The Team
Not so much the Famous Five as the Foolish Five*. We're all in our fifties, haven't cycled much in years, but somehow thought riding from Land's End to John o' Groats on bicycles was a good idea... and nobody talked us out of it.
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This is us.
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*Oy! Don't forget Puppet Pig
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1000 Miles in memory of Simon Moorhouse
Suzanne
It took me ten years of friendship to fall in love with Simon overnight, only to discover I’d barely known him at all. The loud, blunt man with the wicked sense of humour was a front for his kind, thoughtful alter ego. Within days I knew he was the one and 11 months later we were married.
Simon would have said we were barking to do this bike ride, but he’d still have encouraged and supported us. The fact that he lost the ability to do anything for himself, makes this trip the more precious. I have learned not to take tomorrow for granted.
When I first mentioned to a friend, the plan to cycle from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, she suggested a 6 mile bike ride at the weekend. Okay, I said, panicking. I didn’t even have a working bicycle and 3 miles seemed ambitious. But she took me bike shopping, coached me through my anxious first ride and when she said we had covered 13 miles, I was jubilant. I could do this.
We’re now on the eve of our LEJoG journey and I am keen to get started. The trip will include the anniversary of Simon’s death, both marking and hiding it. I can’t believe I’ve survived this first terrible year without him, however amazing friends and family — and all the bike rides — have kept me going.
Wish us luck!
Susanna
On the first day of Freshers Week, I met a girl. It was a chance passing. We exchanged names and laughed that we were Suzanne and Susanna and moved on, thinking we would never see each other again.
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But we did meet again and instantly recognised each other from that random encounter. And since then, we have been inseparable. We have been together through (mostly) thick and (sometimes) thin, and without her my life simply would not be the same. We have laughed and cried, talked and fought – but between it all we have always had each other’s back.
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Then in 2020, I watched helpless as her husband and my friend, Simon, came down with a brutal illness that would see him very rapidly degenerate and eventually die – all in the midst of Covid and lockdowns. She became his carer – albeit with some amazing professional support in the latter days of his life - but there was little that I could do to help, and it broke my heart.
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But in autumn of 2021, a few months after Simon died, she sent me a very simple text message: “LEJOG?”. I always love a challenge, and this was something that I could do for her. I could join a fellow slightly overweight middle-aged woman with no long-distance cycling experience to speak of, in the crazy undertaking of cycling the length of Great Britain, from Lands End to John O’Groats. I thought that maybe this would help get her through the grieving process and was one area where I could lend support.
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This is a huge change of gears from using my bike to get around a mostly-flat London, but we are off! We have been happily joined by three others in this undertaking and we will depart with hope in our hearts and incredible trepidation about whether we will make it through the 1,000 miles ahead of us and the one-year anniversary of Simon’s death. Wish us luck!
Alan
When we were driving back from the storage unit, my sister casually mentioned that she wanted to mark Simon’s first anniversary in a memorable way and that she was planning on cycling the length of the country with her friend Susanna...
My initial thoughts are not necessarily for print, however I did recognise this would certainly be a challenge and an excellent way to mark the first anniversary. On reflection it amused me to think that if you had ever asked Simon to do this on two wheels, he would not necessarily have said no, but he most definitely would have ensured that his 2 wheels had an engine!!
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Although Suzanne did not quite ask me, as this was on my bucket list I cheekily asked if I and possibly Christine could join them. Next job was to break the news to Christine, but to cut a long story short we got on board.
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As far as I’m concerned, this is Suzanne’s trip and it's all about how we support her to achieve her goal. Throughout the training she may have been swearing at me and my constant nagging to change gear, cycle faster / slower or listening to my favourite catch-phrase “the hills are your friends” (though I’m sure I heard her whisper the other day, that indeed the hills were becoming her friends!!!!) but I’m the one who is proud to be with her and to share this incredible and emotional experience.
Christine
I cannot remember exactly when my husband asked me if I would like to do LEJOG, but I do recall Alan presented it as a simple and innocuous question, posed to me almost like asking if I wanted a cup of tea (to which the answer is always yes).
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Now I’ve always loved a challenge and have certainly completed a number of different and crazy ones in my lifetime (3 peaks, climbing Ayers Rock, Bungee jumping, Abseiling off the London Orbital, Walking London to Brighton, Cycling London to Cambridge), but most of these have been quite short and the majority of them were completed quite some years ago, when I was a lot younger and had more energy.
However I’ve never really been one to put my feet up and although I have not, nor do I ever feel I will, accept Alan’s mantra that “the hills are your friends”, I will admit that through all the training I have transitioned a little from my ‘driving Miss Daisy’ cycling approach. I cannot say that I aspire to being Laura Kenny, but there are no wicker baskets on my bicycle now, although I will always find a coffee shop for a refreshment break on any ride!
Note to self - check Alan’s bucket list to see what other hair brained ideas are on there. Meanwhile I’ll be there to support Suzanne throughout what is no doubt going to be a tiring and emotional couple of weeks, what a sense of achievement we will all have at the end!
Richard
Simon was my best friend, we spent more hours than I care to remember laughing like children at the most inappropriate humour and he was the most kind, supportive and decent man I have ever met and was there for me for much of my adult life.
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I was privileged enough to be with Simon and Suzanne right up to the last moments of his life, which were traumatic and devastating to witness. In doing so, I saw first hand how incredible Suzanne was in caring for Simon but also how important the service that Macmillan give in providing support and care. Simon suffered. It was awful to watch and knowing it was his wish not to to suffer just amplified the need for change and why I feel so passionate to support both Macmillan and Dignity in Dying.
It is with a great sense of irony that we are embarking on a 1000 mile cycle on push bikes. Simon was a petrol head, he loved cars and motorbikes (he was responsible for my introduction to the costly world of 911's), so I can imagine him laughing himself silly at the thought of us doing this trip without engines!
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I feel very fortunate and proud to be able to participate in this ridiculous journey (albeit with wildly insufficient training), to be able to support two very worthwhile causes and above all, to support my great friend Suzanne in what has to be the maddest idea she has come up with in the many years I have known her!
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Kippers for breakfast! See you in Scotland.
Puppet Pig
Many years ago, Simon went away for the weekend with a previous girlfriend. He was having a terrible time, until he opened his bag and found Puppet Pig at the bottom. At least I’ve got a friend with me, he thought. And felt better.
During the last months of Simon’s illness when everything hurt, I would put my hand in Puppet Pig and rest him across Simon’s chest as a hug. His face relaxed. Puppet Pig still made him feel better.
After Simon’s death, the funeral directors asked if there were a letter or a photo to go with him. I hadn’t thought of that. Then I remembered Puppet Pig. For a moment, I wrestled with my conscience because it meant losing both of them. But Simon needed him more.
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‘Are you sure?’ They struggled to keep their expressions solemn.
I nodded.
‘And you would like him… cremated too?'
‘Yesss,’ I said, thinking no!
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A few days before Simon’s cremation, I realised Puppet Pig had to be saved. Some frantic phone calls followed and two weeks later, a rather smoky glove puppet escorted Simon’s ashes home. Fitting.
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Since then, Puppet Pig stays close to me. Simon never let him sleep on the bed, but he does now, albeit hidden beneath the duvet.
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Puppet Pig may not have the legs needed for this ride, but he is an essential member of the team. And if he can make the 1000 mile journey, then so can the rest of us. Just nobody order sausages…
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TOM and Julia
Late last year when Suzanne said she was thinking of cycling from Land's End to John o' Groats over Simon's first anniversary, we thought ... hmmm.... After the tough couple of years she had had - a big challenge, but a great thing to aim at. With her determination and underlying strength, and given support, yes we thought, she will make it happen.
When she added that Susanna was going too, we brightened our expressions, thinking that an experienced cyclist (although mainly around London) would boost her morale, help her train, and make it possible.
Then Alan said he and Christine would join in and we thought - yes, this crazy idea might just work, they being an active and enterprising couple, fit and focused, and a great organising team.
And then Richard, Simon's oldest friend, the most considerate, kind and supportive person (just like Simon) and many years ago a regular long-distance cyclist. The last piece of the jigsaw fell into place.
So we tentatively asked if we could come too... Maybe a car could provide a useful backup? We wished very much to add our support to the amazing challenge. And it would be a jolly holiday for us - waving them off, catching them en route and in the evenings, and otherwise spending our time sightseeing and having lovely long walks in beautiful places.
