Scotland & England 2021 🦄🦁

10/07/2021

Our debut on the road was no mean feat: 102 km from Celtic park to the Annandale Arms Hotel in Moffat, with a lunch stop at Douglas Castle. Introducing the cast, we had Xavier’s sister Aja, his father Tony, and his cousin Jacob Lewis, as well as Aja's partner Luke O'Hara, and Brian McHattie - who was cycling in honour of his wife Beth that he sadly lost to Amyloidosis in 2013. Our good friend and fellow Amyloidosis advocate Mark McConway was also meant to be joining on this segment of the ride, however he was unfortunately sidelined due to a relapse with his own condition (he suffers from AL Amyloidosis and was in remission for 10 years up until just before the ride) and opted to meet us in Moffat instead. Commandeering the support vehicle was Xavier’s mum Fionna, along with her cousins Bernadette Grier, and Stephen and Audrey Thom. We were given a special surprise as we departed, for Mark had arranged for Jonny Graham - a wonderful piper - to see us out from Celtic Park in the traditional way with some beautiful music. 

What better way to make our debut than to just throw ourselves straight into it. And given that none of us had done over 100 km on any of our training rides, it's safe to say we did very well to finish it in the time that we did. There were some pretty impressive hills to conquer (in Scotland, who'd have thunk it??), but we kept our spirits high and spurred each other on through the day. 

​

Start 08:46; distance 102.40 km; moving time 06:04:57; elevation 926 m;

max elevation 318 m; average speed 16.8 km/h; max speed 50.8 km/h.

11/07/2021

We made it from Moffat to Carlisle unscathed. A SUBSTANTIALLY easier day on our legs than the one before (sorry Brian, you chose the hard day to join us it would seem). There were nowhere near as many uphill inclines and we had about 30 km less than Day 1. We needed that. The next three days were going to be longer again - in the 80’s at least - so the lighter day was appreciated. The weather was with us and it only rained for a bit, right when we entered England after our lunch in Gretna Green. We arrived in the friendly city of Carlisle just in time to get showered and rested and get out for the Euro 2020 Final (even somehow managing to blag ourselves a table in an otherwise full local Irish pub to spectate). We were also able to get a good view of Hadrian’s Wall as we passed by the Castle and into the town. The route to Carlisle saw us travelling through many scenic roads, and we found several fields of purple flowers en route - a colour that reminds us all of Xavier. We thought of him a lot on this day.

​

Start 09:59; distance 73.47 km; moving time 03:52:35; elevation 424 m;

max elevation 125 m; average speed 19.0 km/h; max speed 52.9 km/h.

12/07/2021

On this day, we were humbled. We definitely got ahead of ourselves after the lighter day on Sunday. This was an incredibly difficult cycle for all of us. Tired legs started to set in, coupled with our expected 85 km turning into a 99 km trek up into the Yorkshire Dales. Our first 40 km were spent in a cow pasture, making for a slow and boggy ride. For that reason we had lunch earlier than intended, not realising we would still have about 56 km afterwards instead of the 44 km we were anticipating. And it wasn’t just a straight main road 56 km either. It was massive, steep hill after massive, steep hill, which was always coupled with a steep downhill and then back up another one. It felt like we spent the day climbing. By the time we got into Sedbergh we were ready to fall asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows. Good thing the beds at The Black Bull were plush and incredibly comfortable. After a much needed shower we were straight to sleep, with the intention of giving ourselves ample chance to mentally prepare for Day 4 - which was looking to be another absolute trek.

​

Start 09:53; distance 99.00 km; moving time 06:57:01; elevation 1,378 m;

max elevation 339 m; average speed 14.2 km/h; max speed 48.6 km/h.

13/07/2021

We all know the old saying… "when it rains, it pours". This is a figure of speech by the way, because it didn’t actually rain at all. In fact it was blistering hot and we all got completely sunburned. However, it was essentially a case of all the things that we didn’t want to happen, happening. Our troubles began when we set off behind schedule, a couple hours later than the previous 3 days. We then delved much deeper into the heart of the Yorkshire dales. We’ll be honest, the place is absolutely beautiful and the scenery was stunning. It was probably a bit unfair of us when we originally rated it 2/10 but as we entered the 300 km + range collectively for the ride, there were a few things that really wore us down on this day. For starters, we got sent the wrong way straight up a steep mountain road for 30 minutes, only to be sent right back down as we reached the top. It was at that point we found that we had absolutely no phone service and could not get in contact with our support vehicle to help us fill Tony's tire, which had developed a slow leak somewhere further back in the Dales. We may have been a bit bitter at that moment.

Later in the day we tried to find our midway point, Malham Cove, only to realise we were stuck on a brutal mountain trail and the slow leak had turned into a full blown flat tire. We also had a chain malfunction on Luke's bike, got separated, and had to find our support vehicle on good faith as cousin Bernadette had to head back to Scotland and Fionna had no phone. We somehow managed in the end, and although we had to forego the hike into Malham Cove, we soon partook in an impressive spread of food set up by Fionna in the town of Malham in the early evening (a few hours later than originally planned, but we were more than grateful all the same). We then made our way for the final 45 km, and although we finished the last 10 km in nearly complete darkness along a barely visible canal, we made it to Burnley around 10:45pm. Nobody said it would be easy, and this day was testament to that. 

​

Start 11:24; distance 95.21 km; moving time 06:25:33; elevation 1,269 m;

max elevation 447 m; average speed 14.8 km/h; max speed 63.0 km/h.

14/07/21

This was the last of our long days. We did 88.6 km and it’s fair to say that the first half of the day led us to believe that we were in for a pretty easy one. However, once we reached the mountain leading into Buxton we soon realised that wasn’t the case. It was so steep and so long, probably the last 10 to 12 km were straight up that peak. Tony definitely wins the award for "legs of steel" on this one, as he not only made it up that hill in the fastest time, but also didn't get off his bike to walk for any of it (something that can't be said for the rest of us). Not to mention it was scorching hot (although we partially helped that with a strategically timed iced coffee break). We had spent days out in the middle of nowhere and were finally in an urban setting, and we took advantage of the fact that we were on actual roads instead of rocky trails and cow pastures and made some good time for most of the day. 

Much like the temperature, emotions were high on this day as well. The long days were starting to take their toll, and everyone was beginning to get caught up in their grieving for Xavier. While the one year anniversary of losing him was closely approaching, this day was particularly difficult as it was the anniversary of Xavier's massive heart attack the year before that he would never wake up from. The whole journey, we had seen signs of him everywhere. The roads were riddled with purple and yellow flowers (his colours), and we couldn't help but be reminded of him at nearly every turn. At a point in the day when Aja was really feeling the effects of this, she looked to the sky and saw a giant “X” up there among the clouds, which made her think of him and spurred her through that final bit. Just two more days to go!

​

Start 09:42; distance 88.64 km; moving time 06:16:42; elevation gain 964 m;

max elevation 470 m; average speed 14.1 km/h; max speed 50.0 km/h.

15/07/2021

What a breath of fresh air this was. An even 40 km on fairly flat ground for majority of the day in the scenic Peak District (a fraction of the elevation from some of the previous days!). We enjoyed this day as it was beautiful and sunny, and despite setting off fairly late we had a much shorter distance to go and were able to actually spend some time sightseeing. On top of that we were officially just 2 km short of completing 500 km total, with about 60 km still left to cycle on the final day. 

We arrived at the High Tor Hotel in Matlock Bath in good time, and sporting some brand new tan lines. There was plenty of time left in the day to partake in some of Matlock's famed fish and chips, and to take a stroll along the river and reflect upon our journey so far. 

For the final leg the following day, we were looking forward to having some extra company as we were to be joined by 3 new cyclists: Daniel Corlett, James O'Hara, and Dominic O'Hara - all of whom were planning on making their way over via train on the morning of Day 7. 
Home stretch inbound...

​

Start time 11:42; distance 40.00 km; moving time 02:26:34; elevation gain 240 m; max elevation 399 m; average speed 16.4 km/h; max speed 55.8 km/h.

16/07/2021

We did it. Over 7 days we cycled a total 558.14 km. We made it through the whole journey, and we did it together. On this final day we set off from Matlock bright and early, and made our way towards Nottingham with our newly bolstered convoy. We did have some slight bumps along the way, as Dom and Aja both suffered slow leaks in their tires and Jake had a bit of a mishap while turning a corner near Trent Bridge that resulted in him hitting the pavement and possibly bruising some ribs. Additionally, Luke maybe thought the weather was a bit too warm for his liking as he decidedly took a sudden dip into the canal after crashing through a patch of nettles. 

When we entered into Nottingham, we made one pit stop at the City Ground (home to the football team Aja's plays for, Nottingham Forest) and had a quick photo there. Then it was a straight shot down the river Trent, where we stopped at Wilford Suspension Bridge and followed a popular tradition by attaching a purple lock onto it with Xavier's name etched on. From there we were officially on the home stretch as we made our way to the final destination: Warhammer World. 

We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who helped us along the way, and to all the donations received for Amyloidosis research. The date was 16th of July, 2021 - the one year anniversary of losing Xavier. The week had been very difficult both mentally and physically for everyone involved, with many highs and lows (literally and figuratively), but we were so proud to have been able to do this for him, together as a family. This day would have been so much harder for us without this amazing journey we did, and we appreciated all the love and support we received. 

​

Start 08:52; distance 59.42 km; moving time 03:21:31; elevation 282 m;

max elevation 149 m; average speed 17.7 km/h; max speed 59.8 km/h.

16/07/2021

When he came to Nottingham a few years prior, Xavier wasn't particularly interested in seeing the world famous Nottingham Forest play at the City Ground. Instead, he spent the afternoon fulfilling one of his childhood dreams, immersing himself in the factory of the Warhammer World he had grown up with. With this in mind, planning the finish line was the easiest part. At Warhammer World we were greeted by friends and family from near and far, before tucking in to a few celebratory beverages at both the factory and later at the Greyfriars Social club. Playing and staff members from Nottingham Forest Ladies team and St Barnabas Gaelic Athletic Club (both of which count Aja as a member) were amongst the celebrants, as well as some surprise faces from further afield. Speeches were made and songs were sung, in a well-ventilated beer garden on a fine summer's evening. Though only a select few of those present had actually met Xavier (most attendees having come to know Aja since her move to England), as the night wore on and laughter, jokes, stories and tears were shared, it was hard to imagine a more fitting tribute for "The Dude" than the bringing together of mostly complete strangers to experience a few transient (but precious) moments of happiness - moments like which had characterised his life. We spent the evening in the exact way that Xavier would have wanted: celebrating. For he was not one to dwell on unhappiness and sorrow, and quite frankly would have gotten a massive kick out of a huge group of people he had never met toasting him with pints of guinness which had his face printed on them in the foam.

​

Total: moving time 35:24:53; distance 558.14 km; elevation gain 5,483 m.

A tremendous success, this inaugural ride raised a total £11,000.00 GBP, which was subsequently split between the UK's Royal Free Charity, USA's Mayo Clinic and Canadian University of Calgary's Amyloidosis centre. All of this funding went directly into research, including an Amyloidosis study conducted by doctor Victor Zepaeda at the University of Calgary that was set to start right at that time.