Mind Over Miles

THE LAST DAY!!!!!

2010-05-02T03:16:00.001-07:00

Mission accomplished, 905 miles, 12 punctures, 8 fall offs or collisions, 60 cyclists and a staggering amount of money raised.

The final day on Sunday began at 9am with the last 19 miles through stunning Cornish countryside and after Penzance we rode in glorious sunshine and blue skies. We all stopped 4 miles from Lands End for our final refreshment break and all bikes had Cornish flags tied to them.

Dan, Annie, Rosalind, Ben and Jordan finished in a line with 20 cyclists not far behind and many supporters had also driven down for the final leg. The reception party was fantastic and the champagne was flowing. Photos were taken and everyone piled into cars and travelled back to Browns in Tavistock for the party. The party had a few still standing at 2.30am.

Great event and memories for years to come. Well done to everyone who cycled, supported and sponsored this fantastic event.

A special thank you to Sarah Mills for very kindly updating the blog daily for us and keeping everyone aware of the team progress.

Until the next adventure!!!!

Written by legs returning lucy

Day 18 - Bodmin to Hayle

2010-05-02T03:14:00.000-07:00

Day started with Mr Hooper loosing his balance and getting bored listening to Dan's brief for the day and made a spectacle of himself landing on the ground!!

Alex decided he wasn't cycling for the day and made rude gestures from the camper van on passing the cyclists!!

Today was a sad day with us loosing our support team after tea break who should have stayed 2 days but turned out for 10 days - Molly and Alan and their super camper van but kate took on ownership of the whistle but it wasn't quite the same!!

Ben was today streaming ahead to impress his mother and top girlfriend Pip who arrived at tea stop before lunch!! His poor sister cycled at the back again as a result and even Rob and his magic sheep came in ahead for a change!!

The glory girls and boy arrived tonight and all agreed to start half an hour ahead of the main party but the concern in doing this they may finish at Lands end ahead of the main party and as their name suggests take all the glory!!!

So with the last day approaching we must all have a few drinks and look forward to the 20 miles still left ahead tomorrow even little lucy has been allowed out tonight for a few coco colas ...........

Written by lucy jelly legs tomorrow no legs

Day 17 - Roadford to Bodmin

2010-05-02T03:13:00.001-07:00

Today more wind than a Real Ale drinker! Felt like a wind tunnel checking the aerodynamics of a new BMW! Followed by 5 punctures in the first 5 miles which kept Tim and Chris busy. Wonderful pasties for lunch- more 25 mile head-winds to keep us honest to the end in Lavinet just outside Bodmin. We would like to thank the Bristol three who gave us a chuckle when they turned up at the Bodmin steam railway for their journey home. D'oh. Sunny and 80 degrees C tomorrow with two Lap Dancers helping me on and off my bike, I WISH !! Steve " no friend of lorries" Room

Day 16 - Tiverton - Roadford

2010-04-30T01:53:00.000-07:00

Theme for the day........
Rain rain rain and plenty of Devon hills - we have finally reached the south west!!
One of the toughest days to date. The day was full of endurance, grit and determination and a real test for all cyclists.
We climbed many hills,at times with it feeling more like we were on route up Mt Everest!!
We had our first collision with a cyclist and a couple of lorries, Steve the legend however was extremely fortunate to escape any serious injuries and lived on to complete the day more determined than ever.
Lunch time proved a well deserved stop with all 18 cyclists piling into one camper van with special rolls made by Lamerton village supporters - Jane and Barbara, all the food was greatly received with some of the girls managing 3cheese and pickle rolls to re gain energy levels for the final stretch ahead.
We then all headed on the dreaded A30 dual carriage way in pouring rain and with very fast moving traffic spraying our bikes and bodies. We all re grouped and headed up to Roadford reservoir for a wet bbq and evening with the scouts who provided a guard of honour.
Looking forward to more hills tomorrow but hopefully less rain and for Ben and Jordan the long awaited cornish pasties for lunch awaits..........

Written by I've got very very sore legs lucy xx

Day 15 - East Brent to Tiverton

2010-04-29T02:19:00.000-07:00

Another day filled with sunshine. We cycled 44 miles today which was a quite appropriate for the cyclists who had a mild hangover from Philip's second leaving do.

We crossed the Devon border today, only two counties to cycle through, with a few major hills to climb. We say goodbye to guest cyclists Geoff & Sam and look forward to some new recruits tomorrow. There is speculations that we may have a couple on a tandem? To be be revealed tomorrow........

Day 15 - Devon!!

2010-04-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

Day 14 - Stroud to East Brent

2010-04-28T01:31:00.000-07:00

What did Jordan lose today? Well its more temporarily misplaced his credit card.

Philip's leaving do was soooo good last night that he has decided to stay another night. I have been to a couple of Philip's leaving do's but never two in a row, I am not sure my body is capable but this ride is about challenging the body.

We cycled in excess of 50 miles, the top speed reach was 46 mph by our guest cyclist Geoff. Evidently it was the speed camera that egged him on. However 50mph top speed is being predicted by the end of the week.

We were in awe of Clifton bridge and Ashton Court park despite the steep climb afterwards. We were richly rewarded with Vicky O'Gram chocolate cake & the view of the grazing zebras. Thank you Vicky.

Having carry out a meticulous route plan and studied it hard I was disappointed that I cycled past the roundabout near the finish and had to turn back and phone for directions! Maybe Philip's leaving do's are not such a good idea.

Day 13 - Kidderminster to Stroud

2010-04-27T01:42:00.000-07:00

What did Jordan forget, absolutely nothing, he is a reformed character. However, Julius forgot his bike lock. It is in the post to you Julius.
Major Hooper our newest recruit joined us on our voyage towards the west country. It goes without saying melly and her direction pointing umbrella were greatly missed today with Ros and Tim over shooting the roundabout at some pace heading back towards Telford - what a keen new recruit!
Jordan had a whoops-a-daisy today with his bike landing in the grass staining his 1-1tee shirt.
The day ended in usual style but little did they know it most of the cyclists had 6 further miles to travel to the premier inn, with a travel lodge only a mile from the finish!!! On reaching the premier inn mr and mrs wiggins had yet to discover they in fact were booked in to a different premier inn 10 minutes away - thanks to Ed for the lift! Taxis all round for the am meet the following day.
Heading out now for the leaving do of Philip Conway to celebrate his last night on tour before returning back to chopping coleslaw in Ireland.

Written by" I've got sore legs" Lucy.

Day 12 - Mkt Drayton to Kidderminster

2010-04-27T01:39:00.000-07:00

22 cyclists in the main group plus 2 in the advance party. 45 miles covered, 3 punctures collected, a surprise visitor met at afternoon tea - lovely to see you Sarah. A stonker of a hill before a fantastic BBQ hosted by Chris & Sarah (the family of Emily Jordan Foundation). We have had a great cycling weekend joined by many great friends from all over the country.

Day 11 - Guest blog from David Hoyles & Robin Eglin

2010-04-27T01:22:00.000-07:00

Todays bike ride started with Robins puncture and ended with beers all round. After a briefing from Dan to us all who had joined in for this busy weekend numbers wise we were off. The Core Team plus some of the over night part timers were still fairly beered and curried up from the night before, but this didn't slow the pace. The first stop after 13 miles confirmed that Rooty's expletives to some motorists who did't want us to ride two abreast were not taken too kindly, and the support team said that his actions will be reported to the police. Bothered?
No! The next break for lunch was much delayed after we thought it would be good to ask the local postie on a bike for directions through Nantwich - it was a quick route, but not the agreed route, so unfortunately we missed our support team with the food and drink!! 22 miles after the first stop we finally all met up, and the refreshments were enjoyed even more. An ambulances siren caused a comedy fall (Rooty again!!), a bike chain got jammed - but all was fixed and all was good in the glorious sunshine, and everyone finished in good time, with slightly less miles on the clock than expected. Unfortunately we in team OMC Ford had to leave the Core Team and fellow part timers in Weatherspoons enjoying some reasonably priced liquid refreshments.
Best of luck to all the cyclisyts for the final week - today was a great day, good fun, and for a good cause. Many thanks especially to Edward, Fiona & Nina, Sally and Stuart in the support teams and Ros & Robert who do everything.

Day 8 - Longtown to Penrith

2010-04-23T01:22:00.000-07:00

Apparently its now mandatory to start the blog with the following question:
What did Jordan lose today?
I was hoping to avoid adding to my reputation for being rather forgetful,
however I concede that I am indeed useless when it comes to gathering all of
my belongings from a B&B. Today I left without my toothbrush.
After a good days cycling yesterday we finished in Longtown, then the 3
Wheelers reluctantly crossed back over the border to our B&B in Gretna
Green.
After a couple of hours Pauric managed to find his B&B, so we met the Irish
boys at a pub in Gretna Green for dinner. The 3 Wheelers were really on a
roll, but the Flying Pigs were struggling after a hard day cycling
downhill... Dan suggested that we end the night with a good Malt Whisky. One
turned into two, two turned into three, three became four, and four would
have turned into five or more had our Irish friends (Pauric, Neville and
John) not thrown in the towel! Hopefully John's water feature didn't get
turned on during the night?
Today was only a short 29 mile stretch from Longtown to Penrith, so we set
off at 9.30am and arrived for our first tea break at 11am. Having started
the day with a fried breakfast, Ben added to his reserves by consuming 1 x
bread roll, 4 x packets of mini cheddars, 2 x twix's, 2 x mars bars and 1 x
club biscuit in just 30 mins. I hate to see someone eat alone, so I worked
my way through 10 fig rolls at the same time.
Our second 15 mile stretch took us to the finishing point at Morrisons car
park in Penrith, where out of nowhere Victor Meldrew tried to run Ros over
as we dismounted in his favourite parking space!
As I write this blog entry all eleven of us are having a meal together in a
Penrith Hotel. Edwards off driving duties for the first time tonight so
we're expecting to see a better example of how the Irish can drink!
Written by Jordan

Day 7 - Meet the Core Team

2010-04-22T01:33:00.000-07:00

After 7 days in the saddle and 391 miles,we are not back in blighty, time to meet the core team;
DAN 'the man' the encourager and backbone of the team. First to stop if anyone is in trouble with bike or legs! Cycles with everyone at some point. A true leader.
ANNIE 'get your gun' 'cos there ain't no stopping her. Eager to set off after every break, exudes enthusiasm and encouragement.
ROSIE 'the work horse' How does she do it. Sandwiches made before 6 am, sleeping on a shelf in a caravan and not one complaint. Mother to the team.
BEN 'boy racer' shoots off but suffers later. Can't get enough calories in, always eating. Likes a lot of TLC.
JORDAN 'the forgetful one'. Has tried very hard to leave something at every stop. Non complaining, gets up and gets on at a steady pace.
EDWARD 'the van driver' Quote "only 2 more miles and its all downhill" despite another 40 uphill miles to Glencoe!!
ROBERT 'the caravan man'. Plots the route, walks the dog, calming influence, ensures the caravan is open for business at every break stop, our unsung hero.
ALISON 'the skivvy'. Runs the best mobile cafe in Scotland and now in England. Soup, pasta, rolls fruit, choclate bars, tea, coffee you name it and she'll provide it.
We feel privileged to have been able to join the team for the first 7 days, can't wait to get back for the final 3. We love you all Kate and Pops, the mad Aunties x

Day 7 - Dan the Man!

2010-04-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

Quick anonymous blog sent in regarding the man himself! Dan is far too modest to write about himself so his friends will write a post for him! Dan is doing a great job in many ways: organising everything and everybody and ensuring that good food and quality beer are at hand at the end of the day. But mainly he is resolute and unwavering, putting his full strength to the task in hand, totally motivated to succeed. Can you already see him blushing!
Ps Here he is with a picture of his equally unassuming but rather fab Mum.

Day 7 - Guest Blogger

2010-04-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

As gaeilge deirigh na daoine ar a hocht a clog agus bhi an ghrian ag spalpadh sa speir agus chuaigh siad isteach sa ait hailainn ar a dha a clog sea sasana in ainm de. As guest blogger its my duty to report that we ve finally corrupted jordan and by force have poured a couple of pints of real ale down his neck. We left moffatt and its sticky toffee at half nine for a short cycle and have been assured by Dan and the gang that they are taking it easy on us irish guys for the two days we re here. We have never eaten so much great food and take hats and other garments off to alison ros and all the support crew for their fabulous hospitality. Ben and jordan showed us a clean set of heels on the second part of the cycle today but as suspected ran out of puff on the third section. !!! Crossed the border into england after lunch and posed with gritted teeth beside the welcome to england sign amidst the cheers of the others!!!! Its been a fantastic trip for us guys and have been welcomed with open arms by everyone. The organisation had been superb and people lovely at every step. Best of luck with the next five hundred miles and see you all for round two in ireland next year! In irish go neiri an bothar leat which translates as an irish blessing of may the road rise to meet you and may the sun always be on your back . Thanks to everyone ps I hope my wife has not had our first baby while I ve been here!!

Day 6 - Glasgow to Moffatt and Fiery Plums!!

2010-04-20T00:52:00.000-07:00

Jordan had an incident with his tiger balm resulting in some fiery plums, at least he didn't forget anything. Late last night, Ben declared that you can't train for an adventure like this which was proved wrong today as the Irish contingent and the ladies stormed on ahead leaving me to hold up the 3 wheelers Dan, Jordan and Ben. We had poor road surfaces to contend with and climbed the highest mountain in Southern Scotland but this was ameliorated by the fruit cake made by Mrs Barrett with her husband finest goose egg. Team mascot Little Lucy was kept warmer with a new tartan scarf kindly given by Ella and Finlay Ironside. Note to David Hoyles big hills = tired legs.
Written by our guest cyclist John Barrett.

Day 5

2010-04-19T01:57:00.000-07:00

What did Jordan forget today - a sock and taken the b+b key. Ben has confiscated his wallet, you know your forgetful when Ben confiscates your wallet (Ben hasn't got a great track record in looking after wallets). Lovely cycle beside Loch Lomand then through Glasgow - Nigel and Matthew, who cycled with us for the day escorted us through Glasgow. Arrived at Holiday Inn having cycled 64 miles at 16.OO. Had a couple of pints and went to check in. We were at the wrong Holiday Inn!

Day 4/5

2010-04-18T03:51:00.000-07:00

What has Jordan forgotton today? - his drinks bottle. This is becoming a theme, first night £6O worth of energy bars, second night credit card, watch this space. We left Fort William with a stunning backdrop of Britain's highest mountain which sadly had it's cloudy cap on. Unfortunately for Pops the view to the front was Joshua's insistent scratching of his rear and frequent stops to rearrange his tackle. He will be missed tomorrow. Constant drizzle and wet roads added to the rich tapestry of the climb to Glencoe with a strong wind working both for and against us. It was a pleasure cycling with Jonathon and what a boost to our support team with Molly and Alan and their campervan and Laura our newest cheerleader. Team talk in Crianlarich pub, then on to Ewich House, where we have definitely chosen the best. Cottage pie and individual victoria sponge with fresh strawberries and cream, yummy! Looking forward to being south of Glasgow tomorrow evening. Today,s blog was written by Kate, Pops, Dan and Ian, the host at Ewich House.

Day 3 - High's & Low's

2010-04-18T03:47:00.000-07:00

Friday's cycling had quite literally some high's and low's. The scenery was beautiful - Loch Ness, the Nevis range of mountains, Fort Augusta the list could go on. We covered 65 miles today in beautiful sunshine and a slight head wind. Our support team stopped every 15 miles to provide us with refreshments, which was perfect. We will be the only team to cycle 900 miles and put weight on! Last refreshment stop just outside Fort William at the Commando memorial - a bottle of beer and apple crumble, the perfect cure for a numb bum!

Day 2

2010-04-16T01:45:00.000-07:00

Having had a good nights sleep in customs house and the best breakfast ever cooked by mrs annie McDonald (100 times better than ronald mcdonald's b/fast) we cycled off for our second day. I have had a number texts asking how's your arse? Quite frankly, that is my business, but I will share with you that the arse bone we have developed in the last 117 miles doesn't like the saddle!

Weather has been very kind to us and looking forward to cycling along side loch ness to fort william. JK, an old flat mate of mine is driving up to meet us from suffolk, having ditched flying - A volcano wouldn't stop him!

Currently in innverness travel lodge getting news and weather reports - neither sound great!

Day 1 - A good day for cycling!

2010-04-15T02:03:00.000-07:00

Started off by re negotiating the cost of the b+b on the grounds that it was not worth £50! We settled on £35. Later we regret that re negotiation as jordan left all the energy bars for the whole ride in his room and had to plead with the manager to post to another hotel where we will be staying three days later, to which he obliged.

The weather was perfect for cycling and we covered a lot of ground early on. Stopped for our first, much needed, break after 27 miles before the large coastal hills we were about to climb. We got to our first night stop at 1430 and decided to carry on for another 10 miles to reduce the distance for thursday.

There are five of us staying in our £20, shared bathroom, lodgings tonight and enough hot water for one!

Day 1

2010-04-14T02:10:00.000-07:00

Arrived yesterday for the start of our ride. Our first day of riding is going to be very hilly! Absolutely beautiful despite the bleakness of the area. Wonderful views of the orknays. I'm doing an interview with bbc radio surrey at 0840.Listen out!

One Week to Go!

2010-04-07T04:08:00.000-07:00

1 week to go! The bikes for the cyclists doing the Scottish part were taken to Kidderminster yesterday (Tuesday 6th April) for their lift to John O’Groats. Dan is intensly watching the weather pattern in Scotland – not that we can do much about it apart from prepare ourselves.

Our 15 mile training ride from Charing Cross Hospital around Richmond park and return raised just over £1,000. Thank you to all cyclists and supporters.

For more information on the route we will be taking and for sponsorship donations please go to the www.mindovermiles.org link. The donations can be gift aided and your personal message added, directly through the "justgiving site. All your support is very gratefully appreciated.