Julia Hodkinson rides a long way!
Club Chairperson, and all round cycling and multisport fiend, Julia Hodkinson (centre of picture) recently completed her latest adventure, The Deloitte Ride Across Britain. The 1020-mile bike ride from John O’Groats-to-Land’s End takes in, allegedly, 73,000 feet of climbing, and took place from June 12th and involved some 550 riders travelling the length of the country for 9 days. Read her story below
"In August 2009, a long ride in June 2010 isn’t too scary at all. It’s a long way off, there’s nothing much to plan, the training programme doesn’t need to start till the New Year and it all sounds like a bit of a holiday. It’s amazing how quickly 10 months can pass, and before you know it you’re on a plane to Aberdeen and then a coach to John O’Groats. The other amazing thing is how different the weather can be between Berkshire and Caithness. On June 11th I left Heathrow in the warm summer sun and arrived 10 hours later at a wet, windy and cold Scottish campsite.
One of the attractions of the Ride Across Britain (RAB) was that I could turn up alone and know that I’d be meeting lots of other riders, making new friends and sharing the highs and lows. Each night the campsite was set up when we arrived, with our tents pitched alongside bike racks, a huge dining tent, a massage tent, portable showers and toilets, lorries containing all our baggage and even a “social tent” with comfy chairs, newspapers, a makeshift bar and even TV screens to show the England World Cup matches!
Unfortunately Halford’s pop-up tents are not designed to withstand the driving rain and gales of John O’Groats and we spent our first night in soaking wet sleeping bags as the wind bent the flexible tent poles and the canvas collapsed down on our heads. Not the perfect start to a thousand miles of riding but hilariously funny at the time (pic below)
I’d decided that a challenge like this did deserve some sponsorship for a good cause and the obvious choice was The Kipungani Schools Trust, a charity which rebuilds primary schools in Kenya and provides bursaries for secondary education for Kenyan children. It was amazing friends, colleagues and training partners rallied round and supported me, not only with sponsorship but with real encouragement too. By the time I set off I knew that I’d be raising £2.50 for every mile I cycled – certainly an incentive to finish.
The route, not the most direct by any means, nor the flattest, avoided main roads and climbed lots of hills to take in some of the most amazing scenery in Britain. Admittedly, the first two days (John O’Groats to the Kyle of Sutherland and then on towards Loch Linnhe) we didn’t see much through the mist and rain, but by Day 3 we woke up to blue skies and found ourselves looking up to the summit of Ben Nevis.
That day we cycled, via Fort William, through Glen Coe, along the shores of Loch Lomond, and over the Erskine Bridge to our campsite west of Glasgow. It was then that news started to circulate about a surprising number of people falling sick; first put down to exhaustion and/or dehydration it soon became apparent that it was something contagious which was sweeping through the camp. Doing our best to keep good hygiene while living in a field we kept going with fingers crossed, as the support buses filled up with the sick.
On Day 4 we crossed into England on a spectacular ride through the borders and into the Lake District where we camped near the end of Ulswater, ready to attack the Kirkstone Pass first thing next morning. After two 130-mile days, Day 5, at only 116 miles and less than 7OOO feet climbing was sounding like a recovery ride. However, it proved to be one of the fastest days of riding as my friend Kate and I managed to tuck in with some of the “big boys” through the rolling hills of Lancashire, arriving at our Altringham camp site before 90% of the other riders.
Then, just as we were feeling all confident about our cycling prowess, Kate, who also happened to be my tent-mate came down with the dreaded bug. Day 6 was a long, slow day as she was sick at the pit stops, managed a couple of power-naps at the drink stations and dragged herself up the hills but with steely determination got from Manchester to Ludlow via some of the most iconic cyclists’ climbs in the country, including the famous “Long Mynd” – a 25% gradient and a complete beast!
Day 7 took us from our campsite on Ludlow Racecourse through the Forest of Dean and Wye valley to Chepstow, over the Severn Bridge, around Bristol across the Cheddar Gorge and up to a camp on the top of the Mendips. That’s where I got sick – all night long – and being so high up we were rather exposed to the elements. The combination of vomiting, rain, heavy wind and a dodgy tent made for an interesting night! . I also found that with a dicky tummy the most comfortable position to be in is bent over – ie sitting on my bike. So undaunted (and un-fed) I set off next morning for a 118-mile saunter down the Launceston.
So, that was Day 8; only one more day to go and nothing was going to stop me getting to Land’s End. Not even those tricky little Cornish hills! In fact Day 9 was one of my favourite days of riding: over Bodmin Moor, down to the north coast at Redruth, up and across to Hayle and eventually over to Penzance. While it felt like we should be almost there, we took the winding back roads for another 12 miles to the finish at Land's End. Crossing the line I'd expected to be tearful but in the all the excitement of medals, kisses, photos and ice cream, I didn't really have time. There was so much to do before we could relax ... bike to pack and get on the lorry, transport to the camp site, then the usual finding bags, tents, showers and, eventually a cup of tea. And then, at last, time to sit back, contemplate the journey, and think about what the next adventure will be!
berkshire tri squad
