Day Fourteen

So what's the big deal with John O'Groats anyway? Is it a big town? A tiny hamlet? Anything to do there? I really didn't know, but I was about to find out.

Our B&B accommodation was very comfortable. After finishing my blog I slept well. An early start was planned for the final leg, with a difficult journey back to Edinburgh there was no time for slip ups. The weather looked clear but not everything was perfect, still some uncertainty about poor Tom. Breakfast wasn't the usual 8 round the table. People slipped in briefly then back to their rooms. This was all understandable - it was early - bodies were aching - people needed to pack one final time.

40 miles lay ahead - this is still a decent length weekend ride for me, its not often i do more than that in a day, but it felt like nothing compared to how far we'd come. A quick glance at a map adorning the wall in the hall and it looked like we had an inch to go, compared to maybe the span of two hands that had already passed. The magnitude of our efforts was laid out before me - I was amazed that we'd made it here, proud of everyone. Just one inch to go!

The night before I'd told Andrew... 'I'm gonna do it. I'm going for the record. I can't resist'. There was a rather impressive hill immediately before our B&B. At this moment in time I was a lowly second in the Ultimate Downhill Racing Top Speed competition (which only existed in my head). I'd clocked 50.2 mph back in Dartmoor and never been able to surpass it. When you don't know the roads its a bit scary going full beans down a hill. There had been one or two opportunities - I'd hit high 40s plenty of times but only 50+ that once. Andrew had clocked 51 point something on a massively wind assisted downhill stretch somewhere in Scotland. This annoyed me greatly. On that particular hill i just cruised down, the cross winds could easily have picked me and Bianca up and dumped us in the middle of the road, or even the ditch. Andrew is a little more robust than I, and on his 'tank' doesn't have so much problems being buffeted by the wind. So anyway... Andrew has the (illegally wind-assisted) record... the route to JOG is pretty flat, the hill before our B&B was the last chance. I was gonna go back, get a nice run up and clock the record........ But the night before I'd found it hard work just walking back from our restaurant. Seriously hard work. Moving round in the morning, packing and loading the car was tough. The legs were like two ironing boards. There was no power there... i reluctantly abandoned the top speed attempt.

The riding to JOG was very pleasant. The coastal route offering pretty views out to the sea. We weren't exactly bathed in sunshine but it was bright and there was more blue in the sky than white. A single convenience stop on the way is all that held us up. Tom was riding well. Caning it at the front with Andrew. Just one half decent hill on the route almost at the end. At the bottom i figured if this is the last hill, I'm gonna make the most of it. I surged forwards and powered to the top. At the summit i could see the coast to the North for the first time. Wow, that felt good. So good that i called my Mum to tell her I'd done it. I had about 10 minutes to myself. Turns out the others had stopped half way up the hill to pose for photos by the 'John O'Groats - 3 miles' sign. Typical. In all the photos of the last few days, there's no sign of me because I'm too far off the front!

We hung together from then on. Except for Yorky who seemed to think he could roll the whole way. I don't think he managed it. Never did understand that guy. Shortly after the hill there was a worn graffitied sign proclaiming 'John O'Groats'. BIG smiles all round - we all got together for photo opportunities. And onwards to the coast....

The very moment we got to the sign, there was another bunch of cyclists heading out in the opposite direction. There was no time to stop and chat, but it was easy to work out what everyone was up to. "Well done, lads", they shouted... "Have a great trip!", i replied. It was like passing the baton on to someone else. Whilst our feat was quite incredible, it wasn't unique. There's an endless line of cyclists riding the same route... South to North... North to South, over and over. If feels good to be part of the club.

We rolled down to the coast. Firstly up to Duncansby Head, the most North Easterly point of the UK, so Lizzie tells us. Then into John O'Groats itself, where we meet up with Mary. In a bid to make it to 'the sign' first, Chris manages to crash his bike, about 2 metres from the sign. Don't know who got there first in the end, Yorky i suspect. A photo session followed, and congratulations all round. We had some time to take it all in... i stared north towards the sea, The Orkney Islands clear as day in front of us. I turned round and looked back South West, trying to imagine the distance we'd covered. I'd covered over a thousand miles. Tom will tell you that the official route was 987 or something like that, but I'd been out on rest day. At that moment i felt fine, physically... the next few days were going to be a bit harder!

We had to get back to Edinburgh, and now our group split. A handful in the car and the rest of us got a taxi down to Inverness and a train back to the main City. The taxi and the train easily ate up the miles that we'd covered comparatively slowly over the last few days. From the taxi we saw more cyclists, some arriving, others departing. The train showed us more delights of the Scottish east coast. By the time we got to Edinburgh, the sun had set. We got back to the hotel where the car had already arrived. We drank and ate pizza. We chatted briefly but tiredness sent everyone to bed pretty quickly....

In the morning, Andrew and I got up for a bike ride (!). It was about 6am. Andrew was keen to hit the 1000 mile mark. I know Edinburgh quite well, having been there many times. We had to cover about 14 miles so i gave him a little tour. It was eerily quiet, we almost had the place to ourselves. We did the waterfront, Stockbridge through the city, the Royal Mile, the castle, the Scottish Parliament building and the bottom of Arthur's Seat. All very leisurely, just taking in the sights. By the time we got back to the hotel we had to do a couple laps of the roundabout to get Andrew past 1000!

After breakfast it was time to leave, again, half in the car, half on the train. Those of us on the train walked up to Waverley station, rather than ride. It felt appropriate somehow. There should be no more riding - the journey was done. To ride together now would somehow spoil the feeling. (I should note that Yorky had disappeared somewhere, off taking photos, probably in a bike shop... sigh). I took the time to think about what to do next, in the world of cycling. Not the same again... we should go abroad, avoid the English weather. Maybe from London down to the South coast of Spain. Last night over drinks I'd jokingly mapped out a 3,000 mile route from the West Coast to the East Coast of the States... 3,000 miles? 6 weeks? hmmm maybe that's one for retirement :)

Our train journey passed and the arrival back in London resulted in our little group breaking up. Everyone taking a different route home. There was congratulations all round and promises of a reunion meal. I hit the road for one last time... back to reality! The London streets very different to where we'd been. I had to wait for a bus to move out the way before i could set off... taxis all around... straight into a stream of traffic...

Still, i felt like King Of the Road. I hoped the others did too. I'd ridden the whole country... London was nothing. I ambled round the streets with no particular sense of urgency. Normally I'd be hacking it round as fast as possible, but not today. It was time to take it easy. I actually passed the bike shop where I got Bianca. When i bought the bike, i told them i was going for LEJoG. I thought about popping in to say we'd done it.... but I rolled past, over Blackfriars Bridge and heading East back home.

I have to say a massive thank you to Kim and Mary for giving up a week of their life to support us. Without them we wouldn't have done this at all. Thank you to Lizzie's gran for tea and cakes in Bristol and for reading the blog every day. Thanks to all the friends we met on way, all the messages from back home, it really helped.

And, of course, the biggest thank you is for my fellow riders. I'm so impressed by everyone - this was definitely a team effort, lots of support for each other, no complaints and smiles every day. Only Yorky got pushed off his bike, but he did definitely deserve it. Plenty of drive and determination from everyone. I rode Lands End to John O'Groats and i had a great time doing it, because of you lot :)