Katie MacDonald - Bike the US for MS
Day 12 - Aug. 10 - Bath - Rest Day
First and only rest day of the trip! Bath is kind of the unofficial headquarters of Bike the UK, as James W went to the University of Bath, and therefore recruits a lot of cyclists from the cycling team to join JOGLE and LEJOG. At least four of my teammates are current or former students of the university, which meant we had plenty of recommendations for places to go as well as designated tour guides to show us around!
The day started off with a quick bus ride to the downtown area, down the gigantic hill that we were cursing our way up yesterday. We then walked as a group (Sarah, Laura, Issy, David, Tim, Becky, and Naomi) to a restaurant called Boston Tea Party where I got an egg, bacon, and avocado sandwich along with a chocolate croissant. It started raining while we were eating, so getting back to the bus stop after breakfast meant running from shelter to shelter to avoid getting absolutely drenched. When we eventually got to the bus stop, we took the bus all the way back up the hill to Odds Down for our afternoon with the MS Society. There was a lovely selection of food out, and a great group of people that joined us. I ended up spending most of the meal chatting with David, who has lost his vision and his mobility to MS. After lunch the rain started to clear, which meant we could go out to the track. I was initially worried that we wouldn't get the opportunity to go outside due to the rain, because I had been looking forward to this afternoon since last year, when I saw video of the 2017 team riding a whole assortment of crazy looking bikes. Odd's Down circuit has a whole bunch of adaptable bikes, ranging from hand-cycles and recumbents to bikes that allow for a wheelchair to be loaded in the front. They even had two ridiculously tiny bikes which were the star of the show. We all had a blast doing loops of the track on all of the different bikes, and it was lovely to be able to share the activity with the MS Society. After all the fun at Odd's Down was over, Sarah, Issy, Naomi, Laura, and I went back to town, and they gave us a quick tour of the city. We saw Pulteney Bridge, the Abbey, got ice cream, and then hung out at the park across from Royal Crescent for an hour or two, eventually being joined by Becky, Jo, and Tim. Later we decided to grab Thai food for dinner, and met up with David. After dinner, we got some groceries, headed back up to the church, and commenced the regular rest day activity of doing laundry. Tim work on his bike for a while, to make sure it was ridable for the remaining three days of the trip. The evening was a sad occasion, as we said goodbye to Jo, who will be missing the last few days to stay in Bath. James W gave a little speech, and presented her with a goodbye gift. Jo has been such a wonderful route leader, it'll suck not having her around for the remainder of the trip! Day 13 - Aug. 11 - Bath to Honiton - 87.9mi
We said our final goodbye to Jo this morning as we headed out for the day. Sarah, Naomi, Becky and I rode together for the first stretch, heading towards Cheddar Gorge. I'd been told by all of the Bath Uni teammates that this was a definite highlight scenery wise. Eventually I told the group to go ahead without me, as I wanted to stop and take some pictures. I climbed a bit up the side of the gorge to get some photos, and then got the drone out for some video footage. It a beautiful area! The descent was pretty great as well. When I got to the rest stop, I was told that the group had gone for breakfast nearby, so I went and joined them for a breakfast sandwich. Unfortunately at this point it started to rain so we got all bundled up in our rain gear and headed out again, leaving Becky behind as she wasn't feeling well and decided to ride in the van.
Rest stop two was on the side of the road in a cute, picturesque little town. There must have been a wedding going on nearby because as we rode into town we could hear church bells going off. It added to the charm at first, but eventually got a little annoying. During the stop, Issy called "draw" which is a game the guys play where they have to pull a banana out of their back pocket and eat it as fast as possible. This is the first time I had seen the game in action, and was impressed by how quickly David demolished the banana. The ride into rest stop three was still pretty rainy, so it was nice to warm up inside an alumni couple's house for a little bit. They had a whole bunch of food out for lunch, so I stuffed myself with pizza, mini donuts, and shortbread bites. Unfortunately right after leaving their house my bike computer died. The last hill of the day also felt like it went on forever, so we got into camp pretty tired. We're sleeping at a rugby club tonight, and there isn't a whole lot of space. There is however a very nice kitchen, so after showers Sarah and I went to the grocery store to grab some food to cook. This took way longer than it should have, as we got pretty lost on the way to the store. Once we got there, we grabbed some tortellini and bacon for dinner. I didn't particularly like the stove, as it was an old fashioned one where you have to turn on the gas and then light it with a match. It took me about three tries because I was so afraid of burning myself. While we ate our delicious tortellini, we had a team meeting, during which James gave us the lowdown for tomorrow. It's not sounding like tomorrow is going to be particularly fun, as it is going to be crazy hilly and the forecast is calling for rain. Not good. Day 14 - Aug. 12 - Honiton to Lostwithiel - 81.5mi
Woke up this morning to various alarm clocks, and the sound of Steve letting the air out of his mattress. Reluctantly got out of my sleeping bag, and headed to the kitchen to make my standard oatmeal and banana breakfast. Once everyone was up James W put on some music, purposefully choosing the ironic "Here Comes the Sun". It was already raining when we woke up, and Laura helped Tim and David fashion some rain coats out of trash bags (called "bin bags" here). As per usual, we left camp as a team but quickly got spread out.
Rest stop one was a quick stop on the side of the road, and by this point we were already soaking wet. This first stretch was pretty hilly, but according to our elevation profiles and the route leaders, this was the "flat" section of the day. The next stretch brought us up to the top of Dartmoor National Park. James W caught up with us on the climb, and we all stopped part of the way up to see some miniature ponies at a farm just off the road. The climb was scenic but tough, and I stopped frequently to take photos and rest. Naomi, Sarah, and I had spread out at this point with Naomi taking the lead, and Sarah just a little bit behind me. There were lots of sheep on the road as well. The worst part though was that there were two or three false summits, which really mess with your head. When you're climbing you keep your focus fixed on the crest of the hill, telling yourself you only need to make it that far. When you get to the crest and realize that you're not actually at the top yet, it's pretty devastating. Eventually though, as always, we made it to the top. It seems to be a thing in England to have a pub at the top of every hill, which I really love. I went inside to find the whole team eating at a big table in the back. I ordered some chips (french fries) and tried to dry my clothes a bit. On our way out of the pub I asked Becky if she could take a look at the back of my knee. The cut I had got in Glasgow kept opening up, and today with all the rain I was worried that there might be some debris and dirt getting into the wound. Becky rinsed it out with some water, and said she might need some tweezers to get a big chunk of dirt out, at which I slightly panicked seeing as she has no medical training that I am aware of. Fortunately it didn't come to that, and Dr. Becky helped me cover it up with some bandages to prevent and more dirt from getting in. We assumed that the next stretch would be downhill as we just finished such a big climb. This was not the case. There was a little downhill, then more climbing. It was also a really frustrating stretch weather wise, as it would be so nice and sunny and hot for a few minutes that we'd have to pull over to take off our jackets because we were boiling. Literally five minutes later it would be pouring and we'd have to pull over yet again to put back on the jackets that we just took off. We got to the town of Tavistock about two hours after leaving the pub at the top of Dartmoor, and met up with another MS Society. They brought some Cornish pasties for us - a local delicacy - as well as some cake! We chatted for a bit, and relished in the fact that the sun was out and it was warm again. The warmth stuck around for a little while after leaving Tavistock, but eventually it returned to cold and rainy. James had jokingly warned us about how hilly Cornwall is, and how the road basically turns into a wall as soon as you see the "Welcome to Cornwall" sign. Unfortunately for us, he wasn't exaggerating. The climbs were so tough and steep, and the downhills weren't even enjoyable because it was so wet and dark. I don't think I've ever been more thankful to see camp than I was today. It took just over 12 hours to get from camp to camp, and I was exhausted, soaked, and cold. The showers weren't working at camp either, so everyone had to take a bucket of hot water from the kitchen sink and pour it over themselves while standing in the shower. The night ended with microwave Indian food for dinner, and a team meeting about the final day tomorrow. Can't believe we're almost at the end! Day 15 - Aug. 13 - LOSTWITHIEL to Land's End - 64.6mi
The final day! Can't believe it!
The day stared off with a laugh. Someone was playing music while we got ready, and Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" came on. The first line of the song "when your legs don't work like they used to before" had everyone busting. I had some leftover chocolate pastry from the MS society yesterday for breakfast, along with my usual banana and oatmeal. My shoes were still soaking wet from yesterday, which wasn't a very pleasant feeling. We all left camp together for the last time as a team this morning, and were immediately met by a giant hill. I think I would have had a breakdown if we'd had to climb this hill yesterday, which James W informed us they've had to do in previous years. However today I was in a much better mood than yesterday, so the hills didn't seem too horrible. Rest stop one was at a bike cafe about 28 miles in, where I got my last breakfast sandwich of the trip and hung out with the team for almost two hours. Naomi even managed to fit in a nap. Leaving the rest stop looked like a big climb on the elevation profile, but actually turned out to be a pretty manageable, steady climb. About two hours later, we reached rest stop two in Marazion. As soon as we got to the car, James K pointed to an alley way and said we had to go check out the view. We followed his advice, and soon had a wonderful view of Mount Michael, which is a castle out on the water. After taking in the view we wandered through some of the souvenir shops, and got clotted cream ice cream (another local delicacy) at James K's suggestion. When we walked into the shop the lady saw our jersey's and said "oh, more of you guys!". The ice cream was amazing, and we walked over to the view of Mount Michael to eat it. After finishing our ice cream, we head out for the final stretch of our journey. We biked along the coast, through Penzance, and up and over even more hills. The UK will just not let up on us! Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" came up on shuffle on my phone at about the 996 mile mark, which I thought was pretty coincidental. We got to camp a bit before 6pm, and waited at the campsite for Tamla, who unfortunately got lost in Penzance. It is tradition to regroup and do the final stretch as a team, so we were more than happy to wait until the entire team was together. When she arrived, we all left together for the final couple miles. As we pulled in to Land's End there was a big group of family and friends waiting for us, all cheering. We rode around to the sign post and posed for a team picture - during which Becky and James K popped champagne and poured it over all of us! James K also handed out some medals that he had had made for us, which was so sweet. Unfortunately we had to rush a little bit, as our dinner reservations were at 7pm. We all biked back up to camp, ditched our bikes, and headed over to the restaurant still in our cycling kit. It was a really wonderful dinner. Sarah and I split two burgers that we both couldn't decide between which was a good call as they were both delicious. James K and James W also gave some speeches, and gave everyone on the team a notebook that was inscribed with their new nickname/award. Naomi's was "Elastagirl", Steve and Sara got "First past the post" and "second past the post" respectively, as they were always first and second into camp at the end of the day. Mine was "fountain of touring knowledge", and James K gave a really lovely speech about how I would always chip in with touring advice, and seeming to be able to pull anything out of the trunk bag I carried with me on the back of my bike. Back at camp we were finally able to shower. I mentioned in the washroom that these were probably the second nicest showers of the whole trip, to which another camper said "you must have had some pretty awful showers then!" After showers we started to say our goodbyes, as Laura and Tamla were not spending the night at camp. Laura's mom even brought more flapjacks for the team! We spent the rest of the night sitting around outside, bundled up in the warmest clothes I had and my sleeping bag because it was freezing. We chatted, snacked, admired the spectacular view of the Milky Way, and watched dozens of shooting stars passing by overhead. James W joked that he had arranged for that to happen. When it was time for bed, we all said goodbye to Issy as she was leaving at 3am. This has been such an incredible trip, and I am pretty sad that it's over. I am so fortunate that I got to spend the past two weeks with such and incredible group of people, and I am really going to miss everyone!
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katie macdonald
Summer 2016, I biked 4,295 miles, coast to coast across the USA to raise money and awareness for MS. March 2017, I biked self-contained from San Francisco to San Diego with my friend Carissa. August 2017 I connected the dots and biked from Seattle to San Francisco. Summer 2018 I am heading to the UK! Follow my journey here! Miles biked for MS:
6,800.13
Updated August 27, 2018 Archives
January 2019
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