Day 12 - The Final Day

The last and final day of the bike ride, Sunday 08 August, and guess what – it rained as Joe cycled from his grand-parents house near Bissoe to the cycle café. The forecast was for the rain to clear and to brighten up during the day, which was what we needed as a BBQ was planned for later in the in the day. On arrival at cycle club, a group of riders met Joe and they all tucked in to a huge complimentary breakfast provided by Liz and her great tem of assistants. At 10:30, having all been fed and watered, the cyclists all set-off for Lands End, the last remaining 32 miles of the End-to-End ride. The planned arrival time at Lands End was 13:30. Jerry travelled west in the car and met the guys at Mounts Bay, The weather was fantastic: it was the best weather we had seen, as it had rained everyday since departing John O Groats. Many friends, family and supporters had persuaded Jerry to join Joe on his bike for the final run into Lands End as everyone felt having completed 700 hundred miles in 9 days and supported Joe for his last remaining 2 days from Bristol to the finishing line it was appropriate to cross the line with Joe. Jerry prepared his bike 1 mile from the line, and struggled to cycle on the flat outside the “First and Last” pub. At 13:15 Joe and his escort of fellow cyclists arrived at Sennen, 1 mile from the finish line. Joe stayed behind with his dad whilst the escort continued to Lands End. At the required time it was a gentle ride, just Joe and Jerry, who crossed the line at 13:32, into a shower of champagne, load applause, cheering and shouting. A large crowd of friends and family had made the journey to the most westerly point of the UK mainland to welcome Joe and Jerry. Our family had prepared drinks and cake for all those who made it to Lands End. It was a great atmosphere, the sun was shining, and the wind was hardly blowing – a huge contrast to what we had experienced during the previous 12 days. Joe and Jerry presented our chosen charities with cheques for just over £1600 each. A huge thank you to everyone who had sponsored us during the ride. It is the intention for Jerry to return to Bristol at some time in the future and complete the last 3 remaining days of the challenge. Photos will b posted very soon.