40 - 35 Back home

Before leaving Jura for the 14 hour journey back on Thursday, I crammed a couple more rides in, clocking up a further 37 miles including another Lagg.

I also did a spot of fishing of the rocks at Lagg and caught a load of pollocks, one of which was so big I was able to give it to a neighbour for their supper.


Having done all this cycling, I thought, as I sat down on the MV Finlaggan for the two hour crossing back to Kennacraig, that, after all, I really deserved one of these:

Thankfully I laid off the beans.

It was back to London after eating a wee bit too much on the virgin cheap superclass fare I found
that, in spite of cycling 159 miles up in Scotland I had weighed in at 14 7. After some frantic riding including 74.5 today, This is down to 14 again.

Today's ride took in the hills that will be used for Ride100. They weren't the actual ones as they are being manufactured in a factory in Chesterfield.
The hills are not lung busting as there would be considerable congestion if half the riders got of and walked. Leith Hill was the one I needed to check out but it was the hillage south out of Shere that were hardest. Box Hill seemed lame after those. I zipped up its world renowned zigzags.

Thanks Chris, down there at FGW, for your support.

Total for the week: 193 miles

41 Port Elllen

Each week I ought to do a ride 60% of the distance of ;The Ride' - 60 miles. So, having scrutinized the weather  - particularly the wind - I left the the training camp/bungalow at 07.15 to catch the wee ferry at Feolin,8 miles around the southern end of the island. This took me into a headwind but I managed it in 45 minutes. I then dd a loop on Islay, starting at the 25% hairpin out of Port Askaig, then 40 miles to Port Ellen and back. Apart from that one hill, Islay is pretty flat by Scottish standards, but the wind was in my face and made up for the low hillage.

60 miles

42 Lagg II

Yesterday's ride to Lagg was so totally exhilarating that I decided to do it again today. I fiddled with the gears to give me chance on the big hill but then committed a schoolboy error. Sufficiently beguiled by the bright sun and patchy clouds, I bungled it by not looking over my shoulder where I would have seen rain clouds lurking over the Paps like the darkest of shadows in the darkest of nights. I made it to Lagg and beyond, up the 13% hill then rode back in a deluge.
It is my intention ride to Port Ellen and back on Monday. The weather has remains nasty with a gale.

Week: 
67 miles on the bike
5 run.

43 Lagg

Small Isles bay from the pier

Just beyond the back of beyond is Lagg and beyond Lagg is another world - one of timeless nothingness. There is a big hill in Lagg, the gateway to the northern expanses that neither the bike nor I can get up. Lagg possesses very little else, though, at one time, a ferry called in from the mainland. 

















Now, apart from the disused quay, it is home to a phone box. 

The local coin-op

This was a 17 mile there-and-back from Craighouse: 1hr 12min.

48 - 44 Jura

Take the casual sleeper from Euston and arrive at 07.30 in Glasgow. Hop onto the 926 from Buchanan Street Bus Station that, once it has left the hideous environs of Glasgow, spends two hours trundling through stunning scenery along Loch Lomond, Loch Long, and Loch Fyne to Kennacraig, on the way passing over the breathtaking Rest and Be Thankful pass. Enjoy two hours crossing over to Islay on a Calmac ferry before nipping over the Sound of Jura on the wee blue ferry.

Down to business. I have to fight the urge to eat stodge and drink beer then tackle Jura's wondrous single track - and only - road.

55-49 Ton up

...For the week, not in one day. It has been a week getting over the effects of the wedding - mainly getting the weight back down. This was not helped by these:

or, for variety, I had some of these as well.

After several weeks of training, hills are becoming easier and the muscles are toned up. I will resist the temptation to wax my legs  - apparently this adds 20 mph to your average speed, though I may have got that wrong.

I did two laps of Hampstead Heath then two of RP 25 miles in all - but lost the Strava ride file so had to do it all again the next day. Boys with toys.

Back up to to Scotland this week where the biggest challenge is not eating one of these:

I will be cycling back and forth along the island's one road.

105 miles

Weight 14 0

58 - 56 BBC weather provided by ebay

The BBC's weather forecast on Tuesday promised three days of brilliant sunshine and a balmy 20 degrees fro the weekend. I have just got back from a training ride to Windsor having had my timbers well and truly shivered. A grey, gloomy morning spent tackling a chilly North Easterly. The BBC bungled it!


The run to Windsor followed the Ride100 route out to Walton before we wound our way along the meandering Thames to The Great Park. I left the guys there and headed east to Hayes and Harlington to get a wee train.

48 miles in total.

76 for the week.

70 - 58 Back in the saddle

Hello,
Beyond half way and thanks to all who have donated.  
I took a week off to take my 87 year old mam to a wedding. This meant travelling to a Scottish island, Jura, then taking a plane back to Glasgow then driving to Pyworthy in West Devon and doing it all in reverse once the fun and games were over - and then returning back from said island once my mam had been delivered back safely. It was well worth the 2300 mile round trip! The happy couple: Ros, my niece, and Pav:

I indulged in a few naughty but nice scones and cream and the odd full English breakfast, well three including two in one go - and the Scottish version. In between there were many dishes that came with chips, though I opted for the curry at the wedding meal.
I got in one run on the island but did a lot of wheelchair pushing and miscellaneous fetching and carrying and the general gathering of nuts and berries, so to speak.
I am already back in the saddle and back on the case.

The weight rallied to approx 14 5, while I managed two 5 mile runs.