Lejog Challenge 2009

Visit to Sheffield Institute Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)

2009-11-03T19:08:00.003Z

Friday 30th October, 2009

(Adam, Jo, Prof Pam Shaw, Briony, Clare & Sandy)

Briony, Jo and Adam with Dr Pam Shaw and her team of researchers at the Sheffield University Medical School. The plaque recognises the extraordinary achievement of the whole Lejog team in raising over £46,000 for MNDA and SITraN. The money will be used to fund vital research into understanding MNDA, which will hopefully one day lead to better treatment or even a cure.

The plaque will eventually be displayed in the new research centre, currently under construction rouund the corner from the Medical School.

Media Coverage.....

2009-06-23T17:15:00.002+01:00

In addition to Jo's radio interviews, here's a selection of other press coverage:

Bristol Alumni

MNDA News

The Haslemere Herald - featuring the Hutchins family

The Merrow Pages - featuring Matt Hutchins

The Malvern Gazette - featuring Roger Hunt

The Docklands - featuring Natalie Hurst

The Surrey Times - featuring Matt Hutchins

....the headline is unrelated!!

The GU/KT Premier Magazine - featuring Matt Hutchins

....more to follow!

Jo's interviews on BBC Radio Surrey

2009-06-22T15:59:00.003+01:00

BBC Radio Surrey - 25 May 2009 (Part 1)

BBC Radio Surrey - 25 May 2009 (Part 2)

BBC Radio Surrey - 9 June 2009

BBC Radio Surrey - 18 June 2009

Day 12 - Helmsdale to John O'Groats

2009-06-18T11:18:00.007+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 51.7 miles
Miles to Go: Zero!!!
Average Speed: 14.3 mph
Time in Saddle: 3 hours 36 mins
Lunch: Picnic & Champagne!!

Route Profile:

Report:

11:18 - Just done 36 miles to Wick....the group are just having a quick break before tackling the last 16 miles into John O'Groats! Everyone very excited! Will update report this evening.

13:00 - We've done it! Amazing feeling....975 miles. Never again!

14:30 - In car on way to Inverness for our party this evening!

Thank you to everyone that has sponsored us and wished us well along the way.

Day 11 - Loch Ness to Helmsdale

2009-06-17T21:35:00.004+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 92.2 miles
Miles to Go: 52
Average Speed: 13.5 mph
Time in Saddle: 6 hours 49 mins
Lunch: St Duthas Hotel, Tain

Route Profile:

Report:

After a gloriously sunny evening on the shores of Loch Ness, the monster had worked her magic overnight and delivered us a typically rainy, overcast morning. With 92 miles awaiting us and 10 hard days in our legs, we gingerly set off at 8am.

We traced Loch Ness' banks for the first 20 miles and skirted through Inverness in the pouring rain. We left the A82 and joined the A9, a busy dual carriageway, to take us the rest of the way. We met up with our fantastic support crew at Tore, for a welcome hot soup and refill of snacks.

From Tore we rejoined the A9 and gingerly crossed the Cromarty Firth on a long bridge, with strong side winds. Group 1 raced ahead to the lunch stop at St Duthas Hotel in Tain, a gorgeous historic little town. The staff were fantastic, lit an open fire to help warm and dry our rain soaked bodies/clothes. By the time Group 2 arrived, the flames were roaring - many thanks to all the staff for looking after us.

The sun came out for the final 30 miles as we followed the coast up to Golspie, past Dunrobin Castle and through to Brora. The views were spectacular, grazing sheep in green rolling fields, and crashing waves lapping on sandy beaches. It took us all back to the Cornish scenery and reminded us how far we'd come.

By 6pm, we had all arrived safely at the Helmsdale hostel, a private hostel run by the welcoming Irene and her dog Molly. We have just finished a superb home cooked meal, courtesy of our support crew and a certain Marks & Spencer!

Everyone is very excited about tomorrow....just over 50 miles to the finish line. Let's hope for some good weather.

Total mileage so far: 916.4 miles!

Day 10 - Crianlarich to Loch Ness

2009-06-16T19:50:00.004+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 92.9 miles
Miles to Go: 144
Average Speed: 14.5 mph
Time in Saddle: 6 hours 22 mins
Lunch: Grog & Gruel, Fort William

Route Profile:

Report:

Breakfast at the hostel was fairly basic to say the least....however, with over 90 miles to cover today, we decided to up and leave fairly early. Huge swarms of midges made getting our bikes and gear together tough...I for one, almost lost my sense of humour on more than one occasion, particularly whilst changing the inner tube on Jo's bike (with Chris' help). To say we were being eaten alive would be an understatement!

Anyway, some good news....firstly, we received good news from Glasgow. Roger is doing brilliantly and had already told the nurses to get him up and out of bed! Something tells me they aren't going to be able to keep him in hospital for long. Secondly, Ali (and her knees) were back in top form and able to join the peloton today. Thirdly, after yesterday's experience, we were delighted to see the sun!

Today's ride was the longest of the trip so far.....it started with 3 long hard climbs up into the Grampian Mountains.

However, what goes up must come down, and the descents did not disappoint! The final descent, which took us through Glen Coe was about 5 miles long!

Our route today was not one for map reading. We started out on the A82 and we were due to follow it all day. All 3 groups were making good time, and by 12:15pm had arrived in Fort William on the edge of Loch Linnie for lunch at the Grog & Gruel.

There we were delighted to welcome back to the support crew, Diane, who had remained in Glasgow to check that Roger was OK post op. Roger was adamant that Diane should re-join us, and be there to see us arrive in John O'Groats! He's never been one to be fussed over.

After lunch, we headed back out onto the A82, and headed through Spean Bridge and down onto the edge of Loch Lochy. Then it was a flat and fast 30 odd mile stint, via and the Caledonian Canal, through Fort Augustus and along the northern edge of Loch Ness to our hostel.

What a stunning location....no sign of Nessy, however! Some of the boys did go looking for her, in their swimmers, but with little success!

Tonight we have a home cooked meal on the agenda (curry), with a few bottles of vino thrown in, courtesy of Diageo.

Two days left, 824.2 miles cycled so far and barely 145 miles to go! Bring it on.....

Day 9 - New Lanark to Crianlarich

2009-06-15T23:49:00.005+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 80.5 miles
Miles to Go: 236
Average Speed: 12.6 mph
Time in Saddle: 6 hours 21 mins
Lunch: Balloch House, Alexandria

Route Profile:

Report:

Today was definitely a day of two halves. After a relatively simple hostel breakfast of toast and cereal, we all got ourselves together for a shortish ride that would take us through Glasgow and out towards Loch Lomond. Before setting off, and in another act of incredible generosity, we were approached by one of our fellow hostel guests, Brian McInally....he had seen our vans and had come to investigate. It turns out that Brian's wife Constance died of MND last year, as well as his good friend Jan Crane, and he wanted to contriute to our cause with a donation of £10. Thank you very much Brian.

Also, a quick thank you to Helen & Nicholas Harris, who very kindly looked after Briony, Penny and Diane (Roger's wife and trusty member of the support crew). They live in Hellensburgh, just down the road from Glasgow, and very kindly offered food and accommodation at her mothers place round the corner....thank you Ian and Anne.

We left the hostel under thundery skies, and it wasn't long before the heavens opened and we were dumped on from a very great height. The rain was absolutely torrential, and before long we were extremely cold and wet!

The first half of the ride took us through the Glasgow suburbs, passed Hampden Park and under the Clyde via the most scary and pungent cycle/pedestrian tunnel!

It was hard going...the lead group had a minor incident when Karim fell off his bike, and gave the metal railing a traditional Glasgow kiss! Fortunately, other than a huge 'egg' on his forehead, KK was fine.

Group 2 had different issues to contend with, not least two of the riders who became worryingly close to hypothermia. Fortunately, thanks to some quick thinking by Mark, who purchased a towel and a hooded top), they were able to avoid things becoming too serious.

Once through Glasgow it was a short hop to Alexandria for lunch at the Balloch House, on the banks of Loch Lomond, where we were able to warm up and stuff some hot food down our necks.

Soon, however, we were back on the road and heading north along the A82, following the western edge of Loch Lomond through Tarbet towards Crianlarich, in the shadow of Ben More. The weather continued in its appallingness...plus the midges starting to attacking us whenever we stopped for a break!

We were relatively late arriving, after a 6 mile climb up to the hostel...which was packed full of walkers and backpackers. After a quick dinner at the Ben More Lodge Hotel, it was straight to bed.

Over 600 miles completed.....approximately 315 miles to go!

P.S. Currently having to use a hostel PC to write the blogs these last few days, so that has made it difficult if not impossible to upload any photos. Am hoping to find a solution to that soon, and will upload asap.

Day 8 - Carlisle to New Lanark

2009-06-14T20:48:00.011+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 78.6 miles
Miles to Go: 313
Average Speed: 13.5 mph
Time in Saddle: 5 hours 48 mins
Lunch: Picnic (somewhere around Elvanfoot!)

Route Profile:

Report:

Apologies for the delay in posting Day 8, but unfortunately we have had a tough couple of days to deal with. You will see what I mean.

Today started out so well, because we were all very excited about crossing the Scottish border. Just the thought of having cycled all the way from Land's End to Scotland, was enough to make us all feel rather proud of our achievement. Unfortunately, however, the day turned out to be one of the toughest of the ride so far, and it resulted in us losing two of our riders!

We left Carlisle in good spirits. We had all enjoyed our night's stay in our B&B's...and the sun was shining. After a few miles over the Esk estuary on the A7 (old Roman Road), we turned west and headed towards Gretna and Springfield and the Scottish Border. The lead group stopped at the border sign for a quick photo, before continuing towards the old A74 (now B7076)....by now the weather had started to close in, and it looked like there was a storm brewing!

In the second group, however, Ali was battling serious pain in her knees. For her to make it as far as the Scottish border despite her considerable pain was testament to her character....unfortunately, her condition was becoming too serious and she needed to rest her knees, and that meant the support crew were called to her rescue. We are hopeful, that this won't spell the end of Ali's ride, but much will depend on how her knees respond to a day or two's rest.

For the remaining riders in both groups, the rest of the morning session meant a steady, flat ride along the old A74 towards Lockerbie, and our mid-morning break, and then more of the same towards our picnic location somewhere in the Lowther Hills.

In the lead group, and only a mile or two before our scheduled lunch stop, on a long gradual climb, Roger accidentally caught his front wheel on the rear wheel of the rider in front, which caused him to take a rather nasty fall. Although Roger clearly was in some pain, he managed to climb back on the bike and ride the last few hundred yards to the waiting support vehicles, and a whole load of M&S sandwiches!

After a relatively short lunch stop, we all saddled up for the afternoon stretch...a rather monotonous and extremely wet ride along the A73 to New Lanark. Roger was clearly by now in considerable pain, although he barely showed it. On arrival at the hostel, after 25 miles on the bike since lunch, it was clear that something was wrong. Ben, our "Doctor on tour", gave Roger a quick examination, and concluded that a hospital visit was advisable, as it was possible that he had broken his hip! So, Adam drove Roger together with Diane and Ben down to the local hospital in Wishaw.

In most cases, it would be unthinkable that someone could cycle 25 miles, in the cold and the wet, with a broken hip, and for these reasons the doctor concluded that Roger had probably just badly bruised himself. However, with Ben's help, we managed to pursuade them to take an X-Ray and sure enough it was apparent that he had fractured the neck of his right femur! The hospital staff could barely believe it! Sadly, though, this meant the end of Roger's ride, and the requirement for an operation. Roger was told that he would have to stay in hospital and undergo the operation asap.

I am delighted to say that at the time of writing (Monday 15th), Roger's operation was a success. He will be sorely missed on the ride...not only was he instrumental in planning the whole expedition, but he was a great inspiration to us youngsters! At nearly 65, he was one of the strongest in the group, and probably in the top 3 most likely to complete the ride to John O'Groats.

We have a new philosophy...unless you have broken a hip and ridden 25 miles in utter agony, then there is little to complain about! Get well soon Roger.

More photos will be uploaded soon. As will Day 9....New Lanark to Crianlarich. The wettest, most miserable, midge ridden ride of the trip so far!!

Day 7 - Earby to Carlisle

2009-06-13T23:50:00.004+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 85.5 miles
Miles to Go: 391
Average Speed: 13.2 mph
Time in Saddle: 6 hours 26 mins
Lunch: Cross Keys, Tebay

Route Profile:

Report:

Our ride today was awesome...we even managed to leave a litte earlier (around 8:15am), to try and make it to lunch and then to our B&B in Carlisle in reasonable time. Out of Earby, we rode towards Sedburgh, skirting the edge of the Yorkshire dales, following the Ribble then the Lune river. The countryside was really stunning.

Once again, the knees and other various parts of the body were in quite a bit of pain, particularly as there were a few lumpy hills to negotiate in the first 10 miles or so.

Our mid-morning break was around 11:30am, shortly before reaching Kirkby Lonsdale...more pot noodles, sweets, raisins, coffee etc! The second group arrived just as the first was leaving, so that gave us all encouragement of being able to make lunch by 1pm.

By this stage, we were well into the Dales and there were some serious climbs ahead of us, passing between Langdale Fell and the Whinfell Beacon. As we neared our lunch spot at Tebay, we passed under the M6 and started a long and steep climb into the village. Seriously hard work!

However, the sun was shining and we had made good progress. The only thing to dampen the mood, was that we passed a serious road accident, in which a van had turned over....the air ambulance arrived just as we approached. Ben (ever the attentive doctor) asked if there was anything he could do, but doctors were already on the scene.

We purposefully kept lunch relatively short, as we all fancied getting to Carlisle in good time this afternoon. However, we were all fearful of the 6 mile climb up Shap Fell that was ahead of us. Incredibly, the climb never really materialised and we progress on at good pace towards Penrith along the A6 (old Roman Road), which follows the M6 into Carlisle. It was a little boring travelling in a straight line mile after mile, but the scenery made up for it.

Group 1 had made excellent progress and arrived at the B&B around 17:15....the second group, however, were suffering from a number of very sore knee compaints. Ali in particular was in a lot of pain, and did incredibly well (with the help of Stella) to cycle through the pain barrier and make it to Carlisle. We just hope that today will be a better day for her.

Some good news....Rich's bike is finally fixed. A big shout out to the support crew, who sped on to Carlisle after to lunch to drop the bike at Scotby Cycles. A big thank you to Dan Rolph...if anyone needs a bike shop in Carlisle, look no further!

Thank you also to Adrian Hogarth, who bumped into the support crew in Carlisle and donated £20! It's amazing how generous complete strangers can be.

Tomorrow's ride should be another good one...we're leaving England, and crossing into Scotland to the New Lanark youth hostel on the bank of the Clyde!

Day 6 - Chester to Earby

2009-06-12T23:44:00.001+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 81.5 miles
Miles to Go: 476
Average Speed: 12.7 mph
Time in Saddle: 6 hours 23 mins
Lunch: Hamers Arms, Ramsbottom

Route Profile:

Report:

The first half of today was very urban cycling....in a strange way, rather pleasurable, and something completely different to what we had experienced in the first 5 days. For various reasons, we left the Chester YHA a little later than planned, and that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the day as we tried to play catch up.

We set out through Chester towards Delamere Forest. A few of us have been suffering from knee pain for the past few days, and the mornings are always the worst part of the day....until they are warmed up properly and the ibuprofen has kicked in! The route was lumpy at best, but still enough to make the first few miles rather slow and painful. Ali was in particular pain, and needed the attention of the amazing Stella (a qualified and quite brilliant physio) to get her up to speed.

The mid-morning break was just outside Lymm, and after a short break, a few pot noodles, a cup of coffee and a handful of sweets (not to mention a cheeky application of some more udder cream!) we continued out way towards our lunch stop in Ramsbottom.

Other than having to stop quite a bit to look at the map, the route was actually a lot better than expected...that was until the route took us towards Astley Green on a completely unmade, gravel track, chase by a few agressive looking dogs and over an unmanned level crossing...not exactly ideal conditions for racing bikes!! Incredibly we all managed to avoid getting ambushed by the puncture monkey, so that's something!

The lead group arrived safely at the Hamers Arms in Ramsbottom around 14:30. Sheila and the rest of her team at the pub were so lovely and supportive and were able to bring out our lunch within minutes of us arriving! The second group were still suffering from various knee problems, and arrived a good hour later. If it wasn't for Chris' encouragement and Stella's roadside physio sessions, they might never have made it.

The staff at the Hamers Arms worked through their mid afternoon break to feed everyone. Not only that, but we weren't charged for our drinks either. Thank you so much.

In the afternoon, the support crew spent much of it trying to deal with Rich's broken bike....he was still using the spare. Unfortunately Halfords were not able to add any value, but after considerable effort, we found an amazing bike shop in Carlisle (Sctoby Cycles - http://www.bikebike.co.uk/) who thought they could fix it, if we could get them the bike over to them tomorrow morning.

The afternoon session was largely without incident, although the second group were still finding it hard going with all the injuries. We cycled through the Rossendale Forest and over Hameldon Hill.....what a descent into Burnley!

Eventually, we arrived in Earby at around 18:00....a tough day all in all. The first group took a minor detour via the Punch Bowl pub (http://www.punchbowlearby.co.uk/) to have a quick photo with Martin (the landlord) and Michelle. The second group arrived shortly before 19:00.

After a quick shower and change, we were all back to the Punch Bowl for some dinner....and a spot of Live music from the Nick Dow Blues Band! We have to just say, once again how fantastic they were to us....Martin, Michelle and the team were so supportive and interested in what we were doing.....they even started a little collection bucket at the bar in aid of MNDA and our ride. Thank you everyone.

Tomorrow's ride should be a belter....out of Earby, and up to Carlisle via Shap Fells!! One thinks there could be the odd hill to climb!

Day 5 - Leominster to Chester

2009-06-11T22:41:00.001+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 92.3 miles
Miles to Go: 552
Average Speed: 13.5 mph
Time in Saddle: 6 hours 48 mins
Lunch: The New Inn, Baschurch

Route Profile:

Report:

Today was a day to test our mental as well as physical endurance! It all started so well as well.....it was our first gloriously sunny day. As we left Leominster, we headed out through Cobnash through Wigmore, Leintwardine and Purslow towards our mid-morning break at Eyton.

Unfortunately, the wheels quite literally started to come off about 10 miles short of the scheduled break point, coinciding perfectly with rain...one group somehow ended up missing the support van completely, and the other strayed from the route and ended up in Bishops Castle, about 5 miles due west!

Shortly afterwards, during a particularly aggressive descent, Rich somehow managed to get his rear derailleur caught in his rear wheel, sending him into a violent skid. Rather heroically, Rich managed to control the skid and avoid causing a rather nasty accident. However, his bike was completely destroyed and the support crew were called upon to come to the rescue to switch him over to a spare.

We hit our lunch time spot at around 2.30-3pm & had a much needed re-fuel. Lovely to see Olive Durnall & Dillon (Mark & Stella's dog) who came along to wish us well.

Conscious that we still had another 40 miles or so to see off after lunch and with the clock ticking, we set off at 3.30 pm to head towards Chester.

The afternoon was pretty flat, weaving through lanes from Baschurch to Ellesmere, skirting past Wrexham (through the Wrexham Industrial Estate, passed the Durnall's factory....Mark took the opportunity to say hi to his brother Garry, and to use the facilities!) and on to Chester. Both groups arrived between 6.30pm-7pm - exhausted after day 5 - which proved more emotionally than physically tough. Good to see Garry Durnall and family, who all popped by to wish us well.

After a good meal, motivating team brief (accompanied by a couple of bottles of red wine) we all headed to bed.

County Check: Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Gwyneth & Cheshire.

Day 4 - Bath to Leominster

2009-06-10T19:30:00.000+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 80.1 miles
Miles to Go: 634
Average Speed: 14.1 mph
Time in Saddle: 5 hours 39 mins
Lunch: Beauchamp Arms, Dymock

Route Profile:

Report:

This morning started around 07:30am with yet another cooked breakfast! Well, for many of us at any rate!

Sue Barrett, and Alison her sister and brother-in-law Colin, popped by to wish us well, which was fantastic.

Sadly though we had to say goodbye to 'Team B' as they have affectionately become known. Team B were James Hunt, Sam Hunt, Jez Felwick and Matt Felwick.....they unfortunately are not able to join us for the full ride, so they headed back towards Reading. It has been great fun having you guys with us for these last few days, and we will miss you on our travels up north. You can find out about how they go on, and follow their fundraising efforts on www.justgiving.com/mattfelwick.

On leaving the hostel, we headed down Bathwick Hill to the centre of town, and out towards Bristol on the A431. Karim was still experiencing some technical difficulties with his bike, so he hopped on the spare....what an inspired decision it was to bring one with us!

Before Bristol, we turned north and headed over the M4 on some lovely country lanes towards Yate and then following the M5 towards Gloucester. After about 25 miles we flagged down our lead support vehicle and stopped for a welcome break...the first in sunshine!

We continued along the A38 through Gloucester and on to Dymock for our lunch stop at the Beauchamp Arms.

There we were welcomed in by a whole load of friends and family...a few mentions include Charlie Webster (Briony's brother), Chris Ayres' parents, Tony Edwin and a load of Rotarian and ex-military friends of Roger & Di's from the Malvern area. Thank you all for your support.

After lunch, we continued north towards Leominster....an easy 20 miles or so through rolling hills. Other than the cars travelling along the A417 at a thousand miles an hour, we had very few problems, with both groups arriving around 5pm...just in time to see the Lions match!

It feels good to put Day 4 behind us...from what we have been told, it gets easier from here!

Tomorrow promises to be another relatively easy day up to Chester (circa 80 miles)...except the climb over Long Mynd in the morning.

Day 3 - Exeter to Bath

2009-06-09T23:15:00.003+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 88.2 miles
Miles to Go: 713
Average Speed: 14.0
Time in Saddle: 6 hours 16 mins
Lunch: The George & Pilgrim, Glastonbury

Route Profile:

Report:

After a fantastic breakfast at the Exeter YHA (where we said goodbye to Kerrie Dorman who popped in the night before to give Karim a bit of TLC!), we saddled up for an 8:30am departure, and despite Mark leaving his water bottles at the YHA, and Chris having to switch to the spare bike after his gears failed (it didn't effect the speed at which he rides...if anything he was even fastger!!), we all managed to successfully negotiate the Exeter morning rush hour! The weather was again blustery and overcast with a little rain in the air.

For about 30 miles, we enjoyed relatively flat terrain, following the M5 towards Taunton. In comparison to the first 2 days, this section was a complete joy, and we were able to put get a good rhythm going.

After Taunton, we entered our third county - Somerset - and made our way across the Somerset Levels towards Glastonbury! Needless to say this was even better....despite that, we suffered a couple of other technical issues with the bikes, not least Karim and James' rear derailleurs which failed completely. James fought on valiantly on one gear, whilst Karim switched to the other spare! Thank god for our support crew, who did an incredible job in picking up the pieces and contacting a variety of local bike shops! A big thank you also to the two bikes shops in Taunton, Bristol and Bath who were all extremely supportive in getting our bikes back on the road....also thank you to Ben's brother Guy, who kindly delivered a spare part from the Bristol bike shop to us.

On arrival in Glastonbury, we stopped for our lunch at the George & Pilgrim pub on the high street. A fabulous little olde worldy pub/hotel that was able to deliver a lot of food very quickly! At the pub, we were glad to see a friendly face in Rachel Mostyn and her two daughters (Millie & Layla)...even though Feisal almost ran over both of them in a rather spectacular entrance to the pub on his bike!

After lunch, we set off towards Bath.....unfortunately because our incredible support crew had been fighting fires and trying to fix all the various bike problems we had encoutered in the morning, we were left to fend for ourselves on the navigation front. This quickly resulted in two of the groups getting horribly lost somewhere outside of Wells, and which ended with us having to tackle the most horrific climb up the south face of the Eiger!

Once we rejoined the route, we made steady progress passed Midsommer Norton and on to Radstock....following which we had a relentless, steep climb out of the valley and over the Mendips. Having thought we were through the worst of it, Bath came into view, and we struggled our way up an even longer, and possibly even steeper climb into Bath and in to our YHA...and what a surprise to be welcomed in by Chloe (Jo and Matt's sister) and Giles, and little baby Freddie!!

Once again, a few of the riders were able to benefit from a physio session from Cecilia, who has successfully helped Jo recover from her two back operations.

Despite the hard afternoon's ride, everyone remains in good spirits, and are looking forward to a (what we hope is going to be) relatively easy ride up to Leominster tomorrow.

Day 2 - Golant to Exeter

2009-06-08T20:27:00.001+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 75.1 miles
Miles to Go: 792.9
Average Speed: 12.0
Time in Saddle: 6 hours 14 mins
Lunch: Fountain Hotel, Okehampton

Route Profile:

Report:

Day 2 started in reasonably dry and sunny conditions. Everyone was in pretty good spirits, although fearful of the day ahead, reputedly the hardest day on Lejog.

With mostly just heavy legs, we started with a long climb back to the A390, before making good progress through Liskeard and up to Minions, the highest village in Cornwall.

The wind was at times strong and blustery, and unfortunately today right in our faces! It was hard work, made worse by the rain!

After Minions, and an exhilarating descent into the gorge of Horsebridge. A steep climb out the other side, finally we made it to Lydford and the start of the Granite Way, a converted disused railway line. Despite a short section that required to walk, it was a fairly flat route which allowed us to enjoy some stunning views from the Maldon Viaduct and make good time into Okehampton for lunch at the Fountain Hotel.

After a good many sandwiches, we headed onto the old A30, round the northern tip of Dartmoor to Exeter.

The first 6 miles were predominantly up hill, and proved pretty hard going, but once over the top we had a good run down into Exeter and promptly got completely lost...as did our trust support crew! Nevetheless we eventually made it to the YHA, just in time for tea!

Big thanks to Charlotte, a friend of Stella's, who popped in to provide some much needed physio work, and also to Briony & Penny for offering to see to the entire groups dirty laundry needs!! That in itself requires a medal!

Day 1 - Land's End to Golant

2009-06-07T22:03:00.005+01:00

Fast Facts:

Distance: 69.5
Miles to Go: 868
Average Speed: 13.2mph
Time in Saddle: 5hrs 14mins
Lunch: Roseland Inn, Philleigh-in-Roseland

Route Profile:

Report:

Day 1 opened with a short 5 mile ride from our hostel to Land's End for the obligatory photo at 9:30am.

The weather was blustery and wet, but that didnt deter a few friends and family to make it down to see us off...Jo and Matt's mum Briony, Jo's godmother Penny and Uncle & Auntie John and Danuta. On the friends front, a big shout out to Mark, John & Emily too, who managed an early start after a wedding the night before!!

Riding in Cornwall is hard work, and from the off it was up, down, up, down the whole way...although we did have a strong tail wind.

With so many riders, we rode in 3 smaller groups.

The route took us through Penzance, passed St Michael's Mount, north of Helston and Falmouth, through places like Come to Good and London Apprentice, and on the King Harry's Ferry just short of our lunch stop.

On the ferry, a complete stranger who had heard Jo's interview on Radio Surrey donated £5 to the cause! Extraodinary!

After a superb lunch stop at the Roseland Inn, and a few bitter shandies, we had a relatively shortish afternoon ride up to the Golant YHA.

The hills were relentless, and continued to hit us thick and fast, but everyone was in high spirits, and all 3 groups managed to arrive shortly before 6pm.

No punctures today, which after our last training ride was a relief!

Tomorrows ride is very likely to be the toughest of the trip, up to Okehampton for lunch, round Dartmoor and on to Exeter.

Land's End - Night Zero!

2009-06-07T07:32:00.001+01:00

First evening down at Land's End...the spirits are high...team briefing complete...tyres pumped...Mark, Chris and Feiz already in bed (8:30pm)...10 beers consumed...ominous thick black clouds rolling in....
Helen and Di leading the support team through the first couple of bottles of wine....we're ready to go!!

Tomorrow we are looking forward to heading down to Land's End for the big photo...having to cycle an extra 4 miles from the hostel...not planned but bring it on!

Join us tomorrow to find out how we got on from Land's End to Golant - 65 miles.

Jo speaks on BBC Radio Surrey! - CLICK HERE

2009-05-28T13:07:00.009+01:00

Yesterday, our very own Jo Hutchins was interviewed Live on BBC Radio Surrey, to talk more about our cycle ride and our collective effort to raise money and awareness for the fight against Motor Neurone Disease.

To listen to her interview, please CLICK on the title above to download the audio file.

BBC Radio Surrey will be keeping tabs on our effort via a regular 'phone in' with Jo during the ride.

Final Group Training Weekend (Part 2) - Sunday 24th May

2009-05-26T12:01:00.010+01:00

After 80 miles the day before, the legs were feeling a little creeky on Sunday morning, and the thought of embarking on a further 50-60 mile ride down to Brighton was not a good one.

Nevetheless, we all saddled up and made our way to Tooting Broadway to meet up with all the other riders. Riders today were: Jo, Adam, Rich, Feisal, Ali, James, Sam, Jez & Matt.

The plan for today was to cycle approx 60 miles down to Brighton....through small towns and villages such as Caterham, Turners Hill, Ardingly & Burgess Hill. Two out of four of those have 'Hill' in their name, so that didn't bode well.....they didn't disappoint either!!

Jo Hutchins starts Day 2.......

The ride was largely without incident, although having thought we had left him behind yesterday, the puncture monkey struck James' bike after only a couple of miles!

Rich Smith takes a breather....

The weather was again glorious, and we arrived down in Brighton a little later than scheduled at around 2pm. As you might expect when the sun comes out in the UK, every inch of Brighton beach was jammed full of the great British sun worshipper!! It wasn't a pretty sight!!

Arriving at Brighton Beach....

Total mileage: circa 60 miles

Final Group Training Weekend (Part 1) - Saturday 23rd May

2009-05-25T19:12:00.013+01:00

The bank holiday weekend was the last opportunity to get a few miles under the belt as a large group. We decided to try and replicate what we will have to endure on the big ride itself!! It was either going to boost our confidence or our fear levels!

The riders were: Jo, Adam, Rich, Karim, Feisal, Ali, Dave, James, Sam, Jez & Matt

The plan was to cycle 50 miles from Richmond Park in London to The White Horse in Hascombe, via Chiddingfold....a glorious ride out through Kingston, Hampton, Esher, Cobham & East Horsley and up into the Surrey Downs through Shere, Shamley Green, Bramley & Hascombe. A broken brake block, 8 punctures, a change of bike and a broken spoke later, we arrived safely at The White Horse for lunch!! Only an hour and a half behind schedule! There we were joined by other members of the Hutchins/Maltby family (Briony, Chloe, Giles, Ollie, George and little Freddie, our youngest supporter!!).

It was a glorious day, and a pub lunch in the garden was just what we all needed.

Lunch at The White Horse (a firm favourite of Jim's) after 45 miles!

In comparison to the morning, the second half of the ride back to London was positively straight forward, although the puncture monkey continued to plague us throughout!! We arrived back in Richmond Park at around 7:30pm!

Total mileage: circa 80 miles

Group ride!!!

2009-05-02T14:30:00.013+01:00

Saturday the 2nd of May, and our first opportunity to get the whole team (or nearly the whole team - Rich and Ben, you were missed!) together for a ride in the beautiful Hampshire countryside. A pack of 16 set off, most of them in the glorious colours of LeJog Challenge, from Stockbridge on a lovely 40 miler, weaving through the countryside, basking in the bank holiday sunshine. Some valuable lessons were learned and we quickly settled into a comfortable pace. The signage was impressive and we didn't have to stop once for directions. Maybe a little for breath.

All in all, we're in a great position to start the real thing in 5 weeks time. Counting down!!

LeJog - Stockbridge Sprint from Jez Felwick on Vimeo.

The Group. Not all of us paying attention...

Our first team puncture. Dealt with ruthlessly...

Bikes around the world...

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Some great baskets in these shots....

Roger about to embark on a training ride in the Malvern Hills!!

The Team in Richmond Park:

Mark and Stella in Cornwall:

John Edwards in Thailand:

Chris in Argentina (no gears, no brakes):

Nat at Canary Wharf:

Jo and Ads in Vienna:

2009-01-28T13:07:00.003Z

Welcome to the Jim Hutchins Lejog Challenge 2009 Blog.

We will be blogging messages and photographs of our progress here regularly.

A quick reminder that you can donate by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/jimhutchins

Thank you for your support!
- The Lejog Challenge 2009 Team