The Arrival Party!

At Father's Office, I was met with the delightful surprise of Jake Scott being there, European Firefly friend and legend. And then two other bits of amazing news - 1) Adrian Moat, my reason for ever becoming a Firefly in the first place was going to be at the arrival party, and 2) I was to lead the peloton in with Tara, each of us carrying the flags of our respective motherlands - Team GB and Team USA!

We rolled into The Mill, a couple of blocks away, to a swarm of family, friends and guests, who had come to toast our 550 mile trip. Lots of hugs, booze, a sandwich and some flashing cotton candy and bike packing later, I was ready to collapse into bed. 

It was a fantastic ride, I loved every minute of my return from cycling retirement, and am incredibly proud of the help and hope that it will give: truly, for those who suffer, we rode!

We've raised loads of money, but we are setting our bar ever high and we all really want to smash the target. So click here to keep on giving please if you haven't already!

Day 6 - a big hill to the finish

After the emotions of the night before, and Chris Soos's wine bar...we rolled out of Ventura late, at 10am, our numbers swelled by a clutch of guest riders for the final day. We took in the last stretch of strawberry fields, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli...


Which meant we turned off PCH to climb the 8 mile Mulholland Highway like complete mad dogs and Englishmen - out in the midday sun and 105F degree heat! (to us English peeps that's 40C) We sweated and toiled our way up the amazing climb, which has no victorious top - it just keeps kicking up, even when you think it's done with you... But Chris Soos' socks keep you going. As do the yellow, red, left, right rhythm of mine apparently, according to Tara!

And then downhill, a crazy downhill at speed, with the approaching LA traffic on Kanan Dume Road. But the reward at the end of that - Paradise Cove and lunch. Mary, Tara and I had never been so happy to see a pina colada and a huge meal!

Then we tackled PCH's final rollers, before being spat out onto the Santa Monica Beach path, to wiggle our bicycling way through LA to the finish - it was another 30 miles that afternoon, taking us to 80 on our final day by the time we hit Father's Office in Culver City for a well deserved pint or two!

Ventura to LA

So the final day hits. The last stretch of beautiful Pacific Coast Highway. Not without a big 'ol Santa Monica Mountain thrown in though for good measure - climbing the 8mile long Mulholland Highway and descending down just as long into Paradise Cove...

Check my GPS data from the whole ride travelling down the coast - thanks Nike+ SportWatch. Although some thought I was running. Now THAT would be impressive!

Day 5 - from wineries to the beach

After the previous night's Hitching Post steak, and a mud pie for dessert (man I love being a pig on a bike...), I wasn't sure I could muster much strength for this stage... But luckily it seemed to give me energy, and a slightly shorter day's work was our reward! It was twisty and turny though...

We rolled out past the lovely Lake Cachuma, and climbed a very Alp-like little stretch called the Stagecoach Road - up a canyon to past the Cold Springs Tavern, and pair of honeymooners trying to negotiate the tight bends and hairpins in a white stretch limo. I climbed up with the legendary Rose, aged 65 (look at her go!), and then we came up to the top of the ridge, and descended the gorgeous San Marcos Road with lots of steep, fun hairpins (and photo opportunities), down towards Goleta.

But we didn't quite come out of the hills at that point - we took the Foothills Road and Mountain Drive along the back ridge of Santa Barbara, one awesome view and fun little portion of the ride, nipping around endless wiggles and turns, before zooming down into Montecito for lunch.

Then we were back on the coast - but it involved a particularly hairy section of freeway riding with tons of speeding traffic - pretty awful, despite being right by the sea and breaking waves! I gritted my teeth, followed Mary's wheel and we made it unscathed to the safety of a cushy beach bike path into Ventura, where we pulled up right to the Inn on the Beach there for the night.

Then it was time for dinner - it's a Firefly tradition, both European and also American, that we speak of why we do this ride. And so I stood on a chair, talked about my brother in law Georg and his battle through inoperable lymphoma to stem cell therapy, my cousin Phil and his same lymphoma fight with chemo, with stem cell to follow, and BBH New Yorker Griffin with his taking on cancer surgery and chemo at a young age too. Tears flowed quickly of course. And everyone else's reasons and eloquence brought more pin pricks to the eyes. It's been emotional. Hard to believe it's almost over...

Solvang to Ventura

Out of Solvang, and climbing over the winery ridges and along the back of Santa Barbara and then down into Montecito, to get back to the coast road and along PCH into Ventura Beach. Our first gift of a less lengthy day, at 69 miles!

Day 4 - rolling and drinking

I just can't keep my eyes open, as it was such a killer of a day miles-wise, but I will post in the morning. Suffice to say it was brilliant, and involved wine tasting!

Here's the rub:
98 miles in the bag! What a day. It started shitty, I felt tired and miserable for most of the 55 miles to lunch. My knee started to twinge...I thought 'uh oh', this dream ride is too good to be true after all...

A burrito for lunch didn't help, tasty carnitas though it was, it was like a brick iny stomach. But I decided to take the afternoon slow and steady, and the sun had come out.

And then Mary, Ed, Jeff and I rounded a corner to be met by the Riverbench Winery! We decided to call in for a tasting, an seven wines in, we were happy as larry again. We'd even bought some wine and convinced a passing tourist couple to ship it to Solvang for us, as they were staying across the street!

The ride from the winery was just mind blowing. Such amazing, fleshy hills, and we climbed a couple to the most spectacular views. And even a punnet of strawberries left at the top of one for us with a Fireflies card in, left by Bryan as we were the back of the pack thanks to our little booze jaunt!

Then into Solvang to a hot shower and a champions dinner of steak and Pinot noir at the Hitching Post. A very 'Sideways' day...fantastic.

Blog jam...

I haven't fallen off a cliff, just been out of Internet action since day 5! Got so much to say and post, it'll have to wait until an LAX airport lounge later tonight, or home though. But here's a little taster of Joshua Tree, my post ride R&R. We will back track in time after...

Cayucos to Solvang

Just shy of a Century for us for today's challenge, veering in from the coast and across the ridge to the valley and Solvang. Little Scandinavia in the wine country area...

Day 3 - halfway already!

Well, just shy - 90+90+85=265 of our 550 mile trip...
So we rolled out of Big Sur slightly early, en Lady fly masse. I don't think I posted the gifts I brought the 8 girls who are riding - Tara, Mary, Anna, Kira, Tracey, mother and daughter duo Rose and Britta... I got them these temporary bike love tattoos, and also a lip print scarf each.

The climb out of Big Sur was instant - up past the Post Ranch Inn and Ventana, super posh places to stay...and right up above the clouds! As we crested the first climb, we were looking down onto the deep coastal fog that had greeted us in the morning from our cabins. And it stuck with us (and to the hills) almost until we reached lunch, 60 miles later!!!

But the fog helped the climbing from being too brain painful - you can psych yourself out of a climb sometimes when you're seeing it rear up in front of you. Instead, we just had to take the road as it came, whether up, down, round corners...quite exciting. Just a shame we couldn't see wondrous views of the sea...

Although later on, we truly did. The PCH flattens out for San Simeon, and we rolled across swathes of cattle grazing land beneath the foothills of the desert range - and into San Simeon for a massive lunch - which I shared with Ed.

The good thing about this trip is that although the mileage is punishing, we break the back of the day's work before succumbing to lunch. After we had hoovered the food, we got back on the road, and Tara and I managed to do some serious bombing towards the finish, clocking up 33mph on the flat at one point, with Ed and Jeff having to work very hard for a few miles to catch us :)

We had a foam roller party to ease our aches and pains, a couple of bevies, and then searched out a stack of food for dinner.

Ready to do it all again tomorrow...

Big Sur to Cayucos

Big climbs coming today. Lots of up and down, hence less complicated map! :)

Day 2 done and dusted

It was a long old trek! Another 90 miles and I got my FIRST EVER firefly puncture. Hopefully thats it, no more...

We rolled through artichoke fields today, climbed over the bluffs and up and down the dune side/railroad hugging bike trail through Monterey. We avoided adding extra mileage with a jaunt round 17 mile Drive/Pebble Beach, lovely as I know it is...

Then out on to Carmel, for lunch at 60 odd miles. Rich grannies, Saturday busy, but great all the same. Followed by the most beautiful stretch of 26 mile coastline through into Big Sur.

Having driven it before, I stopped at almost every bend with my ride buddies Jeff and Ed, for tons of photos, which will follow! An amazing ride, which we capped off a couple of miles early with a well earned pint at the Big Sur River Inn. Everyone thought we were last in when we rolled up to the Big Sur Lodge... :)

Cabins awaited and we dressed for a big group dinner, no ladies in scrubby leisurewear for us!

Santa Cruz to Big Sur

Day 2 of 90 miles again, through the finest coastals that money can buy - and Big Sur is one of the most expensive property tracts there is!

Day 1 in the bag

So, 90 miles done, seemingly in a blink of an eye...it's so beautiful on the Pacific Coast Highway you don't notice the time ticking by or the miles racking up. But this morning we set off from Goodby, Silverstein and Partners - check out the SF hill it sits on...

- and headed out through Chinatown, under the Golden Gate, and around the Bay headlands until Highway 1 opened out to greet us. Then we rolled 55 miles to our lunch stop at Pescadero, where the country store sold wood fired pizzas cooked to order, and then it was onwards, past eucalyptus and pine, strawberry and artichoke field, until we cruised into Santa Cruz at about 6pm, to a beer from the back of our truck. Tomorrow we are off through Carmel and Monterey to Big Sur. Cannot wait.

SF to Santa Cruz - here we go!

Breakfast send off at Goodby and then we are on the road. Yay!

The night before...

One more sleep and we're off. A meeting of fellow 'Flies today to sign away our lives and receive our shirts etc. - the names of those who we are riding for hidden in the back pockets of the jersey - And then a hearty, SF, gourmet dinner. So now I am ready to undertake some sleep, and then the challenge begins!