The day had come!

It was now time to get on the bikes and ride from London to Sheffield.

Setting of from St Pancras at 0430am the 4 of us found lovely weather and quite roads as we went down the back streets of London.
Skirting Hampstead Heath making good progress north till after barely a couple of hours one of the teams pedal stems snapped with no spare available. The poor chap was faced with peddling one legged, and running along when he came to a hill.
We carried on like this to Elstree where we took breakfast and waited for Halfords to open.
0905 - bike fixed by Halfords and off we set.
Lunched in Luton.
1630 made it to our first base.12 HOURS in the saddle. Quick dinner and sleep.

Plus of the day, never got lost once which was pretty good coming out of London.

Negative of the day, Skelleys pedal failing.

Bed at 2000

Day 2. Off we go. We had originally planned to do a 4 day trip but decided to get to derby instead of Leicester on this leg, leaving us with a day three finish by doing Derby to Sheffield.

The weather again was kind and some of us were sporting a sun tan (burn).

Today’s low points - Number 1, we were near Sharnbrook when we spotted a short cut and initially the route looked good, but it turned into an off road trail. A location map called it a bridal open access trail (B.O.A.T) Well you needed a boat to cross it! The muddy puddles were like lakes, and by the time we had done the short cut had taken us longer than going round the road as we struggled through the mud for 40 Minutes.

After that we needed to find a garage to jet wash the bikes to stop the gears locking up. Whilst jet washing we took the time to jet wash our muddy legs.

The days were broken up into frequent stops to drink and then the inevitable stops to pee.

After one of these stops on day 1 I returned to the bike and found that I had a shooting pain in my right knee when I peddled, which was so bad at times on day two I wondered if I would be able to finish.

Then my knee clicked and the pain was gone never to return.

We made Leicester about 1500, took lunch and set of for Derby.

This was to be the break in the weather. We had rode with the sun on our backs now we had rain in our eyes.

Then we ended up delayed at the side of the road for 40 minutes when we got separated and two went one way and another a different way so we were heading in 3 directions.

Then we finished up on a three lane A road in the rain, scary or what .

We made Derby some time after 2000.

We got sorted for tomorrow ready for a early start and then about 2300 went to kip.

Day 3 – Run for home

Today it was if we had to earn a right of Passage and the ride decided to try and defeat us.

Within minutes of setting off at 430am it began to rain. Light changd to heavy rainan this stuck with us all the way home.

We had found very few UP hills to this Point, but now we hit them regularly as we climbed out of Derby to Alfreton.

Some rain miles later we hit Alfreton at 0630 looking for food. All the cafes shut but the good people of Tesco opened up for us 1 hour early cause we looked like drowned rats.

Then off we set for the rain drenched ride to Sheffield. We were on our last legs as we battled hills and mud filled cycle Paths from Chesterfield to Sheffield, but at last we reached Park Hill flats, 1 mile from Sheffield station. We were nearly home!

POP!!!! The first Puncture delayed our moment of glory.

Finally it’s fixed and we sail into Sheffield station!

In this time we had had rode about 200 miles, had 16 hours sleep over 4 days, and spent 32 hours in the saddle.

I asked the team if they wished to cycle back to London, no takers.

The T shirts with the charity markings on have arrived, actually look the part now.

Put another 40 miler away with the boy on the back, went very well, Sheffield to Clumber Park and deviations.

The route is planned out, I am ready to go.

I am amazed what you can do with a bit of effort. From early December - first ride returning home after 1 mile with a dizzy head to feeling comfortable after a forty miler. Hopefully without the ballast on the back I can translate that into double the distance.

The cycling has been going very well, with my record distance now 40 miles with the boy on the back.

Try to get out on the bike most days now.

One problem I had was an encounter with a swarm of bees which were between me and my destination on a narrow bridge, luckily I had my yellow jacket on and they thought I was one of them and let me pass unharmed.

Only weeks away from the actual ride!

First entry for some time , sorry but my excuse is that I have eloped to Gretna green with my bike, it certainly feels that way as that’s all I appear to be doing in my spare time.

Not really cracked the 3O mile mark yet in one single ride, but I can notice the difference in my leg strength.

Trips I undertook on the one day i had off. I got me, the bike and the ballast out of the house by 0625 to cycle to the train station to join the 0714 service to Alfreton and then cycled back to Sheffield from there. No major problems on the trip.

I have decided to practice changing tires/mending Punctures etc.. to get my speed up should this happen, so every other night I change the tyre, sad or what, against the stop watch. My best time so far is 58 minutes.

I AM MINDFUL OF THE FACT ONLY WEEKS REMAIN TO THE BIG DAY.

Sorry, time to go put the bike to bed now.

Windy day , having picked up the bike from repairs the crank clicking has gone yahooooo.

Todays objective - Worksop. Met son number one(the big one) and off we set , until we got to Wales (not 'the' Wales but a village near the motorway ) and then son number 1 has a fit in case his mates see him and I convince him he will not be spotted as the route quickly turns cross country. Uneventful relaxed ride apart from a detour caused by road works. The road that was shut was about 1 mile long, the detour was about 3 miles long.

On the way back we discovered why the ride was so relaxed on the way out. On the way back we were now sailing(cycling) into the force of nature the wind, even the down hill stretches you needed to peddle!

Out with the other boy, the big one. Quick nip to chesterfield and detour around Sheffield, the longest ride I have done to date about 25 MILES. GOOD but day one of the actual charty ride is 60 odd miles.

Think , would I be able to do 25 mles and go straight back and do it again.........errr no!

Went for a quick spin, finished off with a ride up Handsworth hill. I was really pleased with my efforts, puffing my way up the hill, until an old lady on a bike over took me and started to hold a conversation with me and she wasn't even out of breath! She then dropped a gear and sped of into the distance, kicking gravel up as she accelerated!

Went for a quick cycle ride to Elsecar, blimey those Sheffield hills are bad.

Up towards Wentworth the Hill beat me and I had to Push the bike.

Bigger Trip, with the weather fair I agree to meet the eldest son and crack the 20 mile mark.
We plan to meet at Rother Valley , which will then leave us with a fairly flat ride to Chesterfield, the down side to me is that that leaves me a big hill to get home.
We meet at Rother Valle , the Eldest Son then says have you got a Pump, and a spanner ( talk about prepared).
We then have a somewhat uneventful ride to Chesterfield, apart from the Eldest Sons bike is mud guard less and he is some what muddie in is designer label clothes.
We turn round and set off back, then there was trouble (as they say on Thomas the Tank Engine).
The Eldest Sons back wheel seized hard on.
We had to slacken a nut which moved the wheel to one side,this caused the wheel to rub the frame and the nut would unscrew its self every mile or so.
We then limped home , stopping to fix the nut every mile or so, and at one point the Eldest Son was given a lift in a land rover for a couple of miles by rangers.
2 miles from home the bike gave up completely leaving him to walk home, morale was low as we argued about the merits of his back wheel.
Over view, despite the events of the day , my morale is some what bigger as I went above 22 miles and still had more in me, saddle sore was not evident , I feel that I can do the ride confidently.

After the snow of Friday clears I get out on the road Sunday , past the airport. Now the ballast and noise planes or trains can be a bit like you watching a horror film, you don’t like what you see but you cant stop watching.
The Ballast does not like the noise but he cant spot watching the plane.

Onwards we set off on the transpennine trail. These trails are usually made of crushed brick dust, but because of the snow and rain , it was like riding on glue and no matter how fast I peddled I just couldn’t get any speed up.
I felt further embarrassed when a group of hikers walked past me and over took me.

The obligatory stop was made at Mcdonalds , still wondering if I should go through the Drive through on the bike for a laugh.

Final thought, need to go for a long ride , roll on good weather.

A MASSIVE thanks to J E James Cycles for the donation of 5 cycle tops/jackets for out charity ride. It's very much appreciated!

I manage to obtain my oldest son a bike to do the cycle ride as he doesn't have one. I phone him up with the good news and tell him that its in central Sheffield and he needs to pick it up, to which he replies how is he going to get it to his home some 8 miles away and could I fetch it in the car!
This is the same eldest son who claims he is doing the ride but need the bike fetching.
I tell him to get on the bus and meet me and the ballast in town and we will join him in Sheffield and escort him back from there to his home.
He complains that his backside hurts when he gets home and this after only a few miles!

Weather sunny, or was it bright because I took the jacket out?

The plan is to pick the bike up and go for a ride, so off me and the ballast go onto the bus. Me wearing the Jacket, strange but cars kept flashing me in a “your dazzling me at night on a country lane type way”.
Across town I go in the jacket looking like a rookie road sweeper.
Pick the bike up, little test run, ARRRH its still clicking.
The plan now is to give it a ride for a bit, see if it stops or gets worse and take it back next week.
So off we go! As I mentioned before, one of the other items I had ordered was a set of padded cycling shorts.
Wow! I had now found paradise. The cushioning effect they had against the seat was marvellous. Yes they look like nappies, but hey, saves stopping to have a wee. Just needs ringing out at the end of the day.
Wonder what that smell is?
Of we set through town, two slight altercations with buses and we make the delightful restored Wicker.
Restored to the condition it would have been in the middle ages, the land the council forgot.
I plan to go via the five wears river walk to Uncle M’s. Having shared this news with the ballast he rhythmically chants “Mcdonalds” in my ears for the next 40 minutes
So under the wicker arches is the first suspended bridge section I intend to tackle, suspended on silver looking cables, nestling above the River Don.
However some wag had thought he could make a few bob and nicked the silver looking cables, path closed.
Back to the road and re join the path later.
Back on the river side walk I wonder how people can claim Sheffield is no longer industrial. (Sure, Thatcher did the steel industry what the Luftwaffe failed to do) But it is still an industrial city.
I can hardly say this is an attractive route, sure I am not catching it at its best, the rivers been in flood and every branch, twig or root has a bit of polythene stuck to it, it don’t look good. Through the hedges you can see factories. Cans and things lay on the muddy banks.
I suppose the spring will bring new growth to paper over the crap.
I wave to two fisher men. Looking at where they are fishing they appear to have caught two washing machines. Perhaps that’s how they have been cleaning the Don, with washing machines.
I pass a factory what must make end of dog parts, the floor is littered with them outside the factory. They must be rejects, but it looks an eye saw.
Now if I sound anti Sheffield nothing could be further from the truth. I love the place to bits, it’s like having a brother or sister. Only you can hit them, if any one else tries, god help them.
Sheffield strange place but I love it, the people, how we thank bus Drivers when we get off (perhaps they do that elsewhere to), even when the bus drivers the most miserable sod in the world and cant even grunt at you when you get on , we say Thank you. This does not apply to all, just some.
Only in Sheffield can we have an airport and the sell it to make more factories.
God I love this place.
On to Uncle M’s. BALLAST HAS HAPPY MEAL. Then whilst sat out side, runs about, falls over, bites his lip in the fall and hurts his hands, cries for twenty minutes. I try to hide (from embarrassment), but it’s not easy in my yellow jacket.
Not a very happy meal.
Off we set for home and to cheer him up I suggest we go past the airport (whilst its still there).It will take 40 mins longer and I will encounter my arch rival (the big hill that I need to go up).

After 5 minutes the ballast falls asleep, and sees nothing of the airport which appears full of activity (1 plane moves).

Up the hill from hell and home to a total disaster, I can’t believe it my world came crashing down.

My yellow jacket had a spot of mud on it!

On arriving home I thought that a nuclear reactor had had a melt down in my house as a huge yellow glow was seeping out the letter box and cracks in the curtains. I quickly donned my protective equipment (bobble hat and woolly gloves and zipped my coat to the top).

In side the house it was like that scene from Only Fools and Horses when Del boy paints the Chinese takeaway in luminous paint! She indoors and the ballast were sat with sun glasses on. My eyes were struggling to adjust to the light, but I am relived to see it’s that yellow jacket I had ordered off the t’internet

Bright or what, that jacket and the Great Wall of China are the only to man made thing on earth visible from the moon.

For the record some proper cycling shorts had come and some glasses as well.

Went to pick the bike up after the service only to find that the bike had a problem, with a clicking when you peddled, more of a jolt that went all the way to the saddle.

So the bike stays in for open heart surgery.

FRUSTRATED! as wanted to get some miles under my saddle.

Cycle into town with Ballast to take it in for servicing.

Initial report from cycle technician, bike will be fine, but recommends replacing me.

Wake up and its choice time for today’s training trip.
The exotic destinations on offer are a) Rotherham, b) Barnsley c) Chesterfield.
Right, the clear winner was Barnsley!!!!!!

Off we set, past Meadowhall looking out for sign to the cycle path to Barnsley , no sign of it(pun intended), so it looks like Rotherham via the towpath.
The canal tow path cuts thought the scrap yards either side of it like the river Nile through deserts of sand in Egypt(oh look a flying pig coming into land).
Arrive in Rotherham and find a blue cycling sign with three destinations, the type that are too easy for vandals to turn around or the wind.
So I have three choices, follow the sign what points to the town centre via the canal (literally). The Meadow hall sign which points into the court building. Or the third one which points back to where I have just come from labelled Armageddon, I choose Armageddon, it nice this time of year.
On the way back I stop to have a drink. The Ballast makes contact with mother earth for the first time as I can’t hold the cycle up stood still.

CCC cycles Sheffield has agreed to kindly assist in my mission by servicing the cycle.