has increased awareness of MND
- thanks to the generous support of donators it will raise around £175,000 to support MND sufferers and fund research into the condition - an unbelievable figure and twice what I'd secretly hoped for
- friendships both within and outside the company have been forged across a set of double handle bars
- a genuine unification of our 21 ports and HO
- levels of fitness throughout ABP which hopefully will be maintained
- huge sense of achievement for all those involved not just in pedalling but those who have supported whether driving van, making arrangements, or just being around to welcome the bikes into a port
- huge public goodwill wherever we have gone
- sense of purpose for what we’ve achieved
- reinforced the importance of and sense of teamwork throughout ABP - it says a lot for this company that we can achieve something on a scale of PTP
- importance of collaborative effort where individuals work together to support the group effort
- genuine sense of pride in our achievements
- sense of camaraderie with others whether colleagues, share holder directors, customers or suppliers - or in one case colleague's parents !
- loads of laughter
- new respect for each other
- genuine affection for Nick Palmer
Whilst there are too many people to thank individually, all those who helped organise, fundraise, support and cycle deserve a huge amount of credit for the time and effort they committed to making this amazing project the success it has become. The greatest thank-you must however go to the people who inspired it all. It was an incredibly brave decision of Nick and Julie to be prepared to go so public with his story. I have no doubt his agreement to personalise this campaign contributed in a massive way to the success of the venture both financially and as a group effort.
I started out by saying we wanted to do something positive for Nick as he retired. I have no hesitation in saying that together we all created something that was rather wonderful.
Thanks again&keep on pedalling forward together !
John Fitz
MESSAGE FROM NICK PALMER, 8 JULY
Well it's over and what a fantastic project Pedal the Ports has been. Congratulations to John Fitz for dreaming up the project and to everyone involved – your hard work delivered on all the objectives (and more!) and reading the ‘blog’ proves that a fair bit of fun has been had despite the sore limbs etc. The fact that the tandem was met with receptions at various ports and greeted back home to Grimsby with a great port open day all combined to produce a special atmosphere and team spirit.
A huge amount of money has been raised and awareness of MND has increased. The fund will be put to excellent use and the two main beneficiaries are very grateful for your efforts.
I knew ABP was a great company but it has been hard to comprehend the scale of this gesture and the commitment and enthusiasm that has been shown by so many.
Leaving the company has been a huge wrench for me but with so many friends out there I know that my heart will always remain within ABP and with you great bunch of people.
Thank you.
Nick
The Glory Stage - FINALE
Riders: Ian Skinner, Mike Sellers
Location: Covenham St Marys to Grimsby
Distance 13 Miles
The final stage of any “Grand Tour” with its run into Paris, the sight of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the dash up the Champs-Elysees to the finish with the spectators cheering is one that no professional cyclist will ever forget. Well, forget Paris and think of Grimsby, substitute one set of famous landmarks for another and the home coming of PTP with the Grimsby Dock Tower, the Ice House and the sprint up to the Fish Dock with the crowds shouting encouragement was an experience which will also live on for ever. The winning tape was replaced by a giant banner which we rode through to signify the end of this epic journey; JF’s threat of it being placed in front of a wall or over the quay edge were unfounded, but the barrage of publicity, press photographers and supporters was more then we’d ever experienced before.
The day had started as what was to be the shortest ride of the whole tour but we think it was also the wettest! Setting off from Mark Ashman’s house in torrential weather, we couldn’t decide if we were wetter from the road spray or from the rain but rode on regardless. Mike’s comments about being wet through even down to his underwear were returned by Ian that he wasn’t wearing any under his Lycra. This quickly killed the conversation for a “brief” period of time! As we approached Cleethorpes seafront, the thoughts of a quick paddle in the Humber were dismissed as we both had more water in our shoes then there was on the beach. Onward into Grimsby and the site of Grimsby Town football club was our one and only opportunity to do some additional fundraising on route. Mike quickly popped into the supporters shop, and not only did we get a picture taken on the hallowed turf (to some if not others) we also came out with an autographed ball to be sold or raffled at a later date.
On arriving at the Grimsby Dock Office, there was time to change into the PTP polo shirts and dry off slightly before the final glory ride accompanied by a flashing light safety vehicle to signify our arrival. After breaking the banner we don’t think we had ever had our photo taken so many times or done so many interviews. It really did feel like we had won the “Tour”,
A good cyclist relies on his team to shelter him to the finish, to arrive fresh with enough strength left for the final push and the glory of the win on the last stage. Well, what can we say, a whole team of PTP having gone before leaving the last few miles and the final accolade of the photo call on the winners’ podium to the “Glory Team”. That moment belongs to all those brave volunteers who over the last few weeks have sacrificed themselves for the cause to make this wonderful event happen, and help raise the money towards MND. Well done to everyone involved, the cyclists, the organisers and the supporters of such a worthy cause. Keep on fighting Nick; we’re all behind you.
KINGS LYNN TO COVENHAM ST. MARY’S, 3RD JULY 2008
TEAM MEMBERS : HELEN ‘Home Made’ MARSHALL, GORDON LUGSDIN, MARK ASHMAN, PAUL ‘THE BOY’ FANNON (ALL ABP GY & IMM) WILL MARSHALL G.B. AGENCIES
WEATHER : TO START SUNNY, HOT, CALM AND DRY (LONELY)
TO END, COLD, WET AND WINDY (LONELY)
THE DAY STARTED AT 6 O’CLOCK LOCAL TIME, KINGS LYNN,
GORDON & MARK NOT AS CHIPPER, HELS SPORTING A PERMANENT GRIN,
MET BY GRAHAM STILL BUZZING A STINT UNDER HIS BELT,
ALLEDGEDLY NOT HIDING BLISTERS, BRUISING OR A SADDLE INDUCED WELT!
TAKING WAY TOO LONG TO STOW THE VAN AS FIRST THOUGHT,
‘COS OF THE CAPE SIZE FOOD BAGS HELS HAD BROUGHT,
GORDY N HELS PRACTISED IN THE CAR PARK TIL SEVEN,
WOULD THEY MESH, EAT YOUR HEART OUT KIM, A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN!
MARK DANS VAN, WITH A CLUNK AND A WOBBLE THEY WERE GONE,
A HUGE SEND OFF, WELL TETS AND A GUY NAMED DON,
KINGS LYNN WORE ITS BEST DRY, SUNNY DAY HATS,
TO WAVE AWAY TWO HELMET AND PADDED BUTT …….
1ST PHOTO CALL UNDER KINGS LYNN FAMOUS ARCHWAY,
ALL RARING TO GO, HAPPY, BRIGHT AND EXCEPTIONALLY GAY,
HAVING TO PUMP THE TYRE UP ALREADY DIDN’T BODE WELL,
WELL OUR HELS WAS THE STOKER, A BIT OF A CHUNKY GEL!
INTO CLENCHWARTON, WHICH GORDY TOOK AS A COMMAND NOT A NOUN,
HELS PUT HER HEAD DOWN HIDING HER MIRTH WITH A FROWN,
JUST SO GLAD FOR THIS FAMILY BASED ODE,
WE DIDN’T CYCLE THROUGH WHAPLODE!!!
THE SAFETY VEHICLE DASHED OFF TO CREATE A BROADCASTING STAR,
MARK ASHMAN, THE NEW ALAN PARTRIDGE, A HA!
DISASTER STRIKES, GEARS CLUNKED AND SLIPPED NOT WHAT YOU’D WISH,
GORDY’S TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT SMOTES THE SEAT WITH A SQUISH!
BEATING HELS OFF WITH A SPANNER AFORE SHE CAN APPLY FIRST AID,
GORDY PEDALLED AWAY, HIS LEGS A LITTLE SPLAYED,
SUTTON BRIDGE, LONG SUTTON ALL SOON SPED PAST,
ARRIVING AT FLEET HARGATE FOR BREAKFAST AT LAST.
THE TEAMS 2ND STRING PACING AROUND LIKE COILED SPRINGS,
DELIVERED BY CHAUFFEUR WILLIAMS TO WAIT IN THE WINGS,
WHILST GORDY, MARK AND HELS PLOUGHED INTO A GREASY MESS,
THE BOY FANNON N WILL MOUNTED THE BIKE AND DECIDED WHICH SIDE TO DRESS!
TIME FOR A FULL TEAM PHOTO IN THE FRONT OF A JET FIGHTER,
THE BOY LOOKING VERY CAMP, COULD MARK’S WAXED LEGS BE ANY WHITER!!
ONWARDS TO BOSTON NOW THROUGH A MAZE OF SINGLE TRACK LANES,
BOTH TANDEMS BEASTING ALONG LIKE EWS EXPRESS TRAINS.
INTO BOSTON AND OUT WITH THE LAMINATED MAPS,
WILL’S SADDLE CAME OFF AND COULD HAVE CAUSED HIM A PAIR OF MISHAPS,
THE CYCLISTS NAVIGATED BOSTONS MEAN STREETS WITH CONSUMATE EASE,
NUMEROUS MAPS, 2 SAT NAVS AND IT BROUGHT GORDY TO HIS KNEES!!
BEST TO GET HIM BACK AS A STOKER WITH NO DECISIONS TO MAKE,
AS MARK DROVE AWAY, LEAVING THE REST IN HIS WAKE,
THE NEXT 10 MILES, A FINE SPECIMAN OF A BEAUTIFUL ROMAN ROAD,
ENJOYING THE GLORIOUS FENS, ON AND ON THEY RODE.
PACK UP WAS BECKONING, EVERYONE WANTED THEIR GRUB,
BUT PAUL WOULD ONLY CONSIDER A BATEMAN’S PUB,
EVENTUALLY WE CHANCED UPON ONE IN WELTON LE MARSH,
WHERE THE LANDLADY CRUELLA DE VIL SEEMED VERY HARSH.
SO IF YOU FIND YOURSELF THERE AND PASSING ‘THE WHEEL’
KEEP ON GOING UNLESS YOU ARE BRAVE WITH NERVES OF STEEL,
ONWARDS TO ALFORD AND A GREAT PICTURE WITH THE MILL,
WITH GORDY PROSTRATE ON THE FLOOR TO CREATE THE PERFECT STILL.
HEL’S APPEARS TO BE STOOD IN A HOLE SHE SEEMS SO SMALL,
BUT NOT COMPLAINING WITH FOUR STUD MUFFINS OVER 6 FOOT TALL,
DARK STORM CLOUDS STARTED ROLLING IN OVER THE WOLDS,
AS MARK BAGGSIED THE TRUCK AND BATTENED DOWN THE HOLDS.
WITH WATERPROOF’S AND SHELTER MILES DOWN THE ROAD,
THE HEAVENS OPENED AND DISCHARGED HER CONSIDERABLE LOAD,
GLASSES STEAMED UP, VESTS AND PANTS SODDEN THROUGH,
40 MILES AN HOUR, UNABLE TO BRAKE, ‘’WHERE’S THE LOO!!’’
CAREERING ROUND THE BEND OUT OF CONTROL THUNDERED GORDY N PAUL,
WHEN SUDDENLY LOOMED A WHITE VAN, LOST IN THE SQUALL,
STRAIGHT ON THE ONLY OPTION AS BOTH LET OUT GIRLY SHRIEKS,
FINGERS CROSSED, WHITE FACED AND SPORTING CLENCHED CHEEKS!!
JUST AS THE HAIL STONES EASED TO TORRENTIAL RAIN,
THE END IS NIGH A PUB IN SIGHT AT THE END OF THE LANE,
THIS REALLY WAS THE LEG OF ‘THE BILLY NO MATES’,
AN EMPTY HOSTELRY CAR PARK ALL THAT AWAITS!!
BACON BUTTIES AT IMMINGHAM, THURSDAY 3 JULY
Today saw the bacon butty breakfast at Immingham (cooked by Tracy Saunders and Karen Bullock - both of whom are vegetarians!). The morning was a great success with approximately 166 sausage and bacon butties being sold during the morning (and one egg omelette), raising a total of £275.
To help with the event, Karen Lillyman of the local Asda kindly dontated condiments, as well as a £10 gift card for Saturday's raffle. Jason Green of Tesco Grimsby also deserves a huge mention for providing most of the sundries.
LOWESTOFT TO KING'S LYNN, WEDNESDAY 1 JULY
Hottest day of the year so far (29 degrees) near King’s Lynn.
Team Members - Graham Tetley and Donald Birdseye (King’s Lynn)
Steve Smith and Richard Perry (Immingham Engineers)
Steve Pullen – welcome guest from Carlboms
Weather – UNBELIEVABLE!!! 08.00 already 22o. Dickie Perry had been sunbathing in his room since sun-up (4am).
Picked Donny up from Lowestoft station at 08.30 – sweating. Went to Lowestoft North Quay to collect tandems and support vehicle – saw KL & Lowestoft Safety Manager, had his arm in a sling as a result of falling off the tandem the previous day – oh joy!!! Thankfully the Suffolk boys had left the bikes and car in excellent condition. Much merriment followed as we practiced. We weren’t laughing it was the Suffolk boys. Following a goodbye kiss from Paula we began our adventure.
The temperature continued to rise, GT and SP headed straight for a big fan – the locals call it Goliath – we then all stood on the most easterly point in the UK and some considerate chap had left directions and distances to many parts of the world, unfortunately though we had to ask for directions to check-point 1 – Great Yarmouth, 9.30 and we began to head North East.
Scary times along the A12 and temperature now at 24o – check-point had been ignored by tandems and support vehicle, but we met up anyway, purely by chance. RP and SS were to take it from here (in a bit of a hurry as they needed the toilet and the gaffer of the pub whose car-park we were in wasn’t sympathetic) – ABP staff don’t use the Ship Inn in Yarmouth!
Check-point 2 – Potter Higham – tandem missed it again, Don, Steve and Tetters took in the ambience then the panic call. Support vehicle to the rescue (after getting lost) in all one hour wasted! Team talk about stopping at check-points!! Sun-tan cream reapplied, now 25o, Don (later to be known as dangerous Don) had his first life-threatening wobble when trying to set off on a busy road, at this stage wobble-Don seemed more appropriate.
Regular changes of pilot and stoker, sometimes simultaneously, then saw us make steady but uneventful progress towards our goal, passing through Wroxham and Coltishall where a pair of canal-side pubs almost proved too much to resist. Its 27o by now and the tarmac is melting (along with my shorts and my confidence in dangerous Don). Between here and King’s Lynn the peace was only broken when, after an attempt to get to the very top gear, resulted in the chain coming off and us having to stop halfway along the only decent downhill in Norfolk.
151/2 miles to King’s Lynn and 28o – met by a professional photographer – smiled through the excruciating pain in the bum bones. 41/2 miles to go and we went for glory – we opted to ride both tandems to the finish line, more joy as its now 29o at 3.30 in the afternoon. This great, fun effort was rounded off in the best possible way when we arrived at King’s Lynn port to a magnificent cheer and ice cold refreshments, followed by a BBQ well supported by staff, their families and a smattering of customers. Special thanks to Chalky and Martin for the BBQ and Allison & Co for the preparations.
IPSWICH TO LOWESTOFT, 30th JUNE
Pilots: Mark Peek, Pete Beckett.
Stokers:Andy Bowley, John Fiddy
Support: Siobhan Walker, Paul Barry
So the relay moves into deepest Suffolk. With our county probably being the second flattest in the world - only being beaten out of "flattest place" prize by our best friends neighbours over the border in Norfolk, the plan of riding both tandems "all the way" on a relatively short trip seemed quite reasonable.
Excellent weather - South Easterly breeze and lovely blue skies.
After a rousing send off from Old Custom House just half a mile later we approached the one and only hill on the route - the infamous Col Du Woodbridge Road…
Now - call us "soft Southerners" if you wish - but this is quite a climb - which resulted in "Team Safety" - Bowley and Peek - giving it just a bit too much welly and snapping a chain. Still never mind - the support van was just a few minutes away - into the replacement chains box where we found……two broken chains. Hmm - the day starts well - van sent off to Halfords and the engineering skills of Bowley and Peek were called upon to replace some links using a hairpin and two pieces of wood (the chain splitter had also gone missing) and after an hour the ride was resumed.
First stop 10 miles - Wilford Bridge, Melton. Beckett and Fidz had ploughed on ahead and ended up sitting on the bench outside the pub while Team Safety caught up. Peeky was already rueing the non purchase of lycra cycle shorts even at this early stage. Fidz said he had heard somewhere (or perhaps made it up) that in the "Tour de France the guys occasionally padded their shorts a bit by using sanitary towels, so he had packed some in the van for just such an emergency.
Into the back of the van again to find that he had in fact picked up a box of tampons… little use to Mr Peek at this point of the journey but could be used to stem any nosebleeds later on…..
16 miles - disaster…Team Safety hit a nasty patch of diesel at Rendlesham roundabout and went down a corker. Siobhan raced back to stick the guys back together with bandages and elastoplast. Just as well she’s a trained first aider as Fidz said if he’d had to clean them up he probably would have fainted…
The guys rather gingerly remounted the tandem and bravely carried on.
It then really became a war of attrition with Team Safety struggling through the pain barrier for mile after mile - determined to complete what at the outset seemed a fairly simple route. At Wrentham 20 miles to go - Siobhan in the van got a "bit lost". She was finally spotted somehow driving towards the oncoming tandems - despite having never overtaken them. Still to this moment she has no recollection of how this happened and blamed the Sat Nav…
So onward and into Lowestoft - 54 miles in five and a half hours - the detour down to the Marina was dropped due to the need for Team Safety to get off the tandem at the earliest opportunity so an enthusiastic reception by the workers at Lowestoft port was enjoyed.
Peeky went off straight away to A & E where he was diagnosed with a fractured elbow. What heroes those guys were to finish the route.
CAVENDISH TO IPSWICH (Sunday 29 June)Liz Whittaker and Peter Barham were the riders (which meant sitting on those saddles) with fantastic support from Peter and Linda Henry and Nick Palmer whose local knowledge helped us navigate some of the more convoluted bits of Suffolk. Needless to say when we forgot his advice, we went wrong and ended up cycling up what we are sure is the steepest hill in East Anglia, until Nick phoned to tell us to turn round.
This was the last leg of Head Office section of the ride before handing over the tandems, including the saddles, to the East Anglian team. The day was sunny with enough breeze to keep us warm but not hot. Cavendish describes itself as the prettiest village in Suffolk and set the scene for a very pleasant ride through the lovely Suffolk countryside, marred only by the expletives coming from Liz and I about the saddles which became uncomfortable after about 5 seconds.
At one point Liz commented that we had not actually collected any money en route and that therefore we may be letting the side down - it took Nick to point out that this was Suffolk and we hadn’t actually met anyone to get money from!
Highlights of the journey included tea and a very nice cake at Nick and Julie Palmer’s which also provided a welcome relief from those saddles. Who could invent anything so uncomfortable - they are made of titanium, the shape is designed to inflict as much pain as possible and Liz can confirm that not even padded cycling shorts seem to make any impact on their effects.
It was therefore a welcome sight when we reached the port to be welcomed by about 100 people who welcomed us with a pint of something cooling.
DORKING TO EPPING, SATURDAY 28 JUNEPilots: David Leighton, Christopher Willey, Tony Goldsmith
Navigator/Stokers: Peter Jones, Liz English
Ground Crew: Alex Pepper, Nasseema Crowley
Saturday. 6 am. I wake and peer through the blinds of the window of my north London bed-sit. The flashing neon sign from the kebab shop downstairs still illuminates the room but to my surprise it's already light.
I microwave the left overs of last night's takeaway and drink a cup of cold coffee. I've got a long hard day ahead of me... I know I need a good breakfast.
After a cigarette I slip into my improvised cycling action pants - a chamois leather sewn into a pair of Speedos. I'm ready to hit the road.
I arrive at Waterloo and hook up with Peter Jones for the 07.54 South West train service to Dorking. It's a BR class 455. We are joined at Clapham Junction by Liz English.
We get to Dorking at about 08.41 and a fresh-faced Alex Pepper arrives in the support vehicle. In the back she's carrying the cycling machine that will take us back into London town.
After a quick practise in the station car park we are soon confident that we've got what it takes to handle this baby.
"Let's go", I say to Peter. "Yeah... Let's see what she's got", Peter enthusiastically replies. We mount. I'm upfront. The daunting array of controls... gears, brakes, speedometer worries me slightly but I still give off an air of self-assured confidence. Peter sits aft... He's in charge of the bell.
We take off along a dual carriage way but soon we find ourselves heading at 40mph down the mother of all cycle ways... Happy days.
At such break-neck speed we soon hit the metropolis. Our average speed drops to below 30 mph as the traffic builds. This is the hard part.
As we enter the narrow Dickensian streets of south London the senses are bombarded by the sights and sounds of the world's greatest capital city. "Whelks for sale... get your whelks here!", "bananas... 10 for a pound, 10 for a pound"... Children wearing top hats and long-tailed coats scurry playfully between the market stalls lining the streets...
It's no peasouper today but as the sun beats down the rising smog stings the eye... We press on, carefully steering our way through the buses and white vans that meander from lane to lane... We battle crosswinds from the throbbing garage beats that pulsate from pimped Renault Clios...
And then all this gives way to the beauty of Clapham Common where we rendezvous with Christopher 'Bionic' Willey and the support vehicle. It's a brief stop. Peter wants to press on to the final goal, ABP Towers in the City.
Peter has now perfected his navigational skills and deploys his right arm to ensure our safe passage across 17 lanes of traffic at Vauxhall. We pass MI6 HQ and cross the mighty Thames, the iconic Battersea Power Station on our left. We bank right for our approach to the mother of Parliaments, guardian of this nation's proud tradition of civil liberties, the Palace of Westminster. After a quick photo shoot in front of Big Ben we speed along the Embankment, up past the Royal Courts of Justice, along Fleet Street, down Chancery Lane and then bank right for the final descent along Holborn. A ticker tape reception at Head Office awaits us. We arrive one hour ahead of schedule. We're alive. We made it.
Wonderful Nasseema has prepared a fine luncheon... After a glass of Bollinger La Grande annee 1997 we settle down to sea scallops with fois gras and truffled parsnip dressing, followed by fillet of Aberdeen Angus beef with perigord truffles, cocotte potatoes, pine-scented crushed cauliflower and french beans, the latter washed down with a bottle of Chateau Le oville Barton, 2eme cru class 1988. We finish with a choice of Strawberry Romanoff or Bavarois flavoured with rum. Christopher Willey has both... He's up next to pilot the bike to Epping... He needs the energy.
Chris is joined by Liz English who takes on the role of stoker in the engine room aft... Master Mariner, Tony Goldsmith joins myself and Peter in the support vehicle... As the tandem heads off into the distance we in the support vehicle decide to have a leisurely drive around Hackney. After circumnavigating Victoria Park seven times we decide it's time to catch up with the bikers. They are miles ahead and have clocked impressive progress. We rendezvous at a pub where Tony and Peter take over... Tony pilots, Peter preferring to remain the powerhouse at the back. At last I can stick on my Black Sabbath CD in the car and we all sing along happily to 'Iron Man' and 'Paranoid'...
After arriving at Epping it's time for Liz and I to head back to town. Liz has promised to do a shift at her local pub. I have promised Jon Bon Jovi I'd go and watch him play a recital at Twickenham Stadium.
Peter and Tony head off once more, pressing towards Bishop's Stortford. After performing a series of impressive handbrake turns and wheel spins in Tescos car park, Christopher disappears in a cloud of tyre smoke...
That night as I stood amongst c.50,000 revellers... wearing my boil washed jeans, cowboy boots and Stetson... I twirled my freshly permed hair, stared skywards and reflected... I had swallowed most of London's pollution that day and it could be months before I can comfortably sit down again but it had been a great day... It is truly amazing what you can achieve on a Saturday morning if you put your mind to it... My life might never been the same again... I had gained a new enthusiasm for the great outdoors and liberating joys of cycling... By 2010 I might finally achieve that rosy-cheeked Braeburn complexion I've always longed for... Rock 'n' roll.
Warning: Most of the above is the product of a vivid imagination but some elements do give a reasonably accurate account.
SOUTHAMPTON TO DORKING, FRIDAY 27 JUNE
Unusually for Southampton the weather was dull and threatening rain. Nevertheless the next team of volunteers gathered at Ocean Gate Offices in the early hours of Friday morning. Final adjustments were made, the team briefed on the route. Steve Lake (Finance Manager) offered the riders some of his magic cream, allegedly Ian Officer (Data Centre) took a little too long to apply to himself!!! Grant Frame and Brin Humphreys (Assistant Engineering Manager) were first on the Tandem, and set-off to a round of applause from the much appreciated contingent of Ocean Gate Staff who had arrived early to wish them well. The first leg included a climb over the Itchen Bridge, a weave through a poorly maintained bridal way that saw the support Cyclist, Keith Sewell fall off the support bike after hitting a fallen branch. Several small hills later and Team 1 thought the difficult section was over as they headed toward a disused railway line that would lead them to the first change over point. Flat solid ground they thought, but that was not the case, the pathway was on a gradual incline and very boggy, this caused the front mudguard to block and so several unscheduled stops had to be made to clear the obstruction. Never the less, thirty minutes ahead of schedule and they arrived at West Meon, and a well earned pat on the back. While the support team waited for the first changeover they started talking to a dog walker who was interested in the background to the Pedal the Ports and wanted to contribute to the collection but unfortunately he had no money. However he did offer his dog, but despite our best efforts he did not fit in the collection bucket!!! Simon Donegan (IT Manager) did manage to collect £3.20 from a group of ramblers who passed by. Most of the ramblers refused to contribute using excuses ranging from "I'm a pensioner" and "I come from Yorkshire"!!!!!.
Ian Officer and Simon Donegan were next to go, in a slight drizzle they chose to take the road rather than continue on the disused track. Watching from a support vehicle we jokingly commented on the lack of effort that Mr Officer seemed to be applying, or was it because of the look of sheer determination on Simon's face. The team once again ripped through the countryside managing to clock up 35 Miles Per Hour on the down part of some of the hills. They arrived in good time at the second Change-over point where some of the riders enjoyed a refreshing pint and amazing "Desperate Dan" sized Sandwiches made by Co-organiser for Southampton, Alex Pepper (Sustainable Development Officer).
Team 3. made up of Steve Lake and Paul Planken (Supplies Officer) and new support Cyclist, Grant Frame, were obviously anxious to start their leg and so before the party had finished their refreshments they set off. Soon after the support team set-off in pursuit, the only problem is that the riders could not be found. The two support cars split up and after a short delay, one of them, driven by William Heaps (Hydrographic Manager) found the Grant who had split from the tandem due to the superior road speed that is achievable, he informed them the route Team 3 were taking and so Car 2, driven by Lin, set-off in pursuit. The car found Team 3 travelling along a B road at breakneck speed, even the hills were not going to stop these two and they quickly reached their destination, Dorking Railway Station, well ahead of schedule.Whist waiting for the rest to arrive Team 3 and their support were called and given the sad news that support cyclist, Grant had had a major accident and they were taking him to the nearby Guilford Hospital. At time of writing Grant was still in hospital awaiting "parts" and would be having an operation to rebuild his elbow using titanium. Some of the team saw him in hospital and said he was been very brave despite the great pain that he was in. We all wish well and hope he is able to get home as quickly as possible.
MARK ASHMAN WAXES LEGS
To get in the cycling spirit, Mark Ashman, Finance Manager, Grimsby, opted to have his legs waxed before taking part in one of the final stretches of Pedal the Ports. The Retreat Salon at Oasis Gym, Grimsby, kindly waxed Mark free of charge and he raised some £300 for the nominated charities. You can see selection of photos here.
I'm not sure who suggested that it would be a good way to raise sponsorship and I had thought that, at my great age, I had learned the lessons that it is important to engage brain before opening mouth....but apparently not.
Once the idea was out, there was really no way of going back and I started to realise that I had probably made a mistake when half the women in the office couldn't stop laughing at the prospect of seeing a grown man cry.
The sponsorship pledges started to flow (including the usual witty, ...very witty,.... no really, very witty comments) and there was a concerted 'first floor conspiracy' offering to double the money if I went the whole S, B and C full monty. This was quickly nipped in the bud when I pointed out that I didn't have exclusivity on the waxing idea and that all were welcome to put themselves forward for the full treatment if they wanted...funny, there were no other takers.
The day came round far too quickly and , for once, I had lots visitors to my office in the morning reminding me every 5 minutes that 'today's the day', 'not long now' and 'it's going to hurt', etc. etc. all of which helped raise the anxiety levels nicely. So whilst, on the surface I'm sure I appeared my usual cool, calm professional self, underneath I was paddling furiously with the adrenaline starting to kick in.
I would like to thank The Retreat Salon at The Oasis Health Club in Grimsby for agreeing to do the job for free as a contribution to PTP, I'm not sure they realised what they were letting themselves in for, or how much leg, or foliage needed to be cleared. However, I was disappointed that the gas and air and epidural I had been counting on to numb the pain was not available.
There was no going back (the window was to high to climb out of) and before I knew it, an attractive young lady (thank you Tally) was applying hot wax to my legs then taking me through my very low pain threshold.
I would like to be able to say (I really would like to be able to say) that I was able to hold it together and not let the pain show, but chaps, I can't say I recommend this as a personal grooming option. Imagine sounds of velcro being torn apart or somebody ripping up an old carpet combined with a steady stream of cries of pain, winces and exclamations for about half an hour. Mind you, there is an upside when the same attractive young lady then rubs some soothing cream into your legs.
At the risk of this sounding like an Oscar awards speech, I must also thank my wife Christine and Stephanie, Fiona and Elaine (collectively known as the Sisters of No Mercy) who came along to offer their support... or just to have a good laugh during lunch time whilst taking pictures, etc.
I also learned (now someone tells me!) that apparently you have to follow a strict exfoliation routine as the hair grows back (I hope it does) to stop problems with in-growing hairs....but that's too much information for a family blog.
The final thank you goes to all those who generously pledged sponsorship to this and the other PTP participants, it's important to remember why everybody is doing what they are doing. I think it's fair to say to my sponsors that you got your money's worth (and I know who you are).
Post traumatic stress has set in, I had my back turned to my son Jake yesterday as he tore open the velcro on his ripper wallet,... I must have jumped three feet in the air."
FUNDRAISING UPDATEGreat news, Pedal the Ports has broken the £100,000 barrier.
Including Just Giving, Gift Aid and cheques received, the total raised so far is £104,562.07 SOUTHAMPTON, DAY 1 (DAVE HAYDEN)
Weather; Sunny,overcast,sunny,overcast,sunny.....you get the picture...oh and windy.......very windy!
Start time 08:00 Location Litton Cheyney, Dorset
Advanced party arrived Wednesday evening to move into our salubrious accommodation, we had to stop Kevin Hulme, who within minutes of arrival had built an 8 person tented patrol base from three twigs, two safety matches and a book of stamps!!!! The look of disappointment on his face when we showed him to his bunk, this soon brightened up when he realised the pub was next door!!!! Although he then disappeared again armed with his Swiss army knife!!
Needless to say that the Southampton team took full advantage of the watering hole next door, but before we could take the ten steps next door we were ushered around the back of the Youth Hostel and soon realised why Kevin had disappeared with his Swiss army knife, he had hand built two, 21 speed tandems from a pack of elastic bands, five coat hangers and an old lawn mower, the poor guy was devastated when Ian Palacio showed him the two inside the support vehicle!!
On arrival next door we set about arranging a pasta party and quaffing copious amounts of energy drinks from well known brands as Guinness and Carlsberg!
The following morning everyone was raring to go and all were invited to breakfast in the village pub by Cassie the landlady, who got up early to cook the fried fayre for free!!
First leg from Litton to Bere Regis was very eventfull, team Palacio, Bob and Ian, put forward a good cause to ride through Dorchester rather than use the by-pass, bad move!! Mr GPS was totally confused! So was Chris Heavey and a trip that should have taken a few minutes took very much longer, from this point team Palacio were re-named the Beverly Sisters!!!!! Just outside Dorchester someone shouted "Tally Ho" and the group split in every direction, and no one reemerged until Bere Regis, Dave Hayden was so happy to have taken the scenic route via the Bovington Tank Museum, his wing man managed to name everyone they saw!!!!
Leg two Bere Regis to Wimbourne was a far more organised affair, no one got geographically embarrassed, and the whole group stayed together, although we did suffer our third chain break along the way! Just outside Wimbourne we stopped for a picnic, graciously provided by Phil Holiday, the culinary efforts of his good lady wife, this was very well received, a great spread! From lunch it was a short hop to the start of the last leg.
Leg Three Wimbourne to Hythe, this was where the going got tough and the tough got going! We went off road following the disused railway line to Ringwood. At this point we said goodbye to Colin Scott who had ridden heroically all day. The tandems gobbled up the off road miles akin to Phil's Blueberry and Choc muffins!! And before we knew it we arrived in Ringwood and had clocked up 55 miles. From Ringwood we struck out through the New Forest National Park, Lisette Rimmer and Chris Jackson opened up the throttle on their tandem leaving many a local racing cyclist in their wake, at 60 miles we started taking casualties so riders were medivac'ed to the support vehicles.
We arrived in Hythe marina at 4:15 to be collected by a patrol craft provided by the HM Dept to take the riders across Southampton water, all welcomed the slight rest and the view as we passed by the Queen Mary moored at the QEII Terminal. The team assembled for the final mile of day one to Ocean Gate there we were greeted by a large crowd of spectators clapping and cheering as we rode by into the car park and the end of our epic ride, little did we know everyone was clapping Rod Stewart who was driving by at the same time on his way to the Queen Mary!
Final tally 75 miles and 376m covered and a big thanks to the team all of whom survived.... Phil Holiday, Kevin Hulme, Dave Hayden, Ian Palacio, Bob Palacio, Lisette Rimmer, Chris Heavey, Ray Drabble, Keith Sewell, Chris Jackson and Colin Scott
24 June, Teignmouth to Litton Cheney (Steve East)
Freddie Mercury once wrote a song about riding a bike. It doesn't capture the joy of pedalling up hill and down dale. Like everything Queen ever did it was, and still is, rubbish.
Pedal the Ports has already raised a huge amount of charity for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and the Sheffield Institute Foundation. In addition, a large number of ABP staff, who have been unable to take part in the actual tandem cycling, have also offered their support in other ways and have taken part in all manner of initiatives. Thousands of pounds, and a huge amount of awareness, have been raised by initiatives such as:
- Bacon butty breakfasts at Immingham on Thursday, 3 July (cooked by two vegetarian employees!). To help with the event, Karen Lillyman of the local Asda has dontated some condiments, as well as a £10 gift card for Saturday's raffle. Jason Green of Teso Grimsby also deserves a huge mention for providing most of the sundries.
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Bill Miller, an ABP employee at Grimsby & Immingham, has donated his winnings from colleague Phil Raper's annual football-prediction competition
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Ian Skinner and Pete Blanch completed a ride from the Port of Hull to Spurn Point and back, a distance of approximately 50 miles. Pete had special reasons for wanting to do this ride as his family has been personally affected by this disease. Money raised for MND: over £1,300
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The local MND Association branch in Southampton are to be given a guided tour around Southampton's VTS offices on the 26th
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A coffee morning planned at Queen Alexandra House by Sian Collins on Friday 4 July, with home-made james and chutneys
- An office clear-out of files and paperwork by volunteer employees at Grimsby & Immingham, with ABP donating the money it would have ordinarily paid to a private contractor straight to Pedal the Ports instead, which in itself raised over £2,000
- Raffles of football and rugby tickets, among other prizes
- Donating fee for football-referring duties
- Tandem bike training
- A sweepstake on the outcome of golf match between ABP and two of its North American shareholder directors
- Donations also made by ABP’s competitors, Felixstowe, Tilbury, Bristol and Cobelfret
- A Euro 2008 fantasy league with all proceeds going to PTP
- A barbeque for staff and guests at the Country Park Inn in Hull, raising £489 for PTP with a raffle and stand-up bingo
24 June, Plymouth to Teignmouth
After much anticipation the first day of our ride had finally arrived. The support vehicle was filled with diesel, bikes serviced (thanks to Barry Crossman's son Mike) and necessary supplies packed by Glenn (Wine gums, shrimps, Mars bars but unfortunately NO FLYING SAUCERS). Crew for the day - self + Martin Sullivan, Dave & Nick Atkin, Bob Board (Pike Ward), Mike Crossman & friend Steve. Trials in the freight compound led to the green bike being selected.
A great send off from Plymouth and after necessary poses for the Plymouth Herald outside the Port Office we headed to the Hoe for a final photo call. First team on the bike - Atkin & son. Plans for a photo with liveried support vehicle and bikes in front of Smeaton's Tower were thwarted by a council car park attendant - "More than my job's worth mate". Never mind - photographic proof sans vehicle.
Mike & Steve led the way - both keen cyclists they knew the safest route out of the city and we were soon in Plympton and clear of rush hour traffic. Martin & I getting used to the Sharan which was very full with back up bike, spares, gear bags, refreshments (no flying saucers though). Bob bringing up the rear on his mountain bike. First stop at a filling station to regroup & then my first stint on the tandem - Nick wasn't too impressed with my initial efforts but we didn't get knocked down and soon had sufficient momentum. Quickly realised that the advice from previous riders to keep talking to each other was essential and in no time I was an expert.
Plympton to Lee Mill and a change of riders on the back - Atkin senior taking over. Best bit of advice for the day followed "Tim, let's wait until this lorry passes". My excuse was that the extra weight on the back made pulling away difficult. Atkin senior was unimpressed. OK, let's wheel the bike to a safer starting place. Second attempt was ultimately successful although far from controlled. Atkin senior - "Not sure I like it at the back".
Refreshments at Wrangaton - notable for the presence of a village post office. Bucket rattling raised £1. Change of crew - Atkin & son taking over. Bikes & support vehicle parted company for a while before joining up again at Marley Head where I replaced Dave. Generally downhill now and speeds were impressive. Stopped at the Dartington Cider Press for lunch and bucket rattling raised a further £1. Onwards towards Totnes with Atkin senior steering while I powered from behind. Soon realised why Dave didn't like it at the back - neither did I. Totnes to Newton Abbot was tiring and I kept head down. Dave tells me that he conducted a PDR & salary review en route but I swear I didn't hear a word. Atkin senior made a management decision and shortly afterwards Atkin junior replaced him. Hills getting steeper. Run into Newton Abbot was good - tandem leading the way with reports of speed cameras flashing - not verified though. Cycle paths through the town and then the longest uphill pull of the day.
Last leg Newton Abbot to Teignmouth completed by team Atkin. One last photo shoot overlooking the river Teign before crossing at Shaldon into Teignmouth. A great welcome at Teignmouth Quay although most of the food was gone, the BBQ having started an hour and a half earlier.............
23 June, Moretonhampstead to Plymouth via Princetown
Riders: Simon Rowlands & Callum Couper, Catrin Ellis & Craig Christoforato, Huw Turner & Chris Green, Stephen Pritchard
0945 arrived in Morton Hampstead after a somewhat fractious night at Okehampton YHA.
Why a fractious night? 6 bunks in a room a double bed would not fit into is a challenge to restful sleep and if the neighbour above you rotates 90 degrees every 30 minutes the resultant shaking of bed frame, squeak of nocturnal micturation sheet and twang of bed spring can make one less amiable towards ones colleague.
Happily Catrin was spared this & had a room to herself
Back to Moreton Hampstead….. Both tandems out of UKD van & riders made ready only to find a deflated back wheel & an inner tube change was in progress.
Callum & Simon left the repairs to others & headed off on to the moor bound for Prince town some 18 miles distant.
Within a short time it became evident that Dartmoor offered a greater challenge to cyclists than at first thought, at kleast to these middle aged fellows.
Princetown is at 1300 feet and we were already at 800 feet or so however each 100 feet of arduous climb was followed by at least 50 feet of decent however the scenery & weather compensated & it was an enjoyable ride.
Within a short time the van arrived with a serviceable second tandem & two bikes were soon eating up the miles.
3 miles from Princetown the vans stopped for a cycle crew change however by this time Catrin and Craig were missing in action & a search found them some 4 miles back along the route in a lay-by with “another puncture”. Surely this was more than a coincidence thought the older fellows (nash, curse) and Callum sensibly replaced Catrin to accompany Craig for the remainder of the trip to Plymouth.
Once Princetown was behind us the going was easier with a decent into the city.
Finally Callum & Craig, Catrin & Steve P and Simon on his own bike came into Millbay in formation…
ABP staff at Plymouth gave us a good welcome with a marquee and buffet and showers at the the Duke of Cornwall Hotel.
Thanks Tim, Glen, Carre, Martin, Mike& the two Gary’s for your hospitality.
23 June, Moretonhampstead to Plymouth (Steve Pritchard)
Tandem Green on the road – red has a puncture in the van!
Team: Craig Christoforato, Callum Couper, Catrin Ellis, Simon Rowlands, Chris Green, Huw Turner and Steve Pritchard
Weather: Overcast but fine
Drivers: Shared
Navigation: By Tom Tom starting an hour late after a scenic journey around Devon from Okehampton. This girl needs a talking to.
Mileage: About 30
After a night in the dormitory (Catrin had a room to herself) a good cooked breakfast off we set. Took an hour to travel 12 miles by car to start, is that thunder, no a low flying jet. Red bike gets a puncture getting out of the van, it does not want to be on the road. Thank goodness for the boy scouts (Mr Green).
Tom Tom has had her plug pulled - bunny hopping along the road now – one vehicle too many.
Second puncture in the red bike. Sales and Marketing have put in the wrong size inner tube!! Catrin and Craig putting lessons to good effect. Doing well otherwise.
Bridgwater to Moretonhampstead, 22 June (Kevin Francis)
22 June, Bridgewater to Moretonhampstead
Tandem Green – red feeling a bit poorly.
Team: Simon Rowlands Paul Mitchell, Kevin Francis, Dean Stromeyer, Craig Salter, Ian Meredith (I’ve had an interesting op) and me – Steve Pritchard
Weather: Lot better than expected – strong headwind in places, can’t wait for Dartmoor!!
Drivers: Shared – all took a turn.
Navigation: By I’m having a laugh! Tom Tom.
Mileage: 56 miles – excluding detours.
Thanks boys for getting the bike so far, a good start to the day for those of us with a strong stomach, a cooked breakfast at Bridgewater Services – the full works.
First off Steve and Kev – I’ve never ridden a tandem before Francis. Quick ride to the other side of Taunton uneventful apart from strong headwinds.
Craig and Dean up next who were the first pair to hit serious hills with Craig doing well with his war wounds having fallen off in training. First real event of the day with driver Ian mistakenly parking to block off a drive to Black Bay Farm Kennels – we learned the Somerset dialect for “please move your car its slightly blocking my drive” a lot of words I didn’t understanding but apparently the police were on their way. I thought Ian was about to get some practice for his karate gradings. Simon jumped on for Craig a couple of miles later, 10 or so uneventful miles. Dean on a mission and going for gold.
Then Ian and Paul had a nice gentle ride for 5 minutes then Tom Tom stepped in and put Ian’s op through the test via the classic signpost at High Hill with directions to hele – by this time grass was appearing in the middle of the road and the hills were getting steeper, they never seem to go down do they! Steve and Kev took over and then took the bike through Exeter via a 15 minute detour around the station, Tom Tom was now starting to have some fun.
Now the test for the stretch with double chevrons, Simon and Dean, the first team took over. The last 12 miles up to Mortonhampstead up unbelievable hills but manfully tackled with a photograph from an obliging WPC to prove the stop off point.
Back to Okehampton for a bit of TLC on the bikes both now back on the road for tomorrow. Simon and I now off for a curry to talk tactics for tomorrow and how we can wind the freshers up comforted by the words “would you like fries with that”.
All in all a great morning, some good laughs all round and one or more sore bits as well!
21 June, Aust to Bridgewater
Tandem Green – all good no problems.
pm Riders: Craig Salter & Dean Stromeyer
Byron Lewis & Bob Slorach
Driver: Steve Johns
Craig & Dean blasted out of Aust services at 12.45 pm and reached North Side of Avon Bridge on M4 at a sizzling pace. Bryon and Bob then used cycle track to cross River Avon and reach Portishead.
The turn and turn about to catch J24 on M5/A38 junction 2 miles south of Bridgewater via Clevedon, Congresbury, Churchill, Start (pub looked nice but pressed on), Highbridge, Dumballs Quay (on River Parrett), arriving at J24 Service area at 5.30 pm.
All enjoyed the day, rain threatened but never more than light drizzle, mild day. Total mileage being checked – approximately 80 miles. Bob, Byron and Steve headed back (in rain!) to Cardiff, meanwhile Craig and Dean worked out best way of using a considerable thirst built up carefully during the day to best advantage and headed off for the big night out at Cheddar YHA. A memorable day – great!
Saturday 21 June, Newport to Severn View Services, Aust.Matthew Kennerley (stoker), Simon Rowlands (pilot), Phil Williams (solo).
Captain’s Log stardate 21st June 2008, summer solstice, big day for Druids and charity bike riders.
Normal Newport weather (fine drizzle) greeted the start at 0830 as the three musketeers set off towards the Gwent levels. The cloud and mist lifted and we were rolling through fine countryside just behind the industrial backdrop of Llanwern steelworks – a wonderful sight in the early morning as the steam rises! But for a few surprised farmers and the odd ruminant/quadruped there were not many folk around in this green and pleasant land. As we approached the metropolis of Chepstow one fine, young chap with a 6-pack (not his stomach) asked if we were lost at a pelican crossing. We thanked him politely for his concern and sped off into the distance.
At one point Phil’s chain came off so we left him in a hedge somewhere. Later he asked some churchgoers if a tandem had passed this way and they replied cheerily, “yes, about an hour ago”.
Craig Salter and Dean Stromeyer released the second tandem from the van for a practice run at Chepstow and there were now five of us heading across the old Severn Bridge over the rivers Wye and Severn towards England. We paused like majestic athletes half way across for a photo shoot.
Matters were slightly complicated by the bridge being closed to road traffic so the support vehicles had to go the long way round over the Second Severn Crossing which took much longer than the tandems.
The final leg of this section was a sprint finish to Burger King at the services where normal service was resumed and we again felt the flow of cholesterol through our pumping veins. Phil was comforted by the words “would you like fries with that?”
All in all an enjoyable morning with some very good bits and some very sore bits!
MK
DAY 14 – 20th June
Friday morning started at some unsociable hour in the support vehicle heading back west with extensively repaired tandems. Small element of fear had begun to spread amongst riders over preceding 24-hours after Steve Johns description of brakes- just glad we’re not up first to find out how good they are.
After quarter of an hour of cursing we finally figured out how to unlash the tandem from the UKD van and left Swansea at 0745 feeling slightly smug that we’d managed to avoid the weather that the riders had experienced on arrival in Swansea the previous day. Ben Ball and Gordon Harries (S Wales Pilots) were first to mount up for the stretch to Port Talbot.
Whilst Frenchy, Big Dave and Ralph set off in the support vehicle and lost the riders before they had left the dock- two exits, so confusing. So the support crew headed straight for the rendezvous at Port Talbot Parkway station. Frenchy soon got on the fundraising trail flogging a bag of ready salted to some hungover ‘hoody’ in the car park.
After a nervous wait (still not too sure about those brakes) the tandem arrived in Port Talbot where Gordon rushed off as there was a queue of ships waiting at the Port Talbot anchorage requiring his attention. So at 0900 sharp, David Davies and Ralph Windeatt (Team Dave) took over and got all of 10 metres before the level-crossing served to temporarily restrain enthusiasm. After negotiating the smoggy back lanes of Port Talbot in the shadows of the steelworks, Team Dave burned it up on the way to Ewenny, way ahead of the incompetent co-ordinators schedule- pretty sure we broke the land speed record going through Pyle- if you’ve ever been there you’ll know why. Found that the Tesco Value padded cycling shorts failed to provide the desired comfort and proved that every little really does help- would advise future riders to go Finest all the way. Would never had made it but for the navigational prowess of Ben (Iron Man) Ball who followed on his own bike struggling to keep pace on the downhill- but closed rapidly on the uphill sections which really separated the men from the boys.
Peter Sullivan and Eddy Hooper should have met them in Ewenny but were apparently getting changed behind a bush (?) somewhere in Laleston as the speed of transit had caught them unawares! A decision was then made to ride both tandems to the Port of Barry where our generous sponsors GP Shipping would be greeting us.
Progress continued steadily, perhaps helped by the fact that the second tandem ignored the traffic signals and blatantly jumped a red-light (purely accidentally as still not trusting those brakes). Decided to use the extra time in schedule gainfully and took the bucket around in the local Morrisons supermarket where a misguided lady thought she was giving to CND not MND. Needless to say they didn’t give her money back when she realised her mistake. Eventually were chased away by Big Issue salesman who was somewhat unhappy we had intruded on his patch. At Barry we were greeted by Simon Coghlan, Director of GP Shipping, one of the major sponsors of Pedal the Ports.
Team Dave returned to the saddle for the sprint to Cardiff- power ran out in hilly Penarth, were ready to give up but the smell of Big Stuie’s BBQ kept us going. A large crowd of staff gathered for an enthusiastic welcome as we cruised over the barrage and lost the safety gear in exchange for a touch of style (see photos). Everyone tucked into a sumptuous barbecue organised by the Cardiff staff in order to further boost the fund-raising. Special mention has to be made of Stuart Nickolls and his “smoking barbecue sauce”! We were also joined by a group of guests from the local branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association who were very impressed to hear details of Pedal the Ports. Someone decided it would be a good idea to copy G & I’s wonderful idea of selling rides on the tandem to visitors…Big mistake!!
At 1430 Brin French and Keith Miller left for Newport to raucous cheers (if you’ve seen Frenchy’s legs you’ll understand why). Five yards later they stopped due to a chain malfunction- believed to be caused by the reckless riders from Cardiff Harbour Authority who had provided the lunchtime entertainment.
After changing to the other bike and calling on the services of Steve Johns for repairs, they set off again for Newport. After a pleasant hour’s pedalling they reached Newport where they were met by Sue King, Matthew Kennerley and Julia Hill. After a quick photo shoot they retired for a well-earned drink to the Stonehouse pub, where the Blog was written.
Thursday 19 June (rest day)
Steve Johns, UK Dredging
I came off the Bridge of the UKD Dolphin in Swansea, just as the cyclists arrived to be confronted by John Fitzgerald pointing and shouting up, "there he is, the man that's going to get these bikes fixed!" I'd underestimated just how much could possibly need doing.
Orange bike: wheels damaged, broken spokes, blown out tyre, no forward gears working, brake blocks rubbing on rear tyre
Green bike: brake blocks so worn that they were cutting into the side walls of the tyres! no forward gears, sprocket teeth broken, chain & cassette damaged
I loaded both bikes into the UKD van and headed off to Reg Braddick Cycles in Cardiff where a very helpful and professional team , with no notice at all, managed to fully repair both bikes by 5:30pm. I then changed the forward pedals on the orange tandem (kindly supplied by Simon Rowlands) and needed to do some more adjustment of the forward gear settings. Interestingly I (all 5ft 2"), then took each tandem for some gear and brake testing. Possibly more unusual than a tandem, but a tandem being ridden by one person! Anyway all finished, loaded into the UKD van and back at the Port for 9:30pm. No pressure, we've only got the rest of the UK to cover...phew!!
Day 13 Tycornel to Swansea - sub aqua tandem riding
Scuba cyclists: Sean B, Martin P, Bob Kendrick, John Fitz, Sub Keith Miller, Haydn Dawson
The day started inauspiciously with extreme wet weather warning for area we were cycling in. But hey this is Wales so what did we expect? Red Kite wasn't around we assumed due to low visibility !!
The rain was only slightly less than torrential as Bob and Keith donned wet suits and headed south. 50 metres in they got absolutely soaked by passing lorry. Not a good start but as Bob said as he was wringing out his socks "then we remembered why we were doing this and pedalled on". Theirs was an amazing leg which set us up for the day finished at great cafe in Llan Biddi which also saw £40 added to donation bucket giving us £300 for the trip.
Haydn and Martin copped the biggest gradients of the morning but to be fair we all had a share of altitude sickness some point in day.
Fatigue was definitely setting in as several unforced directional errors meant a longer than planned run down to Swansea. The last leg was an epic drag from west Swansea up into the city but it was such a buzz when, at crest of this hill, we spotted the Port of Swansea cranes.
We rode into the welcoming arms of Lesley, Pat and Julia who watered and fed us royally. Even secured another donation. Thanks Mike Clarke! Chris Green was also there but we blanked him for obvious reasons... but only for a bit!
Final photo call in front of UKD Dolphin. Quick comment on the PTP poster and we all dispersed back whence we came.
Thursday sees a well earned rest for the two tandems and a spot(or probably a lot) of mechanical South Wales TLC courtesy of Steve Johns, Bob Slorach and Simon Rowlands. Thanks boy !
Friday is the start of the South Wales to South West leg of PTP. Julia Hill has secured loads of willing volunteers to ride both tandems and their own cycles from Swansea to Plymouth. Pob hwyl Cymru!
230 miles in 2 ½ days from North West to South West Wales. Over £300 added to fund from well wishers en route. Huge sense of achievement for the team. Thanks to Sean, Simon, Martin, Keith and Hayden. Special thanks to our friends and customers Bob Kendrick of International Power and Ian Mackenzie of Ragged Edge Consulting for joining us on our quest. Thank you all for your support, camaraderie, good humour and encouragement over past few days. I‘m confident those following will take the challenge forward in the same vain delivering PTP through to it’s finale at ABP Port Community Open Day back in Grimsby on 5th July.
Photos to follow.......
Keep on pedalling all.
Day 12, 17 June, Zen and the art of tandem maintenance: Welshpool to Tyncornel, sort of near Llanddewi Brefi - 80 miles
Mountaineers Sean B, Martin P, Bob Kendrick, John Fitz, Simon B (sub Keith Miller 1200 hrs) Ian Mackenzie (sub Haydn Dawson)
After a stonking good breakfast chez Alun Jones (who runs a fleet of trucks regularly calling at ABP's ports) we were bade farewell with £20 donation.
Fitz was soon heading back after call from Gby HQ alerted us to fact had left blog book at B+B. Thank God for support vehicle. Boys headed off on the clearly defined National Cycle Route #81 for pleasant cycle along canal. It soon became apparent that the route is due for completion in time for 2012 Olympics. It is currently a snake infested (well one snake) track impossible to cycle on so they were spotted by returning van on main road to Newtown.
As we reached Newtown station events took dramatic turn. Bob+Fitz were pegging it (80mph we think) on Muriel the tempramental red tandem. There was suddenly a spectacular blow out of front tyre. Heroic steering by Mr Kendrick averted catastrophe. At least the incidented settled the 'one tandem or two today debate' for what was going to be a tough afternoon.
Muriel settled back into van and John Dywer's mobile subs bench arrived delivering Keith and Hayden to inject stamina and youthful exuberence. We bade farewll to those tandem heavy weights Simon+Macca. As soon as they left it started raining!
Afternoon passed with short shape bursts of pedalling in a united effort. Scenery was breathtaking - bit of a problem when you are pedalling uphill !
At one point we were flanked by a red kite who obviously saw Martin as potential prey.
We minced into Llanddewi Brefi (Little Britain fame) to sounds of Village People. Plently of pink influenced photos by village sign (bet villagers never seen that before).
The place we'd been booked into was somewhere around here. Whilst Chris Green had warned that his choice was 'off the beaten track' I guess we should have known what to expect. How many Ops people have heard ABP salesmen saying to a customer 'I'm sure that won't be a problem' and the job then takes an extra 3 days to complete!
Tyncornel describes itself as a wilderness lodge and is proud to claim to be the most isolated youth hostel in Eng+Wales. It is situated 7 miles uphill on a mountain track off the smallest B road in the country.
The bike quickly had enough and snapped her chain. It was long walk to hostel so Sean had bright idea of driving up 'to see where it was' and then pick us up later. The group left Bob+Fitz to slog on. The ensuing 60ms gave Fitz plenty of time to consider Chris Green's future career prospects in ABP. As one of ABP's largest clients, Bob was starting to question ABP's level of customer service.
When we finally arrived at Wilderness Hostel we expected to find Knights of Round Table guarding Holy Grail. As it was we enjoyed a welcome from temporary Warden Peter and his wife who quickly stoked the fire to warm us up.
We headed back towards 'civilsation' for food. The pub was so remote even the graffiti on toilet walls was offering value added services via land lines rather than mobile phone numbers!.
Sean still found time to demonstrate his maintenace skills by fixing the chain before we bedded down in a dorm for night....
Leg: Garston to Welshpool, 16 June
Gladiators: Simon Brett, Sean Blissett, Martin Phillips, Ian Mackenzie (Ragged Edge Consultancy), Bob Kendrick (Interational Power), John Fitzgerald
The day began with radio interview to Compass FM whilst enjoying a free breakfast from our latest sponsor Toby Inns. We left without paying!
Brian Wright had set us up with a fuelled van and full water bottles. Homely welcome and great organisation as ever in Garston.
Ride starts up and across Mersey to Runcorn. Gob full of carbon monoxide from bus pulling out in front of us just past John Lennon airport.
Whilst waiting to pick up Bob from Runcorn station, Fitz discovered his aptitude for begging and collected £40 from commuters with various untruths about cycling around 21 ports in a matter of days for MND. More scavaging undertaken at Frodsham parked in front of PO collaring old dears collecting pension. Sean + Fitz clearly ignored Simon's instructions but still managed to find way to Nicola Blissett's mum who welcomed us all in for tea and biccies, photo call and more cash. Was lovely to meet you and three cats Joyce.
Everyone now in the mood and we started to fly. Met old friend of PTP at Welsh border(see photo). Simon heroically managed to plump for every uphill leg whilst Martin+Macca timed their handover to perfection just as descent began.
Sean was powering away irrespective of gradient. Bob looked most professional in terms of dress and shades although admitted that, whilst his altitude training in Sth Africa had come in handy, PTP wasn't quite like cycling in the gym watching tv.
Macca looked resplentant in windcheater as he took lead. Only problem was it acted more like a spinnaker and we appeared to be going backwards as Tom-Tom advised we had further to go than when we started out originally.
Monday is clearly Sunday in Wales as everything is shut, so lunch was taken in garage forecourt which had been runner-up Londis Forecourt of the year in 2005. Money extracted from bunking off school kids hanging around shop.
Oswestry gave more options for sales pitch but John returned with a few quid, only to see Simon with crisp £20 from woman in Sainsbury's car park. Enough said.
Terrain got hillier with some epic climbs and exciting descents as scenery got more beautiful. Sean+Bob won 'stubborn b*stards of day' award for relentless pursuit of altitude on approach to Welshpool.
They'd obviously heard radio interview on Lincolnshire station in Welshpool as the bunting was out in main street as both tandems powered towards our first night's accomodation. Thumbs up for Terri and Sian in UKD for excellent choice. Curry in main street and footie with increasingly miserable Poles.
Good day 85 miles, fantastic scenery, over £75 quid to swell coffers, and Fitz contemplating new career selling Big Issue.
Watch out for return of Pink Panther tomorrow!
Like many participants in PTP, I must confess to be somewhat apprehensive as to what awaited me on my upcoming day and a half from Garston to Newtown. Not having done a lot of preparation myself, I listened in awe to the hours of practise that some of my co-riders had been doing as we sat in a Liverpool restaurant on Sunday evening for what at the time seemed like the last meal of the condemned men. Monday dawned bright and sunny and the first team set off from Garston to Runcorn to collect our final team member. It was here that we discovered Fitz's true vocation, begging. Some £30 was extracted from Runcorn's rail commuters, even the ticket clerk donated when I purchased my return tickets for the following day. My first turn in the saddle was from Frodsham to Dunham on the Hill, a distance of some seven miles which I am pleased to say was completed without mis-hap, my confidence was rising. After a mid-morning break at Sean's Mother in Law's house, and a stint in the support car, I was back in the saddle at Holt riding down towards a village east of Wrexham. The terrain was not too bad and my legs were holding up well.
It was at lunchtime when we discovered that Monday was the new Sunday. Nowhere was open for lunch on the route, so we had to resort to the Londis Forecourt of the Year Finalist 2007 for garage pasties. Fitz extracted further monies from local schoolchildren out buying their snacks. Oswestry awaited. We parked up in Sainsbury's and Fitz went begging again. We had agreed to run two tandems from Oswestry to our overnight stop in Welshpool so Bob and I returned to the van to prepare the second bike. Whilst doing so, we were presented with £20 from a lovely lady who thought our tandem was marvellous.
Being ahead on timescale, we decided to go off the main route and out into the hills of the Welsh-English border. The scenery was beautiful but the hills were becoming tougher all the time. Running two tandems gave us each less recovery time, but it was worth it. The adrenalin was beginning to flow, especially when we got to the downhill sections. It was whilst racing down a hill at who knows how fast, that I suggested to Fitz on the front of our tandem, that use of the brakes might be a good idea ! Brakes were applied, the tandem slid sideways and somehow we stayed on enjoying the exhileration of the ride. When we got to the bottom, we discovered that we should have turned left during our descent, and we were almost a mile off course. We set off to return to the route and were faced with the most enormous hill and a 1 in 5 ascent. I decided to walk up, Sean and Bob tried to ride. They managed to much acclaim after a halfway stop. Our arrival into Welshpool lay ahead and the comforts of the Severn House Bed and Breakfast.
Monday evening provided an opportunity for us to reflect on the day's exertions and look forward to the next day.
We awoke on Tuesday to more fine weather, and after an excellent breakfast, courtesy of the Jones' (Many thanks for your £20), we set off towards Newtown. It was the when we started to ask "When is a National Cycle Path not so ?" The answer is when it is not yet finished or signposted. It was not supposed to go through the scrapyard that we went into, or finish in a patch of nettles behing armco barrier, but it did. My pilot Ian had no alternative but to end up in these nettles, and my legs are still smarting. We got to the first rendezvous point on route, Martin was there but no van and no Fitz. He had left the Blog at the B&B.
This gave us a welcome break and with Ian and I about to leave, the other team changed and we stayed on our tandem for a rolling hilly section. We did change at the next rendezvous, 10 miles of hills had taken its toll on us and the arrival into Newtown was by the other four, Fitz and Bob carrying their bike due to a blow out within 100 metres of the station.
Ian and I left at Newtown to be replaced by Hayden and Keith from South Wales. Ian and I parted at Shrewsbury and on the journey to Liverpool I found myself reflecting in the last two days and wondering where my co-peddlars were whilst I was on the train. Was my apprehension justified, no certainly not. The whole experience was one that I would not have missed.
Leg: Fleetwood to Garston, 15 June 2008Team: Roger Thomas, Carl Riley, Paul Fewtrell (From the Wirral), Ged Dillon
Logistics/Support: Steve Lewry, Chris Hendrick, Brian Wright, Maureen Robson
Weather : Mainly Fair Wind North Northwesterly 4 or 5, but variable 3 at first. Visibility Good
It was only when the decision filtered through that PTP would take an anti-clockwise route and Garston had been designated the relatively flat section from Fleetwood, did apprehension turn to a degree of quiet confidence for our intrepid team of four. The thought of riding the South Wales leg was a daunting prospect, we’d leave that for better men.
From an early stage it was agreed our 100K would be ridden in full, either on tandem or bike by all the team. Admirably, nobody wanted to sit out the event and come the day nobody did. Just a minor glitch in the planning as the last pick up Carl couldn’t be found, how many Tarbock roundabouts are there in Liverpool? How we laughed. A return route from Fleetwood selected to tick the box for maximum publicity, taking in whatever photo opportunities presented themselves would prove less problematic.
Ged had been checking the weather forecast constantly for the previous week, the wind direction was the all-important factor. Constant predictions of doom and gloom and the prospect of a difficult day, if anything other than a trailing northerly wind resulted. Flags were checked nervously for direction as we arrived in Fleetwood for a rendezvous and a first glimpse of the now mythical tandem. I’m not sure what we were all expecting as no one could actually recall ever seeing such a vehicle, let alone riding one, but this relay baton now passed to our charge.
A warm welcome and hospitality to match from Pete Smith, Mike Treece-Birch, Helen Gregory and Amber on arrival, thanks guys it really was appreciated. Time to hit the road.
Roger a devotee of the great adventurers, Shackleton, Scott and the modern day Fiennes viewed the day ahead as his own personal expedition, his Pole, his Everest and took to quoting his heroes for inspiration. Remember chaps as Sir Ranulph said “I go on expeditions for the same reason an estate agent sells houses - to pay the bills.” Nobody quite understood but the pedalling began nonetheless.
Carl, the quiet one and Roger set off at a sensible pace, quickly overcoming the quirks of tandem riding with the two bikes in support. To a chorus of screaming seagulls the Sunday riders set out through Fleetwood, fuelled by a packet of locally produced Fishermans Friends and on towards Blackpool and it’s famous promenade.
With the remnants of last nights stag and hen parties still winding their way back to plush B & B’s came the surreal site of any number of Elvis’s, Scooby Doo’s, ‘L’ Plated, Tiara wearing Brides and the highly offensive, pretend Scousers, wearing curly black wigs and tasteless Hawaiian shirts, looking on disbelieving at the bicycle built for two and its entourage. How we laughed. A quick photo and the riders hurtled away like a runaway carriage on a Pleasure Beach roller coaster, leaving the Golden Mile well behind and off down the coast to genteel Lytham with its sea front Windmill and famous golf links.
Familiar land marks at this early stage of the journey kept up interest and the riders’ tempo. Targets were identified and aimed for, but all too soon the delights of the Flyde coast were left behind for the fields of south west Lancashire. Preston signalled the start of the A59 and a long hard slog.
Ged a veteran of several Liverpool/Chester/Liverpool rides and Paul, from the Wirral, with his Triathlon Ironman experience, picked up the baton. Fresh impetus as the perils of Penwortham lay ahead. Notwithstanding, that it appeared a dark, satanic place where tribal dress was a strange blue and white halved garb, if rumour was to be believed the leaderless natives still wore Blue Woad and offered up human sacrifices to their Gods. Not a place to dwell or get a puncture. Fortunately for us the natives never stirred.
Despite prior knowledge, the near 48k section, the ‘59’ proved every bit as difficult as anticipated. Spirits lowered and with it the pace of the riders. The only target we could identify to give a sense of achievement through the endless cabbage patch fields was a country and western club at Burscough, where the last vestiges of Jefferson Davies’s Confederate army resided. Strangely the senior rider of our group (Ged) gave a knowing look and admitted attendance but proffered little detail as to why. The posse rode out of town.
In contrast a Church in Ormskirk became the next target, rare in appearance and one nobody could name. Known for having both a tower and spire, one of only three in the country it proved to be of little inspiration. Eventually coming into view the frustration grew that St. Peter and Paul’s, as we later found out, never appeared to be getting any closer. Roger quoting Robert Falcon Scott attempted to inspire “Every day some new fact comes to light - some new obstacle which threatens the gravest obstruction. I suppose this is the reason which makes the game so well worth playing” thought provoking words until the obvious was pointed out, Scott didn’t actually make it home. How we laughed.
With the hoped for wind from the north on our backs, a final exhausting push into Ormskirk and out over the only hill on route that hurt. The effort was rewarded with a long downhill section with a familiar skyline coming into view, the Capital Of Culture lay ahead and home.
Unlike other cities for some reason many of Liverpool's districts have achieved fame and notoriety in their own right. Anfield, Everton, Knotty Ash, Halewood, Woolton, Toxteth, even Garston had become known for one reason or another. The next target and one that signalled the final straight was a district that for ten minutes every Spring held the sporting spotlight as the world turned it’s attention to Aintree and the running of the Grand National.
Although still someway to go this was familiar turf. Alongside the racecourse taking the Canal Turn, following the Melling Road, crossing the course, passing the empty stands and the famous fences. The winning post, but not ours, stood just a short distance away. No fallers in this field, Paul from the Wirral would never allow it.
The bus route destinations became familiar as the city traffic built. You’d never think petrol was £5 a gallon from the amount of queuing traffic. Down roads well known from Liverpool folklore and local traffic reports, Walton Vale, Rice Lane and Scotty Road, past the Kingsway Tunnel, Leeds Street, Wapping to the Pier Head. The Liver Building, one of the Three Graces, presented a last photo opportunity.
Carl, as quiet as ever, with Roger, had taken charge of the tandem at the end of the ‘59’, both insisted on making it home, a final 12k. Amongst the day trippers Roger could be heard again, Shackleton we think ” Now my eyes are turned from the South to the North, and I want to lead one more Expedition, This will be the last... to the North Pole” Delirium and head shakes all round.
Almost lost in a throng of shoppers, tourists and traffic, past the newly opened Liverpool One development and the Albert Dock, the riders progressed, exposure for the cause but just a little scary nonetheless.
Navigating down Riverside Drive adjacent to the Mersey and the Garston Channel, temptation to cool aching calves in Middle Deep was resisted.
Garston was in sight. Finally we turned into Dock Road, for us the winning post and journeys end. No congratulations needed, just a great sense of personal achievement together with the hope of real benefit for such a worthy cause and our reward, a nice pot of tea.
Thanks to all our sponsors and our supporters along the way. Good luck to all riders, you will enjoy yourselves.
Finally our best wishes to Nick and family for the future from all at Garston.
Saturday 14th June, Barrow to Fleetwood, Distance: 80 miles,
Team: Mark Clayton, Dawn Dickinson, Bob Phillips, Daniel Parker, Mike Soper.
7.50 am, and the start of another day. It's raining hard and everyone is not looking too enthused. The full English breakfast brings a bit of a smile to our faces, and off we set from our hotel to the start at Barrow docks.
Saturday 14th June - Barrow to Fleetwood (circa 80 miles)
Cyclists – Mark Clayton (ADT Manager), Dan Parker (Application Developer), Dawn Dickinson (Estate Surveyor Short Sea Ports) Chris Clouter (Port Operations Manager Barrow) and Bob Philips (Engineering Manager North West Ports).
For the second day of the challenge Bob Phillips replaced Col Henery and my Partner Mike Soper replaced Paul Barry, we were also joined by Chris Clouter for the first leg of the journey.
Today we were waved off by the local branch of the Motor Neuron Disease Association reminding us all of the importance of the task ahead.
Chris and Mike were the first to take to the saddle providing fresh legs from Barrow to Roose where Chris passed the baton to Bob Philips. Mark joined Bob on to Greenodd. Whilst travelling in the support vehicle there was a moment of confusion when we overtook a couple on another tandem!
At Greenodd Dan and I took over. Carefully following Bobs instructions we crossed a bridge then bore left which took us into a field! We then chose the straight ahead option which eventually lead to private property, then I took the phone a friend option which resulted in the second support vehicle looking for us! We were sent on our way in the right (that is RIGHT) direction, only to arrive at further confusion of various routes. We opted for adding a little further to our ride by cycling to Grange over Sands. It was at this point that the heavens opened! We sailed on (literally!) through the rain up and down to our meeting point! I was grateful to hand over to Mike and Mark but not so to loose my favourite Green Oakley sunglasses in the Grange over Sands Loos!
Mike and Mark made an admirable ride to Carnforth quickly covering 17 miles. Dan and Bob took over riding through Lancaster and taking a coastal path the Stork Public House to be met by Mrs Philips and his sons. By the way huge thanks must go to Mrs Philips who kindly provided a delicious lunch complete with croissants for the cyclists.
At the Stork I partnered up with my partner Mike. En route we were treated to a parachute display assumingly arranged by the Fleetwood team to welcome us all to the Wyre.
Dan and Mark then took over and finally I stoked for Bob for the final glory 5 miles! At 3:30 Peter Smith at Fleetwood warmly welcomed us.
As with all the other cyclists to date I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and after 64 miles over the two days I was grateful for the padding in my shorts. Goodness knows what it would have been like without them!
Friday 13th June - Silloth to Barrow (circa 76 miles)
Race Director and support – Chris Puxley (Harbour Master Silloth) Cyclists – Colin Henery (Head of Safety Short sea Ports), Mark Clayton (ADT Manager), Dan Parker (Application Developer), Paul Barry (Finance Manager Short Sea Ports) and myself Dawn Dickinson (Estate Surveyor Short Sea Ports).
Our adventure started on 12th June when Mark, Col, Dan and myself travelled across from Hull to Silloth. While Col topped up on diesel it was my task to insert Silloth’s postcode using the 2007 directory into the trusty tom tom. Four hours later we all had the greatest sympathy for Matt Jukes! Regardless we eventually made it to Silloth in time to greet the chaps completing the Dumfries to Silloth leg. My enthusiasm previously noted was actually a vain attempt to hide my sheer panic regarding the next two days cycling from Silloth to Barrow then on to Fleetwood!
My continued state of panic was evident at the Wheyrigg Hotel when I first turned to comfort eating only to be beaten by a lemon cheesecake then onto the hard stuff, half a lager and lime! Our route planning discussions were over heard by local Ian Wilson who out of sympathy made a donation to the cause, I knew at this point I had to pull myself together and by the end of the evening after a couple more drinks we were all very confident about the task ahead!
Our leg commenced at Silloth on Friday 13th! After the obligatory photos documenting the departure Colin and I took to the saddle onwards to Aspatria, whilst cycling over the cobbled streets of Silloth Col asked whether I had come this way before? Our jovial comments soon ended as we started our gentle climb, a tall order without the lowest gear which was probably somewhere in Scotland! After a few choice words (and a bit of a walk) we handed over to Dan and Mark.
The pair headed off at a magnificent pace, which was shortly regretted by Dan who needed to make a quick stop to analyse his breakfast. Regardless a pound lighter the pair made it to the changeover spot where Dan lost one of his sunglasses lenses and a lemon mini found it with their nearside front and rear tyres!
Paul and Col then partnered up onto the outskirts of Keswick. The pair safely navigated the bike to the meeting point where Mark and myself took over. Prior to setting off Mark overrode the gears to physically select the lowest gear. I did not know why he had chosen to get covered in oil until we exited Keswick to be met by the mother of all hills. With pure grit and determination previously seen when Mark partnered Mike Hill over the Pennines, we made it to the top. It was then that the hard work started, holding on for dear life especially when we topped 50mph! To be honest I had never been so scared in my life, but I placed my complete trust in Mark’s hands that safely steered us down to Thirlmere where we received our reward, a beautiful lakeside ride with Helvellyn in the background.
Dan and Paul were the next to power onto and through Ambleside to the bottom of Hawkshead Hill where Col and I returned to the saddle. We hit trouble immediately with the lowest gear still in Scotland we opted for another hill walk. Fortunately a relatively gentle ride past Coniston was less demanding however we were ready for a change over and the support vehicle was a welcome sight. Just as we put the breaks on Chris took the breaks off! It was all a mirage, fortunately Dan and Mark were following in the secondary support vehicle, and we made a quick unofficial change.
Ulverston was the next point followed by the coastal ride into Barrow. As planned we wiped out the second tandem for a big finish. Col and Dan on one and Mark and Paul the other. Not wanting to miss out on the photo finish I had a plan. I drove onto Morrisons in Barrow to beat the bikes. As Dan and Col were about to pass by I was to jump out de-seating Dan for the glory shot! Fortunately Dan was grateful for the change! We arrived at Barrow at 3pm to be greeted by Chris Clouter, Bob Philips, and Matt Sanderson for the obligatory photographs.
12th June, James Cooper, Dumfries to Silloth (Team Infracapital, James Cooper, Mathieu Lief, Tim Howard and Erik Protzman)
The morning is overcast, cool and calm - what passes for high summer in Scotland and perfect riding weather. The absence of a curry has its advantages. Given Nick and his team's lack of familiarity with the tandems, I volunteer Infracapital to ride both bikes out of Dumfries into the country where there is less risk of wobbling into the path of a bus or truck. It is a stupid offer. Virtually the only hills we have to face all day are on the way out of Dumfries. As Mathieu and I clamber on board, there is a French scream - Mathieu can't sit down. And since he can't sit down, he can't pedal. He is useless. With coaxing (alright, abusive swearing), we begin to move but every bump in the road, let alone potholes, brings forth an agonised whimpering. Yet it is Mathieu who drives us up the hill when my tired legs and ordinary common sense suggest that chucking the bike in the back of a passing white van would be the more intelligent course of action. We hand over near the top of the hill and ABP are off to a wobbly start but are quickly into their stride.
Soon we have the Solway Firth down below us, Silloth, our ultimate destination a short distance across the water and the Cumbrian hills looming in the distance. Wouldn't it make sense to get the pilot boat to come and pick us up? Who would know? But Erik and Tim find the riding to Ruthwell fast and gentle. We switch over and Mathieu and I take the bike onto Gretna via Annan. By now we are both in some discomfort. Modesty forbids telling exactly which bit of me hurts the most but Mathieu's cries suggest that he has been rubbed raw. He sticks a T shirt down his cycling trousers to provide a cushion. He looks like he has an appalling case of piles. At Gretna, we detour to the Old Blacksmith and avoid celebrating our new found bonds with a Civil Ceremony or two. Nick, however, is in sparkling form and wonders whether he should do the next day as well. He had no idea it would be this easy.
Much of our discussion about the route has been about how to avoid Carlisle. Stopping, starting and turning at slow speed are the most difficult part of tandem riding and, when combined with heavy traffic, make riding in towns less than pleasant. We hatch a plot that will surely take us over the River Eden just north of Carlisle and bring us out on the Kirkbride and Silloth Road. Tim and Erik set off and we are quickly back in the rhythm. After a few miles we head of down quiet country roads in search of the River Eden crossing that will avoid Carlisle and shorten our route by a few miles.
Tim and I dismount and search for the crossing by foot. But there is no cycle route crossing of the River Eden and we are forced through the middle of Carlisle, a short but terrifying experience that ends in a long climb out of the City. Both Mathieu and I are now reaching our pain thresholds. I assure Mathieu that pain and pleasure are two sides of the same coin. As my breathing becomes more intense, Mathieu slows down and wonders whether I am about to have a heart attack. I assure him that this is nothing to worry about. Nick, now riding with Erik as ABP are a little short handed, pass us as though we are cycling backwards. To be honest, we no longer care. We make it to Kirkbride and hand over the bike to Tim and Erik for the last 10 mile stretch into Silloth. Mathieu and I have been warned that the entrance to the port is cobbled and we are more than happy to pass up the glory of completing the trip in the interests of preserving what ever is left of our nether regions.
Nick knows exactly where he is aiming for. And I don't just mean that he knows where the port is though that is clearly an improvement on previous incumbents of his job. No, he has become focussed on the prospect of fish and chips in Silloth's best (only?) chippy. The last few miles are covered with great speed and suddenly we are in the heaving metropolis that is the beating heart of the ABP empire. A street market blocks our path to the port gates but Nick won't be put off and he is riding over the park making a beeline for his food. The ride is all but over. Fish, pasties, pies, chips and fizzy drinks are consumed by all - except the Frenchman who cannot see the beauty of this peak of the English culinary tradition. He has a chicken salad wrap and an orange juice, the first time such a combination has been asked for in Silloth in at least five years by the look on the staffs' faces.
Erik and I are persuaded to do the last few hundred yards to the port office where the entire three person workforce has assembled to greet us. The next team have their fist wobble and pronounce riding tandems quite easy. I would like to throw the damned thing into Silloth's New Dock. Another grand tour follows and we admire the beautiful view back towards the Galloway Hills, surely the best in ABP. Nick appears to have gone off the idea of doing the next day - common sense at last. It has been a great two days and, pain or no pain, we are thrilled to have been part of it.
Firstly an introduction to the Infracapital team: James Cooper (an overweight middle aged fool who should have known better), Mathieu Lief (a chronically disorganised Frenchman of a certain age but known to go to the gym in the middle of the day - or at least that is where he tells us he goes), Tim Howard (fit, young, athletic and good looking) and Erik Protzman (a health and fitness obsessed New Zealander who yomps into work with 50 lbs on his back most mornings and then consumes brown rice and figs).
Ryanair get us to Prestwick in reasonably good order and Stuart Creswell is there to pick us up and whisk us off to the Port of Troon where Daniel, Gareth and their colleagues are welcomed by Sandie and her bagpipes to the northernmost point of the empire. The Humber cyclists look pretty hale and hearty after their ordeal. Perhaps this won't be so bad after all. Then we try out the bikes and rapidly realise that tandems are not that straightforward. Apart from fitness, there is clearly a need for coordination and communication which is at a huge premium between me and Mathieu, my riding partner for the next two days.
A quick tour of the Port and we are off to enjoy the delights of an Ayr barbecue where we re-greet the bikes that have sped the last ten miles from Troon. The marquee has been pegged to the ground with additional ballast after a howling gale propelled it across the port the night before. We are royally entertained by Stuart Creswell and the rest of the Ayr team. Plenty of food and (non-alcoholic) drink are consumed.
That night, it is suggested that we all go out for a curry. Stuart declines to join us. Most of us retire to bed at a reasonably sensible hour though Tim decides that the delights of karaoke are too strong to resist and he disappears into the fading light of a Scottish midsummer dusk.
The following morning, it is apparent that the curry was a mistake. Stuart has a smile on his face - he knew a curry was a bad idea when he retired quietly to bed. Tim looks like death warmed up and claims he was in bed by 1.30 in the morning but I am not so sure. Mathieu and I are the first to set off from the Infracapital team. Mathieu, with his normal level of preparation, has determined that padded cycling shorts and vaseline are unnecessary. We are on the green bike which means that Mathieu's hands are under my backside - intimate, to say the least.
Stuart's opening instructions are that we should ignore the one way road signs in Ayr meaning that we turn right out of the port to cross the bridge. My effort is a shambles and Ayr's early morning rush hour is brought to a halt with the Infracapital bike stranded halfway across the junction and bilingual swearing fills the morning air. We get back on and, to the mocking cheers of our colleagues, set off in pursuit of the ABP bike. The first ten miles out of Ayr are all pretty much uphill - we could have chosen our leg more carefully. It starts to hose down with rain. I am wearing glasses and rapidly lose the ability to see where we are going. Close to the top, we find ourselves in the wrong gear and my legs wont work any more. In the middle of a busy road, the younger fitter legs of Erik and Tim take over and, embarrassingly, they sprint to the top. It has all got off to a flying start!
But thereafter, it gets easier. Apart from the odd, essential stop for post curry relief, we are making good progress. Tim and Erik, in particular, make good time and don't wish to be stopped. Neither has really broken into a sweat. ABP Ayr, have turned out en masse and, in order to give everyone a go, are stopping to change riders on a more regular basis which means that for most of the day, we are leading the way. Stuart keeps on hinting that his guys would like to ride "our" bike but we have come a long way to do this and persuading any off us to relinquish the pedals will not be easy. Mathieu stops swearing, the sun comes out, the Galloway Hills are beautiful. Tim and Erik get probably the best ride of the day between Carsphain and Moriave, a single track, unfenced road that rises to just over 1000 feet before offering an exhilarating downhill run. They don't quite break 40 miles an hour and at times look close to catastrophe as the tandem, with the turning circle of a super tanker, barely makes it round some of the tighter bends on wet roads.
Mathieu and I take the bike for the last 17 miles over rich, undulating farm country into Dumfries. By this time the backsides are getting a little tender. Mathieu, in particular is beginning to yelp - every bump in the road brings its own exquisite frisson of pain. ABP overtake us entering Dumfries but, for some reason aren't so hot up the hills and we pass them to a stream of extremely unladylike language. They pass us again on the flat and, on the next rise, Mathieu makes some comment about the view as we pass which draws forth more unrepeatable Scotland dialect.
We have made good time and we are ready for lunch. We bid our new friends for Ayr farewell and retire, most of us for a rest but Erik and Tim are off to the gym. Oh, to be young again! At least Tim has colour back in his cheeks. Mathieu accepts my offer of Sudacrem for the relief of his discomfort and disappears for a 4 hour sleep.
Later that evening, we are joined by the Nick and other of his short sea colleagues. We go for a quick Chinese but there is no appetite for the other delights that Dumfries may have to offer and lights are out early.
Thursday 12th June, Dumfries to Silloth, Distance: 58 miles, Team: Nick Ridehalgh, Paul Barry, Paul Jervis and Team Infracapital (James Cooper, Tim, Eric and Mathieu - SEE ABOVE FOR INFRACAPITAL's BLOG)
Its no big secret within ABP that Directors of Short-Sea Ports are not exactly renowned for their navigational expertise, especially when it comes to finding Silloth. Just before retiring for the evening, James Cooper's (Team M&G leader and ABPH Director) parting shot was that he considered navigation to be the responsibility of the ABP team and that any screw-ups would be reported back - no pressure there then! Given this, we decided we better look at the map! Fortuitously, Jervo had had the foresight to tear out the relevant two pages from an old road atlas. With Mr Cooper's not so veiled threat still ringing in our ears we headed off into the night, Tom-Tom in hand to walk the first few kilometres of the route in the hope that we could at least get out of Dumfries without adding further to our unenviable reputation.
Remarkably, the next morning the preparation paid off and we made it out of town without incident. As for physical preparation, Nick had even employed a personal trainer! It seemed to pay off as the Ridehalgh/Jervo combination made a spirited attempt to stay in touch with M&G's crack team of young whippets (aka Tim & Eric). Barry took over from Jervo as stoker as the ABP team struggled to limit its losses. It was a slow change with ABP losing in excess of ten minutes. Team M&G also had swapped out their riders for James Cooper and stoker Mathieu (referred to by the other M&G riders only as the "the French bloke" and received no sympathy for his sore butt which he mentioned on a frequent basis). Team ABP nearly came to grief about twelve miles from Dumfries as the support vehicle drew alongside for a photo opportunity. Nick raised his hand to wave a la Tony Blair but only succeeded in causing a major wobble that almost resulted in an embarrassing incident.
While passing through Annan, further humiliation was narrowly avoided as Team ABP pulled away from a set of traffic lights. The details are unclear except that there was much shouting from Barry. The end result was a major wobble and stoker Barry had managed to turn the handlebars/pilot's saddle by 90 degrees!. The incident caused great amusement within the support car. Whilst recovering our composure, we were approached by a traffic warden. We thought we were going to be reprimanded for infringement of some obscure Scottish traffic law but she only wanted a friendly chat. Apparently her "old man" had a long time ago represented Great Britain on a tandem at the Olympics. Where the hell was he now, when dearly needed?! Team ABP got going again in determined pursuit of Team M&G, the Cooper inspired tandem with a a frenchman with a sore derriere truly at the rear. Eventually the green bike and prey were in sight just outside Gretna but with the Barry/Ridehalgh combination fast approaching, Team M&G stopped thus depriving ABP of the satisfaction of 'the catch'.
The most poignant moment of the journey occurred in Gretna. We had stopped and were discussing whether to go for tea at the Blacksmith's when a woman crossed the road waving a note just taken from her purse. She told us that her sister-in-law had MND and that three other people in the small village that we had recently passed through had been diagnosed with the disease in the last eighteen months.
Cooperman and Tim wasted 20 minutes searching a public footpath (no bikes allowed!) for a non-existent river crossing in our fruitless attempt to avoid Carlisle town centre. In the end, Nick/Eric and James/Mathieu bravely and skilfully negotiated a couple of busy roundabouts. After Carlisle, it was bit of a slog as legs began to tire but Team M&G's James and Mathieu putting in a particularly long and spirited stint over some tough terrain. The pressure was on to catch the local 'chippy' in Silloth before lunch time closure. We made it ... just and literally had our chips before continuing on to the Port of Silloth where we were greeted by Harbour Master, Chris Puxley, and a very enthusiastic Dawn Dickinson.
All in all, it was a fabulous day, enjoyed by all concerned, with the efforts and hard work easily justified for such a fantastic cause. DAY 6 – WEDNESDAY 11TH JUNE 2008, Troon to Dumfries
TEAM – Stuart Cresswell, Colin Hume, Paul Rigg, Trevor Boyes, Linda Christison, Louisa Mair, Sandie Greenwood, Scott Gilchrist and John Love and Team Infracapital (James Cooper, Tim, Eric and Mathieu - SEE ABOVE FOR INFRACAPITAL BLOG)
In true typical West Coast Scottish tradition the day started with a lot of heavy rain and wind, with team leader Mr Stuart Cresswell, a.k.a. Mr Motivator and Scott Gilchrist leading. This part of the leg both riders were soaked through and had some serious hills to climb, with Stuart encouraging (loudly) at Scott to cycle harder and faster they made good time on the uphill sections. All the while the rest of the team were sitting in anticipation in the mini bus hoping for the weather to change and that our turn had no hills!
After a very shaky start and almost falling off the bike Colin and Sandie finally started leg 2 from the Benston Smithy to Waterside. In true STAR TREK form “Captain we have a problem” alas the gears don’t work! After approx 8miles of downhill and uphill with gears spinning out and feet falling off pedals - everyone was disappointed as Colin failed to set the speed camera off, this was after his training sessions and coming into work to tell us all that they had been telling him to slow down!!
While Team Admiral were ahead, they decided to have an unscheduled emergency toilet stop in Dalmellington, where some kind gentleman gave them a £20 donation??
Moral of the story, don’t go for a curry the night before!
Next riders up were Paul and Trevor for what was the hardest section – leg 3 Waterside to Loch Doon, however Team Admiral have kidnapped Trevor (in the pedal the Ports van) in an effort to retain their lead, thinking he was our only star rider! But ABP Scotland will not be beaten, our newest team member John Love (secret weapon), stepped up to the mark and both him and Paul put some serious hard slog in at the start of the never ending Galloway Hill.
As the support bus passes the riders in Team Admiral (in search of a large bush for one of the ladies!). Mr Motivator shouts some encouragement out the window. He scares the living daylights out of them and they nearly fall off their bike. Was this intentional!
Leg 4 Loch Doon to Carsphairn and a change of riders, this time Louisa and Mr Motivator are off at hi speed in pursuit of team Admiral, reaching speeds of up to 30mph. However due to technical difficulties with Louisa’s shoelace all the gains are lost and Team Admiral coast into Carsphairn in first place.
A quick stop at Carsphairn and a change of riders – Team Ayr manage to recover Trevor from Team Admiral and both Trevor and Linda started leg 5 Carsphairn to Stroanfreggan. Unfortunately, after being told the direction to take the support vehicle our team head off in the wrong direction. During the long, long hard climb with some encouragement from the team bus and some local farmers, who were told in no uncertain terms “get back to work”, said by Colin Hume with a smile! Linda and Trevor completed their task on the never ending Galloway hills.
Once again the rain starts and the temp drops for the start of leg 6 – Stroanfreggan to Moniaive. Must have known that it was Scott’s turn again with Sandie joining him. It was a long hard climb from the middle of the dreaded hill in the rain, both being miserable and wanting in the warmth of the bus. Again Mr Motivator steps in to see if both riders are ok and wanting a break and being told a resounding NO through gritted teeth. Once at the top of the hill the fun started, seems like Scott has been replaced by Evil Knievel, reaching speeds of approx 36mph on the downhill, wet roads and sliding over cattle grids – both riders had their crash procedures in place! With the stroll into Moniaive and a photo opportunity in place Colin strikes again, this time trying to reverse the mini-bus over his team mates.
Leg 7 – Moniaive to Dunscore, riders this time were Colin and John. Again something seemed to happen to the gears! Or is it that Colin is on the bike again? As the gears didn’t seem to work properly, they could not get the bike to go as fast as they wanted. Not for the lack of trying though. Change of riders, this time Linda and Trevor who apparently had “a steady rhythm” going – Linda’s quote. Were in hot pursuit of the Admiral team. Although Linda appeared to be asleep, and Trevor’s shorts were falling off our team still managed to take them on the hill. The picture was priceless; Linda was peddling like mad while Trevor was sightseeing like a prairie dog.
Leg 8 – The final leg and the home run into Dumfries. This time Louisa and Paul were on the bike and in hot pursuit of the Team Admiral who had sneaked off unseen from behind the bus to retake the lead. Within 2 miles Louisa and Paul whizz pass them on a steep incline to the cheers of all their team mates. This signalled the start of the final duel into Dumfries with all 4 riders exchanging colourful, competitive banter (no one makes a comment about a Scotswoman’s Bum (even if it is in French) and gets away with it J). However, it was not plain sailing on the run in, some kerbs jumped in the path of the bike and also Colin strikes again with the mini bus nearly knocking the cyclists flying – not even 100 yards from the finish line!
The ABP Scotland team conquered all in the end and reached the final destination first – although of course it was not a race!!
Overall, we were all one big team with lots of determination and support for each other to complete our bit of the task. We had a lot of laughs and the banter was great along the way. We are sorry to be leaving the trail and wish those who have still to take part all the best you will have a ball.
Bring on the next challenge – Summer 2009
Sandy Greenwood and Louisa Mair
Race Count
Unscheduled Toilet stops: 6
Colourful Language Used: Not enough fingers and toes after first leg
Pieces of Cake eaten/Mars Bars: 25 (Energy purposes only)
Potential Accidents: 4
ABP Ayr and Troon signing off.sds
Day 5 – Tuesday 10th June
0800 onwards and upwards to Troon. Dave and Daz in charge of the mean machine (High winds – both weather and results of “Helles Belles”). Getting back in the saddle on day two was quite a surprise – I had to get off and check as I was sure I was sitting on a traffic cone or about to give birth to one. Nine tortured miles of pelvic separation later, we switched teams at Loch Doon, I think it wise at this point to recommend that all potential participants purchase padded cycling shorts – I’m not so sure that I would recommend Danny Aisthorpe’s technique of buttering the insides with Vaseline prior to jumping in the saddle, but after two days riding the he reports a trouble free groin area – not a chafe in sight! Furthermore he never once slipped off the saddle, even if it did take 3 – 4 minutes of straining and tugging to get him off the bike.
Danny and Gareth were faced with a steep mile-long climb from Loch Doon. However, the support vehicle was transformed into a mobile disco with M.C. Winslow belting out Moby – windows open – immediately behind the riders, who reported that the hard slog was transformed into a disco spinning session. Party on!
The riders then travelled downhill reaching speeds close to 40mph until they shot heads down into Hollybush (the village, not the shrubbery). After 13 miles, Gareth and Danny gave way to Dave and Daz for the final push towards Ayr, achieving a top speed of 38mph. Skirting to the north of Ayr, they soon arrived in Prestwick in time for a late breakfast at Elliots. After leaving the vehicle at Prestwick it was decided that both tandems would be used for the arrival in Troon and then back down the coastal cycle path back to Ayr.
Back on the trail again, progress towards Troon was swift. I was in front but stoker Winslow kept nudging me in the lower back – I asked him what that was: “it’s my helmet” he replied – I asked him to move a little further back.
After a pit stop in Elliots café in Prestwick (£33 from a few old dears), we ditched the passion wagon in favour of both tandems for the rest of the journey to Troon and Ayr. Gareth dressed up again as a gorilla and kept up team spirits for the last few windy, wettish miles to Troon. We were spectacularly welcomed by Stuart Cresswell, Port Manager, Ayr & Troon and Sandie Greenwood, TimberLINK Admin Assistant, piped us onto the West Pier, cheered on by James Cooper and co. from Admiral. After a photo shoot by the lighthouse, we headed along cycle path 7 to Ayr where we were welcomed again with a cheer from all staff and customers of Ayr and Troon, along with a fab BBQ and beer (alcohol free of course!)
It’s been a tremendous few days on and off the saddle with a great bunch of blokes from the Humber ports. We will remember this for a long time. Let’s do it again next year (60 miles today).
I agree it’s been fantastic – great support from the Scottish ports and I really would like to ride to the finish – let’s hope we raise enough to make a difference.
Day 4 – Monday 9th June
Riders – Gareth Russell, Dave Good, Daz Winslow, Danny Aisthorpe
Intercepted the support passion wagon at Grinton Youth Hostel and, boy, did Matt, Mike, Mark and Andy look knackered and doing very good impressions of John Wayne!
Having located the bikes in a lock up in a Carlisle Sheltered housing estate/YHA, Dave and Daz set off in that order out of Carlisle on the A7. After a small altercation with a couple of moving street bollards, they soon got the hang of it. By 1000 the team had passed into Scotland and reached the first stop for a quick marriage ceremony at Gretna Green between Danny “Cheeky Chimp” Aisthorpe and Dave “Shakira” Good presided over by Daz “Chinaman” Winslow (see photos!). Onwards to Annan (20 miles) for the first handover to Gaz and Danny. Apart from a few ducks and cows on the road, the journey passed event free to Dumfries Halfords for a sprocket and chain change (38 miles) and lunch!
Dave and Daz set off again out of Dumfries (or Dumb Flies as Dave called it due to the midges). Couple of miles on A7 and then onto B729 towards Moniaive – pronounced Monai or whatever you fancy!
Changeover to Danny and Gaz for final stage of the day on a beautiful single carriageway, by Water of Glen and down to Kendoon YHA – a wooden chalet overlooking the Galloway Hills (68 miles today in total). Simeon, the Welsh hostel keeper from Port Talbot looked after us well and even gave us a late pass in order that we may sample the delights of downtown St. John’s Town of Dalry on a Tuesday night (why would a Welshman be in a remote location surrounded by fields of sheep!)
After top nosh in the Lochinvar Hotel (Haggis and Cranachan) accompanied by a few jars of local ale “Helles Belles”, we agreed to join in a local charity darts competition in aid of their Annvar Clachan fair. First prize – wait for it, you’ll never guess – a lovely, big meaty, juicy pie enough to feed 4. Needless to say we didnae make it far but Gaz’s spear throwing attack on the dartboard did provide at least some entertainment.
Day 3 – Sunday 8th June
Riders - Mark Clayton, Mike Hill, Andrew Findlay, Matt Jukes
Start mileage odometer - 182.4 miles
Orange tandem unlikely to start due to slipping gears at top end – no wonder it took so long yesterday! We thought they weren’t pedalling hard enough. So looks like the green tandem will have to take the strain today. Glorious weather – could do with a few hours by the River Swale but it’s not to be as there are still many more miles to go on this epic journey – hopefully all in the right direction from now on.
Mark and Mike set off full of vigour downhill into Grinton, wipe out a few old grannies etc. going to church. Onwards to Reeth, aim first stop Tan Hill pub. Off to a bad start, I.T., not so good at directions. Decide to carry on and cut across country some – no change that – plenty of steep climbs! Back on right road. Glorious weather and countryside fantastic. Plenty of wildlife, mainly dead rabbits on the road. Highlight was being passed on road by Mike Pounder and (wife/partner!) in Audi A6 to hand over £20 donation – couldn’t catch the tandem. Arrive at Tan Hill pub safe, no mishaps. Black Sheep, Theakston Best and Old Peculier (no, not Andrew) available. Reluctantly decide to refrain – will make up for it later. Andrew and Matt take over – comical watching them set off. Matt’s safety helmet not exactly the correct size – enough said. Onwards to Kirkby Stephen, thence to Appleby. Not as many hills, so a bit easier going but hotting up – 22o. Matt gets rid of helmet at Kirkby Stephen. Bonny sight from behind – see photograph. Health and Safety bods please note no helmets but high vis jacket! Get to Appleby, turn off before the town centre. Gypsies all over the place – recognise a few from Garth Lane days. Onto Colby - stop for a break and a bite to eat. Doing well though tiring – still hot and glorious. Soon be at Penrith.
Now starting to swap riders more regularly. Was knackered and looking even more red than usual. Mark Clayton on front, Mike Hill behind, looks like a dad taking his lad for a bike ride. Knew I should have got some practice in (and laid off the Hamlet for a while!). Good run down to Penrith, just hope Mark and Mike can keep going. Homeward leg fell to Mark and Mike. Andy and Matt had a good run from Newton Relgry and almost got the hang of the hills! By eck that saddle hurts, even on the more padded gent! Youth Hostel at 6.00. Mileage circa 80 miles.
Andrew Findlay, Sunday 8 June (following Matt Jukes' entry)
The £20 from the stalking A6 was passed over as the support vehicle was in motion on account of it couldn't catch the Tandem!
Were we ever in Kirkby Stephen? Was that one of those big places with lots of cars and buildings! If we were then I would plead that we must have been on an orange Tandem so it couldn't have been us - or was it Saturday Green and Sunday Orange I forget, if so what does Red mean - anybody who cares answers please on a postcard with a £10 donation to PTP? (Matt as an alternative if the answer goes against us then we would call as the first of many witnesses all who saw us later who would each and everyone testify we couldn't even get up speed on the flat never mind an incline! But keep it quiet as we don't want this news to break out unless absolutely necessary.)
The A Team had to drag us off the Tandem to ride the last leg just for the Civic Reception and photo opportunity when they thought Royalty was involved. Little did they know all it meant was asking for directions at the Crown Inn to the Youth Hostel. They even had the audacity to lean the Tandem against the building while we sussed it all out at the pub and got the Resident Warden from his Bed to let us in to the Bike Store to store both Tandems. Hopefully the following team found them well secured. If not nip in to the local Halfords they do a great range of wheels, handlebars seats etc. Anyway the locals kids that welcomed us did look like they needed them for when they grew up and I thought we were doing it for charity so didn't think we should make it too difficult and also at the same make out like they weren't really receiving charitable hand-me-downs. Anyway if they offer a donation to PTP we could always send them the lock's combination so they can claim the frames in a later prize draw - some may say the draw should be held sooner rather than later!!
Huh and my map reading skills are called into question - it was a lovely evening and the views were magnificent - only time all day I got chance to have a breather and look around (when I put my specs on I could even spot one or two of those white dots on a hill real close up - I think they call them Sheep or so I'm told but always check for yourself what anybody on the PTP relay teams tells you before heading off in any direction).
What's all this about map reading anyway. I was listening to the F1 and liaising (well listening but not quite comprehending) with the next team to ensure a smooth handover (I'm sure more of that will come later) and I was also trying to keep up the appearance as if I was actually still in possession of my senses and that the day's ride was no more than a ride in the park. Anyway I was only leaning on the map to stop me standing on it in the foot well - I thought somebody else was navigating (Day 2 people may also try and malign my map reading skills but in my defence I would add I only supplied them I did not say I could read them or appreciate you would have difficulty working out which one we should be on. At the time seemed Richmond like a good place to stop for afternoon Tea - guess not with hindsight).
Let's state the obvious just because I'm sitting on a Tandem does not mean I can ride it. Nor does it mean I have a clue what the difference is between 1-2-3 left right and 1- 8 (or is it 7) right - I kept trying all day but whatever I did I couldn't the radio or CD player to work - Guess I should have just asked Matt I'm sure he would have got it off to a T (All correct answers (if any) will be discussed on 5th July. Anyway for all who follow in our wake remember why we are doing this. Please always have in mind the summit isn't always over the next incline/rise/plateau/hill/mountain/donation. Its after the next one or the one after that - but hey who cares after a point you go through the pain barrier. So one more push together and we'll get there and reach the top. Go for it.
Team : Mark Clayton, Mike Hill, Andrew Findlay, Matt Jukes (handicap).
Leg : Grinton to Carlisle (80-miles - it must have been further than that!)
Weather : Scorchingly hot.
The morning started off well with Mike Hill and Mark Clayton volunteering for the first stint out of Grinton. Mind you, learning to control a tandem for the first time down a 1 in 2 gradient from the Youth Hostel, although not entertaining for those directly involved, provided much merriment to those following in the support vehicle! This must qualify as the hilliest leg in the challenge and credit is due to MC & MH for their dogged determination in getting to the Tan Hill pub. Mike Hill's primary motivation for getting there, a pint of Black Sheep ale, was dashed at the last minute following clarification of Drug and Alcohol implications and Mike's disappointment was clear for all to see. The support vehicle provided stirling support and at one stage almost had to fight off a wayward Audi A6 who seemed determined to drive alongside and gesticulate profusely. It turned out that the occupant worked for PD Port Services and knew Nick Palmer (Mike Pounder). After catching up later on the roadside, he departed £20 lighter in the wallet department.
The (alleged) downhill section followed, from Tan Hill to Kirby Stephen, and Matt Jukes (stoker) and Andrew Findlay (pilot) took over. Downhill it was not and the rapid reaquaintance of MJ to the rigours of physical exercise rapidly became a major concern for all involved (not least because there was still some 60 miles to cover and they faced the very real prospect of a three-man operation!) Initial fears were somewhat allayed when MJ explained that it was quite usual for him to go that colour ("that colour" being a very lurid shade of scarlet) and that, given some time in the support car with some Lucozade and a Mars bar, he should be OK for re-mount within the hour! It also took some time for MJ & AF to get into the team approach required for successful tandem riding. Pedalling at the same time, not trying to steer when you're at the back (which only has the effect of rotating the pilot's saddle and, therefore, posterior - a frightening experience when negotiating a rapid downhill hair-pin bend at considerable velocity - and the dashing of MJ's "cunning plan" (i.e. that sitting at the back you don't have to pedal and the "front man" won't notice - he does!)
After about an hour-and-a-half (going on for what felt like a day!) in the saddle MJ felt he had "pushed the envelope" about as far as he could in one session (looks like he picked a bad week to start smoking Hamlet cigars again!) and the A-team (MH & MC) took over. Despite their rugged determination and some pit bull tenacity from Mike in the up-hill sections, the support team couldn't help comparing the spectacle before them (MC on the front and MH on the back) to a dad taking his lad out for a ride on his bike. Much joviality was had concerning this!
Kirby Stephen was a particular highlight mainly relating to the high speed overtaking manoeuvre undertaken through the town centre by AF and MJ (MJ being oblivious to this until he found his saddle parked on the bonnet of a VW Golf (the victim of the manoeuvre at a set of traffic lights). There then ensued somewhat of a traffic-light Grand Prix - a VW Golf 1.9TDi vs a Dawes tandem powered by two slightly tuckered port workers. However, when confronted with the prospect of (a) being run over, or, (b) summoning all available resources for a super-human burst of sustained acceleration to outdrag the opposition, (b) came up trumps (barely). This entire exciting episode (and I say exciting in the "your life flashes before your eyes" context!) was somewhat dampened by the fact that we had actually gone the wrong way and had to drive back past the "competition" five minutes later. This time, AF decided to spice things up by running a red traffic light on the basis that, "he thought that these didn't apply to tandems!" MJ meanwhile just contemplated whether his excuse that, because he was sat on the back he had been an unwilling participant on all of the days traffic violations, would wash with the local magistrate!
On to Penrith with the A-team back in the saddle and the benefit of cycling shorts, for those who had the foresight to acquire a pair, became rapidly apparent for those who didn't (MJ & MH!) Despite team comments that MJ should have enough padding of his own, it was very evident to MJ that he did not. Comments about it feeling like "there wasn't actually a saddle on the back" abounded, with some justification. Lunch, provided by the culinary talents of Mrs Hill, provided a welcome relief and the opportunity for yet more spontaneous sponsorship. A local farmer, who appeared to have been eying us in the "Get oorf moi laaaand" capacity, approached us (wearing the obligatory slippers and twine belt, much favoured in the vicinity) and dropped £10 in to the bucket. He was, apparently, about to head off on a similar jaunt himself from Land's End to John 'O Groats and was obviously wearing his cycling slippers by way of training for the event.
The day progressed in a blur of hills, followed by short downhills, hills, followed by even shorter downhills, followed by hill, hills and more hills! Not surprisingly, the spell between rider changes decreased during the course of the day, mainly at the request of MJ who had found a further excuse on which to blame his increasingly obvious lack of conditioning - a bad back! Despite this, he did participate in the last, relatively flat, section into Carlisle and the final 18 miles was split between the teams. AF's uncanny ability to change down gears at just the wrong moment (once MJ had prostrated himself trying to pedal up a 1 in 4 in top gear) had finally taken it's toll.
There then followed, what we thought would be, the final challenge of the day... finding the Youth Hostel. This turned out to be more of a "bail" hostel located in an attractive position beside the river and next to the prison and a burnt out nightclub! When the superintendent was eventually tracked down (after 20 minutes of persistent door-bell ringing - he was cooking some chips apparently!), the bikes were safely secured in what can only be described as an underground nuclear bunker - obviously needed in downtown Carlisle. Sadly, the superintendent pointed out that there were no rooms available for that night and the prospect of the following team shacked up in a single. candle lit room with no windows, had to be discounted.
The, what should have been, short run back to the Grinton to hand over the support vehicle was all the stood between the tired but uplifted team and the run home for a hot bath. Team spirit abounded...until that is Andrew decided to take over the map reading to ensure we took the most direct route back to the hostel! His "most direct" actually turned out to be "least direct" on some virtually unnavigable roads! Some 60 miles (and nearly a full tank of diesel) later we arrived at the hostel. The only upside being that our team must surely finish Pedal-the-Ports as the only team who took longer to drive the route in a car than it did to cycle it! A record that, I'm sure, will remain ours forever.
Jeffe Baker, Goole to Grinton, Saturday 7 June
Team - The Young Ones
Team members - Andrew Findlay, Peter Chaters, David Laister, Jeffe Baker and Tom and Lorraine Sheeran
Course - The Port of Goole (The UK's largest inland port) and Grinton Lodge (the world's highest youth hostel)
Predicted mileage - 73 miles (you must be kidding). Probable distance if using "B" roads and cycle paths = 83 miles
Actual recorded miles - 101 miles
Predicted time of arrival: 4 pm, actual time of arrival: 6.20 pm
The team was collected by Pete Tarn from our respective homes very early on Saturday morning and delivered to Goole with the aid of satellite navigation to ensure we arrived at the Port in plenty of time to make our departure time. We were raring to go and at this point the tension was manic. You could smell the anticipation and sometimes you could hear it as well. Pete Chaters and David Laister had completed the full 80 miles on the previous day and this experience left them feeling a little less enthusiastic to get on the saddle once again. It became evident later on what their problem was and it became a delicate and tender subject as the day wore on due to their first day exploits. The decision had been taken at the strategy meeting (held in the car en route) to use just one tandem at the start. Tom and Lorraine were saddled up and ready to go, and after the photo was taken they were soon disappearing into the murky depths of Goole Town.
Andrew had prepared a set of maps with step-by-step instructions, which were brilliant and would have been perfect if we had kept to the route that Andrew had prepared. It may also have been useful if we had devoted a little more time to the technicalities and responsibilities of map reading. Sometimes things aren't all in the preparation stage but are in the execution as well. We would later learn that on this part of the Pedal the Ports which was to take us to the most inland Section of the overall Pedal the Ports epic journey that it was important to read the maps. We quickly came unstuck on the navigation side and the feeling of being all at sea began to emerge. Soon after leaving Goole and crossing the River Ouse we took an instinctive action that as we were heading inland we needed to keep going and not take the dead end turn which would have actually taken us partly on the Banks of the Ouse as intended. No we thought this is the inland so we must head inland. Onwards
From Goole we rejoined our originally intended route at Barlby (part of our aim was to stay off major routes as much as possible). Then we got the intended cycle route to a point just southwest York at Copmanthorpe, a distance of about 30 miles was covered in relatively quick time by Tom and Lorraine. The support vehicle scurried of to our prearranged rendezvous as Tom and Lorraine made it look so easy Andrew and I went were revving up and raring to go next, although Pete and David were not exactly rushing at this stage to try and get the bike before us. So we eagerly set off again heading north or should we now have been going north west. Well somebody else will cover the detail so never mind, Andrew as pilot me as stoker, whistling a happy tune, delighted to be out in the country side enjoying a pleasant cycle ride. Not so sure about Andrew who seemed to want to get on a bit. Later I discovered he thought he had done his homework, so far the route had been flat and the going good to firm but it wasn't going to be this good for much longer it would soon need a little more effort. He was also hoping that the more experienced members of the Team would take over when the going started to get a bit tougher. Does a day on a Tandem really count as experience?
However It soon became even more apparent that Tom and Lorraine had done their homework even better as there never appeared to be any flat bits for the rest of the day. The flat lands and cycle path quickly became hills of Ben Nevis proportion, with very little downward slopes. As we approached every peak, Andy would say that this was the last one, but no, instead there was another peak ahead. We finally arrived in the centre of Boroughbridge a rather pleasant little place, but entirely uphill from York, and stopped for a breather. Pete went to a cycle shop and purchased replacement tyres and inner tubes which the shop sold at a discounted price as we were on the charity ride. Quite frankly I was appalled to discover that in the event that the tyres were punctured we would have to fix the problem ourselves, I did not volunteer to be a mechanic, I had assumed that we would phone the AA or Halfords and they would send a van out to fix such problems. I prayed that out tyres remained intact.
We were accosted by one bloke, watching me write in the report, asking if I was taking down car numbers. It must be a crime in Boroughbridge to write down car numbers, but Tom was able to persuade him instead to donate into the bucket and a few quid was donated in that town. One amusing incident was while we watched an old lady in a motorised wheel chair driving past a group cyclists stood taking up the space adjacent to the pavement cafe, requiring her to drive around us, but unfortunately she collided with a table and chairs outside the café, knocking cups, saucers and plates flying. Oh how we laughed. But no we resisted the temptation to take a seat and have a cuppa. Onwards
Boroughbridge was 18 miles from the previous stop, and I was cream crackered, and had to stop cycling for the time being. Andy is made of stronger stuff and kept pedalling, this time Pete was the pilot and Andy the stoker, onwards in the direction Ripon. David replaced Andy at Ripon and the hills got higher as we progressed north. By now we started to interchange riders regularly every few miles or so.
We all suffered in equal measure.
At West Tanfield the designated easy route or so I was told was closed (or so we thought - and why take a risk at his stage when we thought we were making good progress as we charted our course) We had to improvise and after consultation with the trusty route maps we decided upon an alternative route direct to Masham and beyond before we would pick up our designated route on a cycle route all the way to Grinton via the easy route. Anyway this detour was no problem for intrepid travellers such as we were and the ride continued always upwards and generally in a north westerly direction. We picked up the preferred route some 15 miles later which took a few miles off our overall journey. Our spirits remained high, after all we were nearly there at our destination if we kept up this pace and progress.
So just before Middleham we turned to pick up our charted route as seasoned Tandemists (is there such a word) and went with the flow. By this time tiredness was beginning to kick in and big roads and little roads and cycle routes were all beginning to merge. I do wish they would make the cycle route markers a little bigger so they are easier to spot. Progress was good we were on the homeward stretch in there shifting hills. Onwards.
Anyway now past caring if was it north or west we were headed we set forth on the set route so we thought. How wrong can you be, our pace was slower the hills were higher, and at a place called Halfpenny House (and another breather stop) , we went completely in the wrong direction heading north east. We should have known something was up, when the cycle path became a tank track as we crossed the British Army Tank Warfare Training Ground, and the only traffic we saw were military vehicles, with friendly squaddies leaning out of the window, yelling encouragement and indicating that it was only two more miles to go.
Having qualified for cycle warfare and after what seemed like a lifetime, we arrived in Richmond. This was a surprise as Richmond wasn't on our agenda for that day. There was no doubting it as there was a sign that said welcome to Richmond, although we did stand around and debated whether this was indeed Richmond, a consensus was finally arrived at, and indeed this was Richmond and we were welcome. (The big ruined building called Richmond Castle and the welcoming Stone Signe kind of gave it away) . At this point Andrew did the unthinkable, we counselled him against it, but he went ahead and asked a passer by, for directions to Grinton Lodge. We were so ashamed to be seen asking for directions, but time was pressing and needs must.
We were about 10 miles away still, and by this time we were without stamina but good humour and the honour of the team kept us going. We changed riders more less at every peak before arriving at Grinton Lodge at 6.20pm some 2hours 20 minutes behind schedule. Thankfully Dick Kennedy, had given up his afternoon at home listening to the cricket, if his wife would allow him to date that all day, to drive to Grinton Lodge to wait for our team to arrive and take us home and was able to listen to the cricket while he waited, and he was quite pleased that we had not arrived earlier and spoiled it for him. We even managed to get the Tandem in tip top working order (well we managed to get in a gear which wasn't slipping) for the following day when the stoker gave it one last push to get to our Destination and the Team Photo.
A measure of the condition we were in was that no one had the energy to go in for a pint prior to getting into the van for the drive home. Well it would have meant getting out of the van as the descent from Grinton Lodge was deemed too steep and the road too busy to risk walking down the hill unaccompanied. Dick refused to walk us down to the Pub and pop back for the van while we had a quick drink. Shame but thanks for the lift back home we were thinking we might have to borrow the spare tandem to get back. Well it was all downhill wasn't it. So we opted to keep ourselves safe as had been the intention.
Although at times we were following the Marine Safety Code after all most of the time we were all at sea!
It was touching to see a lot of support as my brother Mark, Dave Laister, Pete Chaters and I set off for the first leg of the Pedal the Ports challenge which had been estimated at 70 miles in length. It was clear a lot of effort and dedication had been put into the event, ranging from the wealth of press coverage, t-shirts, a well stocked support vehicle and of course generous and kind donations.
We started the day early, at 7.30am, with live radio interviews and photos, all in order to raise publicity for the cause, and at 9am sharp, accompanied by the sound of horns from all the ships in dock, and the cheers of all our kind supporters, the two tandems set off along the sea wall.
From under the Grimsby dock tower to Immingham, the journey went off smoothly, so well in fact, we beat the support vehicle to Immingham Docks and missed the photo shoot! A puncture however stopped us near Thronton Abbey and allowed them to catch up. We then rode across the Humber Bridge before a spot of lunch.
The next strecth took us through the heart of Hull City, alongside the KC Stadium, where motorists gave us money along the way, and the top speed of 33.0 mph for the leg was acheived. We arrived at Hull port office and after a photo - to prove we had made it - we set off again, this time for the Port of Goole.
After cycling under the Humber Bridge (again) we then had a navigational glitch, taking a wrong turn in North Ferriby! We soon found our true course and then cycled back into the country where the stony tracks were felt painfully by our saddle-sore backsides! It was a welcome chnge in scenery however, visiting lots of villages along the way - in one village during a quick drinks stop, it was encouraging when some locals who had heard us on the radio came out to wish us well and offer a donation.
At 5.25PM, all four of us reached Goole (we were all so keen that despite plans to keep one bike in reserve, both tandems completed the whole course!), with an actual total mileage of 81 MIles, 5 hours and 25 minutes of cycling, and average spped of 15mph and a final photocall our aching bodies were eased off the tandems.
It was a great start to the bike relay, and on a personal note from my brother and I, we are very touched by the effort everyone has gone to in order to raise money for a cause close to our hearts. We were pleased to start the trip off and hope all other cyclists enjoy their 'legs' as much as we have!
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