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He started and he finished... Past President Les
Roberts rode from Lands End to John O'Groats to raise awareness and
funds for the Cure Parkinson's Trust. The purpose of the trust is
to fund research to hasten a cure for this debilitative neurological
condition (from which Les suffers). The charity's primary role is
identifying, funding and evaluating research projects, as well as
hosting scientific forums to bring relevant scientists within the field
together, to discuss key areas of research and technology. You
can still help with his fund raising by going to
http://www.justgiving.com/lesroberts
Here is Les's report:
We rolled into J O'Groats Friday afternoon (28th),
12 days and 1030 miles after leaving Lands End. We started in bright
sunshine, we ended in bright sunshine but in the middle we encountered
conditions as severe as anything I have ever experienced on a bike
before. Sods Law, naturally, dictated that the foulest weather coincided
with the most topographically demanding stages. Up the Trough of Bowland
and over the Pennines on days 6 and 7 and then again on day 10 when we
had to tackle the Cairngorms, were particularly grim sections containing
a good number of sustained gradients greater than 15% to overcome in
high, gusting, sometimes gale force winds and torrential rain. The wind
chill meant we were all forced to don full winter gear but it was barely
enough. At the top of Shap Fell my heavier team mates insisted I let the
back-up transport take me down the mountain as they feared for my safety
in 70 mph winds having seen me twice blown off my bike on the ascent. At
the top of the infamous "Devil's Elbow" (Arsehole, more like!) at
Glenshee, I again had to take a ride and be ferried to Braemar at the
bottom of the mountain to buy some more effective gloves as my totally
numb hands would have been lethal on the 5 mile, alpine-like descent.
It didn't help, of course, to be aware all the
time that down in the south it was for the most part warm and sunny! I
reckon this side-tracking caused me to miss 30/35 miles (mostly
downhill), so I think I can reasonably still claim "mission
accomplished"; I was perfectly fit enough to go on on those occasions
but there was the wider picture to consider - namely, the effect my
circumstances and actions would have on the peace of mind and well-being
of the others.
Given the circumstances, I reckon this was the
most demanding piece of athletic activity I have ever done. On some of
the climbs my exertion to overcome the steeper sections far outstripped
what I put into that 60 second last lap that took me to victory in Rome
in 1985 or anything I ever endured running marathons and it was far more
prolonged. I can't tell you how gratifying it is to discover that
boundaries can still be pushed back at this stage of the game.
They say that the most frequently heard utterance
in J O'G is, "where to next?" Dead right; it really is almost impossible
not to say it when you get there. But this is not because you are
immediately inspired by the setting to start planning your next major
odyssey or display of intrepidity but simply that this one-eyed little
hamlet with the allure of a Canvey Island caravan site, is such an
anti-climax. For "where to next?" read "let's get the hell outta this
godforsaken place!"
Thanks again to you all for your moral and
financial support; it made a difference.
Les |
