Hot journey in Stavros’s minibus. South along the coast and then turning inland towards Archaia Olympia (Old Olympia). A journey of about 250km. Beautiful mountain scenery with olive groves and pencil pines. An occasional river plain of corn and just one flock of shorn but still hot sheep. We stopped in a village on the way where the shopkeeper insisted on drinking toasts in the local firewater with Felix and Jerome. (They did buy some pastries too). Fresh peaches with the juice dribbling down our chins. And so to the place which is the reason behind our whole adventure – Olympia itself. Blistering heat and, yes, of course, the stadium itself was shut. Spirits undimmed we took some photos next the oleander blossom. Now for what the restaurant advertises as “Pizza Big Size”. Sounds perfect.

We arrived in Athens yesterday around 3.00pm after a very pleasant 3.5 hour Easyjet flight. We got the new Metro train into the centre of Athens to our hotel where we met Jo with John & Tina fresh from their acclimatisation training in Crete. Hotel not to shabby with a rooftop bar with a good view of the Acropolis, which I’m sure will be very nice when it’s finished ( I would have thought 2500 years should have been enough to get the job done).

View from the hotel in Athens

We are now onboard the mini coach for the 180 mile drive to  Olympia. The coach driver Konstantinos seems like a nice chap and his driving skills seem to be fairly good by Greek standards! There is a strange air of apprehension among the passengers at the thought of riding tomorrow I think.

 We have heard from Roger & Sue Vick that they have got the van to Olympia which means our bikes are there. On our arrival this afternoon we will need to reassemble the bikes in readiness for our 6.00am departure Saturday morning. We are going early to try to make the most of the cooler temperatures before it gets into the 40′s by lunch!

At 37000 feet over Frankfurt, flying at 490mph, the captain said that we had 1130 miles to go to Athens. It felt like a very very long way to cycle back. We left Canterbury City Council at 5.45am with Ernie and Sarah driving us to Gatwick. Then the de-humanising process of being loaded on to an aeroplane. Easyjet remarkably straightforward and unpretentious. Jerome upset there’s no free sandwiches. The Alps slipped by covered in snow. We’ll be climbing those in ten days’ time.

Our valiant group of spartans departed from Gatwick this morning headed for Greece and will start their epic 1,500 mile two week cycle on Saturday. Here’s the first report from Ed Condry from up in the clouds..

At 37,000 feet over Frankfurt, flying at 490mph, the captain said that we had 1,130 miles to go to Athens. It felt like a very long way to cycle back. We left Canterbury City Council at 5.45am today with Ernie and Sarah driviing us to Gatwick. Then the dehumanising process of being loaded onto an airplane. Easyjet remarkably straightforward and unpretentious. Jerome upset there’s no free sandwiches. The Alps slipped by covered in snow. We’ll be climbing those in ten days time.

If you’re in the meridian area the ITV Meridian evening news will have a piece on the cycle ride featuring Ed on a fitness bike in the Canterbury Christchurch lab being assessed for fitness by Dr Damian Coleman.  6pm.

Readers probably know that Robin and Barbara Cooper are leading the advanced party and left the UK on 23 June to cycle the 1,500 miles in three weeks. They’ll be meeting the full group in Lucerne. Here’s the tale from day four on the bikes…

After 285 miles, max speed 40mph,  temp 40 degrees every day, 12500 feet of climbing and thankfully no punctures and one crash we’re having our last Greek salad on the waterfront at Igoumenitsa awaiting the 8pm sailing for Italy. Random tune of today is A Mash-Up as young dudes call it of The Only Way is Up and I’ve Got The Power which Barbara says she hasn’t.

 It’s been like a David Attenborough ecological disaster movie in terms of road kill. Red squirrels, sheep, goats, stoats, feral cats, dogs, what I’m sure was a black bear ( we had admittedly gone into the mountains by mistake then) lots of adders, a black snake I think was a black mamba and a coloured one I think was a boa constrictor. I know my reptiles I’ve worked with some in the past.

 We’ve concluded there is a vacancy for  a health and safety officer over here. Our prizes go to the bloke on a moped holding an 8 foot aluminium ladder, the guy with three other mates on one moped with no crash helmets, the 6 foot pole ( not a person from Poland fortunately) protruding from the back of a car without any warning and the lorry piled high with hay held on with one bit of cord. On almost 300 miles we’ve seen countless abandoned road schemes which have all run out of money but today we saw one guy building a road by himself with a rake and half a mile on another 6 guys – no high viz, no helmets and no warning of the bulldozer reversing into the roadway in front of us. As for vehicle indicators we guess you fail the driving test if you use them because people just career off the road when they feel like it, open car doors and pull out from side roads. In all our journey we’ve met not one, NOT ONE cyclist. I think the Greeks know it’s only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. And Barbara. R and B xx

Attached yet again Barbara gets off her bike to charm the melon man showing off her Will.I.Am cycle glasses. Robin awaits the ferry and a stork seen on the way.

First and fantastically best: we have now passed £35000 sponsorship for the Air Ambulance. Robin and Barbara Cooper have been beating the path ahead of us since Sunday. There reports of high temperatures and dodgy tractors make daunting reading. The second group of 12 fly out early tomorrow morning. Start time 6.00am Saturday from Olympia. A great and very challenging adventure. Please come and greet us at Canterbury Cathedral at 16.15 on July 14th. If we make it we shall fall into your arms!

Readers probably know that Robin and Barbara Cooper are leading the advanced party and left the UK on 23 June to cycle the 1,500 miles in three weeks. They’ll be meeting the full group in Lucerne. Here’s the tale from day three on the bikes…

Heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail. Incredible. None of these featured today in another 40 degree scorcher. Very, very hot with hills right to the end. We’ve never drunk so much water in our lives. From Mesolongi at long last it’s very quiet roads with fabulous islands and turquoise coast to look at. Crazy motorway schemes that seem to have no purpose and have run out of money and been abandoned along with holiday homes and time share. Sadly my Garmin deleted everything so we went back to maps. I have to say Barbara appeared less than impressed with our unintended 10 mile detour into the mountains. We ended up doing 88 today. The last bit to Prevesa is tedious past a military airport with “no photo” signs. We were tempted to take a holiday snap but decided against. The tunnel where you need to be escorted through was very efficient. We just called at the office and an old jalopy came to collect us. I’m pretty sure taking bikes across 6 lanes of traffic by a toll on foot is pretty safe as were the two bikes dumped in the back of the truck with me perched on the back of the open truck driving at 60 in the tunnel. Kevin, i suggest you just say goodbye to your bike. In Preveza now and 50miles to the ferry at Igoumenitsa tomorrow. If we see “Welcome to Albania” we’ve gone too far. Pic of me with some of the locals on the way and Barbara on the lovely coast road.

Well today has been a day of ups and downs (literally). It all started well, we made an early start to get miles in before the heat really takes hold. We had completed 20 miles quite quickly and were looking to get to Patras when disaster struck. Robin, in an attempt to miss a greek farmer in a truck pulling out of a side road totally oblivious to us, swerved, caught my wheel and fell into the road. He has a badly bruised knee, a cut lip and he has lost some of his front tooth. The local mechanics came over and tried to help. We cycled on and found a pharmacy for provisions of antiseptic dressings etc. Well the greeks couldn’t have been more helpful. They took Robin into a back room and cleaned his wounds – god knows what they put on it but it stung!

Then we went onto Patras, through the town where mopeds seem to like nothing better than overtaking you on the inside (I didn’t think there was any space available!). Then onto Mesolongi, up 2 big hills. We stopped for  fruit and the trader kindly gave us the peaches for free – how kind was that!

I have no ipad with me but I seem to be able to conjure up random songs – yesterday it was ‘Airport’ and today its been ‘Rhythm is a dancer’ – no rhyme or reason.

Until tomorrow.

Barbara and Robin

We’ve now reached a wonderful £30,000 for the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance.Thank you to all who have donated so generously so far and please do help spread the word and encourage others to support us and help us reach that £50,000 target.