420 miles seemed like an impossibility, but as I sit in a car driving out of London, Tower Bridge and now the Houses of Parliament on the right it’s only just dawning on us all what we have just achieved.

More on this later. For now we need to finish off Day 7.

Dinner at Redhill Premier Inn turned into an awards night for three men on a bike. Categories such as best road, best hill, worst hotel, most expensive bike, hardest looking rider, smelliest helmet and best road kill were some of the many that were debated and awarded. Simon (G) modelled Peter’s man bag with and without shirt, we’re still not sure which he carried off best.   It was one of the funniest nights I’ve ever had and topped an extraordinary week of endurance, challenge and friendship.

Perhaps to bed a little late, it was a quiet start the next morning; well, until the Boyz from PMT reappeared. Invigorated by their 70 mile ride on the south coast a couple of days ago, they decided to come back to finish it off. With Whitesnake blaring from the shopping basket on the tandem we set off into town.

Our first stop was at the Oasis Academy in Croydon where we were to present a cheque to the students for £5k to buy musical instruments. The students were lining the drive and cheered us all of the way into a packed hall. We literally rode to the front through hundreds of screaming students while DJ Dean pumped The Bike Song through the PA. The atmosphere was electric and surreal after the solitude of the road. After speeches from the head boy and Paul McManus for Music for All, the cheque was presented. The crowd went wild and the Headmaster then gave a moving speech about selfless behaviour. Simon (G) said that it was the first time he’d been called selfless. Joking apart it really brought home the reality of what we’d done and sacrificed to raise money to help others. Rose had a tear in her eye…..

David Barnard introduced the Roland Band and so began the Roland Education road show with Craig, Alex and Luke.

The three men team still had more miles to do so we left them to it and pedalled on into town.

Optomisticweather.com had come up trumps again and the sun shone as we weaved our way through the London traffic. Some 15 miles later after a brief stop at McDonalds (for coffee!) and an interesting spell in the Rotherhithe Tunnel we arrived in Stratford and the Olympic site. Kriss Akabusi was there to meet us and we became an instant tourist attraction.

After photos galore and hugs and congratulations all round, so ended our Lands End to London marathon. Feelings were mixed, absolute elation at the achievement but almost instant sadness that it was now all over. It really has been one of the most extraordinary weeks of our lives and we all have incredibly fond memories that we will never forget.

To Yellow Jersey James and Sergeant Major Lewis, you kept us safe and on track throughout. To our adopted cycling parents Terry and Rose, thank you so much for your care and support, we could not have done this without you. Alyn our support vehicle driver, chief photographer, friend of Ollie and thoroughly good bloke was a welcome sight at the end of any ride. To my colleagues Peter and Simon, it has been a privilege to ride with you. You couldn’t ask for two better guys to have on a team.

Behind the three men on a bike scenes there have been so many people that have helped and supported us, it would be impossible to mention them all. Helen and her marketing team and Janine, Helena, Dean and Simon Kenning have been absolute rocks and brilliant at organising everything and letting us concentrate on the cycling. We also cannot forget all of our collective friends and family who have put up with us, our training, our lycra and bike jokes for the last six months. I hope everyone feels it was all worth it. Seeing those kids today and realising that what we have done can change people’s lives is humbling. The support from across the industry has also enabled us to really put the Music for All Charity on the map.

For me it has proved that with real determination anything is possible. I am incredibly proud of the team and what we have achieved. An unforgettable journey over many months and miles. Lands End to London, we bloody well done it!!

Tim

Tony White (Bonners) was our guest rider for the day – perhaps we should come clean now and call them victims? Tony took us on cycle route 21 for the first 8 miles of the run, locally known as the Cuckoo Trail. James was hugely excited at the prospect of seeing some birds. Peter and Simon were equally enthusiastic, but I think they were on the lookout for a different type of wildlife. We did see a bird (flying) but it could have been anything. Simon (G) suggested an albatross.

It was beautiful countryside and the weather was very kind. We stopped at 15 miles for a breather in a lay-by and James decided to do some stunts for us.  Within seconds he’d found a large pot hole and did a somersault to prove it. Pride hurt and a damaged brake cable later we all helped him celebrate the honour of being the only one to fall off so far. So that’s the most punctures and now he’s fallen off….(maybe he should stick with riding Ollie).

Simon (L) was a little under the weather today. The chest / sore throat infection that Peter had earlier in the week has now passed across. (Simon swears blind he’d told Peter no tongues.) He made up for it though by driving us hard for the first leg this morning and then did a great job supporting Tony up two particularly interesting hills that my legs are still reminding me about.

Lunch was a stop at a pub (for coffee) and ‘Ruth’s rolls’ final appearance this week. We have eaten well this week, it has to be said. All of the things that have been banned for the last six months have strangely been available all week. Snickers and Mars Bars, Fat Coke, biscuits and Cake. Rose says we can eat anything we want as we’re burning so many calories. Simon (G) swears he’s put on weight this week. I think it’s the particularly gay coffees that he drinks with full fat milk et al that have been his problem.

As the ride nears its end, attention has begun to turn to what next? Of the many conversations, I particularly liked the idea of Jet Skiing around the British Isles – Three Men on a Jet Ski has a kind of ring to it?!! Ideas on a postcard please.

One thing I can confirm is that our fund raising will continue until the MIA Awards event in London on November 24th. Our total is around £19K now and we have pledges that should take us well over £20K. We’re keen to try and get that total to £25K by November, so our activities will continue for a while. Our plan is to launch the ‘Three Men on a Bike Revealed’ Calendar. With month pages sponsored by the industry all we need are the pictures. Strong contenders include the PMT Pot Hole incident and Dean does his washing. Someone suggested that at least one page should be 3 Men and their helmets. The mind boggles……

Tim

Dinner after the Nevada gig had been booked at Zizzi’s. Simon and Terry (the Boyz from PMT) needed to settle pre-ride nerves with some pasta and sparkling water. This was just as well, as this useless restaurant (apparently they have 50 outlets) had no chicken and no meat!? The restaurant was packed…briefly. Anyway, having found something on the menu that could be served, the staff then preceded to outperform the Premier Inn restaurant crew with service that would have made poor Mr Zizzi turn in his grave.

NB suggest you do not use this restaurant, EVER!

Early night (not) and day 6 was upon us. The Boyz were in for breakfast, slightly the worse for wear….must have slept badly!

A short drive back to Nevada to pick up the bikes was not without incident. Griffiths managed to upset white van man, coming close to a full on confrontation at some traffic lights. As the three burly blokes stepped from their van to confront him, we were relieved to see them wearing Three Men on a Bike jerseys. I think it spiced up a rather tedious rush hour in Portsmouth.

Arrival at Nevada saw us reunited with our bikes and the first sight of the PMT tandem. Appearing theatrically (complete to music) from the back of their van, it was quite an entrance. Pictures only tell half the story. This machine was amazing. From the Roland mobile cube and iPod in the shopping basket on the front, or the detailed paintwork, to the huge flag on the back, it was a masterpiece of PMT over-engineered genius.

Photo call complete and we were off. Mark and Andy from Strings and Things were also guest riders for the first 40 miles and Zen from Resolution Mag joined us later on.

This section of the ride was flat, very flat, so good progress was made by all. The Boyz longest ride on the tandem to date had been 24 miles, so there was some relief when we made it to Strings and Things offices in Shoreham, 40 miles in.

The morning’s ride had been punctuated by a quite brilliant selection of music from DJ Terry Hope. Mr Blue Sky, by ELO appeared as the clouds parted and we quite literally boogied our way across Sussex.

By now, we’re working pretty well as a cycling team. Yellow Jersey James sets the pace up front and Sergeant Major Lewis patrols the lines keeping everyone safe from the increasingly dangerous motorists out there. Tail-end Terry brings up the rear picking up all the pieces, more often than not, yours truly, although Peter and Simon (G) do go to that place, on occasion.

With the Sussex Downs fast approaching, we left Brighton behind us and some serious work had to be done. Huge respect to the Boyz who battled up all the hills, just the once on foot. Tandems at the best of times are challenging to ride, but when you’ve pimped your ride PMT style and doubled the weight, hills become mountains.

As we approached Eastbourne, Zen decided to take us on a slight detour. Perhaps he thought that Simon and Terry hadn’t seen enough hills yet, suffice to say though, that by the time we’d completed the 5 mile detour he was close to getting thrown off Beachy Head. It was beautiful I have to say, and I’m glad we did it, but I did feel big time for the Boyz.

When you go up, you can always look forward to the down. The hill down from Beachy Head was a cracker. So good in fact that it burnt the disc brakes out, on the tandem. We regrouped with a slightly pale Terry Hope requesting the nearest qwik-fit.

Arrival at Bonners was around the corner though, and the end to the longest day of the ride (70 miles). Simon and Terry earned every pound of the money they’ve raised, and probably lost a few too. We’ll get the weigh-in results today, no doubt.

For the Three Men on a Bike team it gets us 350 miles away from Lands End and only 70 to go to get to London.

Thanks to Tony and the guys at Bonners for their support. Also to Dean, who finally shaved his head for the charity last night. We also should spare a thought for the waiter in the Premier Balti who endured a tough negotiation session from various Roland members of staff, keen to put their recent training into practice. We got the result we needed, but are now members of the Premier Balti Eastbourne club. I’m not entirely clear what this means, except that we have to eat here again at least once in the next 12 months.

Things could be worse. We could be cycling 420 miles from Lands End to London and have incredibly sore…..

Tim

We were late to bed and to be doubly secure, I can report another first for me this week – I slept with my bike. There was a rumour that I’d chained it to my toilet seat. It was in fact the only secure point in the room but by the time I got in anyway, the bike was asleep.

Simon’s Optomisticweather.com this morning had promised blue sky and some sun. As usual it was slightly wrong but at least it wasn’t raining.

No guest riders today, so just six of us to do a not hilly, but substantial 63 miles, and it was long, long, long. With quads (yes, I have some now) busting at the sight of any incline it was hard work. There were also lots of roundabouts and nutter drivers, more often at the same time!

While we did our morning workout, the first ever great laundry escapade was happening behind the scenes. Janine, my PA at Roland is helping out this week and is quite brilliant at most things. I gather though, that nails and laundry don’t mix, so Dean was summoned to the rescue. Quite why there is a picture of him in his underwear at the launderette remains a mystery. I just hope that he raised some money doing it.

Lunch was a stop in picturesque Beaulieu. Sunshine, water, ducks, great food (donuts today) and then the “Simon and the Vicar incident….”

Perhaps he didn’t like the beard, but he was certainly upset at Simon’s (G) presence outside his church. Having got no sense out of Simon, a slightly irate vicar turned his attention to Simon Lewis. Using his best negotiation skills, Simon (L) soon had the vicar eating out of his hand and booking a run of six months advertising in MusicTech. Well, that was the goal clearly, I’m not quite sure he achieved his goals as with a squeal of tyres the vicar left to collect re-enforcements.

Rolls were dropped and donuts discarded and we all left in something of a hurry.

A tired and somewhat lethargic Three Men team battled on through traffic lights, dual carriageways and more of those nutter car drivers. Perhaps they just don’t like our lycra?!

At long last a rip roaring welcome from the Nevada team brought us into Portsmouth. Thanks Jenny and Mike for your support. Another gig tonight and then tomorrow……

….The Boyz are in town. Let’s hope we don’t make the national news.

A reprieve came in the form of Janine and Dean who whisked our kit off to the nearest laundrette to save our blushes for the next few days of the ride, only for Dean to whisk his own kit off a la Nick Kamen in the Levis 501 advert.

We’ll let you decide whether Dean is a match for Nick or not!

What fantastic hosts and a great place to stay.

That evening they were running a local carnival committee fund raising quiz and Peter, characteristically, arrested the mic from the quiz master and got a Three Men plug in, filling one of our collecting tins. I hope they managed to save some change for their carnival.

A glorious day awaited us the next morning and what a welcome for our first guest rider, Sean Montgomery. After the essential meeting with Ollie, Rose had arranged a daily (or so Sean thought) ‘inspection’. This involved some serious blowing down a tube (alcohol test) and the deposit of a small sample in a cup (another test….).

Each of the riders duly performed behind the van, the props department working overtime with cups of water (samples) duly thrown into the bush. Sean’s turn next. Before we know it Sean is blowing down rose’s make shift tube and then goes round the side of the van and deposits a real sample. Doctor Griffiths then took over and tested the sample. When he reappeared with a replacement glass of orange squash and drank it, Sean knew he’d been had.  With the fun and games over and the initiation complete,  we set off. Fair play to Sean  who rode brilliantly for all 58 miles – his only comment on the day was in reference to his very sore ‘nads’.

3 o’clock saw us rendevoux with guest rider number two, Howard Jones. I’m so grateful to Howard for joining us and supporting three men during his busy touring schedule.

Kit out in our three men kit, all nine of us rode triumphantly into Poole and an Absolutely fabulous welcome from Alan and his team.  This evening we’ve enjoyed fantastic musical entertainment  with performances by Roland, Peavey and Sound technology before the headline act Howard Jones reminded us just how quality songs stand the test of time.

Thank you to Alan and the team at Absolute Music for supporting with this event and helping us raise even more funds for our chosen charities.  Next stop Portsmouth…..

Tim

An air of some expectation hung over us at dinner last night. Even optomisticweather.com (Simon’s Russian iPhone weather app) wasn’t looking good. Day 3 was the highest elevation of the whole ride (just under 4000 ft / 61 miles) and pouring rain was promised. Great company and a team spirit got us through the evening, helped in no uncertain part by Rose’s laundry service (clean shorts for everyone, at last).

Simon’s (L) discovery of a Cheese Mite, quite tasty he said, was to begin a 24 hr animaltastic episode in our cycling lives.

Rosie (Peter’s wife – the animal story is on pause for a second!) joined us for breakfast after a stay locally with family. Great porridge, necessitated 3 courses for me – Rose did say ‘fuel up’. Ollie at this point (having had breakfast) had started making friends with Bob, the hotel Dog. (pictures to follow). Something must have been said because at the morning photo call, they wouldn’t look at each other….

After a night of howling gales and torrential rain, the day started dry and mercifully remained so. Only hills to focus on! Good team ride today. Fantastic support from Simon Lewis and Terry who got me up all the hills. I actually really enjoyed a few of them, that’s progress for you!

James had at least two punctures today, remember, I said he does this a lot?! It transpires that he’s actually tighter than Simon and repairs his inner tubes, no wonder they go! (they cost a couple of quid). Wasps did their best to disturb one of our stops, it seems they like full-fat Coke, particularly mine. And yes, I know that doesn’t sound good, and I normally never touch the stuff, but Rose insists we drink it to fuel up. At the same stop, Ollie was briefly seen in the back of a large Albanian truck and trailer. Curiously the rear door was open and the inside empty. I guess Exeter might have some additional tourists tonight.

Road kill becomes a constant feature of the cyclists life. I’ve lost count of the amount we’ve seen, and you become quite an expert at identifying flattened corpses on the side of the road. Simon (G) topped this today with the rare sighting of a snake. Now, it was probably just an adder, but by the time we got to the top of the next hill it had become a python and had ‘gone for him’. I think he’s become slightly delusional since he stopped shaving. (Don’t forget to bring your spare bic razors for him)

Slightly less dramatic, but certainly more uncomfortable was the large fly (let’s call that a large Blackbird in Simon Griffiths speak) that managed to lodge itself in my throat as I topped a particularly tough hill. Let’s hope that I’m never faced with the same dilemma again – do I spit or swallow? Peter says it’s good protein, I wasn’t going to find out. This was no cheese mite, so after some rather unpleasant vomiting noises (apologies to the inhabitants of Monkton) the poor Eagle was expelled to a watery grave.

Another charming hotel tonight and we’ve finally made Somerset. I think it’s called the Lord Lucan, but I’ll need to check with Simon Lewis who’s an expert on hotels round here.

The most important thing is that Simon (G) has a bath and a four poster bed (!) – I think he rang ahead and played the charity card to get the bridal suite. Let’s hope he doesn’t have too many nightmares about his python tonight…..

Tim

Unfortunately things didn’t start quite so well, as a strong smell of vomit greeted us in reception on the way to breakfast. Simon (SG) swears it wasn’t him although the late night drinks he had with Alyn (our driver and Ollie minder) can’t have helped. They were doing a lot of cleaning around his room….

Richard Patt and daughter Ruth came to wave us off and with Rose and Alyn in the van, off we went. Now, as most people know I’m not a fan of hills and today had its fair share. I’m particularly good on the down hills but the up hills are just a little more challenging. Today was around 46 miles and from memory that felt like around 46 miles of uphill. I guess there must have been the odd downward slope, but they tend to go so fast you don’t notice. Record breaking 44mph recorded today on one such slope.

So much nicer cycling when it’s dry and for most of the day we did a pretty good impression of riding as a team. Lunch stop today was at the Tamar bridge, our exit from Cornwall and warm welcome to the Devon hills. Slightly less welcoming was the bloke on the Tamar Bridge toll who seemed to take a dislike to Peter and Simon. I’m not sure he was convinced by Simon’s car impression (we should have gone on a special cycle lane, oops!) but they let us through eventually.

Ruth’s rolls (that’s Rose or June, depending on the time of day and activity) starred again. Food never tasted so good! At the current run rate, we’re on the lookout for sponsorship from Mr Jaffa and his cakes. James eats them, a packet at a time and I have to say they are an exceptional source for energy. We should get the small print on the packets adjusted as they are not recommended in tandem with energy gels containing caffeine. After a cocktail of the above James and Ollie caused quite a stir in the lunch time car park , doing Superman impressions together on the grassy slopes. Some bloke even came up and gave us £5, I think on reflection it was to persuade us to move on. It was either that or the sight of Simon Lewis and Ollie doing very strange things…..

Using Peter’s intimate knowledge of the roads, we continued along the A38 to South Brent. At one point it opens up into three lanes either side and you could be forgiven for thinking you’re cycling down (that means up!) a motorway for several miles. I think we should give Peter’s idea of a Three Men on a Bike Tour of the UK Motorways due consideration, but perhaps not for long!

South Brent was a haven of peace after the constant roar and buffeting of the A38 traffic and our B and B hideaway is idyllic. Simon (SG) was gutted to find out that his room didn’t have a bath. Simon Lewis, I thought, very generously offered to share his bath. Simon (SG) unusually was lost for words.

Speaking of lost, Simon (SG) has lost his razor. In addition to fundraising for BHF and MFA, we now need additional help at each of our next stopping points. Please bring any old bic razors or similar for Simon – his face needs it.

We’ve just topped £17K for money raised, not far now from our £25K target.

In return for donations Ollie is now offering to do stunts for money. If you want to see Ollie in unusual places please add a donation to the website and we’ll do our best to make it happen. Ollie in bed and Ollie on a boat are already in hand – look forward to your suggestions.

Day 3 sees us facing the worst hills and the worst weather of the ride so far – guess who’s not going to sleep well tonight!!

The journey down yesterday was long, but uneventful. Lands End is one heck of a long way away. Travelled down with Peter, Simon and James. Simon Lewis (Music Tech) made his own way there and we met up later for dinner with the very charming Mary. Our support crew, Terry and Rose (June) and their son Alyn drove the rather full van. A key highlight was discovering what Peter’s been up to since the age of 9. You’ll have to ask him….

Lands End Hotel is pretty much the only thing for miles around and not bad, in an AA three star kind of way. I would imagine there are stunning views, but sadly it was dark by the time we got there. The howling gales rattled the hotel windows all night keeping most of us awake. I think I finally gave up at about 3am and spent a delightful few hours imagining the day ahead.

Morning brought no let up in the weather, and certainly no views as the visibility was nil and the rain, horizontal.

A full Cornish all round for Breakfast and armed with lashings of Udderley Smooth we did the essential tourist bit (photos by the Lands End sign) and the equally important starting line up photo. The Three Men on a Bike mascot, Ollie was welcomed to the team and by all accounts seems to have had a great day. Allegedly there are photos of him with a pint later in the day and a trip to KFC as a treat. More info as I get it.

The Romans certainly didn’t make a massive impression on the roads down here. Huge long sweeping hills will be etched on the memory for a while and in the rain (now bouncing off the road and body) they are even less inviting. If anyone ever tries to sell you waterproof cycling gear – don’t bother. Cornish rain will find its way in anywhere and failing that the lorries and cars will finish the job off.

Half way today was Starbucks (never wanted a coffee more) and some of Rose’s stunning rolls. I recommend the Cheese and Tomato, but I have to say, anything would have tasted good! By 40 miles the body was beginning to get tired, and this was just day 1. Each hill was achieved with the mantra of raising 20k ringing in my ears – it’s a great motivator.

For once, the welcome sight of a Premier Inn become the final focal point. James had a puncture 1 mile out (he does this quite often, the puncture thing) but we limped into the car park, spirits high and 60 miles closer to London.

Thanks to all of the guys at Roland UK for the incredible support to get us to here. We’re also incredibly humbled by the donations from across the industry. Please keep them coming, we desperately want to raise as much now as we can for Music for All. If you haven’t given yet, please spare us a thought and give anything you can.

Tim

Despite the rain, the guys are ready for the off – see you in 60 miles!