The VC’s Life Cycle 2 Blog: Day 14 – Eastbourne to Dover

It’s interesting how distance becomes relative. At breakfast today when our maps were handed out, there was real delight that we ‘only’ had about 65 miles to do. Four months ago we were not even doing that in training runs. And, apart from two big climbs, one out of Hastings and one into Dover, it …

The VC’s Life Cycle 2 Blog: Day 13 – Winchester to Eastbourne

We passed 1,000 miles today, at Rottingdean, east of Brighton. It was a great feeling, that’s a lot of miles in a saddle. We had a comfortable night in a Hall of Residence at the University of Winchester. No breakfast was available, so the Support Team rustled up a Bunkhouse style offering from what was …

The VC’s Life Cycle 2 Blog: Day 12 – Banbury to Winchester

We stayed overnight at the Cromwell Arms in Banbury and Susan joined us for dinner. It is a well situated hotel, with excellent rooms and good food. Today’s route was put together by our leg rider Doug Thomson. Doug is a History graduate and a very good friend of the University. He lives in Woodstock …

The VC’s Life Cycle 2 Blog: Day 11 – Nottingham to Banbury

‘The day after the night before’ was not as subdued as I expected. After such an uplifting afternoon on University Park, waning enthusiasm could have been forgiven. But, there was none of that. Those staying at Cripps Hall, and a few that stayed at home, had a great breakfast (including the best porridge of the …

The VC’s Life Cycle 2 Blog: Day 10 – Lincoln to Nottingham

What a fabulous day. We knew it would be, but it was better than we could have hoped for. The start was at Lincoln Cathedral, by a mile the most iconic start point of Life Cycle 2. It was a real thrill to see more than 50 leg riders preparing to take on the 54 …

The VC’s Life Cycle 2 Blog: Day 9 – Wetherby to Lincoln

Another 83 miles covered today. Some bodies are hurting, twelve to be precise. Hardly surprising, after 701 miles and cumulative climbs of over 37,000 feet. There is also a fair amount of fatigue. That obviously comes partly from the battering our bodies from day after day of 80 or 90 miles on a saddle. There …

The VC’s Life Cycle 2 Blog: Day 8 – Kirkby Lonsdale to Wetherby

So let’s start today with mishaps, because that’s how the day started: Simon’s chair collapsed under him at breakfast. He alleges sabotage on the part of the Support Team, for a cheap laugh (and it did get a lot of laughs); they have another explanation. The second mishap occurred on Settle Hill. Mike’s momentum became …

The VC’s Life Cycle 2 Blog: Day 7 – Annan to Kirkby Lonsdale

Normal service has been resumed, four punctures today, one each for Kate, Andy, Chris R and Steve. There were also a number of mechanical failures. It is not only us riders that are taking a bit of a battering on consistently rough roads, some close to being corrugated. The bikes are suffering too and the …

The VC’s Life Cycle 2 Blog: Day 6 – Kilmarnock to Annan

I forgot to mention on yesterday’s blog that Chris R was first in to Dreghorn and won back the yellow jersey. That may seem a minor detail. However Sergeant Major Jagger and Lord Neville de Wylie have been rooming together and it turns out that, rather than getting the rest they need, they have been …

The VC’s Life Cycle 2 Blog: Day 5 – Cairndow to Kilmarnock

Another brute of a day: 88 miles, mostly in headwinds, with an exacting start and even more exacting finish. We stayed at The Stagecoach Inn in Cairndow, only a few miles from the original Loch Fyne Oyster Bar. The other riders and Support Team had dinner there. I stayed at the hotel to write yesterday’s …