After a few hour's sleep on the floor of the South Harting scout hut, we set off in the drizzle for our final ride. Our spirits were not dampened though and it was great to ride through the familiar terrain of the South Downs. As we pedaled the last few miles, my mind wandered back to the rides we completed earlier in Spain and France... It felt like we had become an extremely close-knit team having slogged our way over many mountain passes and sweated against many headwinds together every day for two weeks. We have got to know one and other very well having cycled, camped and dined together day after day. We have come to trust and depend on each other greatly. So many of the group have gained my complete respect over the course of the journey, for a variety of reasons. At different times, people have persevered through real adversity, slept under canvas through heavy storms, overcome painful injury, shown great athleticism, displayed incredible empathy and altruism, shown amazing ingenuity, kept a great sense of humour and so on. The challenge somehow seemed to bring out the very best from everyone. I felt privileged to be part of this group and to have met such an inspirational team. The 3 cycling sub-groups met up in West Chiltington and then rolled across the finish line in Coneyhurst as one. It felt so rewarding to have made it, to have overcome every obstacle thrown at us and successfully reach journey's end. We were cheered on by our family and friends and we posed for a final group photograph. As the beers began to flow, we had a fabulous barbeque and several home-made desserts (again thanks to the One Mile Closer 'family' of supporters). Signed group photographs were given to all members of the support team and Helen and Miriam received a particularly loud cheer - they have kept us fed superbly and have given so, so much to make the challenge a success. They have really humbled all the riders with their dedication to the cause! Before we all said our goodbyes in the late afternoon, our thoughts turned to Rob, James, Vaughan and Jack who are terribly missed but who provided the inspiration for the whole challenge. Beyond our 'pedal home from the Pyrenees', they inspire us always to share our positive spirit - just as they did every day of their lives. We hope that all our fundraising efforts will make a real difference to the students of Nalango School in Uganda. There could not be a more worthwhile cause. Thank you all for your good wishes and support.
DAY 13: 40 miles.
We quietly began to put our tents down before the sun came up in order to get to the ferry on time. 5 AM felt far too early to get up! We pedaled the 22 miles to the port with relative ease, even stopping for a quick breakfast in the centre of St Malo. Everyone caught up on some sleep on the crossing to Portsmouth - in truth we are all pretty tired now. After nearly 1000 miles of cycling I am looking forward to resting my legs and swapping my roll mat for a comfortable bed! Upon arrival in Portsmouth we swiftly biked the 18 miles to the South Downs and made camp in South Harting. We were welcomed into the with a fabulous cold beer (thanks Hannah!) and we then had a takeaway curry before crashing out on the Scout Hut floor in our sleeping bags! Tomorrow we reach journey's end - we have overcome much adversity since we began climbing the into the Pyrenees almost two weeks ago. We will be elated to cross the finish line in sunny Sussex! DAY 12: 63 miles.
We have made it across the Pyrenees, through France and we are set to catch the ferry from St Malo to Portsmouth tomorrow. Today was the last chance to really have a blast on the bikes and the riders I was with wasted no time to attack the hills. We worked as a team of 9 and strung out in a single line. Each person took a turn on the front in turn, taking the headwind for a minute or so before dropping back into line. It was all-out riding (speaking personally!) and the aim was to stay on the wheel of the bike in front at all costs! The moment somebody drifted even marginally back, it would be tremendously hard for them to get back to the peloton alone, into the wind. Time after time my heart rate neared 170 beats per minute and I was clinging on but it was a great feeling to reach the end of the ride as a team. With a couple of boulangerie stops, we managed the 63 hilly miles in just over 3 hours in the saddle - the pace was pretty brutal at times! I am very much looking forward to resting my legs as I have pedaled over 900 miles so far... We enjoyed a great lunch and then pitched our tents again. Miriam and Helen and our wonderful support team then served up some delicious pasta in the evening. Tomorrow we need to be up at 5 AM to ensure that we are on time to catch our ferry back to the UK... 2 days to go! Day 11: 95 miles.
We had an earlier start today as we faced a long day in the saddle. I got up at 6 AM to begin the routine of breakfast, tent packing and preparing for the ride. We worked hard on the road for approximately 5 hours today, averaging 18 miles an hour throughout. Just a few months ago I would have really struggled to complete 95 miles in a day but with all this time on the bike recently it is becoming gradually easier! Today I rode with some seriously strong riders. They seemed to relish the chance to attack hills and really crank up the pace at times. My heart rate was over 160 beats per minute frequently and it peaked at 173 beats per minute as I took to the front of the peloton on the brow of a hill into a headwind. I could not keep that up for long! We passed through some delightful French towns and enjoyed replacing some calories in a splendid bakery. We are staying tonight with the aunt and uncle of one of the One Mile Closer team in their amazing house. We have all enjoyed a great barbecue, several home-made puddings and a glass of wine - perfect after a day of pedaling! Tomorrow is our penultimate day in France. St Malo and the ferry back to Blighty are not so far away now... AM DAY 10: 72 Miles.
We are getting in the swing of this now... Up at 6.30 AM for a bowl of muesli, some croissants and a cuppa. Tents down and van loaded by 8.30 AM. 40 riders raring to go in 3 groups - the so-called 'Cheetahs', 'Rhinos' and 'Slugs'! I joined the Cheetahs and true to form they didn't hang about on the bikes. There are some incredibly strong riders in the One Mile Closer team. We covered the 72 miles today in 6 hours including the now customary boulangerie stop and a smashing lunch sitting in the shade outside a French bistro. We then pitched everyone's tents and had a bit of a rest in the afternoon. The weather and riding have been fabulous and our fitness has come on in leaps and bounds. We have several big days now as we push on to St Malo and then sunny Sussex. With the finish line just a few hundred miles away, we are are now flying along! DAY 9: 107 miles.
I joined a group of 6 seasoned cyclists for the 107 mile ride today. It was quite cool in the morning and we averaged 20 mph for nearly 4 hours, with just one stop to cram in as much food from a boulangerie as possible! The headwind strengthened as we neared the Atlantic coast in the afternoon and, although our average speed only dropped to 19 mph, we had to work significantly harder. Taking turns at the front we all pitched in to get the group home. We arrived in the campsite just after the support vehicle after 5 hours and 45 minutes of cycling. We pitched all of the tents and enjoyed some drinks and snacks. Goodness knows how many calories we are burning at the moment! The terrain has become much flatter but we still have hundreds of miles to pedal to St Malo before the French leg of the journey is complete. My legs have been quite stiff since the end of day one and, like many of the One Mile Closer team, I am now nursing some fairly nasty 'saddle sores'! All of this will be quickly forgotten I am sure. I have been absolutely blown away by the team spirit and camaraderie so far. Everyone has been mucking in and helping one and other out. We have also been looked after so incredibly well by Miriam and Helen and the rest of the support team. It is humbling that they are working so hard behind the scenes to make the whole event possible - we simply cannot thank them all enough. DAY 8: 63 miles.
We all stayed in a big house belonging to one of the fundraising team's biggest supporters last night. 40 riders plus support team, we slept wherever we found a space on the floor on our roll mats! It was great this morning just having breakfast and setting off without having to put the tents down. I rode in a team of 6 cyclists, all experienced and strong riders. We worked together to cover the 60 miles or so with only one break for a baguette. Only 5 hours on the road seemed short after some 13-hour days in the Pyrenees. The riding was enjoyable today: fine views and warm 28 degree temperatures. There were some fairly long hill climbs which had us gasping for air but we arrived at the campsite before the other teams and, as is customary on One Mile Closer rides, we put all the tents up for riders completing the route later in the afternoon. We had time to wash our kit and have a few hours' rest. I appreciated this down-time as I have pedaled more than 550 miles from Barcelona in a week, traversing the Pyrenees mountains. Our legs have had little time to recover and tomorrow will involve in excess of 100 miles of riding. If you haven't sponsored me yet, please click 'donate' and give a small donation! It will make the world of difference to the students of Nalango School in Uganda. DAY 7: 92 miles.
The pace quickened today as we rode through undulating terrain and our fitness has improved no end. We paused at a delicious boulangerie and tucked into pizza slices and all kinds of French pastries. Essential calorie replacement! We passed several spectacular Chateaux and some lovely rivers and we whizzed though many little villages. We took turns at the front of the peleton to shield the wind from the riders behind. The clouds gradually cleared and it was 28 degrees Celsius today, perfect for spinning along! I had a mechanical issue after lunch (a severed gear cable...) which Richard heroically cycled back to fix that so I could make it to the end! Arriving into our base at 8 PM, we enjoyed a fabulous barbecue and shared our stories of the day. DAY 6: 85 miles.
After so long in the saddle yesterday, it was tough to get up out of the tent into the heavy rain. I put the cycling kit on as it was clear that it was going to get wet anyway! I rolled the sodden tent up and with aching legs started pedaling again. It was much flatter today as we traveled north of the mountains and the miles ticked by nicely. No enormous climbs today! The sky cleared and we passed fields of bright yellow sunflowers. I managed to wash some cycling kit and dry it before an evening thunderstorm soaked us all again! DAY 5: 100 Miles. Today was a day of cycling that I will never forget, it was challenging in the extreme but worth every moment. Anticipating a long day, we got up half an hour earlier than usual at 5.30 AM, had breakfast and loaded the tents into the support van. We began by winding our way up the first mountain pass of the day, El Canto (1720m). This was enjoyable as it was not too hot under a cloud covered sky. We then worked our way up Col d'Aspin (1490m) as the clouds cleared. This was more arduous but exeptionally scenic. After some super French food we began the third and by far the most testing climb of the day, Le Tourmalet (2125m). Climbing for more 16 kilometres, the road zig zagged up to a ski resort. With high heart rates and burning legs we heaved our way up for several hours. Mercifully we climbed through the cloud which kept us relatively cool for mist of the ascent but afforded us a clear view from the top. After climbing over 10,000 feet in all today, the final few hairpin bends were really tough. It was a great relief to reach the summit and we all admired the view - a blanket of clouds covering the valley below. We refuelled at the top before blasting downhill, getting soaked and shivering through the now thick cloud. Stormy weather seemed to be building. We now had to face a further 45 miles to the campsite. Although mostly downhill, this was tough on our tired legs. We made it to the site at 9 AM, 13 quite gruelling hours after we began the ride. I had energy only to put the tent up, shower and eat before collapsong into bed. Soon after dark a huge storm began and we slept fleetingly due to the thunder, lightening and torrential rain. I willed the storm to pass as the prospect of downing tents in the rain at 6.30 AM and setting off on day 6 - another 90 miler - did not seem very appealing at all!
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