Ok, so the 14th September has come and gone and as expected it wasn’t that comfortable. My challenge was to complete Pedal for Scotland and I was all set to do so. I may have been able to squeeze in more training; getting out more and maintaining a healthier diet. But I had the legs (sort of) and I had the motivation.
What I didn’t have was well organised transport. I’m not going to harp on (even though I may want to) but delays in loading the coaches at Edinburgh lead to a much delayed start; almost 3 hours after the event began. Thinking about it I’m pretty sure some of the riders would already be in Edinburgh by the time we pedalled over the start line. No mass start for us, with music blaring and supportive cheers; our start was a quite ride past a lovely lady in a florescent jacket wishing us well.
I have to say that it was this type of support that kept me going, especially nearing the end of the day. The marshals did a wonderful job of lifting the spirits with offers of bananas and energy drinks, all presented with a friendly smile and words of encouragement.
As we pedalled away from the last feed station my motivation, slightly waning on the way in, picked up. “Only 12 miles to go” they said and that meant 39 miles gone, and that can’t be bad. Even the light drizzle that began at that point didn’t put us off.
What finished us off was the support team driving up behind us letting us know that we wouldn’t make the finish before the close. There was an offer for a lift on to Edinburgh and after about 41 miles and 6 hours of riding I took this up.
I don’t feel down that I didn’t complete the event. I took part and I cycled 41 miles across Scotland. We reached the Forth Road Bridge, a fitting end to a very long day. Next year I’ll arrange my own transport and I’ll see you at the finish line.
