Day 14 - Saddle Sores & High Fives. The final leg(s)
/We woke up nice and early so we could pack up our tents and bikes before getting our prepaid breakfasts in the awesome Pizza Bar Hut at the Eden Project YHA. Some of us were tired after an uncomfortable nights sleep on a fully deflated camping mattress (yes in still banging on about that) Becky on the other hand, had woken up feeling refreshed, optimistic and ready to get going. It was so nice to pack up completely dry tents from no rain or condensation. We headed for breakfast where I ate all the pastries and drank 4 cups of coffee to try and get the motivation to get changed and get going! It worked, ever so slightly. My head was saying go, but my legs, arms and ass where saying HELL NO.
We headed out from the YHA n fairly good weather. Not much wind and just light cloud cover. Perfect cycling weather.
The first 20-25 miles flew by and having that half day off the day before really helped my legs tackle the first few monster hills. We smashed those first few hours with a great pace and good moods. It started raining slightly but it was only light and manageable.
We stopped off to grab some food at what looked like a cyclists cafe. There were only tables outside where people were sitting in the rain but smiling and looking quite dirty. (Thinking back should have read the signs) most of the people in the cafe where either father and sons or middle-aged men all out on mountain bikes.
We coffee, tea, lunch and cake before heading back out into the now HEAVY rain. All our stuff on our bikes were soaked so we figured it was best to crack on.
As soon as we turned right out of the cafe. Our sat nav decided to take us on a mountain bike track. And I'm not talking about something like the Wirral way on a wet day. This was an old mine /quarry. With small cliffs to jump down. We even went over what looked like a copper river. The colour of rusty water!! I'm sure you can imagine our faces and the faces of passers-by when they saw a couple on cycle cross bikes, fully loaded with saddle, frame and handlebar bags, soaked through to the bone and cycling down a mountain bike track!!
Eventually, we came back out onto a B Road and a hill. I have never been so happy to see a hill or tarmac in my life!! If it wasn't pissing it down, if have kissed the floor.
We carried on cycling up and down, up and down and up and down. The weather got worse and the rain came down hard. It was so cold and so wet. It was hands down the most rain we had, had the whole trip!! Nothing was dry and I was worried my phone was going to break as my waterproof had given up on like and refrained from doing its one job!!
Not too long after all the dramas we arrived in Penzance. This meant we were SO close to the finish. I remembered looking at the map and to get out of Penzance you have a hella lotta hills. This was made worse by the biggest downpour of the day. Up and up we went, with all the leftover energy we had. Feeling each and every stroke on the pedals in our sore ankles, feet and muscles. Powering on through the pain and up the hills at what we thought was a record speed. We finally got to the top of the hills and onto flat ground. 4 miles to go. Our pace quickened as did the rain. Down the A roads, Through the Broads. 2 miles to go. In the low visibility, we could just make out the Lands End Hotel in the distance. Faster and faster we peddled down the last slope till we were a mile from the end. The finish was on a slight decent so we rolled side by side doing cars waiting to get in the car park and down the centre stretch to the two stone pillars that said finish! We shared an emotional rolling high five as we rolled past the pillars and cycled through the little shop village to the Lands End signpost. Soaked to the bone we had our photograph taken with the custom displayed sign (JS&BW JOGLE 2019)
After taking a good few photos both professional and on our phones we headed into the hotel lobby where we signed the End to End history ledger and then walked through to the bar area. We both sat down, cheers each other and dreaded the fact we had to get back out and cycle 5 miles to our accommodation for the next two nights.
While sitting with a beer and talking over the adventure. It both felt like it was only yesterday we were in Scotland while it also felt like it was 10 years ago. It's been an emotional adventure and has all come down to this. Us both, cold, soaking wet, sat in a bar in the middle of nowhere. With nothing to show for it other than amazing life long memories, that only we will share and the pain in our bodies that feels like it will last forever.
After we finished our obligatory pint, we headed off out, into the now cloudy but windy weather and headed along the coast to our accommodation in St. Just. While cycling it was time to reflect the big ride we'd just completed. I was hit with an overwhelming feeling of sadness. The adventure was over. The challenge was completed and I would have to go home and slide back into the rat race of life.
What I can wholeheartedly say is that there are so many beautiful places in this country and nearly every single one of them is filled with amazing, happy and generous people. The people and the scenery made this trip so amazing for us both. Even now, as in writing this blog post, I'm finding it hard to accept the adventure is over and we have to just come home. I guess this means we just have to think of our next big adventure/challenge.
We arrived at our hotel for the night, got a very hot shower and went out into St. Just to find some food. We had another celebratory beer with our food and headed back to the hotel. We must have been asleep by 10 pm.
I think we both can firmly say that after this trip we won't look at our own lives the same way, a challenge the same way or even our working lives the same. I look forward to the next adventure and sharing it with another blog again in the future!
John O Groats 10/06/19 07:32 am
Lands End 23/06/19 15:22 pm
We cycled a total of 1002.8 miles in 82 hours and 30 minutes of moving time. We ate and burnt over 74,200 calories. We smiled for about 12 days and laughed for 13. We swore for the equivalent of 4 days straight but we made memories that will last a lifetime.
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