Rider Stories Archives

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Cycling in Cornwall & Devon – the “Big Bosses” of LEJOG

24/01/2024

by Felix Young with No Comment Blog Rider Stories

Bowser in Mario, the Elite Four in Pokemon and all other video game big bosses elicit the same thrill, excitement, frustration and dread in gamers. They push your skill, persistence, ingenuity and willpower to levels that the rest of the game does not reach and reward you with the standout moments of satisfaction and accomplishment when you finally overcome their steep challenges.

“But that does that have to do with cycling the length of the UK?” I hear you ask. Well, riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats carries its own pair of big bosses to bring all of those same emotions to pass for the cycle tourer. They call them… “Devon” and “Cornwall”. These two counties are etched in the minds of many a rider from professional to first-timer and I am fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to carve a few pieces of my cycling memory whilst riding in these special places.

The ”Crying Bench”

The aforementioned professional cyclists may not have been brought to tears, merely exclaiming that Tour of Britain stages in Devon were some of their highest ever recorded power numbers; but there is a particular spot that has remained a focal point of riding in the extreme South West of the UK for me and those who have passed through Cornwall in my company. The Crying Bench.

Over a decade ago, as a 19 year old student at the University of Bath, I set off towards St Austell in Cornwall for a Sunday lunch with a friend (a student will go a long way on the promise of food!). Doing the 150 miles by bike and armed with no GPS but merely a list of road numbers (A39, B3181, etc…) taped to my top tube now seems ambitious in time for lunch but confident in my ability I set off South West.

It was not the mist on the Mendip hills, the headwinds on the Somerset levels or the hail on Dartmoor that finally brought the tears welling up but a nondescript hill, part of a seemingly never-ending chain of the things, in Cornwall that broke the camel’s back of my self-assuredness. Fortunately, there was a bright blue bench right there at the side of the road waiting for me to slump on to and have a sob.

It has since become a reference point for Bike the UK for MS riders on our trips. “Look out for the Crying Bench,” a point of common reference and empathy for those having a hard day, or week, as they tackle one of LEJOG’s bosses. A physical tribute that no matter what level you ride at or speed you go, we are all feeling the same sensations and emotions, just like those video games. Not the pros, though. They just push more power numbers!

I can see the sea!

As any local cyclist will tell you, there is no flat road in Devon. Nowhere is more un-flat than Dartmoor. This has its drawbacks. When you are on a long hard day’s ride, that rollercoaster of up and down can make the kilometres stretch out interminably. It is not all bad though. When you are racing your mates and have the upper hand each upward kick feels like you are working together with the double-digit gradients as dastardly collaborators.

One other positive of all of that up-ness is that when you crest the final rise and see what remains of the UK spilling out before you towards the coast then you can know that you are not far from your goal. All the more so if you have seen the north coast of Scotland in the rear-view mirror of your mind since departing John O’ Groats. It’s not all plain sailing from there though, despite the lack of altitude, Cornwall has plenty of big-boss energy left to test you with (see references to crying and benches above!).

“Welcome to Cornwall” …You must be kidding?!

As you cross the mighty Tamar River which divides Devon and Cornwall you can immediately sense that something is a little bit different. Not cream on top of jam on scones, not even the fact that finding a train station halfway up a hill is a bit odd (trains like flat and halfway up this particular hill is almost the exact opposite) but that the maths and logic of the route laid out ahead of you doesn’t make sense.

Flash floods? Yes, but at the top of hills, not the bottom.

My record number of layers worn whilst cycling? Eleven. In June. In Cornwall, of course. When not a few moments earlier a single jersey was more than enough.

A bombastic, barmy, bonkers bundle of bicycling brilliance. The only way to describe a bike ride of any distance in Cornwall. And the final big boss of John O’ Groats to Land’s End can always say “well, I did warn you…” Crossing the bridge over the Tamar, where the sense of something odd emerged just as you passed the “Welcome to Cornwall” sign… and immediately turn the corner onto the daftest hill of them all!

Heading North

But what about if you are heading from Land’s End to John O’ Groats instead, for example, on our trip this July to raise money for MS? Well, as you emerge onto the city streets of Exeter you will have quite the realisation. All of that is behind you. You have unpicked that lock, solved that puzzle and persisted through that head-to-head. You get to enjoy that sense of accomplishment and satisfaction for that whole rest of the trip. And you never know, you might find yourself going back for more… Just one more level?

“I feel very fortunate that I’m able to do what I can do” – Rosie Pickering

22/01/2024

by Felix Young with No Comment Blog Rider Stories

This is Part 3 of our interview with Rosie Pickering – a member of the Bike the UK for MS alumni family who has ridden on all four of the Bike the UK for MS routes (Land’s End to John O’ Groats, North Coast 500, Sea to Sea and Lon Las Cymru) in the last few years. All this, despite having relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis herself and having (by her own admission!) come into the first of her rides with minimal cycling experience. UK Programme Manager Felix Young sat down to talk to Rosie and her husband Rich (also a two-times alumni of Bike the UK for MS) about her story with Bike the UK for MS. In this part of the interview we discuss Multiple Sclerosis and the affect on Rosie and Rich’s cycling and wider lives. You can listen to the interview on our podcast or watch it on YouTube. To read Parts 1 & 2 you can follow the links here:

Part 1 – Adventures on the bike

Part 2 – Riding with Bike the UK for MS

Interview conducted in May 2023

A group of cyclists smiling and holding ice creams

It’s fatigue.

FY: And so, to shift gear a little bit Rosie, we’ve spoken a lot about some of the things you’ve undertaken on the bike; some of the challenges and some of the successes. I was someone that came into Bike UK for MS without a direct link to the condition myself, but obviously it was your MS that brought you to Bike UK for MS. Can you give us an insight into how multiple sclerosis affects you and your riding. Of course, it’s so different for different people, but for you as an individual, what impact does it have?

Rosie: Well, I’ve been diagnosed now for around 15 years, I think it is. And out of all the sports I’ve found since I’ve had my condition, cycling’s the one that benefits me the most. I suffer with mass fatigue on the bike, but I train like Billy-o, like I haven’t got it. I get really quite acute pins and needles in my hands and my feet. After LEL last year, I didn’t have a sensation in my feet for about 14 weeks. That was a combination of doing, what was it? 650, 700 miles, I think, in a short period of time, along with having MS and having a heat wave which just accelerated all of my symptoms. I can get weird sensory problems. My balance goes, sometimes my speech goes. That’s not always a bad thing because I ramble on! But yeah, it’s fatigue, it’s fatigue. And weird sensory problems, unfortunately, on the bike. But it’s manageable for me. I feel very fortunate that I’m able to do what I can do. And yeah, just keep ploughing on, really.

Rich: You do Ocrevus infusions every six months. And she gets quite regular MRIs as well. But the last MRI showed no changes, despite the fact that Rosie’s done the LEL challenge and all the other stuff. The MRI was non… What was it called?

Rosie: So it didn’t show any more lesions on my brain scan, which was really good, which I was absolutely amazed at, to be quite honest, because I really thought I’d damaged myself after doing LEL last year.

Rich: Physiologically, there was no difference.

Rosie: Physiologically, yeah, it wasn’t any more.

Rich: Yeah, which is really, really positive.

Rosie: Yeah, so I mean, I’ve had a neuro appointment recently and he said, “just keep doing what you’re doing”. It’s really beneficial. So it’s all good, it’s all good.

FY: That’s all the encouragement you need, right? Having listened to the stories you have told, like it sounds like you weren’t gonna let them stop you anyway, right?

Rosie: Well, yeah.

I’m just going to do as much as I possibly can whilst I can.

FY: If you were gonna summarise your mentality… You’ve kind of given us a bit of an insight there already but in terms of your mentality towards the disease and how it interacts with you in your life, have you got any core mantras or an can you give us a window into what your mentality towards it all is?

Rosie: I’m very much a massive believer in “face your fear and do it anyway”. When you’re living with a chronic illness, anybody living with a chronic illness, but MS in particular, sometimes it can feel a bit like a ticking time bomb, which is quite horrific when you think of it. It can be quite depressing. And I just think, for me personally, I’m just going to do as much as I possibly can whilst I can because none of us know how long we’ve got. But especially with MS, things can just turn on a sixpence overnight. So, yeah, I just think, yeah, crack on.

Rich: We have our own little phrases that we bounce back and forth between each other. Do your best. Just try your best. Have a go.

Rosie: Yeah, have a go. I mean, I just think, well, if I can do this, anybody can. And there’s so many different people that you meet on the Bike UK for MS trips as well. You don’t have to have an immediate association with MS to do it. But there’s a lot of people who don’t… I personally didn’t have, at the time I was doing JOGLE, a huge relationship with my local MS Society because I spent many, many years in denial that I was even managing to cope with a problem like this. Meeting all the groups along the way was really therapeutic for me in also coming to terms with my condition. I talk about it quite openly now, but it’s always been very uncomfortable for me to speak about. But yeah, it’s been a hard learning curve, hasn’t it?

Rich: Yeah.

I don’t give it that time because if you let it, it can take over your life.

FY: We spoke earlier about your role Rich, filling the dress as a cheerleader and getting the pom-poms out. And that was in the context of cycling. As someone that’s part of a family with Rosie and multiple sclerosis, how does it affect what you do and how the rest of the family has to interact? Is it something that is only present sometimes or is it something that’s an ever-present that you have to change a lot around?

Rich: Yeah, it’s always there at the back of my mind. I never think about it. I also don’t give it enough oxygen to breathe. In my mind you’ve got two balloons; you’ve got a blue balloon that you can fill with the stuff that might affect you or you can have a red balloon that’s full of energy and life and everything going on around you. We always know it’s there but I don’t give it that air. I don’t give it that time because if you let it, it can take over your life.

Rosie: Yeah

Rich: …but there’s also the other bit of life that you’ve got to go on with anyway. We’ve got three kids, two dogs, we seem to have several cats even though we only bought one. Rosie keeps wanting to buy guinea pigs and goats. I said no to them! We’ve got caravan, we go on holidays, we’ve got a house that we’re doing up. We’ve got a lot of things going on in our lives. Rosie runs her own business. I work two jobs, one of one of them is my own business and I think I’m speaking on both of our behalfs but if we let it take over it could quite easily squash everything else. Rosie does all of these fabulous adventures and she’s got a long-term health condition or she could do the fabulous adventures and not have a long-term health condition. It’s just that she’s got that part of her. It doesn’t change who she is. It certainly doesn’t change my feelings and thoughts towards her but it is always there. The boys are quite young and they don’t fully understand it yet.

Rosie: When I ran the Great North Run, remember what I had on my back it said “I have MS but MS does not have me.” I’m not defined by it. Yes, as you know, it’s a pig of an illness but most of the time I just pretend I haven’t got it. I get really moaned at by my MS nurse. She tells me off all the time but you know we’re only here once and…

Rich: You don’t know what tomorrow is bringing.

Rosie: Yeah, we really don’t, we really…

Rich: Day by day for everything.

You can listen to the interview on our podcast or watch it on YouTube. To read Parts 1 & 2 you can follow the links here:

Part 1 – Adventures on the bike
Part 2 – Riding with Bike the UK for MS

“There was a real breadth of people but we all had one thing in common and that was a love, a passion for cycling.”

22/01/2024

by Felix Young with No Comment Blog Rider Stories

Rosie and Rich Pickering’s stand-out moments from their rides with Bike the UK for MS

This is Part 2 of our interview with Rosie Pickering – a member of the Bike the UK for MS alumni family who has ridden on all four of the Bike the UK for MS routes (Land’s End to John O’ Groats, North Coast 500, Sea to Sea and Lon Las Cymru) in the last few years. All this, despite having relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis herself and having (by her own admission!) come into the first of her rides with minimal cycling experience. UK Programme Manager Felix Young sat down to talk to Rosie and her husband Rich (also a two-times alumni of Bike the UK for MS) about her story with Bike the UK for MS. In this part of the interview we discuss Rosie and Rich’s stand-out memories from the Bike the UK for MS trips. You can listen to the interview on our podcast or watch it on YouTube. To read Parts 1 & 3 you can follow the links here:

Part 1 – Adventures on the bike
Part 3 – Living with Multiple Sclerosis

Interview conducted May 2023

That sense of feeling really small in a massive environment

FY: We’ve spoken a lot about endurance and sticking the course. I’m intrigued about what some of your stand-out memories are. Individual moments that really stick in the mind from the Bike the UK for MS trips.

Rich: For the actual route itself, it was the Kylesku bridge for me. It’s a bridge that connects two little peninsulas in Scotland that are probably the furthest northwest from where we started in Inverness. I quite like a bridge as well. I quite like riding over bridges and I find them quite fun, I don’t know what all that’s about but I do.

Rosie: You’re the same with tunnels, aren’t you?

Rich: I quite like tunnels.

FY: Do you still go choo-choo when you go through a tunnel?

Rich: No, I make loud noises. It’s just fun. When you’re going on the bike it’s fun. It’s that sense of feeling really small in a massive environment. That’s what the Kylesku Bridge was for me and it was just that wildness. Scotland is a bit like Mother Nature, she is letting you in but if she fancies it, she’ll kill you. That’s what Scotland is but it’s just awesome.

The other bit for me about the North Coast 500 was riding with the people that I rode with. I rode with quite a few different types of people. There were the young ones, I wasn’t one of them, and people that were a bit older than me. There was a real breadth of people but we all had one thing in common and that was that love, that passion for cycling. The younger ones were quite fast and they all seemed to hide behind me when it was windy as well but I don’t know why.

FY: I couldn’t possibly imagine what reasons that could be. It must just be because you’re a very reliable wheel to follow. They must have trusted you infinitely.

Rich: Must have been, Felix!

Rich: I could either go off on my own if I wanted a bit of solitude and solace or I could come back to the pack and they were all fun. They were all just really nice people that I always had to speak behind me to throw my voice to the back of me for.

Rosie: I think you had to take that as a compliment somewhere along the line to it.

Rich: I felt like I was spearheading the NC500.

FY: Trailblazers, you can both consider yourself trailblazers.

Rosie: Yeah, trailblazers.

Rich: It’s just a lot of fun.

A group of people sitting around a table

I just need this for myself to fully embrace it

FY: And Rosie, you’ve mentioned Glencoe already as one of the things you were really keen to see on John O’ Groats to Land’s End but did it live up to expectations?

Rosie: Oh god yeah, absolutely. It absolutely blew me away. On John O’ Groats to Land’s End, the great thing about riding with you guys is the fact that you can do your own thing or you can constantly be riding with other people. You do tend to find your own little tribes as well. I tried to ride with most people on John O’ Groats to Land’s End but I can remember saying to the guys I was with I’m going to do Glencoe on my own because I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do it in one. I’m not going to talk to anybody, I just need this for myself to fully embrace it.

There was Todd at the bottom, who’s this amazing American dude and he gave me a Tunnock’s at the bottom and said, Rosie, that’s for you, that’s going to get you through Glencoe, and it did. So, yeah, they are staple ever since.

Rich: Yeah, she didn’t drop that one.

FY: I’ll leave it as unsaid for another time, but I have my own Glencoe memories from when I wrote John O’ Groats to Land’s End with Bike the UK for MS, and I rode Glencoe on my own as well. For reasons that I will explain some other time, I was in a massive strop. Let’s just put it that way. So I was riding on my own because I was really grumpy, but we were there on a beautiful sunny day, and it was a truly spectacular place to ride, even through the mist of the proper early-20s sulk that I was going through at the time.

And that’s part of the challenge, even on a trip which is not maybe as severe as Dale’s Divide or London-Edinburgh-London, we all have our highs and lows, right? And there is no avoiding it. No matter how experienced or strong you are as a rider, were there any particular moments on the trips for you, Rosie, that were the biggest challenges?

It was biblical. But it was good for the soul, you know.

Rosie: Yeah, so on John O’ Groats to Land’s End, I think it was day three, I think it’s the Loch Ness day. We set up camp in the rain and we woke up underwater and it was a severe Scottish weather warning. And even the guys who ran the campsite were saying, “you can’t ride in this, it’s a Scottish weather warning, take it seriously”. And I can remember the route leaders saying, if you really, really don’t want to, then we’re just going to have to think of a way around. I was like, “you can’t put everybody on the bus, you know, we’re going to have to ride”. And it was really severe. It was like riding through river rapids with shingle going down.

In fact, I had friends who were driving the North Coast 500 that year. They were driving it and they went home early because the weather was that rubbish – They were in a motor home! They were just like, “no, going home, going back to England, not driving in this”. We were riding in it! It was unbelievable. I’m never going to see rain again like that. It was biblical. But it was good for the soul, you know.

FY: It makes you feel quite hardcore, right, when you’re toughing it out.

Rosie: Absolutely. And when we got to the camp that night, we were, again, setting up a wet tent. But, you know, you just go and have a hot shower and it’s great. And you’ve earned it. You’ve earned it. It was amazing. Doing the North Coast 500 last year as well… We had one day, I think it was day two, where again it rained all day. Was it day two?

Rich: I think it was day two, day three, day four, day five, day seven.

Rosie: There was a lot of rain. Rich did the August North Coast 500. I did the September one and he got much better weather than me.

Rich: I think so, yeah.

A group of people in front of the sunset

White beaches, it’s beautiful.

FY: So, it doesn’t always rain in Scotland, you can confirm?

Rosie: When the sun comes out, you could be in the Caribbean. It’s absolutely phenomenal. White beaches, it’s beautiful. Absolutely. It’s amazing up there. But yeah… I can remember going to John O’ Groats on North Coast 500. And when we got there, it was so unbelievably windy. So, we were frozen through and we were sodden through as well. Soaked to the bone. And all I could think was, “doesn’t matter, the showers here are great”. It was a power cut. So, we couldn’t.

The route leader team were amazing. They put our tents up for us because they knew that we had a really hard ride there. We couldn’t have a shower, but we went to the pub and they had hot food because they had a generator. And then later on, the campsite managed to get a generator. So, we managed to get a hot shower in the end.

FY: A roller coaster of emotions in a single evening. There’s nothing worse than having something that you are looking forward to taken away from you. But also then, when you’ve got something that you don’t think is going to happen, when you get it, it’s a pleasant surprise, right?

You can listen to the interview on our podcast or watch it on YouTube. To read Parts 1 & 3 you can follow the links here:

Part 1 – Adventures on the bike
Part 3 – Living with Multiple Sclerosis

“It took me places that I didn’t know I was capable of” – Rosie Pickering

22/01/2024

by Felix Young with No Comment Blog Rider Stories

Multiple sclerosis is what brought Rosie to the bike, but it has taken her a long way since then!

Rosie Pickering is a member of the Bike the UK for MS alumni family who has ridden on all four of the Bike the UK for MS routes (Land’s End to John O’ Groats, North Coast 500, Sea to Sea and Lon Las Cymru) in the last few years. All this, despite having relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis herself and having (by her own admission!) come into the first of her rides with minimal cycling experience. UK Programme Manager Felix Young sat down to talk to Rosie and her husband Rich (also a two-times alumni of Bike the UK for MS) about her story with Bike the UK for MS. This is Part 1 of the interview where we discuss Rosie’s introduction to cycling and her more extreme adventures on the bike. You can listen to the interview on our podcast or watch it on YouTube. To read Parts 2 & 3 you can follow the links here:

Part 2 – Riding with Bike the UK for MS
Part 3 – Living with Multiple Sclerosis

Interview conducted May 2023

Do you think that I could do that?

Felix Young (FY): I’d like to introduce Rosie and Rich Pickering. Rosie, do you want to go first? Give me a brief introduction about yourself and what your history with Bike the UK for MS is.

Rosie: Hi, Felix. Yeah, I’m Rosie. So I’ve done a couple of rides now with Bike the UK for MS. I did JOGLE (John O’ Groats to Land’s End) in 2021. And I also rode with you guys last year, [on the] North Coast 500. So yeah, that’s me up to date and in a couple of weeks [Ed.: Interview date: May 2023] in fact, I’m doing the ride in Wales, Lon Las Cymru. I think that’s how you say it.

FY: I was going to ask if you were going to attempt the pronunciation there. I’m sure we’ll all have it fully dialled by the time we reach the end of the trip. Lon Las Cymru, right?

Rosie: Yeah, there we go. Yeah, I’m doing that one in a couple of weeks. I’ve been thinking about maybe a few others as well. So yeah, that’s me up to date at the minute.

FY: And Rich, what’s your background with Bike the UK for MS?

Rich: I’m Rosie’s husband. I did North Coast 500 this year to support Rosie. Last year, sorry. Yes, not very well organised, I’m afraid. I wanted to do the North Coast 500 and I wanted to support Rosie and her quest for supporting Bike the UK for MS. So that’s basically what I’ve done so far. Planning more in the future, though. [Ed.: Rich and Rosie both subsequently rode the Coast to Coast ride in August 2023]

FY: Excellent. Both of you, once you’re hooked, we want to come back for more. And so how did you first find out about Bike the UK for MS? What was the initial introduction that you guys made to the organisation as a charity?

Rosie: Right, so I’ve got relapsing and remitting multiple sclerosis myself. I started by running the Great North Run a few years back. It popped up on my Facebook feed, actually: Bike the UK for MS. John O’ Groats to Land’s End, or Land’s End’s to John O’ Groats and I remember saying to Rich, oh yeah, I want to do a bit more cycling. Do you think that I could do that? You said yes, go for it.

I just um-ed and ah-ed for a couple of weeks and spoke to Nicole, one of the previous ride leaders, at great lengths many times, and then just signed up one night and just thought, right, just, you know, face your fear, do it anyway. I just had to jump straight in. The longest ride I think I’d done before I even signed up was less than 50 miles, wasn’t that? Yeah, so that was my sort of push to get on board with that.

You found your tribe a little bit, haven’t you?

FY: I was going to ask, and you kind of jumped in and semi-answered it already, but you weren’t really a cyclist before Bike the UK for MS. Would you have considered yourself a cyclist?

Rosie: Well, I sort of dabbled. Years ago, I got into mountain biking a little bit, but nothing compared to what I was doing.

Rich: I think I put you off.

Rosie: Yeah, Richard put me off very, very early on.

Rich: Quite strongly as well.

Rosie: You let me fall off quite a few times when I’d, you know, turned into, you know, SPD shoes [Ed: cycling shoes with cleats that attach your feet to the pedals].

Rich: I think I told you to ride into a log at one point, thinking the bike would ride over it.

Rosie: It was a really good, super woman impression.

Rich: Didn’t end well.

Rosie: Yeah, I don’t know how we ended up still being together after that, actually, to be quite frank. But yeah, so I dabbled in that a little bit. And then after our second child, I got into running and then thought, right, OK, let’s try duathlon. So, I did a couple of duathlons and then I thought, right, no, I really like the biking much more than running. So, that’s how I sort of got a little bit more into it and then treated myself to a new road bike for my 40th birthday present a few years back.

I joined a local cycle club because I just wasn’t very good at doing any distance on my own and then Covid hit. So I suppose I hadn’t really done stacks and stacks. I had done a couple of sportives before doing JOGLE, but nowhere near what I’ve done since. So, yeah, since I’ve done JOGLE, it’s taking off, isn’t it?

Rich: Yeah, you found your tribe a little bit, haven’t you?

Rosie: Yeah.

Rich: You found your rhythm really, really good.

Rosie: I think from having had such a confidence boost doing John O’ Groats to Land’s End to start off with, I really didn’t know anything. I learnt so much on that ride. I couldn’t even climb out of the saddle before I’d done John O’ Groats to Land’s End, I just didn’t have the confidence. It was just an amazing experience.

FY: And you said you asked a lot of questions. You spoke to Nicole and the rest of the Bike the UK for MS team a lot before the trip. It might be a silly question: Was it a daunting undertaking, were you intimidated by the ride?

Rosie: Yeah, I really was, because I’ve never done anything longer than 73 miles before. I mean, I think I literally did that about six weeks before we went to John O’ Groats. All the way up to John O’ Groats I was crying. It was just nerves coming out for me. I was just, I just, I had all this pent up emotion and I didn’t know how I was going to be like camping. I just didn’t know whether I was going to be able to do it but with having so much backing and sponsorship behind me it just pushed me to do it. Not that I’m the kind of person who would ever want to quit, unless I could really help it. But yeah, it just took me places that I didn’t know I was capable of basically.

FY: Nice, literally and figuratively I guess in some cases, right? Because it’s the adventurous part of what makes those trips so exciting, right?

Rosie: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it just, yeah, it was amazing. It was definitely a pivotal point.

Rich: I remember you ringing me at the top of Glencoe when you said to me, “guess where I am?” And I remember saying “you’re at the top of Glencoe” and you were, you were just at the top of Glencoe.

Rosie: Yeah, yeah.

FY: Amazing.

Rosie: Cried all my way up there. Not in pain, but it’s just, it’s just the most electric… I don’t know, it’s kind of very… it sounds really cheesy, but it was really spiritual in a way, climbing there. The reason I signed up to do John O’ Groats to Land’s End, one of the reasons, was because I wanted to ride Glencoe. So yeah, it was, yeah, emotional.

FY: And Rich, I’m going to put you on the spot with a bit of a tricky question here straight off the bat. Are you Rosie’s cheerleader? You sounded like you’ve said a couple of times how you think she has a natural aptitude to cycling and so on.

Rich: Yeah, try to be a cheerleader.

FY: With your background in cycling, what has your role being in Rosie’s riding through those first few years of fun on the bike?

Rich: I’ve been quite pivotal in trying to put her off biking in a way, coming from mountain biking, which was in the first early days. It was quite disastrous, I think, wasn’t it? It was fun for me.

FY: I need a specific example apart from just the log!

Rosie: There was two logs to be fair. I think I nearly broke parts of my anatomy that I don’t want to own up to.

Rich: There was the early days of Coed y Brenin, there was Dalby Forest that I took her to. I’ve always been a cyclist. I’ve always been into mountain biking and any form of cycling, but my primary[sic] is mountain biking. And I wanted to show her how much fun it was and how much adventure you can have with it. I did that many, many years ago, but then she’s taken on the bug herself and she’s developed her own way of riding and her own tenacity and her own confidence in her riding. So I was just there in the early days as a riding partner in a way.

This is all down to Rosie doing it and building her own foundation of what I personally see is a fabulous endeavour that she’s on. And the fact that she’s got so much grit and determination to do it, it makes me want to keep supporting her and we will do. The whole family, me and the three boys will support her all the way. As much as we can. Sometimes it might be a bit fraught. When we meet her in the middle of LEL [Ed.: London-Edinburgh-London, a long-distance cycling event] and the boys were a bit wired on ice cream and Rosie’s a bit tired, that didn’t really work very well.

Rosie: You bought me lots of sweets didn’t you and then realised that the boys had eaten them all on the way.

Rich: yeah so we actually just turned up and basically had a go at her.

Rosie: Too many boys, too much sugar!

FY: there’s a time and a place right? Sometimes you need your own space.

Rich: So I try to be a cheerleader but I don’t fit the dress very well!

My MS and the heat just don’t mix very well at all

FY: You reference London-Edinburgh-London. Your cycling journey is taking you a lot further than the Bike the UK for MS rides since that first John O’ Groats to Land’s End ride right, Rosie? Tell us about London-Edinburgh-London and where else your cycling escapades have reached over the last few years.

Rosie: right so, last year, was it August? I think. I thought: “I’ve done JOGLE, I’ll be fine. I’ll camp in London for a couple of days”. I didn’t take into consideration how noisy the foxes were and the fact that I didn’t get any sleep and my start time, I think, was quarter past six in the morning and so I started on the back foot unfortunately. London-Edinburgh-London, it’s 1500 KM, you’ve got to do it over five days, that’s your time limit, that’s what you’ve got: 125 hours. I got to sort of three and a half days in and I hit a wall. We were riding through a heat wave and so I got up to Edinburgh and then I ended up scratching at Eskdalemuir unfortunately, on the way back because I was just so hot and hadn’t slept for days and days.

Unfortunately my MS and the heat just don’t mix very well at all. I don’t know if you can imagine somebody tipping your battery out. That’s the first time on a ride actually I’ve ever experienced that feeling and it was quite depressing for me. I don’t do well at not finishing things but it was the most amazing experience ever. You meet so many people from all over the world that are doing this amazing audax [Ed.: Long-distance cycling events] ride. It was just very hard for me to not finish and then three weeks later go on to NC 500 which was the biggest uplift in the world because it was epic!

FY: For the people that don’t know a lot about audaxes like London-Edinburgh-London, they are a world away from the Bike the UK for MS rides right? On the Bike the UK for MS rides you ride 70 or so miles a day. It’s overnight stops and it’s stage by stage by stage. We have a rest day halfway through the JOGLE trip, right? But what does London-Edinburgh-London involve?

Rosie: So you’ve got 20 checkpoints that you physically have to check in at along the way. And you have a brevet card that you have to get stamps on from these checkpoints. The majority of the checkpoints you can eat, sleep, refresh, have a shower. On the first day, I made it to the fourth checkpoint at Hessle, which was 190 miles in, at which point it was 11 o’clock at night. I’d been riding since six that morning. I decided that I was going to try and sleep. Well, we were in this ginormous[sic] room full of 250 air beds. And the snoring was immense. And I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned for four and a half, five hours, something like that. And yeah, I couldn’t do it. So I got up and carried on. And I can’t remember where I’d stopped again after that point.

FY: I guess it all becomes a blur after a certain point?

Rosie: Absolutely. And I think that was the massive problem for me. With each rest stop, you would try and refresh and have something to eat and make sure you fill up your water and your salts and so on. You’re just getting more and more fatigued along the way. And that is part of the endurance journey. And it’s, like you say, so opposite to Bike the UK for MS. I just thought I was hardcore and I can do it. But yeah, the next one [LEL] is in a couple of years. I will go back and I will do it again. To be honest, I should have practised that a little bit more.

Rich: It’s a learning curve. There are certain things that you know you could have done better.

Rosie: Oh, totally.

Rich: But you wouldn’t have known until you’ve done it.

Rosie: I learnt an awful lot of lessons doing that. And, you know, I wasn’t my own. I think there’s something like a 52% scratch [Ed.: riders abandoning the ride] rate on it. I didn’t feel well, I did feel really bad and cried a lot on the way home too, you know… Then I got the train back from Carlisle to Kingscroft. But yeah, it took it out of me, didn’t it?

Rich: You ended up, it was so hot that she ended up going into somebody’s garden and they gave her some ice lollies.

Rosie: Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that!

Rich: There’s also, if anybody finds it, I think there’s a penguin biscuit that you dropped by mistake underneath the Forth Bridge…

Rosie: Soreen!

Rich: There’s a Soreen bar under the Forth Bridge! So if anybody finds a Soreen bar, could you please hand it in and we’ll reclaim that?

Rosie: The things that we were eating along the way were just amazing. Yeah, you just feed as much as you can.

FY: I have a friend of mine from Canada who’s an ultramarathon runner, and he described it, ultramarathon running, as an eating contest that just happens to have some running in it and I think that’s probably a similar kind of thing to an audax like that, right? It’s just about what can you get in and keep in. That, like you said, i’s part of the endurance game isn’t it?

Rosie: Absolutely! For LEL, I didn’t practise enough before it and I just thought I’d be fine. I had done John O’ Groats to Land’s End and kind of can do anything, you know. But no, it’s just a different animal. I had done one audax ride before I did LEL so I thought I’d be fine but um… no!

I just got hooked to off-road riding

FY: We’ve spoken a lot about London-Edinburgh-London and some of the challenges involved with that but your your cycling journeys have taken you off the road into into the wild haven’t they in recent times as well?

Rosie: yeah, they have. Off the back of doing John O’ Groats to Land’s End… as soon as I got back I told Rich that I really fancied doing more long distance but going off road. Rich built a gravel bike for me, we bought one second hand and then built it through with Covid second hand parts and bits and bobs. Then I just got hooked to off-road riding. We did Dirty Reiver last year, that’s a gravel ride in Northumberland which was my first big event that I had done.

I’ve done some of Glorious Gravel rides all over the UK and done some of the Sonder winter gravel rides which are brilliant. They will eat your bike away! Just lots of testing things, learnt a lot, still not as fast as what I want to be but I’m getting there. I bought bought a new gravel bike last year and it’s much better…

Rich: not without its problems!

Rosie: It has just gone wrong for me a few times recently. I did Dales Divide recently.

FY: Another real test of endurance in the purest sense of the word right?

Rosie: Yeah, it was an absolute mudfest. Great fun but I had a massive mechanical and ended up having to leave the course. Ended up kipping at somebody’s farmhouse. In fact, it was the organisers farmhouse, he was on the course so he didn’t actually know. I still need to send him some cheese or something to say thank you!

Rich: Special cheese, not just supermarket stuff!

Rosie: Yeah! These lovely people took me in because I just needed parts for my bike. They took me in, fed me, let me sleep in the spare room and then took me to the bike shop the next day and I got parts and then managed to get back on course. Unfortunately, I’d lost the pack and I haven’t done stacks of bikepacking before. Sorry, this all sounds like a bit of a disaster doesn’t it?

Rich: It’s a learning curve.

Rosie: Yeah, so I’ve always wanted to do lots of bikepacking but I’ve never had the confidence to go out alone. We don’t really get the chance to ride out alone because we’ve got three young boys so it’s quite tricky. I don’t know lots and lots of gravel riders so I thought well, sign up to Dales Divide and then at least you’ll be with other people. Even though you don’t know people, you won’t be wild camping on your own. So that was what pushed me to sign up initially and unfortunately I had a mechanical.

After I got going again, I ended up sort of near my brother’s house near York and kipped on his floor rather than using my tent because I couldn’t see anybody on the course or even on the shorter version of the course. So I spent a few hours on his floor and then got going the next day and tried to make my way north and I couldn’t find anybody and so I knew when to call it a day. There was a weather front coming in and it sounds a bit of a “big girl blouse” but yeah, there was a big weather front coming in…

FY: I’ve worked with riders that have done similar events as a coach and and there’s this kind of rose-tinted, Rapha-style, glamour of gravel and bike-packing but the reality of endurance… The clues in the name! It’s about enduring it, right? It’s going to be miserable and you’ve got to learn. The experience of outlasting that misery, enduring the misery is the whole name of it and the reality of it can get lost a little bit in some of the sepia-style black and white images of the romantic side of gravel riding. It’s tough and there’s no shame in having to be pragmatic. I know lots of really experienced riders that did Dales Divide this year and were in a really similar place because the conditions were tough and sometimes it’s out of your control.

You can listen to the interview on our podcast or watch it on YouTube. To read Parts 2 & 3 you can follow the links here:

Part 2 – Riding with Bike the UK for MS
Part 3 – Living with Multiple Sclerosis

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10 Years of Bike the UK for MS – Throwback to 2014

05/10/2023

by Felix Young with No Comment Blog Meet the Team Our Rides Rider Stories

June 2024 will mark 10 years since the first Bike the UK for MS trip as 12 riders took on John O’ Groats to Land’s End. We wanted to take this chance to cast back to memories of the trips that have brought the charity to where it is today and to celebrate the achievements and challenges overcome by the hundreds of riders who have been part of Bike the UK for MS over the past decade.

The 2014 Ride

With eight Bike the US for MS alumni joining four riders from the University of Bath the first Bike the UK for MS trip was a true hybrid of the two organisations. One of the UK-based riders, Emily, shares some of her memories from the trip:

“My favourite day was definitely the first day up in Scotland. I’ve done a lot riding in my time but never in Scotland and riding along the country roads, next to huge highland cows with breathtaking coast views was just spectacular. We ended the day at Bettyhill Camp site and spent the evening skimming stones and watching the sun set on the rocks – a perfect day!”

“The biggest surprise was how close we became as a team. Although cliché, I really couldn’t have done it without the support of the other riders. Living together for all that time and experiencing the highs and lows was amazing and has led to life-long friendships!”

“The toughest challenge for me was definitely the mental strain of the harder days down south. It definitely pushed me to my limit and I remember a few moments where I really drew on the strength of the team around me as I turned a corner to be faced with yet another hill on wet, windy days in Cornwall!”

“The standout memory for me was our day in the Lake District. Kirkstone pass didn’t disappoint and although tough was a spectacular climb and a real achievement to cross. As a celebration, we then descended in a slightly delirious state to the furthest corner of Lake Windermere unaware that the campsite was actually quite a few miles further along the road, outside of Windermere itself.”

Stunning views are earned by challenging climbs

“We were just settling in to enjoy a sunny evening at the lakeside when we received a call from our route leader asking where we were. The uphill 30 minute climb to camp proved rather challenging and I’m sure we were quite a spectacle as we attempted to navigate the Windermere tourists whilst exhausted and slightly disoriented! But it was those moments riding together as a team at the end of a hard day knowing we had achieved something together that were so special.”

“It was an amazing two weeks – breath-taking, mentally and physically challenging but so rewarding. I can still remember that feeling of pride, relief, joy as we crossed the finish line at Land’s End.”

Daniel with his father before his Sea to Sea cycle for MS

How Dan Derbyshire’s Father Inspired Him to Cycle for MS

31/03/2023

by Ella Miles with One Comment Blog Rider Stories

A Personal Connection to MS and Passion for Cycling

Meet Dan Derbyshire, an inspiring individual who has embarked on an incredible journey to cycle for MS with Bike the UK for MS. Dan’s father has been living with relapsing and remitting MS for 16 years. Seeing the impact it had on his father’s life motivated Dan to take action.

As a child, Dan was taught to ride a bike by his father, which ignited his passion for cycling. This eventually led to mountain biking and even passing his motorbike test. Dan and his father would regularly ride their motorbikes together, but when Dan decided to raise money for MS, he swapped his motorbike for a road bike to complete the Sea to Sea route.

Dan first discovered Bike the UK for MS in 2019, but with university commitments getting in the way, he was only able to take on a challenge in 2022. In this blog, we will explore Dan’s motivation for riding the Sea to Sea route. You’ll get an insight into his experience out on the road and understand why he’s returning as a Route Leader in 2023.

Why did you want to ride with Bike the UK for MS last summer?

“I’d wanted to take part in some form of fundraising and spent lots of time searching the MS Society website. I was affected by his diagnosis in a way that most boys and their father would understand. I’ve grown up seeing the MS Society letters and both the annual and bi-annual newsletters throughout my fathers prognosis. He taught me to cycle and encouraged my love for riding bikes, motorbikes and mountain bikes. Naturally, riding my bike felt like the right thing to do.

I choose Bike the UK for MS due to their close nature and relationship they have with the MS groups they meet along the routes that they ride and also the research that they help to fund. I know first-hand how much this can help every individual and their families through varying stages of tier journeys with MS.”

Dan at after the finish of his cycle from Sea to Sea for MS

What training did you do before completing the ride?

“The advice I got in terms of training was to get on the bike and start spinning. That’s exactly what I did! After purchasing and setting up my bike to my liking, I started off with several smaller rides of up to 20 miles, trying to cycle on consecutive days. While doing so, I would push to do longer days (40 miles+) with adequate rest periods in between the rides. I would try and repeat this as often as possible whilst planning challenging sections of hills and plenty of split squats. A few weeks before the ride, I cycled the recommended 50+ miles on two consecutive days to prepare myself for how I would feel on the weekend of the ride.”

What is your go to bike snack?

“It’s got to be a flapjack and a packet of ready salted crisps with a can of energy drink to wash it down! This has definitely saved me from bonking one too many times whilst training!”

What is your favourite memory of the ride?

“Over the short 3 days of riding, there were so many memorable moments! I will cherish them all, so it’s very hard to pick a favourite! For me, it comes down to two experiences…

Although I rode the majority of the ride on my own, there were many instances where I rode alongside other riders. Some of these riders were affected by MS and the others just wanted the challenge of riding from Coast to Coast. Hearing and chatting about all their own stories really made the weekend for me.
The weather was bleak on the first day, raining from the late morning all the way until the evening. The scenery through the Lake District and the North Pennines, however, was second to none. With the pace of my cycling, I had plenty of opportunities to soak it up (and take lots of photos!)”

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to prospective riders for 2023?

“I would say to train a little harder and cycle a little further than you think you need to. It will allow you to enjoy the ride and the views as you cycle the route.”

What was the biggest challenge you faced?

“The first day, the group experienced some torrential rain which was definitely the biggest challenge for me. I always kept a positive mental attitude and remembered the statement that Jason Fox from ‘SAS Who Dares Wins’ said “you can only control what is in your 1m squared”. However, my 1m squared was always the one in front of me pushing me to pedal a little further even when I was struggling”.

Why have you decided to return as a route leader this year?

“As soon as I finished the ride, I promised myself that I would help in 2023. This was mainly due to the Route Leaders who were spectacular with every rider! Always positive when the going really got tough. Also, knowing how the route leaders helped facilitate the riders throughout the route and what the cause is for.”

Dan with his 2022 Sea to Sea team mates after their cycle for MS

Riding with MS – Shine A Light

20/01/2023

by Ella Miles with No Comment Blog Rider Stories

Teresa Attwood and Linda Bussey with their tandem E-Bike helping them ride with MS. Celebrating at the Sea to Sea finish line.

With the new year upon us, we decided what better way to celebrate our amazing Bike the UK for MS alumni than to dedicate our “Shine the Light” monthly section onto those that inspire us most! To start this off, we couldn’t think of anymore better than Teresa Attwood and Linda Bussey. In this blog, Linda has shared an insight into her’s and Terri’s lives, particularly life after an MS diagnosis, riding with MS and how Bike the UK for MS and the MS Society has helped them.

January Highlight – Teresa and Linda

Terri and Linda swapped the ultra-busy Peak District for Cumbria’s peaceful Eden Valley 10 years ago. The Eden Valley is a hidden gem and offered blissfully quiet rural cycling lanes and the wilderness of the Northern Pennines to explore on foot, right on their doorstep. It seemed they’d truly found their Eden.

Just four years later, Terri was diagnosed with Primary Progressive MS. A ‘lazy’ right foot initiated a trip to the local GP, who sent her for a series of tests and scans. The scans showed lesions in her spine and brain, consistent with multiple sclerosis. It was a devastating diagnosis for them both, threatening their active lifestyle.

On the recommendation of an MS nurse, Terri joined the local East Cumbria Group of the MS Society. They offered weekly exercise classes, coffee mornings, and other social gatherings. Everyone in the Group lives with MS: all are at different stages of their MS journey. The group is a tremendous source of support. Terri and Linda quickly signed up as volunteers, and soon become firm friends with many of the gang.

Three years ago, Terri became the local Group coordinator. Amongst a host of other co-ordinating activities, she produces the Group’s quarterly newsletter. She has also become involved with the Society at National level, to help give a voice to people with MS on the ground.

Meanwhile, they still manage to cycle and walk most weekends. Last year, they purchased an electric-assist tandem (known as Lill-e). This has been a game-changer for riding with MS, allowing them to continue to cycle together and get away for long weekends with friends…and ride the Sea to Sea last summer!

Linda celebrating at the summit of Bealach na Ba on the penultimate day of North Coast 500 — Linda celebrating at the summit of Bealach na Bà, North Coast 500

Why did you want to ride Sea to Sea for MS last summer?

“Because it looked like fun and the routes looked amazing! The East Cumbria Group is a massive supporter of Bike the UK for MS and has been enthusiastic to meet riders on the Sea to Sea and Land’s End to John O’Groats. As keen cyclists ourselves, we were drawn to the excitement of seeing riders completing long days in the saddle, and were impressed by the incredible camaraderie among the team and riders. We rode the C2C together in August, and then 10 days later I did the North Coast 500 on a solo bike. Between us, we managed to raise over £2,800. We were happy to know that a good chunk of that would come back to the Group, the rest going to fund research to help find a cure for MS”

North Coast 500 September team pictured with Margory from Retford MS Society — North Coast 500 September team meeting with MS Society member, Margory

What training did you do before cycling across the country for MS?

“We just got out on Lill-e as much as we could, usually riding 30-50 mile days at weekends. We also did a few long weekends away, generally involving bigger rides, including cycling from home out to Scotland, and forays into Northumberland, staying at different B&Bs each night. I was also getting out as much as possible on my solo bike, seeking out the most challenging local hills”.

What is your go-to on the bike snack?

“We’re a bit ‘old school’, and generally carry a thermos of hot chocolate. We normally enjoy this with homemade oaty biscuits, flapjack, or energy bars”.

What is your favourite memory from the ride?

Sea to Sea: “it was being cheered on by friends who’d come to meet us at the top of Hartside – they certainly helped us to romp up the final summit. The scenery was stunning as we rode across the Northern Pennines in rare moments of sunshine. Completing the C2C with our friends from Edinburgh (who started as our sponsors and then became participants) was very special.

On the North Coast 500, it was climbing Bealach na Ba, the incredible view and descent off the top. And the people – what a great bunch!”

North Coast 500 September team lined up at the finish of the ride — North Coast 500 team celebrating at the finish line!

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to prospective riders?

“Enjoy the ride, take time to take in the views, and remember it’s not a race”.

How does Bike the UK for MS benefit you and the East Cumbria MS Group?

“The East Cumbria Group funds a number of activities and events throughout the year. These include weekly exercise classes and monthly coffee mornings, where people with MS can meet and chat in relaxed settings. Last year, we took out group membership at Watchtree Wheelers (a charity near Carlisle that runs a cycling facility for the disabled). We then funded a couple of trips out to the Nature Reserve. Everyone enjoyed trying out the range of different bikes on the traffic-free track, and just got an immense buzz from exercising outside in the fresh air. It was great to show you can continue riding with MS.

This year, we’re also funding a weekend of adventure activities at Calvert Trust Keswick. Having a disability doesn’t stop people with multiple sclerosis from pushing their boundaries. They need to be given the opportunity to try something different in an inclusive and safe environment. The support of BTUKFMS helps us to give people with MS those opportunities”.