June 27th - Last day with company, thanks Jonny...
82.9 miles – total so far = 684.4
5,174 feet of climbing – total so far = 45,123
Max elevation 1,320 feet (highest so far)
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How many different ways can I say, great breakfast, radio check in made, got ready, left. Well, it happened again.
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How do I also vary this days writing from being went up a hill and down a hill, ate tart and chocolate?
Not sure, as that is pretty much what my life was for this couple of weeks.
OK, there were other events intruding at times, but the only news that registered was the referendum, the only action I had to deal with, and Jenni did a lot of that anyway was sorting the fund raising with CRY, so what else can I talk about but the ride.
It’s day 9 today. In my training, I did two blocks of 10 days round about 50 to 60 miles a day, this was now averaging mid 70s, with today over 80. So, one more day after today, then a day off.
Was I starting to obsess about having that day off?
Well, how was I holding up?
TBH, pretty good. Certainly the body, after the saddle sore scare had given no problems, the bike scared me regularly but mostly because I had limited knowledge of how to fix things, the mind, well the mind had been interesting so far.
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And as I felt good, strangely I had the occasional thought that I wished I didn’t have the day off coming up and could just ride on through. I wouldn’t do that. I was disciplined to know that I was going to stick to my plan.
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Thinking of thoughts, I had found that I could almost put myself into a high by taking joy in a random event, a bit of scenery, waving to another passing cyclist or a conversation with one, conquering a hill. Or I could plunge down low by looking up at that hill at the bottom, being ignored by others or crossing some naff bit of road or country.
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But, I had also at times been interested in some of the industrial towns I had gone through, not fussed about others or looked at the hill as a manageable challenge from the outset, planned it and conquered it.
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Today, I was looking forward to the ride as I was going to have Jonny along for company. Strange start, as I only had a couple of miles ride into Newcastleton and then hopped off to await Jonny’s arrival.
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Like all my friends who had joined me for some part of the ride, Jonny had made quite some sacrifice to be there for the day. He came up the night before, by car with his bike, went to his B&B in Newcastleton and then rolled up to meet us in the town square.
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After the initial introduction to Jenni, the conversation then turned a bit to where we were going to meet up. First stop would be Hawick. In between Newcastleton and Hawick, a twelve hundred foot mountain!
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We also then played back to Jonny some info we had on how he could get back to his car at the end of the day. This had been gleaned in the pub the day before, and seemed dependent upon buses to come back into Newcastleton, but it would be more than one and it wasn’t clear if they took bikes. The website was not overly hopeful, suggesting that they MAY be carried, but then at times may not. That wouldn’t really be very helpful for Jonny at the end of the day.
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There was also the question then of when he would have to catch the first one, where to change for second and third etc. and this was pointing at him not being able to make it all the way to Edinburgh, which was certainly his goal.
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Then trains were looked at, and that was equally circuitous. Edinburgh to Carlisle looked like the only option, at an hour and a bit, not too bad,but then how was Jonny to get from Carlisle to Newcastleton?
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The last bus looked like it left Carlisle at five, and even if we rode like the wind, we wouldn’t get him to Edinburgh station in time to be back in Carlisle that early. Jonny’s response was pretty phlegmatic, and typical of him, we’ll work something out, let’s go ride the bikes and go up that mountain!
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The road out of Newcastleton is a B road anyway, and after 2 miles we turned onto an even more B road and started the climb. Before the climb ramped up a bit, we went past this farm that must breed luxury pigs, as they all had nice big areas that weren’t just mud, lots of little houses for them and their piglets and even company of ducks and donkeys. Didn’t feel at all guilty about my sausage and bacon at breakfast….
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Now, this mountain, it may have been quite a long way up, but it was over about 8 miles, so the average gradient was not too punishing and it was really quite pleasant going up this beauty of a mountain, only a spot or two of rain, chatting away about the usual kind of garbage that cyclists talk about.
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We were able to ride and talk as we climbed, so it really wasn’t that bad, but when we got to the top, great view and a lovely descent. I am cautious on descents, but Jonny attacked it with gusto and also had Newton’s laws to assist him down quicker than me. Small up and down and then there we were, 20 miles done and in Hawick. Before the support team!
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The support team was able to remedy the broken radio in Hawick by getting a Bluetooth speaker. Also, whilst we were still stocked on chocolate, more banananas were needed as they didn’t last as long. While waiting for the support crew, I made enquiries of a local in the street and amazingly found someone who did live there. The charming lady informed me that I wouldn’t find anything as exotic as a banana in the high street, but that a trip to the supermarket would be needed. I had never thought of banananas as exotic before, but different places…
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We met the support, chatted, ate chocolate, Bakewell tart (only half a dozen of these left), drank, and then headed off again towards Selkirk. You see, that is quite similar to many other stops, but we did have a lot of piggies to describe.
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The Hawick to Selkirk road was more of a main road, well, it was the A7. You can’t always find picturesque B roads. Even so, for a main road, the views weren’t at all bad, the rain was still only patchy and before we knew it again, we were in Selkirk in a car park by the public loos eating lunch. Bit early in terms of distance, but it had loos and that is a high demand feature for the singing support team. It seems singing makes you pee more.
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Refuelled, and off again. Flattish bit, and a couple of route issues. In one case, not exactly a malfunction, but roadworks that this time we couldn’t walk through as it was a bridge with a bit missing that they were replacing. Thankfully only a mile back and then turn onto where we wanted to be.
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After this, the A707 along by the Tweed was meant to only be used for a short while and then we would take a cycle track. The track was pretty rough, and remembering what I had made Glenn suffer, decided to take the safer option and headed back to the main road.
Not so quiet, and into the wind a bit as we were going west, but we got our heads down and cracked on.
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Again, a beautiful valley and when we turned off at Inverleithen, we were back on a B road again and soon to be refuelled. This was a stop in the middle of nowhere, so credit to Ruth and her navigating / organisational skills that they were exactly where they should be waiting. You could really hear your brain working here it was so quiet.
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This had been about 18 miles, and another 16 for both the next stop and the last bit. Between this stop and the fourth though, two more mountains, 1,200 and 1,300 feet.
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Thankfully, whilst a touch steeper, they were also over a period of time and the scenery was the best of the day. Absolutely bloody beautiful.
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Best bit though, was having got to the top, there was a brow of a hill and a bend, round the bend then you looked at the world, or so it felt. This was one of those times when you stopped and took about four pictures with your phone to try and capture the panorama it was so vast. There were about four ranges of mountains on view, Edinburgh, big bridges, water, rivers and sea and sky, so much sky. If it hadn’t been for Jonny’s appointment with a train we could have stayed there for ages.
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As happens, big ups followed by big downs. Final meeting with Ruth and Jenni, they said their goodbyes to Jonny and headed off to the hotel, but not before Ruth told me how good she was getting at speaking cow. I have a talented daughter.
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There still a fair bit of down to be done before we got into the Edinburgh suburbs, and then it was just usual ups and downs of a city.
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With about 5 miles to go, Jonny worked out he was closest to the station so peeled off with my heartfelt gratitude as his company after 4 days of solo riding had been a real tonic.
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Only found out afterwards that when he got to the station, he was told they couldn’t take bikes on the train and had to use all his persuasive skills to get the driver to squeeze the bike in with him, probably breaking multiple train company rules by so doing.
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Then when he got back to Carlisle, he made the pragmatic decision and hopped in a cab, fifty quid later he was in Newcastleton and packing stuff into his bike to head back to Harrogate, still a long drive away. What a sodding star.
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The last few miles were a bit grotty. The bits of Edinburgh I saw really were not overly cyclist friendly, and the motorists were commuting and in a hurry, so whilst not unpleasant, not the gentle country folk I had got used to.
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Also, in a flashback to Preston, at the last half mile I realised I wasn’t sure where the hotel was. Quick phone call, not stress this time and it all worked out.
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Good hotel, even if the carpet changed to a different tartan for every door you went through.
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Ate in the bar, watched Iceland beating England, put on a Welsh accent and retired to bed.
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The sores are definitely recovering with daily lashings of butta, nearly 700 miles done now, 300 to go. That means 70% done. I take comfort from that kind of number.
Also, now within £500 of the £7,000 target for screening 200 people, and rising daily. It would be brilliant to hit that on the road…sleepy time now though.
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Some support team pictures now. More talking to cows, a sunset, and cars...
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