While many of us enjoy getting out on our bikes when the weather obliges, a Bishopston man was grateful for 26 solid days of sunshine and decent weather to take him all the way from Land’s End to John O’Groats recently, as he pedalled his way up the UK to raise funds and awareness of prostate cancer.
Having conceived the idea of the challenge last July, 64-year-old Alan Watling persuaded two cycling friends, Josh (who flew in from the US) and Andy, who readily agreed to join him on the entire route, with many other friends and family accompanying the group for varying lengths of leg along the way.
Never one to take the easy option and keen to enjoy as much scenery as possible, Alan decided to head for the longer route, taking in byways and cycle paths rather than main roads. This made the journey a total of around 1300 miles, rather than the mere 800 or so miles on the standard route. Covering an average of 45-50 miles each day, the trio had no days off on their 26-day challenge, but Alan explained that it was rarely just the three of them – a total of 25 friends and family joined in at different points. On the Bristol to Gloucester leg, the group had swelled to 18, all keen to support Alan and his friends.
“It was just as I’d envisaged,” Alan reflected. “It was really sociable; I chatted to people as we cycled, the weather was perfect, the scenery was stunning.”
A highly experienced cyclist who has already cycled the length of France (with Andy), Alan had no doubt that he could complete the route, although agreed that some days were tougher than others.
“The hardest part was actually in the beginning,” he admitted. “The short, sharp, repetitive hills of Devon and Cornwall, with 30/40mph easterly winds in our faces, were brutal. Once our direction and that of the wind changed, it was much easier and by Scotland, our fitness had improved so much that it felt very quick.”
Apart from the odd day of feeling unwell and an unexpected encounter with a patch of stinging nettles, Alan, Josh and Andy had relatively few problems along the way.
What was most memorable for the team was the kindness of strangers that they encountered throughout their journey. Alan described how they would stop in cafes, where strangers, noticing their T-shirts, would chat, share their own stories and donate money. Having finally reached their destination at John O’Groats, the group were touched to receive over £150 from others at the signpost on learning of their endeavours. Ever modest, however, Alan also shared how he met another man walking the opposite direction over 46 days – in a wetsuit and carrying a bathtub – on his own personal quest.
“This put what we were doing in perspective.”
Three days from the end, Alan confessed that he felt he’d had enough by that point.
“I’d really enjoyed it. The support was overwhelming, but I felt I’d done enough cycling and just wanted to get home and not get on a bike!
“But it was all I’d hoped for and more. “
Having set an initial target of £1.5k (but with a secret ambition to actually reach £5k), their efforts have, in fact, raised almost £6k for Prostate Cancer UK – with a little help from friends, family and the kindness of those they met along the way.