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The Treaders On Tour
After 10 months of gruelling training, with man and machine honed to perfection. The logistical nightmare is resolved with every last detail set in stone, the Treaders venture into the unknown in a serpentine convoy of lycra clad Adonis' . . . . no really . . . . now stop laughing . . . .
Seriously though the work involved in planning for a tour is astonishing, firstly there is the route to plan, then there is a support vehicle & driver to think of, travel arrangements, accommodation, spare parts communications, insurances, breakdown cover, etc . etc. . . and all this for ten people.
Its not all hard work though, once we get underway its just seven or eight hours of gruelling cycling before we can have a nice hot shower and waddle off to towards the nearest eating establishment for a nice healthy salad and a small glass of mineral water . . . . |
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Pennine Way 2006
Our second tour, the tough route from Berwick upon Tweed following the spine of the Pennines. We must have been under the influence when this one was dreamt up, the toughest route we could find in the North of England, with as many hills as imaginable and made extra hard by the unseasonally strong winds blowing from the south.
Day 1 was a long day from Berwick to Haltwhistle on Hadrian’s Wall, with the last 10 miles into a head wind on ‘roller coaster style hills’.
Day 2 Haltwhistle to Kendal, nothing but hills all day, most riders started on bikes but found running up some of the hills pushing the bikes was quicker.
Day 3 Kendal to Holmfirth, everyone starts questioning their own sanity when faced with the sight of trees been blown at right angles to the ground and raining horizontally, can it get much tougher than this. The hills get worse, taking in Pendle Hill after lunch, the hill where the National Hill Climb championship is held. We finally arrived in Holmfirth soaked to the skin, freezing cold and very hungry but the food at The Old Bridge Inn was legendary in its proportions, with half a cow being classed as a rack of ribs, enough to keep any weary team going.
Day 4 Holmfirth to Scunthorpe, a high spirited day, the homeward journey. A back wind all the way and a fair day, we raced through Barnsley and onto flatter terrain as we came through Doncaster. On arriving back in Scunthorpe, Ferry Road Hill was a mere speed bump compared to some of the hills we had been up.
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Somme Valley 2007
Back to the continent for our third tour, where we followed the coast for the first 2 days then headed inland to the Somme Valley itself, we all like being in France as cyclists are given priority at most junctions and the children cheer ‘ Alez, Alez, Alez’ as you pass.
Day 1 We set off down the coast from Calais following the coast into the 20 mile per hour head wind, somebody in this team should think about prevailing winds we suffer while riding but once the route is set we have to do it!
Day 2 A second day of heading into the wind, it does get tedious at times but we keep going in true Brit Style, single file and determination will get us there, we left several way mark points on round abouts along the way, just to show we had visited.
Day 3 The day began and continued in usual day 3 style, heavy rain all day! We were getting used to this; you have to keep moving to keep warm so inevitably one of our fastest rides. A few navigational issues towards the end of the day, we could have jumped in the bus and driven to Amiens but the thought of soaking the bus spurred us on to complete the final 9 miles!
Day 4 The ride from Amiens to Arras took in all of the Cemeteries along the Somme Valley. A very sobering day, every cemetery had a gardner/groundsman attending to keep a pristine respect for those who fought for us. With this in mind no matter what pain we suffered on the bikes was insignificant by comparison to what the soldiers did for us all. With these memories we persevere to the final destination Arras. |
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Five Countries 2008
On the continent again, this time Belgium had the pleasure of our company, the little village of Houfalize, the Mountain bike capital of Europe, so we turned up on road bikes! This year we did things different, basing ourselves in one place and having rides out and back every day, we visited France, Germany, Holland and Luxemburg but back in good time every day for tea as the whole place shut at 10pm.
Day 1 The ride to France took us due south from the base camp, though Bastogne and down to the French border where we literally dipped a toe into France at a place called Willier, thoughtfully someone had put a nice café their so we pilled on mass into the place and had lunch, not the best of ideas as it was a 5 mile hill to get out of the place and back up into Belgium still very hilly in the whole region and about 100 mile round trip.
Day 2 Today took us from base camp through an edge of Luxembourg and into Germany, a little place called Dasburg, a dangerous decent into the village nearly lost two riders as it was a 3 mile decent down switchbacks. Again someone had thoughtfully put a biker’s café on the border for us to have lunch but all the other bikers had engines which we didn’t see as very fair. After lunch the 3 mile accent of the switchback hills took place, a steady ride back to base camp where we descended at speed into the village to be met head on by a carnival, being pelted with boiled sweets, confetti and flour, not what we expected!
Day3 The dread of day 3, traditionally the hardest day one way or another, this year wasn’t raining but was the longest day ever. We crossed from the eastern border of Belgium all the way to the western border and into Holland, reaching the half way point at 2pm, a worrying thought, no support vehicle and the return journey to be made. No time for lunch other than huddled outside Aldi trying to cram as many calories in as possible. The return journey took in many hills, the first of which was a 5 mile climb out of Liege. The longest day ever in the saddle, 115 miles and back to Houfalize for 8pm. Where we had to go straight for food with bikes so we didn’t miss the restaurant opening hours.
Day 4 A trek though the heart of Luxembourg, much loved by the team as it has probably the best quality roads in Europe. Some big hills again but not a big mileage. By lunch we had done a good proportion of Luxembourg and headed back into Belgium. Another tour over, ready for home and the 12 hour car journey back.
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