LEJOG - Help! It's The Hair Bear Bunch
That's no way to start a ride. I hit the twins, Hairy Melon and Brooks with an immediate 500ft climb out of Bettyhill towards Thurso today. Well whaddya expect dummy? It would be called Bettyflat if there wasn't a lairy hill to climb, innit?
I'm now within spitting distance of John O' Groats. I'm tired. It's strange how a leaden feeling has descended now that I'm so close to the end. Previous days were nothing like. JOG was too remote to worry about it. But right now it feels like I'm back at work with a ton to do with a hard deadline just moments away. And with wind.
I'm riding in to the face of it. Even though the Kirkby Stephen leg was great practice for uphill into a strong breeze, today it feels like a jet of air out of a giants Dyson 'airblade' hand dryer as the sea breeze is accelerated as it is squeezed by the rising land, ripping the moisture from my body. And like the SAS training in Cornwall its back into a range of baby Garrowbys all determined to stop me in my tracks. As my friends used to say in my younger American Football days when I had been dicked and sat on my arse by the bigger boys, 'SUCK IT UP!' Ooh this feels like hard work. Grind grind grind crunch crunch crunch as though the tyres are now full fat hob nailed boots. Yet the Sun is shining and whispering me on. 'Go low and slow old boy. You can do it. You're very nearly there.' heres a few stunning photos from today...
I met another racing snake in passing. His name was Mirco, again from Italy but now living in Cambridge. Like me he was pooped with the effort of riding into a head wind. And he'd ridden well over twice the distance this particular lazy fat man did today. Hats off to him. He's at the end of the video lower down...
Remember this?
Oh God how I need one of those invisible powered bikes right now. In fact for all of it. What a great hair brained cartoon series. Hanna Babera did some fantastic stuff for children. Kids nowadays just don't know what they're missing!
The Hair Bear Bunch was reminded to me through a tee shirt worn by an equally young gent called Stevie who ran the Avondale BnB in Kingussie. Same age as me but in his youth was part of the RAF Regiment so responsible for airfield protection etc.. He served in the Falklands (82) on Rapier missiles and in the first Gulf war (91). He told of many exploits including locked in a room antics with a rather large woman, ahem, and as a door gunner wearing DPM camouflage in the desert and being given for the first time a minigun by the Yanks! Wow! Firepower! But also that he has written several books aka Spike Milligan's memoirs of his time in the service. And that a percentage of the sale goes to charity. Heres a few book covers if your are interested along with some wise words...
He also told me how a foot operation in Australia led to the amputation of his leg above the knee due to a MRSA type bug. And there I was thinking it was a bad war wound. Also of his determination to walk out of the rehabilitation centre within 5 weeks whilst being laughed at by the physio's. He did it. Determination. I'm nothing like him.
I've met a few hairy bears on the ride, some in the same direction doing the same thing, many not shaven. And that includes the girls! Some on other plans such as David and Mirco from Italy on their Scottish 500 rides west, up across and back down. Here's a short montage of a grand ride with friends and supporters!
Next stop on the not so invisible bike is John O Groats! Tomorrow. I've had a couple of Stella's in the Station Hotel writing this whilst dehydrated. Legs have packed in and I cannot get up.
Oh dear. I've just tapped the table and shouted 'Menu please!'
I'm now within spitting distance of John O' Groats. I'm tired. It's strange how a leaden feeling has descended now that I'm so close to the end. Previous days were nothing like. JOG was too remote to worry about it. But right now it feels like I'm back at work with a ton to do with a hard deadline just moments away. And with wind.
I'm riding in to the face of it. Even though the Kirkby Stephen leg was great practice for uphill into a strong breeze, today it feels like a jet of air out of a giants Dyson 'airblade' hand dryer as the sea breeze is accelerated as it is squeezed by the rising land, ripping the moisture from my body. And like the SAS training in Cornwall its back into a range of baby Garrowbys all determined to stop me in my tracks. As my friends used to say in my younger American Football days when I had been dicked and sat on my arse by the bigger boys, 'SUCK IT UP!' Ooh this feels like hard work. Grind grind grind crunch crunch crunch as though the tyres are now full fat hob nailed boots. Yet the Sun is shining and whispering me on. 'Go low and slow old boy. You can do it. You're very nearly there.' heres a few stunning photos from today...
I met another racing snake in passing. His name was Mirco, again from Italy but now living in Cambridge. Like me he was pooped with the effort of riding into a head wind. And he'd ridden well over twice the distance this particular lazy fat man did today. Hats off to him. He's at the end of the video lower down...
Remember this?
Oh God how I need one of those invisible powered bikes right now. In fact for all of it. What a great hair brained cartoon series. Hanna Babera did some fantastic stuff for children. Kids nowadays just don't know what they're missing!
The Hair Bear Bunch was reminded to me through a tee shirt worn by an equally young gent called Stevie who ran the Avondale BnB in Kingussie. Same age as me but in his youth was part of the RAF Regiment so responsible for airfield protection etc.. He served in the Falklands (82) on Rapier missiles and in the first Gulf war (91). He told of many exploits including locked in a room antics with a rather large woman, ahem, and as a door gunner wearing DPM camouflage in the desert and being given for the first time a minigun by the Yanks! Wow! Firepower! But also that he has written several books aka Spike Milligan's memoirs of his time in the service. And that a percentage of the sale goes to charity. Heres a few book covers if your are interested along with some wise words...
He also told me how a foot operation in Australia led to the amputation of his leg above the knee due to a MRSA type bug. And there I was thinking it was a bad war wound. Also of his determination to walk out of the rehabilitation centre within 5 weeks whilst being laughed at by the physio's. He did it. Determination. I'm nothing like him.
I've met a few hairy bears on the ride, some in the same direction doing the same thing, many not shaven. And that includes the girls! Some on other plans such as David and Mirco from Italy on their Scottish 500 rides west, up across and back down. Here's a short montage of a grand ride with friends and supporters!
Next stop on the not so invisible bike is John O Groats! Tomorrow. I've had a couple of Stella's in the Station Hotel writing this whilst dehydrated. Legs have packed in and I cannot get up.
Oh dear. I've just tapped the table and shouted 'Menu please!'
Comments
Post a Comment
I would be very interested in reading your thoughts about my blog entries. Please feel free to comment. But do leave your name so I know who I’m replying to 😊