The BIG Cycle Challenge: 08/21/13

Day 10 – yes we’ve made it to day 10! – Moffat to Ballach

Today we both woke up feeling great. We’ve made it to Scotland! Just look at the distance we have covered, we’re still amazed with how far we, the unathletic ones have come, still cant believe it.

After the 8.30 am briefing, we setout on the longest day so far some 80 miles, a day described as ‘hard’ that would take us right through the centre of Glasgow. But first the morning was characterised by three things. Firstly wind farms, there were many of them in the rural location we found ourselves in as we did the big hill out of Moffat, bumpy roads and pot holes, and road kill. So let me have a rant. Scottish roads are terrible, the road surface itself is not smooth at all (use more bitumen in your tarmac) and some of the potholes you could turn into swimming pools! Then the repairs. Sometimes the repairs make the surface worse. I can see why most people seem to have 4 X4s up here, after all driving on the roads is like driving off-road! The group got 3 or 4 punctures during the morning. Scotland get it sorted!

The road kill is prolific, again time to wonder, is this because there are more animals in Scotland? - probably Is it because the animals are not very good up here at crossing the roads? - not sure. Is it because Scottish drivers are drving along having to avoid all the potholes and hence hit more fury animals? – I would guess so .

The morning was pretty uneventful and Michaela and I were feeling better than we had at any time during the last 10 days. I think finally we are fit enough to start! So feeling confident I made a call to Melanie, Elle and Dan (our 12 year old) whilst moving along the road (hands free of course!). Dan was very impressed with how far north we were, and again said that he wanted to do the trip. I promised him in a couple of years I’d do it with him – I must be mad…

At lunch we saw Stefan briefly as he left with his little team of ‘athletes’ - he did pause momentarily to say hello. And comment how easy it had been for him. Now flat tyres in the morning is obviously not slowing him down enough, and in addition each evening I have been trying to buy him an extra drink, ‘one for the road Stefan?’ but even this isn’t working. So Liezel (Stefan’s wife), if you are reading I need your help. This situation calls for serious action now. Could you call him, around mid morning tomorrow, with some fictitious domestic crisis, say ‘there’s water pouring through the ceiling!’, and keep him on the phone for around 45 mins? Then maybe the same in the afternoon, say ‘the electric power’s gone off and I don’t know where the fuse box is,!’ – again keep him talking and that should give team Marshall a bit of time to catch up.

During the conversation on the road (apart from how bad the road was) I found out that Jonathon, is and HSE inspector, inspecting any type of lifting equipment around the UK. During the conversation he told stories of how he continued to be amazed at how people continue to take unnecessary risks and wondered why they did that – well as you can imagine this opened up an interesting conversation….

At the centre of Glasgow Michaela’s cousin (another Simon) or should I say Dr Simon, as he is researching at Glasgow University, met us and cycled through the centre of the town before heading back. He pointed out some interesting buildings that have been constructed in Glasgow as it prepares to host the Commonwealth Games shortly. He peeled off heading home and we continued to head north.

As we headed out of Glasgow via its excellent cycle ways that follow the Clyde river, we came across three gregarious Glaswegian women who were struggling to get one of their bikes moving. They were shouting ‘ we need a man!’ (to repair a puncture). We came to their rescue, got the bike sorted and they asked where we’d come from. We told them and they were suitably impressed – ‘We’re just away down the pub and it’s just round the corner!’ They asked us if we were doing it for charity, we told them about The Hunger Project and they offered us a contribution. Another three people enrolled.

As we came into Ballach after cycling 80 miles, we both commented that had been in fact easy and fun, really enjoyable.

For dinner we met up with Lawrie and Veronica Parrett, who live about 10 miles away. I m very pleased to report they are both in very good shape, loving life and working hard on developing their new house in Scotland. It turns out that Veronica has always wanted to do LEJOG on bike and so there were many questions about how it’s been and which is the best bike etc. And you’ve heard it here first, they are both going to do it next year!

Looking forward to the next few days, two days of cycling to Inverness, then two days to the top of Scotland, and then we’ll have to stop. What I wonder will we do to fill our days then?

Is this the first Scottish thistle (national emblem)