Best start at the beginning...Stuart's story

Hi Sophie/Dom/Warren, where to start! I arrived home last night, after an epic train ride from Southampton to Loughborough and it is slowly starting to sink in what has happened.

Best start at the beginning...

Training

When I signed up for Bike to Bestival I didn't have a bicycle that was working ( I did have 2 broken ones) and hadn't cycled for a year. But I couldn't resist. Then I saw the people on the facebook group and some of them looked accomplished cyclists, so I decided I had to train for this. I can remember rainy, cold mornings, getting out the door at 6am and cycling a 15 mile loop before work ( http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/morning-ride-via-sileby ) which was tough going. I pushed on and later decided to ride half the way to Leicester and back on Route 6, changed my mind and rode the whole way and made it back. I cycled 25 miles! Before work! I was hooked. I kept going and after a few weeks this was just something I did and enjoyed. The last weekend before leaving I did a run out to Derby, took a cider fuelled detour along this route ( http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Loughborough-Derby-Nottingham-Loughborough-Loop ) up to Beeston and turned back again. I must have covered 80 miles, which is a long way from the 15 miles I struggled to do weeks earlier.

The Ride

I was thinking about asking to lead a group for ages and was put off by the ride through London. I hadn't cycled in London for 5 years and wasn't sure how I would handle it. I spoke to a friend, who said I would be great at it, so I signed up. Then I panicked...I didn't know the route well, or have a GPS or smartphone, what if we got lost! A week before leaving I fell ill with a chest infection, I tried cycling 5 miles and threw up 10 times, clearly, even I had to admit I was ill. 2 days in bed whilst going over the route on Google Street view and I just knew the London part of the route. I didn't look at the directions or map from Lambeth Palace to Walton on Thames and if I close my eyes I can still see it. My team were a very interesting, mixed bunch from "Oscar" a bike courier on a fixie who spent the first part of the ride steering with his knees and listening to music to Amanda who hadn't cycled long distances before but was always smiling.

I absolutely loved the ride through London, especially Richmond Park. There was so much to see on the way...

The afternoon ride was tough for me, I was up at 4.30am to catch an early train to London with my bike and was shattered. I was dehydrating without realising it and the last hour through Alice Holt I dashed into a pub holding my now empty water bottle in front of me. The barman smiled and filled it up, without any words being exchanged and even added ice. We pushed on through this last bit and arrived at the site as one group.

My sister came to meet me at Mellow Farm and the evening around the campfire singing was like a dream, I was so tired but had to stay....

Day 2

The next day we got ready and I decided we should all wear the Cancer Research T-shirts to bond the now larger group ( image attached - this picture is going on my wall). I also announced there was a gold medal up for grabs for the Bestest Cyclist. We set off and Tom, who just joined us, knew the route, as he lived locally. It was good for me to just relax and enjoy the cycling. We stopped for a break before the 10 miles on the A32  and stopped at a pub for a well earned cider ( my bicycle runs on cider and porridge - very low carbon) which Iain kindly bought me. It was fun relaxing in a beer garden, watching the ducks, lying in the sun and not sitting on a saddle ( my bike has earned a new Brookes one :-).

We carried on and finally arrived at Southampton! I had a pint with Iain and soaked up the sun, let the sweat evaporate and felt relief that we were nearly there. The grinding out the miles bit was over and the fun was on the horizon...

On the way from the ferry I snagged my arm on a bramble and really didn't care. I have had a few cycling cuts in my time...

At the Waverley I met lots of Bestifriends from the forum camping last year ( http://forums.sundaybest.net/site/forums/viewforum.php?forumId=8&name=Bestival%20Banter&showthread=12515 ) and felt at home. The singing in the pub was a group of friends having a laugh and the crowd really enjoyed it. I had thought about learning an instrument for the songs but I loved the singing so much.

Day 3

We cycled to the site and I had no idea of how to get there, other than it was uphill. It was tricky getting into the site as there was no bike park and they didn't know who we were but I pushed through with a combination of charm, anger and blagging.

We met at 4pm to open the Festival, did I say we were OPENING BESTIVAL and I got chatting to a lady who about as old as my mum and was interested in what we were doing. We spoke for ages about her cycling ( 20 miles each weekend - more than I could do when I started training ) and she asked if Rob da Bank was coming to watch. I said that maybe he was busy, she told me she was his Mum! I looked down at her pass and recognised the surname Gorman. If you are reading this Rob, you have a very cool mum. Going backstage was amazing and exciting, I was tingling all over, we were opening on the stage that Hot Chip were playing on later that evening :-) We all sang our hearts out and it was awesome. After we all got very drunk and chatted and drank more beer.......

Bestival - hasn't sunk in yet.....

After Bestival finished, I got up early on the Monday and cycled with all my gear, in the rain to the Waverley where I spent the next 5 nights. I cycled all over the North east part of the island and saw Red Squirrels, Donkeys, Pigs, Horses, Castles, Bookshops, Monks, Beaches, Bike Shops, Forests, Portsmouth, Old Rosie Cider, Proper Breakfasts, Energy Bars and had an amazing time but that is another story..........sorry but my allotment is calling me and those Sweetcorn won't pick themselves...