The End

What a tremendous week. Cycled 320 miles in 5 days - averaging 64 miles per day, and for those who thought Northern France was flat - it isn't! Body is a bit stiff and cream still needs to be applied, other than that no problems.

Best bits:
1. Most emotional. Ceremony at Theiphal memorial to those thousands who were killed on the Somme whose bodies were never found - not a dry eye in the house.
2. Worst ceremony. Dunkirk - organised by the French whose sense of ceremony is not to the British taste. Not assisted by one of the French veterans dropping dead at Bryn Parry's side cuasing the event to be delayed.
3. Hardest day. Day 3 - 81 miles in the rain between Dieppe and Amiens. over 100 punctures dueing the day - I got one, which was kindly mended by two ex officers - I was praised for my supervision skills.
4. Best experience. Being "evacuated" from Dunkirk on landing craft which then went to the Mother Ship - HMS Largs Bay, and in the dark we drove inside the ship, lined by Royal Marines - rather resembling a scene from a James Bond film. After an overnight stay on board in 24 man bunks (interesting) - we were landed again in the landing craft on Dover Beach to a great welcome.
5. Most difficult decision. Having chosen a middle bunk on Largs Bay and having discarded cycling shorts prior to going to bed, getting up in the morning, not having room to put shorts back on and having to decide whether to get out of bed on my front or back. Luckily, the guy on the bunk below had his curtain drawn!
6. Best meal. Steak frites in a restaurant not far from Menin Gate in Ypres.
7. Best drink. The first beer of every evening.
8. Fastest day. Day 4. Average 13.8 mph between Arras and Ypres - after a few hills in the morning, flat ride through the French mining district.
9. Worst roads. In Belgium - which interestingly was not signed on the way in.
10. Most interesting view. Looking at the field where on Christmas Day 1915 the British and German troops had a game of football. Sadly, the Germans won 3-2. Within 500 yards each side of the field was based a certain Liutenant Colonel Winston Churchill (after the Dardenells disaster) and 500 yards the other way a Corporal Adolf Hitler. Sadly not at the same time - but only a few months apart.
11. Best hotel. Did rather well in that the room mate I had been allocated failed to turn up for the ride, so most nights had a room to myself. Sheer luxury. Hotels all clean and serviceable - one star.
12. Most amusing crash. Right at the very end, a brother officer, Andrew Stuart Mills crashing after the final parade at Dunkirk and being assisted to his feet by a veteran.
13. Best fly-by. A Spitfire over Dover harbour on the last morning. Absolutely magnificent and on a number of occasions he was below the level of the ship and those on shore thought he had crashed into us.
14. Best parachute display. The Red Devils (Parachute Regiment display team)doing a spectacular display into Dover harbour.
15. Best fund raising effort. The father of a soldier killed a year ago in Afghanistan who raised 93,000 pounds for the ride and although I did not meet him he was a great person, and still heavily grieving for his son.
16. Best example. While awaiting our landing craft in Dunkirk - a mere 5 hours all told - remembering that 70 years ago 320,000 British troops were doing the same - but for days while being bombed and strafed.
17. Best Hill. The feature of Cassel, about 25 miles outside of Dunkirk, which was when the last time that a unit of the British Army were ordered to defend it to the last man. An interesting ascent - steep uphill on cobble stones! Great for thin tyres.
18. Best Padre. We had the Peddling Padre with us who cycled the full distance and then donned his robes over his lycra daily for a memorial service at the various stops.
19. Best example of the impact of poor communications and sheer courage. The Canadian positions at Beaumont Hamel where the first battalion attack went over and were all mown down by 2 machine guns within 50 yards. The second battalion were then ordered to do the same - with the same result. The third attack was again ordered, and they had to climb over the bodies of their comrades to meet the same fate. Meanwhile the Brigade commander had no idea about what was happening because the runners sent back to report were all killed - and the carrier pigeons had met a similar fate.

All in all, a truly emotional, fun, amusing, sad, entertaining, inspirational, reflective, and tiring experience. And we raised over one million pounds! Thank you all who supported me.

Do look at the Help for Heroes web site for the videos of each day and photos. http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/bbbr_2010.html