The team have had a successful day on the road so far. A 4AM start saw the team meet in Cannock ready for the 5 hour drive to Cumbernauld. Despite assuring Tony that we all travel light and would only need one suitcase each, Kat emulated Paris Hilton but with food instead of designer clothing.
On arrival in Cumbernauld the team got changed into their official charity jerseys and were wished luck and waved off into the rain by the lovely staff to the tune of Scottish Bagpipes!
The team covered 46 miles and did 2,800 feet of climbing, the questionable route took them along the A37, down part of what appeared to be a motorway, around some mucky country lanes where the support vehicle managed to get itself stuck, and up some grippy hills.
The team gives their account of Day 1:
Tony Whitehouse – “Well the first day has already been an adventure. We took several wrong turnings and at one point got stuck in a ditch, luckily we were rescued by a local tractor. Our hopes for tomorrow are to not get lost, and not get stuck again.”
Andy Keyworth – “The first day brought a few more hills than I had anticipated as I hadn’t studied the route comprehensively. In the rush to get on the road I left Cumbernauld with no water, however this didn’t prove a problem for me as it wasn’t a hard ride. I had the first puncture, and I think that my inner tube packed in out of sympathy of what we had to go through on the motorway. I just had a feeling we weren’t supposed to be there, I think the third lane was meant to be a hard shoulder rather than a cycle lane as we used it.”
Kat Hyde – “The first 20 miles were a bit of a shock to the system having done barely any training, however Andy Keyworth provided a good steady wheel to sit on. Ideally I’d have liked him to knock 20 watts off of his effort but unfortunately I’m too stubborn to ask him to slow down. All things considered I’m positive for tomorrow.”
Pete Jones – “We got off to a rousing start with the Scottish Bagpipes! It was a really great thought to get the piper there.” Andy Keyworth adds that he was glad that he didn’t feel the need to prove that he was a real Scotsman.
“I came down to earth with a bump on the first hill and reality struck quite quickly. However overall I enjoyed the first leg of the journey and cycling down a motorway has been a new experience for me.”
Adam Alderson – “That was a bit tough that was. Tougher than I thought it was going to be, the thought that that is just half of what we will be doing tomorrow is a bit concerning and I feel we may need to slow the pace down a little bit. Pete told me that the first half of today was downhill but I didn’t see it personally it felt very much up hill.”
Keep an eye on our blog for further updates as the ride progresses.
Why not check out the Relive route video here?
If you wish to support the fundraising you can make a donation here.
The team set off from Cannock at 7AM for the big drive up to Scotland.
The team are cheered on their way by the staff at Cumbernauld, complete with bagpipes!
A huge thank you to all our sponsors!
A local tractor rescues Tony and the van from a ditch.
Thank you to our sponsors!
