After the ride - Heather Chapple
Heather:
Well - what do I say about a week like that ?? I'd expected to write a little every day but there really wasn't time.
To all those who thought this would be too easy 'cos there's engines on the bikes, I'm going to have to put you straight.....
- Firstly there's lugging all your gear into and out of youth hostels each day - personally I think they're staffed by sadists who put those with the most gear on the top floor.
- then there's the youth hostel bunk beds which are not designed to accommodate hips. This mixed with the various noises from the other inhabitants of the room (we were upto 8 in a room) meant very little sleep.
- so you wake up to an early start after an uncomfortable night, drag your stuff down to the bikes and have to apply a happy grin for the press, who all ask the same questions and take tonnes of photos of you with helmet hair and no makeup.
- you ride till your bum's sore and your bladder's bursting on twisty, turny roads that makes the riding demanding, particularly as you know that one slip is likely to take out a couple of your co-riders as well. Though the scenery is spectacular which is some compensation, and the view of the bikes riding in formation is just awsome.
- and then you turn up at the next town just in time to find dinner, have a few drinkies (I didn't say that) and turn into yet another rock hard bed.
Having said all that - it was GREAT! I saw areas of the UK I've never seen, met some wonderful people and shared some great times - a challange wouldn't be a challenge without some adversity to help you bond now would it??
But the Highlight for me was coming into my home town of Edinburgh. A police escort had been arranged and they brought us in in great style, waving us through red lights, stopping the other traffic, and getting us along Princess Street (an area general traffic can't go) past all the Saturday shoppers with the blues-n-twos going to attract even more attention. We must have been a sight! 17 bikes and one beautifully decorated chase van shouting the messege with great humour (at this point I have to nominate Laney, the four wheeled biker, for star of the week for coming up with great slogans like "I'm sorry, we have mammary loss" and managing to keep up with all of us in a diesel van loaded to the rafters with kit!).
The ride finished on Calton Hill, a spectacular spot, were I saw my husband and son (he's 3) for the first time in 10 days. Loads of friends and family turned out too, for so many of the riders - it was a realy special welcome. That evening we had our last meal together as a group, but there weren't the tears we'd expected - there was belly dancing and much laughter till the cumulative fatigue of the week caught up and we all rolled off home...
I miss these women - but it's not the end - how could it be?
Well - what do I say about a week like that ?? I'd expected to write a little every day but there really wasn't time.
To all those who thought this would be too easy 'cos there's engines on the bikes, I'm going to have to put you straight.....
- Firstly there's lugging all your gear into and out of youth hostels each day - personally I think they're staffed by sadists who put those with the most gear on the top floor.
- then there's the youth hostel bunk beds which are not designed to accommodate hips. This mixed with the various noises from the other inhabitants of the room (we were upto 8 in a room) meant very little sleep.
- so you wake up to an early start after an uncomfortable night, drag your stuff down to the bikes and have to apply a happy grin for the press, who all ask the same questions and take tonnes of photos of you with helmet hair and no makeup.
- you ride till your bum's sore and your bladder's bursting on twisty, turny roads that makes the riding demanding, particularly as you know that one slip is likely to take out a couple of your co-riders as well. Though the scenery is spectacular which is some compensation, and the view of the bikes riding in formation is just awsome.
- and then you turn up at the next town just in time to find dinner, have a few drinkies (I didn't say that) and turn into yet another rock hard bed.
Having said all that - it was GREAT! I saw areas of the UK I've never seen, met some wonderful people and shared some great times - a challange wouldn't be a challenge without some adversity to help you bond now would it??
But the Highlight for me was coming into my home town of Edinburgh. A police escort had been arranged and they brought us in in great style, waving us through red lights, stopping the other traffic, and getting us along Princess Street (an area general traffic can't go) past all the Saturday shoppers with the blues-n-twos going to attract even more attention. We must have been a sight! 17 bikes and one beautifully decorated chase van shouting the messege with great humour (at this point I have to nominate Laney, the four wheeled biker, for star of the week for coming up with great slogans like "I'm sorry, we have mammary loss" and managing to keep up with all of us in a diesel van loaded to the rafters with kit!).
The ride finished on Calton Hill, a spectacular spot, were I saw my husband and son (he's 3) for the first time in 10 days. Loads of friends and family turned out too, for so many of the riders - it was a realy special welcome. That evening we had our last meal together as a group, but there weren't the tears we'd expected - there was belly dancing and much laughter till the cumulative fatigue of the week caught up and we all rolled off home...
I miss these women - but it's not the end - how could it be?
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