Kubus team tackle 100-mile cycle in honour of Young Gloucestershire
Luke Armitage, Ben Carter, David Evans, Dan Fry, Brian Gallagher, Bessie Gallagher, Duncan Imrie, and Prince Paramour set off on their challenging expedition at 5am, preparing to battle against mountainous trail, obstacles unknown and the stern mistress that is the unforgiving British weather.
Below is a firsthand recount of the trials and tribulations of the day from our Chief Financial Officer Duncan Imrie.
12th October – 5.00am. Our hardcore team of elite cyclists assembled at Kubus HQ in Kemble, ready to embark on one of their biggest challenges to date – 100 miles of gruelling, rugged roads and trails across the Cotswold hills, all in aid of Young Gloucestershire. The dry weather that had been forecast all week had instead been replaced by a light drizzle, which had dampened the route but certainly not our spirits. Bikes were checked, energy gels were guzzled, and chamois cream was applied. This was the moment we had been training for…
Kemble to Avening – 11 miles – 7.00am
The first bit of off-road track in the dark was a wake-up call – an absolute slog along a deep rutted track, with the drizzle adding an extra layer of jeopardy. A couple of falls early doors brought things into sharp focus as to the extent of our challenge, but we weren’t fazed. Once we found our groove there was no stopping us, and we made it to our first checkpoint in Avening unscathed and upbeat. After a quick refuel we were on our way again, ready to attack the rest of the journey with gusto.
Avening to Wotton-Under-Edge – 23 miles – 9.30am
Shortly after we left Avening, the warm relief of sunrise lit up the skies and we were finally able to start enjoying some of the spectacular scenery that the Cotswolds has to offer. On the flip side it also meant we had a clearer view of our task ahead (Luke: “See those massive hills over there? We’ll be riding up them next!”). Unhelpful comments aside, there were many memorable moments in this section of the challenge.
An exhilarating off-road blast through Kingscote Wood got our adrenaline pumping, followed by a confrontation with some cows which forced us to detour over two walls and a barbed wire fence to avoid being trampled (countryside rule number one: don’t mess with cows!). The hills seemed to be getting progressively steeper as we went on, but our grit, enthusiasm, and energy gels got us through. We arrived at Wotton-Under-Edge a team member down, and slightly later than planned, but still in relatively high spirits, grateful for the support van and a well-earned breather.
Wotton-Under-Edge to Stinchcombe – 30 miles – 11.30am
This was one of the hardest sections of the route – some very challenging off-road trails and two whopping hills to contend with.
The first took us up to the Tyndale Monument near North Nibley, with stunning views across the Severn estuary and beyond. The second was straight up Stinchcombe Hill and down the other side, with bikes being pushed the majority of the way up (and some of the way down it was that steep and rocky).
We were relieved to make it to our next pit stop at Leaf and Ground in Stinchcombe, but sadly we left here another team member down – kudos to Dan for riding on for another 16 miles after taking a downhill tumble!
Stinchcombe to Stroud – 37 miles – 1.30pm
More hills greeted us on this section (common theme here), but for every hill there was a pay-off, and the view from Coaley Peak was phenomenal. This was followed by another fun stretch of off-road trails through Stanley Wood, before making our way along some welcome roads to Stroud where we had a slightly longer break and took advantage of a conveniently located burger van.
Stroud to Birdlip – 51 miles – 4.15pm
The halfway point! The route from Stroud to Birdlip was a mixed bag – a nice stretch along the canal was a welcome respite from the hills, but this was the calm before the storm as it soon gave way to more hills. Did I mention it was hilly?
By the time we got to the Birdlip viewpoint, even the views had lost some of their allure, and the joy of reaching the halfway milestone was tempered by the realisation that it had taken us 11 hours to get there.
At this rate, we would be finishing at 3am…
Birdlip to Kilkenny viewpoint – 57 miles – 6.00pm
The sun had begun its descent by this point, making for some memorable scenery as we cycled along bridleways, over freshly ploughed fields and past quaint Cotswold farmhouses. We also had our first puncture to contend with, caused by a wobbly mudguard of all things, but with Brian’s gadgets and 7 willing helpers we were back on the road in no time.
As beautiful as the sunset was, we were conscious of the dawning of nightfall. By the time we reached Kilkenny the sun had almost disappeared, and we had some serious soul searching to do. Do we continue and ride into the wee hours of the morning, or do we reroute and make our way back to HQ?
Well… between us we did both. Luke and I decided to carry on and do the north loop, with everyone else (and the support van) making their way back to Kemble, still a good 20 miles away.
Kilkenny viewpoint to Frogmill Hotel – 80 miles – 10.00pm
The rain that started as we left the viewpoint was not ideal, but it soon subsided to make way for a beautiful clear night, and the ride across Cleeve Common in the moonlight was actually quite enchanting, and one of my personal highlights of the whole challenge.
This feeling very quickly evaporated at around mile 75, where on a steep rocky track, in a forest in the middle of nowhere, I proceeded to get a puncture. It was at this point that I started questioning my life choices and wondering how much I could get for my bike on eBay when this was all over.
We got the puncture fixed and were on our way – only for the same to happen to Luke a few miles later. On reflection, three punctures between all of us for the day seemed a reasonable result given the terrain we had been on, and thankfully it remained that way for the rest of the ride. We made it to the Frogmill Hotel in one piece, where we topped up our caffeine levels and prepared for the final push back to Kemble.
Frogmill Hotel to Kemble – 100 miles – 12:30am
The last 20 miles back to the office was a struggle (for me, not for Luke!) but thankfully uneventful. The temperature had dropped to around 5 degrees, so that was great motivation for us to power through and reach home as fast as we could.
Cycling through Cirencester at midnight was pretty surreal as we navigated our way past the late-night partygoers – they must have thought we were daft, which to be fair I think is a pretty accurate assessment. There was an immense sense of relief as we rolled up to the welcoming sight of Kubus HQ, I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say I’ve never been so happy to get to the office!
A huge thank you to everyone who sponsored us for this challenge – you’ve helped us raise over £4,000 for a life-changing charity. For everyone else… there is still time to donate if any of these words and heroics have inspired you to do so! Just follow the link below.
The Team
Congratulations to everyone who took part: Luke Armitage, Ben Carter, David Evans, Dan Fry, Brian Gallagher, Bessie Gallagher, Duncan Imrie, and Prince Paramour; Karl and Kev from Young Gloucestershire, Karl who supported us in the van and Kev who rode alongside us.
You can still help.
Our Just Giving page is still open if you would like to help us raise funds for Young Gloucestershire.
