By Caroline Broekman
Reflections on LEJOG
What an experience. I still cannot believe that we have covered the length of the country ON A BICYCLE!
Our experiences have all been very different – some people’s favourite days were other’s worst. We have seen the best of our country – winding through the countryside and along canal paths – some of which were more cyclable than others. We managed to negotiate the industrial heartlands without seeing too much traffic as we ducked down to paths on disused railway lines and followed various waterways and other cycle tracks. The lake district was not kind as we were hit with an unexpected very cold, wet day which taught us so much about preparedness – or lack of it in our case.
Scotland was breathtaking and the paths were good – there was only one day when we had to negotiate some miles on the dreaded A9 trunk road. The final day was my favourite – not because it was the last day but because the forecast was poor yet the sun won through after a few short miles, the scenery was stunning as we rode along a river valley from the East coast to the North coast and the roads were well surfaced and relatively traffic-free – so whizzing up and down them was immense fun.
I feel so privileged to have been part of such a great team. We have all worked together to make this trip the success that it has been.
Our support team of Chris and Chris were absolutely indispensable and went above and beyond expectation on a daily basis to ensure that as many of us as possible completed every day and ultimately the whole challenge. As a team we had our share of accidents and incidents and our thoughts are with Christine who was unable to complete the challenge. Many of us are already talking about joining her when she is able to ride the remainder of her challenge.
The Cyclopaths 