Catch-up time - photos - what you have all been waiting for.

cold ,wet, tired and 17 miles to go

water fall on the climb up glencoe

the view down the valley towards glencoe village

the Commondo Memorial at Spean Bridge

happy chappy

wet cold grummpy

ohh the sun has come out not for long, loch ness

onwards towards Fort augustus

Golspie inn end of first day

GPS Details for Day 2 & 3 & 4 combined

JOGLE Day 2 & 3 & 4 - Details

I need to find out how to only log the data for one day and not all together - check out the gain in elevation - no wonder my knees are aching!!!!

Untitled by jjbikeride at Garmin Connect - Details

JOGLE Day 1 GPS - Details

Day 3 Update

No PC available here in Tyndrum so am sending using blackberry. We left Fort Augustus later than would have liked as breakfast did not start until 0830. A huge breakfast was served, only for Joe to say he felt sick afterwards. We both felt very tired and did not really get into the ride until after lunchtime. We had haddock and chips for lunch in Fort William and met a solo end to ender who lives in Falmouth, a school teacher at Hayle school. He will complete at John O Groats on Sunday. We had a massive up Glen Coe in the rain, luckily the wind behind us. The road was very busy which was scary at times. We could not see the tops of the mountains as they were covered in clouds. We were both wet and tired, and the ascent just went on and on. My estimated and planned mileage have consistently been lower than the actual mileage. We completed 80 hard miles today and arrived in Tyndrum at 1915. The landlady filled us up with homemade cake and cups of hot tea. She even took all our wet clothes to dry including my cycle shorts which are hanging as there are the remains of a handful of Doctor Moulins Minty Botty lard in the gusset (for those not in the know this prevents saddle sore) and believe me having completed 235 miles in 3 days it is sore!!!!! Tomorrow will see us descend past Loch Lomand and through Glasgow to Strathaven.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Day 2 Update

This update is sent using my blackberry as we do not have access to a PC. Today we completed 85 miles from Golspie to Fort Augustus, longer than we had planned as the ferry from Nigg to Cromarty is not operating. The revised route took us through Digwall and Beauly and up a huge long steep hill. The mozzies were the size of sparrows and managed to keep up with us - even going at 20 mph. At Drumnadockit we met up with Stuart and Pat. The carrot cake was great. Tomorrow will be tuff as we climb up through Glen Coe. The weather forecast is terrible- can't change that so just get on with it. Our B and B is on the locks at Fort Augustus, great position, very scenic. As soon as we have access to a PC we can download the route from the GPS and upload some photos. That's all for now as it is time for some well deserved sleep. PS - Joe is leaving me way behind on the hills. All he keeps saying is "come on Dad, Man-up"!!!!!!!!!
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Day 1 Photos

Day 1 Completed

All well, started at JOG at 08:00, got the official form signed and stamped, and away we went - 3 and half miles up hill!!!! What a way to start. B & B was good, landlord even brought the beer in the local pub. It rained for all of the ride, apart from the last 2 hours. We had a headwind to battle with - so far from ideal conditions. I was very surprised at how long and - at times steep - the hills are. The A9 was quite busy and the HGV's fly past very fast. The spray was horrible. No midges today, must of stayed at home in the dry!!!!! Made it to Golspie just after 4pm, in the Golspie Inn, very comfortable, single rooms so Joe does not have to hear me snore, and I do not have to listen to him wittering away in some strange language in the middle of the night. Tomorrow should be less hilly, approx 75 miles to Fort Augustus, where we have arranged tea and Stuart and Pat, Max and Corrie in Drumnadrockit (not spelt correctly).

Arrived at JOG

GOT THERE AT LAST !!!

Todays photos

Joe is not sure about getting inside- The Northern Gypsy Van..... OMG

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  The fan club, Stuart, Pat, Corrie, & Max
  
  

  Arrived in Inverness and were met by our fan club sporting Jerry & Joe go faster T-Shirts
  
  
  

  Misty Mountain
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  The Scottish Highlands

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

Journey to the start line

We both slept reasonably well at the Holiday Inn in Hamilton. Google Maps suggested it will take 3 hours to drive to Inverness where we had arranged lunch with friends. I woke up early and thought about an earlier planned departure and Joe agreed. Good job he did as it took 5 hours!!!!! The drive past Loch Lomand was stunning and the climb into the highlands was awesome. The descent down into Glen Coe was incredible. We did not see the summits of any of the mountains as the cloud base was low. I must admit I was and am still slightly apprehensive about the climb out of Glen Coe Village to the summit as it is a long fairly steep climb. We drove like madmen to make the lunch which was a shame as a slower drive would have been perfect. I guess as we ride through the area we will be able to enjoy. We have arrived safely at John O Groats, within 1 minute of jumping out of the van (that the driver thought was modified - See photo- Joe was embarrassed to be seen in it!!), the mozzies where around like the plague. The B&B is comfortable, and even better the landlord has agreed to drive us to the pub - nice one.

We're on our way to Scotland

Departed home at 08:15, arrived Truro and collected the hire car.

Total miles today - too many....

4 stops for tea and comfort.....

Most expensive cup of tea - £2.19... Cosat Rip-Off, North of Lancaster....

Weather - a mixed bag....

Incoming calls on mobile - too many.....

Mssg's of good luck.... Many.... so thanks to you all.

Plan is to drive to Inverness for Lunch with friends Stiaurt and Pat, then a taxi to John O Groats... Weather forecast is good.....

A few pics of the journey heading North.

joes racing

racing crits at portreath and came 1st and to day i went on a ride with my bags on the back of my bike that is 10 times harder climbing up them hills now

Come on Dad, what are you doing, I've been ready to go for days!!

If you see this - give us a toot :)

Julie, have you seen my toothbrush??

Brakes work!!

Nearly ready for a start

Joe, help me find the nut...

How does this go on?

Pannier Covers and update

Julie has done a great job of designing our pannier covers and printing and laminating these onto the covers. Hopefully by having the logos of the charities and the wording "John O Groats to Lands End" will make people aware of what we are doing and might just help to make the great British public part with their hard earnt cash. Joe and I rode with the One & All Cycle Club on Sunday. I stayed in Group 1, whilst Joe raced off with Group 2. The weather was not so good, strong south westerly wind and cornish "mizzle" - the kind of drizzle that gets through everything. Luckily I took my wind proof jacket, which did the job of keeping me warm, but not dry. Joe unfortunately learnt a lesson - dress for the weather. He peeled off from the group as he went home as he was soking wet and cold. Better not pull that one next week up in the mountains of Scotland!! Booked our hotel for the drive up to Inverness next Monday. We are staying in Hamilton, south east Glasgow at the Holiday Inn Express. I googled the hotel using Google Street View (after having made the reservation). It is located on what appears to be the largest roundabout in Europe - oh dear, I can just imagine the blog for Tuesday morning "Managed 2 hours sleep last night - boy racers wheel spinning all night outside!!!" The good news is that the donations are still coming inn, the total raised to date is just under £3k.........

Training in the hills of Cornwall

Last Sunday's ride in Cornwall with the One & All Cycling Club - Click Here

Bike being stripped down ready for packing.

Completed my last ride last evening, and to top it all I fell off!! No damage, though a dent to my pride. I was looking at a sign post going very slow still clipped-in, when a small twig/branch got stuck in the front wheel, got to the fork and that was it - ALL STOP - gravity takes over and down I went. Bike OK, Jerry OK. The bike is all packed away, ready for this afternoons flight back to Bristol, then hire care to home - cant wait.

Last & final training ride in Germany

Here it is - final ride in Germany

Joe`s training

I have done 1430 miles so far of training. I have competed in a few races and time trials. My fastest time so far for a time trial is 25mins and 53 secs and for road racing i have got a few 2nd places and just trying hard to get the 1sts. I try and ride 5 times every week and i have also joined a club called One and All. The club have helped me a lot with my training and racing with all of their support. I also use my mountain bike, it is very good for my training because it makes me stronger in my legs. For mtb racing I came first in the under 16s and 2nd in the under 18s

Last training ride in Germany this evening........

My bike is booked on tomorrows OLT flight from Bremen to Bristol, so will need to pack the bike this evening. I am planning on a 2 hour loop ride, this will then give me enough time to break the bike down and pack it into the bike bag ready for the journey home. The down side to this is when I return next week for a short working week I will be bike-less. I wanted the bike back in the UK early to ensure the bike was ready for the transit to John O Groats which is not far away now - only 11 days away. It would be a diaster if I arrive back at home next week and the airline refused to take my bike. If that happened, I guess my only option would be to dump the hire car at one of the channel ports and take the bike on a ferry - what a hassle that would be..........

Jerry Training ride Sunday 10 July by jjbikeride at Garmin Connect - Details

Jerry Training ride Sunday 10 July by jjbikeride at Garmin Connect - Details

Click the above link to see the ride.

Feel like S**T

Went out for a gentle ride, just to keep up the training having had a rest day on Monday and came across a small Kiosk in a village in the middle of nowhere. Thought it would be a good idea to refuel so bought a German Hot dog and a bottle of apple juice. Waited and waited and waited, and eventually a head popped out the kiosk window, grunted something in German, dumped the dead dog on the sill and slammed the kiosk window closed. "Thanks" I replied. It stared at what looked like fresh road-kill on a paper plate, covered in re-constituted onion, tomato sauce, mustard sauce, gerkins, other unknown vegetable matter and a burnt roll. I should have known better, but I was fairly hungry. I did question what I was doing and threw the remaining half in the bin and washed it down as best I could with the apple juice. Surprise surprise - yes I have the squits this morning. Lesson learnt - I truely hope so........

Untitled by jjbikeride at Garmin Connect - Details

Click here for this afternoon's ride

Very hot at 31 deg c. kept the pace slow as I did not want to boil and get myself in a bad way. German cyclists do not like being friendly and saying hello!!!!!!!!!

Untitled by jjbikeride at Garmin Connect - Details

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW THE LINK

Just follow the link.

Tonights training ride

Follow the link above to view this evening training ride. It was very warm, so made sure I was hydrated - drank 2 liters of water. Really getting tired of cycling alone on these very flat and dull roads. The only good point to note is the lack of cars and cycle paths which are in very good condition. If you can imagine the best surface in Cornwall, then these cycle paths are without a doubt even better!!

Photos from last Saturday's race at Portreath

Joe preparing his bike for the race - slightly nervous at this stage.

Jerry Training ride this evening

Untitled by jjbikeride at Garmin Connect - Details

Just follow this link..........

This evenings Training Ride

I had problems with the Garmin and lost the data for this ride - therefore it is not possible to view the ride on Google maps.......Last night I managed 34 miles in 2 hr 11 mins - well chuffed.

MADE IT!!!! Not Land's End but our Target £2500

Great News. Joe and I have made our target of £2500 which is fantastic. Many thanks to all of our sponsors - a really good effort. This will give us tremendous focus during the ride. Thank you once again. We will continue our efforts to raise more money - Lovely Jubbly :))

Had a great weekend, no long distance rides, just a gentle 6 miles with Julie around the local lanes, me on my trusted old Trek Mountain Bike, and Julie on her Trek road bike. Went to our daughters house warming party last night, followed by a live band in a local barn, drank far too much and woke with a dreadful hangover......... Then jumped out of bed, and attended the British Cycling Assistant Commissaire Course from 10am till 5pm - very interesting stuff but found it hard to concentrate. Went to Portreath to see race yesterday afternoon. Great weather, good result for joe came in 2nd - well done. Back to Germany tomorrow and more training. Plan to recce some of the minor roads in Devon tomorrow on my way to Bristol Airport. I did try this 2 weeks ago and got lost - ended up in Exeter, then realised I was running late for my flight. So after driving like a man possessed, got lost a(again) around Tiverton, dumped the car off at the airport and just made it for the KLM flight to Amsterdam, well fed-up as I could not even by a newspaper.......... Oh, photos of joes race will be uploaded in the next couple of days.