Founded 1925 |
| Affiliated to: BCF, RTTC, BCCA, ECCA, ECRA |
|
|
Club
Clothing supplied by |
First
of all I must say "
Thank You" to all the people who sponsored my cycle
ride. When all the
pledges
are collected I will have
raised about £2000.00.
It
was interesting meeting the other 26 people at
Stanstead Airport, all strangers but with
one goal. "There were tour lifeboat crewmen
and an R.N.L.I. representative
whilst the rest of us were a very
mixed bag. I was the eldest and the youngest was
seventeen. We had
two ladies with us,
one from the Isle of Man and a doctor from North
London.
The
ride started early
on Sunday morning
with a gradual introduction
to what lay ahead
The weather was warm and very sunny We had two ferry crossings
and then a long ride
to our over night camp through very
beautiful scenery of
mountains and sea and
with only one hill
climb of note.
Day
two was the one we were
all dreading,
a 4.5km climb followed by one of 13.8
km. and another of
4.5km. It was hard work but the rather speedy descents, reaching
at times speeds of 42mph., gave every one something
to talk about
over dinner that night.
This was also our first rough camp, a pit
for you -know- what and having to wash by bathing
in the river. I think someone forgot to tell them to put on the water heater.
Quite exhilarating!
Days
three and four were mostly the same, some long
rides beside fjords with mountains gradually
becoming less steep and large
areas of tundra, a very dramatic landscape. One thing
1 have not mentioned-- the Dreaded Mosquitoes They
attack whether you arc standing
still or on the move, there
is no escaping them Repellents help
but it is just a case
of, 'Grin and bear
it' The fantastic views and good company made it
worthwhile. ( ****
! There's another little
devil—SWAT!).
Day
five saw a marked
change in the weather. Heavy rain and a thunder
storm at 3 am. had us worried as lo
what the day might hold in
store for us. It stopped raining but the clouds
stayed low and the temperature was down. Some
of the group thought
it was better for cycling but with slippery roads
and a misty drizzle setting in I had my doubts.
'The scenery docs lend itself to this kind of weather, taking on a more dramatic
aspect. No hard climbs but long gradual ascents
and descents with those ever present fjords. We saw our first
wild reindeer today also a beaver and a golden eagle, after that reindeer
seemed to come out of nowhere
Day
six. This is what we
had all aimed for,
the last ride up to Nordkapp. Unfortunately it rained
most of the way and we had to
go through three
tunnels one of which
was 7km. long. The Norwegians had dug
a 27 km. bypass and done away with
a ferry crossing,
'the ferry would
have been more pleasant than the tunnel. Two very
steep long climbs before lunch and then the home
run of 10km.
Nordkapp
is a little like Lands End but not so
commercialised. Nothing but water and ice between
you and the North Pole. Lots of photo shots for every one. We had completed
332.8 miles. We then went by coach back to Honningsvag,
no bikes this time. Our great treat here was a
trip out in a Norwegian Lifeboat, what a privilege!
Unlike the Lifeboats
we are familiar with it is more of a high speed
tug its main purpose being to rescue and bring home vessels
in trouble. Life expectancy
in the water is lO mins in summer and 4 minutes in
winter even if you are properly clothed.
On
Saturday we left camp very early then rode to Honningsvag
to board a ferry and enjoy an 18hr. cruise back to
Tromso. A very lovely ship and a wonderful trip
seeing the fjords from a different angle. There is
little more I can say about the scenery, it is
just so beautiful.
On
arrival at Tromso we
were greeted by the runners in
the Midnight Sun
Marathon. The race did not finish until 4-30am.
(Still broad daylight this far north.) Some of our people went into town to
watch it but after such a long day I preferred my bed'
On
Sunday we broke our last camp to prepare for the flight home. We had all enjoyed
ourselves and it was with mixed feelings that we re-packed our bikes into their
transportation boxes.
It
was a wonderful experience. Lots of hard work and aching muscles. Would I do it
again? The answer is YES.
Again, many thanks for your support.
 |
Bob Smith |
 |
