Wick Wheeler makes it end-to-end
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A VULCAN Rolls-Royce apprentice overcame sunburn, a crash, camping troubles, wild weather and aching limbs to complete a recent John O’Groats to Land’s End challenge.
Haster-based Graeme Clyne, a member of the Wick Wheelers cycling group, at just 21 was the youngest taking part in Action Medical Research’s UK End 2 End challenge. He managed to raise over £2100 with his 974-mile cycling effort which will help the charity to care for sick babies and young children.
When he finally reached John O’Groats on May 30 after over a week on the road he could not hold back the emotion after a fantastic, but turbulent time.
“I ended up being one of the first riders in and I couldn’t hold the tears in, telling myself on the downhill ‘don’t cry, don’t cry’ but I couldn’t stop the waterfall at the end,” he told the Caithness Courier.
“The relief was something that most of the riders ended up being unable to control as the sight of the large crowd awaiting our arrival and the handmade signs made it a special moment I will never forget.”
Graeme’s ordeal started nine days earlier when he arrived at Land’s End with his standard road bike to join 140 other cyclists setting off on the challenge, but they soon realised the mobile support village accompanying them was not quite the blessing it appeared to be.
“It immediately dawned on us all that the challenge was not only the 100-plus miles on a bike per day, but the camping was also a challenge since the two-man pop-up tents could barely fit our bags in,” he said.
“I was the last rider to leave Land’s End the following day, which was 125 miles for day one.
“I got sunburnt by 11.30am, not fun when camping, and the hills we faced were ‘monsters’ – we thought Berriedale was bad, it’s tiny to what they have down there.”
As the group got going the weather started to worsen but Graeme and the others struggled on knowing they were raising money for a good cause – but, by day five, exhaustion set in.
“Arriving in Scotland on day five, the lack of sleep really showed as everyone was beginning to struggle, including myself. It all came to a point on day six when I crashed into the back of a fellow rider after he braked just in front of me,” explained Graeme.
“Lying across the middle of the road with a bike on top of me wasn’t what I had in mind the day before the longest day of the whole trip.”
The support mechanics swung into action to replace his ripped tire and handlebars as Graeme was checked over by the support doctor. Luckily, nothing was broken and he was soon back on his bike nursing gravel rash and bruising to his shoulder and hip.
Day seven brought more challenges for the cyclists as the 147-mile trip between Helensburgh and Fort Augustus, going over Glencoe, was swept with hailstones and wild gusts of wind.
“It really was the make or break day as with 48 miles to go a huge group gave in and headed to the pick-up vans. I knew if I got into the van the Wick Wheelers would never let me forget it,” said Graeme.
“So I got a pair of clear plastic sandwich gloves and I shoved them on under my cycling mitts and I did the last 48 miles on my own meeting a few of the hardy souls that were ahead of me.”
The final day saw the group set off from Altnaharra and Graeme even managed to show TV presenter Dermot Murnaghan, who had joined the riders for the challenge, the local area.
The last leg started with 138 cyclists leaving Forse at the same time and it ended up as a rush to finish at John O’Groats but it was all worth it in the end when Graeme saw his club members, friends and family waiting for him.
“Only days after this, I already miss it and the questions are mainly, ‘what are you going to do next?’ To which my answer is still, I don’t know, I’ve hit the mistake of taking out one of the big ones first,” he said.
“All the pain and suffering was well worth it in the end and it was for an amazing charity.”
Graeme said he is grateful to the generosity of the Wick Co-op, Wick Thistle Football Club, the Nethercliffe Hotel, Wick, Vulcan staff, Bremner Fishing Company and all the people who sponsored him.
Donations can still be made ?online at www.action.org.uk
