Here it is at last...the full Coast to Coast Report!

Thursday Preparations

On Thursday night Ant and I had to pack for the big adventure as we were leaving straight from work on Friday. I fitted my new bike lights, squeezed into my new 3/4 length cycle leggings (bit tight, but they'll have to do!) and we took the bikes out for a last quick ride. We then rode straight to my office at the Academy so that the bikes could be picked up on Friday morning.

Frantic Friday and Finally on our way
Friday morning began with lots of excitement. The other 5 participants were all bringing their bikes into the office so that they could be taken on the trailer up to our starting point at Blue Anchor Bay. The office was full of bikes and we did a quick photo shoot with a couple of members of staff. No one else was in the office that morning, so surrounded by bikes I attempted to settle down to some work and ignore the rain outside. Before long, Nigel and Claire had arrived to pick up the bikes. We carted them outside, took off the front wheels and got them onto the trailer. Happy with a good morning's work, I headed back to the office for a nice cup of tea.

Unfortunately I didn't get to drink this as I had a phonecall to say Nigel needed a car and some jump leads... Putting my coat back on I headed out to the front of College. There was already a car pulled up alongside and some jump leads attached, so I thought the crisis was over, took some photos and was about to head back to the office when I noticed the car pull off and Nigel signalling to say the battery was still dead. Surely no need to worry - with an overflowing car park, someone must be able to help us out. One of the Academy's vehicles was in the car park so I went off to get the keys for that and headed back outside. At first I thought I couldn't get it started because it was an automatic - but it turned out that vehicle had a flat battery too. Oh dear. Back outside, the maintenance guys had found Nigel and had pulled up with their little van. Then we were scuppered again as the minibus needed to get through and the van would have to move...and then it was decided that the minibus would be the best vehicle to use to try and get Nigel going again. The students about to get on the bus patiently huddled out of the rain as the minibus was hooked up. After a couple of minutes...success! Hoorah!! Nigel could get on his way again and was heading to Marsh Barton to complain that his not too old battery had given up the ghost. (It later turned out that the battery was faulty and he was given a new one.)

Soaked through and soggy I went over to reception to collect the post and then came back to the office to try and dry out my things before we left for the campsite. Not quite the start to the weekend that I had imagined! After all the excitement, the rest of the day seemed rather dull, but come 4pm it was great to meet up with everyone and get in the car. It was finally time to head off. After an unscheduled stop at McDonalds on the way and a couple of wrong turns (sorry guys!) we arrived at the campsite to find our tipi set up in the bottom corner of the field with a lovely wood burning fire already lit to keep the coldness at bay. It was quite mild at the start of the evening and we all sat outside drinking tea, discussing the events to come and determinedly trying to stay up until 10pm so that we would sleep as well as possible before setting off the next day. We had a bit of light drizzle and the wind got up a bit making it colder, but we braved it outside under the canopy of the food tent, putting on more layers to keep warm. Once I'd made the decision to go to bed, everyone else followed and by the time I'd got back from the toilet block the others were all tucked up in their sleeping bags.

I'd like to say I slept well and woke feeling refreshed and ready for the challenge. I didn't! It took a while to drop off to sleep and I had a very cold nose! Then the rain started lashing down and it was windy and I stayed awake for ages dreading having to do the full event in the pouring rain. Even though I knew the forecast was for rain on Friday night and good weather on Saturday, it's hard to believe that when you're lying in a tent feeling cold and listening to the rain lashing down.

The Big Cycling Day
As forecast, Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful. I thought I'd got up in plenty of time and headed off to have a wash and get changed. By the time I got back everyone else had eaten breakfast and packed up their stuff. Eeek! Luckily our breakfast rations were easy to cook - a bag of beans and sausages that just needed to boil for a few minutes. It was surprisingly delicious! Perhaps eating rations wasn't going to be so bad after all (better than McDonalds in my book!) Everyone gathered together and put on their hi viz vests whilst Nigel gave a safety brief and talked us through the day. Nigel would go ahead to each rest point and Ed would follow behind in case of any problems along the way. Before we set off my stomach was lurching as I didn't know how the day would go or whether I would manage the distance myself and as I'd organised the event I felt an overwhelming responsibility for everyone.

As we set off, my nerves calmed a little and it was good to finally be on the way. I thought back to the day when Ed first popped into the office and said he had an idea for fundraising and I was delighted we'd got the event together. The first section involved some steep downhill lanes and as we cycled along the adrenalin wore off and the lack of sleep from the night before made itself apparent. I didn't feel particularly awake and I knew I just had to keep pedalling as each section would get us nearer to our final destination. We had a bit of stop start section to begin with, stopping first to take off some layers and then again for when everyone got separate at traffic lights going through a village - so when we came to the first stopping point, we decided to cycle on and get a few more miles under our belts.

I knew the first section of the ride would be the hardest as it involved a long uphill section. This turned out to be very tough and had I known just how long it was going to go on for I probably would have stopped cycling a lot sooner! As it was, I kept going and going and going at a very slow pace and then pulled into a layby to take a breather. Jim was waiting there and we stopped to have a snack and some water and to wait for the others. After a while we thought we should probably move on again, as Gareth had already gone ahead to the next stop and we wanted to keep the group together as much as possible. Jim went back to check up on the others as we moved on to catch up with Gareth. Just as we'd started heading on up the hill, Jim came past and asked if we could try and contact Nigel. We had one person struggling with the chain on their bike and suffering from cramp and another person feeling poorly. Not a good start. I tried to contact Nigel, but I had very little signal and then when I did get through, there was only an answer message. I could only hope that Ed would be close behind them and could radio to Nigel if needed. It turned out that the village and our next stopping point was only around a couple of corners, so we pushed on and met up with Gareth there. Not long after arriving, Ed and the others turned up. After a bit of a break, some more snacks and some work on one of the bikes, everyone felt ready to move on again. I was glad to have the group back together and although I hadn't dared to hope that the hilly section was over, we had a fantastically quick, mostly downhill section to the next stopping point.

With spirits bouyed again and only another 10 miles to go to lunch and the halfway point, we re-stocked our water supplies and set off. The sun was now out and getting warmer and our route took us through shady trees and delightful riverside views. Ant almost got taken out by a pheasant who flew out of the hedge, but luckily he avoided this and we carried on without incident. After another 8 miles we all carefully crossed the black cat junction (helpfully signed by a picture of a black cat - although I didn't stop to photograph this) and had a final water stop before completing the last two miles to lunch. There was a sneaky bit of unexpected hill which almost caught me out, especially when a fly landed on my nose and I coudln't get rid of it - but I pushed on and found the others stopping for a breather just round the corner. Just a bit further on we came to the Exeter Inn, our stopping place for lunch.

Following Jim's example and shunning the ration packs to 'make the best use of available resources' we ordered a nice pub lunch. Unfortunately it took a while for the second batch of lunches to come, so we found ourselves having to eat up quickly, but it was a very pleasant stop and good to stretch our legs for a bit. Some people were starting to get very stiff at this point and I was worried that they might find it more difficult to keep going in the afternoon - but being fantastic team that they were, they all kept smiling and hopped back on their bikes again.

The next section of the route took us through Tiverton, which I didn't enjoy much at all. Luckily we all kept together as I wouldn't have had a clue which way to go through the centre. We were soon through all the roundabouts and out on the cycle path on the road out of Tiverton. This was a mixed blessing as the road surface was really rough and despite being flat, it was very uncomfortable to ride on. I had a bit of a hairy moment going through some roadworks that were controlled by traffic lights. Three of us were together behind one car and as the lights changed and we followed through the lane on the other side of the road, a car was about to try and overtake us in much too narrow space. I couldn't believe they had even thought it - but fortunately they backed off and thought better of it.

Before I knew it we were at our next stopping point in Bickleigh - another pub, but no sneaking inside for supplies this time. Just a quick stop in the car park to top up our water and eat some more snacks. There was some hilarity from a coupleo of people who had seen a vibrator in the road, but I'd completely missed that! Now with only 16 miles to go to the campsite I felt like we were nearly there and was confident that we'd all make it.

Although we did all make it, I shouldn't have been so confident about being nearly there - no one had mentioned that there was a lot of uphill in the next 16 miles! We headed out of Bickleigh, familiar territory to us thanks to the CTC rides, and then turned off towards Silverton. This was completley new to me and I had no idea how the route was going to get us from there to Clyst St Mary - I just couldn't map it together in my head. The lane was immediately hilly and I thought I was going to have to get off and walk. Just a bit further, just a bit further I kept saying to myself and I could hear Kirby setting me a target of just getting around the next corner...and indeed, finally round one of the next corners the road flattened out a bit and I could see Jim and Gareth waiting up ahead at a roundabout. Now only 10 miles to go - into Broadclyst, into Clyst Honiton and out to Clyst St Mary.

Joining the main road into Broadclyst we made good progress, although I was baffled by the traffic calming measures. I've no idea how to explain what they were like, other than that they were very juddery to cycle over! The hill up into Broadclyst was a bit of a struggle and I was starting to tire, but determined to keep going now that we were getting so close. Pulling into the car park outside Clyst Vale Sports Hall I reminisced about my school days - my fear of P. E. lessons and my absolute hate of cross country runs. Who would have thought I would have been cycling 50 miles across Devon in a day - and thinking myself that it would be a good idea?!?

From here we cycled along a very familiar route - the route I used to take on the school bus every day back to home in Clyst Honiton. This whizzed by and again I thought back to those journeys and how crazy it would have seemed to think about cycling that route! Despite being downhill I found cycling down the old A30 wasn't much fun and the road surface wasn't great - but it was so fantastic to be cycling through Clyst Honiton. I was desperate to stop off at my mum's for a nice cuppa and to tell her we'd just cycled there from up near Minehead! The others were off though and I coudln't let them get away at this stage. It suddenly dawned on me that the route to Clyst St Mary was the road we used to drive all the time when I was younger, through the lanes where we'd go blackberry and elderflower picking and also a route we sometimes cycled to go the shop in Clyst St Mary. If I could do it when I was 7 I must surely be able to do it now!

I'd forgotten just how far the route was and indeed how hilly! After the first section and a steep hill I thought we were almost there, only to discover there was another steep hill to come. Feeling really tired now and regretting not having a snack at the last stop I was determined I wasn't going to stop and walk any of the route when I'd got this close. Trudging along in my lowest gear and weaving slowly up the hill, struggling for breath and gritting my teeth I finally came to the top. It was a struggle to keep pedalling as the route flattened out, but I wasn't giving up now! Arriving in Clyst St Mary was a real buzz! Woohoo, we've made it! Celebrations in the car park....

...oh, by the way, the camp site is another 1.8miles outside of Clyst St Mary...and yes, we do have to cycle up the main road. Doh! I don't think I've ever cycled up that stretch of road so slowly and turning off into the lane towards the farm I hoped it would be a nice downhill run. Er...no... It was all slightly gently up hill all the way. Surely it must be somewhere near here? Ah yes, finally there was the sign and we turned into the lane! Hoorah! Spotting Nigel and the trailer in a field I pulled up thinking I'd done it, only to find that to get into the field, we had to go all the way down to the bottom of the lane and then all the way back up the other side of the hedge. Well, we've come this far... Cycling up the field was very hard work, but those ahead of me had done it and I wasn't going to be on video pushing my bike through the field! Stepping off the bike I reached for the camera to photograph the others arriving. What a day!

On arrival at camp we all stood around and watched Nigel and Ed putting up the tipi. We all wanted to help, but didn't really know how to help and were just far too tired to do anything useful. Claire showed us all up by getting off her bike and immediately going to help put up the tent...well done Claire!

My highlight of the evening was Teal. Nigel had been to pick up his gorgeous springer who is a very well trained gun dog and is clearly Nigel's girl. It was so good to watch her scampering about and lovely to have some doggy cuddles after such a long day. We also had an entertaining moment when the portaloo was brought up on a tractor and was promptly deposited in the hedge. Sadly I didn't capture it on video, but I did whip my camera out for a quick snap of Nigel helping to put it upright again!

I was feeling much more relaxed having completed the bulk of the challenge and despite my legs hurting every time I attempted to stand up or sit down, I wasn't feeling as bad as I thought I might. Over our ration packs (Chicken Casserole, followed by Chocolate Pudding in Chocolate Sauce for me...yum!) we empathised with each other over our aches and pains and then moved over to sit by the campfire. We weren't such a lively bunch as the night before and we began the countdown to a 9pm bedtime. Despite being a much colder night, I had no trouble getting to sleep and slept soundly throughout the night. Zzzzzzz.....

The Final Push
We'd heard reports that the weather could turn on Sunday, so we were pleased to wake up to a dry morning. With our ration packs mostly devoured, Nigel cooked up a load of sausages and bacon for breakfast, delicious!

Getting back on our bikes again had been a topic of anticipation the night before and we couldn't put it off any longer. As I rode down through the field, every single movement was painful! I was saddle sore and my knees were hurting and I was dreading the 6 miles into Exeter. Luckily as we got out of the field and into the lane, the less bumpy terrain meant a more comfortable ride and the uphill ride we'd had on Saturday meant a nice long stretch of downhill to get us going - I hardly pedalled at all along the whole stretch to the main road. Admittedly I went quite slowly, but it was less painful that way! From Clyst St Mary we had another familiar CTC route back into Exeter. I was dreading the uphill sections on Old Rydon Lane and I struggled up these slowly but determinedly. Having got this far, I coudln't give in now - and I knew we'd have the reward of a downhill ride and a flat road straight to the Academy.

Once we'd hit Topsham Road, I had mixed feelings. We'd almost finished the ride, but we still had 6 miles of canoeing to do before we stop and then be driven back to the Academy again. Going past work and past home on route is a bit depressing! I'd not really given much consideration to the canoeing section of the route - I've only ever canoed as far as Double Locks and back before, hadn't canoed at all since April and hadn't done any training for this bit of the challenge.

At the Academy we had a quick change into our team t-shirts, picked up our collection tins and buckets and headed down to the Quay. The weather was still holding for us, but grey clouds were overhead and we'd heard that rain was due by 1pm. Donning our lifejackets and taking up our paddles, we climbed into the canoes. They had loads of water in the bottom and I'd brought my bar bag with me with my phone and camera in it, so this would be the first test of it's claims to be waterproof!

My lack of experience at canoeing soon showed, as Ant and I lagged behind all the others. Ant tried to reassure me as the other canoes had blokes in them and Claire has done a training course in canoeing - but I just felt exhausted and devastated at being so far back from the others and holding everyone up. You would think I'd be used to this after all my rides with the CTC, but I just wasn't prepared for this at all. On the plus side it was nice to be sitting down and not using my legs!

It seemed to take ages just to get to the Double Locks and having cycled the route on many occasions, I knew the Turf Locks was much further away. Ed helped us to get our boat out of the water, but then I still struggled to help Ant to carry it and I had to call for help as I just didn't have the strength or the energy to move the canoe. We were soon off on the move again, albeit more slowly than the others. Everyone was going more slowly and waiting for us, so it was a bit more sociable along this stretch. Ed also managed to be at a phenomenal amount of points along the route with the video camera, so each time I spotted him I put on a fake grin and tried to look like I was having fun! Ed being a keen watersports chap himself spotted my lack of technique and my droopy tired arms and tried to shout out tips to us for improving our performance. I struggled to grasp the concept of using my body to pull the canoe forward, rather than using the paddle to push the water back, but it did seem to make a bit of difference when I tried. I was completely baffled by Ed saying I should be using my legs too - how could I possibly use my legs when sat in a canoe?!? "And anyway, I used my legs all day yesterday and they are tired too!"

After passing Countess Weir the channel became wider and it seemed to take ages to get through this section. Then we were level with Topsham and although we were obviously getting nearer, I knew the route far too well to think we were almost there! The wind had started to get up creating ripples across the water and making it much harder to push forwards. I would probably have been an awful lot slower if it wasn't for the canoes up ahead, but even so I was having to rest my arms regularly and then dig in again for another burst before stopping again. Ed miraculously appeared along the side of the path again and was shouting more encouragements and pointing out the masts at the Turf Locks. They were still quite a way ahead in the distance, but they were unmistakeably there and a good point to focus on to keep going. Once we got there we could stop and we would have done it!

Pulling into the Turf Locks I felt pleased but exhausted and I dragged myself out of the canoe to congratulate the rest of the team. Everyone had made it! Rather than gather everyone together for a celebratory group photo, which is what I should have done, I let everyone disappear off to get beer! Probably not the best thing to drink after such a physical challenge, but there would be plenty of time to drink water later! I had half a pint of cider, which went down very well! Although the weather had held off up until now, it started to turn as we were sat outside, getting more windy and then starting to drizzle. Not quite the sunny outdoor celebration I had hoped for, but never mind! I never did get that final group photo...

Heading back in the people carrier, Darren was fast asleep and I knew it woudln't be long before I'd be doing the same. After gathering our things together back at the office, we then pushed our bikes back home in the drizzle and I had my much longed for shower. We only had a couple of hours before going out to meet friends for dinner (I wouldn't normally have arranged this, but they were visiting from Oxford and it was our only chance to see them) but I just couldn't keep my eyes open and had a nice nap on the sofa before going out! I was back in bed again by 9pm and still struggled to get up over 10 and a half hours later...yawn...!

Back in the office again on Monday morning and I'm delighted to report that all went well and everyone completed the challenge. Despite being very very tired, I wasn't too achy at all and can only put that down the training we had put in beforehand. The tiredness has been tough to beat though - it has lingered all week! I clearly need to work on my general fitness and endurance levels a bit more yet. Paris here we come......!

Thank You!
Thanks again to everyone who has sponsored us and encouraged us along the way! I don't have a final total for how much we've raised yet, but it's at least £800 which is fantastic!

If you haven't sponsored us yet and would like to, you can still do so:
http://www.justgiving.com/amandadenham1/
All the money raised will go towards equipment for deaf students taking part in the Duke of Edingburgh Award Scheme.

Now where's my hot water bottle....? Must be bedtime now!

(PS It's very late and I'm too tired to go back and proof read this now, so apologies for any mistakes or any bits that don't make sense - it's a rough and ready version of events!)

Coast to Coast - We Did It!!

For all my avid blog readers waiting to find out how we got on, I just thought I'd put up a quick message to say we did it! 54 miles cycling on the Saturday and then 6 miles cycling followed by 6 miles of canoeing on the Sunday.

We were really lucky with the weather and I was delighted that the whole team completed the challenge and in really good time too - well done guys! I'll put up a full report when I've got photos from the others and when I'm a little less tired!

Practising as Promised!

We didn't go out cycling at all at the weekend. We had thought we might do a short ride on Sunday afternoon, but some friends invited us to join them in the pub for a gig...so we went and drank cider instead! Dan is a fab singer songwriter and I've not seen him ages, so didn't want to miss it! He's just moved to Exeter, so do check him out if you get chance - www.sonofagun.com

So, enough of me talking about what I did while I wasn't cycling! I did go out last week and practice some basic bike skills as promised. We went to a big empty car park and cycled round and round in circles! It was pretty cold and I felt a bit silly and was quite keen to go back home again after 10 minutes - but Ant patiently persisted with me and finally got me hopping on my bike without having to sit on the saddle first. I've still not quite perfected this skill, but it's definitely an improvement on the Sidmouth ride!

I had a go at stopping more sensibly too. This I found much harder and still haven't quite grasped properly - I'm still very much of the school of needing to put my feet on the ground to stop! I kind of got better at standing off the saddle, slowing down and then hopping off the pedals, but it usually resulted in dramatic breaking, hurting my wrist and jumping off the pedals quickly whilst trying not to bash into my handlebars! Not very elegant, nor very practical really - but I did improve a bit and hopefully with lots more practice I'll get better.

The other thing I need to do better is cycle more comfortably with one hand - so I can do important things like signalling and drinking water. I'm ok with signalling if I'm going along the flat and there's nothing scary around (like traffic - which there tends to be when you need to signal!) As for drinking from my water bottle, I think I'm a long way off that trick! I can reach my water bottle and could even get it of the cage - but then I'd be stuck, wouldn't be able to get it back in again, or use my hand to steady the bike again. Not sure how I'm ever going to get the confidence to try such a long manoeuvre all in one go - but guess I just need to keep practising.

I've been trying to kit myself out for this weekend too, but that's not been as easy as I thought either. As it's been such gorgeous weather whilst we've been training I've been cycling in my shorts quite comfortably - but it's definitely got much colder this week, so I thought some longer trousers might be a good idea. Unfortunately having whizzed to three different shops in town yesterday, none of them had any. Then we drove up to Halfords to see if they had any and no luck there either and Wiggle was out of stock in my sizes (unless I wanted to pay over £100 for what are no doubt a very nice, but still very expensive pair!). In the end I settled for some 3/4 lengths - they don't claim to be water resistant or particularly warm, but hopefully they'll be better than just my shorts. I've got some bike lights on the way too, so as long as they turn up I think I'm just about there....phew!

Now only four days until we set off. I'm not looking forward to camping in such cold wet weather (lots of rain forecast for Friday night!) - but it does look like it will clear up and stay dry for our ride on Saturday and actually be sunny for the finish on Sunday, so fingers crossed that bit of the forecast will be right!