Jax Fanshawe

The final day dawns and the excitement around the camp is tangible.  This would be the day we reached the end of our journey, the last day of riding 100 miles on my bike.  (Let’s face it, after this it might be the last time I ever get on my bike...)

Some had to start extremely early in order to catch their buses, trains or planes!  We didn’t have to start too early, we had been less optimistic about our capabilities and all gone for worst case scenario so our buses weren’t until after 6pm!

Breakfast at just after 5am and I was lucky enough to sit with brilliant but slightly bleary eyed Scottish skier Alain Baxter for breakfast who had taken a train at around 4 this morning to ride with us today, hmm not the best choice of day, hope that was worth it.  I was grateful for the distraction from the terror that lay ahead.  He confided that he was used to the type of riding that takes place round a track for about 20 seconds so he was also, I think, feeling a little nervous.  It was a quick breakfast though as I had to get to the start line very early being

After yesterday’s battle, ‘Don’t stop believing’ rang out this morning!  The day dawned a little damp but it soon dried up.  The roads were flat and wide and today we made good time throughout, which was lucky as today was the day my mother was waiting at the other end to see and hear what on earth I had been up to.  I grew up in Scotland and have only been South for 10 or so years but I had forgotten the lay of the dramatic landscape and there is no better way to view it than on a bicycle.  Having passed Carlisle we were soon in Gretna Green and

Day 5 Haydock to Penrith

Having been woken by the dulcet tones of PJ & Duncan (yes Ant & Dec as we know them now) singing ‘Let’s get ready to rumble’ and really thinking that Kelly Clarkson’s ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ might be more appropriate....I got to the start slightly earlier this morning, determined as I said to join a group.  Thankfully, Jackie Cook (wife and organiser of Andy Cook) directed me to a lovely and patient chaperone called Stuart and I breathed a sigh of relief as a small group of us left together. 

530am wakeup call ‘I want to ride my bicycle’ blaring from the speakers, ha, yeah, funny.  After a massive bowl of porridge for breakfast (there are full cooked options if you can stomach it that early), I dressed in various layers of cycling kit to cover all British weather options and obviously there are many, packed up and handed my bag to the chirpy (yes really, everyday) luggage guys.  Feeling slightly nauseous, I washed out and filled my water bottles with water and electrolytes, stacked my bike with energy bars (natural in my case and some ev

So I had hoped to give you a blow by blow, day by day account of the Deloitte RAB Lands End to John O’ Groats cycle ride but due to some, shall we say, ‘velocity issues’ – more about those later – that proved to be rather difficult!  However, you will all no doubt be relieved to hear that having (almost) recovered from my experience, it is time to finally share it all with you!

Has it really already been more than 2 weeks since I became a Revolutionary?

First things first, I er need a bike.....oh and a helmet, water bottles and cages, lights, little computer thingy, spare inner tubes, puncture repair kits, those little plastic lever thingys and oh so much Lycra....really?  Is there no other way?

How did this happen? 

Well, you know how it is?  You're looking for your next (possibly-mid-life-crisis-related) adventure/challenge, you bump into Mack in the pub and he suggests you hop on a charity cycle ride to raise money for the Paralympians.  Being a fan of the 'why not?' camp rather than the 'why', how could I say no to such a fantastic idea?  So, here I am signed up for Deloitte RAB 2012, Lands End to John O'Groats mammoth bike ride, yay!