From Lands End to John o'Groats: Our Ride for Prostate Cancer UK

Written by Keith Tunstall, application engineer architect, and Kevin Donnelly, application engineer director, both from Cadence's Bracknell, UK office.

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

It all began 10 years ago when we started cycling at lunchtime a couple of times a week as a way to lose some middle-age spread and get out of the office for some fresh air and exercise. In those early days, we struggled along before building up some basic cycling fitness and pushing hard for an hour. We graduated to longer weekend rides and organized Sportives, building up to a 120-mile day trip to the south coast for some traditional fish and chips. Of course, new bikes (see the ‘N+1’ rule) and new cycling gear were needed for those longer rides, and by this time, we were official MAMILs, mimicking the pros on RideLondon, a 100-mile ‘race’ around London in the Peloton at over 20 mph on closed roads.

We started talking about something more adventurous and using our annual Cadence volunteer week to raise some money for charity. We settled on an organized Ride Across Britain (RAB) cycling challenge from Land’s End in the south to John o’Groats (LEJOG) in the far north, covering nearly 1000 miles in nine days, starting on September 7.

We arrived at basecamp the night before, sorted our bikes, and cycled the short distance to Land’s End (interestingly, not the most southerly point nor even the most southwesterly point) for a few photos before grabbing some dinner in the mess tent and settling down in our individual tents and a restless night.

We set off at a leisurely pace on a tough first day, taking in the sights of St Michael’s mount and rolling along the ups and downs of Cornwall’s moorland. We finished safely, 105 miles and over 9,000 feet of climbing later, at our next campsite in Okehampton. Day 1 done, and only eight days to go! More of the same followed (picture Groundhog Day with different weather but thankfully no snow): wake at about 4.30am, dress, eat, check the weather forecast and get appropriate cycle gear on, pack bag, drop bag, cycle, eat, cycle, eat, cycle, finish, clean the bike and check/prep for next day, get bag, find tent, shower, eat, chat about the day (injuries and sores, the stats, the climbs, and the decents), review next day’s route, charge phone/Garmin/bike (not the bike, just the electronic shifters – there was a special tent for that, a sign of cycling tech ‘progress’ and no doubt Cadence software was used in the design of many of the chips), and, finally, get some sleep—barely enough!

Highlights of the first few days included Cheddar Gorge, crossing the Severn Bridge, a pit stop at Chepstow Castle, quiet country roads along the glorious Wye Valley, and eating anything and everything you want to get the 5,000 calories per day needed to fuel the ride.

The scenery improved, and the climbs got longer as we rode further north through the English Lake District, climbing to Shap and across the border into Scotland at Gretna Green (a famous wedding destination for young English couples) and on to Lockerbie (infamous for other reasons). Then through the Scottish borders and a long climb up the Devil’s Beef Tub (named after 17th-century cattle thieves or ‘devils’, picture the Rob Roy movie). Our first night in Scotland was spent near the Cadence office in Edinburgh before setting off for the Grampian Mountains and Cairngorms National Park with tough climbs through ski resorts at Glenshee and Lecht (where I think we went up their steepest red route), past Braemar Castle, and along the river Dee towards the final day, at last. We set off with weary legs and sore bottoms, but we didn’t care about that because we were on a high, and the trade winds were in our favour for once as we sped through the remote splendour of the Strathnaver Valley, onto the rugged North Atlantic Coast, with views of the Orkneys and the long-awaited finish line at John O’Groats.

We met many new cycling brothers and sisters along the way and made some new Strava friends. Everyone does LEJOG at their own pace; it’s not a race against the clock but more of a communal shared experience. The challenge and collective sense of achievement at the end was palpable. Although we didn’t sail along on many trade winds, we certainly followed Mark Twain’s advice to follow a dream. Explore (our own country from bottom to top on a bicycle) and discover quiet country lanes and far-off corners. A once in a lifetime experience.

What next? A ride across Canada, perhaps, inspired by our new Canadian friend Eric and ‘AdventureMan,’ but that will need more than a volunteer week!

Our chosen charity is Prostate Cancer UK, an organization dedicated to supporting men affected by prostate cancer. This disease affects 1 in 8 men in the UK, and early detection is crucial for successful treatment. We have raised over £7,000 and counting, contributing directly to research, awareness, and support programs that can save lives.