£2 million target

It’s 11.40am, the sun’s shining in John O’Groats – and Andy, Matt, Lara, Jim, Elwyn, Shaun and Lou have completed the Pedal Power challenge.

Colleagues from Asda Elgin were there to welcome the team, having cheered them along the route on the final stretch. Lara’s boyfriend Matt was waiting to give her a big hug – and Jim’s in-laws had travelled up with a “well done” banner made by his kids.

After a few quick photos the team had a chance to reflect on what they’d achieved. In all they’ve cycled 1,112 miles and climbed nearly twice the height of Mount Everest!

But, most importantly, they have raised a fantastic amount of money for Tickled Pink – in excess of £2.2 million.

Here’s their final video post:

Posted by Rob on 05 August 2010, 12:00

The team are up and away on the final 50-mile leg to John O’Groats, and their spirits are high – boosted by a merry band of colleagues from Elgin store who have made the trip north to line the route Tour de France style and cheer them on.

The riders are now pressing on along the clifftops towards their goal, fuelled by the thought of what they have achieved – 1100 miles under their belts and more than £2.2 million raised for Tickled Pink.

Watch the team on their last 50 miles:

Lara headed out slightly ahead of Andy and Matt this morning to get a bit of a headstart on the guys and get the first big hill out of the way. Here’s the moment she set off for John O’Groats:

Posted by Rob on 05 August 2010, 09:23

Andy, Matt, Lara, Shaun and Lou are nearly at the end of journey. With 50 miles left before reaching John O’Groats they’ve taken a few moments in the hotel lounge to capture their thoughts on the journey so far – before they head out for one final time tomorrow morning.

For Jim and Elwyn this journey has been about accumulating the mileage to reach their target of 1,000 miles in 11 days. They’ve ridden their tandem relentlessly each day, clocking up mile after mile. For both of the guys the journey has been uniquely challenging but very rewarding. See what the guys think about the journey they’ve been on as they prepare for the final day:

Posted by TC on 04 August 2010, 22:20

So it’s the end of Day 10 and there is now only half a day of Pedal Power 2010 to go. The team broke through the 1,000 mile barrier and now have just 50 miles left before they reach John O’Groats. The riders were treated to beautiful scenery and stunning coastline as the route weaved up around Inverness and up towards Helmsdale. But here’s the frightening stat: They’ve climbed 52,733 ft so far!

It’s been another long distance ride today, racking up another 123 miles. Matt and Andy sped away with Shaun and Lou from SIS and cycled most of the day in the lead pack. Lara was joined by two guest riders, Mark and Marc, from Unilever and Jim and Elwyn had their normal early start to clock up the mileage on the tandem. Jim and Elwyn even managed to push on past the hotel this evening to crack a ‘killer climb’ just north of Helmsdale. “That one’s in the bank for the morning and means we can relax a little tonight before our final few miles to John O’Groats”. The climb in question rises sharply from sea level to just over 1,000 feet in a couple of miles and is a real energy sapper. The duo completed 145 miles in total today, which is a personal best for both of them. Check out their big climb video below

There are a few more tired limbs in the hotel this evening, but spirits are high as the team are really close to achieving their goal now.

Posted by TC on 04 August 2010, 16:46

A quick lunchtime update from Andy as the wind pushes the team forward towards the final goal. It’s almost easy!

Posted by TC on 04 August 2010, 13:23

The riders are looking forward to the penultimate day of the challenge, partly because they’re nearly at the end, and partly because today takes in the most beautiful scenery so far as we travel into the Highlands and round the Moray Firth.

It’s been a cold start to the day with the riders having to put on extra layers, and the conditions are due to deteriorate this afternoon. So the team are hoping to get as many of the 123 miles under their belt this morning.

If the weather does hold off, the riders will do an extra 15 miles to put them in better shape for the final day tomorrow.

We have two new faces riding with us today – Mark and Marc from Unilever – so a big hello to them.

Follow today’s ride on our interactive Google Map and cheer them on by leaving a message of support.

Posted by Rob on 04 August 2010, 08:50

It’s getting faster and faster and faster. The team from SIS have been pushing the pace today. An average speed of 20mph with a terrifying 40mph decent into Aberdeen late morning.

Lara said it was the fastest she’d ever cycled in her whole life – “I wanted to be sick with the speed we were going this morning. My bike GPS says I’ve used 7,200 calories today”. Compare that with running on a treadmill in the gym – you can run for 20 minutes on a machine and probably only burn 300 calories.

And given the extra speed and running ahead of schedule the team added an additional 15 miles to the end of their route, finishing in Keith instead of Huntly – partly because the weather forecast for tomorrow isn’t great so the extra miles today will help.

And how do you end a day of 123 miles, 7,200 calories and 40mph decents. Watch the video to find out.

You can see more pics and videos from today’s ride on our interactive map. Use the controls to zoom in on an area, and click on a cyclist icon to view pics or video:

more Posted by TC on 03 August 2010, 16:30