LEJOGLE 2021

Getting to Land’s End

The journey by train to Penzance was uneventful, as was the 10 mile cycle to the YHA hostel in St Just.

After checking in, I checked my kit for a while and had a fabulous in-house pizza. Then an early night as I was up at 5:30am.

In the morning I put the bags on the bike, cycled the 6 miles to Land’s End, took the obligatory photo next to the sign, and set off at 7am as planned.

Clockwork.

Leg 1 Lands End to Carlisle

7am Sunday to 7:15pm Monday (36 hours, 15 mins)

https://www.strava.com/activities/5691561062

I enjoyed the 10 miles to Penzance in rolling hills. Then, after Penzance, the A30 turned into dual carriageway, though the traffic wasn’t too bad at 8am on a Sunday morning.

I had a tailwind and was fresh so the first 110 miles flew by to Exeter. I was really impressed when I came across a lane closure road works as there were signs to say it was dangerous for cyclists. I followed specific cycling diversion signs for a couple of miles to the other side. It gave me encouragement that other people actually cycled down the A30. Traffic got busier nearer Exeter and I felt quite exposed as the trucks thundered by.

After a busy interchange I was in and through the city. My mudguards were already rattling and I found that one of the screws had loosened. I tightened it up and then put tape around to keep it tight. The fix lasted the whole ride.

The next section followed familiar B roads to Taunton, where I restocked at the 24hr filling station. It was there that I discovered I still had the hostel room key in my back pocket. I’d forgotten to put it in the box! Oh well, I’d have to carry it with me and hand it back on my return.

The busy A38 to Bristol was fairly uneventful. I stopped to take a picture of the Clifton Bridge and then skirted around the city centre to avoid much of the congestion and traffic lights.

Then quickly through to Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Worcester and Kidderminster. The A38 was closed in Gloucester for overnight roadworks and the diversion signs were poor, so I had to backtrack a couple of times and pick my way around side streets to the other side, where I re-joined the A38. Tewkesbury still had a few pub goers about on a Sunday night but not many. Wolverhampton was quiet in the early hours and I was quickly through.

Although I was capable of riding through the first night, I thought it would be prudent to sleep for a while. It was around 3am when I spotted a pub on the outskirts of a town with tables out of view of the road. Perfect. I put on my puffer jacket to keep warm, set my alarm for 90 mins, lay on a bench and went straight to sleep. I awoke after 45 mins and decided to get up and carry on. I could make up the difference in sleep when I got to Carlisle.

I got to Stoke around 7am and the roads were getting busy but not too bad. I pressed quickly through the dual carriageways to the A50. The A50 was a lot quieter than expected and was actually a pleasure to cycle on after Stoke. I soon reached the built up areas around Warrington. Progress was slow through Warrington, Wigan and Preston with many traffic lights. The constant clipping in and out of the pedals was beginning to take it’s toll on my knee. 

The weather was also on my mind. Although it had been kind so far with a gentle tail wind, I knew that rain was forecast from Carlisle for several days. I had intended to stay at a hotel in Carlisle, bivvy for a couple of nights and then return to the same hotel in Carlisle. I stopped to restock in Preston and looked at the forecast. It was bad. Storms around Inverness and beyond during the nights so sleeping out in the open ceased to be an option. I sat down on the petrol station forecourt and booked a Travelodge in Inverness for two nights. Happy with my decision, I set off again up the A6.

Through Lancaster and Carnforth I was slowing a bit and began to feel tired. My moving pace was still solid but I kept finding excuses to stop and twiddle with things. After my stop at Kendal for a can of coffee I perked up a bit and was up and over Shap in good time. The long downhill down to Penrith was great, but I hit roadworks coming into Penrith with a mile or so of slow moving traffic. I made quicker progress than the cars, but still not as fast as I wanted.

The deceptively hilly section of A6 between Penrith and Carlisle was a slog and I stopped at the truckers service station coming into Carlisle to make sure I had enough provisions for an early morning start.

When I arrived at the Premier Inn, I saw that the Subway was still open, so ordered a footlong Steak and Cheese and a packet of Dorito’s to eat in my room. The room had a fault with the heating, which made it unbearably warm. However, I had no energy to complain and, after a quick shower, went straight to sleep.

Leg 2 Carlisle to Inverness (247.4 miles)

1am Tuesday to 8pm Tuesday (19 hours)

https://www.strava.com/activities/5702917628

Up at 12:30am and off at 1am. I got 200 metres down the road and realised that I still had the room key in my pocket (again!). I went back, popped it in the box, and set off again.

There were a few trucks on the road around the M6 Truck Stop but not many. I was overtaken by a couple of tractors pulling large loads on the way to Gretna. I had no idea why they were working in the middle of night, but I’ve long since stopped being surprised by what happens on the roads at night.

The M74 to Abington Services was almost deserted. It had been a long hard slog, slightly uphill all the way. I was ready for breakfast and enjoyed a chicken and bacon sandwich meal deal and cold coffee in a can.

The next stretch across the hills to Kirkliston is always tough because it is exposed and constantly up and down. It didn’t disappoint, especially as the wind was swirling about. I had the added pleasure of rush hour traffic to contend with.

Eventually I reached the Forth Road Bridge, which is always a highlight on any trip. When I lived in Rosyth, I had the pleasure of commuting over the bridge every day and the views are always amazing. Even better now that the main traffic goes over the new motorway bridge. I stopped to take a picture.

I loved the next stretch to Perth on familiar roads through Inverkeithing, Kinross and Bridge of Earn. Perth was busy and I was held up again by traffic lights. Eventually I was through and onto the busy A9.

The A9 was a nightmare. Dual carriageway with a narrow run-off strip that was punctuated by cracked drains, which forced me onto the main carriageway at regular intervals. The main carriageway was busy with cars and trucks flying by. Then it got worse. One lane was closed due to road works (although I never saw any actual road works), and I added dodging around cones, in and out of the carriageway, to my list of worries.

It was too much, and I spotted a half built cycle track that led me to a quieter B road. This route was hillier but far safer. I rejoined the A9 for a while after the road works to Pitlochry and then followed the beautiful roads through Pitlochry and Blair Athol. I treated myself to a cinnamon bun at the fuel station in Pitlochry in addition to my usual meal deal. I had decided to take the cycle path over Drumochter Pass rather than rejoin the A9, and luckily had my end to end route from 2014 available. I loaded it up.

When I joined the cycle path shortly after Blair Athol I was hit by the tranquillity of my surroundings. The surface was smooth new tarmac through beautiful woods with a bubbling stream flowing beside me. All was quiet save for the birdsong. The contrast to the busy roads of the last two days hit me and I welled up, choked back a sob, and let the stress drain away.

The majority of the path over Drumochter was well surfaced and fairly fast. Not as flat as the A9 but that was a small sacrifice. The top went on for a while and then I took the well surfaced old road down past the Dalwhinnie Distillery and back onto the A9 nearer the bottom for a fast downhill section before turning off again at Newtonmore, back on my planned route through Kingussie and Aviemore along the A86.

The rain had held off all day, but when I got to Drumochter Pass I could see the storm clouds ahead and the air felt heavy and foreboding. I passed a bike packer busily pitching their tent. “It’s going to rain”, he said. “I know”, I replied.

I was halfway down the pass when it started, light rain at first, but gradually heavier waves of showers. By the time I got to Kingussie I was soaked, so I stopped in a bus shelter to put on my leg warmers. It was in the next ten miles to Aviemore that I got the worst of it.

Lighning lit up the sky, thunder boomed, and the rain hammered down, bouncing off the roads and creating instant flooding. I carried on as best I could, trying to avoid the worst of the flooding and the hidden potholes. At one point my feet were completely submerged and the flood water was up to my axles. I just kept peddling through the torrent, getting colder and colder. It carried on for nearly an hour before the rain started to ease just before Aviemore.

I stopped at the fuel station in Aviemore and was shivering. I took off my rain jacket and put on my dry puffer jacket, walked into the shop, and discovered their air conditioning was on full blast. It was colder inside than outside! But joy of joys, they had a heated food counter where I bought a sausage sandwich. It was the best sausage sandwich I’ve ever had. After a couple of conversations with interested motorists about the way ahead (“you’re going to Inverness in this weather???”, “along the main road???”), there was a break in the showers. I stowed my duvet jacket, put on my sodden rain jacket and set off.

Back on the A9 from Aviemore to Inverness, I started to warm up in the breaks between the showers. The heavy showers gave way to solid but more gentle rain on the road down to Inverness. Although some trucks were still thundering by, the traffic began to ease in the early evening as I rolled down the hill into Inverness. I was really pleased that I had taken the time to book the Travelodge. After a quick stop at a Tesco fuel station for some sandwiches, I got to the hotel around 8pm, had a shower, hung everything up to dry, set my alarm, ate my sandwiches and fell asleep. It was good to be warm and dry.

Leg 3 Inverness – JOG – Inverness (252.5 miles)

2:15am Wednesday to 10pm Wednesday (19 hours, 45 mins)

https://www.strava.com/activities/5702905836

It was dark, raining and foggy when I set off, so I decided the A9 was a particularly bad idea. After a couple of missed turns, I got on to the cycle path across the Kessock Bridge, and followed A roads (quiet in the middle of the night) through Dingwall, Evanton and Alness, then a hilly B road to Tain. I felt ok, but it continued to shower on and off through the night. It was light by the time I reached Tain and was happy to be back on the A9 over the Cromarty Bridge. There was a bit of a headwind, but not too strong.

I knew the co-ops didn’t open until 7am, but passed a Nisa in Golspie at 6:15am that advertised being open from 6. I was ready for a coffee, but when I stopped and peered inside, the assistant told me they don’t open until 6:30am. I thought about doing my “do you know what I’ve been through to get here” speech, but knew it wouldn’t do any good so I carried on through Brora to Helmsdale, where the Spar was open.

It was a nice local store and my All Day Breakfast sandwich, banana and can of coffee went down well. I set off up the hill from Helmsdale into the mist, and didn’t come out of it until I got back to Helmsdale later. Caithness was a miserable wet place that day.

It was tough going in the hills and against the wind to Wick, which got worse after Wick as it rained more solidly. When I stopped at the Tesco fuel station in Wick, a motorist complimented me on my visibility, which I was pleased about. I felt in need of a boost, so I bought one, along with a chocolate milkshake. However, this was a mistake as 20 mins later I went into a cold hypo-glycaemic sweat and had to stop to eat a porridge bar to balance off my sugar levels. I carried on, but felt awful while my metabolism righted itself. These are the times I wish I had a nutritionist following me in a car (along with a mechanic, masseuse and social media manager). I can dream can’t I?

On into the cold wet dreary mist and rain to John O’Groats I went, the headwind and constant hills grinding me down. It was only the thought of reaching the turnaround point that kept me going.

John O’Groats was busy. The car park was full and there was a queue for the sign in the mist. I joined the queue with my bike, awaited my turn and then took the obligatory picture of bike and sign. Someone offered to take my photo, which I gratefully accepted. Then I left everyone to it and set off back into the mist.

The tail wind was a welcome relief and I was back at Wick in no time. The mist and showers stayed with me until Helmsdale, where it started to brighten up a bit. By the time I got back to Tain, I felt able to tackle the early evening A9 back to Inverness, but the surface was poor on the runoff, which sometimes extended across the whole carriageway, and once again I didn’t feel safe enough. I came off at Alness and followed the 2014 route back to Inverness. Again a bit hillier, but safer.

It was looking like I would easily make the Tesco filling station before it closed at 10, but coming off the bridge in the rain, I took a wrong turn and ended up at the wrong roundabout. Back onto the A9 I went and came off half a mile further on. Arriving at Tesco at 9:55, they were just cashing up. “are you still open” I asked. “Yes if you are quick” came the reply. I never felt more grateful for a day old chicken and bacon sandwich and some cereal bars. A few minutes later I was back in the hotel.

Leg 4 Inverness to Carlisle (261.5 miles)

3:50am Thursday to 1:30am Friday (21 hours, 40 mins)

https://www.strava.com/activities/5719169158

Again, wanting to avoid the busy part of the A9 in the rain at night, I started along the Millennium Cycle Route through Inverness and then onto small hilly lanes. After a few miles, it intersected with the A9, which looked quiet, and it was now light, so I ploughed a fast 10 miles to Aviemore, and on to Kingussie and Newtonmore. I was making good progress.

I opted for the cycle path over Drumochter again and was back in Pitlochry in no time. After a quick pit stop at the fuel station, I stuck to the small lanes of the cycle route up the side of the valley. It had stopped raining and I took the opportunity to dry my socks on the aerobars while cycling in bare feet. My feet had been wet for days and it was worth the effort. I really enjoyed the quiet roads and fine weather that morning.

After a bit of faffing about on cycle paths in Perth, I was back on route. I was climbing the hill on the far side of the city when I noticed that the creaking in my drive train had got worse. I’m used to a certain amount of noise from the bottom bracket cups as it is a ‘feature’ of the Cannondale cranks, but this was something else. I dismounted and checked the back wheel. It was loose and I could rock it from side to side, which meant that the cones that hold the bearings in place were loose. I tried to tighten it with my multitool, but discovered that the tool wouldn’t fit without taking the disc rotor off, which I didn’t have the tools for! Ok, I thought, there’s a bike shop in Kinross in 10 miles. So I started off down the hill, only to second guess myself a mile further on. Would it be open? Is it even there any more? It had been nearly 10 years since I lived around here.

I checked on google and couldn’t find the shop in Kinross, but found a suitable alternative back in Perth. I decided to go with the safer option and backtrack the 3 miles to Perth. Cursing my poor decision making I climbed back up and over the steep hill, I made my way through the busy Perth streets once again. It didn’t take too long to find JM Richards Cycles.

I explained my situation to the mechanic and he said they could look at it straight away. Wheeling it round to back of the shop, I must have looked really stressed by the time slipping away. Off came the wheel and a quick examination revealed that the drive side bearings had completely disintegrated. While the mechanic set about replacing them, I wondered how it could have happened. I thought it was rolling fine before I started, but hadn’t checked the wheel during the ride. The wheel had been in the shed since TCR in 2019 and I had only put in on the week before LEJOGLE. I remembered it had been a bit stiff at first, but eased off well, so one of the bearings must have corroded, which gradually disintegrated the rest of the bearings over the previous 1,100 miles, probably hastened by the floods. How much extra effort had I needed because of the state of the bearings?? I was still on target so no point in worrying.

Then the wheel was done, back on the bike, and rolling smoothly. I thanked the mechanics and was on my way. The whole incident had cost me about 90 mins. I have nothing but praise for the guys at Richards Cycles. A top quality job, super quick. Thanks for keeping me on the road.

Through Perth and Cowdenbeath the head wind started picking up, which slowed me down. Across the bridge again, I stopped for quick photo and then picked my way through the busy rush hour traffic through Newbridge.

I took the steep climbs up to the plateau above Edinburgh very steadily. I was beginning to get quite tired. The next section along the A70 was horrible, with a stong headwind, no shelter and rolling hills all the way to Abington Services. It went on forever.

It was showering again by the time I reached Abington, and I stopped for a quick recharge before continuing. The next 50 miles went on and on along the poorly surfaced A roads to Gretna Services. Although it was mostly downhill, there was a headwind and the showers kept coming. I rotated between the drops, hoods and aerobars, in and out of the saddle, to keep my mind of the discomfort in the saddle area. The dreary twilight gave way to darkness. On I went – my only focus was on getting to the Premier Inn at Carlisle, and a warm bed.

I stocked up on supplies at the Gretna Services filling station and covered the remaining 8 miles to the hotel. After a quick shower and chain lube, I gratefully sank into bed. It had been a tough day.

Leg 5 Carlisle to Lands End (477.5 miles)

6:40am Friday to 11:55pm Saturday (41 hours, 16 mins)

https://www.strava.com/activities/5719164224

Ok. Last leg. Still on target to finish in a week. Bike working fine. Body and mind still functioning. Let’s do this!!!

It was light for a change when I set off. I steadily picked off the rolling hills between Carlisle and Penrith and then hit the long slow drag up to Shap. Straightforward, but it was raining again. Miraculously it stopped raining at the top, which allowed me a faster downhill run all the way to Kendal. I negotiated the busy dual carriageways after Kendal and back on to the A6, which stayed busy. The rain started to clear, as expected, through the morning, and the sun made an appearance once or twice.

On I ploughed through Lancaster and stopped at Garstang for provisions before the busy, built up stretch from Preston. The filling station had a large M&S Simply Food attached and I was overwhelmed with choice. I did my usual supermarket thing of wondering round in circles looking for inspiration, before telling myself to get on with it. I ended up with the usual sandwich and cereal bar combination, but they were exceptionally nice cereal bars.

I made progress as best I could though Preston, Wigan and Warrington. Lots of traffic lights and busy dual carriageways. I was mentally tired by the time I reached the M6 Lymm Truck Services and I took a break. Dawdling longer so that I would miss Friday rush hour through Stoke-on-Trent. The A50 was again a welcome change, not nearly as busy as the other roads. I hit Stoke at about 6:30pm, and the Friday traffic had eased, allowing me a safer passage through. Then onto Stone and Stafford where a surprise awaited me.

I came off a roundabout to see flashes ahead of me, which I quickly realised was a camera. “What the …” I thought, before realising it must be Alan. Alan Smith, a Bicester clubmate now residing in Staffordshire, had offered to be on hand around this area should I need it. He had been watching my progress and had come out to wave me on. I stopped for a few moments and we exchanged a few words. It was just nice to have contact with someone and to see a friendly face, no matter how brief. Thanks for turning out Alan, and sorry I wasn’t more photogenic.

On through a quiet evening in Wolverhampton, past Molineux Stadium, and through to Kidderminster and Worcester. I was still making steady progress and the light headwind didn’t seem to having much impact. It was showering again, on and off.

It was past midnight and I was tired and needed to sleep. I thought I’d see if there was anywhere around Tewkesbury for a quick nap. I spotted a car wash with desk chairs on the forecourt. Perfect. I sat down and closed my eyes, but was awake again after a few minutes and decided to push on. I’m not sure why.

Around 2:30am I hit Gloucester and decided to have another go. There was a bench in the middle of a small park away from the road with the ruins of St Oswald’s Priory in the centre. I lay down on the bench and was just drifting off when a short light rain shower hit. It must have lasted less than a minute, but it was disconcerting. I was drifting off for a second time when a young man wondered through the park, muttering to himself and dropping his phone. He carried on by. Then came retching sounds from the direction of the Priory. I couldn’t see the owner, but clearly it had been a wild Friday night out in Gloucester. I cut my losses, turned my lights back on and carried on.

There was a 24hr McDonalds the other side of Gloucester and I circled the roundabout twice to see if there was anywhere suitable to sleep, but a couple of lads sat at the outside tables and it didn’t look safe, so I carried on.

Out of Gloucester, a little further up the A38, I found a bus shelter with a nice bench. On went the puffer jacket and I set my alarm for 90 mins. I woke up after 45 mins, but mindful that I wanted to make it all the way to Land’s End without sleeping again, I went back to sleep to get the full 90 mins. Dawn was breaking when I set off. One final push to the end.

I stopped for a can of coffee and a sandwich just before Bristol and then pushed on through the city. Not too busy in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The big hill up to Bristol Airport beyond the city was a struggle, and the road was getting busy with traffic. More hills followed on the way to Bridgwater and the surface around and through Bridgewater was absolutely terrible, slowing me down and jarring my body to mush. Saturday morning traffic through Taunton was bad, but the roads were quieter from there through to Exeter, and I saw other End to Enders coming the other way.

I didn’t fancy the busy interchange at the start of the A30 in the Saturday lunchtime, summer holiday traffic, so I took the hillier route for the first 5 miles or so and joined further up. Boy the A30 was busy. A constant stream of cars, caravans and trucks in both lanes of the dual carriageway. I kept to the run off strip as best I could, but sometimes the bushes and branches made it impossible. the first grinding uphill section to Okehampton went on forever, followed by a long descent, dodging the drain covers, followed by a long grinding ascent again. This pattern went on and on. No scenery, no tranquillity, just dual carriageway filled with vehicles. The road became quieter as the afternoon wore on and I began to venture onto the carriageway on the down hill sections, which were fast.

On and on over Bodmin Moor I went, stopping at Cornwall Services more for a mental break than the supplies. At Three Burrows the road split and became quieter. The dual carriageway down into Penzance was almost deserted in the evening and I made it to the Morrisons filling station on the outskirts of Penzance just before it closed at 10pm. I stocked up on cereal bars, drank a can of coffee and got straight off. All I wanted to do was get to the end.

It was now dark and was raining, but only 10 miles to go! I was feeling solid. Tired but not too tired. Still able to climb in and out of the saddle. Grinding through the miles. I was focussed on finishing before midnight. Then disaster struck.

I was 5 miles from the finish when a badger ran out from the undergrowth on the left, straight across the road. I swerved but couldn’t avoid hitting it’s rear quarters and I came down hard on my right hand side. When I picked myself up, the badger had gone, and I retrieved my phone from the road where it had fallen. Luckily it was undamaged. It was 11:30pm and there were no cars around. My first thought was that Jenny would be worried to see my satellite dot stationary so near to the finish, so I sat in the road and called her to let her know I was ok, but slightly delayed. Then I checked the bike. Both wheels were fine and I put the chain back on. One of the shifters was slightly skewed but ok. My arm was painful but I could grip, brake and change gear.

I mounted and rode gingerly to the finish. As I rode through the Land’s End tourist village a wave of relief came over me. Not the ecstatic joy I’d imagined, just relief that it was over. I found the sign and took the photos quickly in the dark and rain. Job done.

Getting home

It was midnight, but there were lights on in the Lands End Hotel, so I thought I’d pop in and ask if I could check myself over in the dry and light. The night receptionist was expecting late guests, and was happy to help. She went to search for an ice pack for my arm but couldn’t find anything suitable, so we just left it. I had a wash to clean myself up a bit and enquired about a room. At over £200 for the night, it would have been a tricky decision, but the computer said there was no availability, so that was that. The receptionist was kind enough to let me sleep for a few hours in a chair in reception.

I didn’t want to outstay my welcome or get the receptionist into trouble, so I left at 4am, shortly before dawn, heading for Penzance station. My arm had swollen badly, but I could still grip, so I picked my way slowly through the hills to Penzance Station, arriving shortly after 5am on the Sunday morning. It wasn’t open.

Checking the trains, I saw that the first one was at 8:15, which changed at Birmingham so I wouldn’t have to ride through London. I sat down and waited until the station opened at 7:30am. However, when I tried to board the train, the train manager wouldn’t let me on without a bike reservation. I’d already tried to do this via the website, my GWR account and the ticket machine, but nothing gave me the option. “You have to do it through the ticket office”, she said. “But the ticket office doesn’t open until 8:45am” I replied. Despite all my best efforts at looking helpless, she wouldn’t budge. There were at least 6 bike spaces on the train, but no bikes. I watched forlornly as the train pulled out of the station at 8:15am sharp.

I waited for the ticket office to open at 8:45am and booked a bike space on the 9:15am train. This train, however, necessitated a change in London between Paddington and Euston. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it I thought. Penzance Station had no shop, and nothing else near it was open, so I was rationing my last two cereal bars.

I boarded the train, manhandled the bike onto a carrier and sank gratefully into a seat. On my way home at last. After a couple of hours the catering trolley came through, but they had no hot drinks or sandwiches. I bought a packet of crisps and a can of coke. I certainly will not be recommending GWR after this.

I got off the train at Paddington and made my way painfully through the London traffic. It was only 2.5 miles to Euston, but every traffic light stop sent pain shooting through my arm. Starting off from one traffic light I missed the pedal clip-in and turned the air blue at the resulting jar to my arm.

After what seemed like an eternity, I arrive at Euston. The Avanti staff were efficient and professional. Guiding me to the bike store at the front of the train, making sure they knew where I was getting off and letting me know what would happen when we got there. Night and day from my GWR experience. Sure enough, I was reunited with my bike at Milton Keynes.

I couldn’t face a trip to A&E straight away, even though Jenny wanted me to, but she took me the following day. The x-ray revealed a broken elbow bone.

Overall Thoughts

• The ride was all about picking the shortest route to complete it in the quickest time. This meant that I was on busy roads with poor surfaces most of the time, which required mental focus on a scale I’ve never before experienced. It was certainly not a ride to enjoy while doing it.
• My strategy of keeping a solid average pace of 14.5mph, minimising stops but getting sleep every night paid off. My target was to be moving 75% of the time, and I achieved 73%. I felt this was sustainable and at no point was I dangerously tired.
• The weather was miserable.
• Once again the support I received from friends and family via social media was a massive boost. I was out there on my own, but never felt alone. I drew enormous mental strength from the words of encouragement I saw.
• I averaged over 250 miles per day for nearly 7 days, solo and completely self-supported, carrying all my gear and without outside help. This was my best performance to date. I did it in 6 days, 17 hours, less than a day outside the world record of 5 days, 18 hours, which was set on a supported basis, i.e. nothing to carry, cars with flashing lights following you so you can ride in the middle of the carriageway on the good surface, a change of shorts whenever you need it and a bed on tap. People often ask me why I do these rides. The answer is simple – I’m quite proud of what I have achieved.

Thanks

• Thanks to Michelle Lee for her help with the route
• Thanks to Pierre Scrase (A1 Cycleworks) for the DI2 and the hot wax chain, both of which worked a treat
• Thanks to JM Richards Cycles in Perth for the new wheel bearings, fitted expertly in super quick time
• Thanks to Paul Mabley for keeping me company and providing advice during the long hours of training
• Thanks to everyone for their support on social media and for watching my satellite tracker dot. Special thanks to Dom Allkins, Richard Davies, Ian Marshall, Sara Manwaring, Abbie Howson and Alan Smith for their kind words and posts of encouragement.
• Most of all, thanks to my wife, Jenny, without whom none of this matters. The voice of encouragement inside my head is your voice, and you are with me every step of the way.

Stats

• 1,720 miles (2,767 km)
• 76,865 ft (23,428m) vertical gain
• Moving Ave 14.64 mph
• Overall Ave 10.68 mph
• Total time 6 days, 17 hours (161 hours)
• Moving 117.5 hours (73% of total)
• Stopped 43.5 hours (27% of total)
• Sleep approx 17 hours