PAUL
Like Kirk of the Enterprise, he guided us on our way,
Using his wonderful GPS to make sure we never stray.
His bike sleek, sexy and new with a glorious name,
We wondered when he would get a crack in the frame.

Normally pleasant, engaging, smiling and full of positive cheer,
If in a car you drive too close and you’ll get more than a sneer.
Our very first case of bike rage near the end of our trip did come,
If Paul doesn’t kick your car bumper, he will kick you up the bum.

ALISTAIR
With his hips rocking as his seat was high in the air,
Mostly out at the front the wind blowing through his hair.
Constantly adjusting his layers of clothing as we go,
He has enough clothes to even deal with a dump of snow.

He is called the Wheel Doctor as your wheel he can fix,
He will also offer you some of his bag of fruit and nut mix.
A new bike seat he did buy and then change to help him on his way,
Hoping his bum would be more comfortable as hips wouldn’t sway.

ELLA
Dressed in black, with her need for a thrill,
She is the speed demon of the downhill.
Each day she entertains us with dance and song,
Her choice of music at times a bit Pete Tong.

Beep beep she says as she goes along at a mega fast pace,
I hope her brakes work, so she won’t plant on her face.
Does she even know where the brakes really are,
Or is it that she really wants to overtake every single car.

JACK
With his Dawes bike, he’s always steady near the back,
His bike weighs a ton with its aluminium frame and rack.
He is hard, as a helmet on his head he does not wear,
Instead a cap he turns round for downhills cause he’s clever,

Near Drumochter he had a near big miss,
His bike hit a big hole and a bridge he did kiss.
He carried Snuffles in the side bag on his bike,
If he hits any more bridges, Snuffles will hitch hike.

SNUFFLES
Encased in a red pouch on Jock’s bike he did ride,
The main part of his body and tail he had to hide.
But he finished the trip with Jack in his bag on the rack,
Cause he had sabotaged Jock’s bike so he got the sack.

He completed the trip with drink all over his face,
With a smile and his kilt on he finished with grace.
At John 0′ Groats he brought some champers as a gift,
His choice of bubbly beverage giving us all a great lift.

MAHRI
Each day that she choose to join our motley bunch for a ride,
Meant great days with lots of sunshine and downhill glide.
She has legs of steel and is able to cycle with no stops,
With her small sexy blue bike she is simply the tops.

Magnificent cook, driver, dog walker and biker she,
Amazingly on our rides she never seemed to have a pee.
Always cheerful and there at the end of the day,
She loves her sat-nav that guides her along the way.

ISOBEL
Bright coloured hat and wore her Highwaymen T-shirt every day,
She was always there to wish us out and on our merry way.
With her black book and camera always at hand,
To record each detail of our little cycling band.

Generally a bit of an all round superstar unless to a supermarket you go,
Because then she might just get lost in all the hustle and bustle of produce flow.
She is full of laughter, colour and pretty soon in OZ a grandma to be,
However unlike Jim she always remembers the highwaymen van key.

RICK
With his dark glasses and red helmet he glides along,
Putting us right when our navigation goes wrong.
His route planning is excellent and our route is really great,
The way he’s been eating he might even put on some weight.

With his DHB clothing he and Jim look like a bit of a clone,
Yet with his navigation skills you will never be lost and alone.
Ricardo is his new nickname, betray him if you dare,
Cause he’ll order a hit with just his steely eyed stare.

JIM
He is our master mechanic and he’ll fix your bike if he can,
If not then you‘ll be riding in the Lonach Highwaymen red van.
Like Ferdinand of his loved United he sweeps up at the rear,
So the thought of being left behind you never have to fear.

Punctures, blowouts, broken chains, loose spokes he knows all about,
But you just need to make sure where’s the van key before he starts out.
Our adventure is over and Jim gave a fine speech with a smile a mile wide,
I know for sure that he is already planning next year’s big bike ride.

JOCK
Now to Jock, and what can we say,
Up first before even the break of day.
Frustrated with his bike until the end of day four,
Every night he needed to sleep on the floor.

Each morning he walked Monty so he could do his ones and twos,
In the evening he liked listening to Taj Mahal and the blues.
His back held out, which meant he did make it to the end,
But his loud voice can drive you round the bend.

LIZ
At Kirkhill with her computer on Waterside she did reside,
Working hard behind the scenes while we were on the ride.
But as our group neared Boat of Garten and the River Spey,
She came to visit us and even stay for the very next day.

Always smiling, cheerful and our website she did run,
Nothing too much trouble and she helped make the trip fun.
Responsible for entering our photos and our daily blog,
We know that all her hard work must have been a real slog.

LILIAN
Co-leader with Jim, the instigators of our cycle ride,
Organising this community project that we could do with pride.
Her tireless work getting sponsors to help us on our way,
Hoping that all the hard work would payoff at the end of the day.

She supplied us with wicked flapjacks and brioche to eat,
They tasted great and helped us achieve our endurance feat.
Joining us at John O’Groats at the end of our long ride,
To help celebrate our community’s achievements with the greatest of pride.

For years now we have all known Mahri and Jim,
When one sleep deprived night an idea came to him.
Ah ha! He thought why not do a mega long cycle route,
With a group of friends it could be a bit of a hoot.

So with his idea he went to see Mrs Field to get her on his side,
To raise money for Strathdon School with a l066 mile bike ride.
Soon a motley crew gathered all unfit yet keen to do the trip,
Some thinking ‘Now is a good time to throw the old bike in a skip’.

A few of the group were happy as it meant purchasing new toys,
Lightweight carbon fibre bikes, flash jackets and lycra for the boys.
Training took place on Sundays instead of taking a rest,
Other times we trained alone trying to do our very best.

A name for the group of amateur cyclists was needed and indeed found,
Lonach Highwaymen they were called plus Snuffles the School hound.
Months flew by, also cycling took place with pupils from the school,
The Highwaymen training hard determined not to be a lycra clad fool.

The adventure began in Cornwall with sunshine so we all had a smile,
Shorts, shades and sunscreen for the first two hundred and eighty mile.
Heaps of punctures, tyre blowouts all happened in the first few days,
With the great GPS system we never became a bunch of lost strays.

We stayed overnight in Youth Hostels and bunkhouses along our way,
With by far the best being in Cornwall overlooking Treyarnon Bay.
Each day our mileage target of course always had to be met,
Snuffles sat in his pouch and hoped he wouldn’t need to see a vet.

Every day we would cycle for an hour or two looking for a coffee shop,
Then ride a few hours more till we found a nice place for a lunch stop.
At times we would cycle hard and the miles seemed to simply fly by,
Other times really steep hills that almost brought a tear to your eye.

Wasp stings on legs, birds landing and sitting on our bike handlebars,
Once in a while a close encounter with badly driven black cars.
As we finished each day and our destination we did always attain,
All of us hungry, dirty, sweaty, thankfully not in any real pain.

Gathering in a big group in the evening to have a drink and a bite to eat,
Conversation would be varied but would of course include the days feat.
Our ride seemed to flow easily by with plenty of sunshine along our way,
Then at Sauchs Farm due to strong winds we had to cancel a whole day.

Our route had to be changed and we had to come up with a new plan,
We had a couple of hard days cycling to get the ride back in the can.
The temperature soon began to drop the further North we came,
Still enjoying it as no two days were ever exactly the same.

Various friends came and joined us on our ride for the odd day,
Their company enjoyed as they helped us on our way.
Towards the end we had very early starts in the cold dark morning,
Everybody getting on their bikes still stretching and often yawning.

Our progress was followed at Strathdon School on computer by one and all,
Which meant if we ever did lose our way someone would give us a call.
Before we knew it we were down to the very last (83 mile) day,
The Highwaymen pretty confident we would make it all the way.

The last day the weather was really wet, windy and just plain bad,
But as we got to John 0′ Groats we were all really very glad.
We had taken a day less than the original plan for our ride,
An achievement of which we all have a great deal of pride.

There are so many great people to thank and who we must praise,
Who helped in some way our ride and the money we wanted to raise.
So to those who worked behind the scenes we liked to say thanks to you all,
But next year if you want to go back the other way, please don’t give us a call.

Everyone at Strathdon School says Good Luck!

How is the cycling going? Are you tired? How did Jock escape from the aliens? How is Snuffles? We’ve been checking your speed and location every 15 minutes since you started cycling. As we are writing this in class we are watching where you are. Who has been in the front the most?

Do you like our photo?

Hope you have all had a good day.

From P5-7

Strathdon School had a stall at the games and used the opportunity to do a bit more advertising and fundraising. People were very generous and £834.40 was raised. No pressure was used.

At Alford Museum track on Sunday June 7th between 10a.m. and 4p.m. you are welcome to join us to try to match the 1066 miles that the Lonach Highwaymen will be cycling later in the year to raise money for Strathdon School and Cash for Kids.

If you would like a bike transported to the event please label it and bring to Bellabeg shop between 8.30 and 8.45a.m. on Sunday 7th June. Some bikes will be available to borrow at the event.

There will be a barbecue, bouncy castle (for adults and children!) , Street Games, raffle etc. All ages welcome!

For further information please contact Strathdon School on 01975651224

“A SCATTERED rural Aberdeenshire community has joined forces to mount a marathon bid to raise funds.

Volunteers will pedal hundreds of miles to raise cash for the local 36-pupil primary school.

Children from Strathdon School, along with family and friends, will be saddling up for long-distance sponsored cycle events to raise funds for the school.

They will take to the track to bike the equivalent of the distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats.”

From: The Press and Journal – Read Full Article