Joan O' Groats challenge

They called it their End to End challenge - and by the time they reached Lands End from John O'Groats they had cycled 1,048 miles in l4 days.Exhausting, yes, but certainly worthwhile for, by journey's end, Sidmouth-born Hannah Govier and her friend, Rachel Irish, had raised more than £3,000 for Childrens Hospice South West's Precious Life Appeal."We did it for fun and for a most worthy cause," said Hannah this week.They funded the ride themselves, had no back-up support, planned their own route, stayed at youth hostels and B&B's and met loads of helpful people along the way with ready advice on how to avoid the worst hills."We were overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone," said Hannah who, like Rachel, works for the Marine and Fisheries Agency. "So many have been so generous, friends, family and colleagues and people in Cornwall who, seeing our T-shirts, just walked up and gave us money."They cycled 103 miles the first day and averaged 70 thereafter. There were no punctures, though Hannah, 27, did fall off three times! She was also temporarily immobilised when the chain on her 20-gear bike stuck between the top gear and the spokes. A passing cyclist made a running repair good enough for her to continue. But she couldn't freewheel and had to pedal downhill to reach the nearest cycle shop 25 miles away."It's hard to see now that we've cycled the whole country because you only picture one day and 70 miles," said Hannah. "It was really tiring and I was absolutely exhausted by the end. But it was so worthwhile and, despite the tiredness, we're both rather pleased that we did it."Family members, including Hannah's father, David, were at Lands End with representatives of Childrens Hospice South West to welcome them with champagne. Hannah and Rachel, 37, have been invited to the Tavistock Food Fair this month for the cheque presentation.