The Race Against Time – Lands End to John O’Groats in just 6 days… 22-27 June 2008 My TRAT Journal – Pierre P.

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Saturday 21 June 2008 – The day before… It took Neil, Jonathan and I over 9 hours to drive from Edinburgh to St Just, south of Penzance. 9 hours! We’ll cycle back up to Edinburgh over the next few days. The plan is to start riding at 6am tomorrow morning. We’ll get up at 5am and drive from the St Just hostel to Lands End at 5.45am to be on the starting line for the photograph, and work our way north… HIV/Aids was discussed quite a bit tonight. Tamara (BST South African) shared the story of a farm worker who was identified has having infected 18 ladies (prostitutes) between the Friday night and the Monday morning, knowing that he was HIV positive. She also explained how the disease is completely blanked off in South Africa… and its pandemic spread. I am so glad we are able to help. Riders are coming in all sizes, age and sex. Seems a good bunch of cycling nutters like myself (don’t understand why not everyone is like us really). Dear: Bruce does look fit! Sunday 22 June 2008 – Day 1 (Land's End - Launceston - Taunton) Woke up just before 5am and am getting ready to go in 10-15 mins at 5.45am. I’ve been sharing a room with Neil who seems to have been fixing his bike all night while I was trying to sleep. The question is: did Neil kiss his bicycle frame before he went to bed? I just had 1 bowl of porridge and a toast for breakfast, which will never be enough to keep me going during the day, but I’m ready and looking forward to it all. It’s windy outside, cloudy but not raining (I hate cycling in the rain). Hey, but wait a minute (looking through the window): there seems to be a strong tail wind: fantastic! We will be in Lands End in just about 30 mins from now. I can’t wait. (…)

Nearly 7pm and we’ve completed the riding for day 1 – 155 miles from Lands End to Taunton in Somerset. I delayed everyone’s start by nearly 30 minutes (we took off at 6:30am) having been incorrectly advised of where to place my “day bag” – in the end, Mike Hopkins, the race director, and I had to drive back to St Just to get it! All the other riders were waiting at Lands’ End in the freezing wind. This did not do much good to my popularity rating! We’ve crossed Cornwall, Devon and we’re now in Somerset. I have burned 5,000 kcals (less than I thought) and travelled at an average speed of 17.6mph. We’ve been okay with great weather and a strong tail wind pushing us north: ideal. Never before have I cycled with a consistent tailwind for 155 miles and in the sun: cyclist heaven! I’ve been climbing 9,000ft / 3,000m – this is quite a bit: there are big hills in Devon. The team has gelled pretty well and all riders are reasonably strong apart from one who struggled from the start: we had to wait on him a lot: our average speed could have been a lot higher in today’s weather conditions. However, I am reminded that The Race Against Time is not a race… (Not a race? Put two cyclists together and you have a race!): we need to do our best to support each other. There are clearly different strengths in the group and I’m starting to think that I’ve trained a bit too hard for this event compared to some other people; but hey: this is only day 1 and we’ll see what happens in the remaining 5 days. Monday 23 June – Day 2 (Taunton - Gloucester - Much Wenlock) It’s nearly 10pm and day 2 is over: 145 miles taking us to Much Wenlock. In theory the ride was supposed to be a wee bit “lumpy”. In practice, we climbed 5,500 ft of ascent in total today burning 5,500kcal. Average speed was approx 16.3mph overall and the weather was very hot, so much so that sun burn was an issue for many people, particularly myself. My sun-cream failed and I had severe burns on my legs which was only cured by borrowing Bruce’s leg warmers (leg warmers!) at lunchtime. I was roasting with them on, and also roasting without them.

At lunchtime we stopped at Gloucester’s town square where we were welcomed by a class of primary school children and their teachers: lovely. Group photo. The photographer then asked me to pause with two of the children and look as though we had a conversation. I tried, and quickly discovered that none of them were interested in cycling, or indeed allowed to cycle to work by their school! “Shall we talk about football or Sylvanians, instead?” I smiled anyway: must have looked like a right French twit to them all.

In terms of the ride itself today it was an all-out race between the Scottish athletes and the English brothers – guess who won? There was very much a pattern of Bruce, Neil and myself finishing at the top of every climb way before the rest, and waiting for them to catch up. In total we cycled 9.5hours today but could have easily finished 1 hour sooner had we not waited for the cruisers. Andy really struggled yesterday and we all wondered whether he could make it, but he did very well today once he gave up on his normal BMX pedals and started using cleats like the rest of us. Bruce is definitely the fittest of all of us having trained and cycled 15,000 miles last year (professional do little over that). My preferred terrain is without a doubt the hills - especially the big long ones. I find myself able to climb these hills standing all the way and finishing very comfortably at the top. Others’ approach to hill climbing seems to be based on swearing. Tonight’s venue is a barn up at the top of a hill, at the end of a dusty track, so we had to do some cyclocross for about ½ mile before reaching our destination. “Athletes Angels” were there to greet us and gave us a 40 min sports massage which was absolutely fabulous. I discovered I had muscles I never knew particularly very painful ones in my back. The back of my legs were soft, but the front was another story. The chap that “fixed” me does sports massage to professional footballers in the area, and told me that he was being very, very gentle with me compared to what footballers normally get. Wow. Tonight I had 3 (THREE) impressive plates of pasta. If I had added all that pasta on one plate, it would have probably looked like Ben Nevis – the perfect dinner for another 150 miles tomorrow. On the menu tomorrow is a 6am start down the dusty path onto the road going further north. Feeling great tonight, not particularly tired which is not what I expected. I am definitely ready for day 3. Tuesday 24 June – Day 3 (Much Wenlock - Newton Le Willows - Levens) We cycled from the Much Wenlock barn to Kendal over rolling hills initially, and then through flat boring country, Liverpool area. The weather was beautiful and the wind favourable. The countryside was not particularly nice with lots of traffic and too many roundabouts (take note of the most horrible place in England: Wigan). In Kendal we stayed at a convent and slept in a dorm. Did not see any nun, did hot experience hot showers either (obviously Kendal’s nuns do not do hot showering). Everyone was pretty exhausted after 150 miles and happy to go to (collapse in) bed early. I am feeling fine, not sore anywhere particularly, unlike quite a few other folks who keep talking about how sore their bottoms are and other contact points

on the bike. Andy has even developed the skill of applying cream to his bum whilst cycling – quite a feat! There is very good group bonding between all TRAT riders, people are working well with each other taking their turn at the front. The two girls, Erica and Charlotte are also doing very well. Erica cracked a bit today riding out of Northwich (she needed sugar). Charlotte is a strong consistent rider, a bit slower than the rest of us but not complaining and keeping the pace. Andy is probably the weakest of the lot, but he still gets there. We have had to help him quite a bit since the start. There is a lot of chat about the dynamics between the Scots, Englishmen and women and me as the only Frenchman. Interestingly Bruce, Neil and I from Scotland seem to be the ones finishing at the top of every hill first. There is definitely a race going on between the three of us.

Wednesday 25 June – Day 4 (Levens - Gretna Green - Biggar) From Kendal to Biggar. The day started really well with good weather and again blessed tail wind.

Very soon after Kendal we climbed Shap Fell which takes us from 400ft to 1,400 ft. As before Neil, Bruce and I raced each other to the top, this time accompanied by Jonathan. 3 Scots – against 1 Englishman. Sorry guys but I have bad news to report: the Englishman, allegedly, arrived at the summit of Shap 4 mins before us (Neil and I who arrived together). Jonathan cracked way before the top: we heard him scream at some point - probably out of pain - before we dropped him. Bruce suggested that he could have been there even faster had he not had a puncture to fix half way up the hill. Oh well, Neil and I too were mechanically challenged as we both had to rebuild our wheels on the way up… At the top

BBQ sausages were awaiting us. Bruce, Neil Jonathan and I had a game of chess or two before the rest of the riders arrived some 20 mins later.

The downhill to Carlisle was smooth and fast however the Mike, the race director, invited us to stop and change our clothes as threatening clouds made an appearance. The ride into Carlisle quickly turned into absolute misery with cold, heavy rain falling down and making us all shiver and look like drowned rats. At 10.30am in Carlisle we approached the local McDonalds (most detested place at normal times) and were kindly offered chips by the Bishop Simeon Trust. All of us nearly went on strike when we realised that Big Macs were not on order. We begged to have them as well. I’ve always hated McDonalds but a Big Mac at 10.30am is very pleasant indeed when it’s raining outside and your body needs 5000 kcal per day. Any other junk food would have done, frankly. The rain was still beating down when we left. We took the wrong turn in a hurry adding a further 5 miles to the ride in the rain. I will not miss Carlisle. Is this place actually nice when it’s not raining? Eventually the group rejoined the main road and pushed onto Gretna in dry weather. We stopped at the church hall there to refuel: I had 3 plates of soup, bread and dessert with coffee and tea. Another photograph with local school children and we resumed our ride, again in the rain, pushing north. The Devil’s Beef Tub (climb out of Moffat) is just as hard as Shap: rising to 1,600ft of altitude. Similar pattern as before: Neil attacked. Bruce accelerated then overtook him while I stayed behind. I then caught up with Neil, overtook him and started chasing Bruce to the top. Bruce again reached it first (he must be on EPO). I arrived some 2 mins later (I run on porridge), about 30 secs faster than Neil (who is on Siberian ginseng!). Not a bad effort after 550 miles of riding. At the summit we waited nearly 20 mins in the cold wind for the rest of the riders to arrive. The support van then turned up: Neil and I took refuge inside to warm up. While we were

happily chatting to Mike Hopkins, the race director, all the other riders rode passed without stopping! When we realised that no one else was around we decided to get a move on. Neil and I time trialled towards Broughton. Some 2 miles away from Broughton I heard a big “bang” behind me and discovered that both Neil rear mech and chain had broken to pieces! The metal just sheared off and he was lucky not to fall. However, the immediate outcome of this was that Neil’s bike was as good as dead with no chain on. I invited him to grab my seat post and I towed him all the way to Broughton, adding to the exercise of the day… There the van was waiting for us. We swapped bike pedals and Neil pushed on to arrive at this most gorgeous house in Biggar where I am now staying. All in all Neil and I arrived about 1 hour after everyone else, and like yesterday there was no hot water left in the building: English people seems to be faster at showering than they are at riding bikes… On top of that, we discovered that we could not use our en-suite as it was leaking downstairs into the kitchen – joy! I really do not know how much climbing we have done today but it will be in excess of 5,000 ft. The distance was approx 160miles and speed around 16mph. Many riders are starting to feel exhausted. Strangely, I still do not have a sore bum and am still feeling quite strong. Today was a real test of endurance as well as character with challenges from all sorts of directions with mechanicals, lack of comfort, lack of food, strong winds etc. But the whole team made it. We are ready for tomorrow’s ride from Biggar to Aviemore with a brief pause in Colinton where I hope to catch up with my lovely wife and two daughters to give them all a kiss…

Thursday 26 June – Day 5 (Biggar - Bridge of Earn - Aviemore: the longest day) We cycled from Biggar to Aviemore with a lunch stop at Bridge of Earn. I just cannot believe how long it took us to cycle from Biggar to Edinburgh where family and friends were waiting. We started by leaving late from Biggar as tired riders started to forget to prepare their bikes for the next day. Hello? “Hmm, I’ve just woken up, what shall I do today? Oh yes, I am doing this LEJOG stuff. Damn – just remembered, I have a bike with a flat tyre and no oil on the chain, I’ll wait till 6:30am to fix it I think…” – type approach. Mike discovered his rear rim was severely damaged but insisted on taking his own bike: 5 miles out of Biggar the race director forced him to swap his machine for a spare one in the van. This delayed the whole group, but we probably had a further 2-3 stops before Edinburgh (the Scottish air must have an effect on cyclists’ bladders…) and arrived at Colinton some 45 mins later than planned. But what a joy it was to see my wife, daughters, in-laws, friends, school children from Colinton Primary and quite a few colleagues too. Zoe

had made cakes for everyone. It was really lovely to share these precious moments with the group.

After a brief pause we took off to make our way towards the Forth Road Bridge, but more friends were waiting at the Gillespie Roundabout: Brian and Pam were waiting with a huge “PIERRE” banner – how encouraging is that? Just before we arrived in Edinburgh, Charlotte had called a friend and organised a replacement wheel for Mike and we picked up the spare wheel, pinched from a fellow fixie-rider, and put it in the van before we crossed the Forth Road bridge. The route to the bridge was not at all the one planned. Local knowledge helped secure a safe crossing of north Edinburgh and the Forth Road Bridge. Finally we were on our way to Perth. The weather was great and it was cheery to be cycling with a tail wind still.

The cycle ride from Bridge of Earn to Aviemore is a long, long ride and the length of it became even more apparent when the wind started turning north/west (i.e. a cross wind along big long drags). We had 15 minutes of very chilly rain today (thank God it was not longer!) then climbed to 1,600 ft, one of the highest points along the whole route passed Blair Atholl. More and more stops were required by the riders. Once we passed the highest point with superb views on our left, we went for a huge big long downhill ride along the A9 towards Aviemore. We were free-wheeling so fast (40mph+ chasing Sam at the front) that

most of us missed the left turn to Dalwhinnie… Mike put us back on the right road and I started chasing Sam again, our green jersey champion between Dalwhinnie and Kingussie – what a road that is! This guy’s power is just beyond me: useless on the climbs but very fast on flats and downhill.

We reached Kingussie pretty late in the day and stopped at the local greasy fryer. There we were served the biggest chips I have ever seen, whilst Scottish bagpipes music blasted out of loudspeakers: it was fabulous. However, going back on the bike after 8pm was really testing. We pushed a further 10 miles to Aviemore where we slept at the Christian Union retreat base, a superb place where – oh joy – 3 lovely Athlete Angels were waiting for us. THIS IS THE LIFE!

Friday 27 June – Day 6 (Aviemore - Golspie - John O'Groats) The exact distance between Aviemore and John O’Groats is 153 miles. For the first time I am starting to feel that I have sore legs, I have certainly not recovered since yesterday. I wonder what I would have been like without the sports massage last night. Indeed, is life worth living without sports massages? It was a very fast downhill to Inverness, then we crossed the bridge to the Black Isle and pushed north. Stops were more and more frequent as everyone became seriously exhausted. We enjoyed a lunch pause at Golspie Church where the local ladies had prepared the most wonderful desserts. (Judging by the size of their thighs, the local parishioners must have eaten half of the cakes they prepared before we arrived). Sunshine was on the menu too: this lunch break was one of the nicest.

75 miles to go to the finish line. We were so lucky to enjoy great weather and tail wind through Elmsdale and riding further North. I particularly enjoyed the two great big climbs out of Elmsdale 30 miles away from our destination. Neil had a puncture shortly before Wick. We were eaten alive by the local midges which prompted the group to go back on their bikes and move on: midges cannot fly at 20mph. As road sign distances to John O’Groats changed from “120 miles” to… “15 miles”, then “10 miles” the group became more and more excited and resumed higher speed with Neil pulling at the front. We enjoyed beautiful views on the right with the flat sea and lovely sunshine. This time Bruce only beat me by some 20 seconds up the climb out of Elmsdale. We pushed on at a good speed with less stops as the end was in sight.

Just a few miles before John O’Groats we all stopped and took off our wind-cutters so that all sponsors jerseys could be seen. I was asked to cycle between Erica and Charlotte at the front as we finally saw the end of the land. Then. FINALLY. We arrived!

It was fabulous to cycle into John O’Groats through a shower of champagne, listening to bagpipes blasting out of Hiten’s car. What a superb feeling drinking champagne, taking photos, texting family and friends etc. I have to confess that I was rather emotional (behind my Oakleys), as I called my wife and said: “Jenny, I’ve just made it to John O’ Groats”. We packed up bikes, bags and all, and were driven (strange feeling to move without pedalling) to Thurso where we stayed in the most despicable hostel I have ever seen, second to the worst hotel Jenny and I stayed in, in Central Java. Awful, dirty, ridiculously squeezed. But what a laugh we had, hysterical laughs. There were lots of congratulations and thanks exchanged over fish and chips just above the hostel bedrooms. Hiten had a last surprise for those of us who agreed to follow him. He took us back to John O’Groats in the middle of the night, and there we lit some inflatable hot balloons that disappeared into the sky over a beautiful flat sea, a stunning finish to our adventure. 6 months and 4500 miles of training. 874 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats in 6 wonderful days and £10,000 raised for HIV/AIDS work in South Africa. Now: that’s what I call a memorable challenge.

Pierre THE END

BLOG ENTRIES Friday, 20 June 2008

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never

otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed

would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

William Hutchinson Murray Scottish Mountaineer (18 March 1913–19 March 1996) Quoted inThe Scottish Himalayan Expedition (1951)

Dear Friends, After many months of preparation, the time has finally arrived to bring all of those thousands of miles of training, which have involved, indeed for many of you, blood, sweat, tears, and the inevitable sacrifice in time, emotion, and distance within the lives of your families and loved ones….to this moment in time. The beginning. You are aware that you’ve already cycled a quarter of the circumference around the world in training before you even arrive at the starting line at Lands End. It’s truly a remarkable achievement. Your dedication, passion, and commitment to the challenge has been truly inspiring. As you bring your training and experience to that moment that begins at 6am on the morning of the 22nd June 2008, and whilst your eyes focus on that point Northwards, I hope you may be able find a

moment of quiet to reflect on The Race Against Time, and what your ride and sponsorship will mean to people who will benefit from your endeavours, but may never know of you and your boldness, power and genius in participating in this event. Maybe herein lies the magic, for it positively changes lives, for the thousands we can help at least, and hence why your sponsorship money remains paramount, and will continue to do so. It is a genuine race against time, and with the statistics that you have become familiar with, it’s hard to reconcile what statements such as, ’11 teachers dying every day’, and, ‘5.7 million orphans predicted by 2015’, as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa actually mean. What use would calculating a total for the statement, ‘every 15 seconds an African dies of HIV.AIDS’ over the time you have trained for the event, if it remained unchallenged? So, perhaps the greatest challenge you have committed to undertake, is to challenge the status quo of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, and to provide real hope, real change, and real tangible help and support to those that would otherwise receive nothing against the tide of this almost unreal pandemic. Nothing is ever insignificant. Of course, that is the real heart that underlays The Race Against Time, and I hope in the years to come when you remember this event, you’ll remember yourselves as, not only superb athletes that faced a challenge of physical and metal endurance, but also as individuals that did not leave a great concern unchallenged. So it is with genuine gratitude from everyone here at the Bishop Simeon Trust, for your dedication, inspiration, and determined spirit in supporting us and helping us carry on the important work in supporting the many beneficiaries living difficult lives in South Africa. And whilst the next few days of your lives will involve a grueling adrenaline filled 6 day challenge, with aches and pains, and sore bottoms, and 900 miles of adventure, we also hope that they are filled more so with fun, laughter, friendship, and a freedom of spirit and memories that remain with you for a lifetime. From everyone at The Bishop Simeon Trust……wishing you a safe, enjoyable, and good old-fashioned grand adventure! Kind regards and all of our best.

BST (Hiten) Day 1 update from Tamara – 21 June am So they’re off… They were safely away at 6:50 with a bit of a tail wind, semi-blue skies and some sunshine!! Whilst some were showing some nerves - the team was in good spirits and all 12 were just so keen to “get this show on the road” and make a start for Launceston – our first lunch stop at about 12. I will be sure to upload more pics and give more updates as soon as we have chatted to the cyclists en-route! Best wishes, Tam DAY 1 update from Pierre & Neil We made a great start to the TRAT today: we enjoyed stunning views of the sea in the morning light as we left Lands End, and all of us were delighted to have finally crossed the starting line after the group photo: training is officially over - this is the real thing. Weather was good all day, with sunshine most of the day and a unbelievable tail wind for whole of the 155 miles: it does not get much better! Total ascent today was 9000 ft and calories burnt in excess of 5000kcal. Cornwall and Devon definitely are not flat. The 12 cyclists worked together well, and the BST support team was fab. An ideal start, and we are told, this was the toughest day! Only 140 miles on the menu tomorrow Pierre & Neil DAY 2 update from Pierre The team cycled 155 miles on Monday from Taunton to Much Wenlock, over what was described to us a "slightly lumpy" terrain... Total ascent was 5500ft, and calories burnt also 5500. Some lumpy terrain that! At the end of the day some hills were so tough that swearing was even heard in the peloton. We reached our destination at nearly 8pm, having cycled 9.5 hours (av speed 16.5 mph). Bed was in an isolated barn, half a mile up a path at the top of highest hill around. Cyclocross to the finish! And also 3 punctures. But it was all worth it, as 3 "Athlete Angels" were waiting for us, ready for action. Super. We each swallowed at least 2 plates of pasta (I did 3) and then went to bed. Moment of the day: being greeted by a whole classroom of children as we cycled to Gloucester's town square at lunchtime. Pierre DAY 3 update from Pierre 440 miles in the bag. Day of rest today. Only 145 miles (4000ft of ascent) to Kendal, cycling passed Liverpool etc. This is a flat country (read boring) with lots of roundabouts and drivers in a rush. Weather conditions were again perfect: sunny and a south wind. We travelled at over 16mph as a group all the way up. Today, I developed the art of wheelsucking.

New conversations have emerged in the group: how much food one can eat, body parts becoming numb... more specifically: the rear. One rider has even developed a new skill: applying cream to sensitive parts on the fly. Very handy on the TRAT. There is definitely an English/Scottish/French "thing" going on this ride... with each nation being equally represented at the top of each climb. English TRATters are probably wondering if all Scots speak with a French accent. We have to wait till tomorrow to find out... Bruce offered me a kind present tonight: a 3 amp fuse he found at the bottom of his tool box - "in case you need it if you blow one tomorrow". No such luck my friend. Tomorrow, we are off to Scotland. Pierre DAY 4 update from Pierre Bad news today folks: Neil & I were beaten twice by an Englishman (Bruce!), up the two highest hills: Shap & the climb out of Moffat. We finished together at the top of Shap (just north of Kendal), some say, 4 minutes behind him. Bruce pretends he could have been sooner at the top, had he not had to fix a puncture on the way. Right! Neil & I were delayed too by having to rebuild our wheels... Anyhow, we all played had he time to play a game of chess or two before the rest of contigent arrived, some 20 minutes later... Bishop Simeon Trust has explicitally fordidden any "bonking" amongst the TRAT riders. So as you can imagine, food is high on our agendas. I caught Bruce injecting himself with porridge this morning - a substance banned by the organisers (it enhances performance). Breakfast at 5:30, sausage roll at 8:30, bigmac & chips at 10:30, 3 bowls of soup at Gretna, stuffed bananas (with peanut butter and jam - a south african special) before Moffat at 2:00, cakes at 4:00 and then a huge dinner. None of us can just believe how hungry we always are! Today was testing in many ways (in addition to the physical effort): weather turned awful at Carlisle when we all turned into drowned rats on bikes. This carried on for the best part of the day until Moffat, when miraculously the sun made an apparition and made the countryside look stunning. Just before Broughton, Neil broke his chain and rear derailleur! A bike is not much use without these: I towed him for a few miles to Broughton when we rejoined the group and the support van where an improvised bike swap was organised... We reached our destination at 7:30, some 13 hours after leaving Kendal (not all of that was cycling, I hasten to add). Thankfully the team was great and so was BST support. And hey: we're in Scotland at last, and ready to push on to Aviemore tomorrow. Pierre Day 4 just about over at 10pm. Said goodbye to the Nuns of Levens at about 6am and some tired legs set off the hills. Bruce continues to hold the Polka Dot jersey having seen off the Scots & the French on Shap Fell and the Devil's Beef Tub (nr Moffat). Weather appalling as we departed the grim North of Carlisle, and Scotland welcomed the peloton with more rain and even more HGVs. Riders and bikes still holding up well, but I think the next 2 days are going to be LONG. Team spirit is just fantastic and the support team are treating us like royalty - huge thanks to all Love to Lizzie, Toby & Theo....and if you get a chance some cortisone on arrival at Luton would be fantastic. DAY 5 update (am) from Pierre: Colinton Reunion + Biking Chaos It was SO nice to leave Biggar in the beautiful light this morning, and push through to Edinburgh. There by the side of the road, a whole bunch of people came to support us: my wife Jenny, two daughters Zoe (11, who served us cakes), and the wee one Marie (6, who told me "you're not smelling good, papa...), Ian & Glen, local school children and lots of work colleagues: boss Colin (who surely would look good on a bike), cyclist-to be Gill, two bike nuts Craig & Gemma, who joined us for

a few miles and did some work at the front a little... Great. We were a little late to join then in Colinton as fellow English TRATters kept stopping to enjoy the views. Perhaps they were just tied. As we cycled crossed the Lanark road, Brian and Pam were there too with a gigantic PIERRE sign. Wow! This thing really is turning into a complete bike chaos. 3 of my wheels are doing the trip, Mike is using Andy's bike, and Andy, the other Mike's bike (what is that about?). Wheels keep breaking to bits, chains bursting (all these muscular thighs give them a hard time 9 hours per day), rims bukcling etc. Yesterday, I even wore someone's shorts I discovered in the evening (and he wore mine...). We share gels, sweat, bike oil (also works well as sun cream), tubes etc. This really is team work. We are now in Bridge of Earn, just south of Perth, and about to push on up the road to Aviemore (some 85 miles away I believe - a doddle), when more Athlete Angels are lining up to attend to our muscular bodies. This is the life. Could I ever get tired of it? Pierre

Thursday, 26 June 2008: Jonathan's first entry Fifth day, lunch and I finally get around to making some contribution to the blog. We've been very lucky with the weather, wind behind almost all the way. Been through nearly every emotion since Land's End nevertheless but thanks to my ever cheery disposition I manage to lift everyone's spirits whenever things get tough, and you shouldn't listen to anyone who says any different. Present positions King of the downhill: Sam King of the hills: Me probably, but I let Bruce take the honours on Shap Best old, old timer: Mike Best French cyclist: Pierre just edges it Best Scot after me: Neil Most relaxed (slowest): Chris I'll make up the others later. Mike the race director wants us back on the road. Aviemore calls. Jonathan

DAY 5 pm & DAY 6 am UPDATE from Pierre It took over 10 hopurs of riding yesterday to reach Aviemore: it's some distance from Biggar! A lot of groans and 'ease up' shouts were heard at the back of the peloton - and a lot of other strange noises too (some people seem to be using propulsion engines...). The chips at Kingussie were the fattest ones I have ever seen - and delicious too they were. Last night ''Athletes Angels' were just stunning... Start at 6.30 am this morning - through to Inverness (with a 40mph downhill section). We were overtaken by minis doing LEJOG, tractors doing LEJOG and also a granny cycling LEJOG. Any slower and i'll officially lose my balance. Now at St Andrew's church in Golspie having a fab lunch. We're 75 miles away from target and still feeling great (at least one of us are....) Pierre From Charlotte - day 6 Dear Mum My bum looks like a baboon's backside. Please send large tub of Sudocream to John O'Groats. Love Charlotte XX Sunday, 29 June 2008: DAY 6 pm update from Pierre WE'VE DONE IT! Hurray! We’ve done it. The group crossed the line at John O’Groats just after 8:00pm, having cycled 153 miles since Aviemore. The final 75 miles were just stunning with great weather, tail wind, and clear views over the North Sea. There were some cracking climbs too out of Hemsdale – our last opportunities to chase Bruce at flat-out climbing speed. Loved it. I wish Britain was hillier. BST should really consider a Lands End to John o’Groats that takes in the Alps on the way… After fixing a last minute puncture before Wick (which provided the local midges with an opportunity to have cyclists’ blood for dinner), Neil found some new energy and took a 20 miles turn at the front to bring the excited group to the end of the country. Fewer and fewer “EASE UP” shouts could be heard from Erica (the group public address system – and a great wee lassie!) as even tired riders decided to get a move on. We took our wind jackets off to look good (very important) as a group on the finish line, and cycled through a shower of champagne whilst Hiten’s car stereo blasted Scottish bagpipes music! I am sure I was not alone in shedding a few tears of joy behind my shades. Called Jenny, Mike and texted my friends. Then drank champagne and paused for the obligatory pictures. TRAT 2008 was in the bag. WHAT A RIDE! Britain is actually quite a big country. We stayed at the “famous” Sandra’s budget Backpakers hostel in Thurso – which provided the group with an opportunity for hysterical laughter. Does this place really exist in Scotland? If you are curious about it, go and check it out for yourself! Here are, then, the final stats for the 2008 TRAT: 881 miles cycled, incl 5 miles navigational error at Carlisle (and not even a sore bum) 56 hours 45’ in the saddle – LEJOG could be cycled a lot faster. I’ll try again. 9675 metres of total ascent (equivalent to climbing Mount Everest + 1 Munro, from sea level, in 6 days). 30,000 kcal of energy burnt (by each rider) – the equivalent of 10 marathons, or 14 days of food. Bloody brilliant. I will never forget this ride. And all the children it will have helped in South Africa. Pierre