LEJOG - Stage 9

The morning after the big crash the night before...

We both woke in bits having had very little shut eye. However the lack of sleep was not through the excitement of getting up for the last day but just from not being able to rest in certain positions due to the pain and aching areas from the fall so there was no real chance of getting comfortable throughout the night.

Hobbling down to breakfast very early the mood was still low from the smash and the breakfast was not a good one, probably the worst of the trip. Most of the food was left on the plate as we went back to the man odur filled room to whack on the cream and kit up.

We were on the road by 8.30 pedalling with a determination and the thought process of let's just get this day done. The mood was surprisingly not one of excitement about reaching the climax but one of longing for it to be over. After 10 miles in to the last stage and another beautiful backdrop to soak in the realisation hit me that this was it and I started to feel very emotional about everything and nothing.

Our pace was good and we motored on over rolling hills for 25 miles when we decided to take a stop for a quick coffee and a scone with jam at Linda's cafe knowing that lunch would have to be late today due to the vastly uninhabited land in the next 50 miles.

It was just as well we did carb pack at this time as the miles between 35 and 50 produced some monsterous never ending climbs over Caithness, which I actually really enjoyed. Whilst knowing these would be my last climbs on route to JOG I reflected how much I had loved previous climbs at Cheddar, Shap and Rannoch Moor. All these have been my personal cycle highlights that I will never forget.

Coming out of Caithness there were more rolling hills and today was pretty relentless with climbing. At 60 miles on the clock my bike had another minor mechanical when the chain started rubbing on the spokes. Bat signal sent out my team Sky mechanic Andrew was quick to sort my minor out and we were back off and in the running again for a top two finish in the GC for the day.

A few gels and a shared brownie bar just about got us through to lunch at 71 miles and the hunger was really pounding at this stage. With only 17 miles to JOG we had to stop for refuelling. A quick toastie and scotch pie in the high street cafe in Wick saw me well for the final push. Our moods were back high again having not suffered too much in the saddle with our newly acquired bumps and bruises. I am sure it would have been different if we struggled more due to the crash. We both had the finish in our sights and minds and my constant message to Andy was "just leave everything out there today" and finish strong into JOG.

The last 17 miles were some of the hardest. Minor rolling hills were becoming a struggle due to 9 days of constant cycling and putting our bodies through more pain, pressure and stress than they had ever been through in our entire lives. As the miles counted down to the finish I could feel the pressure slowly lifting from my shoulders and the overwhelming sense of achievement rising up inside of me. One last hill at 2 miles to go really did see both of us leave everything out there. Andy led the way up storming it to the top with everything he had left in the tank with me pushing on hard right behind him. When we got over that bump it was done and we could roll down the last road to the finish. We stopped for this picture before reaching the end though.

Finally rolling in and seeing the polar opposite sign to what we saw in Lands End was incredible. I cycled right up to the sign and hugged it for a long time.

We dismounted and hugged each tightly for a long time. This was a very proud moment for me to achieve something of this magnitude. It is hard to find the right words for my feelings at this time and I am sure I need a lot more time to reflect on the whole ordeal.

We got back to our B&B for the night in Wick at a really decent time. I had a bottle of champagne ready back in the room and we toasted all the appropriate people and finally ourselves. The owner of the B&B was excellent and she really went out of her way for us dropping us in town at a restaurant and picking us up. We had an excellent celebratory meal in Wick at a restaurant that boasts it is situated in the smallest street in the world! And this is actually in the Guinness book of records This place was an excellent recommendation, absolutely spot on and really didn't disappoint

Here are today's stats:-

Total ride time = 5hrs 38mins

Distance = 140kms

Calories burnt = 3331

Elevation = 1206m

Reflecting a little on the experience I know for a fact that I could not have acheived this without Andrew. He was a warrior throughout and kept my going when I was low and boosted me to get back to the highs wheni needed it most. He physically and mentally helped me right through to the end and I cannot think of anyone else that I could have done this with. I love you Mr J for everything.

I will miss all the idiosyncrasies, habits and manorisms. "Launch messages", inability to open any type of lock, flip flops waving in the wind on the pack back, chamois creaming up and too much more to mention

Until the next time campers.....Chris Lee out