From the notebook of Matt "the purpose of a true journey is not the destination but the journey itself. On arrival you have changed, not just geographically but psychologically, physically, and spiritually" Matt had not been to JOG when he wrote this, but he is on the nail about it not being about destination because it is not the type of place that warrants a 920 mile cycle ride.
So as you have probably guessed, we made it to JOG this afternoon, after completing the final 80 miles from Dornoch. The roads and the views were spectacular, the weather was perfect, the sun shone all day, and the temperature was not too hot.
We need to say a big thank you to the following people
Rob, Claire and Dan for supporting us over the past 12 days
Our arrival comittee at JOG, Maria and Alix
All of you who have supported and sponsored us.
Matt's top cycling tip - when cycling with two middle aged men ensure they carry all their own kit and don't freeload your bag, said bags are also good for middle aged men to freeload lifts up steep hills.
For those of you interested in stats
The journey was 920 miles, took 11 days and 2.5 hours, the total time in the saddle was 60 hours and 13 minutes. We burnt 198000 calories
between us, there were 1.5 million pedal revolutions, 3.9 million wheel revolutions, and 1 million heart beats while cycling. We climbed the equivilant of Mount Everest 1.5 time a total of 13,500 metres. We had 11 punctures, one damaged chain and one damaged rear wheel. We drank 70 litres of fluid while cycling and 11 litres of red wine in the evening. Alan used 200 mils of udderlly smooth.
We hope you have enjoyed reading about our journey and please keep checking the site as we will post photos when we get back. The final word is Matt's tribute to A E Houseman
By hill of Clee,
Three cyclists tred,
Their journey northward bound,
On steeled beasts,
While westwinds roll,
O'er dense laid hedge and pollards old,
With gritted teeth and 'halations long,
They pass old Salop thru',
When seven days more have passed,
And journeys done,
The three will stand with drink in hand,
And think of miles gone by,
Then surely against all those memories golden,
The fondest will be,
The passing of old hill of Clee
Peace
Iain, Alan, Matt and Claire
Maria and Alix
4 comments:
Congratulations for a job well done.
Mum and Dad P
Congratulations to you all! We will have a doughnut cushion ready for your chair on your return!
From all at Wotton Lawn
Ps We have tracked your progress over the last few days, please come and see our creative display when you are back.
Well done all of you, I am sure you self refer to Physio at GRH for all your aches and pains
The JOURNEY HOME !
After a few glasses of bubbly and wine we spent our final night in WICK before commencing the journey back to Gloucester.
We had all arranged to spend the night in Moffat just north of Carlise. This Friday morning four of us are still in Moffat as we await Alix's car to be fixed. We have a few options to consider...
- await for a man in a garage with non name to fix the car at some point yet to be determined.
- jump on the 14:10 from lockerbie
- rent a car from Dumfries
- go to the bar
Gert the camper van in the mean time is plodding its way home after some love and attention from Claire and Iain this morning. The Hare and the Tortoise comes to mind !.
Who said it was the journey and not the destination ? At this time the destination seems fairly important. 920 miles of cycling with only a few minor problems, perhaps we will be cycling home yet ! Thankfully we were all back about 5pm.
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