Le Reason
I decided to attempt LEJOG as part of my rehabilitation following a serious ankle fracture in March (I don’t what a non serious ankle fracture is like). I have been a
competitive runner for most of my life, I’ll mention my best marathon time now, 2-13-20 as no one asked me in Glasgow (explained later).
Simon has done LEJOG and JOGLE and should know better.
Le Training
After the plaster was off and the Physio gave me the go ahead to start cycling my first ride was a 10 mile time trial on my mountain bike round a local track. 36 minutes, very windy. I then graduated to 20 –30 mile rides on Sundays and completed a 100k charity ride, the most I’d ever cycled in one day. 4hrs 16min, loved it. I was persuaded that I had to have a road bike and thus bought a TREK 1000 from the local bike shop. (Had to be a TREK because Lance rides one). Fantastic service from the local shop, Primera Sports, I was measured up and computer fitted for the bike and ordered clipless pedals and cleated shoes, now I was big league. I had these fitted to the mountain bike while the new one was being set up as I didn’t want to leave the shop on my brand new bike and fall off. The usual story on the way home involving handy lampposts to lean on when I couldn’t get my feet out, especially on the recovering ankle side. The new bike was fantastic, It fit like a glove, and once I got it off my hand I entered a local 10 mile time trial and finished in 28min 10sec. I started doing Sunday rides with Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers, and long rides with Simon on Fridays, longest ride 86 miles.
Le Planning
Simon volunteered to provide all the maps and do the navigation, as he knew the way. The route was based on staying with running friends throughout the country plus youth hostel and bed and breakfast, mostly pre booked. My wife Kathryn would drive us to Lands End on the Friday and support us over the first weekend. Returning would be by rail from Thurso to Glasgow via Inverness, and by Ryanair from Glasgow Prestwick to Bournemouth. Simon bought some bike bags and posted them to the Inverness Youth Hostel for the return.
Le Trip
Drove from Bournemouth to Lands End on Friday afternoon, via Dartmoor to measure the distance to our first (plan B) stop, the Warren House Hotel at Postbridge. This is the 3rd highest pub in Britain and should have told us something. The odometer read 98 miles when we arrived at our accommodation at Lands End, and we were due to go another 25-30 miles to our first nights stay in Exeter. That’s 40 miles further than my one day best, but it didn’t seem a problem that night after a couple of beers and a bucket of pasta.
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Stage 1 Lands End to Warren House Hotel.
After the usual photos a slightly delayed start at 8-54 am as I attempted to fit the lenses in my brand new shades, they had 5 different types of lenses, and the only obvious benefit was you only had to clean them every 5th day. Decided to do 30 mile stretches to give us an aim and reward. First garage stop at 11am for Lucozade sport, snickers bars and sandwiches. Getting very warm. After 40 miles on the A30 looked back and Simon appeared to be in trouble. He told me that evening that he had even then been planning how to get back to Bournemouth, pick up his car and drive the rest. Bloody youngsters, no stamina, this is easy. At Tavistock I passed the magic 86 mile mark and was now in new territory. The climb to Postbridge is unrelenting, I had to get off at one stage to rest. It was hot and horrible, worse than any marathon I’d ever done. (drool on your crossbar is not sexy). Plan B was quickly coming in to operation, which was for Kath to drive us to Exeter from the Pub and take us back there the next morning. The young pup Simon was now feeling a lot better, and my suffering merely spurred him on. At the foot of the final climb I was praying that Kath would be there, and my mobile rung and she was. Not quite sobbing into the phone I explained the plan and begged for beer. Only 8 days to go. We stayed with Pete and Carol and their unfeasibly well behaved children, Chris and Victoria, in Exeter. We were well fed and beered, after actually refusing a Pub visit due to tiredness. (I swear this will never happen again). 100.68 miles in 7hrs 26 min actual riding. The big mistake of the day way was no beer at lunchtime.
· Extract from Simons diary. ****ing Redruth !!!
Stage 2 Warren House Hotel to Bath
Nice big breakfast then Kath drove us back to the pub, starting from Exeter was not an option.9-26am. Very foggy but within 2 miles all burnt off. Did personal land speed record on bicycle after 1 mile, 46mph and Simon lost his bottle (literally) over a cattle grid. It bounced into the bushes never to be seen again. All these adventures in the first 3 miles until we said goodbye to Kath where she took an action photo. Kath dumped our saddlebags at the Bath Youth Hostel followed by serious shopping and we were by ourselves. Relatively easy day, a nostalgic diversion in Exeter where Simon pointed out the flat he’d lived in for 2 years while at University all those years ago (10). Simon later remembered that today was his 32nd Birthday; I bought him a cheap beer in the Youth Hostel bar to celebrate.
He also “forgot” the last hill of the day just after Radstock. 102.79 miles in 7hrs 4min on bike . Arrived at 5-40 pm.
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