We set off from Stratford in quite depressing weather. It was very wet on the first day, on which we cycled approximately 90 miles to Harwich to catch the ferry across to the Hook of Holland.
We departed from Harwich at 11:30pm so we slept on the ferry on our way to Holland. We arrived at approximately 8am, local Dutch time. The real fun then began when we cycled off the ferry and made our way to Amsterdam. Again, the weather wasn’t great, but it did get better during the course of the day.
We took in some sights en route to ‘Dam and I can say that once we got into Amsterdam Central we were bombarded by bikes everywhere!!!! It was mental!!! Not only do you see loads of bikes, you hear them too – people constantly dinging their bells! The ride to Amsterdam was approximately 66 miles.
Next up was the big day. Turnhout was next on the map, approximately 110 miles away from Amsterdam. By day 3 the weather was beautiful if you wanted to sunbathe, but cycling in it was hard – I’ve got very interesting tan lines going on right now! This was definitely the longest day sat on the saddle – we set off at 7:45am and didn’t reach the hotel until 6:45pm! I was a little sore shall I say, but nothing a beer couldn’t help.
Day 4 was the last day of cycling and it was towards Brussels – approximately 70 miles. The weather was still very nice, touching 26 degrees! Getting on the saddle at the start of this day was hard – aching all over and sore knees – but it was all worth it once I got to this beautiful city and saw some of the amazing sights and the tram running through the middle of town. The sun was still blazing and all of us were cycling in convoy illuminating the streets of Brussels in our orange t-shirts. I should also add that I got no punctures!!
I can safely say I enjoyed every second of the ride and would do it all over again. I made some new friends and rekindled some old friendships too. My current money raised is £2140 which I’m overwhelmed by – I hope this helps many people!
Please add a massive thank you to Skyline too, because without them none of this would have been possible – such an organised event and a great bunch of people.
Jordan Stoughton
http://www.justgiving.com/Jordan-Stoughton3citycycle
