Three days into the cycle from Holyhead to Cardiff to raise money for Spinal Injuries Research and Wales Air Ambulance, the pain is starting to show on some of the rally boys – as BRC co-driver Darren Garrod explains...


The third day started off flat - for half a mile! Then it was a six mile climb to the top of a mountain and lots more to come. The downhill stuff through Hafren afterwards was fun though. We stopped off for lunch at a point we thought was suitable, then I realised I had to do a massive climb afterwards when we were full and puffing to get up the hill!

Gwyndaf [Evans] is a machine - he's amazing to watch on the bike. I'll be cycling up a hill almost breathless and Gwyndaf can talk the whole way up the hill without losing his breath. I've never seen anyone so fit.

It was 32 degrees on part of the route today which was tough going, and we are going down lanes with big hedges which block out any breeze too. I went to Sol Rally Barbados in May and it reminded me of cycling there, so hot. I think being in the Barbados heat has helped me with the cycling. We're all drinking loads of water, we actually ran out tonight and have had to re-stock.

I have to admit I've not trained much and I'm getting sore. Well, a few of us are, and it's not our muscles in our arms and legs, it's our bums! And I hurt my neck yesterday. I had what looked like a '60 left' downhill ahead of me but it turned out to be a '90 left' so I went straight off the bike into a peat bog. I got soaked and lost my glasses. But when I was trying to find them I found the peak off another cycling helmet, so at least I know I'm not the first person to have landed in that bog over the years!

Luckily I had a paramedic cycling behind me, by the time he got to me I was laughing so hard he couldn't tell if I was laughing or cycling so he wasn't sure what to do when he found me! There was a stream over the road, so I went and had a wash in it to get clean. Then it was back on the bike. What can I say - it was my own fault, a late call from a co-driver!

I can't tell you how brilliant the people we have met along the way have been. When they find out what we are doing they just get out their wallets and hand over cash for the charities. There were some flags up for us too, it's really fantastic.

Thanks to everyone who has sponsored us along the way. To add some money to the pot, you can sponsor us online at: www.justgiving.com/wrc-brc/

Darren Garrod