The support drivers
If I’m successful in this tour, I will owe a huge debt of thanks to the following five people. Even if I don’t manage it all, I still take this opportunity to thank them. Whilst the actual driving is to be shared by Sarah and the two dads, the two mums are an equally important part of the team in their role of, amongst other things, entertaining Shem and Sylvia. On top of this, I’ve received a lot of help in booking up campsites and hotels. A heartfelt thank you to all five.
Sarah and Sylvia
My mum and dad will be with Sarah, Shem and Sylvia for a week and a half in the South West of England and South Wales. To keep costs down, we’ll all be staying in a caravan or tent at one of three locations. Therefore, they’ll be some ferrying of me by car to and from start and finish destinations on these days.
The same group, minus the caravan and tent, will join up with me again in Barrow in Furness and will stay within reach until we reach the home of one of my sister’s in Glasgow. We’ll be staying in guest houses or small hotels en route.
From Glasgow, my parents say farewell and Sarah’s mum and dad take over. Again, staying in hotels, they will escort me from Glasgow all the way round to Thurso.
The support vehicle isn’t going to be like what you see on the Tour de France. (I’m fairly certain if I tried cycling alongside a car while holding onto the window ledge, I’d end up in a nasty accident.) The car will be at the start and end of the day’s journey. But what it will mean is that they’ll be someone within reach if I do encounter difficulties. More importantly, I’ll be seeing the family each day. And one more thing, I won’t have to lug so much stuff in panniers. All told, I’ll be cycling solo (ie. without the support team) for just less than 3 weeks out of the 6.