Instead of sitting at my desk I’d rather be… Cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s end

Last year this time I was on the biggest journey of life to date!  I had entered, trained and started cycling the infamous JOGLE as part of the inaugural Deloitte RideAcross Britain.

I remember all the highs – and lows – of training, firstly with Sarah, then on my own and sometimes with a training partner from Jersey doing the same ride.

Then the big day came!  I remember standing at the JOG sign at the most North Easterly tip of Britain in the wind and rain, assembling my bike, signing in to the campsite, listening to my first talk by the organisers and James Cracknell.

Cycling down through the Scottish Highlands, past the Lochs, through the boarders, the Lake District, Wales, and finally through the South West to Land’s End, I will never forget the beautiful sites and scenery I witnessed.  People ask where in the world they should go to experience such beauty and I think most times I surprise them by saying: “Right here in Britain!”  Also the lows of the ride… some days 12 hours in the saddle, saddle sores, heatstroke forcing me to stop halfway through a stage missing out on about 60 miles, and getting back up the next morning to face Kirkstone pass in the lake district 2 miles into the next stage.

Then finally the feeling of seeing the last finish line at Land’s End with hundreds of people cheering, you finally realise your achievement of cycling the whole length of the country.

I would not swop the experience for anything in the world and I would give anything to do it again!

Yes, instead of sitting at my desk I’d rather be cycling John O’Groats to Land’s End…

Read more about my Ride Across Britain at www.cyclingbritain.co.uk/blog.