Coast Busters

We all assemble in the square at Barnard Castle ready for the off at 9.30. All except Johnny G (who only arrived yesterday to pick up the final leg).

John has overslept…

But we’ve got to crack on to Whorlton where there is a photo opportunity on the rickety bridge.

Rickety isn’t the word for it. This thing shakes when a car goes over it and there is only one car allowed on it at any one time.

Bit hairy in the van. I catch the lads and get some snaps then head back to Barnard Castle to get John.

He jumps in the van with me to the first meeting point at Hurworth.

The lads arrive and after a quick snack head on to Great Ayton.

After that it’s the fast downhill in to Saltburn and I race ahead to get parked and get on the steep bank at Saltburn to get more snaps.

I’ll add more photos to the website over the next couple of days so look out for those.

Well done to the lads for another excellent effort!

Click here to see more photos from this leg

After an uneventful trip by van and coach from Middlesbrough we arrived at Walney Island at around 10.00am. The weather was quite cloudy and chilly at the start but it picked up during the day.

First stop was Ulverston, a 13 mile ride for the lads through picturesque scenery and woodland. For some reason, best known to the Sat Nav, I went the coastal route and managed to miss the lads at the first stopping point. Not a good start.

On then to Grange-Over-Sands over some fairly tough climbs for the lads and some very tight single track lanes for me. Glad there was nothing coming the other way.

All the lads arrive within about half an hour of each other with and we link up after a bit of the usual searching for each other.

That is’ all except Dean. No sign of him at Grange and no-one had seen him for a while on the route. We’re in Grange for around a hour for lunch and still no sign of him.

Johnno gives him a bell and he’s only in Kendal already! Yellow Jersey for Dean? I think there will be stewards enquiry in the pub later.

We meet again at Matland, a tiny village just outside Kendal and then I follow the lads into the digs. We’re staying in four separate places, two pubs and two B & Bs but they are all pretty close so we’ll rendezvous later this evening.

A tough day ahead tomorrow including the dreaded Tan Hill.

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Today is the pinnacle of Le Tour. Through the Col Du Tourmalet from Bagneres to Lourdes over the highest road in the Pyrenees.

If you watch it on Thursday 14th July, you’ll see the Tour de France pass along this same route.

The lads cycle together until the Tourmalet starts proper at St Marie De Campan where they stop before the race begins.

They set out as I drive up to find a spot to park 4 -5 km further on and give the lads a chance to grab water which they do as they power past.

Coxy is the lead at this stage, followed by Steve K, Spenna, Ade, Billy and Marty with Blue, Johnno, Johnny, Wagga and Steve D close behind. There is a fifteen minute gap between front and rear at this point.

After they all grab water I head another 4 -5 km further on and we repeat the process but the gap between front and back has now widened.

On up to La Mongie, a famous ski resort but Coxy, Steve K and Spenna have already passed this point so I need to get to the summit.

I arrive just as he gets there for the King of the Hill photo.

All the lads arrive in much the same order within the hour and we can take our photos.

I have to say just driving up this mountain pass is daunting but for the lads to cycle it is a remarkable achievement.

WELL DONE LADS!!!!

The ride down is through the most exciting scenery I’ve ever seen and very thrilling for the lads.

I want to thank them personally for letting me accompany them on their thrilling adventures.

An early start from Bedoin at 8.30 for the assault on Mont Ventoux. This is the big one. We can see the mountain in the distance and it’s white capped but not with snow.

Up that high nothing grows and just the bare chalk like rock is visible. It’s known in cycling circles as a ‘lunar landscape’ and it looks pretty daunting.

Just a mile in, Coxy breaks a spoke so a new wheel will be needed at some point but he has no choice but to press on.

This time I can keep stopping and waiting for the lads to climb behind. Armed with Coxy’s camera I get some great action shots.

At the half way point a couple of the lads stop to ditch their backpacks. It’s heavy going and worse is to come.

Bonzo is out in front. It’s the first time I’ve come across this racing whippet and I was surprised to see him up there. But he does look built for this lark and he’s on a road bike. Coxy, Spenna and Steve K are next past. Then Billy, Ade and Wagga followed by Blue, Johnno, Marty and Steve D with Johnny and the tutu bringing up the rear at this point.

On to the top and that lunar landscape. It’s a killer, you come out of the wooded area and then get clear view of the summit weather station. It looks deceptively close but the road winds and winds.

We stop at the memorial to Tom Simpson, a British Cyclist who died here during the Tour de France.

Up to the summit and it’s cold, the wind is biting. All the lads said the last few miles were really hard, tougher than anything they have done before.

Bonzo makes it in a time of 1 hour 55 which is a remarkable achievement.

The rest of the lads come to huge cheers from the crowd at the summit. It’s busy up here!

Special mention has to go to Johnny G wearing a pink tutu all the way up! Some English tourists at the top had passed John and were highly amused by the tutu. They said they knew he was English as he was still smiling.

Here’s Johnny…

And a special mention to Johnno who battled through the pain barrier to reach the summit.

The Tan Hill Team

As a practice run for Le Tour we decided to go for a short and easy ride from Barnard Castle to the Tan Hill Inn, camping overnight behind the pub and then returning to Barnard Castle the next day.

Simple, right? And simple for me, a short blog post and a couple of pics to post and job done. Or so I thought…. (hence I’ve had to dedicate a whole page!)

You can access the page from the link below or from the contents at the side.

The Tan Hill Inn Weekend

The final day and the weather is great again. Hot and sunny, perfect for the lads journey from Hexham and along the banks of the Tyne through Newcastle to North Shields. From there it’s a short hop over on the ferry to South Shields and the finish line.

It’s a very short journey for me to the finish and I arrive just after 10.00. Nothing to do but sit on the cliff top in the hot sun and watch the boats go by.

The lads have a fantastic run along cycle tracks that border the river into Newcastle and the quayside area. All stop for refreshments at the riverside cafes. Stoz strikes up a song, though where he’d been hiding that guitar is anyone’s guess!

It’s at this point that a certain rumour starts to gather momentum…

You’ll recall I mentioned yesterday that there was a football pitch next to our hotel in Hexham. Well, it also had a running track going round it. Apparently a few of the lads decided to go for a sprint round the track. This was after 2.30 in the morning… so it was pitch black and the lads were by now past peak performance levels.

Anyway, the word is, the lads had decided that the only way to meet this challenge was to do it starkers! Apparently it was a sight to behold. I was safely tucked up in bed at this point so I’m still trying to find out who the culprits were… are there any photos… and who won! I’ll let you know when our naturist sprinters own up.

It’s about 1.00pm when the first group arrive from the ferry with everyone arriving shortly after.

Great just in time for the Boro match!

Into the pub where the locals are just settling in for the Newcastle game. ‘Ow chor… get the Boro game on gadge’ shouts Johnny G.

That woke the place up.

The locals are really friendly but I’ll never get used to being called ‘Bonny Lad’ by a fella.

As we wait for the coach to pick up the lads everyone swaps stories about the weekend and all agree it has been one of the best trips ever. And it really has gone without a hitch. Apart from the rain on Friday, the weather has been good, the ride challenging and some great laughs along the route.

A big well done to Coxy for organising the whole trip!

The journey over to Whitehaven in the vans was predictably through heavy rain and mist. This was not to be a pleasant sunny ride for the lads on Day One.

We all set off from Whitehaven at 9.00am for the first rendezvous at Cockermouth with an expectation that, with the wind behind them, this stage would take about an hour and half.

It only took me half an hour in the van, so time to stock up on bacon butties.

Coxy & Steve K arrived more or less on schedule but after that the lads arrived in dribs and drabs. A few wrong turnings piled on the miles. This is a new route for the lads and it’s badly signposted for the riders.

All the lads stock up on bacon butties except for Steve Johno and John Mett who had brought a couple of whole chickens with them!

It’s 12.30 before I leave Cockermouth and no sign at all of Wagga and Gary C. I have to assume they have taken an alternative route and I must press on to the next rendezvous at Hesket Newmarket.

I arrive a good hour before the lads are likely to get here so I retire to the pub for a lemonade (honest!).

A blur of yellow flashes past the window and I dive out to see none other than Johnny G as the first one in! Well done big fella!

As the rest arrives it transpires the signposting was even worse on this section and this time Spenna and Chaz fail to show!

Meanwhile Stoz is having major puncture problems and will need a bike shop in Carlisle.

On to Carlisle where I find Spenna and Chaz already booked in to the hotel and camped in the pub opposite.

Eventually everyone arrives at the Hotel, the Cumbria Park, soaked to the skin.

Everyone that is except Wagga and Gary!!

I check with reception… the lady says ALL have arrived… then how come I’ve got two spare holdalls in our room! The plot thickens…

I’m sharing with Johnny G tonight, so it’s the first round of the national snoring competition.

The final leg…

An early start sees us head back to Portamirin from the Hotel for the start of the final leg. What adventures will we have today?

I head for the meeting point at Melide on the roads that appear to be designed more like a race track. I don’t go fast as I don’t know what’s around the next bend.

Then I see a lorry behind me and he’s shifting… lights on and closing fast… I accelerate… so does he… I’ve got him on the uphills… he’s got me on the down. The dual continues and I break away on the uphill to Mailda and park up.

As I type this… the lorry has pulled in beside me… I can’t see him… I see the door open on the far side and out he gets… all I can see are his boots under the lorry… and he walks…

I’m not worried. He doesn’t know what’s coming behind me!

We had a couple of crossed lines at the meeting points today but eventually all meet up in a small village outside Santiago.

It’s now a last sprint to the finish…

At the start in St Jean

Just an 18 mile hop today for the lads. So, no need to start until 1.00pm.

Just a couple of issues with that. The first 12 miles are a climb to 4,600 ft. The toughest ascent on Camino and this was day one.

And at 1 o’clock on the France / Spain border the sun is at it’s peak. Coxy denies setting the start time to make the challenge even tougher but I don’t think anyone believes him.

The ride was tough and everything the lads expected but they stuck together, each riding at their own pace and then stopping every 600 ft. of ascent to let everyone catch up and take a well earned breather.

The tough slogs up hill were followed by equally intimidating down hills but everyone enjoyed these hairy moments.

The whole section took 5 hours to complete but there were frequent stops and a longer one for lunch at a handy bar near the summit. Breathtaking views.

At the summit

We stayed in the Hotel Burgette which is where Ernest Hemingway stayed on his many visits to the Basque region.

Great hotel and rooms and this time a set meal. As we sat outside Wagga announced it was trout all round but was howled down by the meat eaters. 9 steaks and 3 trout was the order with Wagga, Steve and Howard going for the fish.

Both options were excellent and were preceded by a very tasty bean soup (tasted a bit like pea and ham) although John describes it as baked beans with oxo (that was before he’d tasted it.)

Went to have a wander round Burgette but it’s a one street town and everywhere was shut! They must have heard we were coming. The whole place was shuttered up. As we walked down the deserted street it was like a scene from a spagetti western minus the dead guy on the horse.

Back to the hotel then for a few beers, red red wine and an early night. Honest. Billy really was in bed for 9.00pm as he needs his beauty sleep.

Just us at the hotel and a couple of Germans. No one mentioned the you know what.

Outside the Hotel Burgette