FOBZ News
FOBZ Charity Cycle Challenge 2007
Four cyclists, four days, 403 miles. How did they get on? Report by Sarah Lee, Head of Education & Interpretation
Well – after all the preparation the cycle challenge finally came upon us on Saturday 14th July!
The four cyclists had done lots of preparation to get fit for the challenge but the journey up to Edinburgh was quite quiet as we noticed the hills growing in height as we travelled further North!
Martin Goymour kindly lent us his Landrover Discovery and we also borrowed one of the older horse transport boxes from the zoo to load in the bikes and equipment. We were offered the use of a larger, perhaps more aesthetically appealing horse box but Martin Dupée and myself were very worried about managing three point turns on small country roads when we got lost!
The journey to Edinburgh didn’t quite go as smoothly as we had hoped as the A1 was closed as we reached Yorkshire and we ended up travelling straight across country to the west side and then back across East to Livingston where we were staying for the first night.
After a good meal we all retired to bed and were up early to travel to Edinburgh Zoo to start the cycle challenge.
DAY 1: Edinburgh - Newcastle
At the zoo we were greeted by Stephen Woollard - the Head of Education at Edinburgh Zoo - and a few other members of zoo staff. Stephen presented the cyclists with a letter from Edinburgh Zoo to be taken on the 400 mile trip to be presented to Banham Zoo at the end of the journey! This was a lovely send off for the cyclists because, as you can imagine, everyone was quite nervous.
So, just after 9.30 on Sunday July 15th 2007, Simon, Dean, Darren and Sarah set off on the first 100 miles. Martin D and myself went ahead in the Discovery and stopped every time there was a turning – jumping out in our very fashionable hi-vis jackets to show the cyclists the way to go! Initially we were concerned that the ride out of Edinburgh would be very tough with some steep hills to start their journey, plus very busy roads, but the gradients weren’t quite as bad as imagined and the cyclists came out of Edinburgh safely.
We were headed for Newcastle by the end of Day 1 and the terrain was certainly getting tougher as the day progressed.
Every 20 or 30 miles Martin and myself would find a suitable stop site and then rush to get out the 4 chairs, crisps, mars bars, drinks and muscle rub ready for the cyclists who needed regular stops to revive their aching limbs. Finally day 1 was over and we had reached our destination. It had been a gruelling day but all 4 of the cyclists managed it and most of them had already pushed through considerable pain barriers!
DAY 2: Newcastle - Yorkshire
The route itself was very tricky to put together to ensure the cyclists safety by not going onto too many busy roads but also to ensure that there wasn’t more than 100 miles per day! However, even with all the careful planning I need to introduce you to a new swear word that has now been welcomed into the Simon Lee dictionary... THE PENNINES!
OK, so the scenery may have looked fantastic but when you’ve cycled all the way up, who cares?
It was an incredible challenge to contemplate each hill only to see another one appear over the brow. Eventually it was decided to re-route off the Pennine Way to avoid actually damaging the cyclists beyond repair whilst still reaching the same end point and completing the 100 miles.
Despite the mental and physical stress that all the cyclists were under with the challenge of the pennines there were still a few comedy moments in between the swearing, such as Simon pretending to hit the back of the trailer at great speed only to then actually fall off, the support team driving round and round roundabouts to find the correct way to go (not amusing to the cyclists I assure you!) and endless discussions as to how sore their backsides actually were!
DAY 3: Yorkshire - Nottinghamshire
When planning the journey and hotels I really was hoping to get an acceptable standard of lodging to help the cyclists relax each night and help them recover ready for the next day’s challenge – we also needed to be sensible with the budget and the more cost effective we could be with our expenses the better for the overall amount raised for charity. For this reason I chose Travelodge to stay in each night as they are supposed to have a set standard of comfort for reasonable prices. I can promise you they don’t! Two of the hotels were appalling and not at all as they had been promised when I spoke to them!
So after an uncomfortable stay in our 3rd Travelodge the team set off, most of them covered head to toe in deep heat and ibruprofen gel and sudocream! Day 3 saw the worst of the weather to date with rain, lightening, sunshine, rainbows and, worst of all, a head wind. This just made the journey through Yorkshire harder.
On Day 3 the cyclists had the furthest distance to complete, however this was only made worse with the A19 being closed due to the recent bad floods and some diversions being in place. I did attempt to make light of the diversion as it is ‘was only a few miles further’. Telling this to a team that have covered several hundred miles already was probably not the best move of the day and I feared for my safety until I realised I had sole possession of the mars bars and powerade so they had to be nice to me!
Simon did have the opportunity of talking briefly to a road worker in the afternoon who, being interested in what was going on, asked Simon where he was heading. “Near Norwich” came the reply. With this the road worker felt the need to share his concerns and replied “F***ing hell, you’re still in Doncaster!” It certainly raised a much needed laugh!
Simon also did a Radio Broadland interview during their lunch break and managed to sound cheery and positive despite the fact that it was very tough going and the legs were really feeling it!
Day 3 ended (much to the relief of the cyclists) and by this time they were all sharing the dregs of the deep heat in an attempt to get some life back into their legs but cheered slightly by the fact that the final day was near.
Day 4: Nottinghamshire - Banham!
This should have proved the easiest day terrain wise for the cyclists but the flats of the fens only kicked up their own challenges such as no downhills to rest the legs and really unpleasant cross winds and it proved to be much tougher than we all imagined. Compounding this fact was that the past 3 days of endless cycling was taking its toll on some and pain was becoming a real issue.
The flats of the fens were tougher
than we all imagined
At 12:50 in the afternoon, we crossed the county boundary into Norfolk. A welcome sight indeed. Now this was home territory. We knew where we were going... most of the time!
After some lunch just outside King’s Lynn it was much lifted spirits that kept the team going. The pain, whilst now extreme, became tolerable as they ate up the miles and knew they were getting closer to home. However, Swaffham saw some slightly hilly areas which wasn’t taken in good humour at all! More up hill pedalling was the last thing the four needed after the incredibly tough previous three days and the very tired legs!
One puncture (the only one of the entire trip!) and 30 or so miles later the cyclists rode up into the zoo car park and finally completed their mammoth journey. The zoo had laid on a fantastic welcome and the cyclists were doused liberally in champagne, given a specially made cake, awarded with engraved medals and generally cheered and applauded.
It all seemed very surreal at the time as it had been such a hard journey for them and I don’t mind admitting I became a bit over emotional after finally seeing them all safely home after watching so much sheer guts and determination in the face of considerable pain.
How Much Did They Raise?
So now to the fundraising – how did they do?
Well at the point of writing this article the four cyclists have raised either through family and friends, or suppliers from the Goymour Group, a fantastic £6000! This, as I am sure you will agree, is an amazing achievement and everyone within Banham Zoo and FOBZ are immensely proud of them. Let’s hope the lemurs appreciate it!
Many thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to make this charity event a success, especially to Martin Dupée who drove magnificently – we didn’t have to do a 3 point turn once the whole trip!
Generous Sponsors
A big thank you to NatWest who donated £800 to cover the expenses of the trip.
Another big thank you to Paul B Hill from BikeArt who donated all the spare parts and equipment we needed for the cycle challenge. BikeArt is based at High Lodge in Thetford forest and offers you exclusive access to four dedicated trails, plus there is a bike and accessories centre and bike hire centre. You can find out more about what is available at the BikeArt website www.bike-art.com. Paul also very kindly serviced the four bikes prior to the challenge which was very much appreciated.
Below is a list of all the suppliers who have generously donated funds to this challenge:
Anglia Fish
Coca-cola
Mars
Impact Clothing
BikeArt
Ray Chapman
Rees Pryer
Ravensden
Trendex
Mazuri Foods
Brite Glancing
TMC Brickwork
Last Step Flooring
Glasdon Group
Morrish & Partners
R&M Plasterers
The Works
A&S Topsoils
Glass & Sealed Unit
Postprint
Allen Newport
Uplands Way
Pearsons
Signs Express
Clarkes
VPH Roofing
East Anglian Land Surveys
John Audus
Window World
Oakwood Joinery
Can Fixings
Aspect Roofing
