2 new cyclists joined us today, BioRegional's Hayley and Kingfisher's Net Positive Director Nick Folland. Nick took on the job of getting us out of central London - with a little sight seeing on the way. Hyde Park, the Mall - and we took a moment for photos outside Buckingham Palace. Past Parliament & along the Embankment to Tower Bridge which we crossed.
Then it all got a bit complicated trying to get onto the Old Kent Road - including getting a bit confused in Deptford. Bexleyheath was a bit of a shock - hills! Shooters Hill was a killer - and at least a couple of us took a walking break there. Somehow, we got split up into about 4 groups. Matt & George managed to find a very pleasant sounding cycle route - and got to B&Q Gillingham with comparative ease. Hayley & I lost the others, only to find them recovering form a couple of sense-of-humour-failures on discovering that there are few bike friendly ways to cross the Medway. Getting lost is not good - getting lost & doing unnecessary hills is just unfair. We all found the store eventually, climbing up Chatham Hill, but much later than we expected to.
Another wonderful reception from Pudsey & the B&Q store team - thanks so much B&Q Gillingham.
We made a couple of decisions over our lunch. The speediest cyclists, including B&Q Dover's Shaun, would set off separately, aiming to get to B&Q Dover so that the store could welcome them at a sensible time. Shaun would lead so that they could avoid the A2 when it is at its dual carriageway worst after Canterbury and see some of Kent's countryside. The rest of us would see how we split based on speed. Despite some amazing speeds of 40mph, the speediest cyclists were actually beaten to the store by George's group who opted to face the A2. The support team got a bit panicky as Ben vanished for a while - but he found George's group OK.
B&Q Dover welcomed the 2 lead groups and Nick headed off home after chatting to the store's team about Kingfisher's Net Positive programme - a great way to highlight the sustainable transport aspects of our challenge.
At the back, we knew we wouldn't get to the store in time, so headed straight for the hotel in Dover. We tried a bit of the nasty A2, but got a sense that we may end up joining the vast quantities of roadkill we were passing (how many rats have died there?). We headed for the hills instead, and felt instantly happier and safer. Mike's chain broke & he opted to wait for the support van to pick him up, kept company by a couple of kids & their dogs. The light was fading as we cut back onto the A2 for a less than pleasant push onto Dover, with David doing an amazing job, keeping us together and navigating all at once. Vicky kept Rick going with some really impressive coaching.
Tracey worked hard all evening with a queue of cyclists benefiting from her sports massage skills. She didn't get to finish until gone 11 - definitely dedicated.
88 miles for me & Hayley - but everyone ended up with very different distances due to the navigational challenges!
We made a couple of decisions over our lunch. The speediest cyclists, including B&Q Dover's Shaun, would set off separately, aiming to get to B&Q Dover so that the store could welcome them at a sensible time. Shaun would lead so that they could avoid the A2 when it is at its dual carriageway worst after Canterbury and see some of Kent's countryside. The rest of us would see how we split based on speed. Despite some amazing speeds of 40mph, the speediest cyclists were actually beaten to the store by George's group who opted to face the A2. The support team got a bit panicky as Ben vanished for a while - but he found George's group OK.
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