OVER AND OUT

Thanks to everyone for their kind support and to The Mill for hosting our arrival party. Copious amounts of beer and cake soon made us forget just how tired, wet and dirty we were. It's not too late to donate so get clicking! Fireflies West OUT!

DAY 6 - HOMECOMING

Day 6, the final frontier. There is a sense of excitement in the air this morning and the continuing rain does little to dampen our spirits. After an 'all you can eat' blow out at Carrows we begin final preparations by hosing down our bikes which are laden with sand, salt and road grit. Our weary bodies are in a similar state and a bout of serious stretching is called for as we limber up for the last leg of our 500 mile trip.

The thought that we are doing all this for charity spurs us on and we thank you all for your donations so far. If you are reading this and have not yet made a contribution its not too late! Please use the justgiving link to the right and send us a message, it means a lot to know you are thinking of us.

More news of our ride into Santa Monica to come along with photos of our welcome celebration at The Mill. We can't wait to see all our friends and family and the prospect of getting out of this rain!

DAY 5 - 70 MILES OF FILTH

If yesterday was all about the weather, today was ALL about the weather.

We woke this morning in Solvang, a quaint little Danish town in the middle of some very non-Danish looking mountains. It was already 6 inches under water, swamped by the night time deluge. The TV said winds of 25mph gusting up to 55mph with non stop rain. For once they were right. It began from before we got up, and stopped sometime tomorrow.


The typhoon that came from Japan hit with a vengeance and the bikes and dirty roads left us all in a gray, sandy patina. Spirits were high but hesitant, and the first climb was begun in earnest, but wind gusts, pissing rain and dense fog brought us back to reality.


Pushing onwards we faced a 2000ft climb and downhill stretches were just as intense as we faced 30mph headwinds. Lunch offered little comfort as the high ceilings in the restaurant absorbed what little heat there was.

By the time we got into Ventura it was 6.10pm and already dark. The relief at completing day 5 was incredible and the sense of euphoria got to Jake, Max, Tracey and Sue who stripped and rushed cheering into the sea. We couldn't get anymore wet after all!

Dinner involved the usual round of speeches and the welcoming of two more riders who will join us tomorrow on the final leg. We face another day of rain, climbs, more rain and windy contions but the thought of our welcome party waiting for us in Santa Monica will drive The Fireflies on.

DAY 4 - WIND, WIND, WIND AND 5 MINUTES OF SUN

We started the day at Kitty's Cafe being served mountains of pancakes by Katie the waitress. The walls were plastered with dozens of pictures of cats who eyed us as rashers of bacon, eggs, coffee, apple juice and MORE pancakes disappeared in a rampage of calories. Gav was freshly rested after a night in with a Sunday movie thriller: 'Marley and Me'. I think he blubbed but as yet hasn't admitted it.

So far this ride has been cold. Where is the Cali weather? But today the sun made an appearance..... for 5 minutes.


Today was all about the wind. A headwind of 20+ miles an hour through the wine country means you keep your head down and you hang on to the wheel in front with all your might.

From Morro Bay we headed away from the coast and into the flat agricultural land that leads to Wine Country. All 23 riders rode as one, past freshly picked vineyards and farms ripe with the smell of harvested grapes. Signs shouted 'Sideways' as we zipped by.



95 miles equals some sore, tired bodies but a lot of proud riders. We said goodbye to Jimmy Jacobsen who has dished out a pharmacology of pills, worn a lot of Rapha and has shunned his dodgy Triathlete reputation to join up last minute and ride well.

We've ended the day as we started it. Mountains of good hard old fashioned calories, served up by The Hitching Post... from the film Sideways .. and a very generous turn from Jake who kept us all happy on Pinot Noir and good stories.

As I write, it's 10.30pm. Jeff Robins was sighted earlier in Subway eating 3 x foot-long meatball subs and Gav is giggling at another low rent TV comedy. The bikes need to be cleaned, the day tomorrow prepped, but for now all we can think of is sleep and the weather...

Winds tomorrow are forecast for 25 mph+ and gusting to 55 mph. 6 inches of rain are forecast too, but the Fireflies spirit is strong here. Were're meeting for breakfast at 7am and we'll be on the road at 8.30am. Same as always....

DAY 3 - NATURE WATCH (OUT)

The morning begun with Brad making porridge in the coffee machine. We needed a warm breakfast as today started out in the high 50's with mist covering the climbs. We stopped for two lunches as everyone's appetite has been growing.



It was only after we passed San Simeon that the sun finally made an appearance. This may have been due to various sacrifices we spotted on the way - possum, deer, snake, raccoon and nearly a tarantula that was crossing the road. On a less morbid note, we spotted many species of local fauna which were alive - a colony of around 200 elephant seals, a spectacular and rare condor and Jimmy caught sight of a whale.

We were joined by Michael Raimondi and friend part way through the ride and their fresh legs helped lead us into Morro Bay. Another helping hand came by way of pills Jimmy was pedalling from his suitcase - the wonder drug was apparently used by Lance's team earlier this year and they certainly worked for Jimmy who rode like a hurricane. More good news - Giles is due to join us on Tuesday which lifts our spirits (and tired legs) further.

At dinner Jake made everyone do so many toasts that we must have polished off a bottle of red wine each.

DAY 2 - FLATS AND CLOUDY SKIES

Our posting for today comes a little late due to us staying in a 'dead zone' where no internet or mobile phone service existed. The day was filled with flat tires and cold weather which suited the English contingent - the majority of the riders here in fact.

It seemed that no one sacrificed anything suitable to the sun god as no sunlight made an appearance at any point throughout the day leaving us all cold.

Flats reigned supreme as about five of us suffered them during the ride but there was a silver lining to all these clouds....the days journey ended up being 80 miles instead of the predicted 90.

DAY 1 - SAN FRAN TO SANTA CRUZ

Friday the 9th, this is it, as Michael Jackson would say. High excitement was in the air along with crack fumes thanks to some undesirable types hanging around our hotel last night!

The riders woke up after a restless night. Noisy locals in the street below saw to it that none of us got the eight hours of rest we were hoping for. In addition, what was left of Jeff's sense of well being went out the window when he noticed that his roommate for the evening, Gavin, was missing around 5am (about the time Ben received a concerned phone call). An hour later we discovered Gav had stayed out with some friends of his in the city and neglected to alert fellow riders. Luckily Gavin stumbled back to 'Hotel Crack' around 6:05am putting our weary minds at rest.

A story with a less happy ending is that Giles, due to work commitments, could not make the start of the ride and as news spread, this was taken as a disappointment by all. Through texting back and forth, Giles was able to wish his fellow riders the best and make plans to hopefully be able to meet up with them later on in the ride. So to say the least, it was a long night and slow morning, but after 2 pancakes, 4 strips of bacon and gallons of coffee, The Fireflies were ready to leave. Final preparations involved copious amounts of undercarriage fluffing but at 9.15am we finally got underway.


After a quick ride through the city, we made it to the coast. From there the riders jumped onto the Pacific Coast Highway, filled with dizzying twists and turns. As we faced the sea there was some initial confusion over which direction we should take; left or right. A pretty important decision to get right with the prospect of traveling 500 miles in the wrong direction should we pick wrongly! Some genius worked out we should keep the "ocean, on your right" which became the mantra for the day.

The weather was pretty consistent all day, a chilly 60 degrees. The scenery was breath taking, as the PCH proved what it is renown for. On the right was the view of the ocean waves against rocks and sandy beaches, while on the left, farmland formed carpets of seasonal orange; ahhh October, the month of pumpkins. The view proved so distracting the riders failed to stop for lunch until mile 63! Ravenous for some pumpkin pie, the crew made do with a roadside taco shack....well it is Taco Friday after-all.

After lunch we were quickly off, some faster then others on the way to Santa Cruz. Kev Rooney and Markus Neuert set the pace while the rest of us tried to keep up, no mean feet when laden with so many tacos. Some of the Londoners had an additional challenge as the jet lag kicked in. However, five and a half hours from San Fran, we all found ourselves at the end of Day 1 and at the frontier of Day 2 in Santa Cruz.

Muscle cramps and exhaustion were treated by personal methods...Ben's choice, a cold bath quickly followed by a hot shower. Gavin whimped out of the cold plunge bath for fear his nuts would freeze off. Ben's encouraging words 'Come on...Paula Radcliff swears by it' were met with Gavin pointing out that Paula does not have nuts....and if per chance she once did, they were most definitely frozen off in icy bath water. Gavin's comfort came by way of pizza washed down with a glass of red wine.

Before we go to bed there is one more photo to share: Interesting Site of the Day. Bryan Farhy, pointed out the following....



A building displaying a sign which read "The Mill" was an amusing sight itself, but by strange coincidence, if you look below, there is a cafe titled "Firefly Coffee House".....cue Twilight Zone music!

READY FOR THE OFF

Endless meetings, route mapping, hotel bookings and travel arrangements...months of planning have all come down to this moment...

After a long day yesterday, of gathering supplies and picking up last minute bikes (Giles), the first set of wheels are set in motion. Gavin, Ben, and the drivers met early morning at the Mill at 7:00am, to load the truck with the bikes and supplies for the riders for the 6 day, 500 mile journey ahead. We double/triple checked everything, because San Fran is a long drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. Enthusiasm is high as everything is finally coming together; 23 riders and 23 bikes (hopefully) arrive in San Francisco tonight!

8:47am...Truck leaves the Mill bound for San Francisco.

To be continued!