This summer, Kelly Jones, National Events Organiser for TG, will be cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End, raising money for charity and raising the profile of Townswomen’s Guilds.
Kelly has been training hard for the event and is aiming to complete the ride in just nine days, setting off on Saturday, 2nd July and finishing on Sunday, 10th July, covering around 100 to 125 miles each day. “It’s a privilege to ride on behalf of such an amazing organisation as TG,” explains Kelly. “My support team and I are also raising much-needed funds for ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ – the charity dedicated to granting the wishes of children living with life-threatening illness.”
She Did It! - Latest Update 11th July 2016
Kelly made it to Land's End by 12.45, and was met by Jenny Rideout for a celebration with champagne!
Kelly would like to thank her brother for cheering her on at the end, Maria as support driver - who without none of this could have ever have happened, and Great Escape Motor Home Hire for giving her a great rate to use it!
Updates
Day 1: Left John o'Groats by 7.30am on Saturday after a few ladies from Thurso guild came and met Kelli. We then got welcomed in to Thurso itself by a Scottish piper with the remainder of the guild which was incredible!
Day 1: Beautiful clear day with some long climbs from Betty Hill down to Lairg. Slept over by the river of Bonar Bridge.
Day 2: Lots of rain and hard highland hills! Beautiful scenery, stopping off by Loch Ness but hard work. Slept at the Base of Ben Nevis in Fort William which was beautiful apart from being bitten by soooo many midges!
Day 3: Besides the 1000's of midges (lots of bites) and constant rain. All going well, good milage done all around Glen Coe on the way to Loch Lomand which is stunning. Now on to Balloch to meet up with the ladies there at 4pm before on to Glasgow.
Can we please say a big thank you in any social media to Great Escapes Motorhome Hire as they gave us a great last minute discounted deal as the support vehicle/accommodation.
The Route
We now have the cycle route Kelly will take, together with her planned stop times. By clicking on the link below to the Strava cycle map, you can see her days, area and times on the right hand side of the page. You are also able to zoom into your area on the map to have a clearer vision of the road names Kelly will travel on.
If you are aware of an appropriate place for Kelly to stop in the allocated stop times then please contact Kelly directly, she is keen for Guilds and Federations to support her along this difficult journey and would love to see TG members cheering her on!
Strava - Full Route
Kelly's Cycle Journey
Click to download Press Pack
Day 1 - John o’ Groats – Thurso – Bonar Bridge -
Click to view route
Day 2 - Bonar Bridge – Fort William -
Click to view route
Day 3 - Fort William – Balloch – Glasgow -
Click to view route
Day 4 - Glasgow – Hamilton – Carlisle – Penruddock -
Click to view route
Day 5 - Penruddock – Carnforth – Preston – Radcliffe – Gatley -
Click to view route
Day 6 - Gatley – Talke – Birmingham – Worcester -
Click to view route
Day 7 - Worcester – Gloucester – Bristol – Axbridge – Wellington -
Click to view route
Day 8 - Wellington – Lanivet -
Click to view route
Day 9 - Lanivet – Redruth – Land’s End -
Click to view route
The Ride
It was last August that Kelly Jones joined the TG staff as National Events Organiser. And this July, less than a year after she started, she'll be setting off on the UK's most challenging cycle ride in support of the charity she's thrilled to be working for.
'I've done cycle rides, runs and treks before' says Kelly, 'but this ride is top of my bucket list'. Apart from raising funds for TG and another charity - When You Wish Upon A Star - Kelly wants her ride to be a linking thread for Guilds from the top to the bottom of the country. 'I'm hoping Guilds and Federations of areas I pass will meet me for a special roadside stop to make donations and have their photograph taken with me to publicise TG in the press. The aim is to get TG seen and show that we are a national organisation with Guilds everywhere'.
Most people complete the ride from south to north, but Kelly decided to head the other way. 'My family is in Somerset, so I'd like to complete the ride near them so they can cheer me home'.
She will set off on Saturday 2 July - the weekend after the AGM - and plans to take nine days, cycling an incredible 100-125 miles each day. 'I'm planning the route now', she says. 'I may choose smaller roads at busier points, which could add a couple of hundred miles overall'.
She's excited about cycling in the Highlands as she's never been to Scotland. 'Most daunting is the central section around major cities like Manchester as they are built up, and the stretch in the West Country will be tough as it's so hilly'. But Kelly anticipates that day four will be the hardest: 'When I'm aching, but not yet halfway - I'll need to focus on each day at a time'.
Through the winter, Kelly has been using a turbo trainer - a device enabling her to ride her own bike, stationary, indoors. 'I've been putting in lots of hours to build my legs and improve my cardio fitness'.
Her training diet has lots of protein to restore hardworking muscles. On the ride she'll need sugar-based foods for quick-release energy. 'I'll be burning 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day!' she says.
Kelly is hoping for dry weather that's not too hot. 'But even if it's pouring with rain I can deal with that!' she smiles. And the thing she's looking forward to most? Meeting TG members along the way!
TG is calling on Guilds and Federations to meet Kelly on her incredible journey. The below PDF document shows her proposed journey from start to finish. If you'd like to cheer Kelly on, drum up publicity and do some fundraising at a roadside stop, call TGHQ on 0121 326 0400 or email kelly@the-tg.com
Donations can be made online at
https://www.justgiving.com/teams/KellyGuild2Guild, by sending a cheque to TGHQ - or by meeting Kelly en route.
With Thanks
Thank you to the following for their support:
Hilton Glasgow - Accommodation
Holland & Barratt - Food
Morrison - Food
Meridian Foods