Adam's bike challenge. Stage 18: One revolution at a time

Adam Bradbury

15 May 2012

My Achilles tendons are sore and I have a vague feeling I'm still on the move.

But the first ever Big Green Bike Ride is over. More than 100 people set out from a north London park on 6 May. About 30 of us rolled into Edinburgh 6 days later - to an unexpected cheer from the terrace of that city's splendid Dynamic Earth building.

We cycled 510 miles up the east coast of England, passing through Cambridge, Grantham, Great Stainton, Beverley and Alnwick.

We crossed the Humber Bridge in the sunshine, the North Yorkshire Moors in a gathering gloom, and the Scottish borderlands in a deluge. I've never been wetter without actually being in the sea. I've never travelled faster on a bike than I did coming down off the hills towards Edinburgh. Few among us had ever cycled as far as we did each day last week.

We doubled our calorie intake, quadrupled our liquid intake and halved the amount of sleep we normally get. I've never eaten better flapjacks, bigger breakfasts or more jacket potatoes. We ate at a golf club, a working windmill, a 14th century castle (pictured) and more pubs than seems decent in a month.

Given that collectively we cycled more than 2,000 miles a day we had few mishaps. A case of mild hypothermia, one of severe night-time cramp, one look-mum-no-hands crash on the Humber Bridge, one bruised shoulder, four punctures on the same bike in one day.

We all raised money to take part. Darren's employer, a big retailer, sponsored him £200 a day. Ollie's colleagues paid him to speak in falsetto for a day. A dozen friends commissioned me to write songs for them. Most of us had nagged mates and families.

Among us were students, doctors, a warehouse worker, business owners, musicians, a computer programmer, a sound engineer, campaigners, a fireman, a bike mechanic, a travel agent, an Internet marketer, a retired civil engineer, charity workers.

On the fourth night we let out a collective groan as the weather forecaster showed first a dark band of rain and then a headwind designed to blow us right back to where we'd started.

Two days later, as we hugged and shook hands in the rain in Edinburgh it felt like the start of something rather than the finish.

We've made new friends, discovered new drinks and new muscles. And I re-discovered something that another rider put well. He said that when you think about cycling from London to Edinburgh you can't imagine how it's possible. But break it down into manageable chunks - plan it well and take each stage at a time. And before you know it you're there.

Next time I feel down-hearted at the challenges we as a species throw at ourselves I've got something to draw on.

Massive thanks to everyone who took part, donated or cheered us on. I hope you can come with us next time.

Adam Bradbury, Publishing & New Media team

More pictures from the ride on Flickr and Facebook