Despite my promises that it would all be downhill there were a few hills we had to climb but they were balanced by some really good downhills!!
We all met up again at Martarell for a Tapas lunch in some lovely warm sunshine. With the roads getting busier as we got closer to Barcelona we formed a Pelaton for the final 25km. We were all wearing our B2B Blue cycle shirts and we looked the business!! As we hit the outskirts of Barcelona and started the long ride into the centre, the locals were stopping, staring and shouting out words of support. We eventually reached the Olympic Stadium for a photoshoot of the team at about 5.00pm.
We managed to fit out one of the spare bikes for Tim and found a B2B shirt for him as well. As we left the Olympic Stadium for our final 3km to the waterfront we were now 24 in number!
Finally at about 6.00pm we arrived at the waterfront and a very emotional welcome from wives, partners, friends and families.
We had covered 430 miles, climbed 6 major mountains, been forced to make three diversions, cycled through roadworks that gave us 7 punctures, had to deal with snow, sleet, heavy rain and freezing temperatures. We had seen sights that we will never see again, achieved more than we thought possible, faced up to and conquered everything that had been thrown at us.
We had discovered strength, mental and physical, to carry us through and above all we had found 22 great friends.
A huge thank you has to go to Tim, Corrine and Trudy for driving the support vans, where the word "driving" so inadequately conveys what they did for us. And to Jamie - Thanks for sowing the seeds of the challenge last July; at the time I thought it wouldn't happen. Your determination proved me wrong. What a challenge, what a result.
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