6: The Ride

On the day of our ride we were up at 2.30am, we had all arranged to meet at 3.00am because we wanted to be in Liverpool for an early start. We arrived at the Eldonian Village in Vauxhall at around 4.30 and, after a quick photo call, we started out on our journey at 5.00am.

The first few miles were steady away, just getting into our stride, chatting away riding out of Liverpool...it was raining slightly but nothing to worry about. We made our first stop at 15 miles, just to have a drink and such, but as we stopped the rain started to get heavier...this was to set the tone of the day...rain. After that we just started to grind the miles out, the path was good and we were making good progress. Where we stopped next I have no idea but it was around the 30 mile mark...the rain was torrential so we sheltered under a bridge, a nice little village but I never saw a sign, there was an old windmill on the opposite bank to us. We had some food, dried off a bit, then decided that the rain wasn't going to ease off...we just had to accept that we were in for a soaking, and at least it wasn't cold. So we set off for Wigan in the bouncing rain. Trouble is, when it's raining that hard all you can do is put your head down and peddle...you don't notice your surroundings much, you just have to ride. And ride we did, the path got muddy in one or two places but on the whole it wasn't too bad. Apart from the odd bit off backache among the lads we were doing fine and we reached Wigan around breakfast time.

We got a little lost just after Wigan Pier, took a wrong turn over a bridge and ended up on the wrong side of the canal, but once we realised our mistake we were soon back on track and riding through Wigan towards the Wigan flight...a long string of locks that elevate the canal up and out of the town. It was around this point that we started coming across loads of those stupid cycle barriers...they came one after the other. There were more and more of them as we rode up the flight of locks (as if it wasn't hard enough)...cycling up the Wigan flight is a pain but we were soon at the top lock and once we were clear of them we took a breather under another bridge to shelter from the rain.

We were doing okay for time, we hadn't arranged to meet up with our backup team until lunchtime, so we ate a few mars bars and such and then set of for Blackburn in a cloudburst. For whatever reason we seemed to lose a little time on this stretch, maybe it was the rain and the path that got a bit messy in places, plus we took a wrong turn and ended up at the end of the Walton Summit Branch only to have to retrace our tracks to our route...but we just seemed to take ages to reach the outskirts of Blackburn...and we were all soaked to the skin. As we rode through Blackburn the phone rang, our support team were already parked up by the canal at Church...great news...this gave us a lift because we knew there were warm drinks and some food there for us...plus there were dry clothes in the cars. We arrived at about 12.15pm, slightly slower than we had hoped but in the conditions we were riding in, not bad.

The girls had done a great job of setting up a little canteen for us in a small park just off the towpath. Hot soup, hot beans, bread, sandwiches and loads of water and juice, it really was brilliant...just what we needed. We were also able to have a change of clothes, well, nearly all of us, and we had reached the halfway point of our journey...from now on we were on our way home and the miles would tick by nice and steady from then on...or so we thought.

Having arranged to meet up with the girls at the Anchor Inn at Gargrave we set off again. We hadn't travelled far, maybe 15/20 minutes or so, when the countryside opened up and the canal was threading it's way across open moorland...the wind got up, and it started to lash down with rain. As the canal turned, so the wind changed direction. One minute it was blowing at our backs, the next it was in our faces...the towpath turned into a muddy grass track and the going got harder....it really was no fun at all and it seemed to magnify our aches and pains. But for Team Aldi, failure is not an option and we battled on through the wind and rain. At the Gannow Tunnel in Burnley we got a little lost again...and to be honest we didn't know that there was a tunnel at Burnley (so much for our research)...anyway, we asked some people for directions and were soon back on the towpath heading for Colne.

By this time one or two of the boys were struggling with their knees and we had to make a few more stops than we had planned for. This is the problem with long bike rides, they can take their toll on your joints...especially your knees and it's no fun at all...if we're honest, we were all starting to ache a bit. But, onwards we went....onwards towards the Foulridge Tunnel, which is a mile long. We were a little concerned about the route through Foulridge itself beforehand...in the event, we needn't have worried because we soon found our way (after asking directions again) along the cycle route to the Hole in the Wall pub where we took a sharp left, then straight down a hill and back onto the towpath....a doddle.

From Foulridge the path was good for a mile or so, nice and smooth and we picked up speed but it wasn't long before we hit what we found to be the worst part of the whole ride. The towpath deteriorated into a complete boneshaker, it really is bad there....and it seemed to go on forever and beyond. The two lads who were struggling with their knees really felt it on this stretch...in fact we all did. The canal is like a snake here, you look across the feilds and you can see barges on the canal straight in front of you....it's just a series of u-bends and the path rattles your teeth and bones. This part of the towpath, at around 90 miles into the ride, caused us real problems....as we were to find out when we eventually reached Gargrave....much later than we'd hoped.

At least when we rode into Gargrave our awesome backup team were waiting under a bridge (sheltering from the rain) for us. More refreshments were served, coffee, tea, sandwiches and more juice...oh, and more Jaffa Cakes....lovely. But it was here that one off the lads had to pull out of the ride, his knee was giving him too much pain and he couldn't carry on...the rest of us were deflated by this but there was nothing we could do, it would have been crazy for him to carry on....but well done J, all the same....you showed some real guts to get that far and we were all proud of you.

We left Gargrave in a monsoon....34 miles to go....it wasn't going to be fun. Once again the towpath turned to grass...wet grass, it was like riding through a big sponge and the rain lashed into our faces, this was a really tough part of the ride but we got to Skipton and the path improved slightly. Through and out the other side of Skipton, and to Snaygill...this was where it got really bad. The rain absolutely hammered down, the wind blew into us and the puddles along this stretch were more like ponds of dirty black water...it was awful. Two more of the lads were really struggling with their knees now and there was no let up with the rain as we reached Kildwick. There are a couple of benches here so we stopped, one of the lads just fell off the bike here because his knees were so bad. We re-grouped and had a chat between ourselves but it was obvious that he couldn't carry on, he could barely walk let alone ride. So a phone call was made for him to get a lift back, and with heavy hearts we left him to wait for his lift....so again, Stu...well done mate, you got further than you thought you would and rode yourself to a standstill...you could have done no more.

That left five of us to carry on into the gloom of a Saturday evening, onwards into the rain we went with more aches and pains between us than we cared to mention. The path to, and away from Silsden is another bone jarring few miles and I'm pretty sure we all felt every bump in the track..it was like being kicked but we were soon through the last rough part and onto the lovely smooth path that would carry us to Leeds....and the rain had stopped. On we rode through Keighley, Bingley and on to Shipley...at least the locks were all downhill now so it was great to freewheel down them, if only for a short way. It took us a while to reach Shipley and by now we were well behind the time we had calculated for the ride...but no matter...the end was in sight. At the swing bridge at Dockfeild quite a little crowd had gathered to cheer us back to our hometown...and what a welcome sight it was for us. Our, by now legendary, backup team were there again and this time they had been joined by a few more family members, more hot soup was served but this time the stop was shorter...it was beginning to get a little dark and we needed to be on our way on the final leg of the ride..the last 12 miles.

It was hard riding away from where we live when we were all so tired, but we all knew we had to finish now....no matter how much pain and discomfort we were in. Another supporter turned out to cheer us on at Apperley Bridge (nice one Bri) and that lifted us again and to be honest, we did the last 12 miles quicker that we thought we would. But as we got closer to Leeds our adrenaline seemed to kick in and carry us those last few miles and before we knew it the bright city lights of Leeds were looming in front of us....and then...it was all over, we were at the Grannary Wharfe in Leeds city centre and our epic journey was complete.

There were no tears from Team Aldi...only winces of pain as we dismounted from our bikes to be greeted by our wonderful support crew who had brought champagne for us to toast our success, and they presented us each with a certificate as a momento of our ride. Photographs were taken for posterity, to be shown to generations to come...it was over. Team Aldi had done what they said they'd do...failure was not an option, the bikes were taken apart and stacked onto our team truck and we made our way home by car...it was a job well done.

The ride took longer than we planned, this was largely due to the terrible weather on the day and the injuries we picked up along the way. Add onto that all the time for our stops and it took us around 17 hours to complete the ride...but we weren't trying to set a record, it wasn't a race for us...it was just about doing what we set out to do...which was to ride the longest canal in the UK in one day, and that we did. We have no doubt that there are guys out there who could do it much quicker, but we set ourselves a target speed of 10/12 miles an hour...no great speed, but fast enough to do it in 12/14 hours and be able to enjoy it. But on reflection, we reckon that had the weather been good then we would have been slowed down by all the people using the towpath, especially around the towns...as it turned out on the day we rode, we hardly saw a soul because the rain was so bad...we only saw three other cyclists all day...so we were able to ride along without constantly having to slow down for people.

Team Aldi's ages range from 15 to 50 years old, so we reckon we didn't do so bad....and we've yet to hear of anyone else who's done it in a day, so we don't know what a decent time would be. The fact is, if you complete the whole 127 and a half miles in a day you should be pleased with yourself....no matter what time it takes to do it. But if you are thinking of doing it and read this...learn from it, because it's tougher than you think. For those who are not so sure but would still like to have a go we say this....split it over a couple of days and don't bite off more than you can chew, at least that way you'll see more and enjoy it more because it's a lovely route to cycle....even on one of the wettest June days we can remember. Hopefully, when you do it the weather will be kind to you.

5: The Route

The Leeds to Liverpool canal is a great work of engineering, at 127 and a half miles it is the longest canal in the UK. It links these two major cities by weaving it's way, serpant like, through the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. A towpath runs alongside the canal all the way except in two places where tunnels had to be built through the hillsides. The tunnels are Gannow Tunnell in Burnley and Foulridge Tunnel at Foulridge. At both these places there is no towpath so you must leave the canal and follow the signposted route until you can join the canal again.

For many years the canal fell into disrepair leaving the water often full of rubbish and the towpath a puddle filled, muddy mess. In recent years all this has changed and the canal has had millions of pounds invested in it to bring it back to it's former glory. Many canalside buildings and houses have been redeveloped and wildlife has been allowed to fluorish along it's route. Many new developments have sprung up, mainly waterside apartments and new offices, and now the whole route has become a source of leisuretime activity. Boating, walking, running, fishing...and cycling are all popular pastimes on the canal and it's towpath today.

It is easily possible to cycle the canal from end to end, and the towpath is good for most of the way. With the exception of a few small stretches the Lancashire end of the path is very good for cycling, non of these stretches are bad enough to make the rider dismount (even during or after heavy rain) and for the most part the surface is smooth crushed gravel...and even tarmac. This makes it easy for the cyclist. In certain stretches the surface is grass or a thin track, these can be quite energy sapping in wet weather but again at no point should you need to dismount.

When you do have to leave the path at Burnley and Foulridge cycle routes are reasonably well signposted, the one at Burnley is quite tricky so watch it...but you can always ask for directions and it's not really a problem. The Foulridge cycle path is easy to follow and was not the problem we anticipated.

The worst part of the route is after Foulridge, this is from Marton to Gargrave, not a great distance but it's hard going on a rough track, very bumpy, and it twists and turns through the valleys until you seem to be going nowhere. We found this to be the hardest part of the ride as fatigue was setting in.

After you leave Gargrave village the path turns to just grass, this continues almost all the way to Skipton and was tough to ride in the wet...it's easier when dry. The path is good through Skipton but once you get to Snaygill it deteriorates into bumpy track (often very muddy) all the way to Kildwick. From here, once again, the path is very bumpy, muddy, and at times a single narrow track....this is around Silsden. Having said all that it's still very easily rideable, you just need to take a little extra care and it's hard on the legs and wrists.

Once the path gets to Utley it's plain sailing all the way to Leeds, the towpath has been relaid and is excellent for cycling and once again there is much redevelopment taking place.

All in all we found the towpath to be in much better condition than we thought, you may struggle slightly on the gnarley stretches but the miles of smooth surface more than compensate for that.