Ship Inn, Mousehole, Cornwall.
I'm sure there are some people who on completing an adventure like this say that they want to do it all again. My reaction was different, a mixture of joy, surprise, achievement and more than anything, relief that tomorrow, and for some time to come, I don't have to ride a bike up hills with the wind blowing me backwards.
At the finish line we met up with the guys we started with in John O'Groats 12 days ago. They did over a thousand miles - it was great to meet them again and we shared a drink.
We also got talking to another group who we recognised; they had cheered us on a couple of times from the side of the road as we struggled up a main road. They had also cheered us from their cars as they passed us by moving nearer Lands End. They were friends and family of another group of MAMIL's (middle aged men in lycra) who were due to arrive after doing the trip in 10 days. They were raising for another cancer charity as the organiser had a kidney removed just 12 months ago. There were lots of tears when this group arrived. It was easy to empathise with them and helped to put our ride into perpective.
There were other events going on at Lands End; a wedding (high risk with regards to wedding photos given the potential for strong winds) and the finish line for a 44 mile cliff run that started at Lizard Point. Some guys had been running for 10 hours on a narrow cliff trail. All in all there was a lot of emotion in a small space at the end of the country.
The ride itself was not easy again. 57 miles at 12.5mph, climbing over 4700 feet. I was feeling twinges in various parts of the body and am very glad to give it a rest for a few days.
I'm putting together some photos for a final blog tomorrow. Thanks to everyone, once again, for their support. Now I'm off for a celebration meal.
Well done to all of you. A fantastic achievement. Enjoy your celebrationary meal and refreshments, you deserve them. Sleep well but remember to do those stretches! With love Heather xx
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